Reoccurring night terror

**Nf2629** · 06-02-2014 04:31 PM

Every night since I can remember, I think the first time I can vividly remember having this dream I was 5 years old. I'm 21 now and every night without fail I have the same nightmare.
A man breaks into my home and collects my family members into my room, makes them kneel and shoots them one by one from right to left in front of me then points the gun at me and shoots and then I wake up.
The only times this dream has ever changed was when new family members were born and then once again last night it changed.
Rather than shooting everyone last night instead of a gun he had a bag of tools and tortured them in the same order and then turned to me and did it to me.
He was able to keep me in the dream this way, because I wasn't dying immediately so I didn't wake up instantly like I normally do.
I don't understand why the dream changed. Or how it did, the only thing that's ever changed is age, my parents and siblings have aged as well as the man, and one night a few years ago he showed up with a new scar on his forehead.

What does this dream mean, how can I get it to go away? I don't want to have these dreams- I'm scared it's a foreboding dream. Or I'm terrified I'll see him one day. I've never met him anywhere other than in my dream.

Can someone please give me some advice?

**PKJacker** · 06-03-2014 07:34 PM

I never had family members hurt in nightmares, but some questions for you is,

What happens before the man breaks into the house? Do you just go to sleep and wake up right into that part of the dream?

Why do you never try to do anything to fight against the man?

Also have you ever gotten lucid while this is happening?

What I'd recommend based on just this is try to get lucid and control what the man is doing, get him to stop, maybe even fight him, probably if you solve the problem in the dream once it won't come back.

**linh** · 06-16-2014 11:46 AM

I agree to PKJacker. Try to become lucid while you have that nightmare it's hard but since you dream of it often it's definitely worth the effort!
My way of handling recurring dreams that bother me is I made plans on how I will deal with the situation if it happens again and also in many different ways because like you experienced it yourself the situation can change as well. With the help of LDing I'm totally aware that it's only a dream and can calm myself down and then what I like to do is to question my dream characters in your case that man who always tortures your family and even kill them.
But of course you also should know the reasons why you have nightmares especially those that always recur. I would say that since you were a child you fear to lose your family so much or fear that something badly could happen to them but you aren't strong enough to protect them. Maybe that fear isn't really necessary anymore because you grew up and become much stronger now than when you were just a small kid. Or that man can also symbolizes another person in your real life who could harm your family in a way but you are the only one who can see it.... I really don't know the exact reasons because we are all individuals and different but these ideas are the only ones I can think of.

I truly hope that you can overcome that nightmare soon. I wish you much success!