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Recurrent and persistent bad dreams

Posted by justintyme @justintyme, Apr 23 9:43am

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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justintyme | @justintyme | Apr 24 9:16am
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 | Apr 24 10:32am

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 | Apr 24 1:03pm

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

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rashida | @rashida | Apr 24 3:57pm
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 | Apr 24 4:36pm

"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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rashida | @rashida | Apr 25 5:49pm
In reply to @justintyme ""Misfiring" heartbeat. Possibly an incomplete BBB (Bundle Branch Block, IBBB), RBBB, right...or LBBB, left. Very wise..." + (show)
Profile picture for justintyme @justintyme

"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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@justintyme I can’t remember exactly what the doctor said but I think it was something to do with a ventricle and I remember her saying I had a distended aorta. The minute she said “aorta” I forgot everything else she said because I thought oh no! Aortic aneurysm!! 😯 of course she tried to assure me it wasn’t that dire, but I have seen two people I know not surviving AAA (abdominal aortic aneurysm) repair!

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justintyme | @justintyme | Apr 25 9:16pm

Hi Rashida. If she used the word, "aorta" then the key word here is 'ventricle, more specifically the Left Ventricle, which squeezes the heart's blood ("cardiac output") into the Aorta for distribution throughout the body. An Aortic Aneurysm (either ascending or descending) , as you surmised, can be somewhat serious, but if she reassured you that it is 'not that dire', I'd accept her reassurance at face value and work with her in whatever manner is required to address the problem that actually exists, in this context. I wouldn't encourage getting overly alarmed by the circumstances involving the two friends you reference who underwent aortic repair surgery. Try not to be overly alarmed, since it's all too easy to get worked up needlessly before all the diagnostic data is in. I'm sure your doctor will fill you in on things, equitably and thoroughly, as appropriate, ASAP. Alohas, -Justin

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joanland | @joanland | Apr 26 5:32pm
In reply to @justintyme "@joanland Hi Joan. Bessel van der Kolk sounds like a good lead to plumb. As a..." + (show)
Profile picture for justintyme @justintyme

@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 ;-))

Jump to this post

@justintyme
Bessel van der Kolk's book has been very helpful to me in both understanding childhood trama and how it affects a person many years on, and on its affects in all the years of my life (I'm now 85 and just now learning how what happened in childhood affected my life.) My very best to you.

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justintyme | @justintyme | Apr 26 6:07pm

Thanks, Joan, for that recommendation of van der Kolk's book. 85 is just getting started ("whippersnapper" status), LoL! Formative events in childhood do seems to exert disproportionate effects on us, whether we're aware of it or not! Looking back at my own circumstances, I sorely wish I had had more accessible role-model mentors; had I had them, I'd be a whole different individual, I'm sure! Ah well...perhaps in my next life, eh? Alohas, -Justin

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joanland | @joanland | Apr 27 1:09pm
In reply to @justintyme "Thanks, Joan, for that recommendation of van der Kolk's book. 85 is just getting started ("whippersnapper"..." + (show)
Profile picture for justintyme @justintyme

Thanks, Joan, for that recommendation of van der Kolk's book. 85 is just getting started ("whippersnapper" status), LoL! Formative events in childhood do seems to exert disproportionate effects on us, whether we're aware of it or not! Looking back at my own circumstances, I sorely wish I had had more accessible role-model mentors; had I had them, I'd be a whole different individual, I'm sure! Ah well...perhaps in my next life, eh? Alohas, -Justin

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@justintyme
Much enjoyed your comments. My belief is that we can continue to learn throughout our lives. The more insight I have into how I acquired some - now negative - reactions or traits gets to the root of why they are there, and if they are no longer useful, I can choose new behaviors or ways of responding. Hard to change well entrenched habits, oh yes, but very rewarding. I'm just so thankful I didn't copy my parents methods of parenting.

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