Sleep Paralysis - Seeing Ghosts and Unable to Move After Waking Up

[Red Leader]

I've definately had dreams (bad ones) where I wake up and can't move or talk for a couple seconds. I feel almost like a dead fish. Totally paralyzed and lifeless, but just laying there. What you described by saying your body turns on a paralysis state, makes sense. I've often wondered before why I haven't totally beat on someone I'm in bed with when I have a crazy dream about fighting someone, or why I don't YELL real loud when I do in a dream. That would explain why.

[halcyon]

I gotta confess...I ain't never heard of any of this "paralysis" business with regards to sleep. It does sound interesting though. My worst sleep experiences came with sleep walking as a child. Once, when spending the nite with my friend, I decided to see how late we could stay up. I made it past four oclock and passed out on his couch. Next morning, I find myself in my friends bedroom and my friend is still on the couch. I get up and ask him how in the world I got in his bedroom. His dad starts laughing at me. Turns out I slept walked into him and his wife's bedroom. I just opened the door, walked in and proceeded to stare at him and his wife in bed until he carried me back to my friend's room. He tried to wake me a little but couldn't so he left it alone. The weirder thing was that it was the first time I'd ever been in that house and had never been into the part of the house that I slept walked through. How'd I manage that without bumping everything?

[OnBaseMachine]

I had a horrible dream that the Reds signed Eric Milton to a year deal worth 25 million a year. Oh...

Seriously, this paralysis stuff sounds scary. Hope I never get it.

[SirFelixCat]

Off topic, but last night I dreamed SCredsfan tried out for the Reds and won a spot on the 25 man roster. Out of the pen.

I love you, creek

And this got way too little attention, folks I am a lefty with a NASTY 11-TO-5 curve. If it wasn't for that little tear in my labrum....:sigh:


Back on topic, my God. I pray I never encounter that feeling. That, to me, would be unbearably terrifying. That "mechanism" sounds viable to me. I'm just grateful I have never had to deal with this

[RFS62]

When I was 12 years old, I had a very vivid and terrible dream about vampires, and I woke up terrified, and paralyzed. In the darkness, I imagined a shape moving just at the foot of my bed. I tried to scream, but nothing. Couldn't move a finger. And the shape moved slowly around and came right up beside me, so I believed. I was freaked completely out, trying to move or yell, but I couldn't. The being paralyzed part was incredible, and I vividly remember how eerie and terrifying it was to be defenseless.

I then imagined that it was the vampire from my dream, and she leaned down and bit me on the neck. And I was paralyzed, and couldn't do anything. Then she got up and disappeared, and I laid there for what seemed like hours, although I'm sure it was just minutes, before I could move again.

I just kept telling myself "it has to be a dream, it has to be a dream". But I couldn't believe how different it was from any other dream I'd ever had. So real, and the paralysis was stunning to experience.

The next morning, getting ready for school, I was still shaken up by the whole thing, and just kept saying to myself "it was only a dream" and still amazed at how real it seemed.

Then I looked into the bathroom mirror, and I swear this is true, there were two little scabs on my neck, EXACTLY like they would be if a vampire had bit me!!! I almost had a heart attack. Words will never describe the wacked out thoughts that ran through a 12 year old mind at that moment.

I wouldn't go outside after dark for about two weeks. It was a tremendous battle to go to sleep every night for months after that.

I know I wasn't visited by a vampire. I have no idea how those marks got there, no kidding. And I haven't told anyone this story in years, mainly due to the looks you get when you do tell someone, even a close friend who knows that you generally aren't crazy. But it happened just like that.

[RollyInRaleigh]

That's amazing, RFS62! Vampires were my biggest fear as a child. I was terrified of them and would sleep every night, regardless of how hot it was, with blankets up around my neck.

[Rocket_Fuel]

I've had the sleep paralysis thing a number of times. I've seen ghosts, though I was actually wide awake and not sleep and out-of-body experiences.