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| | Notices | Welcome to PTSD Forum. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a life threatening, debilitating disorder that can break down a sufferer’s body through anxiety and stress. Further it poses a significant suicide risk resulting from the brains neurological imbalance and chemical depression. Sufferers often live in denial, thus this community is aimed at helping PTSD sufferers help themselves through others experiences, guidance and education. We are here for the sufferer, spouse and families surrounding PTSD. Spouses and family are too often forgotten in this equation, and often they receive all the worst that PTSD has to offer. If you're involved in any way with PTSD, get registered and help yourself now. Non-active members will eventually be deleted. If you are not a sufferer, carer or someone within the mental health industry, and active, then there is little reason for you to be a member of this forum. Non-active members with zero posts are deleted periodically during the year. |  | | 
29-11-2007, 12:43 PM
|  | | | Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 56
| |  Dreams
I had a session with my psychiatrist today where I discussed the latest flashbacks that are haunting me and he asked me if I dream. He has asked me this a few times before and as usual I said no. I am thinking that maybe it has to do with the fact that I am afraid I may dream of past trauma . Is this common for people with PTSD, not to dream at all, or at least not to be able to remember them...I wonder if anyone can tell meIt has been years since I have had a real dream. Very rarely I will dream of something I cannot remember  |
29-11-2007, 02:44 PM
|  | | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: charles town, wv (usa)
Posts: 1,252
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i think i did not dream because i did not sleep, lol. i am doing much better overall, but now the dreams/nightmares are hounding me. at least my dreams are not pleasant and sometimes about the abuse, but not like flashbacks. when i awake, i know it was a dream. much better. i usually go for a while and then just take my meds or something to knock me out.
cathy |
29-11-2007, 07:26 PM
|  | | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Ma
Posts: 2,617
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When my symptoms were at an all time high, I had nightmares, and dreams. Now I very rarely remember my dreams or even know if I do dream.
I know that when I did have nightmares and dreams it was pretty bad, so I would say that if you aren't having them......This might me a good thing. You're getting sleep which is so important, because most people with PTSD can't sleep. |
29-11-2007, 08:11 PM
| | | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: UK
Posts: 687
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Yes, I agree. I wouldn't worry about it if you are getting sleep. Sleep with no dreams and/or nightmares is what I'm dreaming of!  |
29-11-2007, 08:47 PM
|  | | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New Mexico, USA
Posts: 796
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Maybe the therapist is asking to see if you have symptoms of sleep apnea. I also have sleep apnea, when you stop breathing during sleep, and the brain does not get enough oxygen, so you never get to the deepest part of sleep, the most restful part, and you don't dream, and you don't heal very much, either. I had a sleep study, and now i use a cpap oxygen breathing machine at night, and I can honestly say that an oxygenated brain is a happy brain. |
30-11-2007, 08:28 AM
|  | | | Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 423
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I dream alot, and can generally recall 2 - 4 dreams from any given night and always have. I can recall some nightmares, but alot of the time when (according to husband) been thrashing & screaming, well that's when I can't recall any dream at all, so I'm no expert but perhaps if too traumatic you don't remember your dreams?
Have you gone to get a physical? It may be worth testing for your electrolytes & vitamin levels, this can affect quality of sleep, energy levels etc. My stuff was a bit out a whack & so I'm using supplements.
I also have a friend who does not dream, and he does not have PTSD. Yet, and I'm not sure if this is reliable you might have to google it - but I always believed that everyone does indeed dream every night, but not everyone recalls the dream. There are techniques that can assist apparently, but whether you want to do that or not?
Last edited by Awakening; 30-11-2007 at 08:29 AM.
Reason: spelling, yikes need more coffee!
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02-12-2007, 02:10 PM
|  | | | Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Earth (most of the time)
Posts: 757
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It has been proven through sleep analysis that everyone dreams, but some people don't remember thier dreams. There is tons of information on this if you google it.
Humans dream every 1/2 hour and seldom remember most of them and that's because they are in total REM sleep (meaning a deep sleep with eyes moving back and forth under closed eyelids.) When a person is stressed out they are not in total REM sleep (tossing/turning) and it's the last few seconds just before waking that an individual can remember a dream or nightmares. Nightmares are caused from stress. If a human didn't dream they actually would go crazy. Dreaming releases tension in the body and mind.
Peace
Tammy
Last edited by becvan; 02-12-2007 at 02:14 PM.
Reason: DO NOT POST LIVE LINKS!!
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02-12-2007, 03:42 PM
| | | | Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 56
| | dreaming
My therapist seems to think that I am repressing a lot and he specializes in dream analysis, so it would be in my best interests to remember them. I would probably remember a lot of my childhood experiences and then I could start to heal. I feel I am just stuck with this PTSD like I am not really living. By the way, to all of you who responded to my thread...thank you. The support here is amazing. I really sometimes do not know what to say yet I have a lot to say...I just don t know how to express it...I do not know if that is part of the PTSD.  |
02-12-2007, 03:49 PM
|  | | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: T. Bay, Ontario Canada
Posts: 3,181
| | Please use caution...
Dreams are NOT a reliable source for memories. If you want to attempt to dream, to remember, it's highly unreliable.
Personally, if you don't remember your dreams I think your damn lucky. I have vivid dreams that go from bizarre to terrifying, all night every night (when I sleep that is! LOL)
What is it that the psych thinks you are repressing? Memory, feelings, events? Do you feel like you are repressing anything?
There is a thread on Repressed Memories in the PTSD information section. It's worth the read.
bec |
02-12-2007, 03:57 PM
|  | | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: U.S.A. Kansas
Posts: 3,540
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Have to back bec up on that. Dreams can hold emotions but you are in for a world of hurt and so are others around you if you rely on dreams to hold the keys. They show feeling in some funky and scary ways. I very rarely dream of my actual traumas, when I do it is more like a spin on them. Different people, locations, ect. They can help sort your emotional state but beyond that, not a good idea. | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode | 
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