Whats ur opinion?

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Mj777

New member
Jul 15, 2020
8
8
3
#1
Lately as I seek God fervently, Ive been getting nightmares/strange phenomena & looking for insight.
I was awaken 2x 2 nites ago, to a firm 'nudge' on back of my elbow that moved my arm & startled me awake. I was freaked out & prayed but I ask God if it was him but I havent got an answer. However, ill add that I joined in with friends & ate weed brownies the night before. God wants us to be sober minded & Im an intercessor. Could this be Gods rebuke or call to repent? Is the enemy even able to physically touch us even if we open a door?
2 nites before that, I woke, in tears to the most horrific nightmare a parent can have. My daughter had been in a horrific car accident. A month ago? She, my daughter had a nightmare that I was 'gone'. I was likely raptured, as there was no death involved.
What does this mean?
 

cinder

Senior Member
Mar 26, 2014
4,433
2,419
113
#2
Mostly I think it means that you are normal and like normal people you are freaked out by what you don't understand. Don't even know if it's all related, but sometimes I find it helpful to stop worrying about the answers and instead start asking what difference the answers would make to my behavior.

Unless it becomes a super frequent and oppressing thing, I think nightmares that spring from the fear of losing what is most precious to you are pretty much a normal part of being human. What would change if you knew conclusively that the nightmares were just a natural way for your mind to prepare for and deal with those fears? What would change if you knew conclusively that they were spiritual terrorism from the enemy? Similarly, the nudges that woke you up what difference in your behavior will knowing if it's God, the devil, or your imagination / body reacting to weed (or stress or who knows what) make?

And if you think you need to repent of some actions, then do so. Waiting for God to send you a special supernatural invitation to do what you already know is right isn't behavior fitting for someone wholeheartedly seeking God.

I tried to be nice, mostly I'm just trying to say stick to your course and don't get bogged down in distractions or thinking you need to understand exactly what everything is before you can act.
 
Aug 2, 2009
24,646
4,305
113
#3
I don't think weed is evil and I think that occasional light use is probably ok, but from what you've described it was probably God telling you to lay off the weed. The crazy nightmares are probably from the weed too.

(I don't touch the stuff myself. I tried it once in the 1980's and got a bad headache)
 

Subhumanoidal

Well-known member
Sep 17, 2018
4,061
3,175
113
#4
I think people like to find a way to make dreams have meaning. And to do so they go to other people and ask them to interpret things, essentially leaving God out of the picture.
The same can go for anything people don't understand. People are eager to place meaning on everything.
My dad has, for decades, randomly felt someone grab his foot while he sleeps. Sometimes even yanking on his leg. He's not found a clear answer for why it happens. He wad never into drugs, never big on getting drunk, he was a cop among other jobs, helped raise 4 (3 which weren't even his) kids with the wife he loved and was faithful to.
So whatever is causing this isn't any punishment from God.
If God hasn't answered keep asking. But, personally, I find it unlikely it's God. It's a rather pointless action and doesn't seem that God would waste His time on something that has no real effect.
 

Mj777

New member
Jul 15, 2020
8
8
3
#5
I don't think weed is evil and I think that occasional light use is probably ok, but from what you've described it was probably God telling you to lay off the weed. The crazy nightmares are probably from the weed too.

(I don't touch the stuff myself. I tried it once in the 1980's and got a bad headache)
Thanks for ur input, it was actually the 1st & only time Ive partaken in a very long time
I think people like to find a way to make dreams have meaning. And to do so they go to other people and ask them to interpret things, essentially leaving God out of the picture.
The same can go for anything people don't understand. People are eager to place meaning on everything.
My dad has, for decades, randomly felt someone grab his foot while he sleeps. Sometimes even yanking on his leg. He's not found a clear answer for why it happens. He wad never into drugs, never big on getting drunk, he was a cop among other jobs, helped raise 4 (3 which weren't even his) kids with the wife he loved and was faithful to.
So whatever is causing this isn't any punishment from God.
If God hasn't answered keep asking. But, personally, I find it unlikely it's God. It's a rather pointless action and doesn't seem that God would waste His time on something that has no real effect.
Thanks for ur input🙂 Well the nightmare about car accident was prob not God I agree bc it caused fear & tears. The nudge either way has caused me to be more aware of how my actions greive his spirit & my daughters dream happened to come the very 1st nite of my fast, so makes me curious but i agree theres a balance needed where we dont focus on dreams meanings so much but take what we can learn if anything & apply to our relationship with him & others
 

Mj777

New member
Jul 15, 2020
8
8
3
#6
Mostly I think it means that you are normal and like normal people you are freaked out by what you don't understand. Don't even know if it's all related, but sometimes I find it helpful to stop worrying about the answers and instead start asking what difference the answers would make to my behavior.

Unless it becomes a super frequent and oppressing thing, I think nightmares that spring from the fear of losing what is most precious to you are pretty much a normal part of being human. What would change if you knew conclusively that the nightmares were just a natural way for your mind to prepare for and deal with those fears? What would change if you knew conclusively that they were spiritual terrorism from the enemy? Similarly, the nudges that woke you up what difference in your behavior will knowing if it's God, the devil, or your imagination / body reacting to weed (or stress or who knows what) make?

And if you think you need to repent of some actions, then do so. Waiting for God to send you a special supernatural invitation to do what you already know is right isn't behavior fitting for someone wholeheartedly seeking God.

I tried to be nice, mostly I'm just trying to say stick to your course and don't get bogged down in distractions or thinking you need to understand exactly what everything is before you can act.
Thank u, that is all very sensible!
God bless🙂
 

kinda

Senior Member
Jun 26, 2013
3,931
1,506
113
#7
Lately as I seek God fervently, Ive been getting nightmares/strange phenomena & looking for insight.
I was awaken 2x 2 nites ago, to a firm 'nudge' on back of my elbow that moved my arm & startled me awake. I was freaked out & prayed but I ask God if it was him but I havent got an answer. However, ill add that I joined in with friends & ate weed brownies the night before. God wants us to be sober minded & Im an intercessor. Could this be Gods rebuke or call to repent? Is the enemy even able to physically touch us even if we open a door?
2 nites before that, I woke, in tears to the most horrific nightmare a parent can have. My daughter had been in a horrific car accident. A month ago? She, my daughter had a nightmare that I was 'gone'. I was likely raptured, as there was no death involved.
What does this mean?

This is hilarious! How is someone suppose to take you serious?

Sounds like your worried about your daughter and your daughter is missing you. When was the last time you seen your daughter?

Only God can interrupt your dreams meaning, but maybe you two should have a visit?!?!

Genesis 41:

15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, i“It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.
 

AndyMaleh

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2020
863
532
93
44
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
#9
Lately as I seek God fervently, Ive been getting nightmares/strange phenomena & looking for insight.
I was awaken 2x 2 nites ago, to a firm 'nudge' on back of my elbow that moved my arm & startled me awake. I was freaked out & prayed but I ask God if it was him but I havent got an answer. However, ill add that I joined in with friends & ate weed brownies the night before. God wants us to be sober minded & Im an intercessor. Could this be Gods rebuke or call to repent? Is the enemy even able to physically touch us even if we open a door?
2 nites before that, I woke, in tears to the most horrific nightmare a parent can have. My daughter had been in a horrific car accident. A month ago? She, my daughter had a nightmare that I was 'gone'. I was likely raptured, as there was no death involved.
What does this mean?
Weed is awful. I did a study on it when I was in my undergrad and gave a presentation about it to my fellow students at the time (20 years ago). It was regarding the harmful effects of weed on motivation and activity. Back in my college years, I also heard real stories of college students who did weed and lost all motivation for studying as a result, becoming complete slackers/lazy bums/dropouts.

After I've become a Born Again Christian, I prayed to God about weed given the recent buzz about it, and the answer I got is it is definitely evil because it invites evil spirits into the body and soul and confuses thinking and perception. In other words, it is yet another vehicle for Satan to attack our faith. We must avoid it.

Beneficial effects are not important at all given all that was mentioned above. It's like someone telling you alcohol is beneficial because it kills bacteria in the liver through poisoning it. :D The beneficial effects are pointless. (that said, I do drink alcohol, but in moderation)

Anyways, I have enough highly imaginative dreams without taking any drugs or weed, including in the last 2 days alone, in which I had crazier dreams than yours (I'd rather not talk about them though. Some evil people online like to know people's dreams to attack people's innermost parts of their spirit, so people must refrain from sharing dreams except in private). I'm sure weed is pointless and oughta be avoided. God can gradually give you all the good effects of weed without any of its harmful effects, through prayer only. I testify to that. I am sure I am calmer and more relaxed about life than many weed smokers out there.

May God protect your daughter and prevent future accidents.

Godspeed.
 

SoulWeaver

Senior Member
Oct 25, 2014
4,889
2,534
113
#10
Weed does cause loss of motivation and can have quite a retarding effect on the brain. It dulls the mind in long term use. Some students from my generation were smoking it and they struggled putting a sentence together and were perpetually stupefied, it was really sad. There is a lot of evidence from psychiatrists that it can worsen problems like anxiety or depression, or even start new mental issues. I quit smoking (cigarettes) long ago, and I find smoking extremely addictive, so all this I listed, plus that, is why I won't use weed, it's definitely not for me. But if someone is suffering during radiation therapy and it helps them regain some appetite and relieves their condition, I can see the use there as justified. So since it's a gray area, rather than prescribing other people what to do, I am rather for taking in the information and then going each to our own prayer closet. We should figure all such questions out individually, in honesty between God and our own conscience so our own conscience doesn't condemn us before God. If one has doubts if something is right to do, then it might mean that it is wrong to do, and sin for that person. But only that person and God know that.
 

Camess

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2020
488
314
63
26
#11
Demons are real. They can often take physical form. Drugs open the door to let them in as it makes you vulnerable to attack--you cant fight back. I should also mention that demons can attach themselves to inanimate objects. This is often why some families are "cursed" because they pass down things from generation to generation.
Also things made to invite demons, such as "dreamcatchers", which have their root in the occult. Ill testify to that as I've experienced the latter, and my sisters family experienced the former. Pray. Cleanse your home. Draw close to God.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,188
113
#12
yes maybe check your bedroom for anything that would invite a demon in while you are sleeping. Not being paranoid but you do give them legal right to be there by having certain objects.
I would advise staying off the weed since it seems to be connected to your disturbance.
also I would pray over your car or your daughters car and check theres nothing that satan can tamper with there.
You know why many christians have fish symbol,bumper stickers on their cars? Its not just to show everyone we love Jesus.
 

Mj777

New member
Jul 15, 2020
8
8
3
#13
Weed is awful. I did a study on it when I was in my undergrad and gave a presentation about it to my fellow students at the time (20 years ago). It was regarding the harmful effects of weed on motivation and activity. Back in my college years, I also heard real stories of college students who did weed and lost all motivation for studying as a result, becoming complete slackers/lazy bums/dropouts.

After I've become a Born Again Christian, I prayed to God about weed given the recent buzz about it, and the answer I got is it is definitely evil because it invites evil spirits into the body and soul and confuses thinking and perception. In other words, it is yet another vehicle for Satan to attack our faith. We must avoid it.

Beneficial effects are not important at all given all that was mentioned above. It's like someone telling you alcohol is beneficial because it kills bacteria in the liver through poisoning it. :D The beneficial effects are pointless. (that said, I do drink alcohol, but in moderation)

Anyways, I have enough highly imaginative dreams without taking any drugs or weed, including in the last 2 days alone, in which I had crazier dreams than yours (I'd rather not talk about them though. Some evil people online like to know people's dreams to attack people's innermost parts of their spirit, so people must refrain from sharing dreams except in private). I'm sure weed is pointless and oughta be avoided. God can gradually give you all the good effects of weed without any of its harmful effects, through prayer only. I testify to that. I am sure I am calmer and more relaxed about life than many weed smokers out there.

May God protect your daughter and prevent future accidents.

Godspeed.
Thank u😁 As a prior pot-head in my late teens & harder drug use in my 30's I never considered weed a drug & I DEF wouldnt have thought Id ever post about a one time-in-yrs use, but since
This is hilarious! How is someone suppose to take you serious?

Sounds like your worried about your daughter and your daughter is missing you. When was the last time you seen your daughter?

Only God can interrupt your dreams meaning, but maybe you two should have a visit?!?!

Genesis 41:

15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, i“It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.
🤭 How is having nightmares about death (not while high on weed btw) hilarious?
I never said weed is evil & Id never judge anyone or tell anyone they shouldnt. My best friends smoke it & have licenses to grow. Its a personal choice, but for me all I was saying (btw as a former hard drug user & pothead up until God delivered me from that 2 yrs ago), that now that Im in a close relationship with God, I wondered if me getting 'weed head' for that day might be why that thing nudged my arm, & I considered it may open doors to the enemy. See he doesnt attack luke warm Christians or the dead (unsaved), he goes after ANY legal right to steal/kill/destroy a believers testimony & faith. So I guess in my case, I felt convicted.
But again, I wouldnt associate weed as evil its between an individual & God. I clearly dont have much tolerance for that or alcohol anymore.
 
Jun 22, 2020
1,231
741
113
Australia
#14
Lately as I seek God fervently, Ive been getting nightmares/strange phenomena & looking for insight.
I was awaken 2x 2 nites ago, to a firm 'nudge' on back of my elbow that moved my arm & startled me awake. I was freaked out & prayed but I ask God if it was him but I havent got an answer. However, ill add that I joined in with friends & ate weed brownies the night before. God wants us to be sober minded & Im an intercessor. Could this be Gods rebuke or call to repent? Is the enemy even able to physically touch us even if we open a door?
2 nites before that, I woke, in tears to the most horrific nightmare a parent can have. My daughter had been in a horrific car accident. A month ago? She, my daughter had a nightmare that I was 'gone'. I was likely raptured, as there was no death involved.
What does this mean?
Dreams, they've fascinated many people including myself. What are they? No one knows for sure. Sleep is vital to our survival, our whole body switches off when we sleep except for our minds, this inner consciousness that doesn't need sleep. It's like it gets bored and while your switched off and it plays its own reality or something.

Is it our spirit that never sleeps? Is that our soul that gets released when we die? There is a theory that says when we die our brain releases a chemical which in turn releases our soul. Its fun to speculate but ultimately only God knows...

Trying to interpret dreams is a bit of a minefield. I once asked a psychologist what a dream meant, he responded by asking me what i think it meant which kind of stunned me at the time but was helpful i think. Ultimately we cannot read too much into dreams. My lifelong reoccurring dreams are scenes where i have heavy legs. Lots of people have different explanations but again, no one knows.

Now if your always having horrific nightmares that is hard to deal with. One thing i would advise is not to go and see a doctor about it because their solution is mind altering drugs that their not even sure about. I had a bad experience with the drug they prescribed to me... I was feeling down after my partner had left me, the doctor asked me a questionnaire and said i had depression, thats how they diagnose u which is a joke. Off course your going to be depressed when such things happen in life, its a human emotion, what they call depression is something else, same with anxiety. So their prescribing drugs for people who have normal human emotions at times...

So she puts me on these pills that block serotonin, i would later learn that blocking serotonin is how LSD works.
First month i did notice any difference and neither could the people close to me, i wanted out but she told me to stay on them. Then over 3 nights it all happened...

1st night i kept getting woken up by a loud sound like a bang or someone yelling my name.
Sometimes i would get a push as well like u explained. They call this "exploding head syndrome", look it up. Science has identified the phenomenon and has some interesting info on it. In your case if that was a one off then its hard not to point to the weed.

2nd night as i woke up and went to get out of bed to go to the toilet, right beside my bed there is an old man sitting in the chair right in front of me. I waved my hands at it as i ran out of my room screaming in horror. That was no dream, i was awake, was that a ghost, it appeared to be reaching for my bible, was it God.

Then 3rd night as i was falling asleep i see like a blue orb drifting in mid air. Again my reaction was to run out of the room in terror. By now i thought i was starting to go insane, what was that, was it a spirit.

A couple days later is when i learnt about exploding head syndrome and sleep hallucinations which gave me such a relief. So i wasn't going insane look look science backs me up. They are parasomnias, sleep paralysis being the most terrifying of all, thank God ive never had that... A few days later is when i started learning that it was the drugs. I had to go online to learn all this stuff including the drugs side effects. I couldn't believe what I was reading, along with hallucinations was suicidal thoughts, worsening of the illness, a new illness and even death... I stopped taking the drugs and it never happened again...

My mum said when her dad died she kept getting dreams of him chasing her while she ran and hid in fear with her sisters. I could just see the anguish in her eyes as she was telling me, she loved her dad and he loved her, the dream made no sense and was horrifying. This went on for years until someone told her to devote her prayers in an earnest plea to God. So every day she would go to church when it was quite and pray deeply and she stopped having those dreams...

Sorry for writing a novel about it. I hope it wasn't boring. Its just that i don't wish that on anybody and many people trust that field of science too much. I strongly advise to try and reach a spiritual peace rather than a chemical one.

God Bless
 

AndyMaleh

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2020
863
532
93
44
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
#15
Thank u😁 As a prior pot-head in my late teens & harder drug use in my 30's I never considered weed a drug & I DEF wouldnt have thought Id ever post about a one time-in-yrs use, but since

🤭 How is having nightmares about death (not while high on weed btw) hilarious?
I never said weed is evil & Id never judge anyone or tell anyone they shouldnt. My best friends smoke it & have licenses to grow. Its a personal choice, but for me all I was saying (btw as a former hard drug user & pothead up until God delivered me from that 2 yrs ago), that now that Im in a close relationship with God, I wondered if me getting 'weed head' for that day might be why that thing nudged my arm, & I considered it may open doors to the enemy. See he doesnt attack luke warm Christians or the dead (unsaved), he goes after ANY legal right to steal/kill/destroy a believers testimony & faith. So I guess in my case, I felt convicted.
But again, I wouldnt associate weed as evil its between an individual & God. I clearly dont have much tolerance for that or alcohol anymore.
Weed is most certainly a drug. After all, it does drug people. It must be banned everywhere from personal consumption, growing, and selling just like all other drugs.
 

Mii

Well-known member
Mar 23, 2019
2,082
1,330
113
#16
Lately as I seek God fervently, Ive been getting nightmares/strange phenomena & looking for insight.
I was awaken 2x 2 nites ago, to a firm 'nudge' on back of my elbow that moved my arm & startled me awake. I was freaked out & prayed but I ask God if it was him but I havent got an answer. However, ill add that I joined in with friends & ate weed brownies the night before. God wants us to be sober minded & Im an intercessor. Could this be Gods rebuke or call to repent? Is the enemy even able to physically touch us even if we open a door?
2 nites before that, I woke, in tears to the most horrific nightmare a parent can have. My daughter had been in a horrific car accident. A month ago? She, my daughter had a nightmare that I was 'gone'. I was likely raptured, as there was no death involved.
What does this mean?
Okie doke, I'll try and help you out a bit Lord willing.

I started having nightmares when I was was a toddler up until I was 6. I still remember the dreams and in fact I had recall of a dream that wasn't a nightmare and I finally (about 2 years ago) watched a video of me describing that "headspace".

I won't describe that particular dream, it's just that people question my memory at times and it's a tad annoying.
It wasn't a nightmare per se...but the context was rooted in I think a choice from a very young age between the enemy and the Lord.

So yeah, I had nightmares for a few years (drowning, dinosaurs, alligators, wolves, kidnapping) during that time period. That's five from memory.

One day my mother advised that we should pray about it and I was like "Is that all? Sure!" They stopped until I was 18.

I've had sleep paralysis nightmares that are exceptionally "painful". The way I jerk out of a dream feels like mini-seizures. Seizures are unpleasant.

Hypnic jerks for a while between 18-21 (they went away when I smoked, which felt like a godsend).

Hypnogogic/hypnopompic hallucinations but only one that I recall that was hypnopompic (that's waking up). It felt a bit "astrally" if you've ever experienced that sort of thing.

Going to sleep I enter a vivid imaginatory state (alpha) and then hypnogogic hallucinations can occur. These are typically quite unpleasant and include death (which is exceptionally unpleasant).

Having physical/spiritual altercations in a dream? Yes it has most certainly happened to me. I've closed many doors but it is possible that I have one cracked somewhere...OR warfare is real. I will say that praying in a dream and saying HIS name (thereby calling upon him for assistance) has pulled me out many times. I could probably count 100 if the Lord were willing. The content of these dreams is "weighty".


Substances ( legal/illegal (pharma/natural) ) can alter your defenses. They can be mind/spirit/body altering. That doesn't necessitate wickedness just that you NEED to be in the clear before the Lord. I understand experimentation and I think he has grace for that but some substances both prescribed (for the people on their high horses) and herbal can invite sleep paralysis.

Some of the most scary substances out there are paralysis brought on by pharmaceutical substances. Zolpidem can cause you to sleep drive, awake o sleepers.

When you get trapped "in between" a lot of stuff can happen. It's happened to me both on substances and prior to ANY use outside caffeine and sleeping pills. Tons of nights growing up with no alteration at all (besides coca cola) where these types of things have occurred.

The enemy will take your lunch if he can. If you used "too" much of something, expect to get cleaned out.

As an aside though, he has limits on what he can steal. He can't steal your soul...so there is that. Presumably any spiritual treasure you have stored in "trust" with the Lord (eternally speaking) he cannot steal either. That is in NO way a "green light" but it is a work of grace on the Lord's part and I myself am thankful for even knowing that...leastways having a direction for my trust and rest in him :)
 

Mii

Well-known member
Mar 23, 2019
2,082
1,330
113
#17
@PC123

Do you mind relating what substance it was that was causing those experiences?

Some pharmaceutical substances are proscribed in such a way that they need to be taken until permanent changes in brain chemistry occur. That's an unfeasible gamble on my end and I am surprised at the amount of people that aren't even aware of this. The people that are somehow willing to trust a doctor who saw you for five minutes with something as complex as a brain (not discounting one's spirit).

btw, I'm not 100% anti-pharma. I am against pharmakeia and pharma is usually closely aligned with that (but not always I don't think).

I don't care who you are and how much you've studied. If you are honest, you are willing to state that the human brain is an unknown. Any substance that has a side effect of seizures or sudden death is to be avoided like the pit.
 
Jun 22, 2020
1,231
741
113
Australia
#18
@PC123

Do you mind relating what substance it was that was causing those experiences?

Some pharmaceutical substances are proscribed in such a way that they need to be taken until permanent changes in brain chemistry occur. That's an unfeasible gamble on my end and I am surprised at the amount of people that aren't even aware of this. The people that are somehow willing to trust a doctor who saw you for five minutes with something as complex as a brain (not discounting one's spirit).

btw, I'm not 100% anti-pharma. I am against pharmakeia and pharma is usually closely aligned with that (but not always I don't think).

I don't care who you are and how much you've studied. If you are honest, you are willing to state that the human brain is an unknown. Any substance that has a side effect of seizures or sudden death is to be avoided like the pit.
Hi. I read your post above and became very interested as i haven't met anyone that has had sleep hallucinations. I want to ask a few questions but i will address yours first and a few things in this post.

Im a 42yo male from Australia. I think it helps communication but you don't have to
The drug she prescribed was Sertraline. Its an SSRI also marketed as Zoloft apparently

Some pharmaceutical substances are proscribed in such a way that they need to be taken until permanent changes in brain chemistry occur.
Are you serious... I didn't know that and it blows my mind... I know that they can often introduce different issues, make the same one worse, send a person insane, etc.

Im not sure they can measure your brain chemistry. Articles i read never show what the level of chemicals were. Like i just looked into Sertraline again but found nothing conclusive. I read this article on a study with monkeys. Its worth a read. All they can basically do is an MRI scan that shows which parts of the brain react. Im hesitant to credit them with much more than that...

I noted that they gave them to monkeys that were depressed which begs the question in my mind again; are mental illnesses known as depression and anxiety real or is it an emotion? Im still unsure

Your surprised that no one is aware of this, so was i. But did the doctor inform you of those possible sideffects and the changes to your brain chemistry? Mine didn't... Their very secretive and too willing to prescribe these drugs...

They simply ask a questionnaire and say lets try this. If it was up to them we would take drugs whenever we feel depressed or anxious... I don't agree with that approach. At least a psychologist tries to help a person without risky drugs.

The scientific field of psychology is in its infancy and not well understood. People tend to think that the doctor is infallible, i used to, my parents still do. Maybe only physiatrists should be prescribing these drugs...

Some people in science and medicine are becoming charlatans. They wear that white coat and appear to know everything. They cannot be questioned and scorn those that do, thats the biggest sign of pseudoscience in my opinion...

Ok my next post will address dreams and your previous post
 
Jun 22, 2020
1,231
741
113
Australia
#19
Hypnic jerks for a while between 18-21
Never heard of hypnic jerks. Its like exploding head syndrome (they named it not me lol) but without the sound. Then a person that gets rudely awakened by a perceived shove without any sound like the OP would fall into this category.
Part of me says we know nothing and that doctors are just bigpharma salesmen but on the other hand if you compare the knowledge to 100 years ago they have made decent advancements i would say

Hypnogogic/hypnopompic hallucinations but only one that I recall that was hypnopompic (that's waking up). It felt a bit "astrally" if you've ever experienced that sort of thing.
Ok i want to just confirm something so i know we are talking about the same phenomenon.
This is hallucination... An image of something that is not there while you are awake and conscious
Its positively not a dream... Most people dismiss my experience as a dream which is annoying so i don't tell my story much. So im kind of excited cos u will believe me i think...:)

So one time while waking up. Im not sure what u mean by astrally

Going to sleep I enter a vivid imaginatory state (alpha) and then hypnogogic hallucinations can occur. These are typically quite unpleasant and include death (which is exceptionally unpleasant).
A vivid imaginary state? And later you mention an in between... So are you saying there is a state of consciousness between sleep and awake??? Ive wondered if such a state existed but wasn't sure, ive never identified it. So we not be in the same conscious state here... What do u think?

Typically unpleasant and include death? Hallucination? Can u give me an example

I've had sleep paralysis nightmares that are exceptionally "painful". The way I jerk out of a dream feels like mini-seizures. Seizures are unpleasant.
Sleep paralysis nightmares??? Aren't they hallucinations??? I googled it and got this...
You wake up, but you can't move a muscle. Lying in bed, you're totally conscious, and you realize that strange things are happening
Is that what your saying? Cos a nightmare is nothing compare to a hallucination...

Ive read stories of being awake and paralyzed (which is already worse than any dream) while demons taunt them and the room is on fire. I can't help but ask for an example. Give me you most terrifying if u can... But no pressure... I don't want you to recall such events if it hurts, i know what thats like, i find it hard to talk or write about somethings as well... PTSD is real

Zolpidem can cause you to sleep drive, awake o sleepers
Sleep drive??? Is that like sleep walk??? Is it this in between state??? It must be hey...
I found myself in the toilet once... One must be able to see and react to be able to drive.
But don't recall... Its perplexing... Everything about dreams and sleep and the mind is perplexing


After i stopped taking sertraline i still had some mild hypnopompic hallucinations.
There would be an image of some thing in my room as it was fading away.
Like there was something right in my face as i woke up another time that gave me a fright, it was already transparent and was fading away.
It seems to me that part of a dream is being projected while your awake, maybe, i dunno. Science has another explanation which isn't convincing...

I started sleeping with a blindfold... LoL. Sounds silly right... But i was curious if i woke up with it would a hallucination still occur, it might help prevent them... I haven't had any bad experiences yet... Its an anecdotal home remedy but might be worth considering for u...

I should mention also that drugs have been a part of my life. In my 20s into my 30s i used a lot of drugs including psychedelics... We would take them intentionally to hallucinate, its a state of consciousness that we could never explain... This state of consciousness i feel maybe the one you are referring to... So i have those experiences to draw on as well which are in another category separate from dream and but close to sleep hallucination

Now its easy to just say "oh drugs" and start with a lecture then ignore this phenomenon but i dont accept that, its the easy way out... There is something about our consciousnesses and different states that we have very little knowledge about.

I could go on but i better leave it there... Ive give u a bit to unpack... I look forward to your response

God Bless and Godspeed
 

Mii

Well-known member
Mar 23, 2019
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I could go on but i better leave it there... Ive give u a bit to unpack... I look forward to your response

God Bless and Godspeed
Wow ok. That is a lot. I'll answer a couple of things for the benefit (potentially) of any other readers. Btw, I did respond in a message about the first questions about zoloft, so perhaps if anyone wants some advice I could probably PM you. Also, I think the OP is gone for a bit (or left) but I'm not going to keep bumping this thread so perhaps start a sleep thread in miscellaneous or the family forum. I'll contribute if I have more to relate...It seems this type of discussion would be better with voice chatting due to the bulky topic.



Alright. First off here is a link to the national sleep institute. You can look up stages of sleep and find the info if you prefer not to click links on the net.

h (I'm still working on my hyperlinks but it was too long) Scroll down to the graph on stages. You can find this under "stages of human sleep" probably by searching the site.

So I was mistaken (it's been a long time)...according to this site at least. I don't "fully" agree with any person about sleep usually and the phenomena that occur. Almost all of it is anecdotal and while you can measure brain waves, there is still a TON unknown.

What they are calling Theta (the first one) is what I meant by the inbetween state. Personally I think you start with alpha if you are "meditating" to sleep but I'll be honest, my mind is not apt to be "too" descriptive at present.

So you could probably look up "jerk awake from falling" or dying and get a description. Hypnic jerks are at the onset and based off what you described you didn't experience this.

Hypnic jerks are right at the beginning and it's like your body "jerks" you out of sleep. You've seen/experienced this when you nod off in a class or whatever and then "jerk" awake. Except with a hypnic jerk in bed it's different because you are actually trying to sleep and it still happens. Restless leg syndrome can make this err...terribly worse. I haven't really experienced full on RLS consistently although I have experienced what I think is a form of it, but it hasn't happened in ages. Basically hypnic jerks but only in your legs. They feel like mini seizures to me and it feels electrical in some fashion. You can look up both "hypnic jerk" and "RLS"

The body is trying to fall asleep but it's tired and it could be not actually wanting to sleep or stressing over falling asleep that your brain fights your brain. Or your will fights your brain...or (fill in the blank).

Ironically I said "falling" asleep...when I am "falling" at the onset of sleep I typically wake up. In my dusty past I seem to recall the feeling of those fake lighters where you press it and it zaps you. It's like I trip though. Like a harsh jerk/fall something. It's pretty terrible...this has passed into memory unless I'm incredibly uncomfortable "where" I'm sleeping or I'm dirty or SUPER tired.

That's phase 2 I suppose in the theta category. Hypnogogia is probably that because sometimes I am aware I am "falling asleep". It's difficult to explain but there is sometimes straight to inbetween (theta) and into the next.

Phase 1 at this point is taking care of mental business (praying, etc.) and then slowly drifting. Only with substances have I had prolonged drifting experiences but these were rare regardless. Usually there is a vivid imaginative state that occurs prior to "in between" sleep. So as an example I normally have to use my imagination with a book although there is a natural process also. When listening to an audiobook and going to sleep...I've had it get super vivid with less effort and drift off that way. I actually framed a dream that way once complete with music. It was pretty cool, but I have not been able to replicate it.

Sometimes there is just RANDOM imagery that goes through my mind drifting off to sleep. Sometimes I'll start being able to drive a car (knowing I'm about to fall asleep or be asleep by most definitions) If I stop this process or it destabilizes I wake back up. There have been times I've double checked and intentionally crashed a car to wake up because "screw that"...but there would be like a question...are you sure you are asleep? If I focus and really want to leave a dream then yes.

Sleeping is one of the few breaks I get (and it's not really a break, just a change up) so I get excited when I enter that state and simultaneously try to focus and not focus on it. If I use think on it too much I can sometimes awake due to excitement. I used to have this problem when I was younger and excited about a trip so much that I couldn't sleep the night before...so I would convince myself I wasn't going or purposefully pretend in order to sleep. My first mission trip was like this.

Now I just know I'm going to sleep eventually. It could be 24hrs but it'll arrive.

Alright so there's some personal info on stage 1 & 2 which are the first stages. Alpha (stage 1) is associated with meditation and very interestingly it is brought on when someone watches television. So you are essentially being "meditated" (negatively cast wording) and feeding on whatever filth is coming across your screen. Not everyone gets here but there are studies on this. That's part of the reason I don't watch anything anymore. Don't want to be trapped in sleep paralysis and get eaten by zombies? Don't watch zombie crap...

Do I think the dreams are of the Lord? Why would he be in favor of Zombies? I can't think of a reason. So it may be...a....deterrent to consume that garbage.

I've also had this alpha state work with video games or whatever I've consumed prior that is REALLY stuck in my mind. There are times I've avoided sleeping because I didn't want to fall asleep playing a game (in an inbetween dream) because it probably wasn't wise to play it in the first place and I did feel guilty about it.

Consider the alpha state a sort of lobby.

Sleep paralysis nightmares??? Aren't they hallucinations??? I googled it and got this...
You wake up, but you can't move a muscle. Lying in bed, you're totally conscious, and you realize that strange things are happening
Is that what your saying? Cos a nightmare is nothing compare to a hallucination...


Perhaps you could be more descriptive here. "Cos a nightmare is nothing compare to a hallucination" is somewhat vague to me. There are sleep paralysis nightmares and REM NREM nightmares. Certainly they are different. As I've already said I pray and exit the states although other times I have had to be very "forceful" in crying out.

I can jerk myself out of sleep paralysis. It's painful but I'm able to force myself awake from that particular place. A little deeper I have to die/be killed/or otherwise have the dream become unstable. I'm not trying to instruct here so I won't be too specific about stabilizing. I just sort of take it as it comes, I don't try to manipulate a dream or access the astral state. I'm NOT going to talk about that, but I do know something about it just from personal experience. Unless I legitimately have been open to the occult since I was a toddler there must be a Godly use for these states. He certainly "can" speak through dreams.

Besides, I gave my life to the Lord then. I won't share that part of my testimony right now, but it's been a long adventure. I'm the type of person that believes there is an appropriate use for powerful things. Creating a child is powerful, but it requires (according to scripture) a specific formula (marriage ideally). So while there are MANY/MOST times it is not done in accord with what is permissible, still there must exist a pathway to pursue righteousness and the Lord in states you have no control over.


If you want to know about sleep driving just look up "sleep drive ambien" or zolpidem if that doesn't work. Supposedly it only happens when you've taken over the recommended amount or mixed with alcohol or anything that alters sleep...however they did start out with higher doses and probably brought the standard dose down due to lawsuits, deaths, and felonies.

It's the same as sleep walking except somnambulance is nowhere near the level of sleep driving. It's crazy that this drug is on the market frankly. "OH but if you take it as prescribed!!! This won't happen..." Tell that to the people that are dead. It's a risk and not at all worth it. Last I checked (years ago), they didn't even know "really" what Zolpidem even does. They say they do but they can only theorize why the extremely serious stuff happens. Trust theoretical experimenters on your body (not theirs)...yeah pass.

I like the blindfold idea, I've done something similar at times but not something tied, just draped.


Oh I will say that if I sleep on my stomach when my arms go to sleep I can be paralyzed "in" a deeper dream. I can still move but my arms are gimp. I used to have dreams where I couldn't see and I attributed that to sleeping on my stomach (pressure of the pillows on my eyes)...There's more to it, but perhaps a PM.