Hello, I hope I am in the right area in posting this. It's something that has haunted me for a while if you will. Back when I was 16, maybe younger I'm not sure, I remember I would fall asleep and suddenly awaken, usually when I was alone in the house, to something...What, I do not know. But I remember I could not move, nor could I speak. Suddenly I see this large black creature, and it scoops me up in a bag or sack or something. But it to was black as well. I remember trying to scream for my mother, or my aunt, or even my father who died the year I turned 16. But at the time I was 15.

I do not know what it was, or what it wanted. But every time I felt myself slip back into unconsciousness then awaken again and look around like what just happened. I would be so tired, as if I had fought, or used my energy to help something or someone else fight it off. I would be so tired, and drained. I just could not help but slip back into sleep...And I would end up sleeping so much it would mess with my schedule of getting my mom from and to work. But before I did that it would mess with my sleeping. I'd stay up all night, then sleep all day, or Id end up suddenly falling asleep in class. And I don't mean cause I didn't get enough sleep. I mean I would literally just go out like a like that had been turned off.

I was so freaked out by it. Sometimes I think I can feel it is still there, waiting. I don't know what to do. I don't know who to ask about this, or talk to about this. As I live in the Bible Belt of America. It seriously upsets anyone if anyone at all is different from them here. I mean yes we have wonderful people here where I live, but not all are nice. And certainly not all can help me. I can only hope I put this in the right Forum Category, and that I worded this right so someone can help me. Please, and Thank you!

-G.P.

In my opinion, this sounds like sleep paralysis. It can be shockingly realistic feeling at times, and can often be confused with OBE's and some such, but in reality it's just your mind filling in the gaps as the rest of your body begins to wake up. Usually, one can tell sleep paralysis from a legitimate spiritual experience based upon if it's a repetitive experience and based upon how they feel afterwards. For example...

• If it's a repetitive experience with little to no change it's more likely to be sleep paralysis and your brain simply trying to psyche itself out. Even if the theme is the same, generally speaking a lot of things will change if it's any of the more spiritual things (such as setting, individuals, how the event actually happens, whether it happens or not, etc.)

• Personally speaking, I always feel energized after doing things such as dream questing, dream walking, lucid dreaming, astral projection, astral travel, a simple OBE, or other things of the like. I am practically buzzing with energy for a bit after these events, and even in the most "exhausting" feeling experience when I awaken I'm not usually tired. In fact sometimes I have a hard time getting to sleep --- which sucks, lol.

This is just opinion based on my experience (dream based stuff is my jam) so take this with a grain of salt, since this is your path and you might experience things differently than someone else would.

Thank you Muse. I greatly appreciate your reply. It wasn't always the same thing though. It was a little different here and there if I am remembering right. Though I may not be. My memory is not the best right now. Everything seems almost like a jumble. But I am slowly, very slowly, remembering bits and pieces of past events. I don't know where most of these things are coming from. But I will make sense of everything soon. I hope.

It could possibly be sleep paralysis. I haven't experienced anything like it now. Why I am not sure. But I feel the answer will come to me at some point. Again, thank you!

Sleep paralysis is a possibility. When this has occurred to me in the past, I haven't experienced any scary things happening and so my experience is much different compared to many other people whom sleep paralysis happens with.

I don't want to get too far fetched with this but, if you want to consider a cleansing of your home and of yourself and then put up things that deal with protection. This could be spells or spelled items or spirits that can assist with protection.

If you ever feel like it is still around there could be some sort of attachment to you. This could be something negative connected to you which may be more likely the case. I've come into contact with other people who have other people who use magic attach something negative to them and then there are others who have something connected from a past life. I'm just tossing things out there so you have some food for thought of people's experiences I've run into.

Hm. True. Thank you. I will think on this. Its been helpful. Again thank you