Intrusive Dreams

[pansycake]

Does anybody else wake up in a panic, worried about what they dreamed about? Sometimes my intrusive thoughts will come in dream scenarios and they’re horrifying for me. Other times, I’ll vaguely remember bits of dreams and my brain will convince me that it was of the intrusive variety.

I know I can’t control my subconscious, but it’s horrible to wake up in these firsts of panic and guilt. Gets worse when PMSing and on my period. 
 

anyone else have this experience or any tips on how to cope?

[Gemma@OCDUK]

Hi pansycake,

Dreams are like thoughts in that we can't control them and they don't actually mean anything. So although I know it's very worrying to wonder what you might have dreamt, the problem is the meaning you're placing on having the dream itself. If you can look at what compulsions you're doing in response to dreams and thoughts and look at stopping them, it will make you less panicked in the long term. Have you looked into any therapy for OCD, as ideally this will give you the best tools for tackling your problem?

Gemma