To think I'm having after effects of visiting a haunted place? believers and non-believers please!

[user1464861179]

I know it sounds ridiculous but please bear with me.

About a month ago DH and I talked an Italian skipper into taking us to an abandoned island off the coast of Venice. There are huge legends, myths and stories about this island, tons of documentries and "scariest places of earth" type programs but the island is off limits to anyone and difficult to access unless of course you can talk someone into taking you there.

Island has a history of military stronghold, plague victim hospital, mass plague burial pits when the disease spread out of control and later it was a mental asylum where supposedly a mad doctor carried out experiments on patients and later threw himself off the (now) bricked up clock tower. The island is completely abandoned since the 50s and totally inhabited. When DH and I went, we were literally the only people on the island. The skipper refused to join us saying he'd pick us up in 3 hours and if we were not there, he'd be calling the police!!

Anyway - DH and I ran around this island for 3 hours, explored the old aslum, took loads of photos, visited the supposed burial grounds, DH climbed up the clock tower (well as far up as he could get since the place is falling down!) and I felt absolutely fine - not spooked out at all.

Only thing was that whilst DH was messing up the clock tower, I heard footsteps heading towards the hospital where we were through the overgrown bushes etc outside. I stood and waited for what I assumed to be other tourists and nobody came. When I've researched the island since, footsteps are supposedly one of the first signs of things starting to go wrong. Nothing else happened however.

Anyway we got back on the boat, has pasta and prosecco - felt fine. Got home, showed everyone the photos - felt fine.

4 weeks later I'm dreaming of this island, not nightmares as such but wierdly atmoshpheric dreams that make me feel really, really sad and depressed. I can't explain it. During the day at work my mind keeps switching to the island/hospital and I feel an overwhelming sadness and depression when I think about it.

I'm having wierd dreams that people are standing beside my bed watching me sleep.

I don't believe in ghosts. Well - I'm starting to wonder ...

AIBU to be putting so much energy into this? I'm actually shitting myself that I've done something really terrible.

Are you writing a book?

No, I read it back and realised how it sounded like that though! My imagination is not that good. The island is called Poveglia - its all over the internet. Certainly not something I've made up!

Yabu and a little hysterical.

I know it sounds ridiculous

Yes.

This does sound like the start of a story but if you don't get in for that sort of woo stuff then I'd put it behind you. And your DH shouldn't really have been climbing a face that was crumbling - sorry to sound like po-faced cow but that's not really on.

Ooh, I've been past that Island a few times. I never realised it had such an interesting history.

The feeling will wear off in time.

I reckon that it's just the idea of it that's stuck in your head and the more you think about it, the more your anxiety about it increases which results in the feelings etc you're describing.
It sounds like some very sad and frightening things happened to people on that island so it's not surprising that the thought of it is having an impact on you. Nothing supernatural, just normal human emotions.

If that is the effect it had on you then of course YANBU.

There are greater things in heaven and earth ..................

Isn't there a special woo section for stuff like this?

Oooh I saw this island on a documentary last week.

I agree with Magpie that it sounds like a dose of anxiety OP due to imagining all the grim occurrences that took place there. Have you told your DH how you're feeling?

I've told DH but he doesn't want to talk about it. He's had nightmares since (I've had to wake him up) but he won't tell me what they were about. He is prone to nightmares though and would be shouting and screaming in his sleep long before we visited this island so maybe unconnected.

I do tend to agree slightly with the anxiety.

If you have returned home, the spent time looking for stories about footsteps and stuff, you are scaring yourself.

Not saying the footsteps weren't woo, but you have since being looking for bad things.

Bad things didn't happen. So you are now expecting and worrying when and how bad things will, happen. You are doing this subconsciously too, hence the dreams.

Not sure how you break your vicious circle though.

You have had a very interesting experience that has stuck in your mind. While you sleep your brain is trying to make sense of the experience and is trying to file everything away. Because the experience was so unusual and atmospheric it is taking some time. It is all in you imagination.

Either that or it's the spirit of a dead Italian who is really pissed off with you.

Just because you don't believe or experienced something like it, does not make it wrong or silly. Some people are very narrow minded on here.

That sounds super amazing! Well, not the nightmares and anxiety afterwards, but the little adventure picnic thing. I've heard of the island. I think obviously the more you worry and think about it, the worse the anxiety symptoms will be. Somehow you need to stop worrying about it. Not sure how you go about that. I read on a woo thread once that imagining your house bathed in yellow light all over will 'cleanse it' - you have to imagine it 3 times to give it a wash and get rid of any badness! I'm not really woo, but I imagine that this may be effective just as a psychological tool. Same as reciting a simple prayer or matra over and over - just really concentrate on it so you kind of block any other thoughts or feeling going through your mind at the time; people use the Jesus prayer, or even a hail Mary or something I think. You'll be fine though, even though it feels real to you, it's not a real thing - nothing can harm you, you're ok. x

Somewhat disappointed that our visit there three years ago resulted in nothing untoward 😟
I agree it's very atmospheric but with such a chequered history it's hardly surprising.

That place is notorious. I once read a fabulous story about it...can't remember who it was by though :(

OP...speak to a priest or just wave some sage about or whatever those things are called.

I think it's because it's still preying on your mind.

When I sit in St George's Gardens (in Liverpool), I sometimes think about the misery that people must have once felt (it was the site of a Workhouse) and If I dwell on it, I have weird dreams.

Tbf, most of Liverpool city centre was a graveyard, Workhouse, Asylum etc.

I think that we empathise with what's happened and it affects us.

My interest in WW2 and I know a lot of people are affected for a while after viewing the Camps, Battlefields etc.

I have dreams after just doing some research/reading.

This happens to me. But because I have a very active imagination and these things stay with me. It takes a while or a new thing to stop me dreaming about it.

You haven't been possessed.

I don't think it sounds ridiculous, but wangling a trip to an off-limits island for a few touristy frolics is a bit . There'll be reasons you're not meant to go there.

When I sit in St George's Gardens (in Liverpool), I sometimes think about the misery that people must have once felt (it was the site of a Workhouse) and If I dwell on it, I have weird dreams. Tbf, most of Liverpool city centre was a graveyard, Workhouse, Asylum etc

This message was brought to you by the Liverpool tourist board.

My visit was part of a Venetion history course, fascinating city.

Bloody autocorrect *Venician?