Spiral staircase for the recurring cycle of stress and nightmares.

Why Do I Keep Having the Same Nightmare?

When you keep having the same nightmare over and over, it starts to feel disturbing in a very specific way.

It’s not just scary. It begins to feel like it’s endless. Almost destined to keep happening over and over.

It’s as if your brain is replaying something you didn’t agree to because there is something wrong with you, and that it might never stop.

If you’re wondering, “Why do I keep having the same nightmare?” you’re not alone.

Recurring nightmares are a documented sleep pattern. They are not random, and they are not a sign that you are broken.

Recurrent Nightmares Are Common

Nightmares are a lot more common than most people realize.

Research shows that about 3–4% of adults experience nightmares weekly, and around 10% experience them monthly (Spoormaker et al., 2006).

Sleep researchers also describe trauma-related dreams as existing on a “continuum of replication … and repetition (i.e., the dream’s recurrence)” (Germain & Zadra, 2009).

In other words, repetition isn’t unusual. It’s something researchers specifically study because of how common it is. Especially in those affected by PTSD.

Millions of people experience recurring nightmares.

Your Brain May Have Learned a “Nightmare Script”

One of the clearest explanations for repeated nightmares is something researchers call a script.

They explain that:

“Recurrent nightmares are thought to be represented in a particular storyline, a script… The storyline of the nightmare has been experienced so often that the person knows exactly what to expect next in the nightmare.” (Spoormaker et al., 2006)

In simpler terms:

Your brain has learned a story and is ready to replay it over and over.

When something feels emotionally intense—especially if it’s fear-based—your brain marks it as important. During REM sleep (when dreams are most vivid), emotional centers are highly active. If a nightmare has happened multiple times, your brain can replay it like a rehearsed scene.

Researchers also note:

“One neutral (visual) stimulus during REM sleep may activate the nightmare-script—thus starting a nightmare.” (Spoormaker et al., 2006)

This means the trigger doesn’t have to be dramatic. A subtle emotional cue during REM sleep can start the whole storyline again.

That’s why it can feel out of your control and happen so frequently.

Trauma, Stress, and Emotional Processing

In trauma-related cases, this repetition often reflects the nervous system trying to process something very overwhelming.

Research shows that:

“Dreams recalled during the initial posttrauma phase tend to include some type of repetition of the trauma…” (Germain & Zadra, 2009)

“As emotional processing improves, dreams often become less literal and more symbolic over time…” (Germain & Zadra, 2009)

This suggests that repeated nightmares may not mean you are damaged. It’s possible that something still feels unresolved.

Even outside of trauma, REM sleep plays a role. Increased nervous system excitation during REM sleep can increase vulnerability to vivid nightmares (Germain & Zadra, 2009).

Stress, anxiety, or trauma can all put your nervous system on high alert. When this is your baseline, emotionally charged dream scripts are easier to activate while you sleep.

Why Repeated Nightmares Feel So Persistent

Repeated nightmares often continue because of three overlapping systems:

  • Emotional charge that hasn’t fully settled
  • A learned “script” your brain can replay
  • Anticipatory anxiety that reinforces the pattern

If you begin to expect the nightmare, your body can become tense and your nervous system gets overexcited before sleep. That tension increases excitation during REM. Increased excitation makes the nightmare script easier to trigger.

The cycle feeds itself.

However, there’s something important to focus on here. If nightmares can be learned and reinforced, they can also be changed.

Research shows that structured approaches such as imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) can significantly reduce nightmare frequency (Spoormaker et al., 2006).

Rewriting the “script,” practicing new endings, and reducing anticipatory fear can weaken the learned loop.

The repetition does not mean permanence.

It means your brain has learned something strongly.

And anything learned can be relearned.

You Don’t Have to Feel Helpless at Night

One theme appears again and again in the research: mastery matters.

Nightmares lose power when the dreamer no longer feels powerless.

When you know what to do, and expect, you can influence the outcome.

When your nervous system no longer anticipates helplessness, you can be empowered to make that shift.

If you’d like structured guidance for building that skill—including exactly what to do when you wake from a nightmare—I’ve created a course that walks you through the process step by step.

Because the goal isn’t just fewer nightmares (although that can happen too).

It’s gaining the confidence that when they happen you’ll know exactly what to do.

[Explore the program, coming soon ]

References

  • Germain, A., & Zadra, A. (2009). Dreams and nightmares in PTSD. In L. R. Squire (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Neuroscience (Vol. 3, pp. 655–661). Academic Press.
  • Spoormaker, V. I., Schredl, M., & van den Bout, J. (2006). Nightmares: From anxiety symptom to sleep disorder. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 10(1), 19–31.