Hmm. K.
Well, even before I believed in any of this crap, I had some massive parasomnias and sleep issues. I went the full medical route, presented like narcolepsy but diagnostically negative after two independent mslt's with overnight studies - went pulmonologist and neurologist route.
Findings were frustrating, and a wanna-be psychic's wet dream.
After 20 years of trying to explain it medically, I ended up proving to some of my most skeptical friends that what I see and experienced as parasomnias for some time turned out to be really happening. Not scientific evidence as the results can't be repeated, not coincidence as I photographed the site and listed specific details from the scene, just ordinary proof of the non-science variety.
Frustrated, I re-doubled my efforts to get a medical dx. Looked at everything I could. Finally even my doctors started making these suggestions..."Are you spiritual". I was so mad at them. "What the fuck is a spirit?" I would challenge them, and then socratically dismember their childish notions of flying ghost fields and all that rot. Looking back, I hope I'm less a fool.
I just wanted SOMETHING I could say to people to explain things like being in two places at once...trancing out in a meeting...my generally odd disposition. "Oh it's just narcolepsy" - how lovely...how unfortunate it wasn't true.
What I have come to suspect, but have not confirmed, is that parasomnias and unusual sleep mechanisms might have a lot to do with one's access to shamanic / trance like states. That's basically what the doctors ended up saying in my case - though they can't name the damage other than to suggest temporal lobe involvement, of some kind, unknown. After the MRI/wC one doctor said my brain was so healthy, that this could be a contributing factor to my unusual experiences. He would not elaborate.
Eventually I was fortunate enough to discover somebody who could ask me some questions and give me some sound advice to managing these. I'm curious to learn if sharing this will be beneficial for others. I would very much have liked to have gotten this advice sooner, had I only been smart enough to listen then.
What I have come to find interesting then is how parasomnias and 'sensitive' / 'paranormal' experiences relate and whether there is a mechanic of magic at work in the sleep mechanisms of people who vividly experience such things, or whether there even may be an underlying but undescribed medical syndrome to western medicine - or complete solutions in other traditions yet unlearned by this most ignorant student.
In this specific example, this case debbalynn mentioned waking at 3:00 am to a popping sound. I am very familiar with this. It has taken a million forms in my nights: a gun shot in the room, an explosion in my midbrain, fizz-pops, the door slamming and waking me up (but then it's open), a big drum hit, a grenade, the universe itself exploding into my ears, often resolving to incredible music. I am familiar with several schools of thought describing this experience, but in western medical terms (which I assume you prefer in this specific discussion) it is hilariously described as "exploding head syndrome". It is generally viewed as a symptom of sleep deprivation, when provided singly as a symptom. This commonly results from damaged sleep mechanisms which in turn are caused by anything from sleep apnea oo abused circadian cycles, on down to more serious neurological considerations. A number of things can alleviate this, depending on the cause. However I have found that in my case there is no western medical solution available at this time as I don't conform to typical pathology in a few ways (another discussion).
Usually there are temporal lobe related neurological after-effects that I have observed in my case. If I wake to a head-pop or explosion from the brain and try to go to the bathroom, I may experience the following: Poor balance, speech difficulty, losing / missing time, sudden out of body experiences, massive second-sight issues, visual hallucinations or altered visual perception (they technically say I'm not hallucinating, but in a cognitive delta state due to a biological mechanism known as sleep inertia) - the things I see in this state sometimes have real-world effects, but not always. Some is nonsense, some aint. I'm working on discernment a lot.
For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_head_syndrome
Oh yeah...the fear. I used to have the fear. Aikido has helped that a lot.
Looks like they have listed this as more common with the new DSM. I'm still working from a 90's version. (shrug) I do what I can.
I would evaluate this person's sleep health further though since they are reporting consistent parasomnias. Sleep disturbances are so common with this thing of mine...I find the subject quite interesting indeed.
Originally Posted by Hamoth
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