Sleep paralysis or something more?

So I've finally decided to bite the bullet and start my very first thread, I haven't been a member for all too long but figured now is as good a time as any. I'd like to share a couple of experiences I have had during my lifetime and see what you guys and gals think.

Before I begin I will state that I am a sufferer of sleep paralysis, I didn't realise this until I was around 14, prior to this time I cannot recall ever having experienced any paralysis episodes.

The story begins when I was around 6 years old, I was a normal happy child without a care in the world, I went to pre-school, played with my friends and did all the other stuff a normal child does at that age. All was well until one night my parents awoke to me screaming in their bedroom,I was screaming about the men that wanted to hurt me in my bedroom. After checking they calmed me down, told me it was just a nightmare and put me back to bed.

These incidents happened several more times over the next year or so, each time I would scream about the people in my room, my memory of these events is quite badly fragmented now although I do remember seeing silhouettes of skinny men with large heads in my bedroom at night, I remember the terror I felt and the horrible sensation that they wanted to do me harm. I recall one night I awoke and tried to turn over in bed but couldn't, the room was pitch black but I could just make out one of those familiar silhouettes at the side of my bed holding the duvet down tight on me, I got the impression that there was another at the other side of the bed doing the same thing, my memory is blank after that.

My mum put it all down to night terror but my dad became concerned the day he asked me to draw a picture of the men in my room, I drew a crude picture of a skinny man with a bulbous head and huge black eye's, how mainstream the typical grey alien was in media back in 1989 and whether I'd seen an image of one before is unknown to me.

By the time I had reached 8 it had stopped and over the coming years I gradually forgot about these incidents and led a normal life, I was 14 now and was on holiday at a Haven site with my parents, I was tired one afternoon and had decided to have an hours kip before we went out that night.

As I was in that fuzzy stage between not being quite awake and not quite asleep I felt this strange buzzing sensation in my head, I tried to move my body and started to panic when I couldn't. I felt almost as I was floating and when I finally got some control back I turned my head and to my horror could see the side of my own face although I was floating above my own body. Reality snapped back, I regained control of my body and jumped straight up off the bed. That was my first sleep paralysis episode to my knowledge.

Over the coming years I'd had dozens of episodes, it was usually the same familiar buzzing noise/sensation in my head followed by strange noises and that horrible feeling that something just out of view was staring at me. Anyone who suffers from sleep paralysis will know what I mean.

Fast forward to 5 years ago, it was a weekday night and as me and my at the time girlfriend had work in the morning we had gone up to bed around 11pm. I awoke at around 3am panicking, I had no idea why but I had this horrible feeling that something bad had happened to me, I hadn't had a paralysis episode and I don't remember dreaming anything. I quickly turned on the bedside lamp and my eye's darted across the room, I was looking for something but wasn't sure what. My girlfriend woke up and asked me what was wrong, I was breathing heavily and was struggling to talk, I knew something was wrong but didn't know what, my eye's were still darting around the room.

That's when she noticed the marks all over my body, I had lines that looked like extremely long finger marks in sets of three on my arms and upper torso, when I pulled the covers down I noticed I had them on my legs too. I had a set each on my ribs going around to my back, a set on each bicep and my wrists that went right around and also sets on my thighs and ankles. It looked liked I had been restrained and pinned down by people with extremely long fingers, albeit in sets of three.

As the marks on my ribs and thighs didn't go right round I could see that the middle mark was longer with the two outer marks looking about the same size as each other, the longer marks were around 8-10 inches with the outer ones been around an inch or so shorter. All the marks were around half an inch thick.

Although neither of us got a wink of sleep that night the marks faded away within a couple of hours and nothing has happened to me since, life has been completely normal. I still get the occasional paralysis episode although these have just been the usual ones that every other sufferer has.

So what do you guys think? Could something out of the ordinary have happened to me as a child and again 5 years ago or do you think my sleep condition is to blame or do you think its some other explanation entirely? I've racked my brain over this for a long time so would love to hear what you think.

That is an amazing and terrifying story! I have read many different versions of your story, something is going on that isn't in your mind. I don't know if I believe in aliens from other planets, could it be some kind of inter-dimensional attack? I think the only way that you might get any kind of confirmation of physical reality (as apposed to mental) would be through hypnosis. If it had been me I'd probably crapped my pants. Stay strong!

a reply to: longy9999

I've racked my brain over this for a long time so would love to hear what you think.

Sure, okay: There are two things going on.

The first is that you are experiencing the "aura" associated with temporal lobe seizure. That's where all of the sights and sounds (possibly smells) are coming from. That is also where the intense feelings of emotion and the sense of a presence in the room ar coming from.

This sort of stuff happens on the cusp of sleep, or upon completing one sleep cycle and entering another, so your body is supposed to be paralysed, if you become conscious then, you will experience your body as being immobile.

But all the pyrotechnics are coming from the seizure.

So, join the club, I get 'em, you get 'em, even Whitley Streiber gets 'em.

originally posted by: lost in space
That is an amazing and terrifying story! I have read many different versions of your story, something is going on that isn't in your mind. I don't know if I believe in aliens from other planets, could it be some kind of inter-dimensional attack? I think the only way that you might get any kind of confirmation of physical reality (as apposed to mental) would be through hypnosis. If it had been me I'd probably crapped my pants. Stay strong!

To be honest I have thought about hypnosis before but I'm kinda worried about what it might reveal. The problem with hypnosis is that once you unlock a memory it will stay unlocked. If something out of the ordinary did indeed happen then I'm guessing my memory is blanked for a reason and it might be better staying that way.
It is definitely worth consideration though.

originally posted by: Bybyots
a reply to: longy9999

I've racked my brain over this for a long time so would love to hear what you think.

Sure, okay: There are two things going on.

The first is that you are experiencing the "aura" associated with temporal lobe seizure. That's where all of the sights and sounds (possibly smells) are coming from. That is also where the intense feelings of emotion and the sense of a presence in the room ar coming from.

This sort of stuff happens on the cusp of sleep, or upon completing one sleep cycle and entering another, so your body is supposed to be paralysed, if you become conscious then, you will experience your body as being immobile.

But all the pyrotechnics are coming from the seizure.

So, join the club, I get 'em, you get 'em, even Whitley Streiber gets 'em.

In short its a pain in the ass! Over the years I've got used to the episodes and they generally don't frighten me any more, they usually only last around 15 seconds so I close my eyes and try and wiggle my little finger until my brain and body catch up to each other and I regain control.

Whats your opinion on the marks I awoke with? Paralysis could account for some of the things I saw as a child but I didn't have an episode that night.

a reply to: longy9999

Whats your opinion on the marks I awoke with?

No idea.

Paralysis could account for some of the things I saw as a child but I didn't have an episode that night.

No, the paralysis cannot, but the temporal lobe seizure can.

Here, go check out the second post here, it's pretty good one of its type.

www.coping-with-epilepsy.com...

Do you get migraine headaches?

Right another sp post. OK please read and listen carefully as I KNOW what is causing this. The reason u feel a presence is because there IS one, not just some seizure in your head, that doesn't explain the marks anyway (I have had similar and know what your talking about). Now stay with me for the next bit... The entities doing this have various names but I prefer the term Jinn. They reside alongside us in a parralel dimension, but can effect us in various ways. A number of things can cause them to 'mess around' with u, they may like you even love u, they may hate you or u may have upset them somehow... Research the 'jinn' I could write an essay but too hard on my phone right now... There are numerous ways to ward them off but do some research and get bk to me if u need more info.

originally posted by: Bybyots
a reply to: longy9999

Whats your opinion on the marks I awoke with?

No idea.

Paralysis could account for some of the things I saw as a child but I didn't have an episode that night.

No, the paralysis cannot, but the temporal lobe seizure can.

Here, go check out the second post here, it's pretty good one of its type.

www.coping-with-epilepsy.com...

Do you get migraine headaches?

I've never had a migraine as far as I know, curiously enough though I do sometimes get a headache which gives me a throbbing pain behind my left eye, this only maybe happens once a month and generally only lasts around 10 minutes. I went to the opticians last year regarding this but no anomalies were found.

Edit later: I've just read the posts in the link you provided, I didn't realise that sleep paralysis and these seizures were so strikingly similar! I need to look into it some more but you've definitely given me some food for thought. Thanks.

originally posted by: Kamza
Right another sp post. OK please read and listen carefully as I KNOW what is causing this. The reason u feel a presence is because there IS one, not just some seizure in your head, that doesn't explain the marks anyway (I have had similar and know what your talking about). Now stay with me for the next bit... The entities doing this have various names but I prefer the term Jinn. They reside alongside us in a parralel dimension, but can effect us in various ways. A number of things can cause them to 'mess around' with u, they may like you even love u, they may hate you or u may have upset them somehow... Research the 'jinn' I could write an essay but too hard on my phone right now... There are numerous ways to ward them off but do some research and get bk to me if u need more info.

Without checking the Jinn are the creatures from Islamic mythology? I've heard of them before but haven't read much about them, I'll have a look around the net and look into them.

a reply to: longy9999

Summary: Try relaxing during the day and get out of autopilot mode. It may help with your experiences at night.

It sounds like episodes of sleep paralysis transitioning into an out of body experience. I'm not sure what the markings could be because they wouldn't be self-induced while you were sleeping due to the paralysis.

Stress and other negative daily influences have a profound impact on our minds. It might better to focus more on your mind and body during the day than what is happening at night. My guess is that if there is a simple answer for you it lies with expanding your awareness during the day. You can call this meditation if you like, but I simply mean getting out of autopilot mode and becoming more aware of the stimulus you receive. Sitting or laying down in a quiet room with a calm mind helps facilitate that awareness but it isn't necessary. Mostly it just takes the desire to shut off your autopilot.

If there is an external influence causing things like the marks on your body then the only piece of advice I can think of is to focus on the fact that you are still alive and well. Live your life and try to minimize the fear. I wish you the best.

originally posted by: compressedFusion
a reply to: longy9999

Summary: Try relaxing during the day and get out of autopilot mode. It may help with your experiences at night.

It sounds like episodes of sleep paralysis transitioning into an out of body experience. I'm not sure what the markings could be because they wouldn't be self-induced while you were sleeping due to the paralysis.

Stress and other negative daily influences have a profound impact on our minds. It might better to focus more on your mind and body during the day than what is happening at night. My guess is that if there is a simple answer for you it lies with expanding your awareness during the day. You can call this meditation if you like, but I simply mean getting out of autopilot mode and becoming more aware of the stimulus you receive. Sitting or laying down in a quiet room with a calm mind helps facilitate that awareness but it isn't necessary. Mostly it just takes the desire to shut off your autopilot.

If there is an external influence causing things like the marks on your body then the only piece of advice I can think of is to focus on the fact that you are still alive and well. Live your life and try to minimize the fear. I wish you the best.

Thank you for your reply

To be honest I don't have a particularly stressful lifestyle, my wife always complains at me for not getting stressed or worried about anything, my job is not particularly demanding and I have a good environment at home.

The experiences I had as a child could be a simple case of my memory of the incidents changing over the years, perhaps I did just suffer with night terror and my mind has turned it into something more as time has progressed. The incident 5 years ago was a strange one that I cannot explain, but this only happened the once so perhaps there is a logical explanation for what happened, I just haven't found it yet.

To be honest the sleep paralysis doesn't really affect me much now, I'll have a stint where I'll get it a couple of times a night for a week and then it stops for a couple of months. In fact, I can't even remember when my last episode was.

Perhaps you are correct and these episodes are brought on by my current state of mind due to things that have happened during the day, I'll be keeping a record from now on when these episodes occur so I can review what has happened during that day and see if this is where the problem lies.

Thanks again