Weird Nightmares

[Joon]

Heyo, so I have nightmares all the time, like probably around 5 out of 7 nights. About half of the time, they stand in obvious relation to my trauma, but the other half are nonsensical, dystopian, horror movie type stuff with no obvious connection to my life even. (it should be noted that I practically never consume horror as a genre)
IDK, what's up with that? or why is my brain doing that? Do y'all have any ideas?

[Not Alone]

I'm sorry that you are experiencing so many nightmares. That sounds exhausting. Sometimes dreams are obvious and sometimes the reason for the dream is a mystery. What comes to my mind-----I think it is what my T would say-----stay curious. Over time, whatever needs to be known or heard will become clear. I hope that doesn't sound too simplistic or dismissive. I really do feel for you having so many nightmares.

[Papa Coco]

Joon,

Over the years I've had plenty of end-of-the world nightmares. I've been fighting for survival in apocalyptic scenes or escaping apocalyptic villages. Like you, I also cannot watch horror movies, so I don't.

My therapist believes that all of our dreams are not about the details but are about how they make us feel. It's like Jungian psychology that dreams are about symbols and signs that mirror our emotions.

Whenever I go to my therapist with one of these weird, apocalyptic, horror film dreams, we work through whether I escaped in the end, or did I die, (I have been killed in many of my dreams...stabbed, shot, eaten by monsters, or caught in heavy machinery). In pretty much every instance, my therapist is able to show me that the dreams were a good sign that I was working through some sort of inner terror.

If you are in therapy, your T should be able to help. If not, googling the dreams sometimes finds interesting answers that help figure it out.

I hope those dreams are letting you rest a bit today. If not, maybe just really try to focus on how they make you feel, rather than find any meaning in the details or the plot.  Just a thought.

I hope you are able to get some rest soon.