In the Western world, nightmares are merely dreams gone wrong. In contrast, some Eastern philosophies state that all dreams actually take place in another realm.
Nightmares often reveal the evolutionary fear of being chased, hunted and killed. Children suffer these kinds of bad dreams the most, since they can feel more vulnerable than adults. So when they are young, the most likely causes of nightmares are psychological instincts.
Causes of Nightmares in Adults
In adults, the main causes of nightmares include:
- sickness or fever
- high stress
- relationship issues
- trauma from violence
- drugs and alcohol
Alcohol is known to suppress REM sleep during the first few sleep cycles. Once it wears off, the brain enters REM rebound, producing vivid dreams and potential nightmares.
How to End Nightmares
The evil entities in a nightmare can do no harm, but that provides little comfort inside the dream world. Instead, people run and hide in attempts to end nightmares but this merely causes more fear and anxiety.
To look beyond fear, there needs to be some kind of conscious recognition of the dream state. As it happens, people already practice this state of awareness all over the world. It is known as lucid dreaming.
Lucid dreams occur when the dreamer recognizes they are in a dream. This causes the conscious brain to wake up in the dream and all sensory systems are switched on. The dream becomes as vivid as real life, in the complete control of the dreamer.
When nightmares turn into lucid dreams, there are two choices:
- Wake up – lucid dreams allow the dreamer to shout “WAKE UP!” or open their real eyes and stop nightmares in an instant.
- Look beyond fear – with the recognition of the dream state, the dreamer quickly understands that the evil nature of the nightmare is imagined. They can kill their torturer or make them fade away, and continue to guide the lucid dream in a more positive way.
Using lucid dreams to stop nightmares is actually very straightforward, especially if the adult or child is suffering from recurring nightmares. It involves the use of dream signs.
Start by identifying recurring dream signs, such as:
- being chased
- feeling pain
- crying
- hiding in the dark
…and any other common features of nightmares. Imagine each of these scenarios, perhaps the last time they happened in a bad dream, and ask the question: “Am I dreaming?” Perform a reality check such as pushing two fingers through a solid object.
When waking, the reality check will prove positive – fingers can’t pass through solid objects. But in a dream, they absolutely will. This creates instant lucidity, allowing the dreamer to end the nightmare by waking up, or continue it as a lucid dream.
Looking Beyond Fear
Many children already have lucid dreams, thinking this is the norm. Encourage them to keep it up, especially as they grow older. Explain how to use lucid dreams to end nightmares in future. Children have wild imaginations and may even learn this method faster than adults.
Learn these dream signs by heart, and vow to perform a reality check every time they are encountered. Soon, perhaps in just a few days, nightmares will give way to joyful lucid dreams. This is an empowering way for both adults and children to stop nightmares and look beyond fear.
Further Reading
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How To Stop Night Terrors
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