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Hypnagogic Voices

I've been woken from deep sleep by hearing the shout of my name or the prevelant "hey!" - most definately just an AH but sometimes I hear the reverb in my ears or the room upon fully awakening ( does that make sense? Like the aftermath effect of a firecracker going off indoors, the walls kind of vibrate due to the loudness ). Happens a couple of times a year.
Once, as a small child, I awoke to deafeningly loud, operaetic singing - crawled into my parents' bed with the complaint of being unable to sleep because the angels were singing too loud. I continued to hear it even in my parent's room, No one else heard it, though. I remember it quite clearly, still freaks me out wondering what it was.
 
The only sounds I've heard is buzzing and laughter as said on the 'sleep paralysis' thread but one thing that makes me write is that earlier in the thread people were talking about that 'jumping' thing, you know when the brain's electrical activity bunches and gets released down the spine to the legs?

Well the other night, i haven't been sleeping too well since giving up smoking and my brain is way overactive!, i woke up through sleep as i usually do and turned over and hugged by other half and began to feel this tension build up in my head and I was really really scared that it was going to turn into a sleep paralysis nightmare when all of a sudden this energy just shot down my back and made my legs jump!!! But I was awake! It was really cool actually because I got an incredible release of endorphins just as it happened and fell so exhilirated and euphoric it was indescribable! I don't know if it was relief that it wasn't an SP or laughter because i felt like a frog but I remember 'landing' when i was a kid and feeling really happy in my dreams. Another thing that happened was that i felt the same pressure a few nights after but with a ringing tone and i said the lord's prayer, as is my habit when scared since the scarey SP, and it went away. I'm seriously thinking of starting smoking again just as medication!!! I don't know how much more anxiety and wierdness i can take! The brain is far too fruit-loopey for my liking!

Maybe i should stop reading this site? Or perhaps i should make cakes.
 
Hearing Voices

Just recently I've been hearing what sounds like voices in conversation, just outside my hearing range so that I can't actually make out what the words are.

The weird thing is that the voices seem to be up close in volume.
The only way I can describe it is that it sounds like a radio broadcast with loads of interference, just at the edge of my hearing.

It happens all over the place, at home, in the office at work, in the car, just walking about.

It's not constant - just every now and again.

It's odd.

Is it something weird or is it the beginings of me going deaf and / or mad?
 
There's a thread on that around here somewhere. I get this too, mostly when I'm going to sleep, but last november I was staying at a friend's place and heard a conversation coming out of her sink (we float down here, we all floooat...), I was fully conscious and reading at the time, although I was also quite stressed.

Edit: It's also very difficult to actually understand and recall what's being said
 
That's it.
Mods!*rings small handbell* Methinks a merger is required.
 
'waking' voices

just for the sake of argument, ill add my own experiences:

when i was younger (pre-teen, mostly) id often hear my mothers voice calling me. when id go to see what she wanted, shed most always have been just about to call for me before i showed up. precognitive hearing, maybe?

also, as an older teen, id often vocally respond to my friends' thoughts; not always just something obvious, sometimes itd be something quite off-topic.

ive always had problems with insomnia, so now im fully prepared to explain away most everything else as rem-deficient hallucinations, but those instances stick out most in my head.

i sometimes wonder how my sleep affects my everyday life. id say well over half my dreams are lucid, and i wonder if that is indicative of any sleep problems ... still have the insomnia as well ...

also, in re: to speaking/reading in dreams. the signs that books, newspapers, etc. have 'weird' or 'illegible' markings on them are a sure sign of a dream; one of the ways you can train yourself to recognize a dream state and develop lucid dreams.

ive also had dreams where i speak perfect and fluent spanish (ive studied, but in my dreams, my speech is much much better than IRL), realized that it was a dream-state, and then continued to speak at the same level of fluency, all the while being amazed at myself. others?
 
This is all fascinating stuff, and personally quite reassuring, as I've had a few similar experiences over the years.

I had the name-calling thing quite regularly as a child, usually as I was just drifting off to sleep. It hasn't happened since I was about thirteen, but these days, when I'm nodding off, I'm frequently jolted back to full consciousness by a loud "Thud!" which seems to be a few feet to my right, just above the level of my head. This happens most nights, and I don't have any trouble getting to sleep after it happens. Its not restricted by location, as I've had six different addresses in the last four years, and its been at all of them.

Also, when I was very young, I'd regularly hear voices down the hallway in our house when I was lying in bed. This happened in the small hours, after my parents had gone to bed, and I used to lie there trying to listen. I could never make any words out, but there were at least two male and one female voice. Occasionally, all three would burst into some sort of song or chant, again, with no distinct words. I was never frightened, managing to convince myself that they were Borrower-type people who lived in our house and only came out when it was safe, after we were all in bed, and were speaking their own language. I've told some of my friends of this in later years, and the best that they could come up with was that it was either my asthmatic brother wheezing in the bunk above, or my parents shagging. Which to be perfectly honest, is a much more troubling image than unseen little people living down the hall!

A while ago, I posted about hearing a mournful female voice saying "No!" right in my ear, along with what felt like a breath on my neck, after I'd wished the resident ghosts at Portsmouth Youth Hostel a good evening on my way out. I was very tired then, and quite spooked, as I'd already "seen" a vanishing human figure dashing towards me across the hallway as I was putting the lights out. I had just worked a 16 hour day, and I was completely knackered!
 
I don't think it's caused by schizophrenia in all cases. I suffer from sleep apnoea at times and I've often been awakened by hearing a female voice calling my name and sometimes someone gently ruffles the hair on the top of my head. I wake up panting for breath.
Also one night in the early hours of the morning about 6am, I was woken by a lady's voice saying "I am starting to pass away now." I was startled and thought it was my own thought voice. I said loudly "No I am NOT." and tried to go back to sleep. Sleep evaded me for quite a while, I could almost hear her voice echoing on. Later that morning after breakfast, my son came in and said that our next door neighbour's wife had passed away early in the morning before dawn. She had a bad heart. I told the neighbour that I was sure I heard her telling me goodbye. It comforted him enormously. And I'm sure she would have somehow liked to have told him she was going. I must have been the next best thing. lol.
 
Gimauche said:
Hypnagogic imagery and voices can occur not just moments before/after sleep but also during the waking days. It has been shown that REM sleep deprived subjects can experience auditory and visual hallucinations whilst apparently awake. For case studies see accounts of Randy Gardner and Peter Tripp who both underwent sleep deprivation exercises for charity.
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I have bipolar disorder (aka manic-depression) and one of the symptoms of the manic phase is sleeping less or not sleeping at all, as well as hallucinations. In my experience of mania, when I sleep it seems that I miss out on the dream phases (I forget what they're called), and I will only sleep about 3-4 hours. I drop off and wake up instantly, and it feels like no time has passed in between. I'm not sure if this is connected to the hallucinations, but I've often wondered.

Even when 'normal' I've had plenty of experiences of hearing voices of the hypnogogic type, like people have mentioned here, but don't think much of them mostly as whatever is said never seems particularly relevant to anything.

The more interesting experiences I don't know how to explain, and some quite probably are caused by my illness. (Definitely, according to my shrink, but I like to keep an open mind. :blah: ) Once, I had an invisible friend/imaginary friend/spirit guide that was with me for several months. She had a name, personality and even a sense of humour! She was never intrusive, although she would pop up unexpectedly with comments about things from time to time, and she would always leave if I wanted her too, so I never minded her being around. And even though I hadn't been diagnosed at this time, I never worried too much about being "nuts" 'cause there didn't seem to be any harm in it.

A couple of experience occured after my aunt died. The day she died (and I was already aware that she had, btw) I was (obviously) very upset, and I quite clearly heard her voice saying: "It's OK, I'm happy here." The next day I was reading a Terry Pratchett Discworld book, that has the character of Death, the Grim Reaper, and idlely wondered if "Death" had come for my aunt when she died. I heard a male voice that I've never been able to identify, say "No, her grandmother did." When I told my family about this I was able to get an explanation from them, that my aunt had been very close to her maternal grandmother (who had died before I was born). I don't recall ever knowing this. Anyway, nuts or not, this was a great comfort to grieving relatives.

A week or so later I heard my aunt's voice again saying "Don't let him throw out the ... " and I didn't catch what 'he' wasn't supposed to throw out. Very frustrating. It turns out that my uncle had begun sorting out her possessions and was giving things away to relatives. I didn't hear her again, so can only assume she was happy with the way things were disposed of.

Last year (2 years after she died), my grandmother (her mother) was going through a period of depression that she still won't admit to, and the rest of the family believe was related to her daughter's death. She'd been in very bad health and we were afraid that she wasn't going to be with us for much longer. One day in church she heard my aunts voice saying something similar to what she'd said to me: "It's OK, I'm happy here." She recovered quite quickly after that.

One explanation could be that it is the brain's way of providing comfort during the grieving process, but, again, I like to keep an open mind.

Anyway, that's enough stories for now, if I keep going I'll be hear all night. I hope this makes sense, 'cause it's late and I'm very sleepy. I'd better head off to be 'cause the voices are gathering!!! :eek!!!!: :eek!!!!: :eek!!!!:
 
Hi Maeve, I'd forgotten about the waking voices in my life till you mentioned yours. I think family members that have recently passed on often visit unexpectedly and give messages of comfort or guidance. I had a couple of visits from my late Dad, in fact my other two sisters did too.. All to warn or guide us or comfort. I was sitting reading the Sunday paper just before leaving for Church one morning and I was reading the "real estate" pages, looking at houses and wondering if I'd ever see our old house for sale. I always looked back to my childhood as my happiest days. As I was looking at the pictures, I distinctly heard my Dad's voice but it wasn't an audible voice. It was in my mind somehow. But unexpectedly. He said "Don't live in the past, you have a future you know." That's all. An hour later I was at church and a lady who had a "prophetic gift" spoke out to anyone in particular, "Don't live in the past, look to the future." So similar to what Dad had said to me, it was like a confirmation. Then a few weeks later after our dog had had pups, I was considering keeping one little boy puppy because he seemed to be wherever I was. None of the others followed me everywhere, they all stuck with their mum. This little one wanted to sit with me on the sofa and also he slept on my bed at an early age when all the others were sleeping with their mother. When all the others had gone to their new homes, I was having an afternoon siesta and the pup was curled up behind my knees and I was patting him. I said out loud to him "Pa would have loved you Alby. He loved dogs like you." Then I heard my Dad's voice again. He said "Who do you think picked him out for you." I had to laugh because it was just like Dad. This dog is now grown up and is about 4 yrs old. He is the most faithful dog and I've never had such a close bond with a dog before.
I think we've gone off the subject a bit but It's interesting all the same.
Cheers,
Jemma :)
 
Hi Chanubi, The voice you heard coming from the sink at your friend's place "They all float" Or something, That was from a creepy old movie that had a scary clown in it. One of my sister's and I often say that when we talk about creepy stuff. One of us will come out with 'O they all float'. Are you sure someone wasn't in a basement or something shouting up the pipes? That would have freaked me out.
Jemma
 
Originally posted by chanubi
There's a thread on that around here somewhere. I get this too, mostly when I'm going to sleep, but last november I was staying at a friend's place and heard a conversation coming out of her sink (we float down here, we all floooat...), I was fully conscious and reading at the time, although I was also quite stressed.

Straight out of steven King's 'IT', word for word..
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I know, I know... ;) getting too subtle with you chaps again.
Like I said, I wasn't able to recall the words, it was just out of hearing... I can only imagine it was the sound of the plumbing rattling away.
 
Jemma said:
I think we've gone off the subject a bit but It's interesting all the same.
Cheers,
Jemma :)
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Hi Jemma,

It may be off topic, but that was a beautiful story all the same. :)
 
Awakened by hypnogogic thuds and clicks?

Not really hypnogogic voices, so feel free to split this if necessary.

Johnnyboy said:
these days, when I'm nodding off, I'm frequently jolted back to full consciousness by a loud "Thud!" which seems to be a few feet to my right, just above the level of my head.
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Reading this has just reminded me (because I hadn't really paid it any waking attention) of something that has started happening to me very recently. For about the last three nights, I have at various times been awoken by what sounds a bit like someone throwing a small stone at the window. My bed is situated so that the window is behind my head as I sleep.

The first time it happened was sometime in the morning just before I woke up properly. It sounded so much like a stone being thrown at the window that I expected someone to be there. There wasn't, and anyway, I never have people throwing stones at my window!

I'm uncertain as to whether or not it happened on the second night, but last night it happened about three times. I was in bed and must have drifted off only to be woken up by a loud sound like a combined thud and click. Again it seemed to come from the window behind me, slightly above and to the right. The same thing happened again at least twice. Also, it appeared that rather than being woken by the noise, I was actually awake a fraction of a second before I heard the sound.

It's difficult to tell whether it is an actual external sound (i.e. a physical object hitting the window) or something that is originating from within my head. I know how external a hypnogogic sound can seem, so I think that this it where it stems from, but I don't understand the reason why I'm being awoken by hypnogogic thuds and clicks!
 
Hello all, this is my first post here at FT and I can't think of a better way to introduce myself than to tell people that I too have heard voices. :D

well, actually it only happened one time that i can recall. here's the story:
I was sitting in my room alone late one night in the dead of summer. It was hot and sweaty. I decide to open some windows and crank on the air conditioner for a few minutes to cool of. I then sat down and disticty heard the voices of two small children saying "we're cold, close the window ." They spoke in unison and that was all they said. It sounded exactly like me and my sister as small children. These voices were clear as a bell, but there was no one around the house or outside the window. Needless to say I closed the freakin' window pretty damn fast. However I was not really scared or startlerd by these voices even though it never happened before.
I had been smoking a few bong hits earlier in the day so I convinced myself that i was "just stoned." The thing is I've been "just stoned" a lot before that and since then but it never caused me to hear voices or act especially paranoid.

I usually subscribe to the theory that the mind, when confronted with an unintelligible sight or sound, will interpret it as something recognizeable (i.e. the "face" in the moon). Was this the case? or Am I schitzo? or maybe I should just lay off the hippie-crack?
you be the judge.
 
August wrote:-
It's difficult to tell whether it is an actual external sound (i.e. a physical object hitting the window) or something that is originating from within my head. I know how external a hypnogogic sound can seem, so I think that this it where it stems from, but I don't understand the reason why I'm being awoken by hypnogogic thuds and clicks!

These are quite common and can, in my own experience be bangs, clicks, thuds etc. I don't know why. I read Robert Monroe's books to get some answers. "Journeys out of the Body" was the first one and he said just as he was getting prepared to get out of his body he would hear a bang and a click if I remember rightly. I've had very loud cracking noises too. I've only been out of my body a few times unexpectedly. I'd never deliberately try to get out. It's always dark because it's at night and I can go whereever I like if I'm aware of it. Haven't done that for ages. Has anybody had the experience of, as soon as you switch the light out to sleep, the whole inside of your head lights up? hmmm....
I do sometimes.
Jemma
 
Hey "theHobgoblin"! I don't think anyone could tell you if it's the weed or not. If it was a hot night then anyone else in the room would be hot except spirits right? They don't feel cold or heat as they don't have ordinary human senses.
My late brother in law was a heavy weed user and he had strange experiences, so I don't know.. You said 'you be the judge' but really you would have to judge for yourself what you think it is. Has anyone else heard these childrens' voices?
When my Mum died, my niece was living at my home and she heard my Mum's voice as she was having an after school nap. She was petrified as she didn't believe in that sort of stuff. She doesn't know what Mum said because she stuck her head under the covers too scared to listen. Sorry I'm not much help.
Jemma
 
'sup Jemma,
thanx for the response! Looking back on my story I think it was just a simple case of my mind playing tricks on me. (I hope so!)

about your story-
If I were your neice I too would have hid under the blankets as things like this are pretty scary. A death in the family can be very traumatic on a younger person (or anybody) and the stresses of greif over a loved one have resulted in instances like this for many, many people as i'm sure you know. In fact my own sister had quite a similar experience. I'm very sorry for your loss and personlly i think your neice may have just been going through the normal greiving process for a younger person.

-Best Regards and here's hoping all the voices we hear in the future come from people we can see as well as hear,
---'goblin
 
Re: the voices, the voices!!!!

Flower said:
I work part time in a dog kennels, and at about 10am as i was cleaning one of the isolation blocks i heard the voice of a small child laughing. I knew which direction the voice was coming from, but of course there was no one there. Figure that one out!!!! :p
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I work in a dog kennel too, and a co-worker of mine has described the same thing happening to her. I suggested to her it was probably a smaller dog whose bark sounded like that of a child's, but she's pretty insistent that it was an actual voice. In the kennel's kitchen, there's a radio that persists in turning itself back on after anyone turns it off.:hmph:

Anyway, I often hear similar voices, and often growls in my head at night, but it seems to occur only the night of a full moon.
 
Well I got up today at 7.15am feeling "bright as a button", which, believe me, is VERY unusual! Especially having gone to bed at 3am.

The reason for my waking up (and for not wanting to go back to sleep!) was that I was having a typically (for me) normal, bizarre dream, when in my dream I went to bed. As I was lying in bed, falling asleep (in the dream), I started hearing someone outside chanting in a high-pitched voice: "Arumba, arumba, arumba, (Something in another language)" over and over.

The thing is, I then suddenly woke up (in real life) and could still hear the chanting outside my window for about 2 seconds... not pleasant. :eek: Anyway, after sitting up in bed for about ten minutes wondering whether I should move or whether it was still there, waiting to pounce (!) I thought "don't be silly" and got up...

* Incidentally I should mention that there is something I wanted to get up early for today (which involves a lot of queuing!) - but my alarm was set for 9:30am.
 
I too have had this happen to me - the most common being the one where you fall off a cliff in your dream and jolt yourself awake right before impact with the floor...or seeing a train rushing toward you and the same happens....
Tomsk - I have had the 'original music' thing too, some really good tunes, that I have 'written' in my head in the wee hours, only to have them disappear in the morning...I've been really prolific some nights but it never works if you go to bed with a tune already stuck in your head (which is often)
The wierdest one though, was a dream I had where I was back at school (I was 29 at the time), and I was descending down a flight of stairs, when all of a sudden I was overcome by an urge to curl up into a ball and a sensation like something was passing a HUGE alternating current through my head, it locked my body up completely and lasted about 5 seconds, during which (in my dream) I couldn't move. Accompanied by a loud perfect 50hz hum.
Then a few seconds respite, then it happened twice more.
As the third 'attack' faded, I drifted awake, then started getting what I can only describe as a 'build up of current in my head' which shot down my back and through my arms and legs, leaving me both knackered and rushing like hell, loaded up with endorphins.(Exactly like an earlier post)
For anyon familiar with the feeling, it was like an Ecstacy high, where you limbs are 'buzzing' for ages - and it was fantastic, just wish I could do it again! Only ever happened once.
 
Incidentally, I just noticed I was humming a melody all morning that was in the dream, ie. original music too. What a bumper feast of dream stuff I had last night :D
 
I had a "voice" last night!

A mans voice saying "hello hello" into my ear which woke me up. Freaked me out to start with until I realised what it was. I lay there with my heart pounding for a bit as it definatly seemed to be outside my head and was definatly not my voice. It was quite deep and had an English accent. Scary, but kind of cool.:cool:
 
Min Bannister said:
I had a "voice" last night!

A mans voice saying "hello hello" into my ear which woke me up. Freaked me out to start with until I realised what it was.
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So what was it? :confused:
 
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