Strange Troubled Dreams And Then Sleep Paralysis

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ChrisBoardman

Justified & Ancient
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Last night I found myself lying in bed in the early hours and seeing some strange light peep through the curtains.

This was unusual as I sleep in my back room and there is no light behind it. The back garden of my house just backs onto the back of other back gardens.

I decide to get up and take a look.

When I tried to get up I couldn't. I could feel myself move a bit but not much, or that's the way it seemed.

Then later I woke up realised it was all a dream. Slightly strange I dreamed I was asleep in the bed I was actually asleep in looking at what I was facing.

But at some point I did feel like I was awake and couldn't move because of sleep paralysis, but I'm sure I did move a little.

I did experience something similar with sleep paralysis about 20 years go. That's not very often.

Anyone else experience things like this?
 
I think I've written on here somewhere about my lack of sleep paralysis, and the couple of times where I've very nearly slipped into it. I seem to remember one of the dream was my ex husband trying to get into bed with me and me not being able to move away (I live on my own and we've been divorced over 20 years!). What I find most fascinating about sleep paralysis is the ubiquity of the experiences, across all religions, races and creeds. There must be something, lodged somewhere in the primitive circuits of our brains, that gives rise to this phenomenon.
 
I went through a period of regular sleep paralysis episodes plus there have been times when they are rarer. I keep meaning to write more about them on here. Today I'm getting ready for relatives to visit so no time just now. Just adding to the thread so I can find it easily when I'm less busy!
 
Sollywos said:
I went through a period of regular sleep paralysis episodes plus there have been times when they are rarer. I keep meaning to write more about them on here. Today I'm getting ready for relatives to visit so no time just now. Just adding to the thread so I can find it easily when I'm less busy!
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I've had a few bouts that were positively terrifying (one was particularly terrifying with... implications... for me anyway). In descending order of terror:

A few years ago I awoke and could not move, and had the sensation of something revolting clawing its way through my brain, millimetre by millimetre and a sensation of evil trying to possess me. I tried to move, but couldn't, sleep paralysis after all, and was using all my will to struggle against this thing apparently trying to wrest control of my brain. I prayed, and it rapidly receded and was gone, and I was free to move. Then things got interesting. My wife started to moan and scream in her sleep, in a muted, terrified way. I shook her to wake her up, at least enough to shake off whatever was happening, she half awoke, then went back to restful sleep. Then, from the flat next door, through the thin internal wall, I heard the teenage daughter starting to scream and moan in her sleep. Nothing I could do about that, I'm afraid. After a while it stopped anyway. It gave me the impression of something roaming the night, trying to find easy prey.

Another time, standard sleep paralysis, and a sense of something evil in the room. My wife was away at the time. I broke free of the paralysis (I actually find that relaxing and going with it for a while, although terrifying, releases the paralysis sooner than struggling to move). Because I was completely freaked out, I reached over to turn on the bedside lamp... and the bulb exploded. I should point out in the overlaid dream state in sleep paralysis, it is quite common for me to think that I am moving to turn the light on and it doesn't work, only to realise I am still paralysed in bed, but in this instance, I was genuinely awake and mobile, and the bulb really did explode and require cleaning up. I put the ceiling lamp on and stayed awake for a good while after that one.

A long time ago, I was temporarily staying with my parents, so that would put it back in 2001-2. I woke up with sleep paralysis and the sound of some foul-mouthed old man yelling and swearing in my ear. The only thing I remember now was the voice saying "You have no fucking idea what you have done, you cunt." which has left me uneasy to this day...
 
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SimonBurchell said:
I woke up with sleep paralysis and the sound of some foul-mouthed old man yelling and swearing in my ear.
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That'll teach you to watch this before going to bed...

rwi.jpg


Seriously though, those are amazing experiences.

Hope I don't have them.
 
I've only had sleep paralysis a coupke of times. Woke up, totally unable to move. Nothing. Not a twitch of a fingea. Fairly disconcerting it must be said. Gradually - and with a sudden burst - I can move again. I've never had any accompanying dream-visions / hallucinations / feelings of evil in the room etc that so seem to be a common element of sleep paralysis. I just cant move.
 
ChrisBoardman said:
Slightly strange I dreamed I was asleep in the bed I was actually asleep in looking at what I was facing.

Anyone else experience things like this?
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Yes. This is usually how I start with a SP experience. Then my dreams take over and I see people in my room. I am now so used to SP that a stranger appearing doesn't frighten me and I know it is a dream. The fact that I can see part of my room, also indicates that most of my SP experiences are early morning when light is just starting to enter room. I have all blinds drawn, so the light comes from the hallway.
 
escargot said:
One @BeardSprite has also claimed to enjoy, if not the experience then the memory of it. :)
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I resemble that remark! :hahazebs:

Sadly, since I started my thyroid meds back in Jan 2020, I haven't had a single episode of Sleep Paralysis.

Couple of times where a dream started to head that way and I woke up before it kicked in, but that's it.

My brain gets too into my dreams, and I can never recognise them as such until after the event, except a very small number of times when I realised I must be dreaming, successfully tested the hypothesis, and then woke up 'cos my brain got giddy at the posibilities!

There is a Sleep Paralysis thread 'round these parts tho -

Adventures in Sleep Paralysis Forteana Forum thread
 
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I have only have lucid dreams very rarely. I remember one in particular where I was walking down an alley, with a chain-link fence on one side with playing fields beyond, aware that I was dreaming I looked closely at the mesh of the fence and the grass and weeds growing up at its base and thinking "I am dreaming but there is so much detail, it is incredible. This feels more real than being awake."
 
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SimonBurchell said:
I have only haf lucid dreams very rarely. I remember one in particular where I was walking down an alley, with a chain-link fence on one side with playing fields beyond, aware that I was dreaming I looked closely at the mesh of the fence and the grass and weeds growing up at its base and thinking "I am dreaming but there is so much detail, it is incredible. This feels more real than being awake."
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This is what I do when lucid dreaming. I will intentionally focus on something detailed and colourful. Usually the thing I look at is the grass and then I delve deeper, seeing each blade and the green. Wonderful.
 
I very rarely get lucid dreaming and when I do there is no time to go exploring as I realise just why I've spent what seems like the last several hours looking for a loo and I really do need to wake up ... PRONTO! The scenario's my dreaming self make up to stop me going are so inventive! Anyway perhaps I should invest in a waterproof undersheet or even some incontinence pants so the next time it happens I can spend time exploring.

'The door has just fallen off the cubicle and there is a whole crowd of onlookers ... ah I'm dreaming but it's ok I'll just wet myself and go walk about appreciating the scenery'

I'll let you know if it works.:rofl:
 
ChrisBoardman said:
Last night I found myself lying in bed in the early hours and seeing some strange light peep through the curtains.

This was unusual as I sleep in my back room and there is no light behind it. The back garden of my house just backs onto the back of other back gardens.

I decide to get up and take a look.

When I tried to get up I couldn't. I could feel myself move a bit but not much, or that's the way it seemed.

Then later I woke up realised it was all a dream. Slightly strange I dreamed I was asleep in the bed I was actually asleep in looking at what I was facing.

But at some point I did feel like I was awake and couldn't move because of sleep paralysis, but I'm sure I did move a little.

I did experience something similar with sleep paralysis about 20 years go. That's not very often.

Anyone else experience things like this?
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In the sleep paralysis experiences I remember clearly, I've felt that trying to move has yielded shaking or tremoring. I have Parkinson's now and when I get slight microtremors it feels very similar. However, I'm convinced that during sleep paralysis I'm not really moving, and that it's just my body's sense of what should happen in response to certain signals combined with its realisation that it's not actually moving.
 
SimonBurchell said:
I have only have lucid dreams very rarely. I remember one in particular where I was walking down an alley, with a chain-link fence on one side with playing fields beyond, aware that I was dreaming I looked closely at the mesh of the fence and the grass and weeds growing up at its base and thinking "I am dreaming but there is so much detail, it is incredible. This feels more real than being awake."
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That's my experience too. I used to lucid dream quite a lot, but it seems to be an ability that has faded with age. I still remember being in a dream about lying down and looking at the grass in detail and it was SO clear that I was very impressed at my brain's ability to conjure such detail whilst asleep.
 
brownmane said:
This is what I do when lucid dreaming. I will intentionally focus on something detailed and colourful. Usually the thing I look at is the grass and then I delve deeper, seeing each blade and the green. Wonderful.
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Indeed! When you're lucky enough to have this realization, and recall it later, you might also recall that the detail was every bit as, errr, detailed, as when you're awake. But I get the feeling that such is the case only when you make a point to verify it during the dream. That's to say that the rest of your dreams aren't as detailed, and you're bringing that part out yourself. At least that's the way it seems to me.
 
Strangely the same (as in the original post) happened to me this morning. No lights this time though.

It always happens in a state of drowsiness, so when I look back I can never be sure if it was a dream or not.

But normally in a dream I can move as much as I want, so I am leaning towards sleep paralysis.
 
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