Am I hallucinating?

Question

Whenever I sleep, I have these hightmares over and over again, it just keeps repeating...it's freaking me out. Whenever I'm alone in a room that's lighted up, I see like shadows darting back and forth.
I DO NOT NEED MEDICINE.

Answer 1

Symptoms like your typically come from two general sources: neurologic and psyhcologic. Those areas many times overlap, but it usually boils down to some type of chemical imbalance in the brain. These can be caused by both physical and emotional trauma and/or disease. If the source is emotional, then talking to a therapist can help pin down what is causing the issue and you can modify your behavior or outlook accordingly. If the problem is not resolved by working with a counselor, or has a physiologic cause, you might want to re-think your position on medication. Many people (including myself, with NO side effects) use medications to restore the normal chemical functioning of hte brain.

Dreams and interpretation of sensory inputs are governed by chemicals within the brain. All thought and perception essentially boil down to chemistry. Some of our chemistry we can control with our conscious/unconscious (here is where talk therapy helps), but some needs chemical intervention (meds).

Nightmares that either repeat or just continue the next time you sleep are still something of a problem for me, but not if I do all the things I'm supposed to (including one medication). Talk to your primary doc or a psych counselor. Tell them your reservations about meds. If you don't have a doc or insurance call your county public health department or the United Way's First Call for Help (dial 2-1-1 in most USA states), and they will try to hook you up.

Good luck!
Ed, RN