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r/CPTSD•
gothgossip

Scared to sleep because of nightmares; how do I (21f) get them to stop??

Question

I (21f) have been having nightmares every night for at least two weeks. They aren’t specific memories of my traumas but they have recurring themes that link to the types of trauma I have experienced, potentially some of which I don’t remember, according to my therapist.

It’s been getting to the point where I’m scared to sleep because I know what’s waiting for me. I’m so tired all the time but I can’t handle these awful nightmares, waking up in a panic, unsure of what was just in the dream and what actually happened in reality, constantly getting triggered, etc.

I feel like the more I delve into processing and identifying my trauma, and after my therapist confirmed some of my suspicions of trauma I’ve always felt and known had happened, but that I didn’t have concert memories of, the worse my C-PTSD symptoms get. And even though sleep used to be my refuge for many years as a young teenager mostly, now it’s become yet another source of fear and pain.

I truly can’t feel safe anywhere and I just want it all to stop.

Please tell me I amn’t alone in this and that it does get better?? Sorry for the rant I’m just so scared and could used some reassurance or even just tips on how to make it go away or at least let up some???

Thank you and wishing you all safety and healing in the future <3

Posted Jan 20, 2023, 6:48 PM UTC

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1
oxipower•

Hi! Sorry to hear that you’re struggling. I went through the same thing a year ago when I started therapy, so your definitely not alone. I felt that every time I would talk about certain topics I would have horrible nightmares for weeks at a time and it sucked. The only helpful advise I can give is that it gets easier over time. The more I understood how my trauma effected me, how it translates into my adult life and acknowledging that it happened; the easier it was to talk about it. And thus reducing the amount of nightmares.

But absolutely do not avoid to sleep, even if it’s terrifying. I cannot not distress enough how important sleep is. Maybe consider sleeping next to a person you truly trust? Like on a mattress beside your bed? At least for a little while.

Lastly, I would also recommend reading “adult children of emotionally immature parents” and “what happened to you”. These books helped me understand how trauma effects us. My therapist recommended these and I really enjoyed reading them.

Hope this helps somehow. Good luck on your healing journey and I’m rooting for you!

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gothgossipOP•

thank you so much! 💜 honestly it helped reading that a lot because it’s felt really isolating, like being a scared kid again. the only person i’d truly trust to sleep next to me and all is my partner and unfortunately we’re in a ldr atm but it’s also helps to just be on call with him whilst i’m about to sleep/am sleeping, and also it’s embarrassing to admit to but just spraying my childhood teddy bear with some of the cologne he uses so i can cuddle him like my partner helps a bit too 😅

i’ll also check out both of those books, i’ve mostly heard of one (‘adult children…’) but i’ve been looking for a new book lately, so thank you so much for the recs! and also just for taking the time to read this and to comment; i wish you all the best as well 🌼

2
rustedhonda•

I know not everyone is able to or willing to take medication, but if you are, I recently started taking Prazosin for nightmares and it’s been amazing. I started having sleep problems recently after doing work in trauma therapy, and I would wake up at 3a or 4a thinking about my trauma. I’ve used cannabis for a long time to keep me from dreaming, or at least keep me from remembering my dreams, but I guess it was wearing off in the middle of the night.

I never even knew there was a medication for nightmares until recently, so I figure it might be news to you as well. I’m sorry you’re in this place right now, sleep is such a refuge for me too. And getting rest is sooo important to our healing, it’s really frustrating when it’s out of reach. I can only hope it’ll get easier the farther we go in the trauma work, right now our brains are processing a bunch of shit that comes up in our dreams.

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gothgossipOP•

thank you so much 💜 i’m actually going to start seeing a new (hopefully compassionate) gp someday soon, as i no longer have access to a psychiatrist rn. so i’ll bring up the medication to her or just ask if she has any similar suggestions that could help.

also 100% it makes sense yeah, the more we uncover and allow ourselves to process through it all, the more energy it uses up in our minds and bodies as it unfurls itself from every part of our being.. trauma truly is exhausting for the mind and body, and healing is a process but absolutely a worthwhile one. and i wish the best for both of us on that journey; thank you very much again 🕊️🤍

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rustedhonda•

Getting access to a psych can be hard, so I got meds through my GP for years, I don’t see anything wrong with it. Except yeah it can be hard to find a compassionate one. You got this, though.

Healing from trauma is exhausting, I think even more than having it? It’s like a different kind of sleep, I don’t feel depressed, just legitimately tired. We’re doing hard work. I wish you the best too 💙

1
gothgossipOP•

yeah it feels like window shopping for one, then trying on a bunch of different ones (metaphorically), to see what fits. i amn’t giving up hope in finding a good one for me though :))

so true. it’s exhausting. i’m sure my trauma was awful at the time but now, the after-effects feel so much more potent and trying. i really hope so and thank you yet again 💜🌷

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TunnelVizin845•

You are not alone. I'm almost 30 and still have disturbing nightmares. I've been in therapy for almost 2 years? I can definitely confirm that resolving trauma can further stimulate those dreams too. Im on Prazosin and Quetiapine. Those haven't been working lately tho so I'm trying microdosing with THC gummies, enough to get high but not enough to get fucked up and risk panic attacks or super rumination. I find for me that CBD makes the nightmares even worse.

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gothgossipOP•

thank you and for the heads up too, i’ll have to keep all that in mind if i’m exploring medication and the like with my gp for sure.

it’s strange because it’s like feeling like a scared little child, but i suppose that’s just c-ptsd in general. wishing you hope and healing and thank you very much again 💜

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