Advise on how to ignore particular anomalies?

[achillle]

I am a light sleeper and this happens to me almost every night when I am in a perfectly comfortable state of mind and right before I go to sleep I feel like I am getting touched and its always in a different location then the time before. I feel like if a hand is put on me an impression on my sheets is happening which I cant tell if its me in a parcel dream state or if something totally different any ideas on what it could be or how to stop it or just run with me because if I dont shake it off then it continues but never let it happen for to long because it really freaks me out.

[Micael]

I understand your concern, must be pretty creepy. However, this may be an indication that you can consciously get in the dream field pretty quickly, it is certainly something you can learn to take advantage of and heck you might even have it easy at lucid dreaming. Other than that all I can say is that nothing can harm you for real, it can be upseting but you'll beat it to the curve I'm sure, there's lots of resources around and I'm sure pretty soon somebody will properly guide you on your way. Welcome to DV, sweet dreams.

[JoannaB]

What you are experiencing is called "tactile hypnagogic hallucinations", and it's something that can happen in that in between state between being awake and being asleep. As Micael pointed out, they cannot harm you, though indeed I too can understand why they would creep you out. My hypnagogia is never tectile but always visual thus far, and I only notice it when I am actively trying to pay attention to it, and I seek it out because I enjoy the interesting images I get, and because this can be used as part of the effort to have a WILD (wake induced lucid dream). Alas I do not know of a way to stop hypnagogia, or rather I suspect it cannot be stopped but what you are seeking out is for it to either change to something more pleasant or for you to not notice it. You might try thinking of other pleasant stuff before falling asleep? Also it may be that by now it is happening because you expect it to happen this way and your expectation is fueling the repeat experience - so you may need to put in an effort to change your expectations.

[TheSilverWolf]

Like JoannaB, I've never experienced the tactile side of these--only visual and occasionally auditory. Perhaps if you affirm to yourself that you will not be afraid of the tactile sensations as you drift off to sleep, you will be less creeped out when it happens? ~SilverWolf~

[user5659]

JoannaB is right, it is "tactile hypnagogic hallucinations". I am having those pretty often, i would say at around 20% rate, sometimes 2-3 times before i go into my dream. But mine are different, i feel like there is a vortex in my bed and its pulling me inside into my bed or i am falling down to nowhere, then my body reacts and i am trying to stand up. I really enjoy these feelings, i often do not loose lucidity when going to sleep so i can feel this process of how my hypnagogic hallucination start growing, for some time i will hold my self and i wont move but usually when i start spinning like head down - i jerk. Try to expect them and get the feeling of when they start growing, i think you will then help your self not to loose lucidity during hypnagogic state.