First up I have never been diagnosed with PTSD.

As a child I would have this reoccuring nightmare where there's a fire. It's huge destroying towns and everything in its path.

I'm frantically traveling trying to save objects/people/pets that I've cared about. I manage to save some only to lose them later.

Eventually I end up at my fathers place. There's this circle of grass, literally the only non burnt patch around he's standing there holding a gun and I realize it was him that started the fire. The fire has gone out and one of his dogs is there it's badly burnt but still alive. I'm screaming at him begging him to take it to a vet.

He aims the gun at me and usually that's when I wake up.

My father was abusive. Frequently threatening to kill me and tried to strangle me once so I understand that the dream in its essence is about my emotions and fear concerning him.

The nightmares pretty much stopped once I went NC with my father but have recently started again. I think maybe because I've been speaking about what happened more.

My question for you though is if perhaps this could be some sort of PTSD type thing?

[Open Eyes]

While I can't diagnose you, a person who feels their life is threatened is enough to produce post traumatic stress. If you feared for your life for an extended period of time from your father as you have discribed, it could very well be that you can be experiencing PTSD, and PTSD can happen even years afterwards.

Thanks. I'm just trying to decide if I need to bring up that I'm having these nightmares.

I have such limited time and availability when it comes to therapy that I need to try and prioritize but I'm not sure what's important.

[Teacake]

Tell your therapist about the dreams.

Don't try to interpret dreams. Just pay attention to them.

When I was a college freshman I witnessed a shocking death. Then I forgot about it. I always remembered such a thing had happened but years later when I knew I was just like my (ptsd) refugee students I couldn't imagine how or why.

I always had dreams that I was in the mailbox area of the student center lost and confused and unable to find my way to dinner although I could hear the dining room noises. I "interpreted "these dreams as meaning I was anxious and felt I was being graded or evaluated, as we got our exams and papers back through our boxes. Eventually I remembered that the dream was literally true and accurate. I had received a note in my mailbox concerning the traumatic incident. I had frozen or dissociated and gotten eo confused I couldn't find my way to dinner.

That is why I say don't interpret dreams. Just work with them at face value.

Everyone has trauma. Life is trauma. Every person alive has post traumatic stress, if only fro the birth experience. Post traumatic stress DISORDER is something else. I wouldn't worry about that. Your relationship with your father goes much deeper than ptsd. Here's hoping you alter it sorted out and have a great life.