Scary Dream!!!! help please??

Hi Guys,

Just a quick background. I am 21 yr old female university student and i DO NOT believe in the paranormal, but i do believe in the mind being the strongest tool.

For about 4 nights, i hadn't been able to sleep at all, and i am not an insomniac. I might've gotten about 3 hours sleep in total in those nights. however i took some sleeping pills and slept thru the night on the 5th night. however the 6th and 7th night i have had these dreams (the 7th night was last night). i dream that i am being levitated ever so slightly off my bed and being pushed around by some force. i distinctly remember being pushed under my bed and trying to fight it with everything in me. once i made it back onto the bed i couldnt lay down. i managed to get to the light switch but when i tried switching it on the lights wouldnt go on, all the while, this "force" was still trying to push me around. then all of a sudden its as if the force was completely lifted and i awoke in my bed, short of breath and my heart pounding. the whole time i was aware that im dreaming but the movements around the room felt so real that i could've sworn that i was really moving. the 2nd nights dream was slightly different, but very slightly. once i was back in bed its as if something lifted my leg and was moving it around. there was a point at which i even opened my eyes but i couldnt get out of the sleep phase. i tried biting myself to wake up but my mouth wouldnt open. its as if something was immobilizing me and moving me around on its own.

my logic tells me this is all in my mind but there is a tiny part of me that is afraid that all that "paranormal" stuff might have some truth to it. this is crazy because i have always laughed at it and never for a second believed in it. i hate doubting myself!!! any help on why these dreams are happening or how i can control them will help because i refuse to believe it is anything else but a dream!!!!

Don't worry, it was not paranormal. In fact, it was very much normal :alien:

I believe what you have experienced is HH (hypnogogic hallucinations). It's something that happens during falling asleep process, as you get close to acctually falling asleep. Normally during this time we are already asleep and don't notice anything. This time, you were still aware, perhaps because of your different sleep schedule. And you couldn't move, because you were already in REM atonia, and it happens as we cross from one sleep stage to another one.

Common sensations include levitating, movement, sounds, and bunch of other things. But it's all just a hallucination, can not harm you in any way.

When lucid dreamer (person who wants to have a lucid dream) does WILD method of inducing a lucid dream, we stay aware on purpose during this stage and thus we notice these HH. We do it, because after these HH dreams starts to form and if we are still awake (our mind, but not the body), we can enter the dream lucidly.

If you interested in picking up lucid dreaming, please check out this Beginners guide, and then more details in DV Wiki. Please do post your questions, if you need help with anything. Happy dreams:alien:

hi gab, thanks so much for your response!!! i had another episode last night!! but it was after reading your feedback, which really helped me to stay calm and not panic like i did the previous 2 nights, since now i know what it is. i read the guide on lucid dreaming and it actually sounds really interesting!! are u a lucid dreamer???

I'm so glad that we were able to help. Yes, pretty much everybody here is a lucid dreamer.

I re-read your post and it looks like the part when your tried to turn on the lights were a dream, and possibly lucid dream. Did it feel different than you regular dreams? You were obviously able to move around in it. Next time, you can try and take control. If the lights don't work (and they usually don't), try yelling "lights on", or will the sun to come up, or try saying "it's so bright in here".

From hallucinations like the ones you had is just a short way to the lucid dream. That's why I think, you may have been going between HH and lucid dream. To learn how to enter LD, or what to do next time you have HH, please read these lessons in WILD class. WILD is a Wake Initiated Lucid Dream. It's a dream, that you can enter, while your body has fallen asleep as usually, but your mind is still awake. That's why you are able to take notice of these strange sensations. Good luck:alien:

hi there, so sorry for thelate response- but yes, it did feel very different!!! like i could feel myself switching the lights on but only- i wasnt.... i read up on all the links u sent me but unfortunately havent had any opportunities yet to try lucid dreaming... hopefuLly i will soon!! im pretty keen on it.

It looks like gab has already helped you out. This can be scary if you are not expecting it. I'm sure your insomnia helped bring on some of these hallucinations. During college, I would stay awake for days at a time. Afterwards, when I finally slept, I would have the craziest dreams. Hallucinations like you described, sleep paralysis, false awakenings, lucid dreams, the works.

It can be hard to think straight at the time, but try to keep in mind that it is all a hallucination. It is just another type of dream. If you want to wake up, try to focus on moving your big toe. If you want to transition to a lucid dream, try to use the hallucination to your advantage. If you are sliding around the bed, imagine yourself moving in one direction, flying into a dream. If it feels like there is a presence in the room, ask it for help, or reach out for it to help you out of bed. If you are just laying in bed, paralyzed, imagine rocking back and forth until you roll out of bed.

Normally, all I have to do is imagine walking somewhere familiar, touching everything I see. You are already dreaming, so you just need to change the dream scene. Close your eyes if you feel like they are open (they are not), and imagine a familiar memory.

If you're scared that it might be 'paranormal', why don't you take a visit to the church?
Or a budhist temple would be perfect even if you're christian or atheist, but I don't know if there is one in South Africa.