Nightmares all my life :(

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and have been looking for any advice and thoughts on my dreams and nightmares for ages. I have even considered going to my G.P for advice but not sure if there is anything they could do and don't want to waste their time.

Since i was about 6-7 years old (I'm now 30) i've suffered from horrendous nightmares regularly. When i say regularly i mean at least one a week, my usual can be anything from 3 nightmares a week and more.

I have different nightmares and some reoccurring ones that i had when i was a child, and they are still as terrifying as ever. I won't go into the details of the nightmares just now (but if people do want to know the details thats fine and i can post them).

I have a very active imagination and are not sure if this is contributing to the nightmares. I have been under a lot of stress the past few years with different things happening in my personal life. But i don't know why i had nightmares before this? It's getting to the stage that every time i go to sleep and wake up I'm shattered from dreaming. I dream every single night and it can be exhausting. I tried to speak to my boyfriend about this, but he claims he don't dream much so doesn't understand.

Is there a reason for someone to have nightmares all the time? How can i reduce or stop having them? And why do people still have the same nightmare from when they were a child?

Sorry for all the questions! But any response would be great appreciated :)

Do you also suffer from disturbing thoughts that suddenly come to you or irrational fears/thinking of the worth scenario even though you know it's irrational?

I have Pure OCD and because of this disturbing thinking often takes over me. I can't control it, it's not coming from me, it's my brain. My disturbing obsessions also affect my dream life. If you read my first and third dream journal, you'll see that because of my irrational fear and obsessive thinking about an intruder coming, I dream about it, even though I tried not to think about it so I wouldn't dream about it. However, there are ways to decrease this and distract from disturbing thinking. Perhaps it can help your dream life too.

One, it's good to know your triggers and protect yourself. For me, I learned that detective dramas that are too realistic to life really affect my obsessive thinking. So I avoid them. Same for graphic images that are realistic. I can deal with fantasy and sci-fi and love it (bring on the zombies), I just can't handle the real life murder that's based off of real events. I go as far as to tell the people around me about my triggers so I don't have to be exposed to it.

Two, it's good to fill your life with positive influences. This is where cheesy stuff that you love comes into play. I love reading cheesy comic books from Japan, and people say, "but that's so cheesy," but my reply is, "we all need positive influences in our lives, since life is so dark". This is really true. Fill your life with happy things, and this will reflect in your dreams and your thinking.

Three, I suggest looking into using the MILD method here. Maybe even the yoga when you get more advanced at LD! (I'd like to look into it to learn how to relax, clear my mind and focus on my senses) I really feel mantras that are positive can change my disturbing dreams and teach me control over my obsessive thinking. Just this morning, I had the intruder dream, then I became lucid and I forgot all about the intruder. It was a huge difference. My goal is to eventually confront the intruder, but it was so incredible that as soon as I became aware and was focused on my goal of flying in my dream, I forgot all about the intruder.

I hope this helps. Always remember you could see a counselor or therapist, especially if it's disrupting your life.

Thanks for responding lumiina :)

I do suffer from intrusive thoughts (more recently), although i have never really told anyone this. I find it really odd that you asked me! How did you know?

My nightmares are strange, they seem to have no meaning but then sometimes they are connected by the same theme but not really relating to anything in my wakened life. I don't think i have any triggers except stress, but then they are times when i don't feel stressed and i'll have 3 different nightmares in one night!
I do have a stress full job as a children's nurse so i know that time out to rest and relax are important. I am a very active person and when I'm not working I'm always outdoors with my dogs or horses. I have also started to do some exercise to see if this helps but i still have nightmares regardless. It's really frustrating and scary. I hope there is a reason as to why I'm experiencing this. Sometimes i think my dreams have meanings but they are so weird that i can't make sense of them.

There are recurrent themes such as: the house i grew up in, teeth falling out, being dragged, hiding, machines, burned, ghosts, elevators, etc.


Ive started to keep a dream diary to record when i do dream or when i have a nightmare. I have only started this 4 days ago and since then I've had 4 different nightmares. 3 nightmares in one night and 1 nightmare last night. I plan to do this for a month to see how often i am having them.

Have you considered whether you have OCD or not? Intrusive thoughts is a form of OCD, unlike the OCD people commonly think of such as counting things or obsessive cleaning. It's called Pure Obsessions OCD or Pure-O OCD because it is focused just on obsessions in the mind like intrusive thoughts, not on compulsions (though, the thought process around the intrusive thoughts or efforts to distract from them often becomes compulsive).

The best way to deal with intrusive thoughts is with exposure. This is one reason why I think lucid dreaming and confronting my nightmares will really help my OCD personally. Have you thought about trying to lucid dream and go into the dream and confront the adversaries in your dream, such as a ghost? It could really help.

I understand about the stress. I feel my OCD is worse when I'm stressed.

I really think it's worth telling your G.P. It's not a waste of his or her time, it's a doctor's job to care for your well being, including mentally. I let my doctor know. Currently I don't feel like I need to go to a therapist, but at least my doctor knows so that she can keep an eye on me. She told me if it begins affecting my work life or relationships that I should see a therapist.

If you do see a therapist, find one that focuses on intrusive thoughts, frequent nightmares and OCD. They may have good techniques for you to apply and probably have worked with patients like you before.