Nightmares

By skinner_jennifer

Sun, 28 Oct 2018
  • 3746 reads
16 comments
 

Going to sleep for me at one point in my life would leave me in a hot suffocating bed of sweats and fighting to breathe. The main scary part of my dreams was feelings of paralyses. An invisible dark something would begin creeping up my body, even in the blackness of night I would see a cloudy mass. Whatever it was would breathe heavily and groan in my ear.

 

I would be petrified as it squeezed my breasts, while I was unable to shout out. I remember feeling sure my eyes were open at the time and tried to open my mouth, but still I was unable to scream. My partner who lay beside me would sleep completely oblivious to my situation.

 

The experience seemed to go on for ages, but in fact probably only lasted seconds. As soon as I was able to use all my strength, I would kick out with my legs and think in my head! “Get out...get out of my dreams”. I could never get back to sleep afterwards even if it was the middle of the night.

 

Reading up on books about evil creatures called incubus and succubi gave me chills and I wonder how many other people have had a similar experience. I haven't had those dreams for well over twenty years now...thank goodness.

 

It was Jane Hypen's poem, 'The Hidden Help,' that inspired me to write this memory down. It just makes you wonder about all those other poor people that suffer this paralysis feeling constantly.

Certificate 18
Poem
Dreams
Horror
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)
Autobiography

Comments

Submitted by hilary west on

Hi Jenny,

Those succubi and incubi are real enough, evil creatures that look for young virgins in the night. Or maybe you were just a bit breathless and had a mild panic attack!

Hilary  wink

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Thanks for replying to this Hilary. Well I know for sure I wasn't a virgin at the time, but if those evil creatures are real,  then I hope they never return...brrrrr! Sends shivers through me just to think of it.

Thought it was good idea for the I P.

Jenny. 

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

An incubus is a demon in male form who, according to mythological and legendary traditions, lies upon sleeping women in order to engage in sexual activity and 'beget' children with them. Its female counterpart is a succubus.
That is the fanciful explanation, Jenny. Did you get pregnant at the time? If not you got off lightly. Only joking. I can imagine how uncomfortable it must have been.
Scientists - spoilsports - offer a different version and say that victims may have been experiencing waking dreams or sleep paralysis, a phenomenon that is well established.

Luigi xx

 

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Luigi,

thank you for your explanation. No I didn't get pregnant, wink but I do understand where you're coming from. I like to go with the sleep paralysis idea, it's not as frightening...but still scary all the same.

I'm grateful for your feedback and for sharing your thoughts.

Jenny. xx

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

I've heard about people having something similar to this, women in particular. It's sounds absolutely terrifying, maybe a form of sleep paralysis as Luigi said. I once woke up and felt somebody's hands gripping tightly around my neck, also I once woke up and there was an angry goblin next to my bed. 

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Jane,

the reason I wrote this was not only for the I P, but also to see if there were others out there who have had a similar experience. Having somebody's hands gripping tightly around your neck is so terrifying and left me with shivers. It was just like that for me all those years ago, but with the pressure of an unseen body breathing heavily on top of me.

I've never seen anything like an angry goblin, but once I opened my eyes and saw my gran in bed next to me, her face was all contorted and she'd been dead since 1978, but as soon as I sat up and put the light on, it was my partner lying next to me...very strange indeed. 

Thank you for your comment, it makes it a lot easier to cope with knowing I'm not the only one.

I hope you have nice, friendly, pleasant dreams in future. smiley

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Denzella on

Hello Jenny,

I once dreamt hands were around my neck...but when I woke up...they were mine.  I had all scratch marks on my neck.  I had been dreaming I was fighting.for my life.

Nice to be back.  Hope to get around to reading more of your work.

Moya x

 

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Good morning Moya,

it's lovely to hear from you. Your experience sounds like you must have scared yourself very badly.sad It makes me feel so sad to think what might have happened to you.

We can do the strangest things when we sleep, don't you think? I'm just glad I don't sleep walk anymore, because that can be so dangerous too.

I hope life is treating you well and it's good to have you back.

Thank you for sharing your experience even though it was a bad one.

Hope your dreams are pleasant ones. Take care.

Jenny. x smiley

 

Submitted by Denzella on

Hello again, Jenny,

Dreams can seem so real which is okay if they are pleasant ones.  I want to get around to read some of your poems soon.  I always enjoyed them.

Moya x

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

I agree with you Moya,

I've had many inspiring dreams, especially love flying and normally do the breast stroke which I know is kind of weird, but I suppose it makes a change from flapping your arms around like a bird...smile! smiley    Thank you for coming back to me and hope you enjoy reading.    

Jenny. x                                                              

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

Sounds absolutely awful, Jenny.  I've never had anything like this, but I'm a great one for seeing things flicker in the corner of my eye.  Especially when daughter has been home with her damn Netflix subscription and insisted we watch 'The Haunting of Hill House'.  sad

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi there airyfairy, yes It was an awful experience. I haven't got Netflix so haven't seen The Haunting of Hill House.

Hauntings don't bother me as long as they're not real, I just think of the clever, special effects which make it all so scary.

I suppose I'm one of those people that if I'm told I shouldn't watch something, it makes me want to watch even more, which isn't always the most sensible thing to do...but hey ho!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I too often see things out the corner of my eye, but as soon as I turn there's nothing there...very strange.

Hopefully Hallowene will be peaceful. smiley

Take care.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Nolan on

 

Sleep paralysis can really be very terrifying. These sleep experiences are very common and well known and are well documented medical phenomenon and has absolutely nothing to do with the supernatural.

Really an excellent piece of prose clearly out of own experience.

& Nolan

 

 

Submitted by Tom Brown on

I have read these are typical of an experience where one regains consciousness during sleep but where the body “is still asleep”. And thus is paralysed as such.

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Nolan, 

this was an experience I went through over twenty years ago. It happened only a couple of times, but was extremely frightening. I'm just glad it hasn't happened since.

Thank you for reading and your shared thoughts.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Tom,

that's an interesting analysis. I never thought of the idea of the brain waking but the body still being at rest. That idea takes away the scary side of sleep paralysis.

Thank you for reading and your comment.

Jenny.