Terrible Dreams and their meaning?

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Hi I was wondering what a host of terrible dreams could mean I receive visions to through the day and to be honest I’m exhausted from them both I don’t get any rest.

Current dream was my hair was full of thousands of hair lice our bugs falling to the ground !

Other dreams include being told before I wake up that “I’m going to stoke your soul”
Which was like hearing someone vividly just before I woke up !

I’m struggling to pray a lot because of the visions aswell which normally includes torture.

I have spoken to a priest he just says pray I’m worried it’s more then that!
 
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You will find more help for your problem with medical and mental professionals than by people on this forum.
 
Very common answer today but I have a spirtual director and my visions are from heaven and evil on earth.

Just so you know many people receive what I do when doing mediations or in contemplative prayer.

The fact is I’m looking for information on dreams.?
 
If you have a spiritual advisor I’m pretty sure he would advise you not to seek this information on CAF or rely on the guidance of internet strangers you don’t know. Listen to your advisor and seek appropriate counsel.
 
John121 said:
Just so you know many people receive what I do when doing mediations or in contemplative prayer.
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Contemplative prayer is not this. Distractions are pushed away in contemplative prayer, thoughts that distract from the contemplation are pushed away.
Meditation is not this either. Meditative prayer, Lectio Divinia, is reflection on the Word of God.
If your spiritual director is telling you this, IMHO contemplate getting a new spiritual director

Looking at great saints who have had visions like St Bernadette and the Fatima Children, their visions did not include torture. Nor the visions of the Rwandan children, nor the visions of Our Lady of Knots. If you believe you are experiencing visions, accompanied by being tortured please go and speak to your medical professional. I remember you have discussed this in the past.
 
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🤔 I’d say pay them no mind. It sounds like the devil is working you. Focus on faith, pray and contemplate Our Lord. The advice about your spiritual direction is good, I think.
 
What I meant when I mentioned spiritual direction was taking all this to the OP’s spiritual director.

I think it was a Fransciscan that said: “ A man who’s his own spiritual director has a fool for a disciple. “
 
John121 said:
Very common answer today but I have a spirtual director and my visions are from heaven and evil on earth.

Just so you know many people receive what I do when doing mediations or in contemplative prayer.

The fact is I’m looking for information on dreams.?
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Still, from what you’ve said, you should see a doctor, to be on the safe side. If they don’t find anything, at least you know.
 
John121 said:
The fact is I’m looking for information on dreams.?
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Ruling out an organic cause of the kind of thing you’re describing has been suggested as a first step because what you are describing is far out of the norm and not in the typical range of spiritual experiences. Besides, the kinds of organic things that can cause what you are describing are sometimes the kinds of things far better caught sooner than later. It isn’t hard to imagine you could have a life-threatening condition. Since the experiences are so extreme that they are realistically going to wear on your health in a serious way, I would definitely consult with a physician.

I certainly second the notions that this is not something to approach alone or by the use of the counsel of amateurs with no experience like yours. That’s about the amount of information you’re going to get here: that is, friend you are not going through something that belongs to a typical spiritual or emotional life, not by a longshot. We have nothing for you. Get professional help.
John121 said:
Very common answer today but I have a spirtual director and my visions are from heaven and evil on earth.

Just so you know many people receive what I do when doing mediations or in contemplative prayer.
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No, they don’t. Getting visions that are realisitically going to ruin your health is not something many people get. No, that is not common. Getting spiritual direction alone would have been reasonable in the 15th century when they had no neurologists or psychiatrists, because back then the physicians had no help if your problem was physical, anyway. If you had a physical problem, it was going to run its course, for good or for ill, and that is what you got. That is not the case now.

If a person seems to be possessed by a demon in the 21st century, the first line of treatment is to rule out a physical cause, because doctors can do that now. Treatable physical conditions can mimic spiritual possessions. Similarly, the first line of treatment for a spiritual experiences like yours, of which you say “to be honest I’m exhausted from them both I don’t get any rest” is to investigate whether or not there is a physical cause before you are so worn out that your health is ruined and your emotional stability becomes vulnerable. Again: this could also have an organic cause that needs treatment soon.

Remember, there is no reason this experience cannot be both spriritual and physical. We’re not saying that there is nothing really spiritual about your experiences. We’re saying that you have described a physical problem, as well, one serious enough a typical person would not self-treat or self-diagnose.
 
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Hi! As a person with schizophrenia (now in remission) and a Catholic, here is what I think:
  1. Psychosis is a serious problem and it must be dealt with from the doctor. My priest in Canada was clear on this- knowing that I showed no symptoms that must be dealt by the Church- to see a psychologist. He even suggested this on a regular basis. Medical help is there. God has allowed us to receive help from professionals to allow us to heal. Frankly, brain is an organ.
  2. Taking the example of St. Faustina, she had to go through an arduous process to get her visions approved. She was taken to a psychologist and the psychologist proved that she was sane. Then her visions were later examined by the bishops and higher authorities of our Holy Church. If your visions are certainly true, you may have to follow this process.
  3. Some saints received visions by dreams (taking the example of St. John Bosco). St. John Bosco received a vision in his dream. St. Teresa of Avila had ecstasy of how arrows were being stuck to her heart by an angel. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque had a vision of Our Lord with His Divine Heart. But all of this, also, had to be approved by ecclesiastical authorities.
  4. And yes- pray! When in doubt, pray. Pray always.
Pax!
 
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Exactly.
A common symptom of my illness is being absolutely sure (delusion). This only leads me to pray more.
 
pulchraesamicamea said:
Exactly.
A common symptom of my illness is being absolutely sure (delusion). This only leads me to pray more.
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I meant that as just general advice. Being really sure of oneself doesn’t mean we’re wrong, but it does mean we’re vulnerable to sticking to a course or an opinion when there are signs we should not. A good many people who rejected Our Lord, after all, seemed to have been afflicted with excessive certainty.
 
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I agree with this. But what I was trying to say is that whatever you are facing always pray. That’s why my genetic disability and mental health come into play. I can’t fight my disabilities without God’s help, really.
 
Sorry to be boring, but dreams are what we remember of our brain’s filing system. Experiences from our recent past are compared to earlier experiences that are no longer in our day-to-day memory. That’s why we often find it easier to make decisions if we “sleep on it”. Unpleasant memories, often from our childhood, get locked away, but recent experiences can open the nasty filing cabinet resulting in nightmares. The monsters from the past can take on forms that are very different to our earlier experiences.
 
Pray, and also talk to a medical and/or a psychological professional. But I am just a person on a forum, a layman, and a relative stranger. Take my advice with a grain of salt.
 
I don’t know if this will help you, but during a similar period in my life, I started sleeping with a blessed rosary wrapped around my wrist. I’d say a prayer asking Mama Mary to watch over me while I sleep and please keep the nightmares away.

Demons hate blessed objects and it was like having Mary hold my hand all night. The dreams stopped.

I also keep Holy Water by my side and try to remember to bless myself if I start feeling spiritually attacked. I don’t know if the Holy Water at your parish is clean enough for this, but taking a small drink of Holy Water has been very effective for me as well. Otherwise, crossing yourself with it is very good. Say a little prayer with this even if its only taking a moment to silently lift your heart to God.

If blessed things don’t make a huge impact on silencing these attacks, I’d strongly suggest they might not be spiritual in nature. Since demons cant stand blessed objects like Holy Water.

There is no shame if these attacks are a physical problem. Our brains need care too. And we have a responsibility to treat illnesses of the brain just like illnesses of other organs. Test your belief that its spiritual & if spiritual weapons don’t work, please also use the medical treatments at your disposal.
 
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