Do you do nightmares?

[Gehanna]

The most horror I ever experienced at one time came right out of my subconscious mind.

There are times when I wake and I think to myself, "Stephen King would be proud."

:Shrug:

Gehanna

[MacAllister]

I've had nightmares since I was very small, Gehanna. Yes, I know exactly what you mean...

[Gehanna]

The last really sick one I had was not to long ago. I suspect that my subconscious mind must have retained a certain concept from the movie The Silence of the Lambs.

In the movie, Lecter removed the face of one of the guards and used it as a mask. In my dream, the killer did this to each of his victims in order to hide his identity but also to give himself a "new" identity with each face that he wore. I could go into the psychology of the dream but I'll not bore you with my own analysis. I do however find the concept and the psychology behind it a potentially fascinating idea to write about.

The setting of my nightmare took place in a large warehouse which makes sense because an individual could not do and maintain something this sick in public. There was also a witness (hostage) to the situation. A female he kept there with him. No serious physical harm was ever brought upon her because of his need for the witness factor.

The more I tell you about this dream of mine the more I get paranoid wondering, "Ok who's going to think me insane other than myself." LOL

[jdkiggins]

Hi Gehanna,

A nightmare was the reason I now keep a notepad and pen on my nightstand. I write down just one word to remind me of the dream in the morning. Some good stories can come from dreams; nightmares or not.
Joanne

[Gehanna]

One of the reasons I stopped journaling my dreams is because I have to many to keep up with each night. I am not saying that to brag believe me. I have been this way with dreaming for as far back as I can remember. Seldom do I get through a night with less than two dreams and very frequently I can recall as many as 5 with great detail. The good thing is, not all of my dreams are nightmares and I certainly do not have problems with insomnia.

Gehanna

[Fractured_Chaos]

The more I tell you about this dream of mine the more I get paranoid wondering, "Ok who's going to think me insane other than myself." LOL

I don't think you're the least bit insane. I think you may have hit upon a pretty good, and creepy plot, though.

[Gehanna]

Thank You drgnlvr. It certainly was a gross dream.

One of the things I enjoy about dreams, no matter how twisted, is the ability to have more than one point of view simultaneously. Not even IMAX theaters can top that.

[MacAllister]

At least you aren't an insomniac, too. I got a PM from drgn in the middle of the night asking if I EVER sleep.


:) And I don't think you're insane, either.

[Gehanna]

I am sorry to hear that MacAllister. Do you ever get any decent sleep during the day? Could it be that your Circadian rhythm is messed up or ... something else.

Sorry to ask this, but have you had a divorce to deal with? A divorce can really mess a persons system up even if it has been a while and even if it isn't their own divorce.

Sincerely,
Gehanna

[MacAllister]

No divorce. :) I'm a stunningly content person.

My mom tells stories about checking on me as a toddler and finding me quietly awake, playing on my bed, in the middle of the night.

[Gehanna]

That's wild. Then perhaps it is your norm. Do you feel tired or run down? What about your health, how is it?

Sheesh sorry to be so nosy. May as well go on and give me your name, rank, social security number and a stool sample while you're at it LMAO.

Gehanna

[Fractured_Chaos]

At least you aren't an insomniac, too. I got a PM from drgn in the middle of the night asking if A EVER sleep.


:) And I don't think you're insane, either.

Middle of the night maybe...FOR YOU!

It was 11am this morning! :ROFL:

[Fractured_Chaos]

I am sorry to hear that MacAllister. Do you ever get any decent sleep during the day? Could it be that your Circadian rhythm is messed up or ... something else.

Sorry to ask this, but have you had a divorce to deal with? A divorce can really mess a persons system up even if it has been a while and even if it isn't their own divorce.

Sincerely,
Gehanna

I think Mac and I are alike, and that we're naturally night owls. I do my best thinking when the rest of the world sleeps.

[Fractured_Chaos]

About nightmares...

The absolute -worst- nightmares I ever have is about someone I love dying, or leaving.

And the worst one of those I ever had...was when my littlest one was about 2 y/o. I dreamed that she bled out while I held her in my arms.

Now, I've jerked awake from nightmares, and couldn't get right back to sleep. But this one was so bad, I snapped straight up in bed, in a cold sweat, and there was no way I was going to sleep in my own bed. I crawled into bed with her, and woke up every time she moved.

[MacAllister]

Nope--not tired or run down. :) It very much does seem to be my norm--I can function very well on between two and four hours of sleep in a 24 hour cycle, for several days running...

Then I start to get a little psychotic and exhausted...

Then I crash for about 8-10, and then it starts all over again.

[katiemac]

Mac just doesn't sleep because she's hopped up on SoBe 24/7.

[MacAllister]

Dragon, I've had a recurring nightmare for years, that is very much like the one you described. The differences are that I don't know the little girl in the dream, who has been hit by a big black pickup truck. I can't find anyone to help her, and she's dying like a run-over rabbit, there on the edge of the sidewalk, so I find a big rock, or brick--it varies--and mercy-kill her with it.

It's a f*cking ghastly dream.

[Anatole Ghio]

In the movie, Lecter removed the face of one of the guards and used it as a mask. In my dream, the killer did this to each of his victims in order to hide his identity but also to give himself a "new" identity with each face that he wore. I could go into the psychology of the dream but I'll not bore you with my own analysis. I do however find the concept and the psychology behind it a potentially fascinating idea to write about.

The setting of my nightmare took place in a large warehouse which makes sense because an individual could not do and maintain something this sick in public. There was also a witness (hostage) to the situation. A female he kept there with him. No serious physical harm was ever brought upon her because of his need for the witness factor.




Mu guess is the killer is you, the people you are taking the faces from each represent a different aspect of your personality... somehow you feel the need to show different sides to yourself. The woman is the person you are trying to gain approval from. The warehouse means things locked away, stored away... maybe something you are keeping from yourself.

That's my guess. Now to finish reading the thread and see if anyone else took a wack at it.

[Fractured_Chaos]

Dragon, I've had a recurring nightmare for years, that is very much like the one you described. The differences are that I don't know the little girl in the dream, who has been hit by a big black pickup truck. I can't find anyone to help her, and she's dying like a run-over rabbit, there on the edge of the sidewalk, so I find a big rock, or brick--it varies--and mercy-kill her with it.

It's a f*cking ghastly dream.

*shudder*

[Fractured_Chaos]

Mu guess is the killer is you, the people you are taking the faces from each represent a different aspect of your personality... somehow you feel the need to show different sides to yourself. The woman is the person you are trying to gain approval from. The warehouse means things locked away, stored away... maybe something you are keeping from yourself.

That's my guess. Now to finish reading the thread and see if anyone else took a wack at it.

Anatole, I'd say that was probably a pretty good interpretation.

There's a book out, "All About Dreams", by Gayle Delaney, and I relly like how she works out the interpretations. Since each person is an individual, and different things mean something different to each person, the same holds true for dream symbolism. And Gayle Delaney does a wonderful job in helping you figure out what those symbols mean to you, and bridging them to your waking life.

Anyone who's the slightest bit interested in dream interpretation should read her books. They're facinating, and an easy read.

[Gehanna]

Hello Anatole Ghio.

You did an excellent job of interpretation based on the info provided. Here is a bit more detail and my self interpretation.

The killer in the dream was a projected representation of my feelings about a particular male in my life at the time. Granted people in dreams do reflect certain aspects of the self as do people in our everyday life however, I know this to be more a projection based on pov.

In the dream, I assumed the pov of the girl (hostage), a third person pov, and the pov of another person who was present in the warehouse searching for the hostage. I never assumed the pov of the killer. I wish I had because it may have given me much more insight.

The killing and use of the victim's faces represent my actual negative attitudes and feelings about two things:

1) My negative attitude and feelings for this person's many false personae.

2) My negative attitude and feelings about my inability to help this man move beyond his false personae and accept himself as he is. In this case, the killer represents my inability to deal with personal/professional failure.

Additionally, the faces and the killing of others represented the destruction of relationships that false personae eventually cause.

The warehouse being a building is very much a reflection of the self. In this case, I dreamed of a warehouse as opposed to a home because of conscious influence. To me, a warehouse is "neutral ground" unlike a home or other buildings which have much more symbolism attached to them.

The hostage situation is obvious in that she, being me, was trying to deal with feelings of helplessness and being forced to cope with situations as they are/were.

The third person, the one searching for the girl, represented my ego defense and need to free myself from the situation at hand.

I think I'll stop here but as you can see, dreams are much more than just dreams. I feel that dream exploration is significant. The ability to gain and recall as much detail about them as possible is very important.

Sincerely,
Gehanna

PS- I have had lucid dreams and I also experience dream paralysis.

[WVWriterGirl]

This is strange, as I had a nightmare last night that my husband had to wake me from. Apparently, I was moaning and thrashing about quite a bit.

In my dream, my husband and I were asleep in our bed, and my children (young son and older stepson) were asleep in their beds. An old woman had one of those canisters that exterminators use (the kind you pump up with air and has the long hose and wand) filled with acid. The police knew she was after us, and had posted men on our front and back porches. These men had fallen asleep, and she killed both men with the acid cannister and got into the house. Somehow, my husband and I managed to get the kids up and out of the house before she got to us, and in the car we were discussing moving. This was the point that he woke me up.

I've also had dreams about my creepy neighbor breaking into my house and doing violent and/or unwanted sexual things to me.

Interpret away, ya'll, I'm interested to know what it means.

WVWG

[jdkiggins]

Wow, Mac. I'm sorry you keep killing this poor child over and over. What a horrible dream.

Welcome, WV. Interesting dream. I'll let drgnlvr and Gehanna do the interpretations. I'm having a devil of a time trying to figure out the nightmare I've had for the past two nights. I normally have insomnia and this dream ruined what little sleep I do get.

Before posting it here, I'm calling the funeral home tomorrow to make sure it really isn't something I need to worry about.

)(*&*(& dreams! You guys simply had to bring this up, didn't you? :scared:

[mommie4a]

Wow, these posts describe intense images.

Last night, I dreamed that I was going to school, like college, first day, with lots of others. We go to this large cottage-like building and get told to go into a room to the left of us. It's filling up with people and I see two men sitting on a rock ledge at the base of a large fireplace on one side of the room. There's maybe 150 of us in the room, thinking our class will start. The men have big guns and ammunition and grenades. And I'm thinking of what happened in that Russian schoolhouse and the gym and the wired bombs etc.

One of the guys throws a grenade and I cover my mouth with a big wad of tissues. Everyone passes out but I just pretend to. The guys go into another room and I stand up and walk over there and confront them. And I ask them, why are you doing this? What reason could you possibly have?

And I promise you, this is what they said - in my dream. They told me that they were doing this because of George Bush. I stiffen and gesticulate and shout, Well why do you want to kill us? And they say because we voted for him. And I suggest that killing a bunch of students isn't going to do much to help any country.

Then everyone starts to wake up and flee and no one is killed. Then I move on to my next class which is located in Pike's Place-like flower market!

[Gehanna]

WVWriterGirl and jdkiggins,

I apologize that I am unable to be of assistance in helping you understand your dreams here on these forums. The study of sleep, dreams and subconsciousness is not something I take lightly. It is a large part of my profession and research.

Despite the fact I listed one of my dreams in public, I do not recommend doing it for others. Yes I know this makes me seem to be a hypocrite but once you understand your dreams, it makes a bit of a difference.

Dreams are like I.D. cards for the psyche and listing your dreams in public is, in my opinion, as risky as listing your social security number. Dreams are the unbiased identity of the soul and anyone who has an extensive background in this area can gain more insight into that identity than you may realize.

It is for this reason, I recommend you seek the assistance of someone you trust and who has extensive skill working with dreams.

I hope you'll understand my stance on the matter.

Sincerely,
Gehanna

[BlueTexas]

It's a f*cking ghastly dream.

You're now officially scarier than Stephen King.

Seriously, that's a horrible dream. I don't think I'd be able to sleep well for weeks after that one...

[jdkiggins]

Thanks for the explanation, Gehanna. I hadn't posted my dream. :)

[Liam Jackson]

No self-respecting nightmare would ever be caught in my head after dark

[Mike Martyn]

I've had some terrible dreams over the years. The worst by far was one in which I'm helping my Dad do some gardening and building a brick retaining wall then waking up and realizing all over again that he was dead.

[Liam Jackson]

Mike, I can understand how such a dream could really drain you over time. For me, dreams of departed relatives are among the worst.