Try writing a log of all of your dreams.

Although i've never been through the same things as you - I absolutely crave bizzare nightmares! The stranger, the more messed up, the more surreal, the more I can't relate it to anything I can think of - the better.
I'm a creative and very imaginative person and my nightmares are often the sources for a lot of my ideas. I enjoy going over my nightmares in my head afterwards, making sense of them or defining (the situations, entities etc within them).
Because of this, most nightmare don't scare me - rather, they leave me feeling curious. Even nightmares, that leave me terrified afterwards (quite rare) and unable to get back to sleep, I find interesting.
I view things that terrify people, that can't be understood or defined with interest... perhaps you can find a way to do the same - eg try drawing, or writing about the things in your dreams, no matter how uncomfortable. Instead of trying to block them out, focus on them as much as possible. I know your situation is very different from my occasional bizzare nightmare but it might help.

The main concern should be the fact that you feel physical pain after them. It's a shame doctors are out of the question, since that may be a solution to that specific problem. Also if they occur every night, that's also a concern. I'd recommend asking a doctor (or anyone with medical knowledge) just to give you advice.