Is it possible to have legitimate trauma from a vivid dream?

I think it is possible. Most of my dreams are very vivid nightmares, and have caused me to fear specific situations in my life. I feel that they have affected me on a deeper level than normal dreams do, because they involve my anxiety, stress, and real people from my real life. They force me to visualize scenarios that might actually happen, and make my greatest fears seem like a close reality. Certain situations that make me think about parts of my nightmares feel even more sensitive to me now. I feel like I lost some control over my calm demeanor that I used to have when I thought about these things before.

I believe it is. Dreams can trigger or replay traumatic events or their archetypes, which in turn, can trigger PTSD in someone who suffers from it. Also, many people find that things said to them in a dream stick with them when they wake up such as a spouse cheating, or someone being dangerous. In RL then they find themselves reacting to THAT energy about the person. I think usually dreams mimic our waking beliefs, but we aren't always conscious of those beliefs or thoughts until some raw limbic system reaction occurs to a stimulus (snakes, rapist, car wreck) jump-starting it to our conscious thoughts. At that point, whatever it is has to be dealt with and begs healing. Proper assistance at this point and guidance/counseling can make all the difference.

Vivid dreams can certainly be traumatic! However, dreams alone cannot cause PTSD as they do not meet the diagnostic criteria. I apologize for your experiences and I hope you find some way to resolve them!

Yes, it is definitely possible. There are many ways to suffer from trauma. In most cases people endure trauma from a real life experience and it gets worse in a dream. I understand it is a scary thought, however there are so many ways that you can get through this. It can also be a side affect from anxiety, and other mental health conditions. If it keeps happening there are ways to cope with it. One of the best ways to keep up with your dreams is to write them down. That ways if they get worse you can talk to a licensed professional.