I've had similar "awakening " experiences. The only way I've been able to rationalize them was this way: The human brain is actually two separate
brains joined together through a USB connector. And while we are asleep, both brains sleep and can dream (compared to cats, which both brains take
turns napping or being on alert). So my idea is that when I awaken in those frightening semi-paralyzed yet aware states, I'm only half awake. One
brain is still asleep and experiencing a dream, and the other brain is awake and experiencing this reality. And, both halves are suddenly experiencing
each others experience.
From the way you told the experience, as being in bed waking up, you were that. The other brain (or other half when you look at it as a whole, but
really there are two separate brains in our heads) was probably still dreaming whatever you were both dreaming together seconds before.
I dreamt once that I was running from a pack of wolves in the woods when I tripped and fell and hit my head. When that happened I found myself awake
back in my bed. My heart was racing. I knew it must have been a dream, a nightmare, scary enough to wake me up. But I still felt terrified and
couldn't calm down or sit up. Something still felt wrong. I thought maybe someone was in my room. A burglar? Then I felt something on me. I could
hear my heart pounding. The room was dark, so I reached up slowly with one arm to turn on a headboard lamp. The bulb flashed brightly, and POP! The
bulb burnt out.
Oh god, I swear in that brief flash, I saw a dozen wolves standing over, on, and around me.
To this day it's a wonder why I didn't wet myself at that moment. I closed my eyes and begun to pray it would go quick. Yes, surely these are
professional killers, they will know how to kill me quickly. I lay there waiting . . . I could hear them . . feel them breathing in my face .. I think
. . but wait, I was dreaming that just before I awoke, right? I relaxed a bit . . Just a nightmare, that's what it was, ha. Silly me. I reach to turn
on the light. Oh yeah, ha, burnt out. Damn, what were the chances of that happening just then. And then I remembered wondering ~ what woke me up? Then
I heard a noise in the room. And suddenly the cat jumped on me. $#&@, ha.
The wolves... that whole experience, I think that is what happens when both brains don't wake up simultaneously. One half is still tripping out in a
nightmare, and the awake half now realizing it's in bed waking up to experience this world, and also the dream it's receiving from the still
dreaming brain. Something like that. We've all probably seen people wake up like that, seemingly awake, eyes open, yet yelling about something and
flailing their arms at it.
Oh, the same thing can be experienced it you stand over the threshold of a stargate too. Trippy.
Disorienting.