Nightmares: The Dark Side of Dreams and Dreaming

by Stase Michaels

A fascinating look at the dark side of dreaming from a renowned expert.
 
What causes our worst nightmares? Stase Michaels applies her signature out-of-the-box perspective on the dreams that shake us out of sleep and mirror our real-life worries, breaking down their symbolism, trajectory, and unspoken logic. She supplies the tools for nuanced readings of each nightmare, as well as fascinating thoughts on societal nightmares that occur in troubling times.

She also offers strategies for shaking yourself free of recurring nightmares and preventing your daily anxieties from translating into invasive bad dreams.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Psychology, New Age

208 pages, Hardcover

Published October 9, 2018

Reviews

[The Local Spooky Hermit · Rating 3 out of 5]

its okay.. It's a bit repetitive and mostly examples which could be helpful but feels bogged down by them. At the end it gets into why prisons are set up badly.. like, yeah? ... but im reading about nightmares.. so....??? its also got a religious angle to it too. It goes into different kind of nightmares and breaks them down but like idk keep talking about "check my other book get more about dream symbolism, ect." or you can tell me in this one too but okay.. aaallllllllll the way at the end does it talk about what certion things in nightmares can mean and it only a 10 pages long.. won't poo-poo on it too much more it does got tips on how to examine a nightmare and that what general dream symbol might mean might not be what it means to you. So instead of looking it up in a dream dictionary, think about what that symbol means to you.

its okay but eh feels like it goes in circles and talks about prayers and stuff.. like i mean if you wanna bring god into this okay but i didn't expect it to get into it. just didn't say anything about religon on the back.. but like you do you boo.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A discussion / viewpoint on how to understand 'nightmares'.

Some bits of this book were interesting, but overall it seemed to be a series of examples of people's dreams with a bit of analysis for each, which were so person specific that they didn't provide much information for the general reader.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book on my lunch breaks. There really wasn't a whole lot of information in it that I already didn't know. The last couple of chapters were interesting. Tons of examples, that I was like blah,blah,blah. I skimmed some & flipped through others.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The parts that explained about dreams and their relationship with our subconscious were interesting, but most of it was examples of dreams that the author interprets. I guess I was hoping for a more in depth look at mythology around dreams and a more in depth analysis of common dreams.

[MKF]

DNF
Another new age, dream book like the hundreds that have already been written. I chose not to finish after the author hinted that dreams and nightmares can help heal certain emotional issues which is garbage.

[Marie-Louise Olsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book and it really disappointed me. I felt like the author mentioned a lot of nightmare warning without really differentiating between them and half of the book was just examples of these different types.

Overall, a 2.5 star rating for me

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but it was more about examples, and experiences then explaining the depth of nightmares.

[Jeannine Morin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was really beautifully designed and well put together. It is not a dictionary, or encyclopedia, but a book on the general information out there about nightmares. I was not impressed how the author insults the reader based on something she believes to be an obvious answer, I thought that to be very rude. She basically calls someone stupid by using the word ,"Duh." after the explanation of something, and those who suffer from nightmares and are trying to find answers do not deserve to be belittled and bullied because they don't understand something. I thought her basic nightmare descriptions to be pathetic and noneducational and unnecessary. Its a psychological philosophy that I just don't believe in it. It's the smallest form of information out there, and nightmares that are being analyzed deserve the most intelligent of minds dissecting it. Not someone who plagiarizes off other peoples work and calls it their own. I believe there is a propaganda of sorts when it comes to the descriptions of dreams, because they don't want you to believe in them, and or see that something divine or demonic is trying to connect with you. If you believe in your dreams, it would be like the method of alchemy and turning base metals into gold, if we could all turn into gold and follow our dreams, there would be no poor people for the rich to feed off of and help their self-esteem.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to get through this book. Many of the examples given I would not consider nightmares, just anxiety-type dreams, and there is an out-of-place digression on the state of our prison system near the end. There is only one chapter on nightmares and trauma, which I was expecting would be covered in more depth. Many of the interpretation examples seemed to be a stretch, an attempt to lay a much more specific correspondence between dream elements and the dreamer’s life than was probably needed to understand the gist of a dream. In the first chapter, the author says “Understanding a nightmare is like attending the best Halloween costume party ever… Most of the time, a nightmare is a regular dream dressed up in a scary costume.” She describes nightmares as “an entertaining facade.” I’ve never had a nightmare I considered to be entertaining. If you have ever experienced traumatic nightmares, this is probably not the book for you. This is more entertaining pop psychology like sitting around with friends over drinks speculating what your crazy dreams might mean.

[Alicia Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good:
There is a very interesting look at nightmares and the meaning behind them as applicable to your life in this book. It was a quick read and has some merit to it. It definitely helped me sort out some nightmares I’ve had recently.

The bad:
It gets a bit repetitive. Also, there is a slight yet define push toward a Christian view of death and dying that I didn’t really enjoy, as someone who is not a Christian.

The ugly:
I also was disappointed in the improper spelling of mija to “meha” in one dream example that was given. Even for someone with no background in Spanish, a quick google search would have have corrected this.

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book since I've been having intense dream recall due to antidepressants. Nightmares is a good book to use as a quick reference material. There's plenty of examples and general background in each section. Although, I wish there was more information on symbols and the psychology behind dreams.

[Zoe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too many examples, a lot of repetition and not a lot of fact based information. Ended up DNFing at about 75%

It also has some problematic views in my opinion. Not at all what I was expecting from the book. Unfortunately, i will be unhauling this.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small, gift sized book where dreams/nightmares are recounted and analyzed. May, or may not help you analyze your own dreams.

[Isela Jiménez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Está muy interesante, pero a mi parecer ahonda en demasiados ejemplos que no fueron tan necesarios.

[Evellard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of dreams and nightmare analyzes. Gives and simple perspective in nightmare analyzes. Numerous of examples from her clients. Fun read.

[Helen Pugsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super interesting. Probably learned more than I know.

[Kayleigh Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book looks very pretty and aesthetically pleasing, but the information it holds is mostly just basic knowledge about dreams and nightmares. I don’t really know what I was expecting when I bought this. Might as well do a quick google search, it will save you time and money.