shutdowns/meltdowns in dreams

[cw: cptsd? meltdowns/shutdowns]

i'm wondering about people's experiences with having meltdowns or shutdowns in their dreams. is this common? how do you deal with it if you get this?

i often have stress dreams rehashing themes from a period in my life when i experienced a very high frequency of shutdowns due to life circumstances, and was wondering if this is common as perhaps a delayed (potentially ptsd) reaction/processing thing. i thought it was interesting that, at least recently, there have been increasing numbers of meltdown dreams where i feel completely overwhelmed by sensory and emotional stimuli, causing me to enter uncontrollable rages, typical meltdown urge to self injure (e.g. head banging), et cetera. this is despite both of the facts that in the past i barely, if ever, experienced meltdowns, as well as that at the moment i live a calmer, comparatively stress-free life with very infrequent meltdowns or shutdowns.

there is probably a link between past shutdowns causing delayed processing as dream meltdowns perhaps? at the time of the shutdowns i feel like they probably happened as a result of external pressure not permitting meltdowns maybe.

i suppose i'm just looking to see if anybody has experienced anything similar/to vent a little haha. i don't really know what to do about it. my dream lucidity isn't regularly that high atm. it would be nice if anybody has figured out a way to deal with it other than the regular ptsd dreams rescripting advice (hasn't really worked)/sleep health. the regular night terrors are genuinely becoming exhausting at this point and not looking forward to a life of this ngl. does it get better with time?

Seigest ,
@Seigest@lemmy.ca avatar

I've had these. Usually related to those I am close with. Dreams of bad things happening to them or dreams of intense jealousy. They make me wake up in a panic. I'm 37 now but only been getting help I the last year or so.

My therapist advised me that (at least in my case) these don't nessary reflect who I am in waking world. the reasons these dreams disturb me is because they counter my views of myself.

It's like if I dream of myself committing a grievously violent murder and I wake up disturbed. That doesn't mean I have a desire to hurt people it means the opposite.

Your own case may be different but you can't really stop bad dreams. Dreams are a symtomn of bad sleep so you can work on improving that. What you can do is learn how to process a dream and have it affect you less negatively.

Good luck.

stingpie ,

One theory about nightmares is that they serve as exposure therapy for stressors. If your nightmares are too extreme, maybe you could set aside during the day to enter a calmer environment and try to review them without getting overwhelmed. It might desensitize you a little bit and make them less severe.

I haven't had severe nightmares since I was a preteen, but when I did, they tended to be pretty stressful (being kidnapped, being abandoned, my friends commiting suicide in front of me, etc). I'm not sure exactly why they stopped, but I eventually 'burnt out', and I just stopped really caring about them.

Can't say I turned out great, but I can say I don't have nightmares anymore.

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