Constriction

When the nighttime conspires with insomnia to erase comfort, the only refuge is an occasional, fitful moment of stolen sleep. During those brief periods of unconsciousness, dreams tend to interrupt relief, relentlessly pounding tranquility until it finally surrenders. Then, in place of the serenity that tries to accompany sleep, fear, anxiety, guilt, and regret take hold. When morning comes, with its unwelcome light, the fleeting moments of dream-infused sleep remain etched in the mind. The chaotic dreams—involving blurred images of sinister threats, gunfire, train rides, buildings ablaze, stolen cars, bloody rags, and painful memories—cling to the psyche. Those nightmarish recollections stifle all attempts to find a peaceful mental retreat. They insist on ruining efforts to achieve calmness. Even meditation fails in the face of what is only the imagination. Imagination can be as powerful as a sledgehammer and as sharp as a knife…as constricting as thick wire rope wrapped tightly around the soul.