Hypnagogic Hallucinations or Paranormal Activity?

I'm going to relate something to you guys that happened to me when I was a child. It was late, probably around two or three in the morning, and I had gotten out of bed to go to the bathroom. At this time in my life I was frightened of witches as depicted in the Wizard of Oz, and as I went into the bathroom that's exactly what I saw: green skin, pointy hat, etc. Now, my question to you: Was this a hallucination due to Hypnagogia, or was it something paranormal playing a cruel game with a scared child?

According to Wikipedia, Hypnagogia is defined as such:

Sometimes the word hypnagogia is used in a restricted sense to refer to the onset of sleep, and contrasted with hypnopompia, Fredierick Myers’ term for waking up. However, hypnagogia is also regularly employed in a more general sense that covers both falling asleep and waking up, and Havelock Ellis questioned the need for separate terms. Indeed, it is not always possible in practice to assign a particular episode of any given phenomenon to one or the other, given that the same kinds of experience occur in both, and that people may drift in and out of sleep. In this article hypnagogia will be used in the broader sense, unless otherwise stated or implied.

Other terms for hypnagogia, in one or both senses, that have been proposed include ‘presomnal’ or ‘anthypnic sensations’, ‘visions of half-sleep’, ‘oneirogogic images’ and ‘phantasmata’, ‘the borderland of sleep’, 'praedormitium’, the ‘borderland state’, ‘half-dream state’, ‘pre-dream condition’, ‘sleep onset dreams’, dreamlets, and ‘wakefulness-sleep transition’ state (WST).

en.wikipedia.org...


The problem with this explanation is that a lot of people who experience seeing things when they wake up swear that they were entirely awake. for example:

My 3 yr old daughter has woken up twice in the last 3 days at approx. 3am. Came into my bed and started to hallucinate. (She had done this once before approx. 1 mth ago, seeing bugs) She was clearly awake. It lasted the 1st night about 2-3 hours before she fell asleep and the second night not as long.

She vividly described what she was seeing. She woke up with pimples on her body, then saw them on mine. She then saw letters falling from the sky. She saw a monkey, a boy on the ceiling fan, and other various things. She would wisper [sic] and point to things and tell me what she saw. I could tell that she was scared and unsure when I told her that there was nothing there. I kept telling her to close her eyes and think of happy thoughts but she couldn't fall asleep. Finally she said she wanted to leave my room. When we went to leave she looked on the ground and jolted, turned to me and frantically asked me to pick her up because there was stuff all over the ground. So I carried her to the bathroom 1st. We both went potty (lol) so I knew she was completely awake! Then went to her room. I thought it seemed like she was finally getting better util it started to happen again. But it only lasted aa short time before she fell asleep.

www.medhelp.org...

So, what I want to know is what are your opinions on this? Can it be hypnagogic hallucinations when the person is completely awake, or is there something else going on? Are there spirits that play practical jokes on unsuspecting people (especially children)?

Originally posted by LiquidLight
I'm going to relate something to you guys that happened to me when I was a child.

Are you still scared of her..?


[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/6c66326e6bd3.jpg[/atsimg]


She died in 1985...





"This House is Clean..."

reply to post by chapter29


No, I must say I'm not afraid of much anymore, but I think there is definitely something out there preying on childrens' fears.

hypnogogia can be link to brain patterns & chemistry. While you (or others) may have felt "awake," that fact or lack of could be completely irrelevant. The question would ultimately come down to an understanding of your brain patterns & chemistry at the time of the incident. Hynogogia can happen at times when you are "spacing out," meditating, just feeling sleepy, or other various times.

I will check out the article but I believe many people including myself have hypnogogic imagery while perfectly awake. The artist Roberto Matta based many of his paintings in the 50's and 60's on hypnogogic imagery and "phosphenes" and many artists since have claimed to do the same.

Science will just look at the period of time just before sleep as to answering your question. But there are these... I hate the word vissions, and they aren't 'dreams' because there was no sleep involved...

I judge what's what for myself by the feelings and emotions and 'knowings' that go along with it, and that follow. Seems the 'real thing' tends to be something that causes deep thought and sometimes change, sometimes there's information etc.

I too had something I saw when very little... I couldn't have been sleeping - yet it sure seems like it couldn't be possible to be real. It was my first experience with the paranormal that I remember (although my mom remembers a friend I had when I was much younger... I called her Jenny, maybe just an imaginary friend). The odd thing (other than it happened at all) was that I didn't seem to think anything about it at all at the time. It wasn't scarry, wasn't alarming, didn't make me wonder or think about it... it was as if it was a normal every day benign thing. It wasn't until I was a young teen that I looked back at the experience and went WOW!

My experiences with hypnogogic images is that they reside in my mind right as i'm drifting off to sleep, not something that is projected into the waking world. If i saw a witch in my bathroom, i'd put my money on paranormal experience.

I realize this is an old topic but it's been happening to me a lot lately. I did some research and the closest I could come up with was "daytime hypnagogia". It started around the time I began researching paranormal phenomena again after years of vowing to stay away due to bad experiences. The thing is, I can't tell if it had been happening all along and I was mentally blocking it out - which I'd forced myself to do with anything I couldn't explaine due to the aforementioned experiences - or if it is truly a new occurrence.

What happens is this - I'll be alone in my room working on an article, for instance, fully awake and fully alert. Maybe I'll take a time-out for a cigarette or I might just be thinking over how to word a sentence or paragraph I'm working on. I tend to compose my articles in my head before writing them down. Occasionally I'll find myself in a completely different place, different surroundings, having a conversation with people I seem to recognize. I imagine it only lasts for a few seconds at best, and, well, it's difficult to explain simply because there's no physical change I can feel - it's definitely a dream-like quality. I suddenly become aware that I'm saying something (non-verbally) that can't possibly be happening because there's no one there. The realization makes me snap back to reality, with the memory of the last thing I said, usually something completely illogical to my current situation, still clear in my head. Then it fades within seconds, just like waking from a dream and I can recall nothing of it. At first it was the most unnerving feeling, the question of "where was I?", "Who was I talking to?" but lately I've welcomed these lapses since they are rarely threatening.

I have a few theories on this. One is hypnagogia, of course - slipping into a dream state while awake, probably exacerbated by chronic insomnia. I rarely sleep unless heavily medicated.

For a brief while I'd wondered if it was possible I'd shifted dimensions, though I'm not a big believer even though the idea fascinates me to no end. Another involved alien activity but that confused me too much so I dropped it.

The third one is probably even harder to believe, but since I've experienced it myself I can't discount it. About ten years ago, while waiting for an Aussie friend to come online (halfway around the world from my location), I was surprised not to see him as it was the norm to find him there when I awoke. I didn't think too much of it, and after a while I went downstairs for a drink. As I was exiting the kitchen I saw, in my mind, a vague yet strangely concrete image of my friend lying on a sofa watching some cheesy horror movie while waiting for a man, who my mind told me was his dad, to finish up his work on the computer. Later when my friend came on I'd mostly forgotten about the "vision" when I asked, just out of curiosity, why he'd been so late getting on. Imagine my surprise when he said, "Oh, I was just lying on the sofa watching Leno while I waited for my dad to get off the computer." I laughed and told him it was funny that I'd pictured him doing just that, except he was watching a silly horror movie. Well, he blew my mind when he told me he'd actually been watching a horrible alien abduction film right before Leno. Weeeird. And the thing is, he'd never mentioned his dad living at home before and I'd always assumed they were estranged. It made me wonder how many times I've seen things (remote viewing?) but never had them confirmed. I sometimes wonder if these lapses I've been having could be similar. Any thoughts?

[Edited for typos.]

[edit on 9-8-2010 by daisyglaze]

To get technical for a minute, hypnogogic imagery is what you see as you are falling asleep, hypnopompic imagery is what you see as you are waking up.

I read somewhere that we are always dreaming, even while awake. Wish I could find a link to that article. Basically, when we are asleep, we are only dreaming, but when we are awake, we are conscious and dreaming. The implications of that really mess with reality.

Sightings of shadow people are most common when waking, during the hypnopompic stage. I tend to think these are real entities, mostly because of the lack of variation in appearance and behavior. If they were figments of your imagination, they would be more personalized. They also resist my attempts to control them, and since I specialize in dream control (I can even control hypnogogics), this is rather odd. Even without complete control, I should be able to influence them in some subtle way. Usually strong emotions are the best way to exert control over dream elements, but shadow people seem indifferent to fear, curiosity, or any other emotion I try to use.

Next there are highly personalized apparition, like the witches mentioned by the OP. Logically, you could write those off as pure personal fabrication. But even those incidents aren't so clear cut. When encountering something new, we try to describe it in terms of something we are familiar with. Like ancient cultures describing possible UFOs as flaming chariots. There is a story that when the indians saw the first pilgrim's boats, they didn't actually see massive sailing ships, but instead saw something completely different that was taken from the context of their own culture. That story can't be verified, but it illustrates my point.

If one were to dream of some "alien" entity, something completely foreign to them, they could only represent it in terms they are familiar with. Like trying to build a lego space ship out of a medieval lego set. It can be done, but you'd have to use a tower spire as a nose cone, ect.

You can't take anything in your dreams or hypnopompic visions literally. The same entity could appear as an angel to a religious person, and as a wise alien to a UFO nut, all according to their own personal archetypes.

There is no way to know for sure if what you're seeing is something you created or something real, other than to learn how dreams are formed and master dream control. I'm highly suspicious of anything that resists my attempts to control it, but that's only because I've spent many years honing my control techniques.

[edit on 9-8-2010 by The Cusp]

Originally posted by The Cusp
There is no way to know for sure if what you're seeing is something you created or something real, other than to learn how dreams are formed and master dream control. I'm highly suspicious of anything that resists my attempts to control it, but that's only because I've spent many years honing my control techniques.

[edit on 9-8-2010 by The Cusp]

I can definitely agree with the first sentence, and in my own case, had I not had irrefutable confirmation that my waking dream or whatever it was, was exactly what was happening halfway around the world at that same time, I could easily dismiss it. I thought of this a couple days later when I saw a minor personal injury occur in my mind just minutes before it happened in reality, and I would normally have assumed my mind was playing tricks with the chronology afterward. What made it credible was that the incident was caused by a random action by a third party (conductor on a small island coach flipped the fold-up seat in the aisle so I could pass and released it too soon, inflicting a deep gash on my shin, exactly as I'd seen it happen in my head).

Anyway, that's just one of many unexplained events in my life. I'm actually posting to ask about your comment about honing your control techniques. Is it only dreams you're referring to, or generalities? Ever since I was a young child I've had peculiar partial abilities that always seemed on the verge of my complete control, but there was always what I'd refer to back then as an "invisible wall" blocking me. I used to think that as I got older I'd learn to control these abilities instead of having them occur randomly but instead they seem to have weakened (although I should admit I deliberately blocked certain elements that I believed were of a malevolent nature). Would you say an individual has to be "ready" to learn or control these techniques, or could the delay in trying be a simple case of fear of failure (e.g. what if there's nothing more to this?) or success (what if it's way more than I can handle?). Sorry to ramble but I'm trying to learn from everyone I can. I've rarely had anyone to discuss these topics with. Thanks in advance.

reply to post by daisyglaze


I can relate. When I’m zoning from doing some mundane chore like folding clothes or washing dishes I frequently find myself having mental conversations without realizing it until afterwards.
A few days ago I posted an experience I had when young looking for answers. I never heard of hypnagogia. With my episodes it was most likely stress related. I wonder if its possible to self induce?
Here is my post:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Your theory on shifting dimensions sounds interesting. I once had a strange thing happen when I took a parapsychology class. The topic was psychometry. We were asked to pair up with someone we didn’t know and hold something that belonged to them. We wrote down anything that popped in our heads. I held this man’s watch and got impressions of him traveling to Hawaii, a younger man dressed in uniform and a funeral procession. He was shocked. He had recently gone to Hawaii for his brothers' funeral and the younger man was his nephew who was able to get leave from the military to attend (in his uniform). It was weird.
Anyway, that’s a small part of my life. LOL It’s nice to be able to relate to other peoples experiences. Hope to hear from you. M.

Originally posted by itsallmaya
reply to post by daisyglaze

I can relate. When I’m zoning from doing some mundane chore like folding clothes or washing dishes I frequently find myself having mental conversations without realizing it until afterwards.

Sorry I'm so late replying. I hadn't noticed your response until today, and after typing a full reply with a new kitten excitedly attacking my fast-moving fingers she finally hit the one key that would refresh the page and eat my well-thought out draft. Hopefully this attempt will improve on the original.

I get the zoned out mental conversations too, quite often in fact, but the incidences I mentioned were way different. I've since concluded that they were a side effect of anti-anxiety/sleep meds I was taking at the time. I haven't had it happen in weeks, but on re-reading journal entries from the period, I'm half-inclined to believe I was momentarily slipping out of myself and experiencing someone else's reality. Everything would seem normal - even the unfamiliar scenery, or my companions, until it hit me that I had no idea who or where I was. The weirdest part was realizing I was experiencing it all as through someone else's eyes/ears/thoughts etc - it's like my brain took a few moments to catch on that "Hey, this isn't what I'm used to!" This would be followed by a jolt and I'd "snap back" to reality. I figured it was daytime hypnagogia because the images faded like a dream, but that and the hazy quality are the only connections. Still the closest, non-paranormal explanation, though. Well, that and hallucinations, I guess.

A few days ago I posted an experience I had when young looking for answers. I never heard of hypnagogia. With my episodes it was most likely stress related. I wonder if its possible to self induce?
Here is my post: www.abovetopsecret.com...

Just read your post. It does sound like some kind of detachment took place, but I have no idea what you may have experienced. Did you have any other issues at the time - physical, emotional etc? Were your teachers tremendous bores? I really don't know but the experience sounds cool, even if the aftermath was not. I take it it no longer happens...?

Your theory on shifting dimensions sounds interesting. I once had a strange thing happen when I took a parapsychology class. The topic was psychometry. We were asked to pair up with someone we didn’t know and hold something that belonged to them. We wrote down anything that popped in our heads. I held this man’s watch and got impressions of him traveling to Hawaii, a younger man dressed in uniform and a funeral procession. He was shocked. He had recently gone to Hawaii for his brothers' funeral and the younger man was his nephew who was able to get leave from the military to attend (in his uniform). It was weird.
Anyway, that’s a small part of my life. LOL It’s nice to be able to relate to other peoples experiences. Hope to hear from you. M.

I'm not sure how much I believe yet, in terms of multiple dimensions, but after my experience with the Aussie I know it's possible to bridge long distances without the aid of technology. I believe our minds are capable of incredible feats, and some of us may simply be born with greater abilities in their area, much like some people are born artists or musicians while others need to study to attain some level of competence. Personally I think we all have it in us to see beyond the visible world, just some more than others, and for some it may take a lifetime of practice to see the slightest bit while others are just born lucky. I really liked your 'watch' story, by the way - that's the kind of thing I like to hear about. I especially like that you tapped into something and you were able to verify it for yourself. That makes all the difference, doesn't it?!