Image of a woman dreaming. Thomas Goenczi is an RCN Veteran and MA Clinical Counsellor with Private Practice: Well Then therapy, contributing a series of articles on PTSD and dreams. (Photo: Pixabay)

Thomas Goenczi
Shilo Stag contributor

The term ‘nightmare’ comes from the 14th-century ‘mare,’ which stood for an evil female spirit or entity that would torment people (or horses) in their sleep.

The details of this myth vary across cultures. Still, the gist of the story would go that a mare would wait for you to lay your head to rest for the evening. While you drifted off to the world of dreams, the entity would slip through the keyhole to your room and creep onto your bed, sit on your chest and suffocate you with its weight. This would leave you paralyzed and unable to wake from the horror.

Notably, the term ‘nightmare’ was initially explicitly coined for sleep paralysis, but by the 1800s, it became a catch-all term for any bad dream.

Each culture deals with its nightmare differently.

In Polish culture, people take protective measures such as inviting the mare for breakfast, leaving a bundle of hay in one’s bed, and sleeping in another room to prevent the mare from draining one’s energy.

In Japanese folklore, they would summon the mythological creature Baku by calling upon it three times to devour one’s bad dreams. In Africa, they would rely on shamans or spiritual healers to interpret dreams and assist in cleansing the individual of any malevolent spirits.

How we deal with nightmares has shifted since the advent of psychology. Freud and Jung – the fathers of psychology – believed that nightmares were a re-experiencing of a stressful dilemma.

This thread of thought has become the basis of PTSD-like dreams. When we think of a trauma-based dream, there is a general understanding that we are dealing with some part of ourselves that has yet to be fully processed.

When we continue to have this theme pop up in our psyche, we have a tiny reprieve for our body and mind to restore themselves fully. The trauma is unrelenting and continues to suffocate us
with its images and the emotions that come along with it.

One of the most difficult tasks we face when dealing with our trauma is understanding it so that we can finally confront it. When we can garner insights, we know what we are up against.

In some sense, the ‘entity’ that we face is no longer mysterious; this allows us to relate to our trauma from a more grounded place. We must demystify the trauma because that’s where the trauma demonstrates its power—in the unknown.

Trauma-based nightmares can be horrifying. Whether they happen rarely or frequently, it’s never easy to withstand the mental, emotional, and physical effects they may have on us. However, these dreams can also provide a progress report on where we are with our trauma.

Oftentimes, people living with PTSD will notice their dreams shift along as they make progress with their trauma. Specific images will intuitively make this known.

Nightmares are jarring and destabilizing. However, that shouldn’t be why we avoid them; rather, we can view them as an invitation to deeper exploration within ourselves.

Knowing ourselves is one of the greatest responsibilities we have in our lifetime. Our psyche gives us certain opportunities for this exploration, and nightmares are just one of them.

Thomas Goenczi is an RCN Veteran and MA Clinical Counsellor with Private Practice: Well Then Therapy.

The content is not intended to substitute professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding your condition.