UNITED STATES—I’m someone who sleeps best when I’m not dreaming. Yes, I know this sounds foreign, it might even sound crazy to some people, but for me sleep is best when there is nothing on my mind. That is the problem with many of us, we’re not able to turn that switch off inside our brains; it’s constantly running even when we’re asleep.
So the question I ask you all is why are some dreams more vivid and rattling than others? I mean if I’m thinking from the psychology of dreams, just the mere thought of something for a few second scan trigger you to dream about it. Yes, thinking about something for just 10-15 seconds can lead to a dream. For years people consider dreams and nightmares similar, but I do not. I think a dream is something that tends to be positive and uplifting or something you hope to accomplish.
Whereas, a nightmare is a bit darker, and I think nightmares tend to tap into a part of your psyche that holds your inner, darkest thoughts or fears. I can only think of one nightmare that I had a few years ago that shook me to the core. It was almost as soon as the nightmare transpired I immediately woke up in a cold sweat. It was visceral, left me on the edge of my seat and scared the mess out of me. I was driving a car on a freeway, with my son in his car seat, and out of nowhere someone collided into my vehicle. I don’t recall what transpired between the crash and the exact aftermath, but I was a complete mess.
I just recall rushing to the vehicle drenched in blood, covered in it and an emotional wreck worried about my son’s wellbeing. I find him and his body is lifeless, he’s bloody, I’m screaming, I’m an emotional mess and the grief consumes me to a point that I drop to the ground and then I wake up. Some of you might be asking why is this something that haunts you? I don’t have kids, but that nightmare seemed so real that it tapped into emotions inside me that I didn’t even think existed. I was literally frightened, but worse of all; everything that transpired seemed too real. It almost felt like a premonition of sorts; like I was seeing something take place before it even took place.
Intuition, it is something I tap into often, to make the situation worse is I’ve had feelings of Déjà vu where something will happen and it will trigger a freeze in me. I know it has happened before and I am able to tap right into that moment where I witnessed this event happen before it even happened. I’m not certain if dreams or nightmares have a way of foreshadowing things, but I like to believe to some degree they do. That does not mean it will actually transpire in real-life, but it is indeed a fear that I have and it is something I have to address. Is that going to stop me from wanting to start a family? No, but it’s a nightmare that I have never been able to shake; I don’t know why, but I hope in due time all will be well.
The goal of this column is to force Americans to NOT be afraid of their dreams. Dreams are clues to great things to come, while a nightmare could be a caution of things that you should be aware of. I’m a firm believer we sometimes act out in our dreams and nightmares what we wish we could do in reality, but without the consequences.
Written By Kelsey Thomas
