Friday, March 14, 2014

Coping With Night Terrors

I wanted to follow up my last blog post on sleep with a piece about night terrors. A night terror is a traumatic nightmare that can leave you reeling- perhaps waking up crying or screaming. Thank goodness, night terrors pose no actual threat to our safety but it sure feels that way at the time. Coping safely with night terrors and other symptoms of trauma is possible and essential to our healing.

Healing from trauma is a process of re-estrablishing safety in our lives. The same is true with coping with night terrors. Upon waking, we must ground ourselves to the here-and-now, reminding ourselves that we are safe, now. If "safe" is too triggering a word, try using the word "calm" or another word that works better for you instead. In healing from trauma, you are the expert of your experience.

Some ways to cope with night terrors are:
  • Remind yourself that you are safe, now. It was just a dream. 
  • Notice where you are by labeling the objects in your room.
  • Try putting an imaginary buffer between you and your negative feelings.
  • Feel your feet. Wiggle your toes. Tense and release your hands.
  • Get out of bed and move around. Feel the support of the ground.
  • Find a pet or loved one who is capable of offering comfort.
  • Prepare yourself a snack or a glass of water or tea. 
  • Write a compassionate letter to yourself. Be your own best friend.
  • Think of a real or imaginary calm or safe place. Notice every detail.
  • Turn your attention towards a book, crossword puzzle, music, or tv.
As painful as they are, night terrors are a normal symptom of trauma. Research suggests that night terrors might be one way that our bodies try to process traumatic memories, which are stored differently than normal memories. Our intentions are wise but, at the same time, we have to feel safe in order to heal. When reliving the trauma through night terrors, flashbacks, thoughts, or memories, we heal by coping safely.

If you are a woman interested in practicing effective grounding techniques and finding your best coping strategies, you may wish to check out a group I am facilitating at The Banyan Tree Center called Transcending Trauma. The group meets Wednesday evenings. New members are always welcome. Contact our intake coordinator or email me directly at wood@livewellathens.com to enroll.

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