Can you subconsciously awake yourself from a nightmare??

Question

When I have a nightmare and I am able to wake myself up from it. Why is it that as soon as ive fallen asleep again, I go back into the same dream. It doesnt matter how many times you wake yourself up. It keeps on happening. Why does this happen??

Answer 1

Dreaming is a form of consciousness, simply different or altered from our everyday consciousness. Everything we have available to us in our waking state is also there in our dream states. When we are frightened in a dream state, especially if it is TRULY frightening, then that aspect of our consciousness that recognizes the situation as a dream can become involved and wake us. However, this doesn't remove the subconscious anxieties and fears that created that dream state in the first place, and since it is fresh in our mind it is not unusual to return to that dream/nightmare upon returning to the sleep state.

To combat returning to the terror of a nightmare, there are several steps you can take. When you first wake yourself up, get out of bed and do something to change your state of mind; read or watch a little boring TV, or do something really dull like pay your bills. The goal is to get yourself out of fixating on the fear and thus avoiding it when you get back to the dream state.

Another possibility is to develop your ability to wake yourself from disturbing dreams into being able to be proactively involved in your dream state. It is often referred to as "cognitive dreaming." Essentially, with practice, you can enter a conscious state of control while remaining in the dream state. With this conscious control you can actually alter what happens in the dream and thus break the control of the fears and anxieties and this should free you from the grip of the nightmare.

How do you develop cognitive dreaming? Start with dream journaling and affirmations; say "I will remember my dreams" several times before going to sleep and "I will have control in my dreams" as well. The more you work on conscious awareness of the dream state the easier it will become. Don't worry if you wake up at first when you try to exert control, it takes a while to learn to stay asleep and conscious at the same time.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I don't know WHY it happens. BUT if you are able to wake yourself from it you can fix it. You need to consciously (while you are awake) think of an ending and use it. I had a recurring dream of an intruder in a friend's house I was at and I was hiding in the laundry room. I could hear his breathing and my heartbeat and it was VERY scary. One night I took the upper hand and the dream finally ended. I also dealt with a falling elevator dream for years. Like EVERY night. Then I became an RN in a hospital where I had to transport patients in an elevator several times a day. Using the elevator was much better than using the stairs with patients in wheelchairs. Eventually that stopped too. When you wake from the dream, just say to yourself "I can fix this" and add your ending. Good luck and get some sleep!

Answer 3

It's because you think about it too much? You know that you have a nightmare and your brain stress ditector registered the scenes. So just when you focus on it and you go back to sleep it will "replay" the same dream you have... Ok i know this will sound weird... And I dont know if this will work... But in Ireland, my grand-mother will boil me some 7up sprite? I still don't know what is the point for there is sugar in it but it calmed me a bit after... I don't really have nightmares anyway XD.. P.S: Better with hot milk or walk a bit than sprites lol... its not good 4 the teeths unless u go brush them after you drink them but i dont think that this will be the case when you are really tired and wants to go back to bed lmao.

Answer 4

I have been thinking about dreams alot lately, and what it sounds like you are talking about is a topic called lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming is the ability to stay conscious during your dreams by perceiving the differences between what is real and what is not. Lucid dreaming is also characterized by the ability to control your actions, your surroundings, and other elements of your dreamstate. It is a VERY interesting topic, indeed!

This link - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikibooks/en/e/ef/Lucid_Dreaming.pdf - explains in detail how you can achieve the state of awareness during R.E.M. sleep so you can control your sleeping environment. It answered most of the questions I had on the subject of dreams. It is extensive and very thorough.

Hope this helps ya, mate :)

Answer 5

yes, this happens to me too. But it sounds like you need to get your hands on a "dream dictionary" to interpret the recurring nightmare. There are a few free online ones at wikipedia.

Answer 6

i have done this. it seems that you have to have a strong mind (not speaking of i.q., i mean strong as in self aware and determined). you repeat to yourself 'i will wake up from my dream' or something similar. then visualize yourself waking up at a certain point in the dream. repeat this until you feel confident in your abilities. you can also use this technique to dream about something you want to dream about! this could take several tries--stay with it!

Answer 7

My daughter went via this at approximately 2 years. Me and her dad chop up up whilst she became right into a million. She became into as you describe ur son to be. i became into so lost, i did not recognize what to do. Then she began to act out. She would hit and scream at me and became right into a thoroughly dif toddler. Her dad purely observed her as quickly as a month for 2 days at a time...I with out delay found out she became into indignant at him whilst he got here for her she would screm cry and beg to not bypass with him. So I replaced up the reutine. She observed him as quickly as a month as usual yet purely at my abode with me constantly interior of her sight. Her nightmares stopped thoroughly. in spite of the reality that this worked for her he grew to alter into indignant with me and now he purely will see her as quickly as each and every few months or so for purely an hour. the factor is locate out the best you are able to by using his strikes what's inflicting his misery (ought to be he misses his dad, would not like his gf or your bf or purely prefers to stay with you) take specific time on your toddler placed each and every little thing else off for now. you do not choose lasting trauma for him. All you're able to do is convenience him and attempt to have his nan that can assist you be conscious habit besides as though he does something that ought to reason the desires. good success i'm hoping your sons situation is uncomplicated to restoration. yet a warning: to restoration it could have concequences, you are able to would desire to provide up something or somebody you like or upset people who love him...

Answer 8

sometimes