Personal Experience Your own Experience

[HARKER]

For all you people with the 'just falling asleep' experiences, there is a well-known condition called sleep paralysis. Back in the olden days they used to call it Old Hag, because of the belief that a witch was trying to take the sleeper. We now know that it's to do with REM and hypnogogic states - the symptoms can vary greatly but you usually wake up, sometimes paralised and in a deep state of terror. You might feel like someone is on top of you or detect a presence in your room. Some people are awake during the experience, others only recall a distant memory of it happening but relive the feelings of fear.

Here is the base condition, or what used to be called 'Old Hag'. Please note that there are variations of this condition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

That just reminded me of an experience I had at the Japanese resort in The Dandenongs a few years back.

My wife and I went up for the weekend and upon waking the first morning my wife told me that she had been awake and whilst laying on the futon followed a black object that had been moving around the ceiling.
She told me that it had somehow settled on her chest and she couldn't breathe and was unable to move to wake me.
She said she didn't know what had happened next but just woke in the morning.

I dismissed it as just one of those things and got on with the day we had planned.
Anyway, on the second night I awoke with what felt as though something large was sitting on my chest. I couldn't breathe and let's say I was freaking out just a little. I couldn't speak, couldn't yell for what seemed to be around a minute (which is a long time under those circumstances) and it felt as though I had passed out for not being able to draw breath.
Woke up the next morning in good health and thought to myself, "Shit, that was weird"

Confronted the owner with our story and she was very dismissive.
Didn't respond nor wanted to hear anything further to what we had started telling her. That I found even weirder.

 

[Pie in the Sky]

That just reminded me of an experience I had at the Japanese resort in The Dandenongs a few years back.

My wife and I went up for the weekend and upon waking the first morning my wife told me that she had been awake and whilst laying on the futon followed a black object that had been moving around the ceiling.
She told me that it had somehow settled on her chest and she couldn't breathe and was unable to move to wake me.
She said she didn't know what had happened next but just woke in the morning.

I dismissed it as just one of those things and got on with the day we had planned.
Anyway, on the second night I awoke with what felt as though something large was sitting on my chest. I couldn't breathe and let's say I was freaking out just a little. I couldn't speak, couldn't yell for what seemed to be around a minute (which is a long time under those circumstances) and it felt as though I had passed out for not being able to draw breath.
Woke up the next morning in good health and thought to myself, "Shit, that was weird"

Confronted the owner with our story and she was very dismissive.
Didn't respond nor wanted to hear anything further to what we had started telling her. That I found even weirder.

Classic sleep paralysis, a bit weird you both got it within a day of each other when you normally don't get it though. Can be caused by how you sleep, maybe there was just something about the beds at that place that triggered it.

 

[HARKER]

Classic sleep paralysis, a bit weird you both got it within a day of each other when you normally don't get it though. Can be caused by how you sleep, maybe there was just something about the beds at that place that triggered it.

Quite possibly.

Just thought it was coincidental to have it on consecutive nights.
I hadn't experienced it that heavy before and it was a first time for my wife.

 

[SuperCats9]

Some good stories here, but I'm still very much a non believer.


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[Blues4everr]

Sleep paralysis has been scientifically explained, but who's to say that the things people see aren't real? Perhaps while the body is in this state it allows you to see into a different dimension temporarily.

Just a thought to creep you all out

 

[Sublime]

Sleep paralysis has been scientifically explained, but who's to say that the things people see aren't real? Perhaps while the body is in this state it allows you to see into a different dimension temporarily.

Just a thought to creep you all out

Even some scientifically explained things have been wrong before as well.

In short, ghosts are real.

*cue twilight zone music*

 

[Blues4everr]

Even some scientifically explained things have been wrong before as well.

Good point. If you tried to argue that black holes existed 40 years ago you would have been laughed at by scientists and labelled as a nutter

 

[Sublime]

Good point. If you tried to argue that black holes existed 40 years ago you would have been laughed at by scientists and labelled as a nutter

While i believe in the sleep paralysis phenomenon, it can be so easy to just dismiss everything similar to that and use that as a debunking method.

Just like difficult children are often lumped into the ADHD pile too readily by some parents, without proper diagnosis.

 

[Hipster Doofus]

Some damn good tales over the last couple of pages.

EasternTiger have you ever seen your nan's spirit in the house yourself, kinda funny but also creepy she waits until your girlfriend is alone to start harassing her

 

[Pie in the Sky]

While i believe in the sleep paralysis phenomenon, it can be so easy to just dismiss everything similar to that and use that as a debunking method.

Just like difficult children are often lumped into the ADHD pile too readily by some parents, without proper diagnosis.

I think we should be using Occam's Razor in this forum as much as possible though, if you wake up paralysed and see a demon it's very much more likely you're having a hypnagogic hallucination which is a known phenomena than a demon, which is not.

 

[Sublime]

I think we should be using Occam's Razor in this forum as much as possible though, if you wake up paralysed and see a demon it's very much more likely you're having a hypnagogic hallucination which is a known phenomena than a demon, which is not.

I completely agree!

My point was just to say that it doesn't rule out the other (much less likely) option though. To debunk something simply by saying "sleep paralysis, end of story" isn't the be all and end all.

 

[EasternTiger]

Some damn good tales over the last couple of pages.

EasternTiger have you ever seen your nan's spirit in the house yourself, kinda funny but also creepy she waits until your girlfriend is alone to start harassing her

Nah I never saw or sensed anything. Neither did any of my friends. I joke about it now but at the time I was genuinely concerned for my girlfriends state of mind. She said she saw the ghostly figure of an old lady with her back turned to her, mumbling incoherently in an angry, quiet, and disapproving tone, and then felt a presence behind her as she walked around. The vibe was of something trying to drive her out of the house.

 

[peternorth]

Nah I never saw or sensed anything. Neither did any of my friends. I joke about it now but at the time I was genuinely concerned for my girlfriends state of mind. She said she saw the ghostly figure of an old lady with her back turned to her, mumbling incoherently in an angry, quiet, and disapproving tone, and then felt a presence behind her as she walked around. The vibe was of something trying to drive her out of the house.

jesus that's scary

 

[Monopoly Man]

Got a good one for you fellaz,
I understand I'm just some random on the internet but I assure you the following is true.

It happened to my sister, 2 years older than me, when she was 14. She went to an all girls private school in Brisbane. Walking back from swimming one day with the class she noticed a middle aged man waking at the the back of the group. Nobody else seemed to notice him, which she though was odd, because at an all girls school any random man will usually be met with plenty of stares and attention.

As the days and weeks went on she continued to see the same guy all around the school but nobody ever pointed him out or mentioned him. Then one day she say him standing at the back of her classroom. At this point she knew something definitely wasn't right. Nobody in the class could see this guy and yet here he was as clear as day. She would continually come home and tell my mother about him which is where I learnt of her encounters.

My mother didn't really know what to think and just out it down to hormones and the stress of high school. One day my sister got home from school very distraught and said that during her English lesson that day this man had appeared right next to her in the middle of class, and said to her 'tell them I didn't jump'.

At this point my mother for straight up, went to the cupboard and started rummaging through old photos. She came back with one in particular and showed my sister.

At this point it's worth noting that my sister is a very straight-shooter, she's never been a good lier nor actor and it's
Not in her nature to just make things up.

Upon seeing the photo she broke down in tears and was so clearly in distress. When she composed herself she said that the man in the photo was the guy she kept seeing to which my mother replied he was my mother's third cousin. He had schizophrenia and was found at the bottom of a cliff dead in Sydney years before my sister was born. They had all assumed he had committed suicide.

She saw him one more time after that day, at my grandmother's birthday later that year. During singing her happy birthday my sister froze up. She later told us that he had appeared behind my grandmother for a brief moment before disappearing.

I have never personally had any supernatural experience but this was enough to convince me that there is something else.

 

[SuperCats9]

Hmmm...


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[peternorth]

I understand I'm just some random on the internet but I assure you the following is true.

mate we all are!


what was the reaction when she told everyone at the party that she saw your mums 3rd cousin?

 

[Monopoly Man]

mate we all are!


what was the reaction when she told everyone at the party that she saw your mums 3rd cousin?

She didn't cause a scene at the time but I remember looking over and seeing her seize up mid-song. It wasn't until later that she told us on the way home. Mum just tried to calm her down and play it off as a nice thing as it was his Aunties birthday. Anyway she never saw him again so it did kind of seen like a goodbye of sorts.

 

[Catfish Alley]

Mum just tried to calm her down and play it off as a nice thing as it was his Aunties birthday.

It is a nice thing really. A relative reached out to her. Not only that, they confirmed an afterlife which must be comforting.

 

[Monopoly Man]

It is a nice thing really. A relative reached out to her. Not only that, they confirmed an afterlife which must be comforting.

Yeah for sure, it had the biggest impact on me funnily enough. I've always been quite interested and open in this sort of stuff and this really confirmed it for me. However my sister kind of put it out of her mind afterwards and won't ever really talk about it anymore. The same with my parents. They'll acknowledge it happened but nobody really wants to talk about it which annoys me haha because I think it is the most incredible thing.

A family member who died before she was born tracked her down at 14 years of age 1000km away from where he had lived and delivered a message regarding his death. To me that is just incredible.

As a side note, his parents are still alive, and my sister with the help of my grandmother (who's brother was his father) sat down and wrote a letter to them after it all took place informing then of what had happened. They are a very Christian family and his mother was initially very upset and offended at the letter, didn't want to hear a bar of it. However years later his father approached my sister when he was up in Brisbane and thanked her for what she had done. Said that his wife refused to believe it but it had given him some peace of mind.

 

[Catfish Alley]

They are a very Christian family and his mother was initially very upset and offended at the letter, didn't want to hear a bar of it.

You'd think hearing that he didn't commit suicide would have been a great comfort to them - especially if they had some fundamental beliefs. Glad to hear they came around.

 

[Monopoly Man]

You'd think hearing that he didn't commit suicide would have been a great comfort to them - especially if they had some fundamental beliefs. Glad to hear they came around.

Right?! My only thought is that she probably wanted to think he was in heaven, and hearing that he was wandering the earth still really didn't sit well with her. Regardless of where he went, it seems after he delivered the message he was able to move on.

 

[DIG]

My story goes back quite a few years now. My then missus (now wife) was driving me home late one weeknight. There was very little traffic along this stretch of Doncaster Road. We were chatting away when we passed this old lady standing on the kerb. As soon as we passed her I just stopped mid-conversation and said "oh my god did you see her?" Missus nodded "yep, old lady". I turned around, she looked in mirrors but we couldn't see her then, she was well behind us by then. I thought I would've seen her though.

This woman was standing perfectly still on the kerb just staring at the road. There was something not quite "there" about her, it's hard to describe and obviously we were driving past at a reasonable speed. We didn't both imagine it, someone was there.

What struck us the most however, was she was dressed in turn of the century attire...as in 1900era. A long gown and a freakn bonnet.

Very eerie. The missus was completely spooked, drove home the back way after dropping me off!

 

[peternorth]

My story goes back quite a few years now. My then missus (now wife) was driving me home late one weeknight. There was very little traffic along this stretch of Doncaster Road. We were chatting away when we passed this old lady standing on the kerb. As soon as we passed her I just stopped mid-conversation and said "oh my god did you see her?" Missus nodded "yep, old lady". I turned around, she looked in mirrors but we couldn't see her then, she was well behind us by then. I thought I would've seen her though.

This woman was standing perfectly still on the kerb just staring at the road. There was something not quite "there" about her, it's hard to describe and obviously we were driving past at a reasonable speed. We didn't both imagine it, someone was there.

What struck us the most however, was she was dressed in turn of the century attire...as in 1900era. A long gown and a freakn bonnet.

Very eerie. The missus was completely spooked, drove home the back way after dropping me off!

whereabouts on doncaster rd DIG? i often commute there on bike, sometimes at night. in fact im going there tomorrow.

do you think she was someone going to a fancy dress party of sorts?

 

[Kram]

I seen the spirits of the Jack Daniel's after the Scorchers big win last night.

 

[GuruJane]

A personal story you might all be interested in. I have never known what to make of it.

Back in the mid 80s I was living in Hawthorn in vicinity of Power Street. On the day in question I had supermarket shopping to do and also had to buy a stamp to post an urgent bill payment.
My habit was to park my car in the small boutique supermarket car park (this was on the south side of Burwood Rd on cnr of Power Street.) The post office was on the opposite side of Burwood Rd, half way down the hill (in the direction of Church St/Burwood Rd).

I got out of the car and decided to go to the post office first. Crossed at the lights, went down the hill, but when I walked in to the (small) office there was a queue, and not only that the person at the head of the queue had a whole heap of large mail that had to be individually weighed and assessed for overseas delivery. All I wanted was one stamp. Not being the most patient person in the world I immediately thought "I'll go to the supermarket and come back later" As I moved to leave I was instantly frozen to the spot. I could not even speak. It was as though a glass cone had dropped over me. I wasn't even sure I was visible to the other people in the post office. And a Voice was ringing loudly in my head: Don't move!

How ridiculous was that. Of course I'm going to move, I thought. Immediately The Voice, louder"" "Don't move". Danger".

Now I pride myself on being a rational person, and also a very wilful one. No voices mess with me! I took a couple of deep breaths, calmed down, and thought it through slowly and logically.

I thought: "Right outside this post office is a pedestrian crossing with lights. I am going to right now walk to the door, open it, go through, wait at the crossing for the lights to change then I will walk steadily across Burwood Road and up the hill to the supermarket. I will be safe.
The Voice, even louder: you will. not. move.
And I couldn't. Not a muscle. And by then I was feeling like a prize dill. So I gave in. Said to the Voice in my head: "okay, I won't go."

Instantly the paralysis evaporated. I could move, I knew I could speak again. I relaxed and then ...

There was a God Almighty c-r-a-a-s-h from right outside.

Dazed, I went to the door. A car had crashed through the plate glass windows of Phil Gude's electoral office on the other side of Burwood Rd. (For non Victorians, Phil Gude was deputy leader of Liberal Opposition in those days, a very well known Lib and my local member.

I stepped out onto the pavement and an onlooker pointed to where the car had come from. Parked on same side of road to me and post office, facing uphill, it had slipped the park and rolled silently backwards down the hill, crossing the pedestrian crossing probably dead centre. The camber of Burwood Road had carried it down and across to other side of road where it had built enough momentum to mount kerb and take out Gude's windows.

I realised straight away that the car, a silent killer, would most likely have collected me as I crossed the crossing, oblivious, in the delusion I was safe.

Well. I got myself to my car, forgot about my supermarket shopping, and stayed inside for two whole days!!!! A sadder and wiser person I have been ever since.

That happened nearly 30 years ago and nothing that I can see in my life since then has justified why spirits would have saved my life then. But someone or something did.

btw - the Phil Gude link was the detail that really stuck with me. If it hadn't been for that outcome and the publicity it generated I may well have ended up thinking I had imagined it all.