Jesus H...

[Spaceman McConaughey]

So, this morning, I woke up, and boy did I wake up:

I was laying on my side on my bed, facing the wall, and as my eyes are opening I see the arm of an infant coming out from under my pillows. It had a white sleeve on, and that is all I saw before I bolted off of my bed over my dog screaming and yelling for help, and I fell on the floor; knee still hurts, badly. My mom comes in, I am on the floor in shock, ect. ect.

Okay, this is an odd thing that happens to me A LOT, though not always to this extreme of a level. Sometimes it's nothing, other times it's a piece of cloth simulated by my brain hanging on my coat wrack or in my closet, then there's the SCARY, SCARY stuff like this morning's incident. And as a kid, I would suffer from paralysis as I woke up, and when I was finally able to open my eyes, odd things would run towards me. Skeletal birds, bats, spiders that emitted their own source of light on my wall or outside my window. If I kept my eyes closed instead(IF, it was a time I'd see those things), a first person scene would play before me, as if I am in an open environment in broad daylight, interacting with various people, all photo realistic.

Now, as for those things, they wouldn't exactly scare me. I would be shocked, and close my eyes very quickly and they'd leave. But these things happening nowadays are at a new level, as I am in a way more conscious state when I see them. And they look way more realistic than as a kid.

Now, I am aware nothing paranormal is happening here, and I am also aware that I do not have any serious mental conditions, but it's SOMETHING. Is it some kind of other condition? I think it has something to do with being in such a deep state of dreaming before I wake up, and then my mind has me see things in reality before they disappear. But I dunno, really.

Any help?  And I'll say again, I know I have no mental condition that can equate to schizophrenia or being just plain old psychotic.

[Vell]

Hmm... *consults psych text*

brb checking, and if Ic an't find anything I'll ask my professor thursday.

[Spaceman McConaughey]

Okay, thanks.

[Vell]

Mrrph, so the chapters on sensory/perception and consciousness didn't give me anything.

I'll be sure to ask my psych professor if she has any idea on thursday, though.

[Blizzard]

Something weird happened to me a few weeks back. From my dream sequence I didn't first wake up and then open my eyes, but I somehow managed to do it right away. Except that I didn't open both eyes and that caused something really, really weird to happen. I saw stuff. With my open eye I really saw what was there in the room, nothing special, but because my other eye was closed, I managed somehow to wake up only half of my brain (which is possible as dolphins normally sleep only with half a brain while they stay awake and aware with the other). My other half was still sleeping and dreaming. Not only that, it was projecting the images of my dream. The images from my dream weren't as real as the images my woke eye was picking up, but the images were woven into each other. But for some reason either this state of mind or the actual dream were forcing a reaction in me (kind of a fear) that nightmares usually cause to wake me up (even though it wasn't a nightmare). I remained in this state for at least 5 seconds, maybe even over 10 seconds. In any case, it's possible that your mind didn't completely wake up and that's what's happening to you.

Ever heard of microsleep/powernap? Your brain steals away a second or two to quickly REM and usually you dream stuff during that. I appears to you only as an image, but that moment you dreamed actually had a past of its own which you were was real for that short moment. Usually microsleeps happen if you are sleep deprived, but it happened to me that I had microsleeps without any reason. The other day I actually had one happen to me. I was at the office. I was working and suddenly my brain was out for maybe a second or two. After that I was pretty freaked out. I couldn't remember a thing, but I've had a nightmare in that brief moment and my mind and body had enough time to react to it.

There's one last thing. I talked with a friend about a similar topic. It was also about nightmares and that weird paralysis when you wake up. Personally, the paralysis never happened to me, but my friend described pretty much the same scenario that you described. He was lying there and couldn't move and even though he was actually already awake, he would still keep dreaming and it was sometimes a nightmare that would freak the fuck out of him in those few seconds. He's had it worse, though, he couldn't wake up so quickly. >.< I think being awake and really dreaming are not mutually exclusive.

In any case, I think this is quite normal. So you shouldn't worry too much about it if it's not frequent.

[Ryex]

I think this is just a rather extreme case of what is the completely normal feeling people get when the wake up. their dreams are bleeding through to their conscious mind while they are still waking up. when i wake up for about the next 10 minutes (unless I have some sort of shock that brings me to complete awakeness) I have thoughts that are  half based on dream logic and make no sense.

what you describe is a much more extreme case in which you experience visual hallucinations that are bleeding through from your dream state mind. I've no advice to offer you other than try to ignore them and visit a psychiatrist (not a shrink, a person who had a medical doctorate on the study of the mind)

[Blizzard]

OH GOD MY DREAMS ARE BLEEDING

[Vell]

That paralysis when you wake up after dreaming is called "sleep paralysis" and it's caused by you being conscious, but not awake.

When you're in REM sleep your mind is fully active,but your body is self-paralysed. This is because your brain sends out all those neural signals to respond to the false stimuli of your brain. And you don't want to get up and walk while dreaming (most sleepwalking occurs during Non-REM sleep, in fact!) or anything. That'd be potentially dangerous.

Anyway, what happens in sleep paralysis is that you've awakened consciously, but your body hasn't moved on from that paralysis state of REM sleep, which is why it also occasionally comes along with "bleeding of dreams"

[Spaceman McConaughey]

Okay, thanks, guys.

That sexy info you all gave me helps calm my nerves.

[Vell]

It still kind of doesn't explain why you're getting those intense hallucinations, though.

[Ryex]

That paralysis when you wake up after dreaming is called "sleep paralysis" and it's caused by you being conscious, but not awake.

When you're in REM sleep your mind is fully active,but your body is self-paralysed. This is because your brain sends out all those neural signals to respond to the false stimuli of your brain. And you don't want to get up and walk while dreaming (most sleepwalking occurs during Non-REM sleep, in fact!) or anything. That'd be potentially dangerous.

Anyway, what happens in sleep paralysis is that you've awakened consciously, but your body hasn't moved on from that paralysis state of REM sleep, which is why it also occasionally comes along with "bleeding of dreams"

I knew there was research to back up what I was saying but I didn't feel like going and finding it. that and I had just literally got out of my phyc class 5 minutes ago when I made that post, and didn't feel like finding out if my prof was still in his office

thanks for being more motivated than me

[Vell]

I just knew that already.

[Blizzard]

It still kind of doesn't explain why you're getting those intense hallucinations, though.

Could be microsleep as I already mentioned.

[MarkHest]

I experienced a lot of sleep paralysis when i was around the age of 15-17, i still experience them sometimes but not as much(Got one two days ago )

I remember when i got my FIRST sleep paralysis and i was scared to DEATH! I mean it! Terrified! I had no idea what sleep paralysis was and i actualy thought something was out to get me, becous of the hallucinations. But after 2 years of wonder i finaly found some information about it on the net that this was called Sleep Paralysis and that it can be quiet common. (God was i relieved...)

However, tuggernuts, what you said in your first post about seeing a hand reaching out for you is a bit creepy ._.
It chould just be a hallucination from your dreams that still lingers or maybe it chould be something paranormal... just a possibility.

If i experienced something like it i would probably do the same as you... throw myself out of bed and scream xD

EDIT: Fixed the misspelling of Tugger's name.
Yes the one right under this post that blizzard quoted xD

[Blizzard]

tuggernauts

[Vell]

Well see, I'm not inclined to believe that; a microsleep is a moment of REM sleep (usually to help relieve the body of sleep deprivation) but Tug's case involves the moment after he wakes up from a night's rest. And it's also not likely sleep paralysis; if it was, he would not be able to jump out of bed when he got freaked out... though nevermind upon rereading it he's paralysed before seeing the images. I don't understand what could be causing you to hallucinate -after- the sleep paralysis is gone.

Are you on any medications?

[cyclope]

So, this morning, I woke up, and boy did I wake up:

I was laying on my side on my bed, facing the wall, and as my eyes are opening I see the arm of an infant coming out from under my pillows. It had a white sleeve on, and that is all I saw before I bolted off of my bed over my dog screaming and yelling for help, and I fell on the floor; knee still hurts, badly. My mom comes in, I am on the floor in shock, ect. ect.

Okay, this is an odd thing that happens to me A LOT, though not always to this extreme of a level. Sometimes it's nothing, other times it's a piece of cloth simulated by my brain hanging on my coat wrack or in my closet, then there's the SCARY, SCARY stuff like this morning's incident. And as a kid, I would suffer from paralysis as I woke up, and when I was finally able to open my eyes, odd things would run towards me. Skeletal birds, bats, spiders that emitted their own source of light on my wall or outside my window. If I kept my eyes closed instead(IF, it was a time I'd see those things), a first person scene would play before me, as if I am in an open environment in broad daylight, interacting with various people, all photo realistic.

Now, as for those things, they wouldn't exactly scare me. I would be shocked, and close my eyes very quickly and they'd leave. But these things happening nowadays are at a new level, as I am in a way more conscious state when I see them. And they look way more realistic than as a kid.

Now, I am aware nothing paranormal is happening here, and I am also aware that I do not have any serious mental conditions, but it's SOMETHING. Is it some kind of other condition? I think it has something to do with being in such a deep state of dreaming before I wake up, and then my mind has me see things in reality before they disappear. But I dunno, really.

Any help?  And I'll say again, I know I have no mental condition that can equate to schizophrenia or being just plain old psychotic.

Most likely Freddy Kruger as after you...

[AliveDrive]

Ulta beat me to it.

Sleep paralysis.

Try eating less sugar before you sleep.

[Spaceman McConaughey]

Ah, looking back at this post more awake, I should probably add more info as I wasn't nearly descriptive enough now that I look at it:

I was actually taking a nap after staying up all night, and then I woke up for whatever reason and saw the arm coming from under my pillows.
And I haven't had sleep paralysis in years, I was just saying as a kid it would make me see different things than I do now-a-days. But no more do I have it.
Although I miss having it, because it was a definitive warning that I was about to see these things(so I could keep my eyes closed until I woke up more).
Now? Well, it all comes randomly, and I fucking hate it that way.

Also, I have a tip for people who still get sleep paralysis:
Wiggle the ends of your feet(or toes), as those for whatever reason never get effected by the paralysis, keep at it, and you will eventually have control of your body again.

[MarkHest]

Wiggling myself back and forth at a slow phase usualy gets me out fo sleep paralysis pretty fast. It only lasts for about 6 - 9 seconds (unless i want it to go on in it becous i like to TRY and imagine my own hallucinations, but still i only manage to see black figures... kinda boring.)

There are two effective ways of getting out of sleep paralysis for me:

One: The one i mentioned, i just start moving back and forth as much as i can, it usualy starts with my head.

Two: Just lay down and take it, try and become as much aware as you can in your mind and just relax, this way i can altso quickly get out of this state. (it helps a lot if you're not affraid, since the more relaxed you are, the faster the proccess.)

That's just how i do things.

By the way, tugger. How did you feel when you went through your very first Sleep Paralysis?