Reccuring nightmares, anyone?

[amethyste]

For the past couple of years I've been having reccuring nightmares. Some of them got pretty bad lately *sigh*. I was wondering if someone can offer me some insight/ if someone else had this type of dreams/ what might cause them etc.

I should mention that I have/ had 3 reccuring scenarios (I think I know the cause for 2 of them, and those 2 are the rarest). They're all extremely realistic & vivid.

 

1. I used to dream that my teeth were falling out. Really creepy (though it's not an uncommon nightmare). I think I know the cause for this one. Long story short: I had a lot of problems with my teeth because of a dentist I used to go when I was younger. Now I have an awesome dentist who saved my teeth (though the process was very long). I think this was the cause because I've stopped having those nightmares after most of my teeth problems were solved. Currently, I rarely dream about falling teeth anymore. Maybe once at a couple of months.

 

2. I used to dream that I was attacked by dogs & I think I know the cause for this one too. My hometown was know for its high rate of people bitten by stray dogs. There were thousands of them and they were super aggresive. These nightmares stopped when I moved out.

 

3. These are the worst & I don't know their cause; I have these nightmares almost everynight (let's say in 6 nights out of 7). They usually start like this: someone is following me and I have to escape. Then, all kind of things might happen: sometimes I'll have to hide/ run/ fight; sometimes I'll get beaten/ tortured/ raped.

 

They're absolutely horrible, as I experience all kind of very very intense feelings. When I wake up I recall tastes, or pain, or that I was suffocating. Not to mention the terror.

I don't know what triggers them. I've been through some traumatic experiences, but nowehere near as bad as the ones I have in my nightmares.

As I was saying in the beginning, any opinion is gonna be 100% appreciated

TY.

[Feelin Frisky]

I have this one where I'm terrified but I have no lower jaw and can't tell anyone what I'm terrified of. Another is having to handle small vicious animals with nails that keep digging into my hands. In others I simply can't walk to get away from what's menacing me. I think that one has to do with some connection to the fact that I'm not actually moving my legs because I'm just sleeping. Maybe the no jaw thing comes from that too--I'm not talking in my sleep so I probably experience that as an inability to talk. I wish we could remember them all. There are some good ones but they are not recurring as far as I know.

[KR10N]

To dream that you are being chased, signifies that you are avoiding a situation that you do not think is conquerable. It is a metaphor for some form of insecurity. In particular, to dream that you are chased by an animal, represents your own unexpressed and unacknowledged anger which is being projected onto that animal. Alternatively, you may be running away from a primal urge or fear.

 

To dream that you are being tortured, indicates that you are feeling victimized or helpless in some relationship or situation. You feel that you cannot do anything. Alternatively, the dream suggests that you may exhibit some sadomasochistic desires.

 

To dream that you have been raped, indicates vengeful or resentful feelings toward the opposite sex. You feel that you have been violated or that you have been taken advantage of. Something or someone is jeopardizing your self-esteem and emotional well-being. Things are being forced upon you. Dreams of rape are also common for those who were actually raped in their waking life.

Edited July 11, 2011 by KR10N
SOURCE: dreammoods.com

[KR10N]

To dream that you are in a fight, indicates inner turmoil. Some aspect of yourself is in conflict with another aspect of yourself. Perhaps an unresolved or unacknowledged part is fighting for its right to be heard. It may also parallel a fight or struggle that you are going through in your waking life. If you are fighting to the death, then it refers to your refusal to acknowledge some waking conflict or inner turmoil. You are unwilling to change your old attitudes and habits.

[denise_xo]

I don't know about the specificities of dreams, but I've gone through periods of frequent night mares and they have usually been connected to periods of high stress/ high anxiety.

[snug.bunny]

I experienced recurring nightmares when I was much younger. It is very rare for me to have them now. If/when I do, it usually involves wild animals chasing me (like a bear or something). Or, it involves a wild animal trying to kill one of my pets, and I am trying to fend them off.

 

Teeth falling out, is actually quite common (had those too many years ago).

 

Interpretation(s) of Teeth Falling Out:

If a general feeling of loss of control accompanies your dream, of feeling helpless and anxious, then this could mean that you feel helpless and not in control of a waking life situation. You could feel fearful and afraid of change.

 

Teeth dreams may also indicate anxiety and insecurities about abandonment.

 

If your dream is accompanied by feelings of humiliation and of being embarrassed then these dreams are an overly exaggerated way of presenting your anxiety about looking bad in a waking life scenario.

[amethyste]

Thanks for the stories

 

@KR10N - thanks for the detalied explanations; I've read some too, but they don't make much sense

[Ginger Beer]

I've had loads of nightmares that are recurring. Here are a few:

 

- Being back in school with all my school friends there, I am back in school for the last year only (I was expelled from school and missed the last two years). I've had this dream regularly since I was 13. Sometimes we're in different parts of the school and sometimes I'm a different age but it's always basically the same.

 

- My nan is in my dream and I've seen her die in front of me a few times (she died in 2009). This one can be a bit disturbing.

 

- Tornadoes. I always see a tornado at the back of my house. The sky goes black and the tornado comes closer.

 

- Being held prisoner and breaking out. The most recent one I can remember was in a hospital and me and a friend managed to break out and run out into the streets (which was the city centre of my city I live in). If we were caught by the people holding us we would've been killed.

 

- Terrorist attacks. Sometimes I'm in them and unharmed, sometimes I see it on the TV and worry that my ex is caught up in it. I am always unharmed in these ones though.

 

- People from my youth bullying me/breaking into my house/throwing things at my windows. Sometimes I've snapped and fought back, often going on to carry out graphic acts of violence on them.

 

I think that's it. It's not uncommon for me to get a series of these dreams happen in 1 night, one after the other.

[Els]

OP, what do you do just before you sleep? What activities do you engage in? What thoughts go through your mind?

 

Try a calming activity such as reading a (pleasant, not macabre) book, having a cup of chamomile or valerian, taking a hot shower, listening to music, etc, before you sleep.

[Ginger Beer]

I'm reading some of the meanings of dreams on that website KR10N has in the reason why the edited their post and it's so accurate it's not even funny.