Got Nightmares? Change them tonight!

I was plagued with nightmares as a child.  Many nights I would start to fall asleep and then be jolted awake by gruesome images that appeared in my mind’s eye. The experience was like watching a horror movie, but I was IN the movie instead of being a passive member of the audience.  I was feeling the fear, running away from the “bad guys” who were trying to kill me.  A very different experience from watching the scary movie on the couch where I could tell myself that it wasn’t real.  All that blood was just ketchup.  

We all have nightmares once in a while.  Occasional nightmares could be caused by digestive upsets, medication, stress, anxiety, medical conditions, and other factors. That Friday night pizza with extra cheese may have seemed like a good idea at the time.  Trying to fall asleep on a full stomach while you’re still digesting the fact that you really DID eat the whole thing.  Well, yeah. That’s going to make for an unsettling night.  

I’m a medium (yes, I see dead people) and sensitive to subtle energy.  Even as a child, I could feel the presence of spirits around me and would see things that others couldn’t. So that probably lined me up for some pretty scary dreams but even if you don’t consider yourself psychic or intuitive, you don’t need to deprive yourself of much needed sleep because you’re being haunted by nightmares.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, an estimated 50-85 percent of adults report having the occasional nightmare.  Also, up to 50 percent of young children suffer from severe nightmares causing them to wake up their parents. (http://sleepeducation.org/sleep-disorders-by-category/parasomnias/nightmares/risk-factors)

My nightmares would normally consist of being chased by the “bad guys”.  I would run, try to hide, but would end up being cornered and they always found me.  The dreams were so frightening that I woke up wondering if the event really happened. When the phantom criminals shot me or stabbed me in the dream, I would wake up in a sweat, checking my body for wounds. It would take a while for me to calm down after waking from one of those doozies.  It usually meant staying awake for the rest of the night, afraid to fall asleep, like I was in a Nightmare on Elm Street movie.  

Thankfully, I am no longer bound to those terrifying nightmares.  I began a practice that involved setting clear intentions before falling asleep and lucid dreaming.  Soon, the frightening scenes blurred into obscurity and completely disappeared from my nighttime experience. Here are some of the things that worked for me.  

Take control of your dreams

Give these strategies a try the next time you wake up from a nightmare or are anxious about falling asleep because you don’t want to experience it again.  See Disclaimer below.

• Before falling asleep, take a few deep breaths and review your day.  What are some things you are grateful for that happening that day? Was there a nice, easy flow from one thing to the next or where you pushing yourself to get everything done on time?  Don’t judge the day as “good” or “bad”, it’s already in the past and you can’t change it. Focus on just accepting what is.

• When you’ve reviewed your day and your eyes are getting droopy, set the intention to have pleasant dreams that you will remember in the morning.  You can even include a few suggestions.  Some of my favorites are flying dreams (they feel great!) or a romantic vacation.  

• If you do wake up in the middle of the night from a frightful dream, take a few breaths to calm yourself, and declare that this is YOUR dream and you are in control of how it goes.  Then decide how the dream will play out on your terms.  Instead of the bad guys chasing you, you turn and face them.  Maybe even take on a little Neo energy from the Matrix when he finally accepts his power and turns to Agent Smith with the “Come on, I dare you!” smirk. Just as that scene was a pivotal point in the movie, taking charge of your dream time can make a radical change in your subconscious and conscious experience.

• If you see the same freakish image every time you close your eyes, consciously change it to one that makes you laugh.  Give the red-eyed monster big Mickey Mouse ears and buck teeth.  Make him do the chicken dance.  Get creative and morph the scary image until you bust out laughing.  It worked for me when I was afraid to fall asleep. 

• Learn about lucid dreaming (this is when you are conscious during your dream) and give it a try.  Here’s a good place to start  https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/how-to-lucid-dream It is a powerful feeling to be able to control your dream and create the outcome that you want.  Maybe the bad guys get carried off in handcuffs by the police or they just disappear completely.  What’s important is that you decide you are no longer the victim.  You’re the boss lady (or guy) and things go your way or the highway.

Again, check with your doctor if you are experiencing severe nighttime disturbances and be sure to read about the cautions of lucid dreaming.  This is not medical advice. I am sharing tips and strategies that helped free me from the fear of falling asleep. Good quality sleep is vitally important for the overall health of our bodies and minds.  

May you sleep well and wake up smiling.   

Leah M. Hill

LeahMHill.com

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