Nightmares are the type of dream everyone fears and wants to avoid. By their nature, these dreams are fearful, but often they need to be faced. The mind may be presenting them to us in such a dramatic manner because we have ignored a message for a prolonged period of time and it’s resorting to more drastic means to get our attention.

The truth is, many nightmares are actually gifts that we should be thankful for because they are trying to help us.

Avoidance is the wrong response. The strong emotions evoked by these intense dreams are cries for help, and like a baby crying in the night for attention … they will not be denied. The longer you ignore them, the louder they will get! Therefore ignoring nightmares is not only the wrong response, it’s impractical in that it will make them worse.

Sometimes the subconscious mind will work with your nightmares to bring resolutions without you being consciously aware of the entire process. But when nightmares become recurring, then it’s a sign that your conscious attention is being sought.

It’s more common to wake up in the middle of a nightmare than during a regular dream. It’s also more common to remember a nightmare. This is, again, by design as a way of trying to get your attention.

The best way to get rid of a recurring nightmare is to deal with it that is to deal with the issue it’s presenting. It will take some courage, but here are some tips on how to do it: