What Keeps You Up At Night?: Our Paranormal Experiences Or Insomniac Stories

[Zola]

18 hours ago, bilgistic said:

How terrifying! Do you think it was sleep paralysis or something else? I suffer from that once in a while.

To be honest I hadn't considered sleep paralysis. I don't think I've had it before, but then again how would I know? Perhaps it was just that, especially not being able to wake from that nightmare until I somehow managed to bang my hand or arm against my bedside table. 

But that was two nights ago, and last night I was kind of dreading go to sleep. But sleep took me and as far I know there was no re-occurrence of that bad dream. Quite the contrary in fact, I Had a good dream that involved picnics and children!

However, a few days ago a friend of mine had to have a Caesarean section, and it didn't go too well due to complications (fortunately, mother and baby are doing fine). So perhaps the thought of that Caesarean played on my mind (or my subconscious mind) and got a little twisted into a really bad dream that involved me being in the same situation as my friend (even though I am not pregnant). 

Whatever it was, i sure hope it doesn't come back. But then again how can you tell your mind not to?

[CatsAndMoreCats]

On 1/15/2018 at 0:49 PM, Zola said:

I had a nightmare last night. No idea where it came from - certainly not from anything I've been watching on the TV lately - but it took a big effort to wake myself up from it given that I was on my own.

I was in my bed (in the centre) as usual, lights out, on my back, waiting for sleep to take me away. But then I could feel something or someone sit on the end of the bed, and then someone else sitting on the far side of my bed. And then another on my near side, then another at the foot of the bed etc. 

I opened my eyes but couldn't see anything in the darkness. But I could just about make out human shapes sitting all around my bed, with their backs to me. And as such I couldn't sit up, or even pull my arms from under my duvet because it was tightly pressed down by these "bodies"

But then I could feel cold fingers touching my feet from under the quilt. I could feel cold arms brushing against my legs and hips and shoulders. And all of a sudden all those cold hands gripped my legs, arms and my hands, and held them down fast.

Then those bodies that were sitting all appeared to either stand up, or just vanished. But the duvet was pulled away exposing me to those "ghouls" that even thought I couldn't see, i could hear from their breathing. 

Then one of them lit a torch (or flashlight) directly into my face, so I was blinded by the yellow light. But I could just about make out a steel scalpel in front of my face. I tried to scream out, but typically someone covered my mouth with a cold damp hand. 

The person with the torch started to move to the side of the bed (not sure if "it" walked back, or was actually floating above me). Either way the light from the torch lit up my body. And then I saw the scalpel touch my skin from below my throat and cut me deep all the way down to just past my belly button. 

I screamed and screamed but I couldn't hear my own voice. And that's when I managed to wake myself up, cold but also sweating, and with my duvet on the floor.

Have never had that nightmare before, and it will play on my mind when I go to bed tonight. 

OK Zola, how far out are you willing to go on the possibilities?  What you described is, to me, so very similar to the stories I have heard about alien abduction.  I do think there's something out there besides "just us."  And I don't think they are all predatory.  Your description was so incredibly vivid.  Just wondered if my suggestion is something you might consider?

[Mindthinkr]

Goodness Gracious. The Captain is back and he is in full klepto force tonight. He is swiping things right out from under me. It looks like a full moon but whatever is going on it sure is effecting my life. Not in a good way. 

[riley702]

Does he respond to asking nicely? Can you ask him to pretty please cut you some slack?

[Mindthinkr]

14 hours ago, riley702 said:

Does he respond to asking nicely? Can you ask him to pretty please cut you some slack?

Oh, I just out and out yell at him. I also will sic Tony on him (Saint Anthony). When he isn’t happy he upsets the whole household. The cats and my friend who was staying here while I was away had to deal with him making banging noises. She’s seen him before and wasn’t scared. At first she thought it was a squirrel in the attic, but then it just got too loud. The minute I came home he stopped. Hmm I wonder if she was doing something that he didn’t like. I really got angry the other night though. He was pushing to the limit. He is definitely a mischievous kleptomaniac. 

[Mindthinkr]

Oh gosh. My ghost the Captain is back and worse than ever. I got o bed with all the lights off and when I get up the light is on over my stove. This is annoying. 

[film noire]

11 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Oh gosh. My ghost the Captain is back and worse than ever. I got o bed with all the lights off and when I get up the light is on over my stove. This is annoying. 

I admire your calm around this kind of thing, MT -- I'd be  a total mess and so fucking terrified (I've had two 'eerie' moments -- nothing visible, but...something was around me. And the dogs reacted in a way that made my skin crawl with fear. And that was just sensing something, not seeing evidence of things moved or whatever).

Edited September 9, 2018 by film noire

[Mindthinkr]

5 hours ago, film noire said:

I admire your calm around this kind of thing, MT -- I'd be  a total mess and so fucking terrified (I've had two 'eerie' moments -- nothing visible, but...something was around me. And the dogs reacted in a way that made my skin crawl with fear. And that was just sensing something, not seeing evidence of things moved or whatever).

It’s very disconcerting. He first came to me in 1996 during Hurricane Fran (a fairly bad one that included 3’ of water in the house) so you’d think that I’d be used to him by now. He has also “shown” himself to a few of my friends. He is a pirate and loves to pilfer. He also loves to annoy my girlfriend and had kleptoed her Moms wedding ring (6 months later he returned it...the details are what make it so peculiar). My cats are aware of him too. Nothing like feeling him (similar to what you are descand your dogs reacted to) and watching my kitties backs curve up (a la Halloween pose) and hearing them hiss. I feeel for you also experiencing such a phenomenon. It can be scary. 

 I’m in the path of this next hurricane. He might be warning me. It’s hard to tell with the Captain. Usually he’s just mischievous but he has been on edge lately. He came again last night. I’m thinking of removing the bulbs from the stoves light but then what would he do? It makes me think that it is best to leave things as they are and put up with him. 

[film noire]

6 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

watching my kitties backs curve up (a la Halloween pose) and hearing them hiss. I feeel for you also experiencing such a phenomenon. It can be scary. 

Oh my god (It's one thing to feel.....something around you;  but when animals react? You lose any place to brush it off, or hide.)

Quote

I’m thinking of removing the bulbs from the stoves light but then what would he do? 

Well, some men do need to be coddled, even when they're spectral :)

Quote

It makes me think that it is best to leave things as they are and put up with him. 

 Yeah -- if it ain't broke, right?  (And all my fingers crossed that Flo settles down).

[ari333]

One time when I was under a lot of stress, I saw figures around the foot of my bed. One seemed to be my grandmother; one looked like my mother in law. and I didn't know the other two. I felt oddly comforted.

[jenh526]

The night my mom passed, I had woken up around 3 am, and felt a warm sensation of peace and contentedness wash over me. My dad called several minutes later to give me the news. She’d been living in pain for two years with undiagnosed (until much too late) pancreatic cancer. I like to think that was her way of saying goodbye to me. Also, the sailor’s clock next to her chair in the living room stopped that night.

As an aside, I can’t stand when random strangers wish me a Happy Mother’s Day. I get that they mean well, but it’s just painful.

[Anela]

On 5/10/2019 at 11:35 PM, jenh526 said:

As an aside, I can’t stand when random strangers wish me a Happy Mother’s Day. I get that they mean well, but it’s just painful.

That happened to me last year. I don't know if he assumed that I was a mother (which also hurts in a way, because I'm not, and haven't been in the position to be married and think about it seriously). Yesterday, I just went to the grocery store, and bookstore, and kept my wireless earbuds in. It was obvious I was listening to something, so most people didn't say anything to me. 

[Mindthinkr]

3 hours ago, Anela said:

That happened to me last year. I don't know if he assumed that I was a mother (which also hurts in a way, because I'm not, and haven't been in the position to be married and think about it seriously). Yesterday, I just went to the grocery store, and bookstore, and kept my wireless earbuds in. It was obvious I was listening to something, so most people didn't say anything to me. 

Just raising my hand for you in a show of support. 

[ParadoxLost]

Game of Thrones kept me up last night.  Not in a good way.  In a that was disjointed and stupid way.

[bilgistic]

On 5/10/2019 at 11:35 PM, jenh526 said:

The night my mom passed, I had woken up around 3 am, and felt a warm sensation of peace and contentedness wash over me. My dad called several minutes later to give me the news. She’d been living in pain for two years with undiagnosed (until much too late) pancreatic cancer. I like to think that was her way of saying goodbye to me. Also, the sailor’s clock next to her chair in the living room stopped that night.

As an aside, I can’t stand when random strangers wish me a Happy Mother’s Day. I get that they mean well, but it’s just painful.

I didn't say "Happy Mother's Day" to customers yesterday at work because of your post. I'm sorry for the loss of your mother. I generally wouldn't say "Happy Mother's Day" anyway because "woman" =/= "mother", but you made me think even more deeply about it. I send you a gentle hand pat.

Edited May 14, 2019 by bilgistic

[Mindthinkr]

8 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

I didn't say "Happy Mother's Day" to customers yesterday at work because of your post. I'm sorry for the loss of your mother. I generally wouldn't say "Happy Mother's Day" anyway because "woman" =/= "mother", but you made me think even more deeply about it. I send you a gentle hand pat.

Considerate of you. 

[Cheezwiz]

Just posting to say how much I've enjoyed reading everyone's stories on this thread, and I hope people will come back and continue to post. I haven't had any direct paranormal experiences myself, but the one thing I'm pretty sure of is that there's just so much in this world that we don't know about and can't fully perceive. I believe there are other things going on on levels or dimensions all around us, and occasionally the veil slips, and we catch a brief glimpse of something strange. Maybe someday there will be a more scientific explanation for phenomena people experience.

As a child I experienced deja vu frequently - anyone else have this? I've only had fleeting moments of it as an adult, but it seemed to happen to me all the time when I was small - I can even remember trying to describe the sensation to my parents.

I've  had episodes of sleep paralysis as an adult, which have been utterly terrifying. Sometimes with a figure looming over my bed staring at me, other times with the sensation of someone crawling onto my bed on top of me. In all cases, I genuinely thought someone had broken into my apartment, and found myself unable to move or scream. This only seems to happen if I doze off on my back for some reason, so I always make an effort to sleep on my side.

I've experienced auditory hallucinations - the sound of someone clearly whispering my name into my ear as I'm drifting off to sleep.

I've also had a few precognitive dreams that wound up being significant - particularly when my Dad was approaching the end stages of cancer. He had put up a great fight for about a year and a half, and often had long stretches of feeling good, but we knew his cancer was incurable and would eventually return at some point to overwhelm his system. One night I had a vivid dream that I was in the departure lounge of an airport terminal with my Dad, my deceased Grandmother, and the the dog I had growing up. We were talking about departure times, something along the lines of "it would be time to go soon". I woke up crying, because I knew that the tide had turned, and that he wouldn't be around much longer. Sure enough, his condition began to deteriorate rapidly after that.

A couple of months later, I had another dream that I was walking down a long hospital corridor crying, I could see the colour of the linoleum, and black and white photographs lining the walls. In the dream I knew my Dad was gone and I was trying to make a mental note of the date of his death. The next morning I was woken up with a phone call that my Dad had been taken to hospital, and that someone would be picking me up to take me there. When I arrived in the hospital (one that I hadn't been in before) it looked exactly as it had in my dream the night before. Same beige linoleum and walls lined with black and white photos of nursing graduates. Now, I know most hospitals look similar, but the colour scheme, everything resembled my dream to a 'T". He never re-emerged from the hospital, and passed away a couple of months later. The date I had in my dream wasn't correct, but it was only off by a few days. He went into the hospital in Mid August, and passed away on October 13th. The date I was making a mental note of in my dream was October 8th.

I've never seen a ghost myself, but I happened to be with someone while they spotted a ghost. This was years ago, when a friend of mine lived in the same apartment building as me. It was an old building built in the early 20's, so undoubtedly all kinds of stuff had happened there, although I'd never experienced anything. My friend, who lived in a suite on the floor above mine, was sensitive, and had seen many apparitions in many different places throughout her life. One night I was visiting her suite, and we were seated on her living room couch chatting. We were facing each other on opposite ends the couch, with my back to a hallway door. As we were chatting away, she suddenly froze mid-conversation. Her eyes got very big - she appeared to be looking at something behind me over my shoulder. I then watched every bit of colour drain out of her face. I remember thinking "either she's seeing a huge cockroach crawling up the wall, or something supernatural is happening". For some reason, (and I don't know why), I didn't turn around to see what she was looking at - I've kicked myself ever since. I asked her what was wrong, and she replied "I just saw a man walk down the hall and into my bedroom". Now, we both knew this was impossible - there was no man in her apartment, and the front door was locked. But I 100% believe she saw this. She was so upset and rattled, and there was absolutely no way she could have fabricated the physical reaction she had. The expression "looks like they've just seen a ghost" is REAL it isn't just an expression!

I've always wondered if I also would have seen anything if I had turned around in that split second, but I'll never know.

Please share more stories, I can't get enough of this stuff!

[ari333]

wow very interesting!

[emma675]

I don't know if it's paranormal or not, but over the past week or so I've been looking at the clock and seeing times like 11:11 or 12:34 or 10:10 constantly. It's never on purpose, it's just me glancing at the clock and it just so happens to be at a time like that. It's really starting to bug me because I can't decide if it's just a weird coincidence or what.

[JTMacc99]

My college roommate had a big thing about always seeing 11:11 on the clock. It kind of makes sense, since that was about when he got out of bed in the morning. I think once you get a number like that, or 12:34 or 10:10 in your head, you just start noticing it a lot more.

To this day (MANY years later,) when I see 11:11 on the clock, I take note of it.  I also note 10:37 as "Pile on Les", for the time that the class a year older than me all decided one night during a house meeting that at exactly 10:37, they were all going to pile on Les. To be fair, Les deserved a good piling on, so that probably made it funnier and more memorable. 

[scarletine]

Hi! Discovered this topic this afternoon, and just finished reading the whole thing. I feel like I've found my people! Like many of you, I've had sleep issues...insomnia, sleep paralysis, exploding head syndrome, all that fun stuff. My issues usually happen when I'm extra stressed, which hasn't happened much lately, thank goodness. I also experience deja vu on a regular basis, and find it really disconcerting. 

I've had a few paranormal experiences, as has my father and sister. I'd be happy to share some stories if you'd like. I'll tell one now, just for the heck of it. This is the first experience I ever had. (Which took long enough...I was 34 at the time.)

My grandma was doing poorly, and my mother had let me know that they didn't think she'd last much more than another week or so, and would I please come home. I told her I'd need a couple of days to get my work in order, but I'd come out as soon as I could. A couple of days of days later, I was in the doorway of my boss' office and we were discussing how to distribute my current projects while I was gone, when I was suddenly overwhelmed with the smell of roses. So much so, that I actually staggered backwards. 

My boss asked me if I was OK, and I looked at him blankly and said, "I have to call my dad. My grandma just died." I ran to my office, and picked up the phone, to hear my dad on the other end saying, "Hello? Hello?" I replied, and he confirmed that she'd passed. I went back to my boss to let him know, and asked him if he'd smelled anything. He said no...that I'd staggered back as if I'd been pushed, and I went completely white. 

Now, my grandma was not a subtle woman. She was loud, brash, and fun-loving with a big laugh and a bigger heart. There was no question that it was her saying goodbye. 

I was shaken by what had happened, and went downstairs to have a cigarette. A colleague of mine was in the smoking area, and as I lit my cigarette, it happened again, but this time with the smell of lilacs. Once more I took a step back, and stood there stunned. He asked if I was OK, and when I asked if he'd smelled anything, he said no.

Growing up, our house had huge hedges of lilacs. And roses and lilacs were her favorite flowers. I interpreted what happened as the roses were to let me know she'd passed, and the lilacs to tell me she was glad I was coming home. It was startling, but comforting. As a step-grandchild, it meant a lot to me that she'd chosen to find me to say goodbye. 

[Cheezwiz]

4 hours ago, scarletine said:

Growing up, our house had huge hedges of lilacs. And roses and lilacs were her favorite flowers. I interpreted what happened as the roses were to let me know she'd passed, and the lilacs to tell me she was glad I was coming home. It was startling, but comforting. As a step-grandchild, it meant a lot to me that she'd chosen to find me to say goodbye. 

What a beautiful story Scarletine! I haven't had any such experiences with loved ones who have passed on, so it's nice to read about. These stories are so moving and fascinating - I too, feel like I've found my people in this thread.

The only other unusual phenomena I experience from time to time is something called "Street Light Interference" or SIL. I'll be strolling down a sidewalk at night, and suddenly a streetlight will go out. Sometimes multiple ones in succession as I walk by. At first I thought nothing of it, but it began to happen frequently enough that I took notice. Apparently it's a fairly common phenomena (you can even google it!). Certainly some streetlights are on timers and go off automatically, but they usually don't go out in succession. Some people say it occurs for them when they're in a distressed or agitated state, but for me it's always been the opposite - I'm usually in a zen zoned out state of mind when this occurs. Anyone else experience this?

[scarletine]

4 hours ago, Cheezwiz said:

The only other unusual phenomena I experience from time to time is something called "Street Light Interference" or SIL. I'll be strolling down a sidewalk at night, and suddenly a streetlight will go out. Sometimes multiple ones in succession as I walk by. At first I thought nothing of it, but it began to happen frequently enough that I took notice. Apparently it's a fairly common phenomena (you can even google it!). Certainly some streetlights are on timers and go off automatically, but they usually don't go out in succession. Some people say it occurs for them when they're in a distressed or agitated state, but for me it's always been the opposite - I'm usually in a zen zoned out state of mind when this occurs. Anyone else experience this?

My sister has! It happens to her, too. Freaks her out quite a bit. With her it usually happens when she's stressed out. 

[Cheezwiz]

10 hours ago, scarletine said:

My sister has! It happens to her, too. Freaks her out quite a bit. With her it usually happens when she's stressed out.

Wow! Good to know there are others out there that have had this happen. It is a bit disconcerting - especially when a few go out one by one as you walk by. If this is my superpower it's a pretty lame one!

[ari333]

This is not paranormal per se, but it creeps me out and makes me feel bad. I wake up many nights at 3 am. It may be 2:58 or 3:02 or 3 on the dot. I dont drink coffee  or tea or cola. I thought I should try to get more exercise and make myself more tired, but my foot swells and I have to stop. I hate this. It is creepy. I hug my husband, but it is still creepy

[jenh526]

On 7/3/2019 at 11:53 AM, ari333 said:

This is not paranormal per se, but it creeps me out and makes me feel bad. I wake up many nights at 3 am. It may be 2:58 or 3:02 or 3 on the dot. I dont drink coffee  or tea or cola. I thought I should try to get more exercise and make myself more tired, but my foot swells and I have to stop. I hate this. It is creepy. I hug my husband, but it is still creepy

Same here. Sometimes I can’t get back to sleep and then have to drag myself into work on 4 hours sleep (like today). I try to go to bed early but sometimes I just lie there awake. And still wake up too early.

I read somewhere that this cycle is not that unusual. In the Victorian era they called it first and second sleep. Here’s something about it: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20180325/Sleep-like-a-Victorian-to-help-insomnia.aspx

[Quof]

Okay, folks. I've posted about my longstanding insomnia (18+ years and counting).  Last night I went to bed around 10, my usual.  I fell asleep instantly, because I am exhausted. The first time I awoke, I checked the time.  It was 12:02.  I went back to sleep. The next time I awoke? 2:02.  Back to sleep, then woke again. At 4:02.  What the Hell? I was so freaked out, I got up.  

[Ashforth]

Sorry for the long story. About ten+ years ago, I moved in with my sister Julie because she had Stage 4 breast cancer and needed help and her oncologist said she didn't have much time left (not true, as it turned out). Her dog Chloe was ill-behaved - Julie had never disciplined her. One of the first interactions I had with Chloe after I started going over to their house, well before I moved in, was when she burst into the cat's room (yes, the cat had been banished to a single room) and started gulping down the cat food. NO! BAD DOG! I said, and Chloe immediately stopped what she was doing and followed me to the living room and kind of slunk over to me. I told her that she didn't need to be afraid of me, she just needed to behave like a good girl. We bonded immediately, and all of my sister's friends commented that during the time I lived there, Chloe's behavior was so improved. I always said it was because I had high expectations for her and she knew it and wanted to live up to them. Chloe liked to sleep on the bed with me but Julie was jealous of that.

I moved out after a couple of years because my sister was insufferable (too long of a story to tell, but terminal illness doesn't transform people into saints). About three months before my sister died, Chloe became very ill - it turned out that she had been bitten by an assassin bug. I took her to the vet, close to death, and they saved her temporarily but she died within about three weeks. 

Now to the point: after Chloe died, I woke up one night and she was lying on my bed, smiling at me and wagging her tail. I could feel her weight (she was about 55 pounds) on the bed. "Chloe!" I said, "I thought you were dead!" and she crawled up to snuggle closer. Then she was gone.

This was not a dream. She was THERE. I don't know how she found me in my new apartment that she had never been to, but she did. It still is comforting to me when I think of it.

[RedDelicious]

Ooo! I just finished Amy Bruni's book Life with Afterlife: 13 Truths I Learned about Ghosts so I was excited to see there is a paranormal thread here. 

My experiences are not many but they are similar to what others have written about.  Like @BooksRule, I also woke up in the middle of the night and saw my younger brother standing at my bedroom door.  I would have been about 7 and he would have been about 4.  He was wearing hand me down footie pajamas and put his hand up to his mouth to start sucking his thumb.  He was almost glowing.  I got out of bed to walk over to him and halfway to the door he just disappeared.  

In college, the night before my sorority initiation, I went to bed but forgot to set my alarm clock.  I woke up around the time I was supposed to get up (6 or 7AM I believe it was) to someone BANGING on my dorm room door.  I looked through the peep hole and there was a bedraggled girl in shorts pajamas and bare feet on the other side of the door who looked like my big sister in the sorority.  But I couldn't figure out what she was doing there because she lived in an off-campus apartment several blocks away and would not have been able to get past the guard that early in the morning, in her pajamas and bare feet no less.  I didn't open the door because I was so frightened by what I saw.  I looked through the peep hole again and she was standing there looking at the floor and scratching her nose.  Then I looked again and she was gone.  I went back over to my bed to turn the alarm clock off because I was up, and saw that I never turned it on the night before (this was the 90s, before smart phones and smart phone alarms).  I was standing up, fully awake in my room so it wasn't a dream.  I went on to take a shower and get ready for initiation.  I never asked anyone about it because I couldn't believe I hadn't set my alarm clock for something that was so important to me at the time.  And I never saw the girl again.

Later in college when I was in my own off-campus apartment, I lived with three girls who were a year ahead of me.  Two of them who shared the front bedroom spoke of a dark ghostly male form that would hover over them in their beds and make them feel like they were being suffocated.  It only ever happened individually, when one of them was completely alone in the apartment i.e., the other three of us were away.  The two older girls who shared the front bedroom graduated in December and moved out.  The following year, a younger girl who was a year behind me was one of the new roommates, and she lived in the apartment in the front bedroom the next year after I moved out.  I saw her at homecoming after we had all graduated and moved on with our lives, and she asked me if I ever experienced "the ghost" in our apartment.  My jaw about hit the floor because she described it exactly how the older girls had described it, but she wasn't in the sorority yet when the older girls or their friends were still around.  They never would have crossed paths and I can't think of any point in time when they would have had the opportunity to tell her the story or ask her about it.  I never experienced it because I never spent the night in that apartment alone.  It was in a very old house, built in the 1890s.  

My last story is an experience at an ex-boyfriend's house about 10 or 11 years ago.  He had a very old house that had been relocated from another street to the foundation where it now sits, in approximately 1900, although I think the house itself is older than that.  The original house had burned down.  We live in a coastal New England town that dates back about 400 years and the area where his house now sits was the "red light" district in the 1800s.  Anyhow, he had put his 10-year old to bed and we were in the kitchen cleaning up and having drinks.  He was facing me and my back was to the front parlor room.  The light in that room turned on and off and we heard the sound of footsteps scampering out of the room.  We both stopped and looked at each other and said did you hear/see that?  We rushed around the first floor looking for his 10-year old and found nothing.  We went upstairs and checked on him and there he was, fast asleep in his bed.  Now I don't know much about kids, but you can definitely tell when a kid is asleep and when they're faking it.  He wasn't faking it.  The staircase was old wood and not carpeted, and it creaked very loudly so there was no way he could have silently hauled himself back up the steps and into bed if he was trying to play a trick on us.  It was definitely a friendly/playful spirit but we never saw or heard from him again.  Reading about other people's hitchhiking spirit encounters, I wonder if he came home with us from one of the restaurants we'd gone to.  It is an OLD town and a lot of the restaurants have ghosts.  Most of them are young and playful and a couple are old and menacing.  I had a lot of friends who worked in restaurants at the time and the things they encountered would blow your mind.

Edited February 11, 2021 by RedDelicious

[RealHousewife]

I've definitely had sleep paralysis. When I first experienced it, I had no idea what it was. It was a scary experience.

I still remember a time when it felt like someone was crushing my hand. Maybe I was still somewhat sleepy and in a dreamlike state. I remember waking up to see what it was because the pain was so bad but not seeing anyone or anything. 

[Anela]

https://jezebel.com/saturday-night-social-its-as-good-a-night-as-any-to-wa-1847833778

Jezebel's spooky true stories contest is back, if anyone wants to read them (or contribute). If it's okay to post here.

[AgathaC]

I once had an experience when I was half-awake in which there was someone leaning over me — a sort of skeletal-looking man. His hands were on the bed on either side of me and the covers felt tight over my chest. Of course, it was just dream-like flash, but it made my heart pound like crazy.

A couple of sweet/not scary ones:

A great-aunt and uncle were in hospice together, both late 90s. He passed first. The night before his funeral, the nurse heard my aunt saying clearly and firmly, “No, [uncle]. I’m not ready.” She sounded very annoyed. She couldn’t go to the funeral but her children, grands and greats all came to see her after. She died that night.

In another instance, a family friend’s health had been declining for some time. When her adult grandson died after a sudden heart attack, they decided not to tell her. A couple of days before she slipped into a coma (about a week after he died), she was in bed, talking to her grandson and introducing him to the visitors she had. It seemed like she really, genuinely saw him sitting in that chair.

Odd things can happen as humans approach death, I know. But I really believe those two sweet old ladies saw and spoke to their dead loved ones.

[Cheezwiz]

1 hour ago, AgathaC said:

Odd things can happen as humans approach death, I know. But I really believe those two sweet old ladies saw and spoke to their dead loved ones.

I firmly believe that when we are getting ready to pass, our loved ones who have passed before us come to greet us and accompany us to the other side. Those who work in hospice say that people about to pass often appear to be pointing, reaching or talking to people they recognize just before they go. To me, it's a very comforting thought.

[bilgistic]

My maternal grandmother passed in the hospital in June at age 95. A couple days before she passed, she "saw" both her grandmother and her beloved aunt, who was actually her age. They grew up together and were the best of friends throughout their lives. Her aunt passed several years ago.

I'd also heard it's very common for those near their life's end to see their loved ones coming to perhaps help them pass over. I also find it comforting, particularly with having our matriarch pass.

My grandfather (her husband) passed in December 2000, so my grandma lived alone for 20 years after he passed. She lived independently until the last six months of her life. She'd fallen at home and broken her pelvis, but was recuperating at a rehab center. Sadly, she had another fall, which resulted in a broken femur, and despite a successful surgery, she had protracted problems with her oxygen level. She resisted being given oxygen and seemed "ready" to "go", and when she did, it was peaceful.

My grandfather had been a long-haul truck driver for a trucking company that was bought out by another company in about 2003. The trucks bearing the company name for whom he worked were decommissioned. Nevertheless, he "sends" us trucks with the company name every now and then; we'll see them when we're driving. I've seen more in the past four months than I have in a long time.

On Tuesday I got a small memorial tattoo for my grandma (her handwriting from a card), and then I saw two trucks on my way to work yesterday morning. I'm darn sure my grandpa wouldn't like me getting tattoos at all, but I like to think he's saying, "I see you honoring her, and I've got her here with me."

Yesterday morning when I told my sister about the trucks, she said she'd ran a credit card at work (restaurant) Tuesday night that had just a single-word name on it: my grandparents' last name.

Edited October 15, 2021 by bilgistic

[AgathaC]

Those sorts of signs from loved ones - whether they really are messages from beyond (and I believe they are) - are so comforting.

On a recent milestone birthday, I was at the beach with family and on my early morning walk, there was a gorgeous, complete rainbow in the sky. Very appropriate given my childhood love of The Wizard of Oz and lifelong passion for the Muppets.

I was always very close to my paternal grandparents and my grandfather died several years ago after an accident. He was a big gadget guy and had a knack for being able to fix anything (good quality in a doctor!). Once, I went along with them to a home improvement store and he grabbed a pocket knife from a rack by the checkout, telling me I needed to have one just in case.

We moved this year and it was a horrifically stressful experience. Since my husband doesn’t deal well with stress, a lot fell on me to handle the problems and keep him from flying off the handle.

On move-in day, I was at the new house waiting for the movers and had a thought: how am I going to open boxes?

Well, as they were unloading, something fell out of my bedside table and the mover picked it up and handed it to me. It was the pocket knife. It was just what I needed: not just to open boxes but to remember my grandfather and remember in a difficult time that I was loved and I could handle everything.

I do love a good ghost story, but the sweet ones are my faves.

[Anela]

I can't remember if I posted anything here before, beyond bumping the thread. I've had a few odd experiences over the years. 

About ten minutes ago, it wasn't a creepy thing that happened, just one of those things where you forget that someone is dead. I had a strong feeling of nostalgia tonight, and looked up the "V" mini-series on one of those streaming websites where people upload shows. I paused it to make some hot chocolate, after watching the build-up to the first meetings, and then the conspiracy theories starting about the scientists, which creeped me out, considering certain things in the present.

That wasn't the odd thing, though. I was heating up the milk, and just about to pour it into my mug, when I started to turn around to say something to my mother. Just a split second, and I felt like she was there, and I was just going to tell her something, and then I remembered. I don't know if it's the feeling of watching something from my childhood, so I was still mentally there in a way, or what. Her birthday is next week, and she has been on my mind, because the holidays, too. 

[bilgistic]

Since it's "spooky season," I thought I'd revisit this forum with a few personal tales.

For years since my aforementioned (three posts upthread) late grandfather passed, I would have this repetitive dream in which the whole family was at my grandparents' old house just as, in real life, we all gathered every Christmas Eve. In my dream, the house is busy and loud with the family, but the sounds are kind of drowned out as my late grandfather and I would stand and talk, always in their living room. In the dream, as in real life, I knew he had passed on. No one but me could see or hear him, and I'd tell him he "wasn't supposed to be here," and I'd wake up. I had this dream over and over throughout the years.

After my grandmother passed last summer, I had a dream in which we were all at the church we attended when I was growing up. Both of my grandparents were there together, sitting on the front pew (in reality, their pew was the third one back) looking on as I was on the floor playing with some children. The feeling I had from my grandparents, a feeling that seemed to emanate from them toward me and the kids, was one of complete love and comfort. Since my grandmother's passing, I haven't had another dream of my grandfather "stuck" in their old house. I've had one or two more of them together, and they are always so warm and comforting.

The children might have been the representation of my oldest niece and first cousin, once removed. They were both young when my grandfather passed (I was 26 in 2000 when he passed, so the kids were a generation younger than me), and he adored them both. Perhaps it's also a representation of the children in the family born since my grandfather passed—two more of my nieces and another two cousins, once removed, all of whom are my grandparents' great-grandchildren.

My aforementioned sister keeps finding pennies (as in "Pennies from Heaven") in odd places at work and home. Her restaurant doesn't deal with coins at all; they don't even have a cash drawer as each server keeps their own tips. Among others, she's "found" at work a singular penny in a large mixing bowl that had been washed and another on the restaurant kitchen floor. She found one in the very corner of her room last week when she was cleaning and another stuck in the passenger seat. I had one show up a while back in the middle of the small section of vinyl flooring in front of the door to my and my boyfriend's apartment. We almost never carry cash and coins.

About a month ago, one of the weirdest things to ever happen to me occurred one night when my boyfriend and I were settled in to watch TV, as we do nightly. My cats (a mother and daughter bonded pair) both locked onto something in the air and flew off the cat tree across our small living room toward whatever it was, at about chest height. They watched it in the air for another second or two, and then the daughter cat jumped up on the couch over my right shoulder and stared at the wall for a few seconds. They both eventually settled back down, as my boyfriend and I stared at each other in disbelief.

We never heard or saw a bug as logic would dictate they chased, though my girls are great "huntresses," as I call them. I adopted them five years ago but had never seen them both tear off across the room after something like that. There was also nothing behind me on the couch atop which I have laying, folded longways, my great-great-grandmother's tattered quilt—one that my grandmother had with her in the nursing home during the last six months of her life.

I felt no threat by whatever the cats saw. I felt more amazement and certainty that something kind had visited us. I believe the quilt is perhaps a conduit of sorts, but not in a negative way at all. My younger cat lays on it sometimes. They also both love to lay on the two chairs that my grandmother refurbished many, many years ago, one on which I have my grandfather's afghan that used to lay over the back of his chair in their old house.

Similarly, my sister "inherited" our grandmother's kitchen table and old church pew that she used for seating for one long side of the table. This is the same pew on which my family and I crammed in together to sit on for dinner every Christmas Eve. My sister's cats sleep on the pew regularly. We both love how our collective cats have found comfort with the treasured belongings of our beloved grandparents.

Edited October 21, 2022 by bilgistic

[isalicat]

23 hours ago, bilgistic said:

My cats (a mother and daughter bonded pair) both locked onto something in the air and flew off the cat tree across our small living room toward whatever it was, at about chest height. They watched it in the air for another second or two, and then the daughter cat jumped up on the couch over my right shoulder and stared at the wall for a few seconds. They both eventually settled back down, as my boyfriend and I stared at each other in disbelief.

I've heard that cats and very young children can see fairies....so maybe you had that kind of visitor 😸

[Anela]

A couple of weeks ago, I was walking out of the basement, when I could have sworn I heard a dog's claws on the floor/stairs above me. I thought it was my one remaining dog, until I realized that he was outside, and the door was shut, so I then gasped, and ran upstairs (this is a split-level house). 

The next day, I also realized my dog could have scratched at the door, although he rarely does that to come indoors. I've only heard him do it once, and that was when I slept really late, and he needed to go outside. 

Years ago, there was a night when I thought a cat jumped onto my bed, and curled up, but when I checked, there was nothing there.  

Edited January 16, 2023 by Anela

[Anela]

On 10/21/2022 at 4:43 PM, bilgistic said:

Since it's "spooky season," I thought I'd revisit this forum with a few personal tales.

For years since my aforementioned (three posts upthread) late grandfather passed, I would have this repetitive dream in which the whole family was at my grandparents' old house just as, in real life, we all gathered every Christmas Eve. In my dream, the house is busy and loud with the family, but the sounds are kind of drowned out as my late grandfather and I would stand and talk, always in their living room. In the dream, as in real life, I knew he had passed on. No one but me could see or hear him, and I'd tell him he "wasn't supposed to be here," and I'd wake up. I had this dream over and over throughout the years.

After my grandmother passed last summer, I had a dream in which we were all at the church we attended when I was growing up. Both of my grandparents were there together, sitting on the front pew (in reality, their pew was the third one back) looking on as I was on the floor playing with some children. The feeling I had from my grandparents, a feeling that seemed to emanate from them toward me and the kids, was one of complete love and comfort. Since my grandmother's passing, I haven't had another dream of my grandfather "stuck" in their old house. I've had one or two more of them together, and they are always so warm and comforting.

The children might have been the representation of my oldest niece and first cousin, once removed. They were both young when my grandfather passed (I was 26 in 2000 when he passed, so the kids were a generation younger than me), and he adored them both. Perhaps it's also a representation of the children in the family born since my grandfather passed—two more of my nieces and another two cousins, once removed, all of whom are my grandparents' great-grandchildren.

My aforementioned sister keeps finding pennies (as in "Pennies from Heaven") in odd places at work and home. Her restaurant doesn't deal with coins at all; they don't even have a cash drawer as each server keeps their own tips. Among others, she's "found" at work a singular penny in a large mixing bowl that had been washed and another on the restaurant kitchen floor. She found one in the very corner of her room last week when she was cleaning and another stuck in the passenger seat. I had one show up a while back in the middle of the small section of vinyl flooring in front of the door to my and my boyfriend's apartment. We almost never carry cash and coins.

About a month ago, one of the weirdest things to ever happen to me occurred one night when my boyfriend and I were settled in to watch TV, as we do nightly. My cats (a mother and daughter bonded pair) both locked onto something in the air and flew off the cat tree across our small living room toward whatever it was, at about chest height. They watched it in the air for another second or two, and then the daughter cat jumped up on the couch over my right shoulder and stared at the wall for a few seconds. They both eventually settled back down, as my boyfriend and I stared at each other in disbelief.

We never heard or saw a bug as logic would dictate they chased, though my girls are great "huntresses," as I call them. I adopted them five years ago but had never seen them both tear off across the room after something like that. There was also nothing behind me on the couch atop which I have laying, folded longways, my great-great-grandmother's tattered quilt—one that my grandmother had with her in the nursing home during the last six months of her life.

I felt no threat by whatever the cats saw. I felt more amazement and certainty that something kind had visited us. I believe the quilt is perhaps a conduit of sorts, but not in a negative way at all. My younger cat lays on it sometimes. They also both love to lay on the two chairs that my grandmother refurbished many, many years ago, one on which I have my grandfather's afghan that used to lay over the back of his chair in their old house.

Similarly, my sister "inherited" our grandmother's kitchen table and old church pew that she used for seating for one long side of the table. This is the same pew on which my family and I crammed in together to sit on for dinner every Christmas Eve. My sister's cats sleep on the pew regularly. We both love how our collective cats have found comfort with the treasured belongings of our beloved grandparents.

You reminded me of someone's post on another forum that I found about six/seven years ago. Not this one I'm linking to now (there's a nice story about someone's grandmother on this one), but I think a page or two after.

https://allnurses.com/whats-your-best-nursing-ghost-t79490/?page=212

Oh, wait, it wasn't that site. I was listening to an episode of a podcast yesterday, Two Girls One Ghost. It was from November, I think. Someone said their grandfather died, and they kept finding coins, every day. They apparently stopped finding them when their grandmother passed. There was more to the story.

 

[Anela]

And then there's this beautiful twitter thread, that I read in November.

 

[bilgistic]

8 hours ago, Anela said:

And then there's this beautiful twitter thread, that I read in November.

 

That gave me chills!

8 hours ago, Anela said:

You reminded me of someone's post on another forum that I found about six/seven years ago. Not this one I'm linking to now (there's a nice story about someone's grandmother on this one), but I think a page or two after.

https://allnurses.com/whats-your-best-nursing-ghost-t79490/?page=212

Oh, wait, it wasn't that site. I was listening to an episode of a podcast yesterday, Two Girls One Ghost. It was from November, I think. Someone said their grandfather died, and they kept finding coins, every day. They apparently stopped finding them when their grandmother passed. There was more to the story.

 

I'll have to look that up; thanks!

[badhaggis]

My husband and I were  taking my father out for father's day. This was the June after my mother had passed away. I live in Tucson, AZ. It is really hot here in June. We were taking him up too Mount Lemmon for lunch and a cooler day. When we were still very low on the mountain (still around 100+ degrees) a penny came in through a window I had down about an inch a half. That penny was ice cold. It felt like it had just come out of a freezer. My mom always used to say a penny for your thoughts. It really felt as if she was thanking me for taking him out for the day. 

That was a really special day.

[annzeepark914]

On 1/16/2023 at 1:35 AM, Anela said:

Years ago, there was a night when I thought a cat jumped onto my bed, and curled up, but when I checked, there was nothing there.  

This happens frequently to me. It's when I'm alone, taking a nap. Suddenly I feel that familiar sensation, similar to a cat jumping onto the bed. But our cat is elsewhere in the house. I may sound weird but I believe it's the spirit of our beloved, late kitty, who was with us for 20 years. She's been gone for 6 years and that's how long I've experienced this sensation.

[annzeepark914]

Hmmm...maybe I shouldn't post this here but I wasn't sure where else this would be appropriate.  Several years ago I was watching the cartoon channel & a very old Sylvester cartoon came on.  The cat was, of course, chasing Tweety who went into a high rise (heh) bldg. Sylvester runs up the stairs to the top floor where Tweety lures him to jump through an open window. Once the cat is out the window, he looks down, screams, &  goes splat on the sidewalk. You can see his imprint. And then--something arises from that imprint and it's our beloved Sylvester! I can't remember the rest of the cartoon (I think he resumes chasing Tweety). But that spirit arising from a dead cat's imprint on the sidewalk? That was mighty risky for the 1940's or '5O's (whenever that cartoon was created). I've never forgotten it. 

[Stats Queen]

On 1/23/2023 at 12:59 AM, annzeepark914 said:

This happens frequently to me. It's when I'm alone, taking a nap. Suddenly I feel that familiar sensation, similar to a cat jumping onto the bed. But our cat is elsewhere in the house. I may sound weird but I believe it's the spirit of our beloved, late kitty, who was with us for 20 years. She's been gone for 6 years and that's how long I've experienced this sensation.

This happened to me with my cat who had also been gone for over 6 years. 

[annzeepark914]

38 minutes ago, Stats Queen said:

This happened to me with my cat who had also been gone for over 6 years. 

So fascinating! I'm going to share our experiences with a friend who is into mediums, the whole Other Side thing. I know she'll say this sensation is the beloved, late cat jumping onto the bed. It's nice to know that our kitties want to visit us 😻.

 

[Anela]

After my cat died, a couple of months ago (almost), I finally reached a point where I couldn't keep my eyes open, and fell asleep for a couple of hours, as the sun was coming up. I was on the floor of my bedroom, with a couple of quilts, and had been there with Gilbert, after taking him to the ER. 

Damn, I still can't talk about it without crying.

Anyway, I told dad I was showering, and getting ready to go out, because I needed to escape. Afterwards, I was sitting on the quilt, watching something on the iPad, when I looked up at the bookcase that my dad made me, that was in the middle of the room, since he'd been working on the vents and border of the wall (base boards) after redoing the floor. I got the urge to clean out one corner of the bookcase. I hadn't looked at this stuff for years, and can't remember when I received this, but look what I found, in a pile of notebooks, cards, and other things:

A birthday card, from one of my first online friends. I don't remember receiving it, but it was a birthday card that she sent me at some point. Right there, where I had the urge to clean. 

Edited April 19, 2023 by Anela

[annzeepark914]

@Anela I'm so sorry your sweet kitty passed away. In so many ways they're like our little kids, with their own habits and quirks (so much like us humans). It takes a while to recover from the loss.

[RedDelicious]

I may have mentioned it somewhere before, but I definitely have a ghost kitty in my house, and I've never owned a cat. I think he's been here for a long time and belonged to a set of previous owners - I live in the middle of a multi-unit condo. He's jumped on my bed quite a few times over the last 12 years, and its definitely different from what I think is my beloved first dog who passed two years ago. She walks around on the bed where ghost kitty jumps.