Nightmares in Western Children
- Thread starter deborah
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Shiftkitty
Registered User
"Open yet critical" is key. Unfortunately, I do not see this mindset prevailing should they seriously consider PL as a possible reason for some Night Terrors. Take physical medicine as an example. Chronic pain is one of the least advanced fields in medicine, and if it's in the back, you're even more SOL because there are so few specialists. (I know this because of my husband's case.) The damage to his back was caused by child abuse. It was extensive. Without much in the line of resources, he tried to keep it down by regular visits to a chiropractor, which helped to some degree. When he finally found a good medical plan he went to a doctor who told him it was muscle strain. We knew that to be BS so he went to a second doctor who sent him to an accupuncturist. When he resisted accupuncture, he was then told he had to go to "cognitive behavior" classes. While they included some valuable lessons in changing some movement patterns, which helped alleviate the pain, most of it was of the "wish it away" variety. You can't wish away a lifetime of physical abuse.
Finally he found a doctor, one of two in our state who specialized in back pain. When we showed him the previous "new-agey tree-hugging wish it away program" (which included hypnotherapy, among other things that avoided dealing with the physical issue), well, I never heard a surgeon cuss like that before! He scheduled my husband for surgery after he completed some basic physical therapy classes and told us the surgery would be 4 hours. 10 hours was more like it, because the damage was so extensive.
He's still got some pain, but it is significantly lessened. What sucks is how much the damage was allowed to advance because while the doctors had been keeping an"open" mind about alternative therapy, they forgot to also keep a "critical" mind as well.
I see PL therapy to help thing like Night Terrors as a potentially good thing, but open to becoming a convenient way to not tackle problems and just keep billing people for snake-oil treatments. (Or worse, as a way to discredit a child's claims to abuse.) How do you keep that from happening?
Finally he found a doctor, one of two in our state who specialized in back pain. When we showed him the previous "new-agey tree-hugging wish it away program" (which included hypnotherapy, among other things that avoided dealing with the physical issue), well, I never heard a surgeon cuss like that before! He scheduled my husband for surgery after he completed some basic physical therapy classes and told us the surgery would be 4 hours. 10 hours was more like it, because the damage was so extensive.
He's still got some pain, but it is significantly lessened. What sucks is how much the damage was allowed to advance because while the doctors had been keeping an"open" mind about alternative therapy, they forgot to also keep a "critical" mind as well.
I see PL therapy to help thing like Night Terrors as a potentially good thing, but open to becoming a convenient way to not tackle problems and just keep billing people for snake-oil treatments. (Or worse, as a way to discredit a child's claims to abuse.) How do you keep that from happening?
Cryscat
Senior Member
Shiftkitty, your husband's story is familer to me. He's not the only one who's had this kind of trouble getting taken seriously. Glad you two finally found the right dr.
Wonder what Carol would have made of the Night terror that I used to have, right up until I was 14. It would wake me and and just keeping going..
Wonder what Carol would have made of the Night terror that I used to have, right up until I was 14. It would wake me and and just keeping going..
I have found with my past life therapy practice with adults, that if they report they've had a past life dream, either as a child, or as an adult, I consider that important enough to start the regression session with fragments of the dream, allowing them to expand on the images and feelings in the trance state.
It's so interesting that even if people had what they believe to be a past life dream early in life, they never forget it.
In my personal experience, a past life dream I had when my son was two was the most vivid past life recall I've had.
With a young child, if they mention it again, it's an opportunity to open the conversation and see if they have more to say about it. Even if they don't, make note of it and see if any future behaviors may relate to what they've said. It may be a clue to other personality traits.
It's so interesting that even if people had what they believe to be a past life dream early in life, they never forget it.
In my personal experience, a past life dream I had when my son was two was the most vivid past life recall I've had.
With a young child, if they mention it again, it's an opportunity to open the conversation and see if they have more to say about it. Even if they don't, make note of it and see if any future behaviors may relate to what they've said. It may be a clue to other personality traits.
Shiftkitty
Registered User
So how do you determine if a dream is truly a PL dream or just something impressed on them during childhood? For example, as a small child, I had many dreams concerning the Holocaust, each of them in vivid detail. I could tell you plenty about the trains and the conditions in the camps and such. I'm sure that in and of itself would send up flags, and I suppose you'd start a past life regression based on a PL in Nazi Germany.
But suppose I had these dreams because I had seen the mini-series "Holocaust" at a very young and impressionable age? Add to this reading a couple of books on the subject shortly thereafter, and then mix it in with the number of years that have passed between having those horrible images burned into my mind and the modern day, would it not be possible that I might forget to mention the books and the miniseries? Just because something scars us a little doesn't mean we remember it. How do you sift that sort of thing out?
But suppose I had these dreams because I had seen the mini-series "Holocaust" at a very young and impressionable age? Add to this reading a couple of books on the subject shortly thereafter, and then mix it in with the number of years that have passed between having those horrible images burned into my mind and the modern day, would it not be possible that I might forget to mention the books and the miniseries? Just because something scars us a little doesn't mean we remember it. How do you sift that sort of thing out?
When a young child has a nightmare, especially a recurring one, about dying, or something outside of their range of experience, it could very well be a past life memory. Usually a parent can tell that it's not something the child has been exposed to, and there is usually a coherence and authenticity to the story. For example, if you had Holocaust dreams as a very young child and they were true-to-life, and you had never been exposed to anything about that historical event, a past life memory would be the explanation.
Not all children talk about their nightmares, though. I've encountered adult clients who had dreams or nightmares about specific incidents, seeing themselves as someone else, usually in a dangerous situation, leading up to a death. They always remember these dreams because they were so vivid, and they would wake up with strong emotions about the event. As these clients grew up, they felt that the nightmares or dreams related to present feelings and suspected that they were memories. In interviewing them about their present lives, it seemed that their present behaviors or feelings related to the dream in some way. In that sense, it seemed that the past life material was surfacing in these dreams, and was continuing to play out in the client's present life through their behaviors or fears. That's when I would use the dream as an entry point into the past life material.
I had one client who had a disturbing, recurring nightmare since she was a child: She saw herself as a boy in a bombed out building surrounded by other children. The boy knew he had to protect the other children. The client would wake up very disturbed, knowing something bad had happened. These nightmares began when my client was around nine, and continued for years. When we used that image to go into the past life, she got the full story of what happened: She was in Europe during WWII and the town was being bombed and invaded. As this boy, he was told to hide some children near the ruins of a building. He was caught and shot. He died fearing that the children he was supposed to protect were harmed, and it was his fault. After my client saw that the boy was actually heroic in his efforts, the nightmares stopped. She was able to let go of the guilt she carried into this life from that event. And she could finally have a good night's sleep. This client knew that the dream had to do with a past life, even as a child, but couldn't tell anyone. I think that's typical, too. Often children don't talk about the content of these nightmares.
Take the Holocaust dreams as an example,too: If they were actual past life memories, anything you may have seen in a movie or on TV could trigger your feelings about that lifetime. So, sometimes it's not the present images or exposure that creates the memories; the memories are already there. As you get older, it gets a little more difficult to separate out what's inherent memory and what's over-lay from present experience. The "purest" memories are usually those which come up spontaneously in young children or in the dream state. The younger the dreamer, the more likely they are authentic.
Not all children talk about their nightmares, though. I've encountered adult clients who had dreams or nightmares about specific incidents, seeing themselves as someone else, usually in a dangerous situation, leading up to a death. They always remember these dreams because they were so vivid, and they would wake up with strong emotions about the event. As these clients grew up, they felt that the nightmares or dreams related to present feelings and suspected that they were memories. In interviewing them about their present lives, it seemed that their present behaviors or feelings related to the dream in some way. In that sense, it seemed that the past life material was surfacing in these dreams, and was continuing to play out in the client's present life through their behaviors or fears. That's when I would use the dream as an entry point into the past life material.
I had one client who had a disturbing, recurring nightmare since she was a child: She saw herself as a boy in a bombed out building surrounded by other children. The boy knew he had to protect the other children. The client would wake up very disturbed, knowing something bad had happened. These nightmares began when my client was around nine, and continued for years. When we used that image to go into the past life, she got the full story of what happened: She was in Europe during WWII and the town was being bombed and invaded. As this boy, he was told to hide some children near the ruins of a building. He was caught and shot. He died fearing that the children he was supposed to protect were harmed, and it was his fault. After my client saw that the boy was actually heroic in his efforts, the nightmares stopped. She was able to let go of the guilt she carried into this life from that event. And she could finally have a good night's sleep. This client knew that the dream had to do with a past life, even as a child, but couldn't tell anyone. I think that's typical, too. Often children don't talk about the content of these nightmares.
Take the Holocaust dreams as an example,too: If they were actual past life memories, anything you may have seen in a movie or on TV could trigger your feelings about that lifetime. So, sometimes it's not the present images or exposure that creates the memories; the memories are already there. As you get older, it gets a little more difficult to separate out what's inherent memory and what's over-lay from present experience. The "purest" memories are usually those which come up spontaneously in young children or in the dream state. The younger the dreamer, the more likely they are authentic.
I found this topic very interesting. Since childhood I have this memory, It was 1810 ,México, I'm with a lot of people in a park not exactly but I see trees, and I can recognize someone important for the history of México, (that's why I'm always afraid to tell this to someone since I was a kid, they will probably just make fun of me or something), that person is calling for all the people, we need to hear him because it's important, he want to help us. Then I can see a tunnel and the next thing I see it's me, walking and then mama pick me up.
I remember exactly the same since I was like five.
Unconsciously I knew It was a past life and when I was 15 I read about Dr Weiss and dad got the book for me. It was like see the light for the first time. So, yeah, I didn't forget and I wont.
I remember exactly the same since I was like five.
Unconsciously I knew It was a past life and when I was 15 I read about Dr Weiss and dad got the book for me. It was like see the light for the first time. So, yeah, I didn't forget and I wont.
Cryscat
Senior Member
Interesting
Mine was an object that was bullet or bomb shaped. It would start out in the distance, then keep moving closer and closer. I was so terrifed that it woke me up and the vision would still keep going. It would reset and repeat. It came from an upward angle too.
I had to sleep with my teddy bear "Willie." Willie was the only thing that kept this night terror away. If I went to be with him, it didn't happen. Forget to put him in bed with me and here comes the night terror.
I had one last really bad episode when I was 14, then nothing after that.
Funny, I couldn't seem to explain what was going on to my parents. Oh well.
Mine was an object that was bullet or bomb shaped. It would start out in the distance, then keep moving closer and closer. I was so terrifed that it woke me up and the vision would still keep going. It would reset and repeat. It came from an upward angle too.
I had to sleep with my teddy bear "Willie." Willie was the only thing that kept this night terror away. If I went to be with him, it didn't happen. Forget to put him in bed with me and here comes the night terror.
I had one last really bad episode when I was 14, then nothing after that.
Funny, I couldn't seem to explain what was going on to my parents. Oh well.
Mammatus
A Squid With a Rocketship
I used to have a nightmare when I was younger where I was sitting by and watching this crowd of people go about. There was an explosion, and everything was tinted in blue. People started to run, terrified as a man began to speak in a language other than English.
The second time I had that dream, it started in a white, windowless concrete bunker underground. There were men in white coats running around. I wasn't supposed to be there, that much I remember. There was one man in a white coat who attempted to push a big red button. I freaked and tried to stop him, telling him that pushing it had severe consequences. He didn't listen and pushed it anyway. Then everything in the first dream happened again.
I had the first dream repeatedly for several months. I would wake up in sheer terror each time, screaming and bawling my eyes out. When I was calm enough to explain what happened, I could never remember.
I was only four-five years old and had never been exposed to anything like that. I've had some pretty messed up dreams since, but nothing that made me wake up in terror like that.
I can't attribute it to anything other than my imagination going crazy. But then again, I always felt there was something important about that dream
Meh......I'll keep it in the back of my mind.
The second time I had that dream, it started in a white, windowless concrete bunker underground. There were men in white coats running around. I wasn't supposed to be there, that much I remember. There was one man in a white coat who attempted to push a big red button. I freaked and tried to stop him, telling him that pushing it had severe consequences. He didn't listen and pushed it anyway. Then everything in the first dream happened again.
I had the first dream repeatedly for several months. I would wake up in sheer terror each time, screaming and bawling my eyes out. When I was calm enough to explain what happened, I could never remember.
I was only four-five years old and had never been exposed to anything like that. I've had some pretty messed up dreams since, but nothing that made me wake up in terror like that.
I can't attribute it to anything other than my imagination going crazy. But then again, I always felt there was something important about that dream
Meh......I'll keep it in the back of my mind.
Lady2
Senior Registered
I know repeated night terrors can be quite common, however I've never had them. Whenever I have had a Past Life dream, and I have met a frightening 'nightmarish' situation or end, it has always been brief, never repeated, and not to far out of my comfort zone. I remembered a massacre from a Past Life at a very young age, and afterwards, on the 'other side', I spent a long time talking to my father from that life, and though it was terrible, I was not re-traumatized by it...
I don't think we remember things we can't handle. I have often had dreams that abruptly ended, I believe the reason being that something very bad was about to happen, like being killed, and I was not yet ready to go there and my unconscious mind knew that was off limits even when I was asleep.
I don't think we remember things we can't handle. I have often had dreams that abruptly ended, I believe the reason being that something very bad was about to happen, like being killed, and I was not yet ready to go there and my unconscious mind knew that was off limits even when I was asleep.
My father told me that when I was two years old I had very bad nightmares, and that I would come into his and my mother's bedroom ten to twelve times a night, afraid. Clearly he/they kept sending me back to my own room since I kept returning to theirs. Finally, he told me, he whipped me with a belt to keep me from coming back into his room and waking him up. He asked me when I was around nine or ten if I remembered this, and he apologized.
I don't remember the whipping(s), or going to his room, but I do remember being very afraid of my dreams at that age, though I don't remember them. I only have the vaguest notion of a memory of seeing a ghost-like figure appearing in the corner of my bedroom one time.
When I read the James Leininger story I was very impressed with the kindness and concern and patience his parents (especially his mother) showed him in spite of their exhaustion during little James' very lengthy ordeal----and I felt very sad for the little me that nobody helped. And I often wonder what it was that frightened me so in my baby dreams..
I don't remember the whipping(s), or going to his room, but I do remember being very afraid of my dreams at that age, though I don't remember them. I only have the vaguest notion of a memory of seeing a ghost-like figure appearing in the corner of my bedroom one time.
When I read the James Leininger story I was very impressed with the kindness and concern and patience his parents (especially his mother) showed him in spite of their exhaustion during little James' very lengthy ordeal----and I felt very sad for the little me that nobody helped. And I often wonder what it was that frightened me so in my baby dreams..
Interestingly, my mother told me recently that when I was around 4, I used to sit up in my sleep and recite complicated Buddhist stanzas. To this day, I don’t know these...I never learned them and according to my mother, they are not very commonly known. I would also in my sleep pick up my mother’s novels off the night table and read them fluently. I only did it for a short period of time she said.
Dream
I had a dream a few years ago. In the dream I was male, I'm female in this life. It looked like it was in the 50's based on my clothing. I was born in 63.
I had a son, maybe 10 years old. He was playing about 25 feet from me. We were in what seems like was a subway station. My son fell off the platform and was hit by the subway. I yelled "Christopher!" with my then self and my present mind was asking the question "I have a son named Christopher?" A voice answered in my mind "yes, and you have a daughter named Elizabeth too." Not much else after that except for the unimaginable pain I felt that my son was dead. Then it was over. But it is one of those dreams I have never forgotten Still as clear this moment as it was the day I had it.
I had a dream a few years ago. In the dream I was male, I'm female in this life. It looked like it was in the 50's based on my clothing. I was born in 63.
I had a son, maybe 10 years old. He was playing about 25 feet from me. We were in what seems like was a subway station. My son fell off the platform and was hit by the subway. I yelled "Christopher!" with my then self and my present mind was asking the question "I have a son named Christopher?" A voice answered in my mind "yes, and you have a daughter named Elizabeth too." Not much else after that except for the unimaginable pain I felt that my son was dead. Then it was over. But it is one of those dreams I have never forgotten Still as clear this moment as it was the day I had it.
Who Am I???
New Member
Wow...what a horrible nightmare. Sorry to hear that you had to experience something like that.Mama2HRB said:
Who Am I???
New Member
That is the only good thing about that dream of yours Mama2HRB....lol.Mama2HRB said: