Reccuring dream: A little lucid, all scary. Help me end it?

[Bjorie]

I'm new, so this will be my first post.
I've recently had a dream, and it has shaken me so bad,
that I had to look it up, and see if other people have had it.
Either it doesn't happen much, or I just suck at searching,
but I found this site, and want to ask if someone knows how to
stop it.


The first day this happened was 3 days ago. I finally got off my computer after lurking for a while because I saw how late it was, and I turned off my lights, and laid in bed. Soon, I started staring at a dark corner in my room, and saw the shadows shifting. It scared me a bit, so I wanted to get up and sleep in the living room (its not as dark there, since my room has no windows). But I couldn't get up. I felt heavy, and even trying to lift my head up was a struggle. I finally manage to get out of bed with a large struggle, and start to wonder if maybe I'm in a dream. 'Am I dreaming, or is this real?' I think. So I bite my tongue, and find it uncomfortable. I take notice of the very very cold floor on my feet. But when I turn to look at something besides whatever was in my line of view (dark corner on the ceiling), I'm reverted to being back in my bed.
A couple of times, after the initial struggle, but touching the edge of my bed, I can get to the door, and open it to let the light into my room, and can the turn my head, and feel a sentiment of relief. You know the, "thank god that's over with". But then I see something that doesn't make sense. Like my floored being covered completely with blankets, just every surface, besides closest to my bed (where I walked through, and felt the cold).
After that, I close my eyes and think "I'm just dreaming, I'm just dreaming, don't worry about it."
Then I'm back in my bed, and it continued, until I'm really not dreaming, and can get up.

This dream is what happened also the second night, except when I made it to the door the second night, the thing wrong with my room, was that it was not my room, and a dorm, with a bunch of people asleep in beds, all lined up (sort of what I imagine the old orphanages look like)?
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Now, this one is the one that really scared me. Its basically the same concept.
I'm in bed, in my room. Its really late, like 2:03, and I stupidily just read a scary story before I go to sleep. I know I'm gonna be scared, so I grab my blanket and pillow, and check if my sister's room door is open so I can sleep with her. Her door, and everyone else's is closed. And so I go to sleep on the couch. So I lay down, and I'm looking across the room, where you can see the kitchen light on, since we never turn it off, and some figurines and trinkets my mom collects on a shelf in the corner. I'm looking specifically at the top shelf.I hear a door squeak, and from the distance, can tell its either my parent's door, or my brother's. So then I see someone pass by my line of view and walk into the kitchen, and from the height and hair, I can tell its my dad. So I think, "Lemme get up and say hi, and hopefully not get in trouble for being up so late, I'm thirsty too."
But I can't get up, or even move my head. I see him walk out of the kitchen, and towards the direction of the hallway. I don't say anything, but I don't even try, because it would be embarassing to yell "help me, I can't move! I'm scared!" in the middle of the night. What would he do? Let me sleep in my parents bed? Like I would do that. -_-;; I'm about to hit 19. I would be the laughing stock the next morning.
I'm creeped out, but I don't want to bother him.
So I try to turn my head, to watch him walk into the hallway, but can't. "Oh, I must be dreaming again. Dammit, this is getting annoying."
So I do the thing, where I struggle to get out, and try to go back to my room, and keep my eyes on the figurines, by holding onto the couch, and the coffee table. I can feel the floor on my feet, pressing again my toes, since I'm tip toeing, so I don't make noise, but my legs feel incredibly heavy, as do my eyelids, and cheeks. And I keep reverting back to being in bed, and get tired of trying to get up.
It takes too much time, and energy, and I'm all out. I have conciousness of how this is all reccuring, and how I'm probably dreaming.
The I hear my phone ring behind me.
What the hell, why is it behind me? I first thing, then I remember I have put the phone and charger there earlier when a friend called, and it was running out of battery. Then the ringtone changes into something more intense, and I want to pick it up, but can't move. "who the hell is calling me, at this time? Don't they know my parents have work tomorrow? I'm gonna get in trouble."

Then, from the direction of the other couch, I hear someone sit down, and start laughing eeriliy. I really wanna look, but can't move my head. I hear them start moving towards me, as the floor creaks, still giggling.
Now, I'm scared, and don't want to look.
So I close my eyes and chant in my head "I'm just dreaming, I'm just dreaming, please let me wake up, please. "
And then it ends. I can tell its a revert back, and not just that the girl and the ringing has stopped, because I can sort of feel it, when it 'reverts'. Then after more of the regular ones, I decided to do something different, and used my energy to try to fall off the couch. I do, and I feel the floor on my bottom (really hard...), and grasp onto the table to get up, but shift my eyes, and then I revert back. I wanna get to my room after this, and just play online, or sleep with the lights on, so I continue with the 'struggle to get up and move thing', until I can get up easily, and realize I'm awake this time. I check to make sure, by walking around a little, and looking out the window. Its creepy outside too, no cars, and everything an eerie shade of grey (I live on a main street, so no cars =very weird).
I gotta go to the bathroom now, that how freaked out I was, and noticed my parent's room door is now open. Freaky, but a coincidence, since he probably goes to get a drink often or something. So I enter the restroom, and do what you do in restrooms. I then get out but, I look at the time on my parent's clock. Its only 2:23.
By this time, I'm scared, really scared.
Doesn't it take a while to get to REM sleep? I thought it took like 30 minutes, unless you are really tired and have been having a lack of sleep.
And 2:03 was from the time I turned off my computer, this includes me, closing it, getting my blankets and moving to the living room, turning off my lights, trying to shuffle my door so it doesn't make too much noise when I slowly open it, tiptoeing to the couch, and going to the restroom. So now, I don't want to sleep. At all. So I sit on the couch for a little, and then finally gain the courage to go to my pitch black room, open the door, and turn on the lights.
I try to sleep with the lights on after that, but don't really want to sleep.
I hear something walking, and peek out from under the blankets.
I see my sister looking at me wideeyed from the mini fridge we share.
She gets whatever she wants from it, and walks out.
"WAIT, WAIT! Can I sleep with you?"
"Sure, but why?"
"I had a nitemare... and I'm actually really scared right now."
She probably would of laughed at me if I didn't look so freaked out.
So I go to her room, explain my dream (with some stuff missing, like the giggling girl, and the cell phone), and we watch some show she recorded and we both missed. I finally slipped into sleep, and don't remember what I dreamed about.
---------------------------------------------------
I'm still really freaked out, and scared. I dunno what I'm gonna do if this dream keeps happening. It's affecting my life quite a bit, I'm always feeling groggy or tired, and feel like I never have enough sleep. I keep slipping into naps while just watching t.v.
Is it just a dream that is induced by stress?
My recent 'problems':
- I have a cold, so sniffles?
- I'm on my period, so moody?
- I just finished my finals, but I don't really care about grades, so what?
- I have to clean my room (this is just pushing it)
- I'm not going to a convention that I have gone to for the past 3 years? (but that's my choice, it's expensive, and has been going downhill every year).
- Its almost christmas?
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In all honesty, right now should be the most stress free time, since I'm FINALLY out of school. These days I feel all happy, and normal when I'm with people, but when I'm alone, I keep thing of the dreams, and feel like crying.
I don't like how defenseless I feel, and how evey though I know I'm dreaming, I can't do anything.

Please, I'm not kidding, please, help if you can.
It's pass the point of just being a little creepy for me.
No, I'm not getting dream bruises, or anything... but its scary.
If it can be interpreted, if it can just be stopped, help?

[Bjorie]

After going through a couple of pages, I saw that it might be 'sleep paralysis'.
It would make sense, since I have a cold, right? And once I ever sleep on the couch.
But, then why does it only occur when my lights are off at night, or when I'm sleeping alone? Never when I take a nap in the middle of the day, because I'm so tired from the nitemare from the night before?

Whenever I'm about to fall asleep, after actually waking up from them, it feels like my eye lids are really heavy. I can't keep them open, unless I try really hard, and finally just give up and sleep, to deal with the nitemare.

I even try thinking of happy things while in this conditions, to try to change my dream, or at least feel better. I try thinking of jokes, or things I should do tomorrow, or how nice it would be if it snows again. It never helps, and I still have that sick suffocating feeling that something is wrong. >w<

[Wolfjk]

Originally Posted by Bjorie

After going through a couple of pages, I saw that it might be 'sleep paralysis'.
It would make sense, since I have a cold, right? And once I ever sleep on the couch.
But, then why does it only occur when my lights are off at night, or when I'm sleeping alone? Never when I take a nap in the middle of the day, because I'm so tired from the nitemare from the night before?

Whenever I'm about to fall asleep, after actually waking up from them, it feels like my eye lids are really heavy. I can't keep them open, unless I try really hard, and finally just give up and sleep, to deal with the nitemare.

I even try thinking of happy things while in this conditions, to try to change my dream, or at least feel better. I try thinking of jokes, or things I should do tomorrow, or how nice it would be if it snows again. It never helps, and I still have that sick suffocating feeling that something is wrong. >w<

Hi Bjorie,
Trying to go to sleep at 2.03 AM can be very stressful! If you have been on the computer, you might be over tired by then. If you red the thread on sleep paralysis you might have come acroos someone saying that having a nap in an unusual place, probably in a bad sleeping position can cause bad dreams! Having cold and in the middle of your period makes it even worse!

I take notice of the very very cold floor on my feet.

At nearly 19, you need a boyfriend to keep you warm!!
Cheers Wolfjk

[dream-warrior]

Yes, I agree that having a nap in a unusual place and a bad sleeping position can cause bad dreams. However, you still should be able to change what happens in your dream... while you are sleeping. You are familiair with "lucid dreaming" (in your post you mention that you knew you were "probably dreaming"). In lucid dreams you should be able to change the nightmare any way you want.

There are many ways do do this, perhaps you don't know all of them.

I taught these techniques to my daughter Lisa, who is the real "dream-warrior". She used to suffer nightmares, but not any longer.

I started a blog inspired by my daughter, that shows children and adults how to change nightmares and interpret dreams.

Wim Kerk