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Roses86Casual Contributor
Hi all so last night I had a nightmare and couldn't sleep all night. I was feeling sick in the head but now I'm starting to get better. Just wondering if anybody else has been through this and if so what to do about the after effects?
In response to: Nightmares
balance37Senior Contributor
Hi @Roses86 I hope you're feeling a bit better this morning. It sounds like this may have happened for the first time? I have PTSD related nightmares regularly, and when they first started I felt completely out of control, my heart was pounding, I felt like I was going to have a heart attack, I was sweating, I wanted to throw up...all the fun things. Now when this happens, what makes things a little bit easier is to turn on the light straight away, focus on senses, what can I see in my room etc and also reminding myself I am safe now and repeating that. Sometimes getting up and moving to another location like the kitchen and making a cup of tea and watching the kettle boil is helpful. Sometimes a cold shower is helpful.
There is also a DBT skills chapter on Nightmare Protocols which I have found helpful (BUT only for non-PTSD/flashback related nightmares - if it's for that, recalling the nightmare in detail has had a detrimental effect). I think if you Google it, you should be able to find a free copy and see if that's relevant for you, 'DBT nightmare protocol PDF' looks like it does the trick for more info.
In response to: Nightmares
FearofUnknownSenior Contributor
The worst nightmares I've had are of Chinese hopping zombies chasing after me. Makes me the most scared!
What are your nightmares about @Roses86 ?
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