WarpMyMind

I know a girl that occassionally has night terrors. She'll get up in the middle of the night, acting and speaking like she's awake. Then she'll go back to bed and won't remember a thing when she gets up in the morning.

I know that she's obviously in some kind of altered consciousness when she has an episode, so I assume that opens up access to parts of her mind. Maybe as long as the door is open, I can enter a suggestion or ask some interesting questions, you know? Is there anything I could/should/shouldn't do when I'm around when it happens again? Does anyone have any experience with people who has these?

I was asked this question by a guy on chat fairly recently.

Unfortunately, I can't give you any advice, as I've been unable to find previous research on the subject. However, I will reiterate what I told the guy: Ask her first. Whether this is a suggestible state or not, she's almost certainly feeling vulnerable and afraid. Even if you have the best intentions in the world (which the other guy certainly didn't, trying to take advantage of a friend's memory lapse. I hope your plans are more honorable), having your mind tampered with is already scary to most people. You don't want to make that worse.

Different people's minds are different. So discuss it with her, talk about exactly what you'd think of suggesting. And then (assuming she's comfortable with that), try it and see. I'm sure there's plenty of people on here who'd be glad to hear your results.

My intentions for suggestions were honorable, I guess... Mostly to help her deal with sleeping and the night terrors. Though my thought to ask questions for potentially honest answers probably wasn't so honorable. :oops: Mostly I was concerned with what not to do so I don't make matters worse.

tony_draycon wrote:I know a girl that occassionally has night terrors. She'll get up in the middle of the night, acting and speaking like she's awake. Then she'll go back to bed and won't remember a thing when she gets up in the morning.

I know that she's obviously in some kind of altered consciousness when she has an episode, so I assume that opens up access to parts of her mind. Maybe as long as the door is open, I can enter a suggestion or ask some interesting questions, you know? Is there anything I could/should/shouldn't do when I'm around when it happens again? Does anyone have any experience with people who has these?

Welcome to WarpMyMind, tony_draycon. And thanks for posting an interesting question. This response gives a couple of cautions and then suggests a technique that can be tried.

A good friend of mine occasionally talks in his sleep. When he's awake, he disses hypnosis - says he doesn't believe in it. But on the occasions when he talks in his sleep, yes, he listens. Nuff said.

Caution #1:
I don't know whether you have experience or education with hypnosis. But you know. Practice speaking slowly, clearly and reassuringly. "Crooning" is a good word for it. Keep your message simple - as though talking to a 12-year old.

Caution #2:
I don't know your relationship with this girl or the type of emotional connection between the two of you. What's important is that YOU know. As you give suggestions, stay true to that connection. It's critical that her internal sense of security remains intact.

Technique Suggestions:

Give a few simple reassurances about sleeping soon, resting soon, so calm and peaceful

Give a simple self-appreciation message.

Deliver the payload. A single question can be enough. Example: "Don't you wonder (pause) what would happen (pause) if you .... ?"

Give another self-appreciation message.

Suggest calmness, rest now, sleep now

The best to you! Please stop back and tell about your results.

Again, welcome to WMM.

My advice is to wake them up.

whatthe75 wrote:My advice is to wake them up.

I've heard that that can be dangerous.

A common but untrue belief.They are only a danger to themsleves if they stay in that state.

Speaking as someone who suffers from them on an almost nightly basis, I do not, repeat, NOT recommend trying to "take advantage" of the situation. They're called "night terrors" for a reason. They involve all sorts of fun things like hallucinations and frightening delusions. It's fairly typical for me to wake up absolutely convinced that I am about to die.

It's not pleasant, and having someone interfere would only make things worse. From my personal experience, the reason you don't wake people up in the middle of these things is that I'm generally already in fight/flight mode from the night terrors themselves, and having someone try to shake me out of it, no matter how well-intentioned, generally goes badly. I've lashed out at people in a blind panic.

Not exactly happy fun hypnosis times.

torawashi wrote:It's fairly typical for me to wake up absolutely convinced that I am about to die.

It's not pleasant, and having someone interfere would only make things worse. From my personal experience, the reason you don't wake people up in the middle of these things is that I'm generally already in fight/flight mode from the night terrors themselves, and having someone try to shake me out of it, no matter how well-intentioned, generally goes badly. I've lashed out at people in a blind panic.

Where they touching you to wake you up?

Being woken up via lots of noise instead of touching would be my advice.

There are the people that have been left alone to wonder in these and actually killed themsleves or done some serious injuries because of the dream they think there in.

OOOps pressed post by accident - there are also the many known cases of family members that have been murdered by there sleepwalking relatives. You say your in fight /flight mode when having your night terrors,to me says you could be a serious danger to anyone asleep as you might involve them in part of your night terror mistakingly.

torawashi wrote:Speaking as someone who suffers from them on an almost nightly basis, I do not, repeat, NOT recommend trying to "take advantage" of the situation. They're called "night terrors" for a reason. They involve all sorts of fun things like hallucinations and frightening delusions. It's fairly typical for me to wake up absolutely convinced that I am about to die.

It's not pleasant, and having someone interfere would only make things worse. From my personal experience, the reason you don't wake people up in the middle of these things is that I'm generally already in fight/flight mode from the night terrors themselves, and having someone try to shake me out of it, no matter how well-intentioned, generally goes badly. I've lashed out at people in a blind panic.

Not exactly happy fun hypnosis times.

It's good hearing from someone else who has them. It's not something that this girl has often, but I've been there a couple times that it has happened. I was just curious what I could/should/shouldn't do for something like that. Looks like my ideas may be a bust... Though it was only one time that she was scared. Other times she was calm, but out of it.

You know I just thought about something. I think that it may be possible to use lucid dreaming to deal with these night terrors. It couldn't hurt to try it.

loony28 wrote:You know I just thought about something. I think that it may be possible to use lucid dreaming to deal with these night terrors. It couldn't hurt to try it.

How so?

loony28 wrote:You know I just thought about something. I think that it may be possible to use lucid dreaming to deal with these night terrors. It couldn't hurt to try it.

I'm afraid not. Night terrors are a glandular problem, with the various chemicals that do various effects when awakening act in a way they should not. It cannot be fixed through internal processes.

TheDizzy wrote:

loony28 wrote:You know I just thought about something. I think that it may be possible to use lucid dreaming to deal with these night terrors. It couldn't hurt to try it.

I'm afraid not. Night terrors are a glandular problem, with the various chemicals that do various effects when awakening act in a way they should not. It cannot be fixed through internal processes.

Lucent dreaming won't take you out of it or prevent it from happening, it just helps you realize that your in a dream and interrupt it enough to have some control over it.

TheDizzy wrote:
I'm afraid not. Night terrors are a glandular problem, with the various chemicals that do various effects when awakening act in a way they should not. It cannot be fixed through internal processes.

The production of body chemicals can be changed through hypnosis.So if there is a fault in the way the glands are working that could be changed with hypnosis, i know that problems with thyroid or metabolism can be changed with hypnosis.

I've read about different things that can cause night terrors. But I guess the point of my original post is what you can do with the person once they're in that state. It just seems like such an opportunity...

FloridaPuppy wrote:Lucent dreaming won't take you out of it or prevent it from happening, it just helps you realize that your in a dream and interrupt it enough to have some control over it.

Unfortunately that won't work. Night terrors actually work on a completely different phase of sleep than REM, which is the type of sleep lucid dreaming can affect. Night terrors occur in the deepest phase of non-REM sleep called slow-wave sleep, where there are no dreams to control.

I suppose you can try hypnosis to affect your brain chemistry and prevent occurrences, but it's far more effective and reliable to just see a doctor than to try and fix it yourself. Hypnosis has helped my sleep become more restful overall though.