Coping with Nightmares in Animal Care, Rescue, Welfare, and Activism

If you’re involved in animal care, rescue, welfare, or activism, chances are you’ve had those nights. Well, I just happened to have that night last night! I finally fell asleep, only to be jolted awake at about 2 am by a vivid, disturbing dream that felt so real, it was hard to shake. It took me a while for my heart to stop pounding and my mind to stop racing so I could fall back asleep. It wasn’t my first animal-related nightmare, and won’t be the last.  

Nightmares are incredibly common in animal advocacy, even if we don’t talk about them openly (like other mental health struggles). Instead of us all suffering in silence, let’s break this conversation wide open. It’s time to normalize this all-too-common symptom of compassion fatigue, help you understand what’s happening, and what can help you cope.

Nightmares versus Bad Dreams: What’s the Difference?

Not all upsetting dreams are the same.

Bad dreams are unpleasant or stressful dreams that may wake you briefly (or not at all) but don’t usually leave a lasting physiological reaction. You might feel annoyed, unsettled, or sad, but you can often fall back asleep.

Nightmares, on the other hand, are more intense and distressing.

Nightmares often:

• Wake you fully from sleep (you may find yourself crying or yelling as you awaken)

• Trigger a strong stress response (racing heart, sweating, shallow breathing)

• Feel vivid, realistic, or emotionally overwhelming

• Stick with you for a while after waking

• Make it difficult or impossible to fall back asleep

In animal welfare, nightmares may replay real events, be more symbolic, or feature themes of helplessness, failure, loss, or moral injury. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say my most recent nightmare embodied pretty much all of the above.

Why Nightmares Are So Common in Animal Welfare

I’ve talked and written a lot about how our nervous systems can become chronically dysregulated when we’re repeatedly exposed to suffering, stress, and loss. If you think about it, it makes sense: During the day, animal welfare professionals are often in go mode: managing crises, suppressing emotions, staying functional, and making impossible decisions.

At night, when the world goes quiet and we’re allowed to let our guard down, the brain finally tries to process what it had not been able to during the day. From a nervous system perspective, nightmares are often a sign that your system is overloaded, your body doesn’t feel safe enough to fully rest, or your brain is trying to integrate unresolved emotional distress.

In the context of animal welfare, nightmares may be linked to chronic stress, anxiety, compassion fatigue, grief, burnout, moral injury, trauma (including secondary traumatic stress), or even PTSD.

What Nightmares Might Be Telling You

It’s important to note that nightmares don’t necessarily mean something as serious as PTSD, but they are trying to tell us something.

They may be signaling:

• You’re carrying more emotional weight than you realize

• Your stress level is exceeding your recovery capacity

• You’re not getting enough emotional or physiological rest during waking hours

• Old trauma is being stirred up or triggered by your current work

  
  

Although it’s normal to ask, “How do I make this stop?” we might be better off exploring what our nervous systems need instead.

What to Do When You Wake Up from a Nightmare

The goal is not to analyze the dream at 2 am. Nor is it to spend the next several hours with your face buried in your phone to distract yourself into oblivion—trust me, I know how tempting that is! Instead, the goal is to help your nervous system return to the calm and safety of the present moment. Here are some of my favorite ways to do this:

1. Orient to the Present with the 54321 Technique

• Name five things you can see

• Name four things you can feel (the bed, the sheets, your breath)

• Name three things you can hear

• Name two things you can smell

• Name one thing you can taste

  
  

2. Regulate Before You Fall Back Asleep

Choose one of these sensory calming strategies:

• Slow, extended exhales (breathe in four a count of four, breathe out for a count of six)

• Gentle pressure (hug a pillow, use a weighted blanket)

• Warmth (socks, heating pad on low)

• Low, steady sound (white noise, a calm audiobook or podcast)

3. Give Yourself Permission to Stay Awake Briefly

If you’ve just had a nightmare, you don’t have to force yourself back to sleep. If your body or brain is feeling too activated, it’s okay to:

• Sit somewhere dim

• Do something neutral and repetitive

• Return to bed once your body settles

Image Rehearsal Therapy (IRT): A Powerful Tool for Nightmares

Image Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) is an evidence-based approach commonly used for trauma-related nightmares. It works by changing the ending or tone of the nightmare—while awake.

Here’s the basic idea:

1. Choose one recurring or distressing nightmare

2. Write down a summary of the nightmare

3. Change the story in a way that feels safer, more empowered, or more contained. For example, you escape, help arrives, or you gain control.

4. Practice visualizing the new version for a few minutes daily

For many people, this reduces the frequency and intensity of nightmares over time. Note: IRT is often most effective when paired with trauma-informed therapy, especially if nightmares are severe or persistent.

When to Seek Support

If you find your nightmares are frequent or worsening; your sleep disruption is affecting your daily functioning; you’re experiencing other symptoms such as intrusive thoughts or memories, hypervigilance, or emotional numbing; or if you’re using alcohol or other substances to try to sleep, consider reaching out to your physician or a licensed mental health professional for additional support. A trauma-informed therapist—especially one familiar with animal welfare or secondary trauma—can make a significant difference in helping you to not only process unresolved trauma and grief, but also allowing you to take back your nights and get the rest you deserve.

-Jennifer Blough, LPC