Flat Stanley
On a very warm day last fall, I was lying in the basement on a makeshift bed trying to get cool enough to take a nap. I had made the bed by throwing a piece of plywood on a pair of cots and putting an air mattress on the plywood. I was alone in the house.
I was lying on my stomach facing a wall when I had this odd sense that my younger brother was standing behind me and trying to warn me of something. I knew he couldn't (and wouldn't) be there because the house was locked and we don't get along all that well, so I lay there trying to figure out what was going on.
All the sudden I felt an odd bumping down by my feet, sort of like a puppy playing around. I started to turn my head to see what was causing the feeling and instantly I was smashed down into the mattress by on overwhelming force.
My first thought was "this is trying to kill me!". I started to struggle and get free, but the pressure was immense and uniform, heaviest at my head and shoulders and tapering to somewhat less near my feet. I had the sense that my head was 'clamped' in place. I wasn't able to turn it. I was able to slide my hands out a little to my sides, and I started to push up against the pressure.
I could feel the cots bending and I thought they might collapse, and then suddenly the pressure was gone. I lay there motionless because I was afraid if I moved it would come back. I could hear the cot legs scraping on the floor as they unbowed, and I could feel the air mattress shifting as it slowly resumed it's normal shape.
Gradually the normal house sounds became noticeable - my sense is that they were gone during the struggle. Finally I turned my head and looked around, and seeing nothing I got up and looked through the house. It was still empty and pretty much the same as it always was.
I've since slept in the basement several times with no incidents, and my little kids don't have any problems playing down there. I'm very sensitive to feelings and I didn't really get any sense of motivation (other than "this is trying to kill me").
If it was a dream, it was the most realistic dream I've ever had... Well, it was utterly realistic except for the fact that it was totally bizarre.
I'd be interested in any thoughts you might have...
I was lying on my stomach facing a wall when I had this odd sense that my younger brother was standing behind me and trying to warn me of something. I knew he couldn't (and wouldn't) be there because the house was locked and we don't get along all that well, so I lay there trying to figure out what was going on.
All the sudden I felt an odd bumping down by my feet, sort of like a puppy playing around. I started to turn my head to see what was causing the feeling and instantly I was smashed down into the mattress by on overwhelming force.
My first thought was "this is trying to kill me!". I started to struggle and get free, but the pressure was immense and uniform, heaviest at my head and shoulders and tapering to somewhat less near my feet. I had the sense that my head was 'clamped' in place. I wasn't able to turn it. I was able to slide my hands out a little to my sides, and I started to push up against the pressure.
I could feel the cots bending and I thought they might collapse, and then suddenly the pressure was gone. I lay there motionless because I was afraid if I moved it would come back. I could hear the cot legs scraping on the floor as they unbowed, and I could feel the air mattress shifting as it slowly resumed it's normal shape.
Gradually the normal house sounds became noticeable - my sense is that they were gone during the struggle. Finally I turned my head and looked around, and seeing nothing I got up and looked through the house. It was still empty and pretty much the same as it always was.
I've since slept in the basement several times with no incidents, and my little kids don't have any problems playing down there. I'm very sensitive to feelings and I didn't really get any sense of motivation (other than "this is trying to kill me").
If it was a dream, it was the most realistic dream I've ever had... Well, it was utterly realistic except for the fact that it was totally bizarre.
I'd be interested in any thoughts you might have...
posted by mw @ 11:12 AM
3 Comments:
At 9:12 PM,
Josh said…
Wow. A friend of mine once described to me a very similar thing that happened to him several years ago. He was very specific about how he felt pressed down into the bed for just a few moments, and then it was gone.
Spoooooky!
At 9:02 AM,
John said…
Since I can remember, something like that happens to me once every month or so. I just feel my head being held in place, though, and I can't speak, and I feel this intense vibrating sensation in what feels to be my "ghost." I tried looking in books to find an explanation, and the closest thing I could find is what they call "sleep paralysis" or "night terrors" (which don't necessarily happen at night), scientific explanations for the phenomena (more info here, with a great picture...I think sketches like this were the inspiration for the child on the bed in the movie "The Grudge"). To me, while it's happening, it's pure terror and feels like demons or death tugging at my soul.
At 9:25 AM,
mw said…
Canowine - Do you believe what you experience is entirely explained by 'sleep paralysis'? I'm divided on what I believe. I have a hard science background and have only recently begun to give credence to the notion that the universe is considerably bigger than current science allows for. Now I'm exploring mystic realms and am often finding things that are hard to explain scientifically - of course that's in my opinion.
Josh and Dot Bar, thank you for relating those stories. I really love hearing about others experiences in these realms.
Thanks to all three of you for the comments!
mw
Post a Comment
<< Home