How does mind project reality? If your paranoid, everybody looks suspicious. If your happy, nothing seems to bother you. The world changes according to the way you are looking at it. Same in the dream, but even the entire world itself changes according to thoughts and underlying mental impressions.

If there is a latent store of fear in the subconscious mind, it will create a fearful nightmare. If there is a latent store of humiliation, it will create a humiliating nightmare, etc. The nightmare is bringing these emotions to the surface to be addressed by the conscious mind. In order to end the nightmare, the underlying latent impressions which are both the cause and the feelings caused by the nightmare must be permanently removed.

SHORT-TERM SOLUTIONS
These quick easy solutions may prevent the suppressed impressions causing the nightmares from uprising, but not necessarily end them  :
• Do not eat several hours before sleep
• Get plenty of exercise and eat healthy foods

MID-TERM SOLUTION
This more technical solution will allow you to transform the nightmare when it arises, but not necessarily prevent it :
• Master lucid dreaming. This will allow you to awaken to the dream while a nightmare is occurring and literally change the course of the dream entirely.

LONG-TERM SOLUTION
This more challenging long term solution to permanently remove the latent store of underlying impressions will allow you to cut off the root of the nightmares completely :
•  Master a meditation technique which has the capacity to completely burn out the pathological disorder and latent impressions which are causing the nightmares. A meditation retreat followed by sustained daily meditation practice may bring up a lot of nightmares to the surface, but through persistence and sustained practice they will sooner or later come to an end.  Several meditation techniques which will do this are : Vipassana, Kriya or Raja Yoga (the inner-yogas).

So if you’re plagued by nightmares – there are many ways to take action to prevent and even permanently stop nightmares, so there is no need to react with fear or distress. Creative problem solving with these and other methods can transform your waking and dream life into an amazing experience.