Nightmarish Deja-Vu

[lovesjoyajm]

Ok, this is random and might sound weird, but maybe you know what this is like. The last week or so I've been getting these very weird "flashes" of an almost deja-vu type feeling, but they're like flashbacks to a nightmare. Not any specific nightmare, just the horrible, nightmarish quality that nightmares have. Has anyone ever experienced that? I've never gotten deja-vu more than once a week or so before, but this has been many times a day - probably at least 20 times an hour, it's almost constant - while I'm walking, talking to people, teaching, typing an email, etc.

It's really freaky. :/

I think it could be partially due to my reading a book at the moment which is extremely nightmarish.

Or could it be some weird chemical imbalance? I'm not depressed.

[Mish]

I haven't, but I sure would like to get some!

What book are you reading?

[lovesjoyajm]

Invitation to a Beheading by Nabokov.

It's not pleasant (the feeling). For now it's just sort of a strange, but rather novel inconvenience, but I can imagine it making me rather unhappy if it goes on.

[Aeradalia]

Used to have similar feelings (was prone to night terrors and nightmares for years)... never figured out what caused them... but they stopped rather abruptly within the last year or so (about the time I met my bf)... so go figure...

[lovesjoyajm]

Well, I'm glad to hear they stopped. What are "night terrors" exactly? I have just one recurring nightmare that I haven't had in two years or so but it used to have me up pacing because I was afraid to go back to sleep.

I was going to edit my post but I'll just add another one.

The book is less "nightmarish" than just very dreamlike. If anyone's ever read "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", it reminds me a bit of that. Anyway, I realized I've been having this feeling for longer than I've been reading the book so I doubt it's related.

I've also had this feeling where I'm sitting/standing a meter or so from someone, and I feel like they are further away. Almost "too far" away, I feel like I should get closer to them. Happened once this summer and a few times this week - my flatmate says it's a drunk feeling but I've always been sober when it happened.

[Aeradalia]

Night terrors are when you wake up as though you had a nightmare, but cannot remember ever dreaming. You are in an extreme state of fright and the slightest noise will make you either run or fight. It takes a few seconds to snap out of it.

I used to have anywhere from 2 - 8 nightmares per night... every night. The brain is suppose to 'forget' dreams when you wake up, but for whatever reason, when I wake up the dreams do not fade --- at least not quickly. It can take a day or two before I have difficulty recalling the details. I can even remember one dream transitioning to the next.

I still dream... but very rarely do I have nightmares anymore.

[Mish]

I love nightmares. I used to have one where I wake up feeling as if someone is pushing in my chest or is about to jump me. Ready to punch that someone out. That adrenaline rush.

It was awesome.

[Indignant]

I love Nabokov, really impressed that you are reading him.

[lovesjoyajm]

I love Nabokov, really impressed that you are reading him.

Well, Lolita wasn't such a hard read and I loved it so I thought I would try his other stuff. Beheading is a different story.

Mish - that's crazy. The thing I hate about my recurring nightmare is that I can not for the life of me tell you what it is about. It's a very distinct feeling of panic and of being overwhelmed that scares me so much in my dream, and I have a sort of idea that it's something abstract and "geometrical" (that makes no sense, but it's true) but I can't tell you WHAT the dream is. It's incredibly frustrating. But when I feel this weird feeling I've been having, that's what it reminds me of.

[Aeradalia]

I love nightmares. I used to have one where I wake up feeling as if someone is pushing in my chest or is about to jump me. Ready to punch that someone out. That adrenaline rush.

It was awesome.

I never liked my nightmares... couldn't wake up from them in a timely manner.

If I was falling off a cliff... I would hit the ground... endure the pain of ruptured organs and broken bones... and eventually wake up.

If I was being burned alive... I could feel my skin melting..

If I was being dismembered, I felt every little pain....

There wasn't any of the 'dreading something and waking up before anything happened'... rather my brain is quite cruel and would force me to experience the pain with brutal accuracy before I could finally wake up.

Then when I did wake up... my body would still be paralyzed (natural part of sleeping) and I couldn't open my eyes or move for at least 30 seconds or so...

Yeah... I'm glad my nightmares are few and far between now...

[DoesntMatter]

Lovesjoy- I had very similar experiences before I had a depressive crash and ended up sleeping 16 hours a day for an extended period of time. I would change your habits or something now to avoid that

[lovesjoyajm]

Lovesjoy- I had very similar experiences before I had a depressive crash and ended up sleeping 16 hours a day for an extended period of time. I would change your habits or something now to avoid that

Ah! That's frightening! Did you feel you were on the verge of depression before this happened? I'm happier than I've ever been. And I don't mean day-to-day happy, but really content. I don't know what I need to change besides maybe my diet and exercise.

[Mish]

There wasn't any of the 'dreading something and waking up before anything happened'... rather my brain is quite cruel and would force me to experience the pain with brutal accuracy before I could finally wake up.

Wow, sounds like you had a very strong self punitive system. If you were in Silent Hill (movie / game) your mind would be the Pyramid head.

I actually find that quite interesting. I'm thinking of doing Psychology after I finish my MBA...


After I finish my Masters...

[Aeradalia]

I did study a bit of psychology... and yes it would most likely be attributed to a self-punitive system... however, I say I 'don't know' because I'm not a psychologist.

And Silent Hill was both a great series of games and a pretty good movie. My nightmares have the look and feel of those games... but much, much more intense.

In one nightmare there was a creature that was a cross between "the Thing" and the creatures in "Aliens".... didn't escape that either...

[Mish]

but much, much more intense.

In one nightmare there was a creature that was a cross between "the Thing" and the creatures in "Aliens".... didn't escape that either...

I wonder what the correlation is between these nightmares and the general stock of self esteem. Did you find yourself struggling with self value when the nightmares were most intense?