Do you ever have "terrorist" nightmares?

[grinningghost]

I had a whopper last night. Freaked me out.

I dreamed I was at my DD's high school with many other parents and kids, and when we walked in, there were hooded terrorists holding guns and knives, making sure nobody walked back out.

They then proceeded to "turn us into" Islamic militants by doing various horrible brainwashing things to us. If we didn't follow instructions, we were killed.

I clearly recall thinking "why here?". And answering myself with "why not here?" Scary.

Do you ever have terrorist nightmares?

 

[poohandwendy]

I had a few for a couple of months following 9-11, like yours, involving the kids at school (but I was never with them, only trying to reach them...horrible. That was my biggest fear, all three of my children were at different schools and I had some anxiety over the safety/security of our schools. And the fact that the impact of targetting our children would be significant.

 

[Disney Doll]

No. I refuse to let them win, or force me to change my way of life.

There's all this hoopla right now about the 9/11 commission and their studies. The headline of my local newspaper is "We're Still Not Safe!!" Duh! As long as there are evil people in the world, we will never be safe and you can have all the Homeland Security you want, and you can blame whomever you want based on your political beliefs, but the bottom line is...we were never safe, we thought we were, 9/11 made us realize we weren't.

 

[beattyfamily]

I did a couple of times right after 9/11. Not anymore.

 

[candykisses]

Nope, never had one. Not even after 9-11.

 

[grinningghost]

I don't know why I get them, but I do. I'm not an alarmist - it must just be lurking somewhere in my brain while I'm asleep.

 

[Masonpips]

In 2001, we were scheduled to fly 9/29 (family trip from Houston to San Francisco). We had the option, due to 9/11 to ask for a full refund on the tickets and I agonized over "what to do". During this time I had a horrendous dream where I was on a flight with terrorists and I knew we were going to go down and die. My main concern/horror in the flight was not letting my children freak out during the flight so they wouldn't spend their last moments alive in terror themselves.

What an awful, awful way to wake up.

I'm with Disney Doll and refused to let them change my current lifestyle so we went on the trip, had a fabulous time and LOVED the fact that the pilots were there to greet us personally and thank us for flying when we boarded.

Luckily, I've never had a dream like that again.

 

[monarchsfan16]

Originally posted by Disney Doll
No. I refuse to let them win, or force me to change my way of life.

I refuse to let them change my way of life too, but it doesn't cause me to not have nightmares about them. I won't let the terrrorists change my lifestyle, but they sure have changed my life.
In the months right after 9/11 I had nonstop nightmares about my aunt in the fiery cabin of Flight 11 (she was on that flight). I started keeping the light on in my room and reading all night long just so I wouldn't have them. I don't think I slept more than a few hours my entire freshman year just because of that.
Now I have nightmares of terrorists crashing planes into my school or the school my sister was in. Mostly of them crashing the plane into my sister's school, and me trying, unsuccessfully to rescue her. All because I'm at a school 25 minutes away and I couldn't get there in time. Hopefully those will stop now that she's at the same school as I am.

 

[beattyfamily]

Originally posted by grinningghost
I don't know why I get them, but I do. I'm not an alarmist - it must just be lurking somewhere in my brain while I'm asleep.

We really can't help what we dream about so don't worry about it! You are perfectly fine and you are not letting them win or changing your life because of them and you are NOT being an alarmist just because of your dreams!

 

[grinningghost]

Originally posted by beattyfamily
We really can't help what we dream about so don't worry about it! You are perfectly fine and you are not letting them win or changing your life because of them and you are NOT being an alarmist just because of your dreams!

Thank you. I was beginning to think I needed some intervention.

 

[Robinrs]

Well, in NY I spent years in real fear of robbers, rapists and muggers, I prefer to live in peace now.

 

[poohandwendy]

In the months right after 9/11 I had nonstop nightmares about my aunt in the fiery cabin of Flight 11 (she was on that flight).

I am so sorry to hear you lost your aunt that horrible day, Heather. I think it is very normal that you have anxiety over this, it hit home with you in a very real way. I hope that the nightmares will end for you soon.

I won't let the terrrorists change my lifestyle, but they sure have changed my life.

ITA, the impact is there and we all deal with it (some think about it more often than others, but I think it DID affect all of us in some way). Sometimes it does creep back into our dreams, I think that is normal.

 

[grinningghost]

Heather, it's so sad that you knew someone on that awful flight. I will keep your aunt in my prayers from now on.

 

[jennyanydots]

My sympathies, Heather. I lost two acquaintances -- not close friends -- in the towers.

I've always worked in lower Manhattan, except for a few years in the early 90's when our offices relocated to Jersey City, and in 2001, when I had a job with a company that had offices in lower Manhattan and Long Island and I was assigned to the Long Island office. so even though I wasn't in the city on 9/11 I know so many people who were.

and two weeks ago my office relocated to Jersey City. my trip to work takes me on the PATH train through the Pit at Ground Zero. and the view from my office is of lower Manhattan -- the same view I had on 2/26/93, during the first WTC attack.

it's in my face every day, isn't it?

i try not to let it affect me. but it does.

we wouldn't be human if it didn't still affect us.

 

[arminnie]

Heather I'm sorry you lost your aunt. I've met a woman here who lost her husband on flight 103. She's just an amazing woman and gives others such strength. She has 3 very young children.

My father is convinced everytime that I fly that I am going to be on a plane than crashes into a building. His latest is that I am going to be beheaded on my travels.

I am going to RNC convention in NY and one of my friends said "Is your father going to be watching the news for your beheading in NY?"

I asked him why he never worries about my brother (who travels 10x more than I do) or my sister. My dad is 83 and I live with him so I guess it is natural for him to worry more about me.

 

[jennyanydots]

with all the extra security we're going to have here, I dare say you'll be safer in NY than almost anywhere else. tell your father he can relax -- but I doubt he will.

 

[Jennyfyar]

I generally don't even remember my dreams. BUT, a few months ago my DH had a nightmare that terrorists had our DD's. He jumped out of bed yelling and frightened. I jumped up and turned on the light, telling him to wake up. He karate kicked a hole in our bedroom wall and went back to bed. When I was finally able to wake him up, he denied what had happened until I showed him the evidence.

This was not his first sleeping incident. He called a sleep disorder clinic because I became too frightened to sleep with him. They said that most of these kinds of dreams are caused by lack of sleep and stress. He now goes to bed early several nights a week and has not had an incident since. (I sleep with him again.

)

 

[HollyJoy]

Oh yes! I'm the queen of dreams... always have strange ones. I've had dreams lately that some terrorists are chasing me through abandoned buildings and mazes. They never catch me though. Still enough to freak me out.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Originally posted by monarchsfan16
....my aunt in the fiery cabin of Flight 11 (she was on that flight)..........Now I have nightmares of terrorists crashing planes into my school or the school my sister was in.......Hopefully those will stop now that she's at the same school as I am.

's Heather

 

[Nancy]

I don't have dreams but I still get odd moments during the day where 9/11 replays in my head.

We also had the big headlines..."we are not safe" well...no kidding....I think we all know that, but putting it in big headlines on the front page will just bring out the alarmists.

I think an attack will happen again, it's just a matter of time.