Alternately, the dreamer may wish to ask a therapist for assistance. Sometimes nightmares are related to intense stress or emotional conflict that is best dealt with in consultation with a therapist. One should not hesitate to consult a therapist when in doubt. It may be surprising to learn that many people are not really disturbed by their nightmares, even though the experiences themselves are distressing. This illustrates the fact that one's attitude toward nightmares is quite important.
Night terrors are something quite different.
Nightmares tend to occur after several hours of sleep, screaming or moving about is very uncommon, the dream is usually elaborate and intense, and the dreamer realizes soon after wakening that he or she has had a dream. Night terrors, on the other hand, occur during the first hour or two of sleep, loud screaming and thrashing about are common, the sleeper is hard to awaken and usually remembers no more than an overwhelming feeling or a single scene, if anything. Nightmares and night terrors arise from different physiological stages of sleep. The causes of night terrors are not well understood. Children usually stop having them by puberty.