Night terrors

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I recently started seeing vivid and disturbing dreams like I haven't seen for many years.
At the time, they are not so much scary as bewildering, but I tend to wake up in a sweat and realise the profound messages brought up by the deep. Then I lie in bed and consider all the ideas presented.

Though they are definitely nightmares, I am glad to have them back, as dreams and inward reflection have always been interests of mine.

Can anyone else relate?
Also, I wanted to know if it is common for autistic people to focus so deeply on internal conflicts, or is it just me?

I remember reading about people describing autism as "having the picture, without the thousand words", or about words not being their first language.
I interpreted this in my own way as meaning that symbols and analogies are more memorable, and are the preferred method of communication. That certainly seems natural to me.
And dreams are all about this sort of stuff. Aren't they?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Just so you know, night terrors and nightmares aren't the same thing. You're describing the latter.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Night terrors are usually described as 'bolting upright' with their eyes wide open and a look of fear and panic on their face, and they will often scream. Further, they will usually sweat, exhibit rapid respiration, and have a rapid heart rate (autonomic signs). In some cases, individuals are likely to have even more elaborate motor activity, such as a thrashing of limbs -- which may include punching, swinging, or fleeing motions. There is a sense that the individual is trying to protect themselves and/or escape from a possible threat which can lead to physical injury of the individual.[2] Although it seems like children are awake during a night terror, they will appear confused, be inconsolable and/or unresponsive toward attempts to communicate with them, and may not recognize others familiar to them.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Night terror
A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror. Sufferers usually awaken in a state of distress and may be unable to return to sleep for a prolonged period of time.

I know the differance and any one who has sleep with some one that is having one does really quick.
Not nocking you if you ment nightmare till I started having them I did not know the differance.

I've experienced night terrors, but that was due to flashbacks occuring in my sleep resulting from combat. I've seen help and since then it doesn't happen nearly as much, but once or twice a year it will occur. My wife is the same way - she fought in Panama. The nice thing is because we've both "seen the elephant", we can relate to each other easily.

Longshanks.

Oops. In that case change all instances of "night terrors" in my post to "nightmares".
I'd still like to hear perspectives on symbolism, philosophical outlooks, etc.

It has only been six months since my diagnosis and I am still in the process of learning about what it all means to me.
Finding this site has been quite enlightening, as I haven't met another autistic person before (as far as I know).
Though I shall be scolding myself for some time for making an error in publicly visible writing.

You will find people here friendly but we do tend to be spacific about definitions.
but yes if im not to exausted i do try to make some sence of what my mind is working threu.

I frustrate the spelling aficionados so no wories.

OP, You might like to post another thread and call it 'Nightmares'. I think some of the other mods can change thread titles, but unfortunately I don't have that facility. Most of your replies are about the the inaccuracy of the thread title, so it might be best to start afresh anyway.

I have not had one recently because I can usually control my dreams, but I have had some bad night terrors in the past. I remember vividly on I had as a young child where I was dreaming someone was kidnapping me and I woke up kicking and screaming for help. My most recent ones were after vacation to Disney World before my senior year of high school. I would dream I was on one of the rides and the ride would start to take me into a dark tunnel and keep taking me further into blackness. I would wake up screaming and crying and be confused when someone walked into the room to calm me because the dream was what was real to me.

I had them this winter.I would wake up with my heart pounding and racing thoughts with no idea why I was freaking out.The shrink put me on Lexapro and they went away.

I have had a history of BOTH in the past. Now days I just get slightly disturbing dreams, but I can recall waking up (& my parents) screaming in the night. Got so bad a couple of years I was barely sleeping at all. Overall health? Took a nose dive.
Really was not sure why they started but I think starting Grade school was a BIG factor. Stress off the charts.

Sincerely,
Matthew

I've always had intense dreams. I used to sleepwalk when I was little. And I used to have those hallucinations that you can get when just waking up or just falling asleep. I have a memory of being three and seeing a chinese dragon emerging from the wall. And I get weird things now and then like stopping breathing while I'm falling asleep and jolting awake all buzzy with electric energy. Things like that happen probably only once or twice a year. All of that I guess is not very serious though as long is it doesn't get more intense or frequent.

I don't like nightmares. I've had great thought provoking dreams. Nightmares are different. There is enough out in the world for me to use to contemplate death, murder, drugs, etc. and I don't want it in my dreams. A dream where something happens like I fall off a cliff, I might jolt awake and it would be thought provoking, but I don't think it would qualify for a nightmare. I've been having some nightmares lately that have been causing me to lose sleep. There's nothing I like about it. And these are things like you can't tell people because they're too intense for other people to hear objectively.