[Arduos]

The only dreams I ever have are nightmares, and it's always the same ones, they just keep repeating and they are always apocalyptic. In the last one I was with a big group of people and we were basically trying to hide from everyone else. The other people were infected with a zombie type disease, sounds silly but in my dream it's horrifying! It was in the winter, it was flooding, I was starving and we were hiding under whatever we could find while the infected people were walking right over us. I don't remember the last time I had a nice dream. It's always the same, i'm running for my life from these infected, flesh eating things. Or the world is falling apart and i'm fighting to survive. They are so vivid, and I can remember how scared I felt and the exact way everything looks and feels. Been like this since I was a kid, I never wake up rested!

[KeepGoing8]

Hi Arduous, I'm just now coming off Paxil ( an antidepressant) because it gave me crazy apocalyptic nightmares every night. It's a terrible thing to go thru. My friend has has apocalyptic nightmares about war and genocide since she was young as well ( with no psych. Meds to blame). I know PTSD sufferers, like my friend, have the nightmares as a subconscious way to "deal" with the trauma. In my case, it was obviously a result of my medication. R u on any meds? Do u have a doc to therapist? U shouldn't have to keep living with the nightmares...human beings CANNOT survive without sleep. It's a fact. Definitely talk to your doctor about it...and avoid eating sugar, especially chocolate, within 3 hours of going to bed. good luck!

[Arduos]

I've had these dreams for so long it just seems natural, it's not because of my meds. I don't have a therapist or anyone to talk to about these things, I only have my regular doctor and he's moving They could just be a way to deal with my everyday life, or stress. I'll make sure to remember the day before next time to see if anything is triggering them. Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it

I kinda get what your going through because it seems that I would often get nightmares as well. But it is certainly not the only dreams you have had. Whether you choose to believe this or not. This might sound strange, but when you sleep you always dream about something no matter what, even though it may seem some days you didn't have one. You can have 2, 3 or even more dreams in one night. Like me you just happen to remember only the nightmare aspect than the good. Which makes it seem like your only getting nightmares all the time. Its because your nightmares leave off a really bad impact, certainty something frighting to remember, where in some cases you wake up gasping.

So it may seem your only getting nightmares because you plainly don't remember the other 2 or more dreams you have had in that one night. It's like you have no memory of it, completely wiped from the head. But regardless I hear you, nightmares are no fun as you can clearly see, they leave to much of an impact pushing out all the good. Hopefully it will some come to pass for you.

[Perna]

Most dreams are stress/anxiety dreams; we don't "need" pleasant dreams for anything. If you can, I would work with your dreams during the day, "acknowledge" the flesh eating monsters and figure out what that could represent to you, what you are afraid of and try to remedy the actual, daytime problem? The particular nightmares can't go away until you consciously acknowledge them and their "help" in keeping you balanced as best they can, giving you the bulk of your fears at night instead of when you are trying to make it through the day.

Personally, I think I'd try to find a friend willing to sit through a zombie/flesh-eating disease sort of movie with me and watch and discuss it with them as it is going on, etc. I'd maybe think about a previous night's dream and "name" the creatures, as if you are familiar/friends with them; they are your creation after all, you've made them as a sort of defense for yourself. Side "with" them and you won't need them as much, your unconscious will know you have gotten the message and are working on whatever it is that is causing you so much stress/anxiety during the day.

[Arduos]

Um.... Zombie movies are my favorite. Dawn of the dead, 28 Days Later, The Walking Dead.... guess my subconscious is talking to me while i'm awake too. I don't have any friends anymore to talk to, I push everyone away and I have trust issues. I do have my husband and my sister and i'm working on getting a therapist. Thank you

[Perna]

Originally Posted by Arduos

I push everyone away and I have trust issues

Are you sure you haven't put yourself in the role of zombie?

Why do you like zombie movies? Fear does release endorphins, the feel-good chemical in your brain (why people like roller coaster rides and risk-taking behavior too).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8390240

Exercise releases endorphins too, maybe try experimenting with a little exercise a couple hours or so before bed?

[faerie_moon_x]

Originally Posted by Arduos

The only dreams I ever have are nightmares, and it's always the same ones, they just keep repeating and they are always apocalyptic. In the last one I was with a big group of people and we were basically trying to hide from everyone else. The other people were infected with a zombie type disease, sounds silly but in my dream it's horrifying! It was in the winter, it was flooding, I was starving and we were hiding under whatever we could find while the infected people were walking right over us. I don't remember the last time I had a nice dream. It's always the same, i'm running for my life from these infected, flesh eating things. Or the world is falling apart and i'm fighting to survive. They are so vivid, and I can remember how scared I felt and the exact way everything looks and feels. Been like this since I was a kid, I never wake up rested!

I have tons and tons of nightmares. Not all of my dreams are nightmares, but most of them are. I mostly have nightmares that something bad has happened to either my husband or one of my kids. I used to remember all of my dreams, now I barely remember and then they are nightmares.

But what you said reminded me that about nine years ago I was always dreaming about the zombie apocolypse. Like every night for several months it was zombies everywhere in my dreams. Except I was a zombie hunter and killing all the zombies. It was also in this time that I ended up finally telling my ex husband I wanted a divorce. I often wonder if killing the zombies was like bringing down the dead relationship metephorically. Because I was really afraid to tell him I wanted out, because I thought he would take away my oldest son... which turned out to be true.

So maybe the zombies are a metephore for something you've outgrown but are still afraid of or still haunting you?

[silver_moon]

I understand your frustration, but unfortunately have no ideas. I have nightmares every single night, without fail, for many years now. They are often VERY disturbing ones too. I've had medicine changed (although I got them before being on meds), I've had therapy. Nothing seems to work for me unfortunately and like you said... as horrible as they are and distracting day to day, you do 'kind of' get used to them in a way.

Speak to your doc about different options, there's a few out there. I hope you have better luck than I have Take care.

[insideout]

Wanna know what I think? PTSD. That's usually the cause of chronic nightmares. (So I was told by my Pdoc.)

[Arduos]

I don't know much about PTSD.... I did have a horrible childhood. My mother was a drug addict, so I was around a lot of stupid stuff. I remember sitting in the back seat of her car while she was screaming. Her car overheated and she couldn't find what she was looking for (drugs). And I remember her yelling at my grandmother cause she wouldn't give her money, my grandmother offered to buy her food but refused loaning money. I saw my mother beat, she also had me live with a couple different aunts... so I felt kind of jealous of their family.... I always felt left out and uncomfortable. I was taken advantage of a couple different times between the age of 9-10. I told my mother and she didn't believe me. I never got on the school bus without a slap mark across my face and me crying, I was 13-16 at that time. I was ALWAYS made fun of and picked on at school for being different, a loner, always sad, no friends, and then of course being mean. And, my Father died at the age of 42 (sudden heart attack). Six months before he died we got into an argument, so I never got to tell him I was pregnant and he was going to be a grandpa....
Maybe all that is the cause? There is a lot more but I don't want to bore anyone I did however get a call today from my family doctor, they said a psychologist is calling Monday to set up an appointment....So hopefully I can figure out what is going on The nightmares are just one problem of several.
Thanks for the reply's and thanks for listening It means a lot