A Protracted Series of Odd Occurrences

I have been a visitor of this site for years, and have always had a small impulse to compile my experiences in an introductory post and get some friendly yet critical anonymous feedback.

The nature of my experiences may be extraterrestrial contact, but I am not sure and have been comfortable with that assessment. I do not put much stock in the “seeing is believing/seeing is fact” motto of some of the more predominant scripted personalities involved with the UFO/ET phenomenon. My purpose here is not to cut down or deconstruct the work of others, but to merely present my case and possibly have an interesting and/or insightful discussion.

Childhood:

Childhood memories, for me float about in a distant and largely intangible mist in the back of my mind, but certain memories jut out prominently if the correct prompt is present.

These memories are fragments, but very distinct fragments that are typically triggered by atmospheric conditions.

My earliest memory is triggered at times very late summer evening when the sky is clear and I am alone. Sometimes I will stop, as if in a trance, and turn to face east and wait for what can be, or seems to be, seconds or several minutes. What I anticipate is only a brief moment when, as memory serves, is a brightly lit craft. This craft very gradually moves into view until it is overhead. Usually, something distracts me before the memory replays up to the point where the craft is hovering over me. I recall friends being present, but I know there were none on this particular evening. They had earlier curfews than I did. I rarely had one so long as I was within earshot of my parent’s paranoid imperatives to return home.

There is a memory I dislike recalling that stands out, which is triggered when I am home by myself. Sometimes, when I am sitting up in bed, reading in the evening, and the door is open; a very detailed and striking figure will swiftly pass the opening and proceed down the hall.

When I was a child, I would often have a very palpable terror come over me moments before I fell asleep. My father would often read to me if I was too tired to read myself. One evening, as he was reading to me with his back to the open doorway, the source of my fears moved passed then and proceeded down the hall toward his room.

Yes, this could have been anything and I have already narrowed down the possibility to this obvious conclusion: it was something – either in my head or physically present in my home to some degree.

Adolescence: On hot summer nights, and I look out a second floor window, I sometimes expect to see the dark, gilded disc pulsing with a reddish hue that I remember seeing so many times outside of my bedroom window.

These memories go on, and the inception of them prompted me to spend many nights getting only about two hours of sleep in the summertime.

Once I see the disc, I glance at the clock for some reason. I always made sure to look at the clock, and then I’d tense up as soon as that happened. I would become rage itself and promptly find myself facing the north wall in my bedroom (the wall with the windows would be the east wall, the same wall at which I laid my head). This part is likely familiar – I’ve heard this so many times before. I would be facing the wall and hear something like footsteps burst into my room and I sometimes felt something around my exposed temple or the back of my neck. I then awake the next morning, around 5 a.m., my heart racing and my forehead wet with cold sweats.
Once, I became determined to roll over and face whatever I sensed in my room. I managed to turn around, striking out with my left arm. What I felt was what looked to be a shoulder, which had the texture of sandpaper or much like a cat’s tongue.

My memory then skips ahead to a leg (from calf to heal) departing my room through the doorway.
Yes, the general color of this presence was gray. I still believe this is just a very vivid recurring dream.

Adulthood: Nothing until I moved into my house. Oddly enough, I tend to sleep in my office with the door barricaded and a fan on once in a great while when I get the tinnitus-like symptoms and feel a distracting sense of extreme anticipation.

One summer evening, I was in my office, but had fallen asleep without compulsively barricading the door or turning on the main light and box fan. The only light on was my lamp that was located next to my bookshelves, which sit in front of my desk. If you were to enter my office you would be facing north, looking directly at a single row of two large bookshelves. Next to them on the east side was the lamp. My desk is located directly behind the bookshelves. Instead of a conventional office chair, I have an extremely comfortable recliner that works nicely for work and napping.

I snapped awake only to be met by three figures approximately 4’ tall stop, startled by me jerking awake in my chair. Sometimes as I am falling asleep, an intense freefalling feeling jolts me wide awake – I put a hole in a piece of drywall once with the back of my head.

I am distraught by what I saw, but as I am attempting to summon the anger, my vision turns milky and I wake up the next morning.

Over the course of the past year, several times per month, I cannot sleep or extreme anxiety keeps me awake certain nights.

I will simply get a feeling, and find myself immersed in irrational paranoia and I think “NO.”
I am not sure if I had a series of night terrors growing up that has left an emotional/psychological scar on me; or if it’s sleep paralysis, or the beginning of what some refer to as an OBE.

Hello Freedom35 and welcome to ATS.

Very interesting introduction I must say. On with the questions, if you allow me.

Did you ever talk about this with your parents? Why did you say they were paranoid? Could the two be related?

Did you know some people think, or believe, that UFOs are a spiritual manifestation, even a demonic one? I know I've been contemplating that idea for quite a while, now.

Yeah, sleep paralysis... For experiencing it, I'm not quite satisfied with the current official explanation... It is something much more sinister, from my own point of view.

Enough for now. See you soon!

reply to post by Freedom35

Your story sounds a lot like others I have heard of about abductions involving visitations by "craft" since early childhood. I wish I could remember the title of the book (made into movie) that first sort of gained wide public acclaim about the issue. Your odd occurrences sound like the main characters as he struggles with the idea that something isn't right with him. Why he gets up in the middle of the night and searches the house or goes outside looking for things that aren't there. Missing time. Weird encounters with strange beings just on the tip of his memory.

Only regressive hypnosis helped him discover (painfully) what lay below the tip of the iceberg of his hidden memories. It helped him and countless others. If you are questioning your odd lapses in time or weird fleeting encounters you might want to explore that route.

I know I would. That stuff would drive me crazy. You seem at once tolerant and sort of searching... which is it?

Are you referring to the movie Communion with Christopher Walken? I would say it's a little of both. I have other memories/dream imprints that I have not shared that would support the tolerance of it. At the same time, I am highly suspicious of all of it. Either way, it's rather frustrating as I am now sleeping less and less. In part, I am sleeping less because I am a very light sleeper, and the warmer weather is provoking the neighborhood to stay out and be noisy later into the night. I am also sick of waking up in the middle of the night or several times in the middle of the night on the verge of an anxiety attack.

I was just outside enjoying a final session with my old telescope before my new one arrives (I'm gifting the old one to someone who will enjoy it as I have), and could not help but look up from the eyepiece several times and glance over my shoulder and pan up-and-down the street.

This is odd, because I normally don't have the feeling outside, and I am alone outside quite often. I disappear for hours day or night on my mountain bike (I have an NR light) and even if I do feel that familiar sensation, I do not fear it at all.

Often, when I am out there, I remind myself that I am only bound by my emotions if I allow it, and that fear is a state of mind and is an illusion. I really don't want to hint at other dimensions of this grand experience/delusion because I would like to reveal them through other follow-up threads.

reply to post by NowanKenubi


My parents would be fine with me staying out all night during the summer months if I were in the yard, but if I were beyond their sight, there would always be that moment in the night where they absolutely had to have me home. I don't believe it was related to my experiences, just evidence of caring parents.

I did, however, ask them about going into my room at night or seeing "lightning" and they would always say "no." Once, they commented on how I must have had a lot of water to drink before bed, as they heard me walking about upstairs (the house was 65 years old at the time and we had hardwood floors, so anytime someone walked about the house it was easily heard). Of course, I had absolutely no memory of getting up to use the restroom in the night.

As for "aliens" or their vehicles being from another dimension or demonic in nature - I suppose so. Anything is not beyond plausibility when one dares to consider the enormity of measurable space in our galaxy alone. I am far from making my mind up about this one. It's a theory I'll always read about or listen to, as it is not simply reconstituted, overplayed filler recycled in most contemporary documentaries on the subject of extraterrestrials and their means of transportation.

I apologize for the few typos/missing articles. I'm going on two hours of sleep but felt compelled to compose the thread before I attempted to catch up on my sleep. I'm at the point where I'm beginning to see flashes of light in front of my eyes - like when you're in graduate school doing a research/writing marathon in the library archives.

Thanks for the answer. Great if you had caring parents!

Did you ever find any particular marks on your body, once you had one of those experiences?

On another point, it's sad that you can't sleep properly, but you said that you thought fear was an illusion. Thinking that way might be burying feelings that are hard to process because in some way, they seem to imply we are weak and defenseless.
I always thought of fear as an alarm bell, something telling you to be more careful of your surroundings and what is going on. It is less scary to face as an emotion seen that way.

It may not prevent you from being abducted/visited, but it'll prevent or at least diminish the shock of the event.

Because you have always been back from whatever you are going through, and you do not sound like a lunatic to me, quite the contrary, frankly!

But I also know it is easier said than done as I still partly freak when I have a "sleep-paralysis" event.

Courage!

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reply to post by Freedom35


Welcome to ATS, freedom!

As for those freefalling feelings you get I've also experienced them. From what I've read of them they are from initiating an astral travel, as many people do it unintentionally and usually have no memories from it. Maybe, maybe not, but either way what are your possible theories on what those beings are?

As someone who is averse to having a fuss made over him, I really hope these beings are not expending a tremendous amount of resources doing whatever it is that they're doing - if it is anything doing anything whether physically or mentally or spiritually.

Sure, I have contemplated the possibility that I have been paid a visit by the gray aliens we know and love thanks to their ubiquity in popular films, stories, books, "History Channel" specials, etc.

I don't believe in demons in the sense that they are "evil" beings. They are so vastly different in so many ways from what we are and what we think we know about the universe. I think that associating demons inexorably with the word "evil" is oversimplifying another phenomenon about which we know very little.

The only thing that I have been able to take away from this series of events is the knowledge that, while I am vulnerable to the damaging environmental factors of this planet, I am not defined or bound by them. Neither is anyone else. I don't really know what that means or where it comes from beyond my own distaste for boundaries, tyrants and the fallacy of finite space and reality.

Originally posted by Freedom35
Are you referring to the movie Communion with Christopher Walken?

There it is... The movie was good but the book is what your story reminded me of. Thanks for the reply. I missed it because you did not click on reply. I just happened to return here and read it. Click on the link below to see the book and read reviews by others at Amazon.

www.amazon.com...

You can believe him, or you can think he's crazy. But after reading this book, you will believe that Strieber firmly believes in what he's saying.
Once in a great while, a book comes along that changes the way one perceives reality. For me, and I venture to say many others, Communion is such a book.

I don't know if Strieber's "visitors" are real physical beings, multidimensional travelers, creations of the human mind, or none of these things. Neither does he. But some of the things Strieber describes in Communion have been experienced by far too many people, to be pure fantasy. There is SOMETHING very strange going on, be it alien abduction or widespread shared dreams. Either way, the subject deserves serious investigation.

I read the replies you have made to others as well. You seem to be on a fence about it all, but at the same time are increasingly inquisitive. I can tell because you brought it here. Good for you. In the long run you will be glad you did. There are others here who have the same or similar experiences and seek answers . You will have to sort thru the noise on ATS to get to get to the gems.

Once you have twenty posts you can relate more in depth about your experience in a thread in the Personal Experience Forum of ATS. If you are willing to begin that journey, you may be surprised how others relate to you and cope with what they have discovered.

I would highly recommend it. Maybe wait till you are more comfortable with the site and get a feel for how things work. Understand too there are many points of view and not all of them are benevolent. Its a nice way of saying bring your umbrella, cause it might rain heavy at times in the ATS jungle. Your tale will be well received I think, just needs more exposure to the mainstream. Pick a time when a lot of members are on here and posting. They are waiting.

reply to post by intrptr


reply to post by intrptr


I had a VHS copy of that movie years ago and wish I could find it so I could archive it. I discovered the movie after I read the book (which got me a semester-long title "Alien Boy" in grade seven). The X Files episode, "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" satirized the cover of Strieber's novel and the phenomenon to some degree while also reiterating much-needed skepticism and mystery back into the show (as an early episode, aliens seemed to be the only real possibility of what the agents encounter during events involving the main plot and the show did well in poking fun at itself to some degree).

I was always impressed by Strieber's perspective on his experiences, despite pressure from Hollywood and proponents of the Extraterrestrial Visitation theory to jump to a specific conclusion. I have not followed him or his work very closely, but have discovered he has been on Coast to Coast a few times, and have those specials bookmarked (in other words, I'm not sure where he stands on the issue now and don't want to jump to a conclusion myself).

I do know that the movie relies on symbolism(as does "Fire in the Sky") to capture the non-physical aspects of Striber's experiences and what we see as the viewer is only very slightly accurate. Perhaps the only part of those movies that may be accurate, especially with "Fire in the Sky," would be that both of these men have had experiences they cannot explain. Of course, Walton has concluded that he had experiences involving extraterrestrials. I surmise that Walton himself is not 100% sure of the true nature of his experiences, as he is an intelligent man.

As for your recommendation to post in "Personal Experiences," that is my intention once I reach the 20-post quota. There are certainly other facets of these experiences that I have not mentioned.

I appreciate your word of caution, and I simply won't respond to counter-productive posts. I have noticed they are sort of like tailgaters. While they can be frustrating at times, they quickly go away when ignored.

I found this last year sometime, and think it's quite amusing. An interesting "Communion" music video. I do not condone the music, but in this particular case, I tolerate it to achieve full enjoyment of the clip:

reply to post by Freedom35

Thank you for that most eloquent reply.

I fixd your embed. You almost had it. Only paste the id no., not the whole URL. That is all between the "=" signs.

Funny video. I would very much like to hear one of their videos. Who knows, maybe they already influence mankind musically and we hear it every time we play the radio.

I can see where you draw the line and reserve judgment about the reality of something we know little about. That is proper. I want to define it but must remember that as well. Sometimes that is a difficult thing nowadays.

If you took the entire "known" electromagnetic spectrum and laid it out like a reel of film, it would stretch for over 2500 miles. The "color" part that we see with our eyes is all of an inch wide at the center. And we occupy the smallest mote of dust in the entire Universe. Having never been everywhere else how can we "know" anything? Like spending our entire lives in a room with a window and trying to understand what we see without ever venturing out side. Or two vegetable plants in a garden arguing if gardeners exist and what they might look like.

I hope to view your threads about your experiences. You can private message people after 20 posts. Do that by highlighting the word "member" in others "avatars" on the left side of the screen. That will pull down a menu that will have options like "send message". Ping me when you come "outside".

reply to post by intrptr


Thank you for the assistance with the video.

There was something I wanted to add about the film "The 4th Kind" that really resonated with me. I'll keep it short.

Barring the scandal surrounding the poorly-conceived marketing campaign that victimized the poor town of Nome, Alaska; the film was one of the best films about these experiences because it does not show us what we want to see - what we expect to see.

The film focuses largely on the deep psychological and spiritual toll such experiences have on a person. We don't need to see the "whatever they ares" because it doesn't matter. What matters is that we are placed into the position of "Dr. Tyler," somewhat at least, and have as few answers about what is happening as she does -and that is what is frightening about the film.

When the movie came out, I was extremely sick, but medicated myself enough to go out with a friend and see it. I was so curious to see what further damage had been done by Hollywood to this particular vein of "fringe" science. I'd been so frustrated with the scores of "paranormal" documentaries and other outlets (such as The "History" Channel). From what I saw, the questions asked during the hypnosis scenes were not leading.

Too many psychologists - such as the ones exploited by the aforementioned outlets - limit the subject to one false breakthrough. "What did the aliens look like?" "What sort of test were performed?" While some of the publicized cases may somehow be true, they're mostly evidence of a psychologist who enjoys money.

The film doesn't just focus on one blurry photograph or show the same slender almond-eyed E.B.E set to cheesy whooshing sound effects. It focuses on what we should have been focusing on all along: the toll something unexplained is having on members of our civilization. Someone is suffering and that isn't right.

I respect the film and it's creators because they clearly respect the audience. I don't care if the archive footage is real or not. What I care about is that the film shakes the open minded from their complacency. The film dares us to empathize more than it dares us to contemplate the malevolent visitation of an unknown force at 3:33 a.m.

It's actually 2:22 for me.

reply to post by Freedom35

Haven't seen "The Fourth Kind" yet. Will look into it and get back to you. But must agree we should not embellish hollywood or even todays internet as any kind of consistent or truthful source of information about the subject of contact with other dimensions or beings, craft, etc.

Personally, personal experience is the key. And personal experiences by others that augment or embellish our own: That is how I am searching to understand whatsitallabout.

I study everything I see and debunk a lot. Only because I have seen stuff and I am looking for others reports and video that describe same circumstances. There are key similarities that rarely surface. Your tale is one of those similar threads if you know what I mean. If you are for real and not just repeating what you have heard.

Edit: Watched trailer for the fourth kind. "Based on a true story". Owl part was intriguing. Always begins with the appearance of an owl say at the window. I had a dream once that my closet opened and there were two owls sitting there for a bit, and then they burst into the room causing a huge dsrurbance, things flying about and wind and noise. I woke up scared out of wits. Closet door was open and I never leave it open ( i think). AAAny way...

The spirit owl

I am motivated to share my story because I am simply tired of dealing with this alone, and do not want to undergo regression or meet with a group face-to-face. These experiences are very personal, and I only feel comfortable sharing them here because likely will never meet any of you.


These experiences are not altogether negative or traumatic. In fact, I have experienced awakenings (yes, plural) as a result of some of my exposure to whatever it is that enjoys coming to me in the night - or when I am in extreme isolation out on a trail (I always make it back with my mountain bike, so I'm okay with that).

I am not convinced that any of it manifests anywhere but within my own mind (from a Holographic Universe standpoint).

I would like to come to some level of understanding beyond this fundamental, clueless position I find myself in now - on my own.

Without the journey, I do not feel whatever I find in the end will have the impact it should if I just take an easy way out. That's also why I didn't use Autostar-type telescopes while I was learning astronomy basics. I used a jittery cheap telescope from 1999, star charts and numerous texts.

Of course, now, I am getting a go-to telescope for astrophotography - they're just too cost-effective not to go that route.