We can have all sorts of dreams, sometimes really nice ones that we don’t want to end but this section aims to consider in some more detail dreams that we find disturbing and times when we experience nightmares.
For the purposes of this summary dreams are something that you remember in the morning when you wake up. Nightmares, on the other hand, wake you up during the night and can often make it difficult, if not impossible, for you to return to sleep.
After a traumatic event it is not unusual to experience disturbing dreams and nightmares, it is often the way in which our brain processes, sorts out and comes to terms with the events that have happened. Quite often the dreams and nightmares will then reduce both in terms of how frequently they take place and in terms of how distressing they seem. This is a good sign that you are moving forward that the events are seen as being in the past and that recovery is taking place.