The One about No Happiness in Dreamland...

- Vancouver, British Columbia -

"Hey,

I have terrible nightmares, but they aren't horrific or obscene. No one dies or anything. I just wake up from these dreams feeling like something terrible has happened in my life, even if nothing particularly strange happens in my dreams. When I wake, the darkness terrifies me. I live alone, which I like, but when waking up, I can't help but feeling utterly isolated from the rest of the world. It puts me into a panic attack, making me feel worse. What is wrong with me? Is this normal? Am I going crazy?

Sincerely, Tired of Dreaming"

NO: I personally usually have very bizarre, but very vivid dreams. There's rarely a night I don't remember my dreams. I remember them in great detail, and can recall them like memories of real events. Apparently this isn't very common. That being said, when I do have a nightmares, there are immensely frightful, because of how real they are to me. The last few times I had these nightmares, I was able to take command of the dream, and control the situation. The last dream I had was a nightmareish horror house. A mansion of unimaginable terrors, and there I was, trapped in the middle of it. I won't go into much detail of the events, but I became so terrified, that I had to force myself to change perspectives. Now it wasn't me in the mansion, but it was the protagonist of a DVD I was watching. Now in my dream I was safe at home, watching a movie.

So, solution one: Take hold. When you sleep, try and be in command. I'm not talking about lucid dreaming or flying in your dreams (which is cool) or out of body experiences or whatever. I'm just saying focus. You'd be surprised how easy it may be to just focus in your dreams and realize that things aren't what they seem. Not saying you may realize it's a dream, but you may put yourself in a peaceful place.

Solution two? Maybe there's something more deep rooted then you think. Some problems with your past, problems with your current life. You might want to see help, talk to a therapist, release what's inside. Or even simpler, talk to your parents, a close sibling, your best friend, or your spouse. Talking vents out a lot more than people suspect, and it may just help with your subconscious lands of torture.

- NO