T's Interview:
How young were you when you had your first sleep paralysis experience and what was that experience like for you? Please describe the occurrence as well. T: "I've been having sleep paralysis for as long as I can remember. From the first experience all I really remember is "waking up" and feeling terrified because I couldn't move. Then seeing a lady in a white dress whispering to me. Then kind of falling back to sleep and waking up in the morning like nothing happened." When did you find out that you had sleep paralysis and how did you find this out? T: "I found out what I was having was sleep paralysis about 3 years ago. I just started looking online my experiences and came across it and it all made sense." How long have you had sleep paralysis? T:"Forever in my opinion. I don't recall not having it." Are your episodes frequent? T: "Not as much now than what they used to be which I think a lot of that comes from understanding what it is and stopping it before it happens." What are some of your most terrifying episodes that stand out to you most? T: "Mine are typically always the same. I wake up and can't move. I see a lady in a white dress with long black hair smiling at me. She drops down and crawls to the side of my bed and whispers to me. I never know what she's says because she speaks so fast. Almost like she's excited to say something. In some cases when this is happening I'll see dark shadows across the room. Or hear deeper voices. But usually it's just her. When she's done whispering she gets up and walks back out of the room. Sometimes she closes the door sometimes she doesn't. But she always looks back at me before exiting the room and as soon as her back is to me again it's like a weight is lifted and everything is normal again. Idk it's weird af." Have you seen anything that reminds you of your sleep paralysis? Movies, songs, etc. T: "In one of those "scary stories to tell in the dark" books there is a story called the dream. The illustration for that story is spot on to the lady I see. And the story reminds me very much of what happens to me. I had been having sp before I ever read those books. And I just remember being in a panic the first time I saw that picture because I was you d and that's who I had been seeing." Do you have any specific beliefs about what is causing your sleep paralysis? T:"I have different theories. As crazy as t sounds I think something is attached to me. Like a ghost or whatever you believe they are. She follows me everywhere. No matter where I move, if I'm alone or not. She's always there. Sometimes it happens right after staying at a new place sometimes later. It happens if I stay at someone else's house. She's always there." Is there anything else you think I should know about sleep paralysis or your personal experience with it? T:"It used to scare the hell out of me. The only time it scares me now is when I'm in a new place and I'm too deep into the sp to"wake" myself up out of it. It seems like any time I stop it from happening I have a really bad day after. And I find myself looking in my side line of vision for that lady. Maybe she has something to tell me and isn't going to leave me alone until I figure it out. Maybe I'm someone special to her for whatever reason. But the nights I stop it from happening I have night terrors worse than normal. And really have shit days after. Maybe that's her Way of telling me she needs me to hear her out? Idk it makes me sound like a crazy person saying it like that but that's basically the only explanation I have. Not to Mention on top of sp I have other sleeping issues. Night terrors, trouble falling asleep of staying asleep, shit like that. And it's always been like this. So I've just kind of accepted it and move on." |
A's Interview:
How young were you when you had your first sleep paralysis experience and what was that experience like for you? Please describe the occurrence as well. A:"I didn't start having episodes until I got to college. I think my first one was in August or September of 2013, super early Into freshman year. It was completely terrifying because I had no clue what was going on." When did you find out that you had sleep paralysis and how did you find this out? A:"I found out late September early October. I have sleep apnea as well, and I had been diagnosed with that for awhile. So when this happened, I figured it was just getting worse, not being something different." How long have you had sleep paralysis? A: "Since freshman year." Are your episodes frequent? A: "My episodes aren't very frequent because I learned that if I don't sleep on my back I don't get them." What are some of your most terrifying episodes that stand out to you most? A: "Every experience is terrifying. My worst one I've had takes the money though. I was home alone and ended up having an episode. It feels like someone is sitting on my chest and arms and then my bones kinda feel like rubber bands. I can't ever speak when I have an episode so I'm just gasping for air unable to move. It really feels like I'm dying." Have you seen anything that reminds you of your sleep paralysis? Movies, songs, etc. A: "The movie DeadPool is the only thing that has ever reminded me of it. The scene where he is in the tube and they're suffocating him and barely giving him any oxygen reminded me a lot about how I feel." Do you have any specific beliefs about what is causing your sleep paralysis? A: "Honestly I'm not sure why it happens. Doing research some people think it's like aliens or dark entities. I just think I'm fucked up lol I'm always awake and aware when it's going on, episodes last only a couple seconds but feel like ages. " |