Help with nightmares, I really need to sleep.

[Eyessoblue]

Hi, yes I 'did' suffer terribly but then my therapist suggested taking a pad and pen to bed when I wake up I write them down, i did this for a week, you never read them back tho just screw/tear the paper up once you've written them down, it's like off loading on to paper and really helped me. I've also been told to sit with the emotions instead of pushing them away, this took ages for me to do but it's about grounding yourself and finding a safe place to be, just sit there quietly, let the thoughts come up, if you need to cry then do so or if you need to punch something punch your pillow over and over again. I'm doing lots of inner child work at the moment, my therapist suggested I found a cuddly toy that I could sit and cuddle when I felt upset, I did think I could never do this and it was stupid but once I actually started doing it I could see the benefits and when I'm feeling really sad I sit with that toy cuddling it, it reverts me back to being a child again and all those childhood emotions start to express themselves, it's very powerful and really helpful but you've totally got to get yourself into that 'place', but it's made me a lot stronger by being able to release those emotions now.

[Hope67]

Just to say, Eyessoblue, that I found what you wrote here in your reply to be really helpful.  It's great that you're doing all that inner child work at the moment, and that it's helping you.
Hope 

[Eyessoblue]

Hi hope, I'm pleased you found this helpful, it did sound really weird when my therapist suggested it and I felt really silly doing so but I made sure I wouldn't be disturbed and really concentrated on the 'feeling' which normally I push away. Still got loads to sort out, but I am getting there! Hope you're ok.