My ghost story from today

[Bowser]

I was young, like 10 or so, when I saw a ghost (I think). I woke up in the middle of the night and looked towards my door. My room was light enough from streetlights and the moon that I could see someone standing near the door, looking like they were messing with the light switch. It was a lady in a nightgown, so I said "Mom?". The lady turns around, and she's old. Face all old person-y, and looks completely suprised that I said anything to her. SHe reaches out and starts taking these shuffling steps towards me. I can see that she's talking, or trying to say something, but no noise is coming out of her mouth. I'm trying to shout or scream, but I was so scared my breath is caught in my chest. As she got closer, she jsut fizzled away.

To this day I'm not sure if that was a ghost, or just the remnant of some dream I was having. Freaked me straight the hell out, though. I slept with the light on for about ten days after that.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Originally Posted by Bowser

I was young, like 10 or so, when I saw a ghost (I think). I woke up in the middle of the night and looked towards my door. My room was light enough from streetlights and the moon that I could see someone standing near the door, looking like they were messing with the light switch. It was a lady in a nightgown, so I said "Mom?". The lady turns around, and she's old. Face all old person-y, and looks completely suprised that I said anything to her. SHe reaches out and starts taking these shuffling steps towards me. I can see that she's talking, or trying to say something, but no noise is coming out of her mouth. I'm trying to shout or scream, but I was so scared my breath is caught in my chest. As she got closer, she jsut fizzled away.

To this day I'm not sure if that was a ghost, or just the remnant of some dream I was having. Freaked me straight the hell out, though. I slept with the light on for about ten days after that.

Thanks I'm freaked out now.

[ReynardMuldrake]

Originally Posted by Bowser

I was young, like 10 or so, when I saw a ghost (I think). I woke up in the middle of the night and looked towards my door. My room was light enough from streetlights and the moon that I could see someone standing near the door, looking like they were messing with the light switch. It was a lady in a nightgown, so I said "Mom?". The lady turns around, and she's old. Face all old person-y, and looks completely suprised that I said anything to her. SHe reaches out and starts taking these shuffling steps towards me. I can see that she's talking, or trying to say something, but no noise is coming out of her mouth. I'm trying to shout or scream, but I was so scared my breath is caught in my chest. As she got closer, she jsut fizzled away.

To this day I'm not sure if that was a ghost, or just the remnant of some dream I was having. Freaked me straight the hell out, though. I slept with the light on for about ten days after that.

That sounds like sleep paralysis. Hallucinations are common in that transitional period between wakefulness and sleep.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by ReynardMuldrake

That sounds like sleep paralysis. Hallucinations are common in that transitional period between wakefulness and sleep.

Interesting. I've never heard of Sleep Paralysis before. I'll go do some reading....

All I know for sure is that I haven't experienced anything like that since. It was so VIVID that I can clearly recall it all 30 years later.

[ReynardMuldrake]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Interesting. I've never heard of Sleep Paralysis before. I'll go do some reading....

All I know for sure is that I haven't experienced anything like that since. It was so VIVID that I can clearly recall it all 30 years later.

Yep, sleep paralysis is typically described as vivid and panicky, almost like a drowning experience.

That and carbon monoxide are responsible for most hauntings IMO. The typical symptoms of feelings of coldness, tingling extremities, chills, lightheadedness, and hallucinations all are typical of CM poisoning. These also tend to occur in old/creepy houses with more primitive heating systems that can leak CM.

EDIT: It also explains why hauntings happen more often in the dead of winter, when heating systems are under the heaviest load. Also, unexplained deaths, where people were thought to 'die of fright' in haunted houses.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by ReynardMuldrake

That sounds like sleep paralysis. Hallucinations are common in that transitional period between wakefulness and sleep.

Funny you should mention that...a few years ago I was on some pain medications for a pinched nerve, and if I took them too close to bedtime I would get caught in some weird state where my body was asleep, but my mind was awake. It was really freaky, I had to try to wake myself up to snap out of it. I wonder if that's what that was all about.

[aturnis]

Originally Posted by ReynardMuldrake

That sounds like sleep paralysis. Hallucinations are common in that transitional period between wakefulness and sleep.

I have personally experienced sleep paralysis a handful of times. Freaky stuff. Wake up, can't move, at all. Can't call for help. Just slowly come out of it after something like the longest 5 minutes of your life.

It's almost like sleeping on your arm funny making it fall asleep to the point where you have zero control of your hand. Only without the tingly feeling. Then it slowly comes back.

[KChiefer]

Originally Posted by aturnis

I have personally experienced sleep paralysis a handful of times. Freaky stuff. Wake up, can't move, at all. Can't call for help. Just slowly come out of it after something like the longest 5 minutes of your life.

It's almost like sleeping on your arm funny making it fall asleep to the point where you have zero control of your hand. Only without the tingly feeling. Then it slowly comes back.

Have you ever been abducted by aliens?

[aturnis]

Originally Posted by KChiefer

Have you ever been abducted by aliens?

Are you a fooking idiot?

[KChiefer]

Originally Posted by Bowser

I was young, like 10 or so, when I saw a ghost (I think). I woke up in the middle of the night and looked towards my door. My room was light enough from streetlights and the moon that I could see someone standing near the door, looking like they were messing with the light switch. It was a lady in a nightgown, so I said "Mom?". The lady turns around, and she's old. Face all old person-y, and looks completely suprised that I said anything to her. SHe reaches out and starts taking these shuffling steps towards me. I can see that she's talking, or trying to say something, but no noise is coming out of her mouth. I'm trying to shout or scream, but I was so scared my breath is caught in my chest. As she got closer, she jsut fizzled away.

To this day I'm not sure if that was a ghost, or just the remnant of some dream I was having. Freaked me straight the hell out, though. I slept with the light on for about ten days after that.

A friend of mine has almost an exact same story from when he was a child staying at his grandparents. Woke up, saw a woman, was so scared he tried to speak but couldn't. He says he even pinched himself to be sure it was real. Then he shut his eyes, reopened them and she was gone. If ghosts ever come up in conversation he cites that night as why he 100% believes ghost are real.