I have a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep. However, when I do sleep, I have reoccuring dreams and they are unpleasant and sometimes scary. Those dreams are the only indicator that I actually got some sleep. I cannot remember the last time that I actually got a deep, restorative sleep and woke up refreshed.

One of the dreams that I have been having is that I am in school and that there is a test or an assignment due. I am always woefully unprepared. Either I cannot find the classroom, or I don't have the books I need, or I didn't study or finish the assignment. Last night I had a dream where we were getting assignments back and the teacher announced to the whole class that I got a zero on the assignment.

Another dream that I keep having is that someone is chasing me or trying to kill me. Every time I try to run and hide somewhere the person finds me. I remember one where someone was trying to torture me and their office was on the 50th floor of a building. I tried to take the elevator to get away from her but every time I pressed the down button, it would go right back to the 50th floor. And it was a glass elevator so the woman could see that I was in it.

It's like I can't catch a break even in my sleep. Does anyone know what I can try to get rid of them and have a decent sleep? I don't eat anything weird or watch anything disturbing before I go to sleep. My T says that nightmares won't hurt me, but that is no help at all. I journal the following morning but that doesn't seem to help either. Any suggestions?