Question aouut weird dream.

[jayrongway]

Hi, What kind of dream is it when you are asleep and you open your eyes and can't move any part of your body? The vocal chords don't work either. Then the people in pictures hanging on the wall come out and approach you. Then what seems like someone putting a hand on you ankle and shakes you awake. This has happend a few times to me. Do I need a shrink? J.

[Jrels]

That is a very common experience known as Sleep Paralysis. Sleep Paralysis happens every time you fall asleep, and it basically incapacitates the use of your muscles in order to keep you still while you sleep. Sometimes your "mind" can wake up before your body does, while your body is still in sleep paralysis. I believe that sometimes you can open your physical eyes and experience dream imagery and sounds mixed with reality for a brief moment while experiencing sleep paralysis. These "hallucinations" seem to often be negative due to the fact that you are paralyzed or feel trapped.