i don't believe in those kind of things. something wierd happened last night to me though.?

Question

i woke up at around 4:00 AM and my whole body was tingling. like when your foot falls asleep, only my whole body felt this way. it felt as if somebody was holding me down against the bed. i also heard deep, almost gasping breaths from my right side (there is a wall there and above me - my bed is in a corner) about ten seconds after i woke up it stoped suddenly. like a flash of lightning. when your foot falls asleep you usually have to "rub" it out and it usually takes a couple of minutes. after it stoped i felt extremly *for lack of a better word* weird for about five min. i can not explain it any other way but "weird." i have never felt this way before. like i was covered in oil or somthing and couldnt get it off. my dog died and i have been depressed for about a month. i have read about certain sprirts that "feed" off negative energies. could i have been possesed, or haunted, or somthing. like i said, i never believed in this stuff before, but that experience makes me wonder...?

Answer 1

I have a Korean friend that has the same thing you have, your by no means unique in this experience. I don't know how to spell it but the Koreans call it "kowie", pronouned "cow-ee".

Anyway, i got curious and looked around, its called "sleep paralysis", and if my memory serves me right is something like your mind waking up before the rest of your body.

My friend describes almost exactly what you did, his was just more terrifying. He says he can see shadows of some stuff (he says something like people, or demons, or something just as scary) out of the corner of his eye. And as long as it lasts, he "hears" something like screaming. Scary huh?

Answer 2

All the people who cited sleep paralysis as the cause pinpointed the issue pretty well. During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep your body becomes paralyzed to prevent you from acting out your dreams. REM is your dream sleep, it's the deepest form of sleep and the only time our body actually rests and can restore for the next day. You only need about 2-3 hours of REM a night to be fully rested for the next day. If you suddenly wake to consciousness during REM your body can still be in a state of paralysis for a short amount of time and it can shake you a bit. This is why you felt as if hands were holding you down. I myself have woken up during a dream and found myself unable to remember how to breathe or speak and felt as if I was being pulled downwards. All that was is the after effects of the dream I was having combined with the weight of my body that I couldn't lift because I was unable to move. So this is nothing to be alarmed of unless you start waking your body before your mind. (Sleep walking) Sleep walking is not healthy and shows you have lots of sleeping problems so if you start you should see a physician.

To the people adamantly claiming a spirit did this there are many more scientifically proven reasons these experiences happen. As for the "old hag" this is an image brought up by your mind because it is in a state of fear but cannot find a reason to be fearful. When you are scared you think you see things that are not actually there, everyone has these experiences some people just want to feel special by saying the ghost they saw flying in the moonlight was real and wants to eat your eyes.

Answer 3

Damn it, i cant remember the name of this experience. Some people that experience this say that they see a figure of a woman above them, some become temporarily paralysed. Some say that the woman/witch/demon, is holding down their bed covers so they cant physically get up. Other sometimes claim that the woman is sits by you and strokes you which produces the tingling feeling. And some can see her laughing in the corner of the room while you struggle to get up.

Some people relate this to stress or depression and others are not too sure and claim it was purely a ghost. They do feed of negative energies, but also positive ones, if you get yourself on your feet then you can have a good experience. Sorry i cant help you any more. You can email me if you want because i know a fair bit about spirits and stuff, but i dont want to bore you.... (any more :D )

Answer 4

You experience a form of sleep paralysis. When you are asleep, for certain periods of time your brain paralyzes parts of your body so you don't act out your dreams. It typically goes away before you begin to wake up but sometimes it doesn't and you get trapped in "the twilight zone". You awake to find that you cannot move or have strange sensations. You are not entirely awake though you're aware of many of your surroundings. You may feel as if someone is sitting on your bed or your chest or holding you down or standing next to you, but no one is actually there.

Answer 5

There is a phenomenon known as a "hagging" in which an entity (ghost, spirit, etc.) basically "steals" your energy, and this most often happens to people while they are a sleep. They choose people who are mentally unstable, depressed, weak, ill, or otherwise incapacitated in some sort. Any lingering negativity is believed to draw in these entities. Many people wake up and report feelings of being held down, paralyzation, hearing strange sounds, or seeing an entity floating above them (most often an old woman, which is why it's termed a "hagging" by the old hag).

This may or may not be the case with you. There is something called sleep paralyzation which some people are prone to, and others appear to develop during times of great stress or depression.

In most cases, no harm comes to victims of either a hagging or sleep paralyzation. I knew a man who was constantly tormented by an "old hag" and woke up nightly being held down. He began reciting "Hail Mary..." and this appeared to make the "old hag" leave. You may want to try reciting your favorite prayer. Burning sage and sweetgrass is another tool for keeping out negative energy and bringing in good energy.

I understand that a pet dying can be devastating. It may be of some help for you to seek counseling or support by friends and family. You need to find a way to let go of some of the bad and find some good. Chances are that'll help your situation.

J. L. Oneske, Parapsychologist

5TH ANNUAL EAST COAST GHOST CONFERENCE
MAY 26 & 27, 2007 ~ ROCHESTER, NY
WWW.EASTCOASTGHOSTCONFERENCE.COM

Answer 6

Similar sorts of things have happened to a lot of people I know, including family members. Science would call it sleep paralysis, and maybe there is such a thing but most of the accounts I've been told include a sense of a "person" holding them down and in some cases they can feel the hatred of this "person". There have been three cases among my friends where it would always happen in a particular room of the house (three different houses) to whoever was sleeping in the room at the time. Actually, that's FOUR cases...just remembered my mother's story. The rest have been one-off occurrences.

Who knows what happened to you? None of us were there at the time. I think you'd be the best judge.

Answer 7

This phenomenon is much more common than you would think. It is a natural part of human sleep called sleep paralysis. What happens is our bodies relax when we are sleeping and become paralysed. This is to stop us from moving around whilst asleep and injuring ourselves (by smacking ourselves in the face with our hands, falling out of bed - or our ancestors from falling out of a tree). Sometimes people wake up to the point of being conscious but still unable to move. It can be extremely unnerving.

Have a look at the description on the web site below. It describes the symptoms and provides a scientific explanation. It should put your mind at ease.

Answer 8

When sleeping, you are in a dream state. It is called rem state. It is common. I have people standing at the foot of my bed too. Was it a ghost or memory from my dream. As for your oven breaking, it is coincidence. More info. I know cases where people have seen angels and Jesus sitting at the foot of the bed. It is part of mind set. In my case, I have a paranormal experience over the top of what you are writing. What is going in the home? Any thing religion? If so, take notes. I am willing to help if needed.

Answer 9

If it was a one time event then I would not worry too much about it. It sounds as if you awoke during a dream sequence, this is not uncommon. The body is very complex and can be hard to understand when things happen, especially when we tired or waking up. I doubt you have sleep paralysis since this is not an ongoing thing and I doubt you are possessed merely since you are depressed. Some ghosts do attach themselves to people who are down, but this would not explain your situation.

Try not to worry about things so much as I do not feel you have anything paranormal to worry about.

Answer 10

Just another case of a perfectly natural physiological reaction being misconstrued for paranormal activity. Nor is it difficult to find others that will ignorantly reinforce the notion that it is paranormal. I would suggest you mention this incident to your doctor. I'm guessing you'll get the same plausible explanation that others here are mentioning.

I especially like the answer from the guy who says he believes in ghosts but *always* considers real explanations for these kinds of things...and then he immediately proceeds to ignore the most likely and very real explanation. It's people like that which create problems, not solve them.