Why am I Having Nightmares?
It's another restless night of fighting sleep, terrified of the horror that you'll face in your dreams. You finally drift off into a fitful sleep, only to wake, covered in sweat, heart pounding. In a panic, you wonder... Why am I having nightmares?
Why we dream...
Dreams are part of the way our brain functions. We dream every night, though many of us don't remember our dreams. During the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase of sleep, our brains become very active, processing the events of our day. Occasionally, our dreams will be disturbing or weird. Maybe you've had the dream about being naked in front of a group of people, or of flying, or your teeth falling out.
Nightmares are "next level" bad dreams...
But, like panic attacks in relation to anxiety, the nightmares we're talking about are next-level bad dreams. These kinds of nightmares are often our brain's way of trying to process the traumatic events that have happened in our lives. But, sometimes the brain can get "stuck" with these events. And so, like that spinning icon on our electronic devices, the same nightmare happens over and over and over. To the point that you begin to anticipate having it and start to resist going to sleep. This can complicate the process, because REM sleep is the brain's way of defragmenting things, so the trauma gets mixed in with all of the other daily stressors and gets magnified.
Reenactment or Symbolic:
Sometimes, the nightmare that we have from our traumatic event is an exact replica of the event itself. Like a horror film, it replays scene by scene. Sometime, to such an extent that you start acting out the event in your dream, lashing out, thrashing, and to the extreme, impacting your partner. But because the brain operates in symbols and metaphors, sometimes the nightmare can be more symbolic, with a haunting overtone. This tends to be the case if our brain has filed the memory of the event so deeply down that we don't remember details about what happened, but have a "bad feeling" that something happened. This is often the case for events that took place in childhood. The brain files it away in order to protect you and help you survive that experience, but further down the road (now), starts bringing it back up in order for you to heal from it.
What you can do about it:
Having regular nightmares is a clear sign from your brain that it is time to address the trauma that occurred. This is something that needs the support of a professional who is skilled in trauma therapy. Our team at Harper Therapy is specially trained to help bring hope and healing to these events, so that you can sleep soundly and peacefully again. Call 813-434-3639 to schedule your appointment, or use the form below to schedule a free consultation to find out how we can help you!
Yiara has specialized training in resolving trauma and helping couples reconnect more deeply after healing individually. She offers sessions in English and Spanish.
