Welcome to dreamviews LadyAkita,
First of all, I'd like to mention that even the worst nightmares don't have to come from deep trauma. Dreams in general serve many purposes, including processing the day's memories, resolving inner emotional conflicts, and other utilities associated with the mind.
It is interesting to note that even people who don't remember their dreams still benefit from this dreaming function. My personal opinion is that what we sense in dreams are just filled in stimuli based on whatever emotional/energetic environment is being experienced at that time. That is to say, that which creates a dream still exists without experiencing all the imagery, sounds, and feelings; so the basic building blocks of the dream are very subtle and complex.
As to your nightmares, recurring nightmares that I have experienced seem to be related to certain states of mind. In my case, I have recurring dreams about sailing in a ferryboat across a body of water. I only recently made it all the way; the other dreams always ended with the ferry running aground or sinking. I am sure this relates to something in my mind otherwise it would not be in the dream. The question is what. The imagery, and other sensory experiences we have in dreams are chosen by our subconscious to represent that subtle, complex environment being played out at night.
JoannaB is right that you don't need to know the origin of the dreams to deal with them. The most important factor I've found is how the dream makes you feel. The emotion immediately following the dream, and the impression it leaves throughout the day. Think of the feelings as music. The negative feelings are dissonant music. Positive feelings are harmonic music.
My advice would be to use positive feelings to counteract these negative feelings. If you feel trapped, find a way to feel free. If you feel like someone is going to kidnap you, find a way to feel protected, and so on. Feel those feelings before you go to sleep, and that will bleed over into your dream time. Eventually, it should neutralize the traumatic emotions of the nightmares.
Good news is the feelings won't be as harsh. Bad news is, as long as you have this issue in your mind, the nightmare will continue presenting itself. The nightmare is a natural utility of the mind and is there to help. It is identifying an imbalance within the psyche and its popping a flare.
The way to find where its coming from is to identify the predominant emotional theme, then track those feelings down in waking life. When do feel this way, where, how are the feelings being triggered, perhaps a who is involved in these feelings.
Explore, discover, and definitely become lucid! good luck!
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