Any ideas as to what I've experienced?

Hello,

I had a very interesting experience last night and I've decided to see if anyone has either experienced something similar or had any clues as to what this may have been.

I have to say I do not believe it to be jsut a run of the mill haunting type scenario. I'm in a brand new condo, no one has ever lived here aside from me and I know that land itself may be haunted, in this area...I don't really feel that is a possibility. However, who knows...stranger things have happened

Anyways, I was working late (I work from home much of the time as I am a free lance graphic designer) and I went to bed probably just before three o'clock (probably somewhere between 10 to and 3am). Now, its important to note that I was WIDE awake when this happened...I had just gotten into bed, my husband was already asleep and I closed my eyes and I felt this very strange pressure around my legs, from about hip point down I'd say. It was almost like the bed was moving beneath my legs, like radiating. The best way I can describe it was it was almost like a pulse, like a rythmic sensation that was only occuring on that section of the bed. I'd sit up, pat the matress a bit (I dont know why I thought this would help), get situated again and again this pulsating feeling would start all over again within a few minutes.

I eventually kind of ignored it and started to drift off when I was awoken by kind of this scuffling noise beside my bed....which my husband heard too. Now, there are some boxes beside my bed as we've just moved here and I thought it was one of the cats playing in it, no big deal. The scuffling then sounded like it was coming from inside the walls behind the bed. It sounded almost like the noise that it would make if a cinder block was being dragged across concrete. We stayed up a bit and it happened a few more times but once again stopped and so we thought that maybe something is wrong with the neighbors pipes or its just a sound the heat ducts make when they cool down.

Once again I start to drift off and the pulsing feeling starts again only this time it's very much stronger and now feels more like someone is squeezing down my legs and it moved towards my ankles and felt like someone was digging their fingernails into my ankles and pulling on me. I didnt want to wake up my husband again as he had to be up early for work this morning so i went and slept on the couch because I knew shifting and moving about and getting up would just bother him.

It continued on the couch for a better part of an hour and a half,the tugging and squeezing feeling was joined by feeling almost like someone was prodding at me, as well as little noises. Not quite the same cinderblock type noise but creaks, and thumps and little rustles.

I dont get shaken easily with this kind of thing. I am very sensitive to paranormal activity and have had a few experiences but none quite like this and it was a little creepy.

thoughts?

Interesting, someone else reported the exact same thing. New ghost gong around?

Sorry I can't help much but I can say you're not alone, and people have experienced this same thing recently.

Sounds like it could have been an incubus. Male ghosts that do "bad things" . You might need a priest if it gets worse.

Sleep paralysis. Definitely. I've had it for over a decade and the pulsating sensation is sometimes a very big part of it. It's like a vibrating wave that is passing through you. Sometimes when it happens I'll get up move around lay back down and I feel it again. Sometimes more intense than usual. Even when I believe I am wide awake my body starts to slip into the paralysis very quickly. I hope that makes you feel better, I'd had to think a ghost is messing with my legs at night..

[edit on 26-3-2009 by etombo]

[edit on 26-3-2009 by etombo]

Originally posted by etombo
Sleep paralysis. Definitely. I've had it for over a decade and the pulsating sensation is sometimes a very big part of it. It's like a vibrating wave that is passing through you. Sometimes when it happens I'll get up move around lay back down and I feel it again. Sometimes more intense than usual. Even when I believe I am wide awake my body starts to slip into the paralysis very quickly. I hope that makes you feel better, I'd had to think a ghost is messing with my legs at night..

[edit on 26-3-2009 by etombo]

[edit on 26-3-2009 by etombo]

Possible though, I don't understand how it would account to the noises which both my husband and myself heard.

I hear all kinds of weird noises. Rushing noises like crashing waves, buzzing, beeping, and rustling to name a few.. I hear it all. Usually the noises are really there but are amplified to myself. Makes it more frightening. So it is possible that your husband heard the same noise, but there were probably a lot of noises that only you heard because they're amplified. I've always wonder why that is, maybe it is adrenaline, fight or flight.. Who knows.. It's freaky stuff and makes about as much sense as a crazy dream.

SCARY !
REALLY. The story gave me the creeps....

If this by any chance is true i would suggest you went to specialists of every field for.....help.

If this happened to me my life would become a living sleepless nightmare.

All the best and tace care!

Originally posted by GEORGETHEGREEK
SCARY !

REALLY. The story gave me the creeps....

If this by any chance is true i would suggest you went to specialists of every field for.....help.

If this happened to me my life would become a living sleepless nightmare.

All the best and tace care!

its quite true actually but that's beside the point.

what do you mean specialists of every field?

Wish i could be of more help...
I mean a priest, paranormal specialist and this kind of people in general.
I do not know a thing about sleep paralysis but if thats the case i think a doctor is of speciality as well.
At this time its 6 in the morning and just to bed. I use my pda for this last reply so i have limited resources to give you a link. What i mean is that i think you should go to my profile. I have a thread: Can ghosts interact with matter?
Go there. There is a lady with plenty of experience. You will know the one once you get there. She will be of much better assistance than ever could...

Take care and see you tomorrow

Originally posted by GEORGETHEGREEK
Wish i could be of more help...
I mean a priest, paranormal specialist and this kind of people in general.
I do not know a thing about sleep paralysis but if thats the case i think a doctor is of speciality as well.
At this time its 6 in the morning and just to bed. I use my pda for this last reply so i have limited resources to give you a link. What i mean is that i think you should go to my profile. I have a thread: Can ghosts interact with matter?
Go there. There is a lady with plenty of experience. You will know the one once you get there. She will be of much better assistance than ever could...

Take care and see you tomorrow

thanks for the clarification and the link

Kind of happened again last night but stopped when I actually said out loud "# off". Interestingly enough, the cats have been avoiding me all day thus far...I'm sure this is probably just a coincidence because we all know that cats are uppity and moody but I just thought it was interesting

Is there any way that you can record some of these noises? I'm still pretty sure that you're having sleep paralysis but I think it is important to entertain the possibility of paranormal activity. I was thinking about the scratching in the wall and I remember seeing a documentary about a possession that started with scratching noises. As far as cats avoiding you, that's bizarre, cats are afraid of nothing. Sometimes my cats avoid me too. I think it's because they're selfish most of the time though. They always show up when I have new catnip bags.. Junkies....

I want you to recall if you've had any increase in caffeine. You were up quite late and if you were ingesting anything with a stimulant it may make the sleep paralysis different. Also, your body does change and metabolize caffeine differently throughout your life. Now days I can drink a coke at 5 in the evening and be up until 2 AM. Just a thought.. You mentioned graphic design. I've done some freelance graphic design work myself and I understand that it can be time consuming and take a toll on the eyes, brain, and nerves. Before we jump to the conclusion of the boogie man try to see if there is any connection with things like caffeine and working late. Get the cats some greenies and see if they love you all over again. Keep a log of your sleep schedule. Oh and one other thing, please do not think I am discrediting anything you're saying. I believe you have experienced something. I just want to try and provide a logical explanation, that's all..

[edit on 27-3-2009 by etombo]

Originally posted by etombo
Is there any way that you can record some of these noises? I'm still pretty sure that you're having sleep paralysis but I think it is important to entertain the possibility of paranormal activity. I was thinking about the scratching in the wall and I remember seeing a documentary about a possession that started with scratching noises. As far as cats avoiding you, that's bizarre, cats are afraid of nothing. Sometimes my cats avoid me too. I think it's because they're selfish most of the time though. They always show up when I have new catnip bags.. Junkies....

I want you to recall if you've had any increase in caffeine. You were up quite late and if you were ingesting anything with a stimulant it may make the sleep paralysis different. Also, your body does change and metabolize caffeine differently throughout your life. Now days I can drink a coke at 5 in the evening and be up until 2 AM. Just a thought.. You mentioned graphic design. I've done some freelance graphic design work myself and I understand that it can be time consuming and take a toll on the eyes, brain, and nerves. Before we jump to the conclusion of the boogie man try to see if there is any connection with things like caffeine and working late. Get the cats some greenies and see if they love you all over again. Keep a log of your sleep schedule. Oh and one other thing, please do not think I am discrediting anything you're saying. I believe you have experienced something. I just want to try and provide a logical explanation, that's all..

[edit on 27-3-2009 by etombo]

I can try to record anything, I dont have like a good audio tape recorder type thing aside from I could possibly record from my computer cause it has a mic to pick up stuff but I'm assuming that will be fairly poor quality. My husband works in film though so I can ask him if he could perhaps nab a high quality audio recorder from the sound department for me.

As far as the cats go, I dont really honestly think that has anything to do with anything other then how cats can be uppity and snobbish as one is snuggled up beside me at the moment so that was proably just a freak thing.

I have not increased my caffeine. I can't consume any caffeine at all after 4 or 5pm as it will keep me from sleeping at all so I lay off once it hits that time and I usually only have 2-3 cups of coffee per day cause any more and the acidity would do a number on my stomach

Re: onyx718

If you would like to read about other's experiences with episodes similar to yours you should pick up The Terror that Comes in The Night by the Folklorist Dr. David J. Hufford. I am also a Folklorist and have done some research in this area. The incident rate of sleep terror paralysis in the general population is about 1 in 4. That is very high, but people generally don't talk about this kind of stuff for fear of others thinking that they are nuts. I assure you that this is very common.

In German the experience was known as Albdrücken or Alptraum which means an elf pressing or an elf dream. In the late 18th century Germans believed that elfs, gnomes and pixies were the beings which were making these nocturnal attacks, the Old Hag or being Hag ridden were common terms in english. If you look at the cover of Dr. Hufford's book you'll see an elf perched on a woman's chest (elf pressing.) This is a painting from Henry Fuseli made in 1781 called The Nightmare. Here is the wikipedia link to Sleep Paralysis.

I've had several family members and friends who have experienced sleep paralysis and can assure you that it is indeed very terrifying, but what was the greatest releif for them was knowing that others have had this also. Even the eminent Psychologist Carl Gustav Jung wrote about these experiences in his book Psychology and the Occult. I would personally recommend Hufford's book over this though. In all, there is a massive amount of material of this sort in the folklore library here at Indiana University. I personally have intervieved Dr. Hufford and had the honor of reviewing one of his unpublished manuscripts. So I would seriously reccomend beginning with his book first, there is a lot of other stuff out there, but his book is the best bar none. Hope this helps.




[edit on 27-3-2009 by Rotwang17]

Originally posted by Rotwang17
Re: onyx718

If you would like to read about other's experiences with episodes similar to yours you should pick up The Terror that Comes in The Night by the Folklorist Dr. David J. Hufford. I am also a Folklorist and have done some research in this area. The incident rate of sleep terror paralysis in the general population is about 1 in 4. That is very high, but people generally don't talk about this kind of stuff for fear of others thinking that they are nuts. I assure you that this is very common.

In German the experience was known as Albdrücken or Alptraum which means an elf pressing or an elf dream. In the late 18th century Germans believed that elfs, gnomes and pixies were the beings which were making these nocturnal attacks, the Old Hag or being Hag ridden were common terms in english. If you look at the cover of Dr. Hufford's book you'll see an elf perched on a woman's chest (elf pressing.) This is a painting from Henry Fuseli made in 1781 called The Nightmare. Here is the wikipedia link to Sleep Paralysis.

I've had several family members and friends who have experienced sleep paralysis and can assure you that it is indeed very terrifying, but what was the greatest releif for them was knowing that others have had this also. Even the eminent Psychologist Carl Gustav Jung wrote about these experiences in his book Psychology and the Occult. I would personally recommend Hufford's book over this though. In all, there is a massive amount of material of this sort in the folklore library here at Indiana University. I personally have intervieved Dr. Hufford and had the honor of reviewing one of his unpublished manuscripts. So I would seriously reccomend beginning with his book first, there is a lot of other stuff out there, but his book is the best bar none. Hope this helps.




[edit on 27-3-2009 by Rotwang17]

thank you, I'll check those titles out.

no really weird noises last night or strange pulsating bed but I went to bed quite early as I wasn't feeling very well and I woke up at 3:00 on the dot thinking I'd heard a voice speak directly to me. My husband left town for work yesterday and I'm sure this was one of those things where you're half asleep and someone says something to you in a dream and you hear it as you're waking and think it's happening but I just thought I'd throw that out there.

Have you thought about calling an exterminator to go through the attic and see if possibly there is some animal sharing your home with you? New development often has a lot of field mice because vacancy in the surrounding area. If they find anything that will definitely help you understand why you're hearing scratching noises.

[edit on 30-3-2009 by etombo]