Update:

Life has taken another of its sharp turns.

Alice was doing ok going through her episodal nightmares. Horrid and time consuming but each was was clearing to then move onto another real episiode. Still sleeping only an hour before the nightmare kicked in and then unable to rest any more once she awoke and maybe disassociated before coming round finally in a very distressing way.

2 weeks ago we were all involved with a fatal RTA, a motorcyclist died having hit our car at speed. It was just awful and involved fire and a whole host of horrible events that I won't go into here.

Alice and I were first to the body and just dealt with him and those others round us who were injured.

Eventually we went home shattered but she was able to do her normal 30 mins naps to avoid a dream, as we didn't think she needed one of those as well aftre teh RTA and I sat up with her to make sure. A couple of nights later she said she was ok and would go back to sleeping properly and back to continue the dream that had been in progress.

When I went up at 5am, I actually woke her up and it transpires to both our surprise, that she'd slept through the night, with segments of the accident replaying, but no sign of her childhood abuse dream.

That is how she has been for nearly 2 weeks now, sleeping through. She is still on channel 2 - (the accident) instead of channel 1 - (her background). These current dream are no longer a direct replica of the accident but now have fictional threads like having an accident in London with a bus and someone putting striped hankies on all the wounds ...

I have no idea whether this will hold or as time goes by whether she'll clear this trauma and revert to her previous abuse ones or whether somehow this has overwritten what was there. As horrid as this is , it's certainly preferable as she gets good quality rest for several hours, doesn't get hurt herself and is not left with all the vivid physical symptoms and mental emotions of her previous life after each episode of a channel 1 nightmare.

It's also improved her relationship with my partner as now he realizes what she has had to manage each and every day, all consumed with memories as he's been having 24/7 flashbacks and nightmares but these are now rapidly subsiding for him.

If anyone has any comments or experience of additional trauma and how it affects previous ones I'd be very grateful to hear their views.

Sintra

All I can say is it normally adds to it and I would suggest counseling ASAP to treat this trauma before she suppresses too much. Have it processed and gotten through as soon as she can.

I was witness to a car accident right after my symptoms were beyond control. I was on my way to the pharmacy leaving the hospital from one of my "episodes". I was able to work through it rather quickly seeing the dead babies since it was a recent trauma that was giving me nightmares. The sooner one gets addressed the less work involved later down the road.

I am happy she is sleeping but this trauma is in the forefront. If she can be treated properly it will not do the same damage as the previous. That way once it is out of the way she can go back to addressing her other ones. Good luck.

Thank-you Veiled. That's sound advice

Sintra

Yep everything V said. Additional trauma's just stack up and add more and more you have to deal with so deal with it as soon as possible. Don't forget about yourself and hubby too. Many people have been in accidents and have PTSD now. So you both need to make sure you deal with it and don't supress it. Wouldn't be a bad idea to see a counsellor once or twice yourselves just to work through it.

Bec