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Dealing with troubled sleep and nightmares
SAID ALOUD
Dealing with troubled sleep and nightmares
Aim . To learn what can be done to help survivors deal with bad dreams and nightmares .
PART II : THE TRAINING
Trainer . Let ’ s look at techniques for dealing with troubled sleep and nightmares . [ She posts the Butterfly Woman ’ s list on the wall .] Here is the Butterfly Woman ’ s list :
Practice during the day good things you can do when you have nightmares at night
Get to know your bedroom well during the day , so you can orient yourself easily and know that you are in your bedroom .
• Be aware of local differences . In some places no electrical light will be available . Where that is the case , orient yourself by touching objects and listening for familiar sounds .
Choose things that make you feel safe and in the present
Remember that we can obtain good new experiences , and anchor ourselves in the present , by using our senses . The Butterfly Woman chose to :
• Touch her pillow and feel her mosquito net .
• Turn on the light ( if possible ) and look round the room .
• Sit up and feel her feet on the ground .
She found all three things helpful . When she did not have a light to turn on , it was very dark in the room and she used touch and hearing to orient herself .
Make your plans carefully during the day
Make yourself familiar with what you choose during the day . This can greatly help when waking from nightmares .
Establish routines when you awake from nightmares
• Try to move your body . Start with the head , fingers and arms .
• Touch something that reminds you of safety ( pillow , mosquito net , etc .).
Every survivor needs to find something that helps her . The helper and survivor can investigate options together and try them out during the day .
Discussion . Dealing with nightmares : good reminders . ( 10 minutes .)
DISCUSSION
Discuss the impact of nightmares and attitudes to dreams and nightmares in your community .
• How severe or dangerous are they thought to be ?
• In your experience , how do nightmares affect survivors ?
• What do you think about after you have a nightmare ?
• How do they make a survivor feel ?