Am I now an “experiencer”?

It happened last night, around 3am. I was in bed, sleeping. Then the swirling began - and it woke me up abruptly. Entities or beings of energy were weaving in and out around my legs, as if tugging at them - not in a playful way, but not in a sinister manner either. This occurred for what seemed to be prolonged stretches of time. The beings were not tangible in a normal physical way, but their contours were well-defined, like currents of colourful plasma, with faces at each end. They were trying to get my attention, to engage with me in some way. There were at least two of these entities or beings, sometimes three. Eventually, they left me and I slept again.

So, am I now an “experiencer”? Were these aliens from another planet or entities from a different dimension?

The experience was sooo real. I know what I sensed. And it was very different to a dream.

My academic background is in psychology, gaining honour’s and master’s degrees at two British universities. During my studies, I became familiar with sleep stages, dream types, etc.  Hypnopompic hallucinations occur as you are waking up, but still in a state between dreaming and being fully awake. These are experienced by at least 12% of people. They aren’t as common as hypnagogic hallucinations, however, which are reported by up to 70% of people. These happen as you’re falling asleep. Both are often associated with sleep paralysis.

Knowing what I learned years ago, I obviously underwent a brief episode of some kind of sleep paralysis. Symptoms differ, but can include experiencing or hallucinating a presence or entities in your room, sometimes sinister, though not always. Some people feel like someone or something is holding them down; in my case, unknown beings were tugging at my legs, trying to get my attention. Often people report feeling panic, perhaps fearing that their life is in danger, or a sense of impending doom, but not always.

These sleep “demons” have been known about throughout history, long before the birth of psychology. Cultural beliefs offered “explanations” - and still do - but only in the absence of proper understanding.

Although what I experienced last night seemed to be real, established scientific research tells me that it was actually a hallucination. If I believed in “alien abductions” and such like, today I might have joined the ranks of “experiencers”. Belief can be a highly persuasive factor, strongly influencing what you assume and think. Believers subsequently look for confirmation and reinforcement, ignoring logic and evidence.

My husband, who’s a light sleeper, slept through it all.

Written by Victoria de las Heras, 10th September 2024