Nightmares and How To Manage Them!

Hiya Everyone!

Me and the lovely @ConnorSmith decided we would collaborate together and talk about nightmares.

Everyone has experienced them at some point in their life, some more than others. Were here to talk through techniques to help reduce the intensity of nightmares and manage them better.

What is a nightmare?

A nightmare is indeed a bad dream, with a vivid and disturbing plot that most often wakes the person from their sleep. They are usually based off of real life experiences, or portray a certain emotion a person could be experiencing in their day-to-day life.

Most nightmares occur during REM sleep, when your brain is the most active. Having a nightmare can occur repetitively, this is called a recurring nightmare.

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The Imagery Rehearsal Technique:-

Imagery Rehearsal Technique is a good, well-known method in reducing the number and intensity of nightmares among people.

In IRT treatment, you are helped to revisualize your nightmares using a different perspective. The goal is to reprogram your nightmares to be less intense.

What Happens in Imagery Rehearsal Technique:

You can work with IRT alone or with the help of a friend. You do not need a professional to allow yourself to do this. (however, it may be beneficial for some)

~ Create detailed, non-frightening endings for nightmares.

~ Write down and rehearse with the new endings.

~ Monitor your nightmares so you know how well the IRT treatment is working.

You can start with one of your less terrifying dreams, to help build your confidence and prevent you from being triggered by the nightmares again as you wake up.

The main objective is to help you see your nightmares with minimum distress. You can think of it as a crawl before you walk approach.

@blossombreathes Personal Experience

Original:-

Im walking in an everlasting meadow, with the sky a beautiful browny orange. Im alone. I turn around and see a black silhouette of a massive tree, with a rope hanging from it. I run towards it, then the rope vanishes. The sky turns a menacing black and comes closer and closer, trapping me in.

New Version:-

Im in a meadow, during the afternoon. The sky's bright blue and Im with my friends. We are talking together and walking around. Theres a massive tree which we climb together. When we get to the top, we look out at a beautiful waterfall in the distance.

~ If you would like to collaborate with either of us, please do not hesitate to PM us! We really enjoyed working together. ~

Have you personally experienced several nightmares or recurring ones? You are not alone! Have you tried this method before? Did it work for you? Or, are you going to give it a go? Do you have any questions youd like us to answer?

Let us know!

Thank you for reading! We hope you are having a lovely day.

Tagging:-

@allnaturalNight50 @Annaxelia @Anomalia @ApplePiney @Avram @BlissfulSummer @Brightheart993 @bunnypants @BurningEmber @colourfulSpring22 @DonaldK @EJGatsby @EllieKB @Emily619 @Emory20 @Erato @EssenceOfHope @freshHug78 @Fuzzyfiz12 @Glue @HarryBarry @HarveyM @imontheoutside @Isha2017 @Istand4peace @Jenna @JessSnow @Joe2017 @jollystrawb @juniperstarfish1 @KingAl @Laura @LittleLotte @Liv @Lucy @Lyra @Moj @No715 @OceansLove @Olala18 @PositiveLenaBanana @PuppyLove13 @RaCat @RideaRainbow @Roisin2016 @RosieGirl333 @RumpleSteeleSkin @sail46 @Sarra @sensitiveShade5337 @SettledBreathing @Starboxxx @sujaypai @TheHuggleMonster @TigressAalia @xDysonx @Yendi @ZizyTheTurtle @QueenAsphodel @AldrichHarrison

*this taglist will NOT be used again*

Helpful Resources:-

Calm - Meditation Techniques for Sleep and Stress Reduction

More Information on Nightmares

7Cups Sleeping Well Self-Help Guide

Nightmare Disorder

Dream Dictionary - Understand yourself!

Vent out your dream.