Family Experiences

I was going to put this in paranormal activities but I as don't have concrete prove aside from my family members statements I figured here would a better place.

My father has told me stories of when he was younger about what he called "light dreams" which he explained as preparing to go to sleep and being enveloped in a bright and then being in places he had never been and the feeling someone or something was watching him. During these dreams he says he spoke to people and interacted in them. He also made it a point to state where ever he was taken he remained in what he was wearing before they started. He said at first the beings didn't seem evil or harmful but as they began to happen more he said the they seemed to take a malevolent feel to them. He says he has woken up with injuries he suffered in these "light dreams". He says that he was punished as a kid or sneaking out a few times when these incidents occurred.

This is confirmed by my grandmother that he was in trouble younger or leaving the middle of the night but claimed to have never left. Finally he says that when he happened to actually end up in places in his dreams the people he talked asked him how he has been and etc. He seems to think aliens are responsible for his experiences which I could agree with but astral projection could also explain it as well. My mother also confirms that something has happened to my dad.

What do you think these experiences could have been? My dad seems to believe that it was aliens while I can believe that I lean toward some sort of astral projection but that wouldn't explain him saying that someone was there with him.