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Sleep Paralysis... Without The Paralysis?

 

I am one of the unlucky people whom experiences sleep paralysis (sp) on an occasional basis. I have learned to avoid naps as they tend to trigger an episode. As of lately, I have been thinking upon certain experiences and I wonder if this is even sp at all, or is it some other sleep disorder, or more? Please help because my most recent episode is making me feel insane.

About a month ago I was dead asleep in the earlier morning (some time between 7-730) and awoke with a start- someone, a man, was standing next to my bed looking in my nightstand drawer. He looked at me and then he kissed me lightly on the lips. My initial reaction was it was my fiance kissing me goodbye before leaving for work. I WAS still basically asleep and it all happened so quickly that by the time I registered the situation, I realized I did not know him and I could not move (before that point I hadn't realized my inability to be mobile). He was older, tan skin, dark eyes...I'd say of Mexican or Native American background. He walked away slowly, in no rush, when he reached the foot of the bed- directly in my line of vision- I was able to get up into a half-sitting up position (easy as sitting up in quicksand) and I yelled/slurred/gurgled at him "what the **** are you doing?!"

All he did was look at me and continue slowly to my front door.

By now, I'm pissed, I'm disgusted that he kissed me (though it felt like a departure?) And my little boy and I are home alone; so I manage to get up to try and chase this person, but it was hard. SO HARD to move, and foggy, the only way I can describe it is like my entire body buried in quicksand, and I'm walking through it with fogged up goggles. I held onto the bed frame, the walls and the door frame to pull myself to the front door where the person seemingly exited without actually opening it. I locked the front door deadbolt (which is left unlocked most days because the Mr. Lost his keys), looked at the clock on my phone (which I clearly recall being sometime at 7am, meaning my fiance was already AT work, therefore... Who the F was in my room?!) and woke up again in bed about an hour later.

I am absolutely positive SOMETHING happened because, upon my actual awakening, I immediately checked the deadbolt to verify the reality of what happened. I had indeed locked it while in a state of sleep-limbo, chasing an intruder who wasn't really real? This experience was so disturbing and vivid that I am still on edge over it. I do not feel this was a real live human being who broke into my house. I have never experienced an sp episode with hallucinations. I mostly experience feeling the presence of something "bad/evil"...only, I am usually able to struggle and move and speak somewhat in the quicksand state; so technically, I'm not paralyzed at all... Just mobilely-challanged? Lol.

I don't like to admit this, but I am scared. One particular dream frightens me the most because in it, I recall walking down the hall and into the living room in the quicksand state I am prone to. (This is the dream) once in the living room, I sat on the couch, the Tv turned on to static. A horrific voice spewed out of the speakers, telling me horrible things- evil, hateful things against humanity... I could only sit there and listen. To my left, I saw the shadow man. Taller than a normal man, he held another human figure up to the ceiling by its neck, toying with it. I hid, behind my tv, and though it paid me no physical attention, it knew I was there. As I watched in my hiding spot, it spoke to me again. It said more horrible things. It told me how it hates and it will destroy. Anything it can. Anything innocent... I have never felt so much fear in my life; it was like I was on fire from the inside out, I was so afraid. I woke up literally burning with the same fear as in the dream. It upset me for days it was so real.

I guess what worries me foremost is the quicksand walk into the living room I had in the "dream". I am now starting to wonder if I actually DID end up on my couch for a portion of the time (not to mention, whatever negative thing that was in the dream, lurks in my dreams/dreamland every so often). Is this sleep walking? I had them as a young child, but... Night terrors at 24 years old? This can't be normal. Am I slowly losing it?

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The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, MandyyNicole, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will participate in the discussion and I need help with what I have experienced.

MandyyNicole (7 stories) (183 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-10-18)
NorthCoastie,
My friend actually experienced this "person" first, about a year and a half- two years before I did. When she told me I didn't believe her and chalked it up to a sleep paralysis episode (even though she was never prone to them before) or some kind of hallucination upon awakening too fast. And then I didn't think about it again until just recently. I would also conclude it were power of suggestion, even subconciously on my part, except for the fact that I honestly didn't take it to heart- or even remember it until recently. But you never know, that subconcious is tricky!
I'm just not sure what to make of it. I'm not even entirely sure my house is "haunted" or if we just have some kind of tag along or random visitor... I also don't know what to make of my dreams suddenly stopping after this particular episode (not that I'm complaining!).
Regarding the cell phone/disappearing objects, there's no way another person in our household could have done it, my son was asleep and... Well that's pretty much it! Things have been disappearing ever since I can remember with no cause though, take my barney the dinosaur doll when I was five, fell asleep with it, woke up and never saw it again. My parents swear up and down they never touched it, even to this day!
NorthCoastie (4 stories) (72 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-10-18)
Well, things definitely start to get interesting now when you have had other strange events and multiple people have experiences. Did you ever tell your friend who saw the similar figure about your experience beforehand? The power of suggestion can be pretty strong. Still... The cell phone experience is pretty tangible, unless someone was messing with you.

I'm very skeptical of the adjacent-to-sleep type of visions, as there are many scientifically explained conditions that can explain those (especially if you already think your house is haunted), but the more tangible experiences such as things magically disappearing and reappearing, and especially if you never told your friend about what you saw... That definitely start to tip the scales to you having someone else going on too.
MandyyNicole (7 stories) (183 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-10-17)
Also, yes. It was a one time event of me actually seeing this person. But counting my friend's experience and the striking similaruty between the two, perhaps two encounters occured?
MandyyNicole (7 stories) (183 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-10-17)
NorthCoastie, thanks for your response! I am very open to that possibility. Corroborating experiences...hm. Kind of, which is why I'm leaning towards this possibly being more than a hallucination. Tell me what you think!
I once had a friend spend the night, about a year or so after moving in. She slept on the couch in the living room and in the earlier morning, she woke up out of nowhere. Upon awakening, she saw a man of a similar description standing not too far from her, watching her.
This friend wouldn't lie to me about this and also happens to be "sensitive" to a degree. She hasn't spent the night since because seeing this man made her feel so uncomfortable.
This was also about a year and a half/two years BEFORE my experience... So when mine occured, this was nowhere in my mind and I didn't connect the two until quite recently.

My son has also experienced shadow men, who have mocked him (laughing at him while he tried to pull his pants up in the bathroom) and frightened him. My fiance has seen a shadow man walk accross our hallway. I've caught a random orb on video coming from nowhere (all though, I don't think IT is related to the shadow figures etc.). Footsteps/things moving on the floor from upstairs when we are downstairs and no one is up above. Footsteps coming up the stairs, a quiet knock on the door- and then nothing. My neighbor also heard this. Things randomly disappear and reappear (which, I haven't mentioned in earlier stories, but as of late, this become a relatively common occurence. Take my cell phone... My fiance and I both clearly recall it being on the coffee table before going to bed. In the morning, it was gone. I litterally had every single cushion off of the couch- my fiance did as well, during his own search for it- and it wasn't there. I got fed up and said aloud "put it back" and I went outside to smoke. When I came back and looked under the cushions again for my second time - 3rd time total-, it was there in plain veiw as soon as I lifted the first one up.).
NorthCoastie (4 stories) (72 posts)
+1
11 years ago (2013-10-17)
MandyyNicole: Was this a one time event of seeing this person? This is actually an area of great interest to me... As I once experienced a very similar experience upon waking. There is a medical / psychological explanation for what you saw:

Http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Hypnagogic-Hallucinations.htm#

Hypnagogic or hypnopompic hallucinations are visions seen when you are in a state between being asleep and being awake. One refers to when you are waking, and the other refers to as you are falling asleep. You mentioned it was very hard to move when you chased this vision... So clearly you were just waking up, as you had not fully regained your motor skills.

If this was a one time occurrence separate from any other more tangible experiences, I would caulk this up to a hallucination. There are a plethora of different things we can experience related to sleep, so it doesn't have to be sleep paralysis... A lot of these things are related to each other though.

I believe 99.99999% of what happens to us when we are in or close to a state of sleep comes from our own mind vs. Being paranormal. If you have corroborating experiences when you know you are 100% awake (and I mean like, sitting at the kitchen table eating dinner, not relaxing in bed awake), then we have more going on here. If your only experiences are dreams, or events that occurred adjacent to sleep... I wouldn't worry so much about it.
MandyyNicole (7 stories) (183 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-10-17)
I hope someone will read this as I have been waiting paitently for the right time to mention it.
After this experience, with the man in my room, I have come to the conclusion it was NOT sleep paralysis nor was it a dream. I have never experienced anything like it before or since. It's been a while since the experience occured, and since then I have not had any more trouble with dreams/sleep. My dreamland dreams ceased shortly after this man's "departure". I cannot recall, the last time I dreamt and was taken there, and it used to be almost every night, or I would have no dreams at all. I still wake up almost every morning and try and recognize a landmark from the dreamworld, just to be positive I'm not still having these dreams, but thankfully, I have stopped "going" there.
I was not under any unusual stress, not worried about anything... During that time everything in my life was/is normal. And to be honest, nothing has changed except relief from these experiences.
I am still beyond perplexed, but, in my heart of hearts, I don't think there was any mental/physical cause for this... I don't know who the man could have possibly been, either. I also have not had a single episode of sleep paralysis/sleep walking "dreams" since. I have even been able to take naps in peace!
If anyone has anymore insight on this matter, I would love to hear your thoughts; even if you think I'm just bat-S crazy, have at it!:)
Thank you all so much for your input thus far.
mustang (5 stories) (749 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-07-15)
Hi MandyNicole. I have had an experience where I was sleeping and woke up to my bedroom door opening up. My back was facing the bedroom door and I didn't bother to roll over because I was just waking up and I figured it was my boyfriend returning from work. He only had to work until noon that day. I then felt something kneel on the corner of the opposite side of the bed from me and then it bizarrely crawled quickly up behind me and "spooned" me. It felt human but not human. It didn't feel solid like a human. Now this all happened within minutes I would say. I opened my eyes, still not moving, and the clock was in front of me. The clock read like 10 or around 10:30 (memory is fading, it happened a long time ago). My boyfriend didn't get off work until noon and my daughter was at her dad's house for the weekend. So I roll over, I was able to move, and when I rolled over I felt paralyzed, I felt like I was dying. I kept fighting it and fighting it, almost like my brain was in quicksand like you were saying your body felt like. I finally broke free of it. I was awake and able to move before I felt paralyzed so was it sleep paralysis, an entity in bed with me or what. And because I have had so many paranormal experiences, I have a hard time believing it was sleep paralysis. But it could have been. Your experiences are very scary and I would definitely schedule to have a sleep study done if you already haven't. Hopefully they can figure out what is going on. Do you have a lot of stress in your life? Are you worried about something? Maybe stress could be creating these things to happen to you? Keep us updated.

Shelby 😊
MandyyNicole (7 stories) (183 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-06-22)
Foxglove, LOL! I don't think so, I'll stick to sp haha.

Vm, that sounds absolutely awful, I'm sorry you had that experience.

Mamachong, I think I will try the med they gave me (prazosin?). I just have no idea when/how I'm supposed to take it, every day? When I'm having too many episodes? So confusing and they (dr's) didn't really explain anything to me... It doesn't happen all of the time though, like lately, I've been sleeping ok-ish. My dreamland dreams are few and far between and the sp/sw episodes just pop up out of nowhere. I suppose the fact that they stress me out and then I dwell on them is not helpful at all.

Valkricry, thank you for the link. I'm sorry you also suffer from night terrors. You have been so very helpful and I really appreciate it!
GabrielladeLioncourt (5 stories) (71 posts)
+1
11 years ago (2013-06-21)
Sometimes yea, it does run in the familly, not always but it certainly helps!

Ive written about some of my "Bad dream/ astral travels" in my stories, go check it out, it might be familliar to you! I suggest you write your experiences when you get more? It helps to analyse diferent experiences to find out what it is you are really going through!

😊
Foxglove (23 posts)
+1
11 years ago (2013-06-19)
Past-life lover saying goodbye before you got hitched to someone in this life?

Or, sleep paralysis lol.
vm (8 posts)
+1
11 years ago (2013-06-19)
Hi MandyyNicole,
I am new to this site, but I read a lot stories on it.
I read your story, and what seemed familier to me is sleep paralysis.
This is the wors thing ever, and I expierence it often.
I remember once while sleeping, I saw myself lying in between 5 horrible looking men.
They were half bended on me, and staring at my face... I could feel their faces very close to mine.
I wanted to move and run away, but couldn't do it.
I was not able to screame, I wanted to wake my mumma, sleeping beside me, but I couldn't.
I was feeling like something is holding on me.
Suddnly,my mother woke me up and she asked me that why was I crying, I was breathing heavily.

This sleep prarlysis happened a lot of time with me, but did not see those faces again...

I hope I was able to explain what I wanted to, since then I keep a knife under my pillow and do not sleep alone and chant lord's name, it seems to be a help.
mamachong (11 stories) (228 posts)
+1
11 years ago (2013-06-18)
MandyyNicole,
Just my advise, but if you don't feel comfertable with this than talk to your doctor about other options. I would go ahead and take the blood pressure medication anyway. There for a while I was taking Trazadone. I was taking the med for insomnia. The doctor that perscribed it for me told me that the med was originally for depression but found that it actually worked better on insonmia and not so much for depression. But asking for a sleep study is a really good idea too. Couldn't hurt to ask for one.
valkricry (49 stories) (3286 posts) mod
 
11 years ago (2013-06-17)
Mandy, according to the Mayo Clinic; "Night/sleep terrors are episodes of fear, flailing and screaming while asleep. Also known as night terrors, sleep terrors often are paired with sleepwalking." You don't need all 3 for it to qualify as night terror. If you look at this link: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/night-terrors/DS01016/DSECTION=symptoms they give a list of what sleep terrors (also called night terrors) symptoms are.
Of course you can request a sleep study. If nothing else worrying if you have this sleep disorder is detrimental to your health.
MandyyNicole (7 stories) (183 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-06-17)
Also, I think I will go ahead and make another apt. At some point soon, because you're right, the sleepwalking could get dangerous... What exactly IS a night terror? I don't scream or anything the way I did when I was little, I just wake up in a panic? I was pretty coherent during the time I got up and locked the door, but my body would just not cooporate! Why can't I just TALK in my sleep!? Lol.
MandyyNicole (7 stories) (183 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-06-17)
Hi guys, thanks so much for the responses.
I agree about a sleep study; sadly, I have told my doctors (two seperate occasions a few months back) and the only thing they did is give me an option between sleeping pills and a blood pressure medication that's used in some instances to treat night terrors. Otherwise, they said they had no clue what else my problem could be... I opted for the blood pressure med, but haven't tried it yet because it makes me nervous taking a pill I don't "need", but maybe I should. Is it okay for me to request a sleep study? I was hoping for one at the time I went in for the problem but they didn't suggest it.

I have other sleep disturbances (GabrielladeLioncourt) that I suspect may be related to some kind of astral travelling, basically a dream world that I get stuck in when I sleep sometimes. I wonder if astal travelling can run in families, does anyone know? My grandma was apparently pretty into it.

Zzoya, I am, and I do try to pray regularly, but I feel like lately, I dont/won't. I need to start being more on-the-ball with it

Mysterious_sunset, I wonder that as well... The shadow man dream was so deeply disturbing that...idk, I just wonder, I guess.
BadJuuJuu (guest)
 
11 years ago (2013-06-17)
Imo is short for in my opinion. But now that you've brought up omelets I might go make some lmao. 😆
valkricry (49 stories) (3286 posts) mod
 
11 years ago (2013-06-17)
BadJuuJuu, what, pray tell, does Imo mean? I'm pretty sure it doesn't stand for "I'm making omelets" lol.
😆
valkricry (49 stories) (3286 posts) mod
 
11 years ago (2013-06-17)
Mandy, as far as I know, there are no statutes of limitation on night terrors. I'm old enough to be your mom and sometimes have them. Some of my retired military friends have them. It happens. So yeah, it could be a combination of sleepwalking/nightmare. Before we jump to the conclusion of paranormal, let's handle the physical aspect. As BJJ suggests, see your doctor and tell him you believe that you are walking in your sleep and tell him about the night terrors too. Let him know they feel extremely real. Sleep walking is no joke, and you could end up hurting yourself or someone else.
mysterious_sunset (1 stories) (16 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-06-17)
Just to add to everyone else's opinions, could it also be combined with sleep walking as well as remembering what is happening at the same time? I do believe this story, and I find it horrifying experience.
zzoya (5 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-06-17)
if you are a believer start praying regularly and at the same consult to your doctor. Stay positive.
God bless you...
GabrielladeLioncourt (5 stories) (71 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-06-16)
Have you ever thought of astral traveling? They say entities that are part of your life sometimes try to comunicate with you through dreams and even astral traveling!

I believe I have done astral traveling a couple of times when I used to be haunted by some entity.

Lots of luck and love x
BadJuuJuu (guest)
+1
11 years ago (2013-06-16)
Imo, you should go to your doctor, explain what's happening, and request a sleep study. Since the deadbolt was locked, it seems pretty clear that you are walking around in your sleep. A sleep specialist should be able to do something to help.

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