Sam & All-
I am so glad to hear that I am not alone in having vivid dreams. I daily wake up able to remember 4-6 very vivid and often violent dreams. I too feel like I am "not sleeping at all" or in another dimension. I often wake up with a huge sense of relief relizing the dream isn't real. These feelings have been augmented since I started on Paxil in the Fall of '02 for anxiety, panic, and depression. I also struggle with mild O/C tendancies. My therapist has helped me with my dreamwork by using the Gestalt Method which may help you understand some of the subconscious thoughts that go into your dreams. It hasn't stopped all my unrestful dreams, but I do noticed a diminished number of them when I use Gestalt. I hope this helps others out there with disturbing dreams.
