Trigger11 wrote:
Some times, I fall into R.E.M. sleep and cut off circulation to my brain, because my Carotid Artery is abnormally twisted and over slightly further than usual and it gets pinched when I sleep on my back. Anyway, for about 20 years I have been struggling with the bizarre behavior that occurs in these situations. Basically, I feel like I am floating and paralyzed with extremely bright lights around me. I watch a lot of Sci-Fi stuff and loved The X-Files, so I began to think I really was being abducted. Over the course of about 5 years, I began to truly fight it. I have some bit of consciousness during these episodes, but not much. Plus, I start to feel like I am passing out. Weird, cause I'm asleep. So I start trying to move my arms and legs when this happens and challenge my mind to try and wake up. After a lot of episodes and subsequent practice, I was finally able to pound my fist on the bed, so now I know I am not actually floating. I can now even bring myself to consciousness, but it is a very weird feeling. I don't feel like I am in my body when I do wake up for about 2-3 minutes. I cannot go back to sleep after one of these episodes. They found a tumor in my throat a few years ago, which is how I learned of my Carotid Artery being abnormal following multiple pre-surgery CT and MRI Scans. I kind of liked the idea of being abducted, but I had to figure this out. Now I know what was happening, and still does happen, to me at times.
Sounds like hypnagogic experiences. I never knew it could be related to an artery condition. I get them on occasion but never had an out of body experience. I think that would be kind of cool. Maybe not so pleasant if you’re trying to get a good night sleep though. When I get it I just feel paralyzed for a few moments and if I don’t fight it I usually just drift back to sleep. Very rarely I’ll also hear a knock, or chatter/laughter, or I’ll hear my name called out. These episodes where I hear sounds have always occurred during the day when I take naps. I think it has something to do with REM kicking in at an unusual time.
I had full blown visual and tactile hypnagogic hallucinations as a child when I had a bad reaction to some psych med. These were horrible frightening experiences. I felt something tugging on my sheets one night and another night I saw these weird flashes of light emanating from my door knob. The worst was when I saw a shadowy thing slither out of the heat duct and crawl up to the side of my bed. After that one I refused to sleep in my bedroom. Of course my parents didn’t really understand that it was something more than just nightmares. I had hallucinations every night for almost a week before my parents went back to the psychiatrist and took me off the meds. I was traumatized by it. I insisted on sleeping in my parent’s bedroom for almost a whole year afterwards. I also became extremely sensitive to television programs or movies that depicted any kind of monsters or ghosts. I couldn’t even watch Scooby Doo.
14 Aug 2007, 12:06 am
