take b vitamins , eat more meat, get more exercise, do some yoga ... the more strenous kind .... astanga....
stop drinking coffee if you do ... stop taking ssri if you do .... ssri's cause nightmares in most people ....

Are you in therapy? Are you actively trying to deal with your "stuff?" If so, how long have you been in therapy with this particular person?

I started seeing a truly wonderful psychiatrist almost 2 years ago. Yes, the meds I'm on also cause lucid dreaming. I started seeing my doc. less than a month after a horrible, horrible trauma, and that was when the nightmares really started. I have always had recurrent-theme nightmares, but not like these and not everynight, as these nightmares were. With me, though, I have finally realized that the dreams were part of how my subconscious was trying to work things out. Yeah, I, too, had a terrible dream about my husband and it seemed so real, I couldn't stop feeling furious with him all day, even though I knew that my dream was in no way his fault. (But that was years ago, before these nightmares started. And, yes, we're still married.)

Anyway, the reason I asked about therapy is that I think that that kind of work, with a professional, may well have been the only way to work out my nightmares. Of course, I realize that it may be entirely different for you. My nightmares were always about all the people I abandoned, let down, so suddenly, when I had to stop working (or even functioning) after my trauma in July of '06. I had, and have, so much guilt about that, and I'm sure that that unresolved guilt and my inability to change it was where my nightmares came from. Just last week, for the first time, my dream started the same way as the others--but this one found resolution! I'm sure you can imagine the tremendous relief that was for me. Finally, that particular recurring nightmare cycle was broken. There is still so much guilt about all the wonderful people I abandoned, so I'm sure that those nightmares will return. But, finally, finally, I had a glimpse at resolution.

Wow, 20 years. I can't even imagine that. From what you say, it does sound as if your nightmares have a real life focal point. I hope and pray that, real work with a good therapist may help you to work through your own nightmares.

I know exactly how you feel, it's horrible. I can't remember the last time I went 2 days without having a horrible nightmare. Just last night I had a horrific nightmare that my children were brutally murdered and dismembered. I woke up hysterical and crying. I can't do this anymore. I've had nightmares similar to this for years involving loved ones and friends. I was diagnosed with panic disorder when my youngest daughter was 2 months old, she's now nine. I hadn't had a panic attack now in almost 7 years, now they have started again. The only thing that stops them is Klonopin, and I'm SICK of having to take medication to control them. You know that feeling when your foot falls asleep? I have that feeling start from the tips of my fingers and toes and spread over my entire body! Even my lips and chest are tingling, everything turns cloudy white and I feel like I"m going to die.Recently my feet starting cramping horribly during the attacks, WTH??? I'm so tired all of the time and the panic attacks are ruining my life, I'm terrified I'll have one at work one day. I can't go on like this anymore, my life is a vicious cycle of nightmares and panic attacks.

im not havin nightmares but having pretty intense day to day anxiety and panics as i have a collection agency attempting to have all my income/tax returns/etc. garnished from here to eternity ...

You know it's nice to see who much adbvice was giving on this post. Some of it sounds good to.

Patrick

Oh my goodness...
I read what you posted and I joined here. But its crazy for like the last 2-3 weeks I can sleep and only have horrible nightmares. My brother passed away like 5 months ago almost and I sometimes have dreams of him also but hes never harming me is always someone else... Just now I had a dream of a man was cutting people up and burying them in the yard and the problem was I wasnt me in the dream it was like I was watching a movie as my dream... I don know this has been happening alot and I also have a 5 month old daughter whom I wake up woth me every morning... Things around me have been okay I recently just got back with my baby faher... Everythings supposed to be good... I just wish someone could tell me what they did to stop it...?

I agree with everyone - esp. that ssri intensify this kind of thing and that it is your subconscious kind of grinding away on some problem you perceive needs to be handled. Sometimes I feel like the quantity of nightmares becomes counterproductive and . . . undermines your ability to deal with the problems because you aren't getting good sleep, you are emotionally destroyed, etc. One time a few years ago I was going through something similar to what you are describing, and I ended up trying something that worked pretty well - I had a little chat with myself about it. I told my subconscious that 1) I was aware of the issues that it was trying to bring up 2) was actively working on those issues (list concrete examples 3) shared the concern about these issues that my subconscious had but 4) needed a break, seriously, from the nightmares. I sort of submitted a request to my subconscious to lay off for a while and let me get some peace. I hold up my end of the bargain by being proactive about my issues. I repeat this process if the nightmares get more frequent . . . but you can't take advantage of this process, you can't just put your subconscious off and then not do the work to make things better during the day because it will come back to bite you on the ass.