Vivid Dreams, Nightmares, Night Terrors and Bipolar Disorder

[Phyllis]

I have had especially vivid dreams all my life. The most common are dreams where I'm walking through the new house I've moved into - I could describe to you in detail every room, all the furniture, all the people I meet. The other recurring theme in my dreams is falling, or fear of falling - often in an elevator where the floor begins to peel away from the walls and flap like a rubber mat. And in fact, people with bipolar disorder are more likely than others to experience exceptionally vivid dreams and nightmares. And although night terrors are much more common in children than adults, adults with bipolar are far more likely than other adults to experience these. Bipolar Disorder and Dreams takes a look at the phenomenon of vivid dreams in bipolar disorder. Nightmares and Night Terrors discusses these issues as they affect both children and adults with bipolar disorder.
http://bipolar.about.com/b/2010/08/29/vivid-dreams-nightmares-night-terrors-and-bipolar-disorder.htm

[Phyllis]

I dunno about you guys, but all of my dreams are very vivid. So much so that I actually feel what I feel in my dream. If I didn't know better, I would think that I was astral projecting! I dream in color and I can see, hear smell touch everything. It's like I am in a different dimension. It is trippy. And I get sad when I don't dream. But, I do dream often. As far as nightmares or night terrors are concerned... I have had a few nightmares that have scared the shit out of me, due to the vividness of my dreams. I wake up with extreme anxiety and scared shitless! Luckily they don't happen very often. How about you guys?

[Paz]

 All of my dreams have always been in colour, and I always fly in them, like right above the ground. They are trippy for sure. I also sometimes have recurring nightmares from past events, PTSD symptoms around anniversaries, things like that. I almost always dream, unless I've not been able to sleep for days, then I crash & don't dream for like one night or 2.

[goosemuffin]

My dreams are very vivid and tomrmenting too... I have lucid dreams and it can get pretty hairy.

[Paz]

 Does anyone tell their Pdoc about their dreams? I only discuss recurring nightmares, not much else, though a few years ago they cgave me a buch of tests to take and one was about dreams....It seems that all of my Pdocs have been fond of giving me tests.  Anybody else had to take tests?

[Phyllis]

I took tests on the first day of visiting my pdoc. Several tests. And I couldn't concentrate and I didn't know how to answer the questions. I didn't finish all the tests and I had an hour to complete them.

My dreams really don't bother me. My pdoc has asked me if my dreams have been vivid. But that is as far as it has gone. I did have a reoccurring dream as a teenager, but my therapists didn't know what it meant. So, I think maybe that is why I don't really disclose my dreams. I'm sure though if I have repetitive nightmares I will tell me pdoc.

[Paz]

my recurring nightmares are due to PTSD....the other shit was for narcissism, several for ADD , something called a Millon? test[I think it's for mania and delusions]. Also IQ...mine is 132. Honestly ,when I took some of the tests I was dopey, wonder if they take that into consideration. The last test I took was in March of this year.
 As for other dreams, I do not tell the Pdoc, having to talk about recurring nightmares[when they happen] is quite enough, thank you.

[Phyllis]

I have never had an real IQ test done on me. I took one online and it said I had the IQ of someone with down-syndrome. 

[Paz]

 Awww...that sounds like bullshit...take a real IQ test from your Pdoc...I bet your results are different

[Dreamline]

I want to take one on meds and then one off meds

[SmilingElephant]

I have been having vivid dreams ever since i was a baby. When i was younger they would be so real i'd wake up and fall out the bed or wake up yelling at the person in my dream. I dream every night and remember most of them. I have recently been told that i moan and cry in my sleep. But i don't recall any nightmares just 4D dreams. And the graphics are AWESOME!

[Phyllis]

speaking of dreams.... sometimes I am told things in my dream. This is the message from last nights dream:

 my wish for you; live and love without pain or loss. be the best friend that you can be. love from your soul and live as if everyday is your last. Gain strength and knowledge from life's lessons, and share that knowledge in fellowship.

[Dreamline]

I've even become aware that I was in a dream and stayed asleep.  Then you can do anything you want...I like to fly around and look at stuff.  My dreams are very vivid most of the time and I almost always remember at least one of them.  I dream weird stuff like this flamboyant gypsie/hippie lady dancing to some really cool music.  She was wearing the most awesome clothes.  She led me to these cans, like soup cans and stuff...I looked at one and it was a scene that I immediately became a part of.

[SmilingElephant]

I recently had a dream that me and my mom kept trying to reach the top floor of this huge brick building. But everytime we got on an elevator and reached another floor the building grew like a tree. Higher and higher and wider. It was awesome. But that dream was very symbolic for me. Plus these tiny nuns kept pointing us the way to the elevators.

[SmilingElephant]

It was so cool bc i felt the building rumble and heard the creaking as i looked out the windows and saw the building growing. A brick building!