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??? with depression???
Perhaps it's sleep paralysis? I tend to have my worst dreams when there is a constant ambient noise in the room (eg. the sound of a fan) or when I sleep on my back. Is there any factor in common to these experiences that you can pinpoint and address? I don't have PTSD, but I'm also not familiar with any direct association between depression and bad dreams.
If it worsens and prevents you from getting sufficient rest, you could ask a doctor about sleep clinics.
I cannot sleep on my back, sleep paralysis will come and it's terrifying
I've died in my sleep multiple times. I've been killed in every way. I've committed suicide. Raped. Banished to hell. Everything.
this subject has been put to rest in a way. Some rather nasty women in a support group I go to had a good gossip session about me and "death dreams" thought I was an attention seeker....RIGHT???? One of them went on line and after some research apologized to me for what they had said behind my back.... said they realized the validity of what I was saying. One suggested "Lucid Thought Responses" like STOP and pushiong the hand away from yourself. I had done this in my sleep just to survive...it worked!!! Also apparently this is the brain's way of dealing with issues that need to be put to rest/finished/ done/nada.... I believe I am doing this with the mother abuse/axes/etc. issues... don.t seem to feel the need to go there much and when I do the sting of the event is barely there. I am going to send this before it disappears,,,