Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world.

All About Dreams – A Martha Jette Column

April 10, 2007

Martha Jette, friend and author will now be taking over the dreams column formerly presented by Parthena Black of Bella Online.  Many of you know Martha and will agree that her columns are always fresh and exciting.  Martha explains the unexplainable with style and grace.

When a dream is not a dream - or is it?

If that's not a confusing title, I don't know what is! However, when it comes to our nocturnal experiences, they can be just as confusing - particularly, if you experience sleep paralysis.

The other night while staying at my daughter's place, she awoke about 2 a.m. terrified. She felt as if someone or something had held her down on the bed and pressed hard down on her chest. She could not move and felt like electricity was vibrating in her body. Although she tried to cry out, she couldn't. As well, she heard a whirring sound in her ears.

The first time this occurred, she said she came out of it, walked into my room and saw me sleeping. As she didn't want to disturb me, she returned to bed - but the same thing happened again. This time, she came out of it and found me in the computer room, where I like to hide out late at night. Much to her amazement, she found me wide awake as I hadn't even been to bed yet.

Immediately, I knew she had experienced an episode of sleep paralysis where the body remains sleeping, but the mind at least partially awakens. Since the body is asleep, a person is unable to move and feels paralyzed. Since the mind is only partially awake, you may still be in REM (rapid eye movement) dream sleep, but everything that happens appears to be very real.

This condition usually occurs as one is falling asleep or upon awakening. Researchers believe it can be caused by anything from lack of sleep to stress, panic attacks, jet lag, shift work, PSTD (post traumatic stress disorder) or even a past history of sexual abuse - anything that throws off normal sleep cycles.

Some researchers also claim that this condition generally occurs when one is sleeping on his or her back. The symptoms include those mentioned above, but since we are all different, you may hallucinate in a variety of ways. It is also important to note that sleep paralysis can be hereditary. I have experienced this phenomenon on a number of occasions while under extreme stress, so it is possible that my daughter is prone to these episodes as well.

In the case of college student, David J. Hufford, sleep paralysis struck him after an exhausting bout of mononucleosis and studying for his finals. One day when he went to bed, he awoke to the sound of his bedroom door creaking open. He then heard footsteps moving toward his bed and felt an evil presence. Extremely frightened, he tried to move, but found he couldn't.

David claimed an entity jumped on his chest and the oppressive weight felt as if it would crush his rib cage. He could hardly breathe. He then felt a pair of hands encircle his neck and start to squeeze. At that point, he bolted up out of bed completely shaken by the experience.

Throughout history, people have reported this phenomenon. In David's case, people where he lived in Newfoundland claimed it was caused by an "old hag." The supposed creature has been given various labels around the world, such as the "mare" from the Anglo-Saxons and a "witch" in England. In Cambodia, it is known as "the ghost that pushes you down, while in other places, it has been called "the crusher." While this paranormal explanation seemed to be a satisfactory though frightening one for hundreds of years, more recent research shows that sleep paralysis is one of several common sleep disorders.

Psychologist J. Allan Cheyne of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada has collected some 28,000 stories from people suffering sleep paralysis. He's heard about everything from evil spirits to half-snake/half-human creatures attacking their victims. He now runs a web site at: http://watarts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyene/S_P.html where visitors can fill out a survey about their sleep paralysis experiences. Hundreds of people have responded and many return to tell about subsequent episodes.

Cheyne has also conducted sleep studies and believes two brain systems appear to contribute to sleep paralysis. The first is the inner brain structure which monitors a person's surroundings for threats and launches responses to perceived dangers. While in the REM state, dreams may seem so real that this part of the brain instantly reacts. The second brain system includes sensory and motor parts of the brain's outer layer. This system distinguishes the body from external elements such as other creatures. Cheyne believes this part of the brain causes one to believe they have actually taken flight (gotten out of bed, fallen, left their body or found themselves floating or flying).

Sleep paralysis is now also being flagged as the cause of many cases of claimed alien abductions. Accounts of alien encounters typically begin with the abductee waking in the night, sensing electric vibrations, having difficulty breathing and seeing an alien at the foot of their bed or on top of them. They then experience a sense of floating up into an alien craft. The experience is usually topped off by claims by abductees that once inside the craft, they were sexually probed. Given the state of sleep paralysis, the entire experience seems convincingly real.

However, most psychiatrists agree that people who experience sleep paralysis do not suffer from any kind of mental disorder, nor do they experience supernatural or alien visits. Unfortunately, some people take these episodes far too seriously and can develop real health problems. So what can you do, if you experience this phenomenon. A site called Wikihow offers some tips. (http://www.wikihow.com/Cope-With-Sleep-Paralysis)

Once you have experienced sleep paralysis, you know some of the symptoms. Subsequent episodes or learning about the experiences of others will give you more information. Once you know what to expect, you won't be so overwhelmed when and if it happens again.

However, if you simply cannot deal with sleep paralysis, there are other steps you can take to eliminate it. First of all, you need to know what triggered the episodes. Review the causes to see if you fit into any of those categories and try to take steps that will eliminate the cause. Often, the culprit is simply a disrupted sleep cycle, which can drastically increase the occurrences of sleep paralysis.

One of the problems with sleep paralysis and its inherent hallucinations is that it provokes fear and tends to make its victims afraid to fall asleep again - which only compounds the problem and makes a subsequent episode even more likely. If you're mind is full of daily concerns or things that may have to be done the next day, write out a list before you go to bed, which will help to clear your mind of anxiety. When you do go to bed, try to concentrate on happy events in your life or people that bring you joy. If you are religious, you can also pray.

If you begin to feel the paralysis setting in, sit up and stare at a bright light for a minute or so. If the condition persists, try practicing deep breathing. When onset occurs, breathe as deeply as you can to bring more oxygen to the brain. This will help you wake up faster. Also try to concentrate on moving during an episode. Starting with just one small part of the body, such as a toe can help break you out of it.

In extreme cases, you can always talk to your doctor, but it would be wise to keep a journal of your experiences beforehand. Your doctor may refer you to a dream clinic, where your sleep cycle will be closely monitored and studied.

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Last week, I presented examples of emotions that you might feel in your dreams and what they could mean. Here are some more:

a) Joy: If you feel joyful, it denotes harmony amongst friends and loved ones. 

b) Lazy: To dream that you feel lazy, signifies you will make a terrible error in a business deal resulting in bitter disappointments. If you dream that your lover is lazy, it suggests you may have many rocky and insecure love relationships.

c) Love: If you dream of being in love, it indicates intense feelings that are simply being carried over from a waking relationship. This dream might either suggests happiness and contentment in your life or a yearning for same.

d) Malice: If you have malice toward others, it signifies others may look down on you because of your ill temper and you need to control it. If others have malice towards you, it denotes a false friend who is working to harm you. 

e) Melancholy: To dream that you feel melancholy, signifies disappointment in an event that was assumed to be a success. If others appear melancholy, it suggests unpleasant interruptions in your affairs and you should tend to them immediately.

f) Merry: If you are merry or in merry company, it signifies a time of pleasant engagements and profitable affairs.  

g) Morose: If you are morose, it denotes that you're pessimistic about the world around you. If others feel this way, it suggests unpleasant situations and/or disagreeable companions.

h) Mortification: If you feel mortified over your conduct, it signifies you may find yourself in an embarrassing situation before those whom you wish to appear most honorable. 

i) Nauseated: To dream that you have nausea, suggests you are suffering from a sickening situation or condition in which you are trying to get out of.

j) Numbness: To feel numbness signifies illness and unfavorable conditions in your health.  

k) Pain: If you feel pain, it signifies you may be too hard on yourself over a situation that is out of your control. It may also be a true reflection of real pain in your body.

l) Panic: If you are in a panic in your dream, it suggests a lack of control and power in your life.

m) Paranoia: If you are paranoid, it indicates you hesitate to move forward in some situation or relationship. You may not be ready for that major step in your life and are overcome with fear.

n) Peace: To feel peace in your dream indicates an end or a resolution to an emotional issue or inner conflict. It may also be a sign of the end of a cycle and the pause before the beginning of a new endeavor. As well, you may have reached a new level of stability and calmness.

o) Pride: Dreaming that you have pride suggest you may have to stand up and fight against attacks to your integrity. If others display pride, it signifies you may soon be invited to be part of a project or accepted into a group.

p) Rage: If you are in rage, it indicates your bad temper and negative outbursts may cause you to lose friends. If others are enraged, it denotes problems in business or social affairs. If it is your lover who is in a rage, you may be dealing with a troubled relationship stemming from doubt or misunderstandings.

q) Rejection: If you are rejected, it indicates you may have negative feelings about your self worth or you are in a situation you'd rather not have to deal with. Alternatively, you may be refusing to accept a situation that is being forced upon you.

r) Saddness: To dream you are sad signifies a positive turn of events. It is generally a good dream omen about better things that will happen in your near future. 

s) Suffocation: If you feel suffocated, it signifies you are feeling smothered by some situation or relationship. It also forewarns that your current love relationship may end in an extremely bitter break up.

t) Temptation: To dream of temptation denotes an envious person, who may try to turn your friends against you.  

u) Terror: To dream that you are terrified forewarns of disappointments and loss. If others are in terror, it signifies that the unhappiness of friends may impact you as well. 

v) Tipsy: If you are tipsy in your dream, it's a reflection of your carefree nature and jovial disposition. To see others tipsy suggests you need to be careful about who you associate with. Their actions may reflect on your own character.

w) Warmth: To feel warmth in your dream signifies contentment and satisfaction in your accomplishments. It also symbolizes hope and unconditional love.

x) Yearning: To dream that you are being yearned for suggest you may soon be greeted with a proposal for marriage. If you yearn for someone, it foretells finding joy and contentment with your present love.

 
Reference: http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/

Martha Jette

marthajette@yahoo.com

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