Sleep Hallucinations?

[Lee2001]

Hello everyone:) So last couple of years I have been having sleep hallucinations... Seeing things like squirrels, spiders, shapes, lights, hearing noises, jumping out of bed clear across room literally... Stuff like that. It's as I'm going into or out of sleep.. But can last like two or three minutes after awake. I used to think it was just from a beta blocker I am on.. But now wondering if it's linked to PTSD. The other night I saw a brilliant light while eyes closed that jolted me awake! I have heard of other people having this type of sleep problems.. Just wondering if any of you all have experienced this and if you thought it was linked to PTSD.

 

[cat-lady]

This can sometimes be connected with sleep paralysis. For me I only got this when I got sleep paralysis and once the sleep paralysis stopped happening to me this did too. If you are talking about the type of sleep hallucinations that can come with sleep paralysis, then it can be trauma induced. Other types probably are too but I don't know much about those. For me, I first started to get them in college after being woken up by real life traumatic stuff repeatedly (our dorm had an arsonist who struck several times, usually at night). Eventually, I would wake up to the sound of the fire alarm and sight of smoke and be unable to move. Then a few minutes later I would be able to move again and the sounds and sights would go away. This happened a few times until I go so intellectually curious about what was happening to me that I started to hope for it to happen again so that I could study it and analyze it. That's when it stopped, I think because it's fear linked and the intellectual curiosity overpowered the fear. Even if you don't get sleep paralysis you may have something related to it. Try searching for info on that and see if it sounds accurate to what you're experiencing. Good luck!

 

[Lee2001]

Thank you! I figured it was something along these lines. Like hypnogenic sleep hallucinations. But I do not know if it's related to PTSD. But if it's fear linked then I would say it is related. So sorry you had those paralysis states... That would be hard as well. Thank you for sharing:)

 

[EveHarrington]

Maybe linked to PTSD but people without PTSD experience this too so it's not exclusive to PTSD.

 

[Shannon1024]

This can sometimes be connected with sleep paralysis. For me I only got this when I got sleep paralysi...

I have had problems with sleep paralysis as well, as soon as i started researching it, it slowed down and eventually stopped. i think it's fear driven too

 

[shimmerz]

That's when it stopped, I think because it's fear linked and the intellectual curiosity overpowered the fear.

Brilliant!

 

[Werewoman]

I have been having the strangest experience since I was 19. I am sound asleep, probably during REM, when suddenly I become aware there's a presence just outside my range of sight. So I try to open my eyes and turn my head (body, whatever movement is necessary), but I can't. At this point I begin to panic and struggle inside my head trying to break the paralysis which eventually I do, but it's incredibly difficult. I don't move during these struggles and of course, there's never anyone or anything there lurking just outside my field of vision. By far the worst one was when I could see the 'presence' standing over me, and he was an executioner with a very large axe. Just as it started down towards me, I managed to break the paralysis, but in my panic to get away from him, I slammed into the wall - right where the corner is, and broke my nose. Hubby says I redefined the term 'face-plant'. :facepalm:
My therapist had one hell of a theory about it in our session this morning - basically, he thinks the child part (child/adult/parent) of my psyche is taking control and she does this while I'm asleep because it's easier for her. I have to admit, of all the theories and reasons I've heard over the years, his actually makes sense. The little girl inside me is pretty powerful. She holds her own, so it makes sense to me that she would take control while I'm asleep because SHE fears the monster is never far away and her hypervigilance is over the top sometimes.
So my answer to your question is, I don't know. I just know I'm seeing a lot of similarities on this thread that have me intrigued.

Oddly enough, until this morning I had no idea that sleep paralysis doesn't happen to everyone. I'd always thought it was 'normal', whatever that means.

 

[Deleted member 37343]

I have been having the strangest experience since I was 19. I am sound asleep, probably during REM, w...

I thought it was normal as well, just like how I thought a migraine is what a normal headache felt like. I started talking to other people and one day had a casual conversation about my headaches with my doctor, found out I get migraines haha.

I did the same thing about sleep paralysis. When I was at a friend's place, I jolted awake and sputtered, "Oh thank goodness I thought he was going to get me." My friend asked what I meant and explained what happened. Couldn't move, saw some tall shadow male figure(somehow knew it was a male) at the edge of my bed and I couldn't yell or warn her. She gets sleep paralysis too(she has sleep apnea and that's what causes her to have them when she doesn't use her cPap machine.) and confirmed what it was for me. I later mentioned it to my doctor and he agreed.