Anyone had this recurring dream?

[DamsonBramble]

Where you are in bed and someone is behind you and pressed up against you but you can't see them? It feels sinister and I call out for help in my sleep.
I was widowed a couple of years ago and it's happened more since then. I'm not sure if it happened before.
The other night I was calling out and my teenage dc were calling out to wake me. I was thanking them then going back to sleep and dreaming the same again until I woke myself up properly. Anyone have similar or other recurring dreams?

Bumping in case anyone else has experienced this

Yes I have. I think it’s a sleep paralysis thing.

I’m sorry for the loss of your husband .

Thanks. Yes I think you're right about it being a sleep paralysis thing

I’ve had exactly this and it was my one and only (hopefully!) episode of sleep paralysis. It felt like someone was “spooning” with me but the presence felt pure evil.

I hope you can find some distraction. Maybe put on a comedy podcast or a story if it happens again. Sorry to hear about your husband

Yes I have. It’s sleep paralysis and it’s terrifying. I’m sorry for your loss. Mine tends to happen when I’m particularly stressed about things and manifests as the presence in the room, weight of a body on top of me or loud blasting music.

Yes, I too have had sleep paralysis but only when going through stressful or upsetting times

One thing I learnt to do was recognise I was in sleep paralysis in my dream and turn it in to a lucid dream. It takes practice and I can’t really explain how but you have to be really calm in your dream and turn it to your advantage, so try pushing your way from your dream by flying / moving etc, you can also turn them erotic too. Once there they are actually amazing but you have to somehow not panic which is easier said than done.

Sorry for your loss

It felt like someone was “spooning” with me but the presence felt pure evil
Yes that's exactly it. Once when it happened they were making a sort of evil snarling noise although normally it's silent.
Good idea about trying to turn it into a lucid dream. I have occasionally had lucid dreams since I was a child so it might be possible.
A positive is my teenage dds waking me up if it happens has emphasised to me how kind they are

I wonder if it is something that starts in childhood as I used to ‘get trapped’ in dreams when I was younger. It was only as I got older they got scary.

Nice that your daughters are looking after you

I don't remember getting trapped in dreams until adulthood, although I've always been a vivid dreamer and had the occasional nightmare. I've not had loud music during sleep paralysis yet.

Yes, I used to get this quite frequently and still do occasionally now. It's worse when I'm drifting in and out of sleep, when I cross the threshold into being more asleep than awake, that's when I've had the feeling that something horrible is there and it's coming closer and closer. I can't move at all. Then I have to try and fight to move a tiny bit, and as soon as I move, I become more awake than asleep and it disappears.

But if it's a time I'm drifting in and out of sleep, as I start to drift off again it's there waiting for me.

It's odd because at the time I know it's sleep paralysis, but the feeling of terror and impending doom is real and thinking 'this isn't real' doesn't make the thing go away.

I have been able to turn it into a lucid dream a few times.

Will definitely give that a try. It feels so real at the time doesn't it. A friend said she tends to have nightmares when she's hot and although the heating goes off overnight I was very wrapped up in the covers, so was hot. I pushed the covers beneath my arm to cool down a bit which helped when I went back to sleep.