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I experienced them first when I was 6 or 7 and I still remember it.

I remember each episode since, and they're getting more frequent.

It goes like this:

I go to bed normally, but at some point during the night - I either wake up and I can't move, or I dream that I wake up and I can't move.

Last night was particularly bad - I woke up and I was completely paralyzed, then I either fell back asleep or fainted, but I woke up again as like I was experiencing a Groundhog Day moment, and the whole thing repeated with just small differences (i.e I was closer to the edge of the bed - I was trying to reach for the light.

I then 'fake' woke up again. Basically, either I experienced three episodes of the same panic attack and just fainted in between, either I dreamed about waking up three times, with only the 4th one actually being base reality.

They always come with extreme fear. Sheer terror for some unexplained reason. I straight-up feel there's someone in my room with me just out of sight and it's really, really difficult to move my eyes and focus them on a single spot.

The weird thing is, I had one of those faggot eye blackout masks on, but I could still see what was going on in the room.

The last time this happened I was visiting my parents during Christmas, and it was so bad and I was screaming so bad that my father walked in the room and had no idea what was going on. Somehow I knew he was there and I started screaming: 'Touch me! Shake me! Move me!'. I remember doing that and I remember why: because I couldn't move and I was hoping him shaking me would kickstart me back into reality....

...but how the hell would I know that I'm experiencing this, and that he's in the room, when I was with my eyes closed and apparently having a nightmare from his point of view?

I now have them once a month. It used to be once every few years, then once a year... I've no idea what's going on but I'm terrified of going to bed.

I used an app called 'Sleep as Droid' to record my sleep and on a few occasions the sound recordings were pure horror. I was screaming in pure terror. I'm a grown ass man and it was painful to hear myself scream like a little girl. No horror movie, story or anything like that - now, or when I was young, ever came close to the panic and fear I experience during these episodes.

What the fuck is going on with me?

I experienced them first when I was 6 or 7 and I still remember it. I remember each episode since, and they're getting more frequent. It goes like this: I go to bed normally, but at some point during the night - I either wake up and I can't move, or I dream that I wake up and I can't move. Last night was particularly bad - I woke up and I was completely paralyzed, then I either fell back asleep or fainted, but I woke up again as like I was experiencing a Groundhog Day moment, and the whole thing repeated with just small differences (i.e I was closer to the edge of the bed - I was trying to reach for the light. I then 'fake' woke up again. Basically, either I experienced three episodes of the same panic attack and just fainted in between, either I dreamed about waking up three times, with only the 4th one actually being base reality. They always come with extreme fear. Sheer terror for some unexplained reason. I straight-up feel there's someone in my room with me just out of sight and it's really, really difficult to move my eyes and focus them on a single spot. The weird thing is, I had one of those faggot eye blackout masks on, but I could still see what was going on in the room. The last time this happened I was visiting my parents during Christmas, and it was so bad and I was screaming so bad that my father walked in the room and had no idea what was going on. Somehow I knew he was there and I started screaming: 'Touch me! Shake me! Move me!'. I remember doing that and I remember why: because I couldn't move and I was hoping him shaking me would kickstart me back into reality.... ...but how the hell would I know that I'm experiencing this, and that he's in the room, when I was with my eyes closed and apparently having a nightmare from his point of view? I now have them once a month. It used to be once every few years, then once a year... I've no idea what's going on but I'm terrified of going to bed. I used an app called 'Sleep as Droid' to record my sleep and on a few occasions the sound recordings were pure horror. I was screaming in pure terror. I'm a grown ass man and it was painful to hear myself scream like a little girl. No horror movie, story or anything like that - now, or when I was young, ever came close to the panic and fear I experience during these episodes. What the fuck is going on with me?

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[–] • 1 pt (edited )

Being paralyzed while you sleep is a totally normal defense mechanism. You could hurt yourself if your arms and legs are flailing around while you're sleeping. So your mind locks you down almost completely. Some people having active dreams such as running or fighting will twitch a little. Often this doesn't disengage if you don't fully wake.

To the extent that we know the purpose of dreams it's to form subconscious responses and work through problems. Your mind is practicing. That's why if you play basketball all day you'll likely dream you're shooting baskets. This has the same effect of consciously imagining yourself shooting baskets, it will make you slightly more accurate. If you're dreaming about running away from something this usually means you're avoiding a serious problem in your waking life. Turning and fighting the demons in your dream will help you fight the real problem when you're awake. The problem you're avoiding isn't always obviously connected to it's dream manifestation. For example if you're worried about being fired from your job it can manifest as gang niggers coming to beat you up in your dream. If you don't think there is a real problem that you're worried about or avoiding, then you might want to consult a specialist.