Recurring nightmare, would lucid dreaming be helpful?

Hi,

I have a friend who was sexual assaulted when she was a child.

Since puberty and when she understood what happened she started having recurring nightmares reviving what happened, over and over.
In the last times this is becoming worst, sometimes people that she met recently appear in this nightmares, making her wake up feeling angry (she always wake up when she has this nightmare). She has the nightmare several times per night, I slept at her side and I counted like 4, she ended always waking up.. and when she is dreaming nothing that I do was able to wake her up and stop dreaming. As a result of not sleeping she is always fainting during the day, and sometimes injurying herself seriously from the falls.

Would be wise in such a situation for her to even try to start in lucid dreaming and maybe gain some control over these nightmares?

I know the real problem would remain unsolved, but it is unlikely that she will solve it sooner, and these nightmares are really energy draining for her.
(btw she already tried psychiatrist and psychologist without any results..)

Please feel free to leave your opinion, anyone had nightmares like these and was able to control them?

Thank you for your time.

HP

Does she take any sleeping pills or sedatives? Jut wondering if she did if the psychologists and such didn't help. lucid dreaming i would say can help, but she will have to overcome these nightmares through the ld's, so it won't be a pain free solution to say. I can't truly offer and advice, as this is beyond my scope, but if you believe she can learn to ld, then yes it is possible this could help the problem. I offer my good wishes to her, hope things get better!!

Assuming its psychological, lucid dreaming would definitely help
Its what I used as a child against nightmares

Quote:

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Originally posted by xisdence
it won't be a pain free solution

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Yep, don't think that facing the nightmare is a piece of cake.... nightmares can be tough to overcome if they are built upon powerful fears and pains
However she should see it as a challenge and something that will free her

I think she tried like, tons of different medication, with the supervision of doctors. I know she also did a special sleep treatment at an hospital for a week and she did got better for awhile.

This situation is psycological but based on a true physical situation.

My fear with her trying LD was that it could make her worst instead of helping her.

Thank you for your answers.

HP

Pleasure ;)
Let us know if anything changes, k ? :)

that is very interesting about your friend... im realy sorry to hear that she has to constantly go through that though. but as far as the ld'ing, i think it would be a very good idea for her to start trying it. the nightmares or specific things that continueosly happen in the dreams could be her dream signs.. if she can recognize her dream signs, i think she will be very successful.

lucid dreaming is normally induced through nightmares, when you get frightened ina dream, you become lucid. Telling her that when she realises this is s dream, do not try to wake up, instezd try to realise that it is only a dream, and tell her to try something outragous and lighthearted in it, no matter how terrified she may be.

That should help her overcome her fear, but i am only a amateur so i cannot say much more on the subject.

I hope she does overcome this. :|

I believe that if she's willing to try it, LDing could possibly help. I think, however, that while attempting this, some sort of plan should be worked on so that if she manages to become lucid she's not just standing there wondering what to do. If you don't want to answer or if you don't know that's fine, but I was wondering what her dreams are generally about. If we knew maybe we could give some more clear advice. Or if she wants to, you could have her come here and post or PM someone. I'm willing to think on it some more. I hope things get better one way or another.

-Amé

Once again, thank you all for your time and answers.

I've been talking to her about this, and she was a bit receptive to the idea, however manage to make her really understand and try this seriously is going to take a little more time and work.

Having her to come here and talk about it is simply not possible, she just avoids talking about what happened to her, what I've learn was the little she said, what I could read *in the lines* and what I've heard while she was having these nightmares.

I think telling a bit about her dream is ok. Basically as I understand she was abused sexually by an adult when she was a child (less then 10 years old) - that was no dream that really happened, what she dreams over and over is this abuse, so basically she is living it over and over again. I don't know if in her dream she is a child again or a woman, I do know that sometimes people that she knows now appear in that dream, and basically somehow go along with the abuse thing.. I believe if she wants to go and try lucid dreaming this might be one good sign for her to hold on since this would be really something hard to be happening..

I only know that this nightmare is horrible that I'm sure for her reactions.

Amethist Star if you and others would be willing to help me out establishing this plan I would be really grateful. It was my intention to read all I could about the subject but basically I am in all ways a newbie about it, I ended here while searching for how to stop nightmares... I will definetly try it myself too.

On the lighter side, having the chance to dream about catherine zeta-jones and a desert island from times to times is not such a bad idea :P

once again thank you all,

kind regards

helio

It may be a possibility that she feels the other people in her dream is also abusing of her in some way or another, strenghtening the nightmare. Lucid dreaming could really help to solve two problems in a shot, she could have more confidence in ppl (i bet she is not an easy friend maker) AND she could overcome that terrible stage in her life. Of course, a lot of precaution must be used, cuz facing such a tremendous fear can be exhausting, and her dream control (assuming she does manages to LD) can weaken alot.
Im just a newb saying b*shit, dont listen to me

A tutorial is available on nightmares (click).

In short, lucid dreaming will be helpful to get rid of the nightmare. Good luck :)