How do you handle nightmares?

ScoobyM

We think DD had a nightmare last night; she woke up after a couple hours and started crying really, really hard and babbling really fast, including calling for me and DH.  DH and I both had a turn going into her and after I rocked her for about 10 minutes until she was basically asleep, she managed to fall back to sleep and slept the rest of the night.  Afterwards, I consulted my What to Expect the Toddler Years book, just to see if there was anything special I could or should have done and see if it gave any clues about whether this really was a nightmare.  The book suggested asking her to descibe her dream or turning on the light to show her that scary shadows or whatever are just regular things in her room.  Does anyone do that sort of thing with a not-quite 2 year old?  I really don't think my DD would have a clue what I meant if I asked her to talk about her bad dream.  Just curious what others do.