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Hi guys

I thought I’d open up a discussion about OCD and dreams. Ever since I started medication for my OCD, my dreams have been really intense. By that I mean, really vivid and really extreme. My intrusive thoughts have started creeping into my dreams too. Sometimes they’re really disturbing and it means I’m waking up with a horrible feeling straight away. I keep trying to tell myself that I can’t control my dreams, but it’s almost every night and it’s really hard not to ruminate on it.
 

Anyone got any advice or strategies to cope with dreams? thank you 💗

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1 hour ago, auroramaple said:

Ever since I started medication for my OCD, my dreams have been really intense. By that I mean, really vivid and really extreme.

This happened in my case.  I was on fluoxetine and had some dreams as you describe that were really vived and frightening.  I reported this to my GP and we agreed to a dose reduction for the medication.  The dose reduction did help.  When my mood had improved the medication was stopped.  I have been off medication now for 4 months and I have had no further episodes of those scary dreams.

I also reported this on the MHRA yellow card scheme.  Here is the link if you need it: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/

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I get this without any meds and wish I knew how to manage it.  It's completely different to managing the daytime thoughts.  It's getting to the point where I'm really struggling to keep believing that one or two of the themes are OCD!!

Mine seem to have got much worse in the last few months or so.  I have had a few bad events in real life in that time which will almost certainly have fuelled it.  But as you say, there seems to be no control over dreams so you wake up feeling awful.

Edited by Keyboard Worrier
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I have had this a few times too and I haven’t had any medication. Like@Keyboard Worrierhas said above, they’ve often happened when life has been difficult or in times of stress.

I find them similar to when I’ve been ruminating for a while before catching it, as it’s like I’ve been ruminating all night, woken up with anxiety and then I have to work a bit harder at stopping the compulsions as I’m already in a state of heightened anxiety.

I find that accepting them as dreams in the same way as thoughts is helpful. I can’t control them, nor do I need to. I don’t need to figure them out but I can acknowledge them and how they’ve made me feel and continue with my day as best as I can.

I find that lots of extra self kindness on these days helps. It’s horrible to wake up like this and being compassionate to ourselves goes a long way. Having something nice to do when I wake up is useful too - even something simple like a coffee out of my favourite cup, a longer shower than usual, put on some music etc.

Sorry, can’t comment on medication contributing as I haven’t had any experience but I have got them without it (I posted on here a few times about it) and can empathise.

Edited by determination987
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People just need to understand, that dreams - no matter the content - are in itself completely meaningless. I had disgusting dreams about family members, about horrible decisions, and also about the content of my OCD theme. So I understand the struggle after having a bad dream: It can really affect a person's mental state, by making him mortified, horrified and causing him anxiety - but that's just how it is for everyone, who happens to have a bad dream.

It's just important to understand, that Dreams CAN'T be controlled, thus are not OUR thought process, but are just random thought processes of our subconscious, which is trying to process our daily experiences - without respecting our morality, values and fears - and thus they don't have any kind of meaning, we could make conclusions from. Therefore, they should always be seen for what they are: As something meaningless, without any further rumination needed.

We just treat them as any other intrusive thought. 

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14 hours ago, auroramaple said:

Ever since I started medication for my OCD, my dreams have been really intense. By that I mean, really vivid and really extreme. My intrusive thoughts have started creeping into my dreams too.

Yes, yes and a big YES!! I can definitely relate to a lot of what you’ve said. Annoyingly it is a common side effect with a lot of antidepressants, I’ve had awful dreams that could be a Netflix film I reckon. The more you have the more you’ll be like, ugh again!! Dreams are completely meaningless though. I have them Like I’m watching a really graphic movie on telly, I’ll go through weeks of not doing the exposure of ‘watching TV with violent content on telly, yet my brain goes ‘you haven’t escaped that easily’ and plays in my brain through a dream instead :wacko: it is really unwanted and unexpected exposure to the thoughts, but they are completely meaningless and mean absolutely nothing about the wonderful person that you are!! 
 

I think what helps me, Is listening to other peoples bizzarre dream stories. It sort of makes you giggle when you listen to some of them, maybe it could help you here too :) I’ll tell you one of mine, I had a dream where I had a tic of constantly sticking my middle finger up at my old scary school teachers so the teacher ampliated it in an assembly - was quite scary, I hated that teacher ever since even though he in real lift, did nothing wrong 😭 but I think seeing the funny side of how unrealistic they are helps me so much.

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On 02/07/2022 at 21:56, Summer9173 said:

Yes, yes and a big YES!! I can definitely relate to a lot of what you’ve said. Annoyingly it is a common side effect with a lot of antidepressants, I’ve had awful dreams that could be a Netflix film I reckon. The more you have the more you’ll be like, ugh again!! Dreams are completely meaningless though. I have them Like I’m watching a really graphic movie on telly, I’ll go through weeks of not doing the exposure of ‘watching TV with violent content on telly, yet my brain goes ‘you haven’t escaped that easily’ and plays in my brain through a dream instead :wacko: it is really unwanted and unexpected exposure to the thoughts, but they are completely meaningless and mean absolutely nothing about the wonderful person that you are!! 
 

I think what helps me, Is listening to other peoples bizzarre dream stories. It sort of makes you giggle when you listen to some of them, maybe it could help you here too :) I’ll tell you one of mine, I had a dream where I had a tic of constantly sticking my middle finger up at my old scary school teachers so the teacher ampliated it in an assembly - was quite scary, I hated that teacher ever since even though he in real lift, did nothing wrong 😭 but I think seeing the funny side of how unrealistic they are helps me so much.

Ah thank you so much. This has really made me feel better 😊 I like the idea of thinking about silly dreams too!! I guess they’re like intrusive thoughts, they have no meaning! 

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