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Recurrent and persistent bad dreams
I seem to have recurring, persistent dreams that profoundly upset me.
There are three main themes. 1) The first typically occurs in a dream of being somewhere other than a place I am familiar with. In this dream I am usually among a small group of friends or acquaintances; our agenda is (ostensibly) to find our way to some other venue or destination (sometimes home), but either suddenly or slowly the 'others' with me go separate ways or disappear, leaving me all by myself in a strange place, trying to find out where they went.
2) The second one is a very, very old one of urgently needing to find a restroom to relieve myself, but searching in vain for one. If I do find one, it is typically either not working (out of service) or so horribly befouled with excrement that I can't possible use it.
3) The third recurrent dream finds me in a physical conflict with someone; I try to resist or fight back against them but find that the moment I do so, I become so weak that I am unable to break free and resist the aggressiveness of their attack.
These dreams result in my waking up late at night, not quite in a cold sweat but very, very agitated and frustrated. Last night, I had the restroom dream again and found one, but fell through the floor into a nightmarish 'cess pit'. An awful and quite disturbing, nightmarish scenario.
I am quite certain that these dreams are linked to early, childhood experiences and unresolved, childish dilemmas, but that's just my best guess , since my degree in psychiatry is from the 'ACEY-DEUCY, MIDNIGHT INSTITUTE OF PSYCHIATRY' (uncredentialed, LoL).
Any helpful insights into how to expiated these pesky 'demons?' FYI: I was an only child, lost my father at age 4 and was raised by a school-teacher mother to be a well-behaved, polite and considerate individual: all liabilities in our 'dog-eat-dog' modern age.
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I think you are fortunate in having dreams stridently calling your attention to deep issues in your psyche which need acknowledgement and resolution for you to move on.
I am too familiar with the dream theme of being alone (parents were not tuned in and abusive) and futile searching (for my place of comfort and sanctuary). Life is great, but apparently my psyche still hasn't found what it's looking for U-2 Bono.
The bathroom thing probably has to do with your needing to "excrete" the complex or neurosis. The botton falls out (shock and disappointment/despair) and everything turns to sh_t.
I violate rule #1 Don't interpret other people's dreams.
I don't find books on dream interpretation helpful. You in your unconscious already know what you need. You can (gently!) bring it to consciousness with good talk therapy, deep meditation, or even hypnosis?
Jungians are probably the best at this, recognizing what level of unconsciousness you may be drawing upon eg. personal or collective?
See if you can get anything by Ian Baker, a brilliant and fun Brit Jungian. Best wishes.
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1 ReactionIan Baker
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2 ReactionsThank you, that's very insightful. I'll look up Baker's works. -Justin
Try to record your dreams
Or meditate
Calm nervous system
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2 ReactionsThank you. That's an avenue of investigation to initiate.
justintyme -I am not a psychiatrist or psychologist, however I'm impressed by the frequency of the dreams and that the are of 3 definitive types. I'd suggest you read, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. It may help you understand what is happening and then lead you to seek therapy, or it won't make any sense to you and you can abandon any ideas of following what has been presented in the book. Good luck as you find your way through this maze.
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3 Reactions@justintyme have you been prescribed a medication recently?
I had the same types of dreams that you describe (all three types!) when I started taking Bisoprolol at bedtime. I take it with my supper now, and have not had these dreams.
Side effect of a medication …? Just a thought … 🤷🏼♀️
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2 ReactionsI agree with @rashida - many medications have this side effect. Bupropion is one of them.
Have you looked into lucid dreaming? I haven’t tried it but I have heard it can be a great technique to learn so that you can control your dreams and hopefully that will help you feel more empowered and less scared.
It sounds like a therapist might be able to help you work through some of your painful history. I wish you peace, and a good night of sleep too.
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2 Reactions@rashida
No, not recently, but I've been Metoprolol for some years, after a 2017 brief episode of Atrial Flutter. It is, of course, also a Beta Blocker, and is taken for prophylaxis. I personally suspect that my dreams are most likely a residual sublimation of some bullying I underwent, many years back in childhood, combined with loss of a parent at age 4. Interesting idea, though (meds side-effect), and certainly worthy of additional consideration. Thanks for sharing that comment. [As someone impacted by unDx'd ADD as a child (that continues through adulthood, but with w/no apparent hyperactive element), and encumbered/enabled by/with a very active, creative imagination, the resulting matrix of possibilities is such that some therapeutic intervention would probably be timely.] Cheers, Justin
@ashleyharris728
Thanks for weighing in on this, Ash. 'Lucid Dreaming' is something I am unacquainted with, hence potentially illuminating. I'll look into that. [I've probably got enough going on to provide a psychiatric doctoral candidate some great material for a dissertation, LoL! I also suspect that one of the best possible 'therapists' might be A.A.Milne's 'Tigger' character (in Winnie the Pooh), which is ironic and oxymoronic, because my nickname has been 'Tigger' (don't tell anyone!) for many years.]
As the Bard said, "To sleep, perchance to dream—aye, there's the rub"... Cheers, Justin