Forums · My ghost(?) story
I thought id tell a story of something that happened to me a while ago rather than just lurking in the background and sucking up all your interesting experiences without contributing.
Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it - this is the only significant "abnormal" experience in my life to date.
For most of my life (I am now in my early thirties) I have lived in relatively new buildings, and for most of my childhood in a new house that my parents helped build on new land. As such and from what ive been reading - it stands to logic there would be minimal activity in these areas, which indeed appeared to be the case as I cannot recall having any incidents during this time which may be attributed to anything like paranormal activity.
The only time I have had experiences was when I stayed in older residences. A particularly memorable one which ill describe below.
About 4 years ago I had moved into and was sharing the rent in an old house with some friends in Putney, Sydney. This was a typical old single story brick house, my two friends ill call them Patrick and Veronica (not their real names of course) - shared a room right at the rear opposite corner of the house to my room, which was a large room at the front facing a small but fairly busy street.
The rooms were very old, with high ceilings and the paint starting to peel, and most rooms has old disused fireplaces that has been bricked up.
It was the weekend (I think a Saturday night) and I had fallen asleep without incident, and suddenly woke with a great feeling of alarm early in the morning (approx 3:00am).
When I woke (or partly woke?) all of a sudden I found myself unable to move, but fully conscious, alert and able to see (i.e. open and move my eyes) and hear. I felt what I thought was a presence pinning me down.
I was slightly confused at this stage - I rolled my eyes around and could see my bedroom and all its furnishings and gear around me everything was as and where it should be but I had this terrible feeling of fear gnawing at me, and growing.
I felt cold, despondent. I struggled desperately to move but it was useless. After some effort I could twitch my head slightly and even give off a weak whimper but that was the best I could manage.
The feeling of fear and panic increased and as I tried to struggle I began to see unusual shadows move across the walls and ceilings. At first I closed my eyes and told myself to clam down and that it was just light from the streetlights being affected by trees moving in the wind. I opened my eyes and with this in mind stared at the movement in the hope of proving to myself that that was it (e.g. if I hear the wind outside and a tree move at the same time the shadows move it must be the wind yes?).
I think I started to lose my nerve at this point when the shadows started to form a sort of dark mist.
On the wall to my left, I remember staring in horror as a rough outline of a face pushed itself slightly out of the wall (like the wall was stretching slightly out in this shape), I tried to scream but only a soft wail emerged from my lips.
I was quite terrified at this stage and repeatedly told myself it was just a nightmare and desperately tried to break free by shaking my head (the only part of my body moving) from side to side in an attempt to wake the rest of me up.
The mist had coalesced mainly on the ceiling directly above me (I was getting serious alarm bells going off in my mind at this stage and began to frantically struggle still unable to move but managing to cry out louder).
A large expressionless face slowly pushed itself down out of the mist extending down on what was like a very long neck looking straight at me.
At this stage I think I tried to scream as loud as I could - I desperately wanted my friends to hear me, to help me I would deal with any embarrassing consequences later!
From that point on I only recall struggling with my unresponsive body and doing anything to move or yell, all the while seeing these faces (one face?) take shape around me. I was so scared I think I remember vaguely feeling that I wanted to laugh insanely.
After what they (my friends who could hear some commotion at this stage) tell me was about a quarter-hour I had slowly wiggled and shook myself enough to get to the edge of the bed in a deliberate attempt to fall and wake myself with the thump of falling to the floor which I did (even after this it was initially like moving through molasses).
I think I yelled out GO AWAY!!! or something similar and made a bee-line for the door pulled the light cord to turn the light on in the room behind me (but did not look back) and ran into the lounge room (the run turning into a barely dignified fast walk when I noticed my friends were already in there with the light on with a slightly pale look about them).
Oddly the feeling of dread slowly but noticeably started to fade. I remember my friends asking me repeatedly if I was ok and what happened - I just remember mumbling that I was a bit out of sorts and slumping down in front of the gas heater quivering (switched on by them a few minutes earlier when they were woken up by the noise and my cries).
What the hell was going on in there we heard weird noises and you crying out.
They told me they were woken when they heard my cries, and initially thought it was a baby crying from next door, but then noticed it was coming from my room. After a while my cries became so desperate and intense (though soft) that they had woken up and were in the corridor wondering what had happened and could hear weird noises.
They felt they did not want to enter my room.
Jesus - youre as white as a sheet and shaking from head to toe! Patrick told me.
Talking with them helped a lot and I quickly regained my nerve and we started to lighten the air a bit by joking around Patrick said that he would have come into my room to see but he was scared that from the noise that I was engaged in some sort of weird sex ritual lol after a bit more joking and talking I calmed down a lot.
I walked back into my room (with my friends in tow) and poked my head in to have a look around. Nothing (thank god!), not even a bad feeling. Whatever had happened (a nightmare?) seemed to have run its course. I had a feeling that it would not happen again for some reason.
I moved out into my own apartment a few months later and fortunately did not have a recurrence of this in the interim.
The only time I had a similar event but no where near as frightening (and nothing revealing itself visually that I can remember) just paralysis and a feeling of fear; was a few years earlier was whilst staying at a very old house for a night with some friends in Sofala (NSW), which was an old gold mining town.
I have never slept in an old house other than these times. Not that I have been avoiding it it just never came up.
Looking back critically at this occurrence now a few years later, and the fact my friends who still rent there have not reported a similar event (though they have told me of a few minor things) has led me to lean towards a more normal explanation such as sleep paralysis perhaps in combination of being on the border of sleep causing my mind and imagination to become over-active (?) as the most likely cause. But I have always wondered.
Bloody scary regardless! I so needed a change in underwear!
Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it - this is the only significant "abnormal" experience in my life to date.
For most of my life (I am now in my early thirties) I have lived in relatively new buildings, and for most of my childhood in a new house that my parents helped build on new land. As such and from what ive been reading - it stands to logic there would be minimal activity in these areas, which indeed appeared to be the case as I cannot recall having any incidents during this time which may be attributed to anything like paranormal activity.
The only time I have had experiences was when I stayed in older residences. A particularly memorable one which ill describe below.
About 4 years ago I had moved into and was sharing the rent in an old house with some friends in Putney, Sydney. This was a typical old single story brick house, my two friends ill call them Patrick and Veronica (not their real names of course) - shared a room right at the rear opposite corner of the house to my room, which was a large room at the front facing a small but fairly busy street.
The rooms were very old, with high ceilings and the paint starting to peel, and most rooms has old disused fireplaces that has been bricked up.
It was the weekend (I think a Saturday night) and I had fallen asleep without incident, and suddenly woke with a great feeling of alarm early in the morning (approx 3:00am).
When I woke (or partly woke?) all of a sudden I found myself unable to move, but fully conscious, alert and able to see (i.e. open and move my eyes) and hear. I felt what I thought was a presence pinning me down.
I was slightly confused at this stage - I rolled my eyes around and could see my bedroom and all its furnishings and gear around me everything was as and where it should be but I had this terrible feeling of fear gnawing at me, and growing.
I felt cold, despondent. I struggled desperately to move but it was useless. After some effort I could twitch my head slightly and even give off a weak whimper but that was the best I could manage.
The feeling of fear and panic increased and as I tried to struggle I began to see unusual shadows move across the walls and ceilings. At first I closed my eyes and told myself to clam down and that it was just light from the streetlights being affected by trees moving in the wind. I opened my eyes and with this in mind stared at the movement in the hope of proving to myself that that was it (e.g. if I hear the wind outside and a tree move at the same time the shadows move it must be the wind yes?).
I think I started to lose my nerve at this point when the shadows started to form a sort of dark mist.
On the wall to my left, I remember staring in horror as a rough outline of a face pushed itself slightly out of the wall (like the wall was stretching slightly out in this shape), I tried to scream but only a soft wail emerged from my lips.
I was quite terrified at this stage and repeatedly told myself it was just a nightmare and desperately tried to break free by shaking my head (the only part of my body moving) from side to side in an attempt to wake the rest of me up.
The mist had coalesced mainly on the ceiling directly above me (I was getting serious alarm bells going off in my mind at this stage and began to frantically struggle still unable to move but managing to cry out louder).
A large expressionless face slowly pushed itself down out of the mist extending down on what was like a very long neck looking straight at me.
At this stage I think I tried to scream as loud as I could - I desperately wanted my friends to hear me, to help me I would deal with any embarrassing consequences later!
From that point on I only recall struggling with my unresponsive body and doing anything to move or yell, all the while seeing these faces (one face?) take shape around me. I was so scared I think I remember vaguely feeling that I wanted to laugh insanely.
After what they (my friends who could hear some commotion at this stage) tell me was about a quarter-hour I had slowly wiggled and shook myself enough to get to the edge of the bed in a deliberate attempt to fall and wake myself with the thump of falling to the floor which I did (even after this it was initially like moving through molasses).
I think I yelled out GO AWAY!!! or something similar and made a bee-line for the door pulled the light cord to turn the light on in the room behind me (but did not look back) and ran into the lounge room (the run turning into a barely dignified fast walk when I noticed my friends were already in there with the light on with a slightly pale look about them).
Oddly the feeling of dread slowly but noticeably started to fade. I remember my friends asking me repeatedly if I was ok and what happened - I just remember mumbling that I was a bit out of sorts and slumping down in front of the gas heater quivering (switched on by them a few minutes earlier when they were woken up by the noise and my cries).
What the hell was going on in there we heard weird noises and you crying out.
They told me they were woken when they heard my cries, and initially thought it was a baby crying from next door, but then noticed it was coming from my room. After a while my cries became so desperate and intense (though soft) that they had woken up and were in the corridor wondering what had happened and could hear weird noises.
They felt they did not want to enter my room.
Jesus - youre as white as a sheet and shaking from head to toe! Patrick told me.
Talking with them helped a lot and I quickly regained my nerve and we started to lighten the air a bit by joking around Patrick said that he would have come into my room to see but he was scared that from the noise that I was engaged in some sort of weird sex ritual lol after a bit more joking and talking I calmed down a lot.
I walked back into my room (with my friends in tow) and poked my head in to have a look around. Nothing (thank god!), not even a bad feeling. Whatever had happened (a nightmare?) seemed to have run its course. I had a feeling that it would not happen again for some reason.
I moved out into my own apartment a few months later and fortunately did not have a recurrence of this in the interim.
The only time I had a similar event but no where near as frightening (and nothing revealing itself visually that I can remember) just paralysis and a feeling of fear; was a few years earlier was whilst staying at a very old house for a night with some friends in Sofala (NSW), which was an old gold mining town.
I have never slept in an old house other than these times. Not that I have been avoiding it it just never came up.
Looking back critically at this occurrence now a few years later, and the fact my friends who still rent there have not reported a similar event (though they have told me of a few minor things) has led me to lean towards a more normal explanation such as sleep paralysis perhaps in combination of being on the border of sleep causing my mind and imagination to become over-active (?) as the most likely cause. But I have always wondered.
Bloody scary regardless! I so needed a change in underwear!
Chumbly, what a scary experience! I would have needed new undies too!
My first thought was sleep paralysis. Remember that sleep paralysis can make you hallucinate. I had an experience with it a few months ago in which I "saw" a corpse on the bed next to me and could feel something pinning me down.
My husband also experienced this while he was in college. He was living with a friend in an apartment and had an experience in which he hallucinated a dark creature with leathery skin pinning him down.
I've read a bit on sleep paralysis, and I'm still not 100% convinced that it may on some level have something to do with the paranormal. I found for myself it was an extremely frightening experience and not one I want to repeat!
My first thought was sleep paralysis. Remember that sleep paralysis can make you hallucinate. I had an experience with it a few months ago in which I "saw" a corpse on the bed next to me and could feel something pinning me down.
My husband also experienced this while he was in college. He was living with a friend in an apartment and had an experience in which he hallucinated a dark creature with leathery skin pinning him down.
I've read a bit on sleep paralysis, and I'm still not 100% convinced that it may on some level have something to do with the paranormal. I found for myself it was an extremely frightening experience and not one I want to repeat!
I'm thinking sleep paralysis as well. In the rare instances I've experienced it it feels to me like I'm still dreaming, and my dream images are overlayed over what my eyes are seeing, so this leads to the hallucinations. Since it is frightening (esp. if you're not familiar with the sensation) sometimes your imagination goes wild and you dream about things you fear; e.g. ghosts or monsters in your room with you.
There have been times where I'd go into the sleep paralysis phase and then wake up fully a few moments afterward, and at that point I would realize that I was dreaming and there weren't any real "monsters" or whatever in my room. =)
There have been times where I'd go into the sleep paralysis phase and then wake up fully a few moments afterward, and at that point I would realize that I was dreaming and there weren't any real "monsters" or whatever in my room. =)
Hi Chumbly, I have to agree with Carrie and Kevin in that it was a form of sleep paralysis (or what we call sleep paralysis). Interesting enough I logged into the msn chat with Sylvia Browne tonight and one of the questions that came up was regarding the feeling of being unable to move (pinned down) scary sensations etc. and she called it Astral Catalypsy. According to her we all Astral travel and Astral Catalypsy is when we reenter to slowly so our brain part of the soul is back but the body part has not quite made it. So we have these feelings of being paralysed. When we have that intense fear our minds can project some scary things.
When you consider that we only use a small portion of our brains (conscious mind) maybe we tap into other parts when in that state that enables us to see more then our waking eyes/minds do? =)
When you consider that we only use a small portion of our brains (conscious mind) maybe we tap into other parts when in that state that enables us to see more then our waking eyes/minds do? =)