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Recurrent and persistent bad dreams

Posted by justintyme @justintyme, 1 day ago

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.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Mental Health Support Group.

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justintyme | @justintyme | 16 hours ago
In reply to @joanland "justintyme -I am not a psychiatrist or psychologist, however I'm impressed by the frequency of the..." + (show)
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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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@joanland
Hi Joan. Bessel van der Kolk sounds like a good lead to plumb. As a medical person, that may prove to make more sense to me than it might otherwise. What's that old, old chestnut of an aphorism?..."Doctor, heal thyself!" [Which is, as we all know, like having an attorney defend himself in a court of law, or appointing a politician to head up an ethics committee.] Meanwhile, in the interim, I've delegated 'therapist pro-tem' therapy duties to my Siberian Husky bitch until I gain more insight into these dreams. She's got several graduate degrees in face-licking and wet-slurps, LoL. Cheers, Justin ;-))

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joeyjensen1959 | @joeyjensen1959 | 15 hours ago

I kept dreaming that I couldn't run...so I went out and ran as fast as I could....and the dreams went away...don't know why.....I realize that it's not possible to kill dragons or something like that, but maybe you can find a way.....
Joseph

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justintyme | @justintyme | 12 hours ago

Most innovative approach! Many times one does not know what 'works' until one tries it! Thank you! -K2

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rashida | @rashida | 9 hours ago
In reply to @justintyme "@rashida No, not recently, but I've been Metoprolol for some years, after a 2017 brief episode..." + (show)
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@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

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@justintyme I think Metoprolol is in the same class of drug as is Bisoprolol.
https://www.drugs.com/metoprolol.html
I had an echocardiogram recently they found some kind of misfiring heartbeat and a distended aorta so I was prescribed the Bisoprolol to regulate my heartbeat. I will be going in for a stress test and depending on its result I will be referred to a cardiologist. I have had a few echo cardiograms and stress tests - even the nuclear test - over the years so it’s nothing new for me, but those dreams definitely were a first for me!

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justintyme | @justintyme | 8 hours ago

"Misfiring" heartbeat. Possibly an incomplete BBB (Bundle Branch Block, IBBB), RBBB, right...or LBBB, left. Very wise to have it checked out, of course. A standard 12-lead resting EKG might reveal something of that sort. A stress test (either standard or Thalium) would be even better. I myself have an ILBB, but a referral to a cardiologist in your presentation would indeed be a good idea. I've been a runner and bicyclist for a good many years, so "ahead of the curve", as it were, but we all only last so long. Good luck following that up, Rashida. Cheers, -Justin

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