I think I had one yesterday.
I apologise if it doesn't sound like one, to anyone who suffers from them-happy to be told I didn't have one at all.
I was napping after work yesterday (just a very long, stressful day and I'd hardly slept the night before for unrelated reasons).
I thought I'd woken up, but I hadn't. I was feeling someone on top of me-my half rational brain thought it was my dog-then I realised (still supposedly asleep) that it wasn't. A male in female clothing was on top of me, showed me his 'parts' which were covered in a posing pouch, was taunting me and trying to rape me, while I tried to fight him off but in typical 'dream' fashion had no strength. I must've been half rational as I remember during this, looking out of the window and thinking, why is it dark? It's only early evening!'
I was so so scared and felt powerless and trapped.
I was also trying to put the lamp on but unable to reach it under his weight.
When I finally, properly woke up I realised it was indeed, still light, and all was okay. But it was absolutely terrifying. I'd only been asleep about half an hour.
I want to think it was just a case of REM sleep and some confusion of the brain for whatever reason.
I've never had one before and have never suffered any trauma symptoms related to the subject matter before. The only possible trauma I have ever suffered, relates to something entirely different, and the only symptom(s) I got were avoiding the 'thing' that I was doing when the 'event' happened (and all it was was someone being very awful to me for a prolonged period, at this particular place related to a particular subject), and I find it difficult to say the word related to it still. For a while, I couldn't walk past somewhere where it was written down or I'd shudder although oddly enough, I was okay watching similar things on TV. Never any night terrors or flashbacks.
For what it is worth, I have been raped before but I am talking about twenty years ago and not in a particularly violent way (partner at the time refusing my denying of sex, more than once). It didn't affect me at the time and I have seldom thought about it since.
If it wasn't a night terror, am I right and I just stayed in REM sleep for longer than I should have? What could have caused it either way?
Thank you.