YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Hey all,

I've been listening to the MIHH podcast for a while, and a lurker on the forum for a little less time than that. I'll start with some background. About a year ago, I was diagnosed with mild depression. I treated it with antidepressants (Wellbutrin) and therapy, and was able to get it under control. Lately, though, I haven't been sleeping as well, and when I'm tired the depression resurfaces a bit. The weird thing is, I'm not sleeping as well because I've been having really vivid dreams for several nights in a row. The dreams mess with my sleep, and I don't feel rested when I wake up; but lately I've been having them for 3-4 or more nights in a row, when it used to be 2 to 3 nights at most. Obviously, I'd like to get the dreams under control, so I sleep better and can keep the depression under control. I can't figure out what's causing the vivid dreams, so I wanted to ask if anyone else has insight into this. Feedback is greatly appreciated, thanks!

Hi Mario and welcome!! I recommend keeping a dream journal and talking to a therapist about your dreams. I've found that my subconscious "plays" dreams for me because there's something going on with me that needs to be processed but that I'm not yet conscious of. Usually it takes laying down on my analysts chaise lounge and thinking and talking about the dreams. Then I start making connections and a lot of the time it ends up stirring up some strong emotions in me that I was not aware existed.

I have been undergoing somewhat of a spiritual awakening over the last 4-5yrs, my dreams and therapy have been a big part of that. I have only had a few extremely vivid dreams in that time. The one that stands out was a dream that I was in some sort of gift shop type place with thousands of trinkets, or medals or trophies or something. They were all bright and shiny and so vivid and beautiful. When I woke up I couldn't believe that my brain could create such a hi-def and beautiful space all inside my head. I wrote it down in my journal and talked about it in therapy (psychoanalysis). What it meant to me was that the Universe was showing me that I had love and beauty within me... something which I've struggled to accept (and continue to struggle with). Anyway, that's a little snippet of my story.

My opinion is that there's something deeper behind all of our depressions and anxieties, and sometimes dreams can be a trail of breadcrumbs to help you find the way.

While I completely agree with F you Dad

(I try not to curse its a language thing not a religious thing)

I also personally have sleep apnea and depression and the sleep apnea gives me stupid weird highly colorful dreams that confuse the heck out of me - and they were due to oxygen deprivation -

Now that I am able to get oxygen and air and not snore my dreams will have more of a connection to my subconscious and not my lack of oxygen -

I highly recommend journaling though it is an excellent, when I do it - which is much more rarely than I should it helps tremendously