Scary stuff happens to me. It has all my life. A lot of my daily experiences would send some running and screaming, but I’m pretty used to it for the most part. Not much actually terrifies me any more. I get startled sometimes, but realize that ghosts are just people without bodies. I’m not scared of most people, so why should I be afraid of ghosts? So, you see my logic…
The other night, however, I had an experience that caused a panic in me that I had never experienced before.
It all started while I was sleeping and having an intense dream I desperately wanted to wake up from. So that’s what I did. I woke myself up.
My eyelids popped open. But then I couldn’t close them again. I was breathing extremely shallowly and was having trouble getting air in any deeper. Then I realized I couldn’t move any part of my body.
At first I had a small episode of panic, but then logic took over. I’m science-minded enough to realize I was just having sleep paralysis. This was a biological problem brought on by waking myself up too abruptly from my dream. My body just wasn’t ready to be awake yet. I calmed down a bit, as I knew I’d just have to wait it out and it wouldn’t probably only be moments before I’d be able to pull my arms out from underneath the pillow and all would be well again.
I assessed the situation by trying to move one part at a time hoping something would shake loose. I started with my head, then arms, then legs…wait…legs…this is when the real panic set in.
I could distinctly feel someone holding my legs at the backs of my knees and firmly pressing them into the bed as I laid on my stomach. I then began to internally struggle more than ever desperately attempting to turn my head to see who or what was holding me down. My eyes were drying and burning from not being able to blink and I felt I was suffocating from not being able to breathe in deeply.
Suddenly, I felt a release of my legs, followed by a dismissive smack on my right side as if to say, “we’re done here”.
My eyes closed, I gasped in a huge breath, and every part of my body exploded up off the bed at once. I looked around but could see nothing in the dark room.
Falling back asleep took several hours. I’m still uncertain of what this experience was, but I am certain that I never want to experience it again.
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