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Permalink Reply by Lisa on February 11, 2012 at 7:06am

Hi Amy,

   I don't know if this will help at all but as young kid I guess around 1st grade, I had some nightmares that bothered me. It was something like a possessed fan chasing me. Guess my mom was right about watching scary movies but I loved em ;) To combat the scary dream I learned to lucid dream (I didnt know what they were called at that age). Every night before going to sleep Id fantasize about being in the nightmare and kicking this things butt. It worked, I was able to get control of the dream, become conscious in it and stood up to the fan. Im thinking the nightmare was from being shocked badly by playing with a tall metal floor fan. After I whupped up on the fan in the nightmare I never had the nightmare again. 

gentle day,

Lisa

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Permalink Reply by Barry Neale on February 11, 2012 at 8:47am

HI Amy,

 

Yes that will work. Just go back into the dream and change to the way you want. Basically telling your mind not this, THIS. Years ago when I trained with Serge Kahili King he taught a similar process for working with dreams.

 

Another thought is though I would be inclined to look at the cause of the dreams. You mentioned she has past experiences (dont we all?) There is no mileage to be had hanging on the negative emotions.

 

If you know something like timeline therapy, EFT etc you could quickly clear those events and chances are the dreams will stop.

With TLT you could simply ask the question, "what's the root cause of these dreams, the first event, which when released would cause the dreams to stop? Then go back to the event, and release the emotions.

 

barry

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Permalink Reply by Jesus Gonzalez on February 11, 2012 at 9:25am

I would  focus other way round. Instead of focusing on  how they are waking up and controlling the dream, I would focus on how is the client feeling when falling sleep and turning from alert to dream state, and I would tend to believe myself that changing this first part is what will change and modify the future product/or state, therefore the dream and how you wake up.

I would also do a "intention" project on the person, suggesting them to move around his  bedroom a little bit, and create like "a new place to sleep" where this new effects will take place, and maybe this way, you can remove old anchors associated with old waking ups because of orientation, lightness, space, or whatever.. Maybe changing morning routines in the morning as he is waking up would be fine as well

Jesus

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Permalink Reply by Michael Ellner on February 11, 2012 at 10:40am

Hi Amy-

I would take a two pronged approach-- I would create a simple bedtime ritual of intentionally relaxing and getting in a positive frame of mind (like counting one's blessings) with the suggestion that doing so for 30 nights would reduce and eliminate the unwanted dreams and I 'd have her get in touch with all those unwanted emotions at waking - anchor them and collapse the anchor with the suggestion that doing so will take the negative charge out of her morning emotions and she will start feeling better the next morning...

Sweet dreams!

Michael E.

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Permalink Reply by Amy Marsh on February 11, 2012 at 12:07pm

Thank you, thank you, thank you! All good food for thought! And if anyone else has ideas, please continue to sharing. I think this is a fascinating topic!

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Permalink Reply by Vicki S Stuart on February 11, 2012 at 3:07pm

Hi Amy, I've always been fascinated by dream states.  When my oldest son was small and had troubling dreams, I armed him with a "vorpal sword" from Jabberwocky, a weapon he could always call up, which would defend him against any enemy.  From then on, he really enjoyed doing battle (victoriously) with his dream foes.  One very simple way of impacting content and dream states.

Is your client recording her dreams?  Is she bringing those records into sessions?  If so, I would ask her to describe them fully, and write down all the symbols she uses.  Then ask her what each symbol means to her.  Voila, you have a rich bank of metaphors and symbols to empower her in your hypnosis.  This can help her change her attitude toward her dreams.  Instead of being troubling, they are suddenly a rich source of new understanding of herself.  And if she views venting dreams, in particular, as ways her subconscious is venting out old ideas that are no longer needed, troubling dreams become reassurances that she is on the path of change!

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Permalink Reply by Laura Rude' on February 11, 2012 at 7:17pm

Hi, Amy.  This was the same issue I had years ago, before I was in the business, for which I went to my very first hypnotherapist.  I had a recurring bad dream, same theme every time, and had absolutely no idea why I kept having them.  She did age regression, and found a conversation that I had heard when I was about 6 years old.  I had not remembered it, nor realized it had had an impact on me.  The feeling was neutralized, and "poof", bad dreams completely gone.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Laura

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Permalink Reply by Amy Marsh on February 23, 2012 at 2:16pm

Thanks, Laura and Vicki! More good suggestions and I sure do appreciate them. Really helps!

Amy

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Permalink Reply by Kelley Woods on February 23, 2012 at 9:02pm

Fabulous! The Jabberwocky is a rich source of metaphorical tricks...

JABBERWOCKY

Lewis Carroll

(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
  And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
  The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
  The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
  Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
  And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
  The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
  And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
  The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
  He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
  Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
  He chortled in his joy.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
  And the mome raths outgrabe.

Vicki S Stuart said:

Hi Amy, I've always been fascinated by dream states.  When my oldest son was small and had troubling dreams, I armed him with a "vorpal sword" from Jabberwocky, a weapon he could always call up, which would defend him against any enemy.  From then on, he really enjoyed doing battle (victoriously) with his dream foes.  One very simple way of impacting content and dream states.

Is your client recording her dreams?  Is she bringing those records into sessions?  If so, I would ask her to describe them fully, and write down all the symbols she uses.  Then ask her what each symbol means to her.  Voila, you have a rich bank of metaphors and symbols to empower her in your hypnosis.  This can help her change her attitude toward her dreams.  Instead of being troubling, they are suddenly a rich source of new understanding of herself.  And if she views venting dreams, in particular, as ways her subconscious is venting out old ideas that are no longer needed, troubling dreams become reassurances that she is on the path of change!

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Permalink Reply by Kelley Woods on February 23, 2012 at 9:15pm

Here's something for those who prefer an audio experience of Jabberwocky...enjoy!

Attachments:

• Jabberwocky.mp3, 1.6 MB

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Permalink Reply by James Hazlerig - HypnosisAustin on February 24, 2012 at 6:33am

You could use a movie theater technique to go back to the dream, but in "safe mode." with the ability to stop, start, fast forward, rewind, drain color, change sounds, make scary things look funny, and so on . . . You can even, as others suggested, simply change the ending of the dream.

Early in my career, I worked with a client who was plagued by a mysterious nightmare. Being young and foolish, I thought we had to get to the source, uncover some lost memory, resolve some major emotional issue, yada yada. Fortunately, I knew enough not to lead the client and inadvertently suggest a past trauma that may not have happened. But all my efforts to find a cause or meaning for the dream failed.

So I simply had my client relive the dream in safe mode with the power to change the ending.

I ran into that client last month, and she told me that she hasn't had that nightmare since our session some years ago.

James

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Permalink Reply by Amy Marsh on February 24, 2012 at 7:40am

Great idea, James! Thank you!

And Kelley, I so love seeing that page - I've been tempted to gyre and gimble in the wabe myself recently, but my car got all mimsy and needed new tires!

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