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In this episode you will hear dreams from real people who had after death communication dreams from celebrities, including Michael Jackson, David Bowie, and Freddie Mercury! Mimi highlights some of the traits that set these types of dreams apart from others, and continues to explore how we can receive communication and guidance through the signs and symbols in the world around us.
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This episode explores two dreams about spooky old houses, one about a magical trip to New Orleans, and Mimi shares a dream of her own about dancing glow-in-the-dark skeletons. We delve into the paranormal, intuition, the creative process, and the experience of sheer delight! Each dream is set to music and explored on its own, and some common threads are revealed as well.
For a full directory of The Dream Detective Podcast episodes, click here.
Music & Voice Credits: 1) “The Old Woman in the House” dreamed and voiced by Lea Sevey, you can find her book ‘Just in Case’ on Amazon. Music: ‘A Severed Head, Speaking’ by Haunted Corpse and ‘Hardwood Lullaby’ by Blue Dot 2) “Victorian Bedroom” dream from Jeanette, voiced by Amber Wolfe with guest DJ Leslie of Seattle Parties Music: ‘Creepy Hallow’ by Alexander Nakarada, ‘Magical Transitions’ and ‘Horrorific’ by Kevin Macleod. 3) “The New Orleans of My Dreams” from Jim Barker of The Divine Hand Palmistry. Music ‘Magical Night’ by Ourmusicbox; ‘Bassline’ and ‘Flight Through Time’ by Devon Trube; ‘Monolithes’ by Lobo Loco. 4) Mimi’s dream, music ‘The Hunger Artist’ by Circus Homunculus recording from 1915-1931.
Losing a loved one can be one of the most painful experiences we endure as human beings. However, it is not uncommon for us to dream of the person who crossed over, and wonder if it was really them visiting from the other side. In many cases, I believe the answer is YES! While some dreams serve the function of processing grief and loss or reviewing memories, there are also those that may indeed be actual visitations from the departed loved one. Commonly referred to as After Death Communication (A.D.C.) dreams, After Death Contact, or After Death Visitation dreams, this is an area of dream research that has been studied in depth. So how does one tell the difference between a ‘regular’ dream (If there is such a thing) and an A.D.C. dream? I am going to share with you some of the markers that set these dreams apart from others.
REALNESS
Most people report a sense of ‘realness’ to these dreams. They may be extremely vivid, and the dreamer wakes up with a sense of having actually been with that person. They may even experience smells such as grandma’s perfume, or grandpa’s cigar. While most dreams have a somewhat bizarre quality to them when run by the conscious mind, these are often more straightforward and ‘real’ feeling.
REASSURING
Usually after losing someone the last thing we feel is comforted, or a sense of lightness and peace, yet these dreams can bring those types of feeling to us. The departed loved one will usually bear messages of reassurance and love such as “I want you to know that I’m OK” and “I love you”. They may ask for forgiveness or apologize for things they did in human form which they now realize were hurtful.
HEALING
For example, a gay man and his father did not get along while the father was physically alive. The father never accepted or approved of his son being gay. But after the father passed away, the son received a visitation from him. He came to to apologize for the way he treated his son, and told him how much he loved him.
YOUNGER
If the person was older when they passed, they may look younger when they come to visit. If they were sick, they often appear healthier and not in pain anymore. If these types of dreams were purely a conjuring of our own mind and nothing else, the person would likely look as they did the last time we saw them. However this is a common phenomena (though not a requirement as a marker of an A.D.C. dream). Sometimes the dreamer had no idea what the person looked like in their younger days…only to later see a picture and recognize them.
TIMING
These types of dreams tend to happen most often shortly after the person passes, during the first year, or on the 1 year anniversary of their crossing over. They can also occur much later, but are especially common during the first year. It may also happen on other significant dates or anniversaries such as birthdays or dates of special meaning to them.
BEDROOM
It is typical for the setting of an After Death Contact dream to be the dreamer’s bedroom. The loved one may come in and stand by or sit on the edge of the bed. Most dreams are not so realistic and their setting is almost never the actual place we are sleeping. We may even dream that we open our eyes, and there is our loved one. Or maybe we really are opening our eyes, as all of these experiences can take place in waking life as well. In the dream state we are more susceptible and open to any kind of psi phenomena and psychic information.
HOW TO INVITE THE EXPERIENCE
Sometimes people wonder “Why aren’t they coming to visit me?” Or maybe they came to visit your cousin, but not you. Many people don’t remember their dreams, so it is possible that we received a visitation dream and simply don’t remember it. If you would like to invite the experience, here are some things you can do. Talk to the person in your mind. Pray, if that fits your beliefs. Think strongly about the person that day. You can also simply ask them to come visit. What happens if they still don’t come? Don’t take it personally! They may be busy on the other side, learning things, getting their bearing. It may not be an easy task for them to come visit us, and some may have more of a knack for it than others. Similarly, some of us are more naturally able to receive the visitations that others.
HIGH RECEIVERS
Some people are naturally wired to be more sensitive and intuitive, and are ‘high receivers’ of telepathic and psychic experiences. These people are more prone to receiving ADC messages. Our loved ones on the other side seem to be aware of this, and may come through to a friend or relative who is a high receiver, asking them to deliver a message to someone else that they couldn’t get through to directly.
PETS
All of these same qualities of encounters apply to our beloved pets who are on the other side as well. Just like with people, if they were sick or struggling with physical issues, in the visitation they will often appear healthy and vibrant! People have reported smelling their pet, hearing them, and even seeing foot prints on the bed. If a pet crosses over before their person does, when the person later departs they may come back to visit us with their beloved pet, too!
ADC IN THE WAKING STATE
Many people also experience visitations from their loved ones while awake, not dreaming. It may manifest in different ways, including: lights, TV, or other electrical appliances turning on and off, books falling open to a relevant passage, butterflies, birds, rainbows, dragonflies, etc. appearing, or the smell of their perfume or other familiar scent that is ‘them’. These experiences are especially common around the birthday of the deceased, or anniversary of their passing, thought they can happen any time.
While none of these markers are requirements, and certainly by no means do all of them need to be present to indicate a visitation dream, these are many of the common threads that have been experienced by people all over the world. Most of these people had no idea that others were having very similar encounters with their departed loved ones. When something is experienced by so many people, without prior knowledge that others have had similar experiences, it is a pretty good confirmation that these experiences are real. To me it is of great comfort as well.
Shared dreams, also known as mutual dreams, are when two or more people share a dream experience at the same time. The degree to which the dream is shared can vary, from having common elements or events that happen in each person’s dream to the entire dream being the same. The experience is known by different names including mutual dreams, shared dreaming, dream meshing, or linking. Shared dreams can happen spontaneously, or can be incubated and planned, and are most common between people who are emotionally close such as couples, siblings, parent-child, or best friends. Twins may be especially prone to shared dreams, though it may happen between complete strangers as well. We may not hear about this as often, since the strangers would have to later meet and compare their dreams. Following are some of the ways in which this fascinating phenomenon may manifest.
POPPING INOne person is having a dream – already in progress – when another person suddenly pops in, invited or uninvited. The second dreamer (the one making the ‘guest appearance’) may have had the first person strongly on their mind before sleep, and may or may not have any conscious awareness of the dream visitation, let alone remember the encounter the next day upon waking. Similarly, the first person – who was just minding their own dream business – may or may not remember the visit by their guest who popped in.
People often ask when they dream of another person, does it mean that person really came to visit them, or was that person thinking or dreaming of them, too? This is an especially common fascination when the person we dream about is a love interest or former partner with whom we wish to rekindle. While not the norm, nor highly likely, it actually is possible. Often these types of dreams will reflect our feelings about the person in the dream. The dream may outline relationship dynamics, or the person may even represent a part of our own psyche. One distinguishing characteristic that may provide a clue as to the nature of visitor (actual person’s consciousness vs. dream character) is the ‘popping in’ effect, or interrupted quality of a dream that is already happening. This has been a documented phenomenon in psychic dream research, as well as after death visitation dreams, and is one of the markers of a visitation type experience. Intuitive signals are also commonly described as thoughts, feelings, or visions that ‘pop’ into our consciousness in the same manner. One way to verify would be to check in with the other person, which may or may not be possible especially if the other person does not recall any dreams from that night. This still does not rule out the possibility of the occurrence.
MESHING
Meshing refers to the basic level of shared dreams where some of the elements overlap, but the entire dreams of the different people are not exactly the same. The dreams may share common characters, settings, or story lines, which the dreamers may or may not have had actual waking life experience with. Sometimes sharing a common waking experience can contribute to dream meshing. For example, if two people watched the same movie one night and then both dreamed about some of the characters or settings. Or perhaps they shared an experience, such as going to a museum, and both dreamed about some of the things they saw or experienced at the museum but the entire dreams were not exactly the same. Meshing dreams may be incubated by sharing an experience, then talking about it before sleep, and finally intending to dream about the experience.
MEETING
Meeting dreams are where two or more people interact in the dream world and communicate with each other. This experience is less common than meshing dreams, and it does imply telepathic communication between dreamers. I have experienced this personally, and will share one story to illustrate. My sister and I were on a camping trip, sleeping in the same tent near each other. I woke myself up by talking in my sleep…and then my sister answered me. I thought ‘oh how embarrassing, I fell asleep while we were talking!’, but as I gained wakeful consciousness I looked over and she was actually fast asleep. I tried saying something else to her, curious if she would respond again from her sleeping dream state, but this time she did not. I later learned that being in the same brainwave state may be conducive to facilitating these types of experiences. When we have R.E.M. dreams we are predominantly in the alpha brainwave state, and when we wake up beta brain waves usually take over. This theory fits with my experience that we were able to talk in our sleep (both being in alpha brain waves), but when I woke up I was no longer ‘reaching’ her as I was in a different brain wavelength state. The next day I asked her if she remembered any dreams. She said yes, and told me the first half of the dream. When it matched exactly what I had dreamed, I stepped in and finished the dream by telling her the rest of it as I had experienced it. She said ‘how did you know?!” I explained to her how I woke up and we were sleep talking together, so I suspected we were sharing a dream and now it was confirmed.
SHARED & PRECOGNITIVE
In the dream my sister and I shared, there were some people and experiences that actually happened the next day! We both dreamed of meeting brothers, and both of us dreamed a specific name of one of them, and the next day we met these people; even the name was confirmed. This is not a common feature of shared dreams but I mention it to show the layers possible with any type of unusual dream phenomena.
GROUP DREAMING
Group dreams are the same as meshing or meeting dreams, but with more than two people partaking in the experience.
SHARING DREAMS WITH ANIMALS
While I have mentioned that shared dream experiences may happen between two people, or even a group of people, it can also happen between people and their animals! Again, one of the facilitating factors of shared dreams, or any type of telepathic sharing, is a close emotional bond. So it makes sense that people who share a close bond with their animals might also share dreams with them. A woman had a dog who she called Leo because to her he looked like a little Lion. One night she dreamed that she was in her living room, and there was a little lion (about the size of her dog!) sitting on her couch, playing with a toy. As she woke up, her dog was making funny sounds and appeared to be also dreaming. He woke up shortly, and proceeded to venture straight out to the living room, jumped up on the couch, and looked as though he were searching for something in the exact spot the woman saw the little lion playing with his toy. While we cannot ask the dog what he was dreaming about, it seems likely they were dreaming of the same thing, each from their own perspective of human and animal. Another man was away on business and left his dog with a friend. The plan was for the dog to stay in the house with her. But one night he dreamed that his dog was in a barn with farm animals. He called his friend the next day, and she told him that his dog had escaped from the house the night before and spent the night in the barn!
INTENDING TO SHARE A DREAM
While any of the above types of shared dreams can occur spontaneously, they can also be intended. As mentioned regarding meshing dreams, sharing an experience, talking about it before sleep, and intended to share a dream can help facilitate mutual dreaming. If people wish to meet in a dream, it’s a good idea to choose the place where you want to meet before going to sleep. It could be somewhere familiar to you, that you know and love, or somewhere you’ve never been. Once you choose the place, you can also pick a code word that you will say to each other. This is not necessary, just a technique if you should chose to use it. As you are each drifting off to sleep, really focus on the meeting place, the other person, your connection with them, what you’d like the interaction to be like, etc. If you find your mind meandering on to another topic, redirect your focus back to the meeting place, the person, the feelings you wish to have, and so on. When you wake up, have each person record their dream independently of the other, either via a recording device or by writing it down. Then you can verbally compare notes, but since the nature of dreams are slippery and they do fade away from us quickly I recommend recording independently first so as not to influence each other’s recounting, but also we may capture details that we may later forget.
Because of the fact that so many people do not remember their dreams, and even vivid dreamers rarely recall every dream from every night, I believe the types of experiences described in here, as well as many other psi dreaming phenomena, may be occurring a lot higher rate than we imagine.
If you have a shared dream experience, or any dream that you would like to consult with Mimi, visit the consultation page for more info.
While the goal of a fictional vampire is to harvest blood from their victim, energy vampires (aka emotional vampires) are after our life force. They often start off with flattery, doing nice things for us, or they may shower us with gifts or attention. Then all of a sudden they pull a switch and become controlling, criticizing, or display an over developed sense of attachment. They may even play the ‘victim’ and attempt to get you to rescue them.
The controlling type may do something that seems nice such as offer you a ride to the airport, or make you dinner. But if you refuse they get angry. Getting you to do what they want (controlling you) is how they are ‘fed’ energetically. When you say ‘no’ it upsets them as they don’t get their ‘fix’. Do what you can to resist their suggestions and commands. When you resist enough, they will move on to another host.
The criticizing style will put you down, and aim to inflict emotional and/or psychic pain to you. It’s not necessarily conscious on their part. But unconsciously they know that if they can hurt you, inflict some pain somehow, they can get you to bleed energetically. The life force that leaks out of you when you receive the pain is the ‘blood’ they feed on. If you try to explain to them how they just hurt you, they will put you down for it. Try not to let them hurt you (or don’t show it) as that is how they are fed.
The type of vampire that is emotionally over-attached, or plays victim, will be after you for emotional support. They may try to get you to favors for them or act on their behalf. They may even try to borrow money, or just talk your ear off with their problems, but yet they will not accept any solutions. Their favorite game is ‘yes, but…’ They may try to get your on their side (when there really is no ‘side’ to take) or become jealous. Their main goal is trying to create a feeling of intimacy (though obviously not in a healthy way), as this is how they feed. Avoid rescuing them, and set firm limits with your time and boundaries. For the chronic talker, interrupt them and redirect the conversation.
Sometimes we can be our own worst vampire! Having internalized voices from our past, our own inner critic may take over and harvest our energy, sucking the life out of us internally. Changing our thought patterns and redirecting them to self love is key. Find what lights you up internally and generate as much of that as possible.
Situational vampires can be such things as a job that does not fit your true nature. Going against your instincts and doing what you think you ‘should’ be doing, rather than what fits who you truly are, can truly drain the life force from a sensitive soul. Follow what literally ‘lights you up’ to generate more chi.
Most energy vampires are not acting consciously. They are wounded souls who have learned that the only way to get any energy is by taking it from others. They need to learn how to get their nurturance from source, their own life; not from you.
SIGNS YOU HAVE BEEN DRAINED BY AN EMOTIONAL VAMPIRE:
• You feel tired and exhausted after being around them
• Feeling cheated, resentful, anxious or shut down after being around them
• Experience the feeling of being ‘slimed’
• Loss of mental energy
• Physical strength decreases by as much as 50%
• Weight gain due to binge eat to relieve stress from being drained by another person. A binge on comfort foods is an attempt to feel better or ‘get your energy back’. Someone has just fed on you, now your instinct is to be fed. But it’s not really food we need, it is protection from the energy sucker.
• Inability to think clearly
• Short term memory declines
• Exposure can take a day or weeks to recover
According to the research of Dr. Joe H. Slate, Ph.D., Kirlian (aura) photography shows that during an attack the emotional vampire reaches out to the victim via a tentacle like structure that then punctures and draws energy from the victim’s aura. This expands the vampire’s aura, showing as increased light in the Kirlian photography, and constricts the victim’s aura decreasing their light aka energy. The ‘puncture wounds’ can then take days or weeks to heal. Long term effects of prolonged exposure can cause serious illness in the victim. 
Dr. Gillian Holloway echoes a similar sentiment: “Sadist (energy vampire) attacks seem to leave lasting scars, and one of them can be a reduced ability to ‘hold a charge’ as the mystics say. Physical conditioning and breathing meditations can build up your ability to hold your own energy in a powerful way, and to get used to feeling powerful again.” Here are some more tips on how to regain power.
STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH EMOTIONAL VAMPIRES:
• Say no to the favors they offer
• Do not rescue the
• Redirect the conversation
• Breath deeply
• Resist their suggestions or commands
• Stay emotionally neutral; they are trying to get you to react as it feeds them
• Say “I’m sorry, but I can only talk for a few minutes”
• Say “I hate to interrupt, but…” then interrupt them
• Say “Thank you for your suggestion, I’ll consider it”. Then do what you want.
• Move around while they are talking to you
• Avoid eye contact
• Do not replay their attacks in your mind
• Try not to hurt when they attack; it feeds them
• If you are able, do some physical exercise as it moves energy through the body
• Set firm limits and boundaries
• Speak loudly, firm and clear
• Stay centered and calm
ENERGY WORK:
• Imagine yourself surrounded by an impenetrable bubble of white light that protects you
• Talk to them in your mind, for example: “I am in charge of my energy, and you cannot have it.”
• Imagine their energy in the shape of a ball. Push the ball away from you and send it back to them.
• Cut the psychic/energetic chords between you
• When we are drained our energy travels upward (i.e. ‘riled up’ vs. ‘calmed down’). Imagine a bird whose feathers get ruffled, as a metaphor for how this person has riled up your energy. Now imagine the bird’s feathers smoothing down, as your energy calms down and you are able to center and rebalance yourself.
Mimi Pettibone is a Certified Transactional Analysis Practitioner who specializes in dream interpretation, relationships and communication skills. She offers classes and consultations in Seattle, WA and offers private consultations by phone as well. Mimi host bi-monthly telephone dream groups, where members engage in a group process of dream exploration. To join the telephone dream group, go to www.meetup.com/DreamGroup and click ‘join’ to receive calendar updates of upcoming groups and events and to RSVP.
A woman has the following dream:
“I am in an elevator, and it’s going down. A man is in the elevator with me. He is invisible, but I can sense him. He grabs my foot and flips me onto my back. He starts sucking on my toe, and as he does my foot disappears into thin air. He continues to suck, and now my leg gradually disappears. It’s like he is an invisible vampire, sucking my blood, and as my blood disappears, so do I. Although I see this and I am aware of what’s happening, I do not stop him.”
Vampires in dreams can represent people or situations that are sucking the life force right out of us. While the goal of a fictional vampire is to harvest blood from their victim, energy vampires (aka emotional vampires) are seeking our life energy.
In this dream the metaphor of ‘going down’ can hold double meaning both sexually, and it can represent a situation that is ‘going down’ (or going poorly). The actions of the man flipping her on her back, and sucking, could also be interpreted as sexual. At the same time, he is literally sucking her into non-existence! She is disappearing right in front of her own eyes, and he is causing this to happen. Through working with the dream it was confirmed that the man was symbolic of someone who was acting as emotional vampire in her life. This woman was in a very unhealthy sexual relationship with a man who was ‘sucking the life’ out of her. While part of her was aware of this, another part of her chose to continue seeing him and be in the relationship.
In working with this dream, the part that stood out to her the most was the ending where she was aware of what was happening yet she did not stop him. She came to the realization that not only was he draining her energy, but she felt like she was losing herself and her identity in the process – i.e. she was ‘disappearing’! This was so concerning to the dreamer, and the dream provided such a clear outline, that she chose to end the relationship immediately.
It is common in vampire dreams to experience some kind of ambivalence, such as wanting to help the person, even liking them in some way, but also knowing they are bad for us and wanting to get away from them. This can be reflective of an addictive type of relationship. It is also reflective of how it can feel to be around someone who is an emotional vampire. They can lure us in with flattery, seduction, gifts or a sense of being needed. Then they switch, and go in for the ‘kill”; aka the feeding process of draining someone else’s life force to add to their own.
Some dreams that could show up when dealing with emotional vampires are: dreams of actual vampires, dreams of blood loss, and dreams of losing parts of the body. Emotional wounds often show up as physical wounds to the body in dreams. Someone attacking us emotionally during waking life may show up as someone attacking us physically in the dream state.
Other dreams that could show up when someone is psychically draining or invading a person could be: dreams of a home invasion, losing a purse, being stalked, or someone trying to kill us. I say this with caution as any of these dreams could also be about many other things! When working with dreams it is always important to check with the dreamer to see what personal meanings and associations they hold, what is going on in their life, and what the symbols and metaphors mean to them. That said, it is not uncommon for nightmares to happen when we re being energetically drained or manipulated by someone. Our dreaming mind will always call attention to the care of the soul that is needed for a healthy life.
While some symbols hold a common meaning, such as vampires being negative creatures who suck the life out of us, they can also vary depending on the dreamer and the dream. Here is an example of another vampire dream, where the vampires actually save the day. The dreamer titled this one ‘Magical Vampires’:
“I am at a big party. The hosts are playing some kind of a game with the guests, unbeknownst to the guests. The game entails the host dancing with a guest, leading them backwards toward a window, pretending to ‘dip’ them, but them purposefully dropping them out the window where they fall to their death.
Now the hosts are doing it with 3 people at a time. I am observing the whole thing in horror. However, the next 3 ‘victims’ are actually magical vampires in disguise! When the hosts go to drop them out the window, the vampires float down the side of the building, only to return flying in the air like some kind of power trio. They are very magical and powerful and it is clear that they are going to use their powers to stop the evil people from killing any more.”
This dream shows the vampires in a role of ‘saving the day’ with their magical powers. Mere humans could not have pulled of such a feat! In this story, the energy the vampires hold is life affirming. Through working with the dream we realized that the vampires represented part of the dreamer that she did not realize existed. She was dealing with some very toxic people, and was finding her own power and ways to respond in the situation that felt so good it was akin to having ‘magical powers’.
I give this dream as an example to never assume, always check with the dreamer. Also look at the story line, plot, actions and feelings. The tones of the two dreams are entirely different, giving the first major clue as to the nature of what is going on with the dreamer.
In the next article we will look at types of energy vampires, and tips for how to deal with them.
Mimi Pettibone is a Certified Transactional Analysis Practitioner who specializes in dream interpretation, relationships and communication skills. She offers classes and consultations in Seattle, WA and offers private consultations by phone as well. Mimi host bi-monthly telephone dream groups, where members engage in a group process of dream exploration. To join the telephone dream group, go to www.meetup.com/DreamGroup and click ‘join’ to receive calendar updates of upcoming groups and events and to RSVP.
Happy dreaming!
Location: East West Bookshop, 6407 12th Ave NE., Seattle, WA
Date: Sunday, October 11, 2015
Time: 3-5 pm
Cost: $15 Register Now! or sign up at the event
Many extraordinary and paranormal phenomena take place during the sleep and dream states. Night time and the twilight state are especially conducive to these experiences. While some dreams are about psychological processing, other dreams and experiences are beyond this, taking us into the realm of the spiritual and metaphysical.
In this event we will explore some of these experiences including: precognitive, telepathic, clairvoyant and shared dreams, visitations from departed loved ones, sleep paralysis empathic telepathy and pre-death dreams and visions. Seattle dream expert Mimi Pettibone hosts dream groups, workshops and offers private consultations at East West Bookshop as well as by phone.
East West Bookshop is now located above Whole Foods grocery store (65th & Roosevelt). Free parking upstairs, enter from 12th Ave NE and head up the ramp to park near the shop.
Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon that happens during the transition between sleep and waking. During R.E.M. (dreaming) sleep the body becomes paralyzed, in order to keep us from physically acting out our dreams. Normally, the paralysis stops before we wake up. However occasionally there is a ‘glitch in the system’, and our mind wakes up before our body is released from the state of paralysis. While many people may experience an upsetting (though soon to pass) case of sleep paralysis, others report an even more terrifying occurrence that happens while in the paralyzed state: the sensation of being visited by some kind of entity. Coined ‘Paralysis Attacks’ by David Hufford, Professor of Behavioral Science at Penn State University, these experiences are described by those who experience it as a visitation by an negative presence. Hufford has done extensive research, and has been able to identify over 30 common elements to these attacks.
The prevailing common denominators are:
• Waking up in bed and realizing one can’t move
• The person can move their eyes, but the body is paralyzed
• Hearing footsteps
• A figure enters the room (often described as dark, not human, intent to harm, some sort of presence but not sure what)
• Incredible sense of fear
• A feeling of weight or pressure upon the chest (sometimes other areas of the body, most commonly the chest)
• A sense that if the person just laid there, they would die.
• The experience feels very real, different than a normal dream or nightmare.
The frequently reported sensation of pressure on the chest, combined with the sensing of some sort of negative presence, cause us to believe that Fuseli’s painting ‘The Nightmare’ (above) is a depiction of a sleep paralysis attack. Accounts of this phenomenon are documented in art and literature as far back as we have historical records, and in fact, Hufford doesn’t know of any culture, anywhere, that doesn’t have a tradition describing it. Known by different names around the world: ‘The Old Hag’, ‘Popabawa’, ‘Demon’, ‘Witch’, or just a dark figure or shadow, the description of the experience is the same.
People in this state are able to accurately describe their environment, indicating a state of being awake, yet brain wave recordings taken during attacks show elements of both wakefulness and REM sleep. Victims are usually convinced they are awake and that this was not a dream. They are actually in a mixed state of consciousness between wakefulness and dreaming, also known as a hypnopompic state (when a person is falling asleep, as opposed to waking up, the same mixed state is known as the hypnogogic state).
It would be easy enough to attribute the whole description to a bad dream or nightmare; but that doesn’t explain why so many people – including many who have never heard of this phenomenon – report such similarities in their accounts. While there are variations in individual reports, the similarities cannot be ignored. In fact, the descriptions bear uncanny similarity to alien visitation reports, and Hufford believes these are actually cases of sleep paralysis attacks.
Science as of yet does not have a sufficient explanation for this baffling phenomenon, which does not reduce the suffering of those who experience this terrifying occurance. For more information, check out Hufford’s book: The Terror That Comes In The Night
Also check out Ryan Hurd’s book: Sleep Paralysis: A Guide to Hypnagogic Visions and Visitors of the Night
And I wish you all SWEET DREAMS tonight!