[ Voice ]

[intuitivewiccan.livejournal.com]

[She finds the voice option comforting somehow; the anonymity allows her to feel less vulnerable and helpless, given the question she's posing to the people at large]

C-Can anyone recommend a good way to stop nightmares? Or at least...manage them, somehow?

[She knows magical ways to quell the disturbing dreamscapes she's been having of late, but she prefers to try something more natural. For now, at least]

Comments

[voice]

[erudite-watcher.livejournal.com]

Tara?

[It's disquieting to here a voice coming from the tablet, like a phone call happening with no warning. He doesn't like it but that's Tara on the other end of the distress call and he will do anything - even put up with the vagaries of the blast thing on his wrist - to assist her.]

You're having nightmares?

[voice]

[intuitivewiccan.livejournal.com]

A few. More, lately, because of this place. I think. They started, m-more frequently, after Willow...

[She doesn't need to, or want to, say it]

There have been more.

[voice]

[erudite-watcher.livejournal.com]

It's understandable after all that... after what you...

[He grows silent for a long minute, thinking. Maybe the disembodiment of the voice overt the tablet isn't all bad. There are some things it's easier to talk about when not looking another person in the eye.]

I had terrible nightmares after Randell died. [[He doesn't stop to explain who Randell was, assuming that Willow has told her at some point of that terrible episode in their high school history. She told Oz, after all.] I didn't think anything could haunt me so much, but I was wrong. When Buffy... that summer after she... I fell asleep on the couch most nights.

[voice]

[intuitivewiccan.livejournal.com]

[Tara's voice dips low with empathy. She knows, perhaps better than most, all of the things Giles has worried about over the years]

I know. I-I remember. [She does, too. She remembers it all too vividly, that horrible time after Buffy had died. And she also knew that Giles suffered in a completely different way, with Buffy being his Slayer, his responsibility.]

How did you...I guess you just...didn't sleep much?

[Voice]

[slasher-slayer.livejournal.com]

As a fellow nightmare-haver, I can't say that I've ever been able to stop them.

[Her nightmares, which she has every night, are of her mother becoming the Lunch Lady slasher and Cassie having to shoot her.]

I'm lucky if I wake up and I'm not screaming.

[Voice]

[intuitivewiccan.livejournal.com]

[Her sympathy level immediately increases; while she knows many people the world over also suffer from nightmares, it's not something Tara would wish on anyone]

What do you--have you ever learned...to control them? Ever?

[Voice]

[slasher-slayer.livejournal.com]

Once. Only because I was fighting a Freddy Krueger wannabe who would have killed me in my sleep if I hadn't.

[Voice]

[intuitivewiccan.livejournal.com]

With all of the demons I've seen, I-I haven't had to deal with something like that. I'm...lucky, I guess. I wouldn't--I'm sorry you had that, have that, I mean. You still suffer with them.

[She pauses, growing quieter]

Do you...is it worse, i-if you sleep alone?

[ voice ]

[sirachi.livejournal.com]

Meditation is sometimes helpful with that.

[ voice ]

[intuitivewiccan.livejournal.com]

I-Is there a certain...mantra that would help more?

[witbyndmeasure.livejournal.com]

You're having bad dreams? Are there any wrackspurts in your house? If they burrow in too deeply, they can give you nightmares.

[intuitivewiccan.livejournal.com]

[Tara is quiet for a moment, mildly confused, but then continues]

Um, I don't think so? But, I don't know what a wrackspurt is, so I-I'm not sure.

[witbyndmeasure.livejournal.com]

They're not very nice, but I haven't found any here yet. I've looked.

[voice]

[likeajoan.livejournal.com]

[Buffy's voice is full of concern]

You're having nightmares, Tara?

[voice]

[intuitivewiccan.livejournal.com]

[Tara hesitates. A part of her doesn't want to say too much, although oddly enough, she's more willing to talk to Buffy about this than Willow. Mostly because Willow has enough on her plate with the alternate reality thing at the moment without adding this to the mix]

A few. Lately. I-I have, in the past. I think my mind is more...sensitive to them? When Glory...

[She trails off, knowing she couldn't have been the only one with nightmares at that particular time in their lives. She doesn't have to say more than that]

They've just been more frequent, the past few months. And since I've been here, they're...coming again...

[likeajoan.livejournal.com]

[Tara doesn't need to elaborate on the issue of Glory, Buffy understands perfectly. She's not oblivious to the reasons why they might have been more frequent recently, either]

I, umm. I had nightmares for a long time, after the whole coming back from the dead thing. [She won't go into detail there]

I found that going to bed tired-- physically tired, like after slaying, but for you it could be running? That helped. There's also this thing Giles taught me, breathing exercises, clearing the mind. I think doing that before bed sometimes worked too. I could teach you if you want-- or Giles could, I'm sure.

[voice]

[fudgingkillyou.livejournal.com]

Nightmares, huh? [Dean sounds thoughtful.]

If you find out the answer, lemme know. But spending time with decent people usually helps me out, if that's any good to you.

[voice]

[intuitivewiccan.livejournal.com]

It is. I have--see, my blood relatives, they're... [She stops; mentioning her father and brother is nothing but a source of pain, and she'd rather focus on the good things she has]

My real family is my friends. Willow, Buffy, Xander, Giles, Dawn. [Pause] Anya.

But when the night comes, sometimes...I-I get these feelings sometimes, and then...bad things happen. Sleep isn't always easy.

[fudgingkillyou.livejournal.com]

[Dean won't question that. He's got family issues too.]

They're a good bunch of people, or the ones I know, anyway. You got a good thing going there.

But I do understand. Try sleeping in the same bed as someone else, maybe. [Not that Dean would ever do that himself, but it's advice. He doesn't have to follow it.]

[visual]

[gating-across.livejournal.com]

Depends on the nightmare. What's eating at you?

[Sheppard remembers the girl as the one he talked to previously when he arrived here. The name escapes him at the moment but he'll remember it eventually.]

[visual]

[intuitivewiccan.livejournal.com]

Partly, I think, it's this...place. But...memories, from my world. They keep coming to me, in my dreams.

[visual]

[gating-across.livejournal.com]

I take it that normally doesn't happen.

[text]

[emergentfaculty.livejournal.com]

Hello Miss, I hope you don't find it rude that I've weighed in with an answer although I don't know you. If you would like, I could prepare a series of notes and suggestions on meditation and lucid dreaming?

There are, of course, a few simple things you could try as well: cut back on dairy and meat, especially before bedtime, plan for at least eight hours of sleep, wash your sheets with either lavender or vanilla.

[text]

[intuitivewiccan.livejournal.com]

It's all right, I appreciate it, and I would like any suggestions you have on meditation and lucid dreaming.

I don't eat much before bedtime, usually, but I haven't tried washing sheets with lavender or vanilla yet. I'll try anything.

May I ask your name?

[text]

[emergentfaculty.livejournal.com]

I'm JARVIS. One of the suggested techniques I've read about involves being awake, aware, and 'walking through' the dream, but consciously changing the dream to make it tolerable - either by affecting the outcome of the dream or imagining a friend along with you to support and protect you.