You ever have a dream so realistic you wake up immediately scared shitless

[LynneSin]

:scared:

I had one last night where I was minding my own business and hanging out with friends until terrorists showed up showing me these horrible pictures.

I was so scared of what they showed me I actually said in my dream "I GOT TO WAKE UP" and when I did I had to turn on all the lights so I wouldn't be scared anymore.

I was able to get back to sleep but I woke up the next morning with the entire house lit-up inside.

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Yes. I dreamt you came to visit.

I'm still not over it.

:scared:

[LynneSin]

2. Oddly enough the Terrorists said they were from Virginia

and belonged to the Bunco Liberation Front

[Shell Beau]

3. I dreamed that someone was breaking in my house.

I couldn't convince myself that I was dreaming. I was scared to go back to sleep.

[dysfunctional press]

4. have you ever had "sleep paralysis"..?

where you 'wake up' sensing some terrible presence in the room- but you CANNOT move..? it can be rather terrifying- but once you know about it and understand what it is- it can be kind of cool...
sometimes it's also referred to as 'the old hag' dreams. it's really an interesting topic to look into, especially if you've experienced it on a semi-regular basis.

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

Sleep paralysis is a condition that may occur in normal subjects or be associated with narcolepsy, cataplexy, and hypnagogic hallucinations. The pathophysiology of this condition is closely related to the normal hypotonia that occur during REM sleep.<1> When considered to be a disease, isolated sleep paralysis is classified as MeSH D020188.<2>

Physiologically, it is closely related to the paralysis that occurs as a natural part of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is known as REM atonia. Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain awakes from a REM state, but the body paralysis persists. This leaves the person fully conscious, but unable to move. In addition, the state may be accompanied by terrifying hallucinations (hypnopompic or hypnagogic) and an acute sense of danger.<3> Sleep paralysis is particularly frightening to the individual due to the vividness of such hallucinations.<4> The hallucinatory element to sleep paralysis makes it even more likely that someone will interpret the experience as a dream, since completely fanciful, or dream-like, objects may appear in the room alongside one's normal vision. Some scientists have proposed this condition as an explanation for alien abductions and ghostly encounters.<5> A study by Susan Blackmore and Marcus Cox of the University of the West of England supports the suggestion that alien abductions are related to sleep paralysis rather than to temporal lobe lability.<6>

The paralysis can last from several seconds to several minutes "after which the individual may experience panic symptoms and the realization that the distorted perceptions were false".<7> When there is an absence of narcolepsy, sleep paralysis is referred to as isolated sleep paralysis (ISP).<8> "ISP appears to be far more common and recurrent among African Americans than among White Americans or Nigerian Blacks",<9> and is often referred to within African American communities as "the witch riding your back"<10><11>

[Shell Beau]

5. I do that sometimes. It is way freaky.

A lot of times I try to scream out and nothing will come out. I hate when it happens. Luckily, it doesn't happen too often.

[dysfunctional press]

6. it's a terrifying feeling at first...

i'll try with all my might to nudge my wife awake- but i cannot move an inch.

[Shell Beau]

9. I hate it when it happens. Mine is usually me trying to talk and nothing

will come out. I just can't move my mouth. I am usually trying to scream because it seems to happen only when I am having a bad dream.

[LynneSin]

7. OMG I get that all the time, even last night I had it for a few minutes

Had to remind myself I can move - it took a few minutes for my body to respond

[dysfunctional press]

23. do some research into "the old hag syndrome"...it's VERY interesting...

sorry- that's what it's called...:shrug:

...Dr. Mignot went on to explain that we sleep in cycles, and approximately every 90 minutes we go from slow wave sleep to REM sleep and back again. And it is only in REM sleep that we dream, when our brains are very active (as opposed to slow wave sleep, when they aren't very active at all). It is also in REM sleep that our bodies are completely paralyzed. "If you were not paralyzed during your REM sleep, you would be in serious trouble," said Mignot. "You have to realize that if you were dreaming that you were running around and if you were physically able to run, you would be kicking in your sleep. You could kick your significant other. This problem does exist; it's called REM Behavior Disorder, it's not very common. In general, fortunately, you are paralyzed."

As the night wanes on, you tend to have more frequent REM sleep and less frequent slow wave sleep, which is why sleep paralysis is most common in the early morning.

Dr. Mignot said, "Sleep paralysis is a strange occurrence. It happens when your body goes into a stage where it's half awake and half into REM sleep. Consequently, you get into this paralysis stage, but the rest of your brain switched into the 'awake mode.' Sleep paralysis is damn scary. And people are really afraid that they're going to die-but actually they don't."

So where is the old hag? What about the specter moving toward you in your bed? The medical explanation for experiencing a visual representation of a dream while you are partially awake is called "hypnagogic hallucinations," Dr. Mignot explains. "Hypnagogic hallucinations are rare, more difficult to find," but maybe they are a somewhat plausible explanation? "After all, dreaming is hallucinating," Dr. Mignot concluded...

http://www.ghostvillage.com/legends/2002/legends7_11302002.shtml

http://www.google.com/search?q=the+old+hag+dream&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

one school of thought is that perhaps all of the people who truly believe that they were abducted by aliens were actually experience this phenomenon.

and once you know more about what's going on- when it happens you can actually almost lay back and enjoy the ride. almost. :scared:

[madeline_con]

27. I think Ambien switches off the paralysis.

That's why you might get up, make dinner and go for a drive while asleep. Dangerous!

[dysfunctional press]

29. this is a different kind of sleep paralysis...

the effect that ambien has is on the function that keeps you from acting out your dreams.

the sleep paralysis i'm referring to is one that accompanies terrifying dreams when you're actually 'half-awake'.

[murielm99]

35. Once, I fell asleep on the couch and ended up face-down,

with my face pressed into the cushions. My cat was sleeping on my back, which is a normal occurrence.

When I woke up, I was paralyzed. I thought someone was pressing my face into the cushions in order to suffocate me. I literally could not breathe. After what seemed like a long time, I was able to turn my head. I was convinced that someone was suffocating me. I called my dog. She started barking. Then I was able to get up from the couch. I think her barking brought me fully awake.

When I was able to breathe normally again, I checked the house for intruders. Of course there were none. My dog would have warned me if anyone so much as rattled a doorknob.

This sounds stupid, but it seemed very real and was very frightening.

[ThomCat]

30. That happens to me fairly often.

:(

[raccoon]

8. Tell us about the pictures. nt

[LynneSin]

12. I knew it was a picture of something horribly done by terrorists but

in the dream something was blocking the picture in my dream although the dream self did see the picture

[Bake]

10. I dreamed I was at a Rush concert.

I awoke terrified and in a cold sweat.

:hi:

Bake

[LynneSin]

13. I'd feel like that if I was seeing that fat oaf in concernt

[Bake]

15. That must be an old pic

He's an even fatter oaf now. And oafier, too.

:hi:

Bake

[Inchworm]

11. I got shanked this morning escaping from prison

I had to turn because my li'l dog was trying to swim through a pond of crocs. I was very aware not to trust the guy escaping with me, but hec.. it was my dog!

I woke feeling the pain then realized it was a dream and tried to hurry back to sleep so I could self-heal and take the dude out. We were both in a catacomb type infirmery when I woke. The doggy was sleeping with me smiling.

I'm just glad to dream again. I've been partying so much lately that they've hidden theirselves from me.

:D

[Symarip]

14. I had one too

There was this turtle but it had a face and it kept snogging a shoe...

Horrible.

[TZ]

19. I wonder why.

I can just imagine what kind of nightmares you are gonna have tonight. Giant Turtles fighting Godzilla?

[Symarip]

20. Fighting?

[JitterbugPerfume]

16. when my daughter was on drugs

and I was still in denial about it , I dreamed that she was being tortured and raped . It was so real I woke up screaming!

[bif]

17. No but I've had dreams where I wake up achingly in love

With someone I met in my dreams. Happens pretty often.

[fizzgig]

18. i had one the other night

i don't remember the details much beyond that i was in some cabin in the mountains and there were murderers trying to break in.

it was one of those dreams where i was telling myself to wake up and thought i woke up, but it was part of the dream. when i finally did wake up, i was terrified to go back to sleep. it took all my willpower just to get up to go to the bathroom and i quickly scampered around the bed, convinced there was someone under it waiting to grab me.

it had been a long, long time since i'd had a nightmare and this one was a doozy.

[BreweryYardRat]

21. Lots.

Nothing like waking up screaming on a regular basis to do wonders for your mood.

[Bertha Venation]

22. Yipes!!

I have recurring nightmare dreams. The further I am from an actual earthquake, the milder and less frequent the dreams become. I haven't been in an earthquake in eight years. But when I'd have those nightmares, I'd bolt upright in bed, turn on the light, and turn on KFWB to hear the reports.

[applegrove]

24. I've had scary dreams where i've woken up absolutely terrified.

[Blue_Tires]

25. i've had both extremes

I've woken up, and realizing my real time, place, identity and wealth, just started cursing the horror that is my 'real' life....

i've also woken up in a sweat, in that George Bailey-like song and dance "THANK GOD FOR THIS PITIFUL LIFE WHICH IS HEAVEN ON EARTH COMPARED TO WHAT I WAS LIVING IN THAT DREAM!"

[csziggy]

26. I once dreamed someone broke into my boyfriend's house and shot me

My then boyfriend stopped and held him while another friend called 911. The dream was so realistic - the burning pain from the shot and the feeling my life was ebbing away with my blood. I only woke up when I passed out as the EMTs were loading me into the ambulance.

It scared me so much I would not spend the night at that house and was not comfortable until my boyfriend moved out of it. If I had gone to a police artist I could have described the shooter perfectly - I can still see his face, though he is no one I have ever met in real life.

The memory of that dream is more realistic to me than some actual events in my life. Even now, over 30 years later that dream gives me shivers though I never had it again. :scared:

[madeline_con]

28. While using nicotine patches. Freaky!

[skooooo]

31. What's scary is when you want to wake up ..but can't.

I hate that. You know you're dreaming, but you can't wake up and you're kind of frozen.
'

[ThomCat]

32. Unfortunately, yes.

:(

I'm sorry you had that kind of a dream. :hug:

As soon as I realize it's a dream, usually it stops being scary. But not always. Sometimes I wake up sweating and terrified that something happened or is about to happen.

I hope you got enough rest despite that.

[Neoma]

33. Almost every night.

[Neoma]

34. Double post.

[pokerfan]

36. I've had dreams so realistic

that I've desperately tried to go back to sleep and resume them. It never works.

[begin_within]

37. Yes, I had a dream that

there were about 7 cats running down the hall (I have only 1 cat) all with their hair standing up, scared of something, so I got up to see what scared them and as I walked down the hall, a mechanical version of my grandmother (like what you see in a carnival dark ride) came moving around the corner on a track, and I screamed in my dream. My Mom said she heard me screaming but my mouth was closed so it just sounded like humming. I was scared when I woke up but I got up and went to the hallway to make sure nothing was there. That was a recent dream. When I was a kid, I had a dream that my Mom opened up the clothes dryer and ghosts came out in the form of white shirts and socks. That scared me from going into that room for a while, but eventually I got over it.

[elleng]

38. Not quite, but recently have had a couple weird ones.

But first, when a kid, I dreamed was at zoo, bear casing me. I said to myself at one point, 'this is a dream, don't worry!' It recurred a few times. I have had dreams where I've been unable to scream or move when in dangerous situations.

Recently, have had peculiar dreams (under some thing or one's influence) and when awoke, feeling of under influence stayed with me for hours.

Thanks for asking!

[Naturyl]

39. Yes, and here's what happened.

I had one last night where I was minding my own business and hanging out with friends until Republicans showed up showing me these horrible pictures of Karl Rove.

I was so scared of what they showed me I actually said in my dream "I GOT TO WAKE UP" and when I did I had to turn on all my brain cells so I wouldn't be stupid anymore.

I was able to get back to sleep but I woke up the next morning with the entire house lit-up inside.

[LynneSin]

41. That was pretty much the dream I had

except it was pictures of people being kidnapped & tortured. Oddly enough, just slightly scary than pictures of Karl Rove

[Withywindle]

40. Yes.

The most recent one, it was the nightmare scenario where the Secret Service comes knocking on your door if you talk about it too much.

I routinely have nightmares that aren't so much scary as miserable: just reliving all the times I've been dumped in my life. I cry in my sleep a lot. This one was worse because it wasn't about just personal grief but national: full of a WHOLE LOT OF CRYING IN MY SLEEP but with also a creepy sense that the media mentioned "President Biden," cause he was, in a low voice only when they absolutely had to, and otherwise pretended everything was normal.

I'm much too young to remember a successful Presidential assassination, but this nightmare made me really interested in the experiences of people who were around for JFK. :scared: :cry: