Stress Center Peer Support

From time to time I have some very off the wall disturbing dreams. Last night, 9/22/08, I had a very disturbing dream and it was so powerful that when I woke up I could vividly remember every detail. It made me feel so uncomfortable today. I have had scary thoughts before and felt ashamed to tell anyone for fear of being thought of as a messed up person. What is the link between these horrendous thoughts and anxiety?

Imagination is the link. We react to our dreams, thoughts (while awake), and feelings (which are a reflexion of our thoughts). We spend so much time trying to understand why we have these horrible thoughts but in truth we have very creative imaginations and these thoughts are common in a phobic mind. The thing is that most, if not all, people have disgusting thoughts from time to time. People who are not phobic do not focus on them. They let them go without attaching to them.

When you resist them, they keep coming back. When you allow them to come and go without attaching to them they release, and the easier it gets to let them go each time they occur. They come back less and less with this practice.

The trying to figure out "why" we have these thoughts is part of the problem. We want control. We do not have control over what thoughts we have. We have control over our actions and we have control over what we choose to do with the thoughts.

I used to have bad dreams, as my kids would say. However I learned along time ago to try and relax before I go to sleep and it's seems to be helping I don't wake up with those hunting nightmares and I get up in a much better mood. Just my little FYI that helps me not have those vivid dreams.

I used to have night terrors which are like nightmares but about 100X worse. I would dream that I was walking down a road and then all of a sudden a dog would come out and attack. The more fear I felt oftentimes the worse the dream became.

I think there is a definate link from these dreams to anxiety. Since I completed the program the night terrors have stopped completely. I do have the occasional bad dream but it is much less frequent.

Wow I thought i was the only one dealing with bad dreams, I have terrible dreams that after I wake from one I'm scared to fall asleep again. I really wish I had the answer for you and I don't but one thing that does help me sleep better and without such bad dreams is magnetic bedding and pillow.( I know what you are thinking...) but its like a magnetic bracelet they are good for your body. I 100% notice a differnce, I sleep much better with my magnetic blanket and no you can't tell it is different from anyother blanket. The company that makes it is Nikken, you can check them out online. I hope that helps a little but I too am open to ideas for ending bad dreams.

Tigerman,

My friend who suffered with scary obsessive thoughts about hurting his wife--the first image was actually a dream. After that his scary images were thoughts.

They're still together. He's never touched her because he never wanted to. In fact, he loves her even more now exactly 7 years after that first horrifying dream.

As a kid I had night terrors as well. I dont know how it would tie in to anxiety but it seems a little strange that so many of us had or contine to have them. When I have them I pray, like there is no tomorrow. That is what helps me.