Nightmares.

[Aspiringanonymous]

Every once in a while I get them.

In my waking life, I have control, I am overcoming things, and for that matter, most things don't even bother me in that deep soul-crushing sense anymore. Sure, it will still bother me mentally, but not emotionally and spiritually - if you know what I mean. It is all slowly becoming a non-issue - although it does rear its ugly head occasionally, when I least expect it. But for the most part, I am satisfied with my progress.

But I have no control in a dream. It is deeply frightening. I wake up each time, completely shaken, convinced that the darkness is out to get me, and that I will inevitably fail because it is slowly taking control in my subconscious where its power can grow to unprecedented reaches without my awareness. Perhaps it is true to some extent - that would explain a lot of mysterious, random, utterly unexplainable absurdities I have come to experience over the years, ever since I decided to stand up for myself.

And then I am fearful of sleep. Of the dreams. Paranoid about doing or saying things while unconscious, and especially of being discovered, as I live with other people now. Although it is unlikely to impossible for that to actually happen. I don't want to think about it. I am okay if I put it all behind me, and do not encounter any triggers in the external environment, but I cannot stop these dreams from troubling me.

[Syvelocin]

Have you ever read about, or attempted, lucid dreaming? There are a few books and guides out there to help people who don't have the natural ability to lucid dream. Basically, you first increase your awareness of when you are dreaming and when you are awake, increasing to becoming aware in your dream that you are in fact dreaming. The goal is to be able to control what you do in your dream, and further what your dream is about. Trying lucid dreaming might help both the nightmares and the feeling of not having control.

I've never been able to control the setting and plot of a dream, but I've been able to choose what I do and how I react in a dream. Even that has helped a lot with my nightmares.

[myskias]

For the darkness thing. why are you afraid of the darkness? are you maybe afraid of the unknown that comes from it? Why fear the unknown? Replace the fear of the unknown with curiosity.. and if you feel like the darkness is taking control of you, instead of fighting it back, let it come in. Because not all darkness is evil some is good as well. side with it and let the good parts come through and fight off the bad.

My opinion is that darkness isn't necessarily evil, like everyone makes it out to me. I believe that if we just would accept it and not be afraid of the unknown and the "unlit" side of life, maybe life would be less fearful?

Message me whenever you'd like <3 :)

[closed]

i realyl understand you. sometimes i have few nightmares in a raw and i just live terrified as it effects my wake life. i found that remembering what happend at the specific dream at playing it in your mind again and again relieves the fear.