These books are giving me nightmares.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Literally. The weird thing is, the books I'm reading aren't exactly in the horror genre, or in any way, "scary." This situation got me thinking about two kinds of dreamers: those that when they dream, only dream about light and happy things. And those who rarely dream, but when they do, only seem to get nightmares. Unfortunately, ever since I was little, I've been one of those that get bad dreams. No specific reason, I've just always been that way.

Lately, I have been getting nightmares from some of the books that I have been reading. It's odd, and certainly a new experience for me. Maybe I was too engrossed and attached to the story I was reading? Maybe I was just subconsciously scaring myself without even knowing it? I have no idea, but this really got me wondering. Have you had this experience before? And I don't just mean to get nightmares, but just dreams in general. Have you ever had a dream about, or that was sparked in any way, by a book? I know this is sort of a random post, but I'd like to hear all about it anyway! Here's me wishing you a nightmare-free sleep tonight, xxx.

8 comments:

  1. Strangely enough, given the amount I read, I hardly ever dream about books I've read. I dream about movies and TV shows I've watched. And I usually have quite vivid intense dreams, but they are usually happy in their own way. I haven't had any real nightmares since I was little and they used to be pretty bad ones. I would have the exact same nightmare over and over again for months at a time. Even now years later I can still remember three specific nightmares I used to have because they are so ingrained in my memory. But thankfully they don't freak me out anymore.
    This was a great reandom post - got me thinking about my dreams.
    Sally.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Its happened to me once ro twice but only when I read a book right before bed. I think its because I was thinking about it so I dreamed about it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm like you, I rarely remember dreams, but when I do they are terrifying. Sometimes I dream about characters in books that I'm completely obsessed with, but they seem to find their ways into my world.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am a sensitive soul. This sort of thing happens to me alllll the time. If I heard something that bothered me in a movie or tv show or read something sad or even mildly disturbing - it all revisits me in my dreams.

    I think dreams are manifestations of what we wish for and the things that trouble us.

    I've always thought the mind is allot like the body, it is what we feed it. So I try to always feed it good things.

    Great post :)

    BTW, thanks for your recommendations :) I added two of your ideas to my list :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sally - When I was a kid, I would get a lot of nightmares too. Like you, I have less now and I rarely dream anymore, but when I do, they're still pretty horrible. I also have vivid dreams, so that's what makes it even worse!

    Jenny - Weird because I never really think of the characters to the point that they get in my dreams. I wasn't even thinking of them and bam - they're there. Haha. I guess everyone's different :)

    Krista - It's so horrible, isn't it?

    Juju - I get nightmares from movies too, that's why I try to stay away from horror films -- even though I'm a closeted horror fanatic! And I do think dreams mean something, sometimes. Not all the time though. I do believe they are manifestations like you said, of what our subconscious is thinking. And I hope you end up liking the two books :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. My dreams definitely get influenced sometimes by books, movies or TV shows. Just the other night one of my dreams was some kind of weird combination of a book I'd been reading & a TV show I'd seen that evening...absolutely bizarre. You aren't the only one by any means!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes, sometimes I will dream about something similar that I've been reading. I actually had a dream about a war zone while I was reading The Lotus Eaters, which takes places during Vietnam.
    I do tend to get nightmares when I read scary books as well, mostly Stephen King. But I always expect that lol.

    ReplyDelete
  8. danya - I feel like my dreams are more influenced by movies than books, so it was odd that I had a dream through a book! But it's nice to know I'm not alone with this situation haha

    naida - My mom always told me I should stop reading horror stories because I already know they're going to give me nightmares. But somehow I just never seem to stop picking them up.

    ReplyDelete