When I was 16-18, as is the case with many people that age I started to experience a strange thing. At the time it was a very traumatic event which I kept to myself because I was afraid people would think I'm crazy. Since then I've heard parts of what I experienced described by medical science, but not all of it.
So let me start by describing the circumstance and the event, and then I will discuss what its been called. It first started when I was 16 years old. I was laying in bed and getting ready to go to sleep. I occasionally stayed up a bit too late but always tried to get myself to fall asleep so that I could get the most sleep I could get before it was time to wake up the next morning. (Some things don't change through the years)
The first time the event happened, I remember laying in bed not really very tired, but with my eyes closed. I felt myself slowly dozing of but caught myself a few times. Finally the urge to fall asleep started to overcome me and I remember thinking "I think I'll doze off now..." Moments later I heard a large rush, it sounded like a waterfall and the crackling sound of electricity all tied together into a loud rushing sound. The sound was so loud and shocking that it scared the tar out of me and I woke right up. I could feel my heart pounding from fear, just as you often do when you wake from a scary dream. But there was one exception, although I woke and I could hear all my surroundings, I could not move. My eyes were closed still and as much as I tried I could not open them. Of course in the current state of fear I was in, that scared me even more. Thoughts started to cross my head of whether I died and was still tapped in my body. I could feel my arms, and I even tried to move my mouth to scream but I couldn't even open my mouth. I could feel it partially opening but just couldn't get it to utter a single word. I felt helpless, and all the while wondered what was going on, and knew that if I could only reach out to someone I could wake up. But I couldn't. Finally after I calmed down and resigned myself to the fact that there was nothing I could do, I relaxed and eventually opened my eyes and was fully awake. After that I was afraid to fall back asleep, but eventually did doze off normally. Still thinking I may have dreamed it all, I never said a word to anyone.
The following night I was paranoid to go to sleep. As soon as I went to bed, the fear of it happening overcame me. And I just didn't want to feel that helpless feeling again. I fought sleep for a period of time , but eventually I started dozing. Again, it happened. I started falling asleep and again heard the loud rush. Although the panic again overcame me, this time I was at least comforted by the fact that I did not die before and nothing really BAD actually happened. Which is a small comfort when you are laying in bed paralyzed and not able to move. Again, I managed to calm down, and remember trying to call out to someone. Why? Because even with my eyes closed I could feel there was someone there with me. And it was not someone I knew. I could feel some presence, and all I remember is wanting to call to my parents for help. I wanted to open my eyes, because I knew it would pull me out of whatever this was.
The third day, of course I was afraid to sleep again, but this time I made a plan. If I couldn't open my eyes, I would at least try to sense what was around me or what was there. Again it happened. I heard the rush, and I couldn't move. But this time I focused. I decided to stay calm, and when I did I started to "SEE" my surroundings. Its hard to explain, I didn't see them with my eyes but I could see the bed, I could feel some presence there. So I decided to see if I could see anything else. I found that I was able to explore past the room, and I could "See" into the hallway, and the other room where my parents were. Thinking that it was a dream, I decided to remember some details. I tried to pay attention to what they were doing, what they were talking about , reading , what was on the table. Details that I could try to remember later. After a few moments, I remember an extreme fear overcoming me and again felt myself laying there and some "thing" looming over me. At that point I just remember screaming in my mind "Get away from me!" but yet still paralyzed. Moments later, I felt myself waking up and moving again. I sat up in a bit of a panic. Looked around, and nothing was there.
I was afraid for a few more nights, but it did not happen again. That was the last time that event happened. I had more things happen later, but nothing like that.
Now since then I've learned of "Sleep Paralysis" , a state in which the mind is fully awake but the body shuts off as it does in the normal "sleep" state so you don't go flailing around during your dreams. It apparently is a common event, especially in younger adults.
Now, was this a simple medical case of "Sleep Paralysis"? Was it possession? Was it just a bad dream? You decide for yourself, but for a 16 year old, it was a scary experience. And perhaps the first that got me thinking there may be more out there than what we can see...
