Dream Interpretation

[SARGE]

Many moons ago I did a paper in Psychology class on dream interpretation. I got an A+ on it. Been so much water over and under the bridge since then that I forget what I wrote and learned in the research. Anyway, for the past few weeks I have deprived myself of sleep and only get a few hours each night. Reason is, I keep having the same bad dream and waking the gal bud up so trying to avoid the recurring dream. It consists of me in a jungle setting and a guy pointing his rifle at me. I have no weapon and keep trying to run, except my legs won't move. At that point I wake up with the bud shaking me. Is very consuming and occupies every waking moment trying to figure out what it means. Sleep deprivation is catching up with me big-time. How does one get past something so consuming???

[juppy]

I'm no dream interpreter by a long shot, Sarge, but one thing you might see about. Do you think about that dream each night before you go to sleep? Because I've heard that people that have recurring nightmares tend to think about them each night before they doze off. Sort of like while they're laying there, they're thinking "Man, I sure hope I don't have that dream again".....and by doing so, they are putting a fresh thought of that very thing in their head right before going to sleep. Things most often dreamed are alot of times the events that happened to you that day.....so if you keep thinking about not wanting to have that dream, that just helps your subconscious to think about it. The subconscious doesn't know what negative words are, all it knows are subjects. I found that out through my couseling for depression/anxiety.....I was told to reinforce "good" feelings by telling myself I felt fine and everything was okay. My doc told me not to use negatives though, like saying "I DON'T feel depressed." because all your mind hears is "I feel depressed". Strange how the mind works that way.

[TimPoet]

Sarge, it sounds like a classic case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

There is free treatment at the VA.




Here is Medline Plus' take on it: (emphasis mine)

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Also called: PTSD Have you lived through a scary or dangerous event? Do you have some of the following problems? * Feeling like the event is happening again * Trouble sleeping or nightmares * Not feeling close to people * Becoming easily angered * Feeling guilty because others died when you lived If so, you might have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Events that might cause PTSD include rape, physical abuse, an airplane or car crash, war or others. For most people, PTSD starts about three months after the event. However, sometimes signs of PTSD show up years later. PTSD can happen to anyone, even children. Medicines can help you feel less afraid and tense. It might take a few weeks for them to work. Talking to a specially trained doctor or counselor also helps many people with PTSD. This is called talk therapy.

Here it is on the VA website.

[HAL9000]

To me.. and well, it's 100% opinion and not meant to be taken as fact... you feel out of control with some situation, you want to run from it, but know you must face the situation at hand, but don't know how to deal with it. Now what this situation is, I can't tell you as I don't really know anything about your life other than what is posted here.... but like I said.. that is 100% opinion and speculation. Only you can assess whether there is any validity in my statement.

[glc]

Your PTSD is rearing its head again. Are you still going to group therapy or are you letting that slide?

[XenaWP]

A shrink friend of mine once explained a few things about dreams to me. Often, things are not what they seem to be. Like, a rifle is not necessarily a rifle. Each of our brains attaches certain meanings to different objects. To a hillbilly, a rifle is a tool for survival. To a city slicker, a rifle is a scary dangerous object. So books of dream interpretations are essentially useless because they can't address the personal context of each person. I once had a nightmare about blue jeans. Honest. What in the world is scary about blue jeans? Well, these jeans had no one in them, but they were attacking me. Goofy, eh?

So the shrink friend said, take each element of the dream, and put it in a sentence that you must then complete. For example, "I am blue jeans, I _________." or "I am a rifle, I provide food." Or "I am a rifle, I kill people." By doing this for each thing in the dream, you can often uncover the meaning of it for you. Might take some work over a period of time.

[sgtspector]

Sarge I don't know if it will help but I have had numerous scary as hell recurring nightmares since I was a kid although nothing this severe. One involved an indestructible Frankenstein monster coming after me and the other was the mountain near my house turned into a volcano int he middle of the night and I couldn't wake any one up. What I do is lay in bed and try and force myself to have the "dream" while I am still awake. I can then take control of what occurs consciously and it helps remove the helplessness from the situation. It;s kinda of like a visualization technique. See it and it will happen that way. Like I said I don't think my situation is as deep as yours so I would continue or restart with the pros as soon as possible. HTH.

[dogdude16]

i agree with juppy about if you think about it before you fall asleep the thoughts will be in the your head. Try not to worry about it and think about a few hours before bed. Maybe try to fall asleep reading a book so something else will be in your head.


On the side note has anybody ever had a dream then half woke up fell back asleep and the dream kept going?

[Force Flow]

Try doing some light reading for bed. Not only does it help you fall asleep, it also helps clear your mind a bit.

[ztx]

Have you tried the Dream Dictionary? I think it could give an interesting perspective to your dream.. http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/

Took some keywords and copied some parts of the descriptions that looked like they applied to your dream.

Jungle To dream that you are in a jungle, signifies aspects of yourself and your personality that may have been inhibited. You may be experiencing chaos and the unpredictable in your waking life. If you are lost or trapped in a jungle, indicates that your negative feelings are hindering your progress, You need to come to terms with aspects of your unconscious. Man To see a man in your dream, denotes the masculine aspect of yourself - the side that is assertive, rational, aggressive, and/or competitive. If the man is known to you, then the dream may reflect you feelings and concerns you have about him. Gun To see a gun in your dream , symbolizes aggression, anger, and potential danger. You may be dealing with issues of passiveness/aggressiveness and authority/dependence. To dream that someone is shooting you with a gun, suggests that you are experiencing some confrontation in your waking life. You may feel victimized in some situation. Running To dream that you are running away from someone, indicates an issue that you are trying to avoid. You are not taking or accepting responsibility for your actions. In particular, if you are running from an attacker or any danger, then it suggests that you are not facing and confronting your fears.� To dream that you are trying to run but cannot make your feet move as fast as you want them to, signifies lack of self-esteem and self-confidence. It may also reflect your actual state of REM paralysis while in the dream state. To dream that you are running alone, signifies that you will advance to a higher position and surpass your friends in the race for wealth. Alternatively, you may be running from some situation or from temptation

[hitchface]

This is more of an avoidance tactic, but REM sleep usually starts around 90 minutes after you actually fall asleep. If you plan on napping, going for any longer will a) make you more tired when you wake up and b) expose you to the dream again. Use that how you will, but also remember that sleep cycles can vary in time based on age. The older you are, the faster you will slip in to REM or deep sleep. 90 minutes is considered the fastest normal rate, with 120 minutes being the slowest.

[Panama Red]

Sarge and I are Vietnam vets and I've had the same dream on many occassions. I did group and individual therapy a few hears back and we discussed our dreams openly. Seems that many of our fellow vets have variations of the same scenario. I've come to believe it's a hidden guilt complex coming thru - we feel guilty that we made it back in one piece when so many of our friends didn't. Now, if I have any of those old dreams again tonite, I'll know to blame it on this thread.

[hitchface]

Not that I have any experience, but I am reading about that same guilty feeling right now. That isn't to say that I understand, but I know what you are talking about. I'll tell you both right now what you've likely heard before and will probably hear again. You did your job, and for that you are heroes. Just the same, they did their job.

I know that probably doesn't help much,but it is about all I can say.

[SARGE]

Originally Posted by glc Your PTSD is rearing its head again. Are you still going to group therapy or are you letting that slide?

Am sorry. This is a computer forum and I obviously only post in the general section, however used to post in other areas for info. Have learned alot about computers and made many distant friends along the way. To answer your question, yes I go to group but there are guys much nuttier than I which is hard to believe. Not very encouraging. The 2 docs are very awesome and I feel for them. Not many success stories they can go home and talk about at the dinner table. A constant in the group is that the guys hate war and how it effects every day the remainder of your life and how it takes away any chance of being what society calls normal. The stories would stagger anyone's imagination. But, this is a computer forum so let sleeping dogs lay. Am sorry again and won't intrude.

[glc]

You have nothing to apologize for, and there is nothing wrong with posting what you did here in General. Perhaps you misunderstood me.

[TimPoet]

Are the dreams any better, Sarge?

[Force Flow]

Sarge, we're here to help; be it with technology or not. glc was simply trying to give a good shove in the right direction.

I can't even imagine the sorts of things you have to live with, and being as open with it as you are speaks volumes about your character and your willingness to get the support that allieviates the intesnity of the trek through the bad days.

[juppy]

I agree, Sarge. I don't see any problem with what you usually post about, including this post. And especially if the replies help you "talk it out" any. That's important in any kind of mental stress problem.....keeping it to yourself only delays healing and lets the symptoms get worse. And I agree with FF, I didn't think glc was trying to say it was inappropriate for these forums at all, but rather trying to find a possible cause for why these dreams are coming back again. Like I've told you before, you know you can PM me if you need someone to talk to, but I don't think anybody on the forum is offended by what you post. So don't worry about it bud, just keep on posting like you have been.

[SARGE]

Originally Posted by glc You have nothing to apologize for, and there is nothing wrong with posting what you did here in General. Perhaps you misunderstood me.

No, I didn't misunderstand, old friend. I know what you meant was from the heart. I've met you, remember, and you are a very decent person. Sorry the bisquits and gravy weren't all I cranked them up to be. That is what the joint is famous for though, although I haven't eaten them for a few moons. I was only posting about a recurring dream, which has gotten worse, and wondering about dream interpretation. Ain't no way a feller on these forums could analyze. Just a post for scattered ideas about dreams. I have another that would blow anyone's mind, if anyone interested, although not sure it was a dream or actual event. Bugging me since day one...

[HAL9000]

If you don't mind telling your story Sarge, I wouldn't mind hearing it... if you don't want to post public, send via PM.

[juppy]

Feel free to post that other dream if you want, Sarge. This thread seems to be going pretty good with interpretations, so what the heck, add another to it.

[SARGE]

Ok, an experience, or dream from the past, a thing I will forever wonder and concern myself about. It had to be before 1963 in the old house because Dad bought the other house that year during the event in Dallas. My brother 4 years younger and I shared a room, a dresser between us in our twin beds. In those days we had no air conditioning so the windows were open at night. That night the moon lit up the room. I awoke for some reason and saw a figure between our beds, at the foot of the beds, maybe about 4 feet tall. I remember laying there and staring at it for about 10 seconds. Anything before and after that is gone. I don't remember the next day or anything afterwards but there came a time when I told my brother about it and he said he had seen the same thing. We never spoke about it since and I feel compelled to ask him if he remembers even to this day. I always ask myself if it was a dream, yet from what I've learned we lose details from a dream, even a few hours after we have one. There are too many details from that one that remain to this day and I keep seeing every detail. What it means or meant then is nothing I guess, but keep asking if 2 guys can have the same experience or dream at the same time, then don't want to talk about it so many years later.

[blue60007]

Interesting...I recall once lying in bed years ago and seeing a "demon" face pop out of the wall. I'm pretty sure I was dreaming but I still remember it pretty well... I do remember one other similiar experience to yours. I thought I saw a person standing near the desk...once that got me woke I realized it was just shadows. Of course that doesn't explain your experience, but I thought I'd throw that out there... Also brings back memories a few "ghostly" experiences at the old house...but that's another topic

When I was much younger (and still some today) I used to have dreams where I can't move or yell or do anything. Or I'm trying get some where on time and the harder I try to run the slower I move.

Something I've always wondered...has anyone ever been dreaming, get to an unpleasant point and "think", wait, this is just dream and sort of force yourself to wake up?

I haven't had one of these recently, but I recall this a few times. It seems I'm just starting to drift off, everything goes black and then it feels as if I'm falling and falling. Suddenly I'll slam into the "ground", wake up and jerk up into a sitting position. I always hate this because I can't get back asleep since my heart and adrenaline are pumping...

[juppy]

Geez Sarge, you weren't kidding.....that IS a rather strange dream (the one with the figure between your beds). Makes me think of the stories I've heard on tv shows about ghosts or alien visitation (seems like the aliens are always about 4 feet tall.....of course, they're usually also gray colored with big black eyes....go figure).

When I was young and we were living in our old house, I remember having a weird thing kinda like that happen. Mine wasn't a figure standing, but instead it was a shadow. Weird thing was that it was on the ceiling. We used to have a nightlight in our bedroom, and I remember laying there one night staring at the part of the ceiling that was lit up from that little light and seeing this "shadow" appear. I don't know what the heck it was, may have even been my eyes playing tricks on me I suppose, but I remember this human "figure" walking around the room on the ceiling. It went all the way around the room one time and when it got back to where it started, it disappeared again. I do know one thing though, I was definitely awake. What that was has confused me my whole life, and I still don't know and probably never will.

Originally Posted by blue60007 When I was much younger (and still some today) I used to have dreams where I can't move or yell or do anything.

I saw a tv show on dreams awhile back that might give an explanation for that. It said that your brain releases a chemical signal when you go to sleep that paralyzes your muscles. Basically it's kind of a safety thing, so like if you're dreaming about running away from something you don't *actually* get up out of bed and run into your bedroom wall while asleep. They said in some people this chemical signal can kick in before they actually get fully asleep, so you can still have a little bit of consciousness yet your muscles feel like they can't move because the paralyzing chemical signal has already been sent out.

Originally Posted by blue60007 Something I've always wondered...has anyone ever been dreaming, get to an unpleasant point and "think", wait, this is just dream and sort of force yourself to wake up?

I've never been able to wake myself up, but yeah, I have had dreams that something triggers me to think "Hey, there's no way THAT can happen....it's not possible....I must be dreaming." I've heard that's supposed to be how you can learn to control your dreams (for people that have recurring nightmares), I've never got past the recognition part to the controlling part though.

[HAL9000]

I exercise dream control on a regular basis... and it can actually be quite fun. Since you know you are in a dream, natures laws can be tossed aside. You can do whatever you want without fear of consequence.

[XenaWP]

Originally Posted by blue60007 ... Something I've always wondered...has anyone ever been dreaming, get to an unpleasant point and "think", wait, this is just dream and sort of force yourself to wake up? ...

Yeah, I've done it quite a few times. But not every time there's a bad dream.

I can also do lucid dreaming, where you can control what happens. That only happens in the mornings ... I guess I'm less deeply asleep (though, truly, I am still asleep).

One odd thing I've noticed is that my bad dreams always happen early in the night's sleep, like the first 1-4 hours. Never the second half of the night. And if I ever take a nap, I'm GUARANTEED to have a bad dream.

Needless to say, I don't nap much any more ....

[HAL9000]

Sarge, I'm not going to argue what it "might" be with that figure between your beds as there is no way I could possibly know. There is a possibility that you have shared a dream. Being in the same proximity as your brother, all it takes is for one of you to enter a dream state and then talk in your sleep, from that point the other person takes on the same dream and it's actually possible for you to discuss the details while asleep. Not to say that this is the only possible explanation, or the correct one, just a possibility of what may have happened. No matter how you look at it though, you cannot change the past... so whatever did happen that night, happened, it's in the past, that's where it belongs and that's where it will remain.

[SARGE]

Yes, I know all those possibles. I do know it wasn't a dream because neither of us would have remembered every detail after 40+ years. I also know it seemed I was in a frozen state, meaning I couldn't move or speak. I have my own explanation as to what it "probably" was and the years have given hint to support. As you say, though, it was in the past, yet the past can effect the present. Time to move on as the saying goes.