Thread: Shared nightmare all over the world.

The not being able to move is SP, sleep paralasis. The old lady is called 'the old hag'. I am not sure what that is. But SP is a physical thing, like your body is still sleeping but your mind is not.

Don't know what's up with the old hag though... That indeed is a weird part...

BTW I allso thought remebering that when in SP and seeing the old hag, you are not dreaming, otherwise it wouldn't be SP just a dream in whitch you couldn't move.

I'll just add to Neuro's accurate response:

I think the "old hag" thing was a way of explaining the hypnagogic imagery and sounds experienced during sleep paralysis. You'll find that many people experience different types of "old hags" - some see demons, some see monsters, aliens, you name it. The point is that it usually ends up being a scary figure, probably brought on by the panic from feeling paryilzed.

Now, I think your question is more as to how it's possible that all these people can experience the same characters. Not sure, but, lets say you had your eyes closed and your arm extended. You suddenly feel heat upon your hand. What do you think you would most likely visualize? Fire? Probably, and so would an overwhelming group of people all over the world if doing the same experiment. I think the same might apply to SP.

i remember that many times when i tried to astral project i would wake up in sleep paralysis, it's really strange, like if gravity was 100 times stronger! you try to move your arm or leg but you can't eh eh i think i still can induce sleep paralysis.

the best way to describe what i feel was like if my body waked up but my mind wants my body to sleep more, because of that i can't move, it's really hard!!! trying to rise the arm is harder than lifting big weights in my gym eh eh
you can REALLY feel that it's your mind that wants to sleep more because if you close your eyes you can really feel the body "entering" sleep, this way, the best way for me to stop sleep paralysis is to blink the eyes, after doing it some times i can try to move the body, but it's amazing that if i close my eyes for one second my body will lose all force and start to sleep.
the "bad" thing about it is that it looks like you are going to die and want to stay alive! trust me, if you feel you body/mind pushing you so strongly to a "sleep" it looks like you are fighting to stay alive, i just can't avoid and start to do everything to being awake and gain control of my body. to tell you the truth i never tried to let my body go and sleep when i wake up in sleep paralysis, it's so scary! maybe if i just close the eyes again and let it go i can have lucid dream or a astral projection, but... errr it really feels like if your body is dying but you want to stay alive. anyway there should be nothing to fear (as i said maybe that sleep would bring me something good like a lucid dream or a astral projection) but i think it's the human nature to fight against things that make you feel like dying.

The old lady is called 'the old hag[/b]

Have you herd of this b4? or did u just name her the old hag, it does ring a bell.

You'll find that many people experience different types of \"old hags\" - some see demons, some see monsters, aliens, you name it. The point is that it usually ends up being a scary figure, probably brought on by the panic from feeling paryilzed. [/b]

Yea that makes sence but the weird thing is that these people from all over the world see the SAME thing. The old hag always sits on there chest and the dark figer at the door always starts there then moves over to the head of there bed and starts choking them. If people are only experiencing them from panic of SP then how come its the same thing for all these people + it happens to them every night.

Something i just though of then could be, could it be for some unknown reson they all see these figeres once or twice in there dreams, or SP and they worry about seeing them again wile going to sleep and thinking about it so much brings it on and they think this is going to happen everynight. So it does.

Kinder like when your learning to LD and people say to read about LD for an hour or so before going to bed, to refreash your mind and increase your chances, kinder drumming it into your head to remember. If that all made sence i think im now rambling.... lol

Yeah, you see a dark ominous figure because it's like "what is that feeling, it is obscure and unplaceable, ---> dark ominous person. And what type of person would make it so you couldn't breathe? That's right, a large, old woman.

Yeah, you see a dark ominous figure because it's like \"what is that feeling, it is obscure and unplaceable, ---> dark ominous person. And what type of person would make it so you couldn't breathe? That's right, a large, old woman.[/b]

Yea that makes sence, so do you think these people that have this problem also have a sleeping problem? that is causing SP first insted of going stright to normal sleep?

Holy shit that happend exactly to me when i first tried to ld i falled into a wild

Originally posted by dreamcatcher05
okay so its like 1 a.m cuzz i wake up and i couldnt fall back asleep tell like 1:45 and i swear 1 second i was feeling fine the next i felt kinda wierd so i couldnt look at my hands cuzz it was 2 dark so i plugged my nose and breathed i could do it * so i did another i have a missing tooth but suddenly i had a tooth right there *so i knew i was dreaming wilding w/e so i was trying 2 stay calm and then suddenly i heard a verd loud thump and then another one like 3 yards away from my bed and i had a flashlight next 2 me like in real life i did and i turned it on and saw a big shadowman i freaked and he started walking towards me and i fought 2 wake up and when he was right next 2 me i opened my eyes freaked out * *was it wilding low level lucid dreaming or was it just a nightmare disaster

Originally posted by neil2006

What does everyone think of that?

I think you need to learn how to spell FIGURE

Lol im a bad speller

About 'Old Hag' sounding familliar, In the game 'Thief 3: Deadly shadows' the big-bad-ass is allso called 'the old hag' I thought to remember. ^________^

But indeed. I think people just see scary stuff. Maybe a few people saw an 'Old hag' and becouse now people heard about and old hag they might be seeing an old hag faster...

But it's like the chicken and the egg I guess...

the old hag is just a presense you feel, it doesn' t have to be an old woman. I've felt lots of things, but usually I realize that they're just in my head while the actual SP bothers me much more.

But indeed. I think people just see scary stuff. Maybe a few people saw an 'Old hag' and becouse now people heard about and old hag they might be seeing an old hag faster... [/b]

True for people here ect, but there are people all over the world that have never herd of it eg dreamcatcher05 said that it happened to him the first time he tryed to WILD but i think Tornado Joe\" explained it very well

I think the \"old hag\" thing was a way of explaining the hypnagogic imagery and sounds experienced during sleep paralysis. You'll find that many people experience different types of \"old hags\" - some see demons, some see monsters, aliens, you name it. The point is that it usually ends up being a scary figure, probably brought on by the panic from feeling paryilzed. [/b]

Also

But it's like the chicken and the egg I guess...[/b]

? ive never herd that b4, what do you mean?

Tornado hit it on the head really well. Sleep paralysis is quite a common phenomenon--most people experience it at some point or another, but few know what it is. What's happening is a semi-dream with no vividness, often accompanied by sleep paralysis. That's what makes it so scary--you're just beginning to drift off and all of a sudden you can't move anything but your eyes. It freaks people out, and naturally they assume that there must be an outside cause, which brings the dark figure and old hag into play. Note how vague the 'dark figure' sounds. Few can give a more detailed description of him, and those who can would likely conflict with eachother in their descriptions. This fits in with the level of sleep the dream takes place in: Non-REM dreams are often vague and lack detail, especially in the character area. The dark figure and old hag are pretty generic characters that many people find incorporated in their dreams regardless of whether it's a nightmare or not. Anyway, sleep paralysis, combined with the fright from the appearance of the dark figure cause difficulty breathing. Again, moderately common in people scared by dreams. The brain seeks a cause for the difficulty breathing, and finding none, creates its own reason: The hag sits on the chest or dark figure chokes them, or both. This is more than just moderately common, it happens to most everybody. Ever have a dream while you leave a TV or radio on, and the people on TV/radio are incorporated in your dream? That's your mind trying to rationalize the external audio input.

Basically, it's a common occurance that isn't nearly as sinister as it appears: The dark figure and old hag are meaningless, merely stereotypical dream characters that appear similar due to the lack in the dream's clarity. Since such a dream is unusually traumatic, the people who have it are highly inclined to talk about it, causing them to meet and discuss it with others, and eventually sensationalize it into something it isn't.

yeah no reason to slap a religious label on this, you have to remember that theres 6 billion people in the world today... its pretty likely that some people from all around the globe would see an old woman (and yes i saw this show too its actually an old woman or a "witch" thats sitting on their chests, theres also aliens and stuff but the name "old hag" is from the many instances of an old woman on your chest) and yeah, back in the day old women were often thought of as mysterious thus being evil witches or something... (people feared what they didnt know)

like others said, its just the amazing mind trying to rationalize something it senses the body feeling