It's important to recognize the distinction between "Nightmares" and "Night Terrors."
Nightmares are vivid dream with an intense feeling of fear and/or dread often related to threats to safety or survival. They occur in people of all ages.
Night Terrors occur during the first few hours of sleep (most commonly about 90 minutes after falling asleep) during the early short wave period during non-REM sleep.
Nightmares occurs late in the sleep cycle during REM sleep.Night terrors are partial arousals from sleep during which an individual may shout, thrash their arms, kick, or scream. They are rare in adults and often caused by psychological condition, including bipolar & depressive disorder and PTSD.
A person who wakes up after a night terror will appear confused, be unaware of the presence of others in the room and will often immediately return to sleep. A person who wakes up after a nightmare will remember the dream in detail, be able to think clearly and will have feelings of fear or anxiety and will often have difficulty falling back to sleep.
We talk alot about my night terrors and nightmares in trauma recovery. I have come to see these as perhaps being the most important way my subconscious communicated with me. That their message is so vital, my mind presents it in a form I cannot dismiss or ignore. I have kept a dream log on and off for 30+ years. There is something about putting my my dreams down on paper than brings a sense of calm and acknowledgement and helps bring their meaning to clarity. Although I have a handful of recurring dreams, my trauma therapist has taught me to look at my nightmares in the context of what is currently going on in my life. What the characters portray to me and to see the playful symbolism my mind uses to to bring home the point it is desperately trying to help me see. Most most importantly that my nightmares are almost never related to what they seem to be about. And they they do no stop until I understand their message.
