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weird/violent dreams
I am not at all a violent person. I can't even get through a horror film and cringe at violent images or even violent ideas. Blood freaks me out. So outside of random movie billboards and things I see or hear by accident, I really don't expose myself to excessive violence. And i would never hurt anyone, I don't even like stepping on flowers for christs sake!
I am the kind of person who remembers most of my dreams upon waking up nearly everyday and have recently been keeping a dream journal. Every few months or so, since I was very young (5 or 6) i get a cluster of extremely violent dreams every night for a week or so. It's gotten more frequent, about once a month. I would call them nightmares and thats how they started off but now I am usually a participant in the violence, often the main character acting out this violence. And i don't mean punching someone, i mean hardcore stuff like chopping people into pieces, ripping out organs, etc....it really freaks me out and I always wake up disgusted and terrified that I'm subconsciously a serial killer or some shit.
my girlfriend thinks its great and thinks its just another creative outlet for me (I love to write short stories--never horror themed) and gave me the idea to start a journal and incorporate some of the dreams into my everyday writing. My mom thinks I need to have a spiritual cleanse. My dad's girlfriend thinks that since I shun violence in my life so much it comes out in my dreams. I don't know what to think. I love that I can remember my dreams, at least my good ones, and so i don't want to give that up but its real freaking me out and kind of giving me anxiety about falling asleep. Anyone else have similar issues? Do you all think i'm nuts and need to see a shrink?? :-\
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Re: weird/violent dreams
I go through periods of having really bizarre / intense / disturbing dreams. It's usually when I feel out of control of some aspect of my life: like if I have a big decision coming up, a career change, etc. I'm a very control-oriented person, so that makes sense for me.
I definitely don't think you're nuts, but I'd agree with your mom that your brain is probably trying to tell you something. Do you meditate at all? Is it possible that you're repressing feelings that need to be expressed (as your dad implied)?
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Re: weird/violent dreams
Are you taking any sleeping medications? I was taking Ambien for a while and I had the most vivid, violent dreams. I am the most non-violent, non aggressive girl ever and couldn't comprehend how my mind would even come up with that kind of stuff.
Not only sleeping medications, but a few other medications have warnings that you may experience vivid and scary dreams.
If it's not anything like that, maybe you should try doing something relaxing before you go to bed like taking a bath, reading, or meditating. Good luck with all of this, and I hope you can find some peace with this.
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Re: weird/violent dreams
I am very much the opposite of you. There was a sign nxt to the housemom's desk in the last club I worked that said, 'I may look perfectly calm but in my head I've already punched you like three times.' That is me to a T, esp in this new blasted vanilla job where I can't tell ppl off when they are pricks & not get fired. I don't generally have a problem w/ violent scary dreams, as I work thru my smack-a-bitch fantasies thoroughly enough when I am conscious, but during periods of stress or depression I sleep poorly & my dreams get pretty ugly. I have been having problems w/ nightmares off&on for the last several months & they intensified in the first month or so after my recent move.
Do you have sm buildup of stress or frustration lately that could be the root of this? Our subconscious often acts up abt things when we dream that we keep suppressed while awake. While I think you're pretty much ok as long as you don't go trying to act out the violent things you're doing in your dreams, sm meditation or other spiritual remedy may yield sm peace.
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Re: weird/violent dreams
thanks for your replies! i don't take any medication or drugs (prescription or non, occasionally weed) so thats not it. I find it really hard to meditate, and it takes me a long time to even fall asleep bc i can't turn off my thoughts. I do have frequent bouts of insomnia. Yes there are multiple sources of stress in my life, even as child, which is when this started. So its possible that I have anger/resentment that i'm repressing and thats manifesting itself in my dreams. haven't thought of that! maybe some therapy will help or just writing more and learning to unpack my anger in healthy ways so i can sleep peacefully again. thanks for your input!
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Re: weird/violent dreams
girl... ive had scary dreams. once where my bf at the time( who was violent) turned into the villian of who framed roger rabbit.. with red eyes and blade hands.
another one more recent.. was a guy who i liked. and we were about to have sex and he turned into some kind of satan.. so creepy i woke up scared:_
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Re: weird/violent dreams
From various dream interpretation sources:
"To dream of violence represents mental or emotional conflict or struggle with certain aspects of your personality. You have negative thoughts or emotions like fears, desires, guilt, envy, or other issues that you are confronting or struggling with in your waking life. Violence may also reflect waking life conflict or arguments.
If you win fights or violent confrontations it symbolizes negative thoughts, or habits you have overcome in your waking life. You may have successfully confronted a problem.
If you lose fights or violent confrontations it can symbolize negative thoughts or habits that you have given in to or that control your decisions. A problem may be too much for you or too scary for you to confront.
To dream of being violent towards yourself may represent self punishment, guilt, or feeling helpless or vulnerable.
To find yourself enjoying violence in a dream may represent your eagerness to confront problems, or overcome negativity in your life. It may also point to aggressive or sadomasochistic tendencies.
To see violence may also reflect repressed memories of abuse from childhood."
That's without getting into some of the specifics...
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Re: weird/violent dreams
my mom told me not to keep electronics near the bed while sleeping, especially wifi routers or charging cell phones. She said that it will give you weird dreams. Not sure if she gets her info based on credible sources or urban legend... but maybe its worth a shot if the conditions are true in your case?
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Re: weird/violent dreams
My guess is that a change in diet or meds is causing the problem.
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Re: weird/violent dreams
I had a pretty violent gorey one the other month, though I wasn't grossed out in the dream or after. Heard it can be to do with stress- I was dealing with a breakup and feeling worthless and powerless in getting out of dancing so could have been that. I think our dreams do reflect what we're going through emotionally, for sure.
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Re: weird/violent dreams
i have insane, terrifying, roller coaster, intense dreams! when im depressed ill sleep a lot just so i can dream because its more exciting than real life. my dad has those kinds of dreams too, idk if its genetic? certain foods can trigger it, and watching movies before bed. idk if i really do have a lot of shit that i need to deal with, that my subconscious is madly trying to deal with itself of whether its just me. i used to have these crushing, claustrophobic dreams as a kid all the time and wake up in a cold sweat
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Re: weird/violent dreams
Violent, scary or strange dreams are usually a sign of unmitigated stress. It could also be caused by medication or sleep deprivation. There is even the potential that a medical condition such as a hormone imbalance or food allergy could also be causing the dreams.
If you have access to medical care, definitely see your doctor to rule out any medical problems. Otherwise, try doing things like meditation and cardio exercises to reduce stress.
I used to get nightmares that I was torturing my pets. I love my pets and would never, ever let anything bad happen to them in real life, but in my dreams I was doing all manner of horrible things to them. It turns out that I'm sensitive to soy. Not only did my nightmares go away when I quit eating soy foods, the fibroid tumors on my uterus and ovaries also went away. I was being treated for the fibroids by my OB/GYN for years!
Sometimes our medical problems are as simple as a food allergy or sensitivity. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware that soy can cause this issue in women. When I gave up being vegetarian (and all the tofu and soy products that I was eating) I felt better within a few weeks.
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Re: weird/violent dreams
I've also had extremely disturbing dreams ever since I was young. Very violent and very crazy sounding. I would never tell anyone some of the dreams I've had. I have, however, told loved ones about a lot of them. Answers vary based widely upon who it is you ask, but I believe in Carl Jung's (Swiss psychiatrist) philosophy - the dreams you have only pertain to you and you are the only person that will be able to interpret them. Guidance is available through archetypes that have existed always among nearly all recorded civilizations (Wise old man, pure child, shadow version of self, trickster, etc). A possible way to try to interpret them would be through noticing you are the aggressor. Who are you killing, and further - why? Since you are being violent towards people in your dreams this could signify you are afraid or angry at the things, and the things all represent something in your life. Archetypes are vital to people, example -think of Romeo and Juliet - "Star crossed lovers, they love each other but it was doomed by fate/something out of their control" this is something nearly everyone has experienced (not SO seriously!!) but people put value on the symbolism.
You might want to consider reading about lucid dreaming. Basically it's where you are dreaming but you know you're dreaming and thus can control the dreams. Most people wake upon realizing they are in a dream. Lucid dreaming has given me some confidence and a lot of times I have been able to take control of a nightmare and return it to a normal, non frightening dream. A few people I have spoken to about lifelong nightmares already experience this without knowing what it is.
I have been to a lot of psych people and in my personal experience, the nightmares are not controllable with medication or counseling. Like some people above said, a lot of meds can even cause crazy scary dreams.
If you want to try to interpret them that can be a really interesting hobby. Sometimes it's hard to not be afraid, though. If you want to try to control them, read up on lucid dreaming. Personal heads-up is if anyone is pushy about their beliefs with your dreams maybe not talk to them too often about it. They might get worried and become over-bearing even if they are really just trying to help.
Feel free to PM me if you want to chat about some crazy stuff, I've spent a lonnnnng time researching dreams.