Has anyone out there had what I term "a death dream"? Twice now in my dreaming state I have had 1.) hooded figures circling me and then trying to bury me. I half awoke and said "don't cover me" I'm not going to die. when I woke up, I felt weird, disassociated, numb in the face and body; sat up and it took about 1/2 an hour to reconnect with the real world. 2.) the other dream, my head was under a manhole cover or roundish table and these creatures were standing on it trying to squish the life out of me. I told them to stop standing on my head and to leave me alone. I knew if I didn't say this, they would have snuffed me out. I asked my therapist if she had ever heard of "death dreams" she said "No" and changed the subject.... weird, why do I feel she knew, and just didn't want to go there???? Is this a common phenomenon with PTSD???
Hey there, personally I feel that as therapy has started to drift away from Freud and go into the cognitive realm, dreams can sometimes be brushed off by therapists as unimportant, simply remnants of the day, pieces of the psyche that need to be processed. I have heard of death dreams, however they never really ever processed to be "death" more like change in life, the end of something, the beginning of something else. Like to me I would take note that your head was the one being squished...I would wonder what kind of ideas thoughts, or goals you have had that might have shifted. Stress in your life, ideas that have buried, or laid to rest. things like that. What are your thought? what does the group think?
Your comment is so powerful! It brings a kind of clarity to the work I have been doing to rid myself of PTSD issues, recognition of a lifetime of abuse which I didn't really realize until my mother died. Then I was free to let the "elephant out of the cupboard" but the journey has been terrifying and I am determined to have a life free of the angst, guilt etc.etc. I can recognize the shifts I am making, my psychiatrist says I work very hard, and that she wishes she had more patients like me....On the level of reality I seem to be fearless in approaching and working with painful painful situations. After reading your therapeutic suggestions, I feel a kind of peace because I can see that my brain, on another level, is trying to deal with the shifts, and challenges. It seems to be telling me that if I don't get it on a conscious level, it will try to show me on the REM level. this blows my mind!!!! but I am so grateful for your comments......Thank-you Aura82!!!