Sleep Program Main PageFor people with frequent nightmares nighttime is filled with fear. Nighttime is not renewing and refreshing, it’s more like going to an intensely stressful situation or job day after day, night after night. Sometimes, nightmares are signs of other illness and/or drug reactions, so be sure to check with your doctor to rule out these possibilities.
A proven way to reduce nightmares, this nightmare reduction method should provide relief to nightmare sufferers.
Step 1: In a quiet place where you are safe to close your eyes and relax, allow yourself to imagine a beautiful place. Let yourself experience this place as fully as possible, noticing the scenery, the quality of light, the sounds you can hear, the feel of the air on your skin, the smells, the temperature, your own feelings as you find youself in this scene, and any other aspects of the scene that you notice. Notice your ability to experience these things in your imagination. If you find yourself stopping yourself at various points as you go through your imaginary scene, notice where you stop.
Some people won’t have a clear visual image, but will hear the sounds or feel the sensations more clearly. There is no one correct way to experience an imaginary scene. What you are trying to develop is an ability to fully experience an imaginary scene.
After you have gotten able to fully experience your scene. Try to make small changes in it. For instance, allow your imagination to add a small animal that you like come into the scene, or notice a path that you hadn’t noticed before, or imagine one of the trees changes to a different kind of tree. Continue to practice this until you feel this power of imagination has been added to your collection of skills. If, at any time, you start experiencing a negative reaction to what you are imagining, stop the scene, and start again at a point when it was positive.
Step 2: Write down a recent nightmare. After you have written it down, allow yourself to change the nightmare in any way you wish.
Step 3: Using your imagining skills, allow yourself to fully imagine the new dream you have written. Let it play through your mind as if it is a new dream that you are having. Allow yourself to imagine this new dream for about 5 to 10 minutes (no longer than 20 minutes).
Re-imagine this new dream at least once every day for a week. If you have new nightmares repeat from step 2 onward with the new dream. If you are having too many new dreams, allow yourself to do this process for no more than 3 dreams per week.
The frequency of nightmares should decrease. If they don’t decrease, try re-doing step 2 on a dream with new changes and then re-imagining it daily for 3 or 4 days.
After three months of using this system your nightmares should have diminished in frequency and intensity. See your health care provider if the nightmares haven’t changed.
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