Thank you for this post, I thought about it a lot while I was waiting to see my therapist. I am a bit afraid that I didn't make myself clear enough when I talked about this. She got a kick out of me blaming myself for what I did in my sleep. I started giggling and I am not sure she got that I had been doing it before sleep too. However we spent most of the session on the nightmare and the memory it represented and I haven't had the nightmare since! I haven't had to? hmmm I haven't needed to? Well anyway I have stopped the clawing. What a relief! I can scratch an itch and not dig holes again.

I am working on liking myself more -- it really is hard. One thing that has helped was some time ago during an emdr session my therapist said that those people (who had abused me) had missed "the treasure" that was me. Somehow that nestled right down into my heart and I cling to it still. I am a treasure. And on the days I can't reach that I remember that my therapist thinks I am a treasure and I smile. I think I will stop with that cos I am smiling and don't feel like crying or scowling again.

Dalila