Trauma Therapy for Nightmares: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments
Trauma Therapy for Nightmares: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments
Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC
You cannot remember the last time you had a good night’s sleep. You usually wake up frightened, sweaty, and with a pounding heart. Nightmares that repeat night after night feel so real that they stick with you even during the day. You know it was just a dream, but your body doesn’t believe you, making you feel upset and exhausted. You begin to dread going to sleep because sleep doesn’t bring the peace and rest you need. It brings memories you never chose to revisit.
You may wonder, “Why do I keep having nightmares every night?” Or, “Are my nightmares due to PTSD?” “When will they stop?”
As a trauma therapist, I’ve often seen how nightmares can be a trauma response and how deeply they can affect both our nights and days. In this article, I’ll explore whether PTSD can trigger nightmares, why they occur, and what you can do to reduce or stop nightmares caused by trauma.
Why Nightmares Happen?
If you’ve had PTSD nightmares for years, you may know that nightmares after trauma are more than bad dreams. They are a sign that your mind is trying to make sense of what happened. When trauma remains unprocessed, your mind keeps feeling unsafe, even if it’s been years since the traumatic experience. Nightmares are your nervous system replaying pain that hasn’t found closure yet. These vivid dreams usually happen during REM sleep, a stage of sleep when the brain is most active. Research shows that we dream as we emerge from the REM stage, which is why we remember nightmares (and dreams in general) upon waking up so vividly.
But healing is possible. Trauma therapy at Mindful Living Counseling in Orlando can help you find safety again, both in sleep and your awake hours.
When Should I Worry About Nightmares?
My clients in trauma therapy and anxiety therapy in Orlando often ask if nightmares are normal and if there is anything they can do to stop having them. Everyone experiences disturbing dreams from time to time, and that is usually nothing to worry about. However, if nightmares repeat too frequently, disrupt your sleep and daily life, and cause significant distress, you should consult your doctor or consider trauma therapy in Orlando.
Nightmares vs. Night Terrors
Your partner wakes you up in the middle of the night, shaken, saying you’ve been thrashing and screaming in your sleep. In the morning, they ask what you dreamt about, but you can’t recall. All you remember is them waking you and the uneasy feeling that lingers.
Nightmares occur during REM sleep, often causing you to wake up and remember them; night terrors are episodes of intense fear that typically happen during the first half of the night. We typically do not awaken from them and remember little to nothing afterward.
Are Nightmares a Trauma Response?
Yes, nightmares can truly be a response to trauma. We can experience nightmares for a number of reasons, for example, if we have depression or experience severe anxiety. However, PTSD is one of the most common reasons why people have nightmares. One study showed that 80 percent of people facing PTSD experience frequent nightmares.
Trauma, when not fully processed and healed, can remain stored in both the mind and body. If you have developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a traumatic experience, your brain will attempt to process those memories. However, sometimes the brain can get stuck in this processing cycle, which leads to the repetition of distressing dreams.
Are Nightmares a PTSD Symptom?
Nightmares are one of the most common symptoms of PTSD. Trauma can resurface as flashbacks and intrusive memories of the event or through distressing dreams and nightmares that replay the pain in different forms. Nightmares are typically directly related to trauma, as your brain relives the experience in an attempt to process it. This is the reason why nightmares feel like trauma happening all over again. These unwanted, repeating, and terrifying dreams can cause you to feel afraid of going to bed, so you may develop insomnia and other sleep issues, like panic upon awakening or difficulty falling back asleep after having a nightmare.
What Triggers PTSD Nightmares?
As you’re falling asleep, a flash of red lights passing by your window sends your mind racing back to that night of a car accident. Your heart starts pounding as you feel really threatened, even though you know that you’re safe. When you finally fall asleep, all you dream about is the sound of screeching tires, shattered glass, screams, and the terror of being trapped, as your body is reliving what your mind tries to forget.
PTSD nightmares often begin this way, triggered by reminders the body and mind interpret as danger, even when you’re safe. It can be anything: physical sensations, your thoughts and emotions, or external triggers, such as sounds, smells, or seeing things that remind you of trauma.
PTSD can actually change how your brain handles fear and memories. The parts of the brain that store memories and sense danger start working differently, so your mind keeps replaying scary experiences, often as intense, realistic nightmares that feel hard to escape.
How to Stop Nightmares Caused by PTSD?
When you experience nightmares, it is the most natural thing to want to know when PTSD nightmares will stop. They may feel inescapable, and you may feel as if you were stuck in this terrifying reply mode. But with the right therapeutic support and coping tools, you can retrain your brain and body to feel safe again.
Trauma-focused therapy, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, can help you feel in control and comfortable in your own skin (and in your bed) again.
Is There an Effective Treatment for PTSD Nightmares?
When you know the trauma is behind you, yet your mind and body keep reliving it as if it’s still happening, you need more than talk therapy alone.
EMDR therapy Orlando can help you reprocess what happened in the past, manage and reduce your nightmares, and heal. EMDR mimics the REM sleep stage to process trauma memories.
EMDR therapy focuses on reprocessing upsetting memories, feelings, and experiences. Your EMDR therapist will guide you through bilateral stimulation, like eye movements or rhythmic tapping, which can help change how your brain stores traumatic memories. By rapidly moving your eyes while recalling trauma, EMDR helps your brain absorb and process the trauma, reducing distress. However, instead of focusing on the trauma itself, EMDR allows you to work through these thoughts and feelings, nightmares, flashbacks, or intrusive thoughts until they no longer cause emotional distress.
How Anxiety Treatment Can Help You Sleep Again
If you’re ready to reclaim restful sleep and stop reliving the past in your dreams, reach out to us. You don’t have to face this alone. Our trauma therapists at Mindful Living Counseling Orlando are here to walk with you on your healing journey.
Fill out our New Client Consultation form here.
After completing the form, you’ll be invited to schedule a 15-minute phone consultation with one of our trauma therapists.
Get ready to begin your healing journey and wake up feeling safe again.
Not Ready for Anxiety Therapy?
At Mindful Living Counseling, we understand how distressing nightmares and trauma responses can be, and you don’t have to face them alone. Explore our blogs below for guidance, coping strategies, and support on your journey to better sleep and emotional well-being.
Additional Anxiety Therapy Resources
Orlando Therapist Explains How EMDR Transforms Your Life by Alleviating PTSD Symptoms
Trauma Therapist Explains How PTSD and Stress Impact Your Memory
Trauma Therapist: Is it ADHD or PTSD or Both?
Orlando Therapist Shares Relaxation Tips to Help You Get Sleep
Anxiety Therapist Orlando: Shares Tips for Dealing with Insomnia
Orlando Therapist: Understanding Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Orlando Therapist: Understanding Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Other Therapy Services Offered at Mindful Living Counseling in Orlando
At Mindful Living Counseling, we offer a variety of therapy services, including EMDR therapy, Trauma Therapy, Eating Disorder Therapy, Teen Therapy, and Toxic Relationship Therapy. Additionally, we offer Guided Meditations for our clients.
Anxiety Therapist Lauran Hahn
Lauran Hahn owns Mindful Living Counseling in Orlando, where she specializes in helping clients manage anxiety and trauma. She is certified as a Sensorimotor Psychotherapist and an EMDR Therapist and is recognized as an EMDRIA Approved Consultant. She is currently offering EMDR intensives. Lauran’s goal is to help individuals achieve calm in their bodies, peace in their minds, and connection in their relationships. When she is not seeing clients, Lauran enjoys working out, writing, or spending time with her family and dogs!