Nightmares, why will they not stop? What do they mean?
By gemini_rose
@gemini_rose (16264)
May 17, 2008 10:34am CST
I have come to the point where my dreams are starting to affect me in my everyday life. I go to bed at night hoping that I do not have any nightmares so that I can just sleep.
I have been having nightmares for some time, usually every few weeks, I have nightmares for about 2 -3 nights and then they stop again. I managed to work out that they roughly started about a year ago after I had a hysterectomy, also since the hysterectomy I have been sleeping very deeply, unable now to hear my children should they call me in the night. Is there any chance that anyone knows of any reasons why I should keep having these nightmares and what they could mean? Each time I have them, they affect and stay with me for longer.
These are the 2 nightmares that I have had over the last two nights:-
Dream 1 I was walking along a busy high street, I had been shopping as I was carrying bags of shopping. I was not paying much attention to what was going on around me, I bumped into a man standing in front of me, I apologized and made to walk past him. He then pulled out a knife and went to stab me, I put my hands up to fend him off and he stabbed my hands, I turned and ran, he was right behind me, stabbing at me with the knife, I could feel it slashing my skin. I ran faster but the faster I ran he was still behind me, every so often I would stop and try to stop him stabbing at me, but it was useless he still kept stabbing me. In the end I woke up sweating, I stayed up so that the dream would go.
Dream 2 My hubby bought a pure white tiger, it had no stripes or markings whatsoever, he loved it and so did the family but for some reason it did not like me. Everytime everyone was out of the house it would attack me and it would slash me with its claws, I managed to trap it in a room on its own and shut the door, but it had slashed me. I looked at my left hand and on my finger next to my thumb there was a cut, when I touched the cut I saw that it was split from nail to end and I could see the bone. I stuck steristrips on it and left it hoping it would heal, but it would not and it started to rot and when I took the steristrips off it was starting to rot and smell, and then I woke up. I have to point out that all that day, my finger felt funny!!
All the nightmares that I have involve me being slashed or stabbed at some point.
5 people like this
24 responses
@tessah (6617)
• United States
17 May 08
havent you recently also been having troubles with "things" in yer house as well? unless im mistaking you for someone else (which is possible) i remember you having a great deal of disturbances in your home that you werent sure how to contend with?
2 people like this
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
17 May 08
I have been having things happen in the house since I moved in 3 years ago,I just do not think that the house likes me, but I was trying to work out the nightmares and I seem to get them starting from last year. I cannot see that everything would be linked, I am just sick of having flippin nightmares.
2 people like this
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
17 May 08
I have tried cleansing, and I have also asked nicely for whoever it is to please pack it in and go away, I have told them that it is my house now and I am not going to leave it because they might not like me.
I said that I will leave it when I am ready. After I made my little speech, that night there was a really loud rap or knock noise in our bedroom, I thought it was the window but my hubby swears it came from down the side of my bed. I felt uneasy in the room, but swallowed it down determined not to show I was scared. That night I had a nightmare and then the next night too. These are the ones that I wrote about here.
There is never anything definate though, its like little things all the time, nothing significant and when I read back over my diaries I saw that the nightmares only really started from last year, so that is why I thought that perhaps they were not linked at all.
Believe me you would be more than welcome to get inside my house!!
2 people like this
@tessah (6617)
• United States
17 May 08
they may or may not be linked.. if i remember right, you said things in the house had been escalatng lately.. and this could possibly be the reason behind the recurring nightmares. the house.. itself.. is just wood and nails and furnishings. theyre inanimate.. BUT they can and do hold the energies of others that have lived there. wed discussed this when i spoke to you about cleaning the place and making it yer own room by room. and that if doing this didnt alleviate the problem, that it might not be residual energies left over from past occupants, but something.. more. this something "more" can very easilly affect your dreams. if moving crap around and making you feel ill-at-ease hasnt gotten you out of the place.. itll step it up a notch and do other things. id so love to get inside yer house..
2 people like this
@jer31558 (3683)
• United States
17 May 08
hummmm, sounds kinda like my own wife. Here's what goes on with her though...PAIN. She has chronic back pain, and there is a direct link between the amount of pain and the nightmares. The worse the pain, the worse the nightmares. If the pain is especially bad she will dream of someone attacking her.
2 people like this
@checapricorn (16061)
• United States
17 May 08
wow! That is pretty scary gemini, I can imagine every time you will be awake, you will be catching your breath! I have few nightmares but it's not about slashed or stabbing, I am always running since someone is trying to catch me!I also don't know the reason of it! But, I grew up saying a little prayer every night and every time I fail to do so, I will always have these bad nightmares! I believe it's a reminder for me!but, I also don't like to say that it's the reason for you, maybe prior sleeping, you were watching movies like that and made you dream it and you were part of it! Just a guess anyway!
1 person likes this
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
17 May 08
I have to stay up for 10 minutes when I have them, just to get them to go away otherwise I go straight back into them. I do not watch films so it is not that and I only have them every few weeks.
2 people like this
@mummymo (23706)
•
18 May 08
Sweetheart I hadn't really heard about this sort of thing so i did a little research! It is very common to have nightmares after any surgery due to anaesthesia etc but this usually only lasts a few days to a week. I did find out that many people have a problem with nightmares for a long time after a hysterectomy - could be something to do with the fact that this operations drops you straight into menopause symptoms and there are so many hormonal differences! I did find out that it could be something that your doctor can help with too. I am no good at interpreting dreams but I know that usually dreams are your brains way of sorting out everything it has been trying to process when you are awake! If you are worrying about the nightmares and linking it to the operation that might be able to explain the first dream and the pain in the finger could have caused the second! I sure wish you could get some help for this - I have found a link for a uk hysterectomy website - maybe someone there could be of some help! xxx
http://www.hysterectomy-association.org.uk/
1 person likes this
@ellie333 (21016)
•
17 May 08
Hi Gemini_Rose, Give me some time on this one and I will try and look up. I need to go out for a few hours but initial gut feeling on the carrying of the shopping bags is that you are carrying excess baggage but the knife factor means that you have the capability of dealing with it. As both breams or nightmares are quite complex I will have to look at other factors too but I can only really give you symbolism and you will have to interpret yourself really as only you know how you are really feeling. The fact that you have been having them since your hysterectomy may also mean they are being caused by some sort of hormonal imbalance, so I will look at the pyhsical and spiritual meanings. Bear with me on this and I will get back to you. Ellie :D
1 person likes this
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
17 May 08
Thanks for those links, I have just joined one to see if I can come up with anything.
2 people like this
@grammasnook (1871)
• United States
18 May 08
This may sound like a personal question and please dont find me intrusive, but by any chance are you on any medication. I ask because lots of medications have this side effect. or a combination of meds can do it.
1 person likes this
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
18 May 08
Not intrusive at all, no I am not on any medication.
1 person likes this
@nenyalorien (899)
• Philippines
19 May 08
Okay, since I am too impatient to wait for you to approve my friend request, here is what I think:
Tiger: symbolizes money and the Yin influence in Chinese mythology. The Yin means female, dark energy. It could also mean fire and anger, pride.
Having no stripes: meaning a panther or a lioness. Could mean betrayal or envy.
The thumb being the object of attack: It symbolizes productivity, being an organ that allows us humans to be more dextrous. Something you are very dependent on might be the one that is under attack.
Steristrips: you might choose a solution that will not get at the root, and will only worsen the infection of the wound.
Stabbing: betrayal, especially since it was at the back.
Hope this helps!
http://nenyalorien.multiply.com
http://nenyathegeek.blogspot.com
http://mobileexpressions.blogspot.com
@nenyalorien (899)
• Philippines
19 May 08
I found that dreams like these stopped haunting me when I went through a Christ-centered deliverance session. :)
Hope you'll turn to the Truth in order to solve these nightmare attacks..
@cloud_kicker_32 (4635)
• United States
19 May 08
hello there Rose and happy day to ya..Ughh i read this thinking u sound just like me and the kind of dreams i have..alot of them are me being chased and shot..stabbed..and id wake up screaming..or yelling" AHHH!!!" LOL..so then i started lookin up dreams and what they ment..and its hard because no one really truely knows what they meana nd they are re[resented different from thousands of people that say they know what dreams mean..but from experience myself..sounds like ur under some stress..stress u may not even know that is there..or anxiety over something..and the second one makes me think..are u afraid that or maybe someone in ur family u may think doesnt like you..or mnaybe you are fighting with?Maybe about to meet someone for the first time,..new job maybe? Orrrr maybe soemthing new about to happen..a move..career..friends..family..anything that u may think of that is new comin in ur life and ur worried about it? and as far as feeling it when u wake up..liek ur finger..im glad im not the only one that happens to..when i get stbbed or shot..i sometimes feel it when i wake still and for an hour or so afterwards..That...i have noo idea about except we may have hurt it in our sleep and we dream about it..so when we wake we think it was the dream..lol..well thats all i got hun..wondering if anything i wrote u knodded ur head at..take carea nd lots of luck banning the nightmares.:).April
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
19 May 08
They are horrible kinds of dreams, I have them quite regularly too. I am hoping that they will stop soon though, thanks for taking the trouble to try and help me find the reasons, what you say makes sense and I do appreciate it.
1 person likes this
@santuccie (3384)
• United States
17 May 08
How scary! I have a friend (also a fellow myLotter) who interprets dreams. You might want to give her a try: http://dreamauthority.blogspot.com/
Hope this helps!
-santuccie
P.S.: Laughing at dumb jokes is still good for your health!!!
1 person likes this
@kiran1978 (4134)
• Australia
17 May 08
That is awful, I understand how you feel latly I am having the most horrid nightmares that is making me feel physically ill. It seems like your nightmares have to do with being cut or slashed. I wonder if you look in a dream interpretation book, what it says about being cut.
Last night I had a similar nightmre that I had about a week ago. I dreamt that I was in a hospital and my baby was lying in a hospital bed and the doctors told me that she was going to die as she had head injuries. A week ago I dreamt something similar, back to being in a hospital, Shanae was lying in the bed and they said she had a really bad ear ache and that she would die. I don't know why I keep having these awful nightmares, I can't stop feeling sick to the stomach about it and worrying all day. I don't think that she will die, I am just worried, thinking is there a message in these awful nightmares.
So I understand how you feel I wish there was a way we could stop having nightmares.
1 person likes this
@penny64 (1106)
• Australia
18 May 08
Hi Gemini_rose,
That is terrible about your nightmares. I could be totally off the track, but I think it might be significant that you mention your hystorectomy and not being able to hear your children at night. As a hystorectomy is an operation (slashing/stabbing), do you think it might be possible that you are feeling some sort of subconscious guilt or loss? That might explain your being stabbed and slashed in your nightmares. Perhaps you are somehow punishing yourself? Obviously there is absolutely nothing wrong with having an hystorectomy, but sometimes our subconscious mind works in strange ways. Maybe if you think about it, it might bring some feelings to the surface if they are there and help you deal with them consciously? Hope this might help.
1 person likes this
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
18 May 08
Hi gemini,
I believe your dreams indicate that you have some unresolved issues with your hysterectomy. What was the reason for the hysterectomy? Medical or choice? If medical, I'd say that you are not psychologically ready to stop being able to have children, even if you think you no longer want more. The slashing indicates your fear of the surgery. Even though the surgery is in the past, your subconscience is still mourning for the loss of your ability to bear children. You have subsconciously associated the surgery with that ability and, of course, the white "tiger" is simply a substitute for the doctors/nurses.
Were your ovaries taken as well? Your sleeping deeply may be simply a result of changing hormone levels. Are you on medication as a result of the surgery? Medications are notorious for causing sleep changes. Have you actually not heard your children calling or are you just afraid that you won't? If it's just a fear that you won't, chances are that you will. Mother/children ties are not just emotional. There is a deep psychological connection that allows us to respond to our children.
The dream part about your finger sounds like you slept on it in an unusual position. If you feel pain, even if you are asleep, you can convert that pain into a dream, and dreams are rarely identical to what is actually happening. Our subsconcious tends to overdramatize any pain or emotion that is actually going on.
Once you address these problems and resolve them adequately in your mind, your bad dreams will stop.
Hope this helps you.
Martha Hutson
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
18 May 08
Hiya Martha, thanks for taking the time to give such a detailed response. The hysterectomy was for medical reasons and I still have my ovaries and so I am not on any medication.
I actually do not hear the children at all, for the last year my hubby has been getting up to our 2 year old daughter as I simply do no hear her shout.
@mimico (3617)
• Philippines
18 May 08
Wow, those are really interesting nightmares you have. I think the first one has to do with your fears. You are afraid of something and deal with it by running away from it. You don't try to defend yourself or confront the situation by solving it, which is why you keep getting stabbed. The second probably has to do with your insecurities? Maybe you feel like you're being left out and are insecure about not belonging, not being as good, or not achieving enough. I'm just guessing though I'm not a professional dream interpreter. Hope this helps and hope the nightmares go away! You should try clearing up your mind before falling asleep.
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
18 May 08
Actually they are a good explanation of me, maybe it is all to do with me and how I feel about things. Thank you very much for that.
@nenyalorien (899)
• Philippines
19 May 08
Hi, Gemini Rose, I will just PM my insights of the dream. I think this is too private for this forum.
http://nenyalorien.multiply.com
http://nenyathegeek.blogspot.com
http://mobileexpressions.blogspot.com
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
19 May 08
I just got up not too long ago and i have to get my kids up for school in a minute but I can give you some possible insight to the meanings behind your dreams (I've been doing dream analysis for a few yrs now) after I've kicked them out the door..For now though, repeat nightmares are more often than not your inner selfs way of REALLY trying to get your attention becuase there is an answer, solution etc etc within the dream...
Let me kick my kids out, make another coffee then I'll be back 
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
18 May 08
I'm sorry that you are having alot of nightmares. I have them sometimes too but they are not very often. My nightmares are always ones where someone is trying to kill me. They try to kill me in various ways. I think alot of it comes from our subconscious minds from movies we have seen or the fears that we have.
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
18 May 08
Yes I do think that it is the subconscious, although what the reason is, I don't know. I am hoping to find out though.
@underdogtoo (9579)
• Philippines
11 Jun 08
Your dream seems to involve being stabbed and slashed first with a knife then with sharp claws. It would indicate to me that it relates to your hysterectomy. There is a technique which has been very successful in dealing with fears and nightmares and this involves being conscious and lucid when dreaming, to observe the dream as it unfolds. This might be difficult if you are not used to meditating so it might help if you learned to meditate too. When dreaming, it is important to be conscious of what is happening, of knowing that it is a dream and of being in control of the situation. For instance, don't run when the man stabs you. See what he does. He might become discombobolated and just leave you alone. With the tiger do the same. Pet the tiger on the head, they like that a lot; rub its belly, they like that too.
@icecandies (154)
• Philippines
18 May 08
Hi, I don't have much knowledge with dreams and how to interpret them but from the moment i read your story i researched on the hysterectomy part thinking there might be a link there. This might be able to help you figure out 1.) why you're having those nightmares. Once you have figured out why, then you might be able to find ways 2.) how to resolve nightmare issues. I learned that if you have undergone a hysterectomy your estrogen level decreases if the ovaries are also taken out. When the estrogen level decreases or if you have a lower estrogen level, one effect is hot flashes and night sweats with disturbed sleep. This is just a theory of what I have researched online though it may not give you a definite answer because there may be other questions in your mind. My references are from these links:
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hysterectomy and http://www.project-aware.org/managing/hrt/estrogen.shtml.
You might want to view those links. They have little answers but I hope that works. If your situation can be answered scientifically or not, it is still recommended to keep your faith in God strong and take good care of your spiritual life. Because scientific or not, the devil knows what you are going through and he might use that to destroy you. Just a reminder to keep the faith strong.
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
18 May 08
Thank you for looking into this in such detail for me, I really appreciate it.
@budz08 (55)
• Philippines
10 Jun 08
Hello Gemini... hmmmmn...have you ever tried to ask or consult help from a therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist before?Or do you have any traumatic experience before that have never been addressed or pay much attention?Because you might be experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD). I advised you that it would be much better if you will try to addressed this problem much early so that it won't create problems with your health and that you could do your activities of daily living harmoniously...
