#I’m aware of the brain mechanics behind sleep paralysis | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

gretavanlace · 3 years ago

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Incubi (Part 1)

GVF x reader

18+ only! Minors do not interact!

Warnings: graphic sexual content, dark content, oral sex, angst, alcohol abuse, death, etc

"We've spent nearly the entire session discussing how things are going at work." Dr. Edwards– or, Laura, as she insists on being addressed– looks at the delicate gold watch that adorns her wrist. "And we're nearly out of time. I get the impression you're avoiding something?"

Well, that's what I get for seeing the same damn therapist for nearly 4 years...she knows me far too well. Frankly, it's obnoxious.

"Not really." I shrug. "Nothing new."

It isn't a lie. There really is nothing new. It's the same song, same dance. Hey, at least I’m consistent.

"How are things progressing with..." she pauses to flip through her notes.

“James?" I flick my hand dismissively. "That's over with."

She raises an eyebrow. "By your choice or his?"

"It was sort of mutual." There, now I’m lying. It most definitely wasn’t mutual. The poor guy had looked devastated when I’d delivered the news. “I don't know, he was boring, I guess."

Her eyes remain passively trained on my face, waiting me out.

"I just..." I trail off, gazing over her shoulder. Staring at the splashes of cerulean and emerald that decorate the canvas hanging behind her desk, I feel small- disappointing to the universe. It's an abstract piece of art, created by her sister's hand. I know this because I’ve asked about it. It's lovely, but I hate it. Something about it's beauty makes me feel unworthy and loathsome. Nothing that beautiful could ever come from me. Self-pity isn’t a good look, but I cling to it like a bad haircut one has grown used to.

Laura has mercy and doesn't make me say it. "Is it the dream again?"

"I know it's ridiculous, okay?" I’m too defensive, too intense, even I can see that, but I can't seem to stop myself. "I'll figure it out. Eventually. On my own."

"I have no doubt that you will." She offers a sincere smile that makes me feel like an asshole. "I've been thinking a lot about it, actually. I believe you're suffering from what is known as Sleep Paralysis."

I cock an eyebrow and wait for her to continue with her campaign to waste my time.

"It's extremely common, and incredibly realistic. The reason being, is that you are essentially trapped between a state of sleep and wakefulness. Your brain shuts down your ability to move...sort of like a safety mechanism so that you don't physically act out your dreams and harm yourself."

She pauses to give me a moment to process the information and ask any questions I may have, then continues on when I remain silently stoic.

"Where the problem lies is, in essence, a matter of crossed wires. Your brain wakes and becomes aware, albeit muddled, but the paralysis switch fails to trip. Now, in your case, my theory is, here is where the hypnagogic hallucinations step in.

Again, they're extremely common and a frequent partner to sleep paralysis. These hallucinations are frighteningly realistic, and made all the more terrifying due to one’s inability to move or call out for help."

"But my visitors aren't frightening." I remind her. "Unsettling at times, absolutely, but I never feel imminent danger. Quite the opposite really.” I feel heat in my miserable cheeks, as though they’ve been pinched by an invisible hand.

My visitors, as Laura has dubbed them, began infiltrating my life right around the time I packed my meager possessions into boxes that were then loaded into the back of my rusted out honda.

My mother stared out the smudged front window at me, glaring with an expression of disdain, while father dearest drank himself to sleep at the kitchen table. Not long after that day, my father drank himself to sleep permanently.

The afternoon of dad’s funeral, my mom had staggered her way over to me, purse loaded with pills and rattling like a sinister maraca. "Good of you to show up." her slurred words floated into my face, reeking of stale coffee and poor decisions. "But he didn't have shit to leave us, so if you're looking for money, look somewhere else."

What I had wanted to do was laugh in her face. My father hadn't held a steady job since I was still in diapers, and even then, most all the money was quickly sunk right back into their respective vices.

By the time I was five, I knew how to throw blankets over the pup tent in my room to stay warm when the heat was cut off. By seven, I was adept at walking through the house each night to ensure the doors were locked and their cigarettes were extinguished before bed.

What had given this woman, swaying so smugly before me, the impression that I was delusional enough to think there was any money to be had? It would have been downright laughable if it hadn't been so fucking sad.

Yes, what I’d wanted to do was laugh in her face. What I had actually had done was offer a brief hug and a quiet. "Love you, mom."

Then, I promptly spun on my second hand heel and made my way out of the funeral home, and out of my old excuse for a life.

That night, as I slumbered on the mattress in the bedroom of my sparsely furnished studio apartment, the 'visitors' had come to me for the first time.

I snap out of my thoughts and Laura is still chirping along about sleep paralysis and how sleep position can play a role in it's frequency and severity. "It seems to happen more often when patients sleep on their backs, though little is known about why that might be. Let's try sleeping on your stomach tonight." she poses, as if we’re a team. "See if that makes a difference."

I agree to try, and think more about them on my way home. I also think about them as I move through my apartment, flicking on lights and watering plants. I ponder them while I slurp a sorry dinner of ramen down...and I think further still when I climb into bed and sprinkle flakes of food into my angel fish's tiny underwater world that rests on my nightstand.

"I just want to feel normal, Lennon." I sigh, watching him peck his dinner from the surface of the water. It has always struck me as slightly cannibalistic, the way fish flakes reek of fish. “Dreams, nightmares, sleep paralysis whatevers, I don't know." I switch the light off and turn over onto my stomach, willing to give Laura's suggestion a shot. "Whatever they are, I just want them to go away.”

The dream begins differently tonight, as it always does. My phantom visitors, (ie: my imagination) like to keep things interesting.

Tonight, a warm weight slips over me like a plush blanket fresh from the dryer. My body seems to soak in the heat, drawing it in deep into my bones until it simmers the marrow. Breathing deeply, I sink into the warmth, allowing it to spread like red wine until my limbs feel weighted. I indulge in the heightened temperature and bask in the strange fever that wreaks havoc inside me.

A silken curtain of hair falls over my bare shoulders, becoming a veil of the most dizzying scent. No, that isn't right. Scents. There are so many layered and draped over one another. Aromas that I cannot identify, but are as familiar as my own reflection in the mirror.

I feel anxious, bordering on frightened. Yet, calm and content, all at once. Tears threaten to breach the rims of my eyes, while a delighted smile tugs at the corners of my lips.

The voice, when it comes, is a low rasping hum in my ear. It floats through my senses oddly, occupying each of them. It is technicolor lights chasing each other before my eyes. Casting vivid trails like rainbow comets dazzlingly behind in my peripheral vision.

I can smell the voice, it reminds me of a warm apple plucked right from a tree in the sun, and it tastes like a spice I can't describe, but I want to savor it on my tongue for as long as it takes to identify it. Something about that spice reminds me of my grandmother, and how safe she always made me feel.

The voice, It feels like something tangible, and I’m certain I could cup it in my hands and secret it away somewhere sacred if only I could move.

"Do you really want us to leave you?' It asks. "To abandon our most beloved?"

Warm breath floods the tiny secluded world that his silken shade of hair has created and it is the sweetest perfume I have ever known. It makes my head swim with drunken bliss.

"Why should we go?" the voice urges. "For what reason would we desert our golden sun of light and everything beautiful?"

Lips move like the wings of butterflies against the curve of my neck, lighting my body aflame with the immeasurable pleasure only they have ever bestowed upon me. I writhe inwardly, but remain still beneath his weight as he poses questions I am unable to answer.

My lips part to speak, though what I plan to say is a mystery even to myself, but it doesn't matter much, as I find I’m unable to utter a sound.

Unable, that is, until a ghostly hand wraps it's way loosely around my throat. A slight twitch of a squeeze seems to milk the words from a hidden room down deep inside me.

"I don't know what you are." My confession is whispered, yet rushed, as I am afraid I’ll lose my nerve. This moment feels suspended in time, and bizarrely pivotal.

“I don't know what you are, but I know you aren't real, and you ruin me for everyone else. I'm scared I'll die alone because no one could ever be you. You aren't real." Do I reiterate that last bit to make myself clear to him or to convince myself?

"Ah, but we are real, Pet." Vibrating strums of pleasure begin to pluck at my nervous system.

The pulses wax and wane, warboling through me like a dark and mournful guitar.

“Is what you feel right now not real?"

It is impossible to formulate an eloquent response when all I can think is this: "I want to touch you."

The heaviness that bogs my muscles down lightens the moment I utter the request, and I reach back, blindly grasping in search of him. My fingers are graced with a suckling kiss that lights a wild, undulating flame in my belly.

It lasts for only a moment before an unseen hand presses my own back down into my pillow.

"When your skin flickers with raging, unbridled bliss simply because our eyes rest upon you, that isn't real? When we touch you and make you cry out to gods you have never seen, is that not the closest you have ever been to understanding your place in the universe? You are here for us, and we in turn, are here for you. And that, my love, is real. That is the only thing that is real."

"Please," my plea quivers into the dark. "Let me look at you."

Something is different this time, there is a closeness that is foreign and new, though it has nothing to do with proximity. It seems almost like he is finally ready to really be seen, and that I am finally ready to really see.

Without the normal physical trajectory, I am suddenly on my back, staring with wide, astonished eyes at the most hauntingly angelic face you I ever seen. To look upon him this closely is new, and I am stunned into silence. In my wildest dreams I could never have imagined the world was capable of holding the beauty that is before me. In an instant, I am convinced that the creation that hovers above me was carved from an ancient and blessed piece of marble by the hand of God himself.

He is the only art that has ever been. He is the creation that hearts yearning for the meaning of it all have been seeking. He is love. He is hate. He is the quiet, and the sound. He is the love that seizes a child's heart when their mother sings them to sleep, and the sighs that fill rooms when lovers make love. He is the dark and the light. The calm and the chaos. He is everything.

The tips of my fingers reach up to ghost over his beautiful, blush pink lips, but quickly retreat, fearing I’ll mar his perfection with my ordinariness.

His skin is luminous, pearlescent and alive. Eyes the color of rich amber honey flecked with glittering topaz mingling with flashes of predatory garnet when the moonlight catches just right. His stare steals the oxygen from my lungs slowly, drawing the life force from me bit by bit. Incidentally, I am fine with that. Fine to die right here and now, quivering and breathless beneath this otherworldly angel. In this moment, he is greater than God and I am prepared to relinquish my soul without question or hesitation.

"Take the heart from my chest, my soul from wherever it might reside, take everything, it is all for you." I part my lips and draw the breath to speak the words into existence, but all I am able to communicate is: "Anything."

It's one word, but when he nods his understanding, I know without doubt that he has heard everything I wanted to say. My soul has known him for a very long time, of that I am sure.

"I am your favorite right now, pet, but only because you are cradled in my arms. How I wish it were always so."

His revelation reminds me of the other shadows. One, tall and lanky, with a strange gait and a thick mane of shining waves. He makes my feel younger than my years and his touch elicits a deep humming vibration through me, way down deep in my spine– much like a bassline being plucked out.

There's another, who could easily be the being poised over me now if not for the hair and difference in aural tone. He feels lighter, impish somehow. When he visits, laughs bubble forth from my chest as easily as the moans do. The sounds he coaxes from me are ethereal, glitteringly mystic.

He transforms me into something gorgeously angelic, drawing forth cries of rapture that drip with a beautiful vibrato I normally don't possess.

Lastly, there is the darkest horse. He is different, cut from an entirely separate cloth, it seems, yet the same. somehow, I have always understood that while he may have had his beginnings somewhere apart from the others, he has been with them so long that it no longer matters.

He is resigned, and visits me less often, but the impact he bestows upon me is nothing short of enigmatic and powerful. He sinks into my body and pounds into my consciousness heavily, like a drum. His life force bangs in time with my thready pulse and hummingbird heart.

I startle out of your thoughts and watch as darkness casts his features in jealous shadows. "Now I've made you think of them." he laments.

The pitch in his tone all but blots out the entire world save for him, but he doesn't seem to know.

"I'll just have to make sure you think only of me tonight, Pet." his fingertips brush lightly over my jaw until my chin rests in his grip. "Close your eyes."

I do as he asks and find myself staring up at a cloudless sky, surrounded by the perfume of a thousand white roses. I can't see them, but I instinctively know that they’re there, and that they are a gift for me, from him.

He finds me there, in my imaginary snowglobe of a world, and with a quiet call of my name he is inside me. Inside me, everywhere. He occupies every cell, every molecule, every atom...he climbs inside my soul and makes himself comfortable. How I wish he would stay forever.

"Our sun," he whispers, grounding my attention into the here and now with his prose. "We could never leave you. We've grown much too fond of you. It should never have been this, but we cast the rules aside for you. We would cast everything aside for you."

He produces a single, beautifully bloomed ivory rose, drawing it from the waistband of the black leather pants that rest low on his hips.

“For you, our most treasured. Keeper of us all." he whispers, regarding me quietly for a beat before dragging the petals slowly along my collarbone and then further down my body, creating a soft, serpentine path.

The trail it blazes burns with a blue flame of fierce pleasure, immersing me in unimaginable euphoria. A shaking moan bursts forth from my gasping chest, and then there are his esoteric eyes flashing into mine, professing his undying devotion with merely a gaze.

“You are our goddess," he remains still as a statue as he ravages my body below him. "Our Aphrodite. You are our beautiful mortal, and we are caught in your tenuous web. Don’t wish us gone.”

His fingers dip down and slip between my legs, tracing through my slick folds before sinking into me. With his touch, euphoric rapture clouds my vision and blurs my thoughts.

I feel as if I am one of his transcendental roses, blooming from the inside out. If he produced a dagger and pierced the flesh over my heart, I am certain that silky white petals would float up out of the wound.

With a soft exhale— just a light puff of sweet breath in my face, he makes me cum. The orgasm builds me up beautifully and then deconstructs the fiber of my very soul with stunning precision. I explode into light, into

love, into creation...I find myself in the Before for a moment, the place where we all begin and end. He takes me there, he gives me everything, and then waits patiently for my return.

My eyes find his slowly as I twist and tremble and cry out to him, unsure of what to do with the static pleasure drowning out my lucidity.

"We are real." his voice rides in on a wind of magnolia scented air that clouds my head further and pushes you towards sleep. Deep sleep. I give in to the warm sand that I feel blissfully buried under and my eyes flutter closed. His heartbreaking beautiful face is the last thing I see, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

When my eyes blink open, the room is bathed in what looks very much like afternoon light.

Jesus, how long have I been sleeping?

Last night's dream was the realest it has ever felt, I can almost smell him lingering on my skin.

"So much for Dr. Laura's sleeping on my back idea." I laugh, dragging my finger over Lennon's tank, careful not to tap on it, promising, "Breakfast after my shower."

I roll over, ready to climb out of bed and stumble into the bathroom, only to find a single alabaster rose nestled on the pillow beside me.

***

I stare at the withered rose that, despite being very dead and wilted, holds court in it's mausoleum of a bud vase on my nightstand.

Stupidly, I thought it might live forever, that my phantom lover might've somehow made it immortal just for me. But, watching it fade slowly into a shell of it's former lustrous beauty seems more than fitting, as my heart is caving in on itself and shutting down just the same.

It's been weeks since he, or any of them, have visited me in my sleep. Since they began coming to me it's never been longer than a few days between, and I am beginning to lose all hope.

I miss them terribly, and feel despairingly alone, but rather than distract myself, I welcome the heartache. If I let the sorrow go, it would feel too much like letting them go.

So, instead, I surround myself in hope, only to be disappointed over and over. Each night, I spend lengthy periods of time in the shower, shaving and exfoliating, buffing my skin until it shines pink and inviting. I wash my hair carefully and let the conditioner soak while dragging a puff bubbling with pomegranate scented body wash over my body. My after shower routine is just as intricate. It's all a fruitless effort to lure them home me.

Everything is for them. Are you still here? Do you still want me? Are you ever coming back?

Tonight is no different than any other night has been for what is quickly beginning to feel like an eternity. I’m curled up in a ball under the covers, listening to vicious sheets of rain pound against my bedroom window relentlessly.

An occasional flicker of lightning bathes the room in a white, flashing light that illuminates the tears on my cheeks. Reality is blotted out by the storm, and I feel weightless and snug in my isolated pit of agony. If I can't have them, I want to stay here forever with my aching soul and piercing pain.

Somehow, sleep muddles through my misery and takes me by the hand, lulling me into the dreamless dark.

When I hear them, they sound very far away.

Calling my name as if from across a vast field of blurry space, guiding me into wakefulness bit by bit, as one would wake a small, easily disoriented, child.

"I've missed her." one ethereal voice laments to the other. "We've been away too long."

The other hums in agreement. "It was necessary. She needed to decide if she really wanted us to go."

"You know she didn't mean that."

"Yes. But she didn't."

I fight to wake fully, it feels as though I’m swimming against a current of thick, sludgy water, and I’m so, so tired, it would be as easy as breathing to fall back into unconsciousness, but they are worth every effort...I won't let them go without saying the things I need to say.

When my eyes open at last, I scan the darkened room rapidly, hungry for a glimpse of them. They are there, shadowy figures lingering ominously in the corners of my room, but there are only two.

The two that have chosen to return to me step forward in perfect sync and allow me the time I need to take everything in. I find that, once again, I’m crying. Only this time, my tears are of relief.

"I didn't think you were coming back," I sob quietly, bunching the blanket up in my fists. I feel like I could dissolve at any moment, and I need something tangible to hold on to. "I just...I needed you to come back and I didn't think you would."

"We missed you more, pet." My rose bearing god moves closer first. He strokes a gentle hand through my hair when he is near enough to reach out. "Don't cry, we're here with you now."

"I like your tears." the other smiles, now close enough to cup my chin, he leans in and sweeps his tongue over my cheeks, gathering the salt water tracks into his mouth. "But they taste better when they are expressions of pleasure."

I’ve never been given the chance to look upon this one so closely, and I cant help but study him with fascination, trying to commit every inch of his breathtaking features to memory.

He is exquisite, and so much like the other –I knew that already, I figured it out long ago, they are like different sides of the same beautiful, otherworldly coin– but up close like this, it's shocking...they could be twins, if such a thing even exists in whatever realm they are born of.

"Where are they?" I question softly of the missing two.

"They'll be along, pet." Light kisses are blessed against my temple. "Maybe tonight, maybe another night. You must have patience, immediate gratification is overrated. Remember?"

He places his palm over my forehead and draws forth a crystal clear memory; I am lying on this very bed pleading and writhing as he brought me to the brink of orgasm and then back down again, again, and again, until I was distraught with need and frustration.

"She remembers." the other dips his hand beneath my blanket and circles his thumb over my nipple. It jumps to attention and instantly hardens, his touch flipping a switch of unbridled erotisism.

"Please..." I trail off, unsure of what to call either of them. This has strangely never dawned on me before, perhaps because they have never allowed me to scrutinize them as closely as they are now.

They hear my query, though I haven't spoken it aloud.

"Our names are of a dead language. Your tongue, as beautiful and talented as it is, cannot form the sounds required for pronunciation, so we have chosen new names designed just for our beautiful pet." the spector shakes his glossy hair, tossing it over his bare shoulder.

“You may call me Jake. And this," he gestures to his companion, "Is Josh."

The names they have chosen come with an air of comfort, they make me feel safe somehow, though I can't be sure why.

"Think, lumen." Josh urges softly.

A look of confusion must cross my features because Jake clarifies "Lumen, bright, light, star. He is sentimental, and you are his lumen, his light."

"That you are," Josh concurs. "Now, think."

My mind wanders back deeper into the garden of my memories than it has ever before, and I suspect them of having a hand in it.

Suddenly, I find myself on a noisy, rambling school bus. I am carsick, and sad. It’s my first day at a new school, my parents fought the night through and no one thought to make me breakfast or wish me a good day. Looking on now as an outsider, I look so very small and alone. Until, the bus putters to a stop to allow a small boy to clamor aboard. He is slight and scrawny, lumbering along with a too large backpack strapped to his shoulders. Without asking permission, he plops himself down into the seat beside me. He has the prettiest skin I’ve seen in my six short years, it reminds me of the bitter coffee my Grammy used to stir copious amounts of milk into and sip all day until she went to heaven. 'Want a skittle?" he nudges me, asking like he's sharing a secret. 'Don't tell. We aren't allowed.' I watch as a tiny me plucks two reds out of his extended palm. 'Red's my favorite too.' he tells me, but then lets me have every single one as the two of us work our way through the bag. 'I'm Josh.' he smiles, and suddenly I don't feel so alone, I have a friend, and on that chaotic bus, we share a quiet moment, and I feel safe.

Emerging from the fog of memory, I squint hard at the one who calls himself Josh, searching his stunning features. "That was you? Have you been with me all along?"

"No," he caresses my neck. "I searched through your memories for someone who cared for you and made you feel safe. I borrowed his name, I hope you don't mind."

“I don't mind." I smile, turning my attention to Jake.

"Inquisitive isn't she?" he sighs with resignation and takes my hand in his own. He waits a beat, and then allows me to see.

The music is entirely too loud, and the floor is tipping this way and that below my feet. I’ve had too much to drink and everything around me is unfamiliar. The house, the people, the names being called back and forth. I’ve lived in this town for less than a month and I shouldn't have come. The girl from Trig who invited me along disappeared with her boyfriend ages ago. Stumbling through the kitchen, I find a sliding glass door on the far wall and slip through it. Stepping into the cool of the night onto a quiet deck, I instantly feel better ten fold. If I can just ride out the rest of the night here in the silence by myself, I’ll be alright. An unwelcome voice emerges from a shadowy corner 'Got a cigarette?' I shake my head. 'Uh, no, I don't smoke. It's terrible for you.' The voice, now connected to a kid I recognize from school, sighs. 'Oh well.' He shrugs and tugs open the sliding door, vanishing back inside. Later that night as sirens wail on the front lawn of the house and lights flash blue and red, announcing very big trouble for every underaged soul within the walls of the house, I feel a hand dart out and close around my wrist. 'Come on, Surgeon General.' The boy from outside tugs me along, leading me down a set of basement stairs and then out a dimly lit door. 'Head around back,' he points over my shoulder. 'I'm parked down the street, just follow me.' For some reason, for once, I do as I’m told, and before I know it, I’m tucked into his car, making my way safely out of the path of raiding law enforcement. 'Wanna get high?' he asks, reaching forward to pluck open the glovebox. He retrieves a blown glass bowl and a mostly empty baggy of weed, and before I can talk myself out of it, I’m sitting on the hood of his car pulled off to the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. I learned his name that night, Jake...and we smoked and stared up at the stars as if the sky was a painting we had created together, talking about absolutely nothing until the sun was beginning to curl her fingers over the horizon. Nothing else happened, I let him take me home and drop me off with a grin, and then I never really spoke to him again. It was just one of those things, and we took it for what it was and then left it...but that night, he had made me feel special enough to protect.

"And you borrowed from him?” I ask, shaking off the recollection. "Do you have access to all of my memories?"

Both of their fingers are now playing idly with my hair. "You guard some more closely than others." Josh whispers.

“You aren't ready for anyone to see those, even us." Jake finishes.

Their touch brings my body to life like a live wire, and the simplest stroke of their palms along my freshly washed, silken hair makes my back bow away from the bed and a long moan of ecstasy drips from my lips.

The entire room smells of them, warm and ancient, like flowers dotting a grecian sea a millenia's worth of years ago. I feel complete, and whole. At home in a way I never have before in my life. They are my home. They are my true north, and I want them forever. I’d sleep for a thousand years if it meant I could stay here with them, and the others.

The thought reminds me. "Are they coming back? And what do I call them when they do?"

Josh answers, talking over his darker counterpart. "They'll be back, and they'll tell you their names, and likely why they've chosen them, if you're inclined to know."

With a deep breath, I offer a meek "I think I know what you are." Feeling timid, now that I’ve uttered the words out loud. If I’m wrong- and I probably am- I’ll sound like I’m reading lines from poorly scripted horror film, at best. At worst, I’ll sound insane. And maybe I am. Insane, that is.

"Do you?" Jake lends a warmth to his tone that makes my stomach flutter.

"Tell us then, lumen." Josh parts my knees and settles himself between them. He nudges my jaw with his nose and speaks soft, tingling words directly against the shell of my ear. "What are we?"

Instinctively, I can tell he is intentionally trying to cloud my thoughts. They reside in the shadows, and that seems to be where Josh, at least, would like to stay.

Forcing myself to stay clear headed is no small feat, but I manage to hang on, even as slow kisses light over my flesh like pleasant flames licking at my body.

"I've researched." I suck a breath in sharply when his teeth sink lightly into my shoulder. He hums in response, sucking gently until I shudder and press myself tighter against him.

"So easily distracted." he teases in a hum, but my eyes are now trained on Jake, he is regarding me carefully, like he isn't underestimating me the way Josh seems to be.

My thoughts scatter when Josh snakes a hand between my legs, but Jake steps forward and places a hand on his brother's –as I have come to think of them– back. "Let her think." he instructs kindly. "I've grown so fond of the way her mind works."

His attention turns to me, pulling a soft moan from my lips just by training his eyes on my face.

“Tell us, pet. What have you learned?"

I have to claw my way out of the fog Josh has flooded my brain with, but somehow, I fight through.

“There were so many possibilities, but none of them were right, until one was. I knew it right away, I knew it in my bones, in my soul."

They wait in silent patience and the only thing left to do is say the word, so I do.

"Incubus." the title comes out hushed. "I know that's what you are— incubi."

"Clever girl." Jake breathes, sounding astounded and proud...also, a little pensive, as though he is treading lightly with me.

"You're not afraid, lumen?" Josh asks teasingly, clearly he already knows the answer to his question.

"I was only afraid you wouldn't come back."

Now Jake is leaning in, curtaining your face with his glossy , perfumed hair. "Do you not understand the concept of self preservation, pet?" he purrs into my ear soft as baby’s breath.

"I've thought about that, too." My confession rides out on a whimper as Josh kisses his way down my chest. "You're supposed to drain my life force every time you come to me, but I always feel more alive afterward. I feel younger, healthier, happier. Why is that? Aren't you taking what you need from me?"

"She worries for us." Josh murmurs against my sternum before lapping his tongue over the swell of my breast.

Jake chooses to ignore that comment and lifts my face to his. "You confound me, little lamb. So beautiful to look upon, but your mind? Your mind is the true beauty. I want to crawl inside your head and wander through the library of your thoughts."

Once again, he lays his palm over my forehead. "Show me a memory, pet. One of those you keep locked so tightly away."

Before I have a chance to ask how I’ll discern which they have already seen, he answers my unsung question. "You'll know."

Can he read my thoughts? Or does he simply know me well enough to understand what I’m thinking?

I flutter through the files of my memories and settle on one that makes the heart in my chest burn. Visiting it for even a second is horrific, but I want so badly to hold it out in my hands for them— it is an offering, a sacrifice.

I would relive it every day for them should they ask me to.

Jake looks down at me with unimaginable pain evident in his eyes, but when his hand lifts away from my head, I can't seem to remember why he might have cause to look so sad.

"It's gone now." he ghosts his fingertips over my temple, soft as a breeze.

I realize that he's a little less radiant. He looks tired now, faint smudges suddenly visible below his eyes.

"Jake." Josh speaks with concern. "You absorb too much. Be careful."

"I like it." Jake argues, bending to press his mouth to mine. "It's like having her alive inside of me."

I make a tiny sound of confusion and Josh responds by sliding back up to nuzzle my ear.

"We struck a deal for you, lumen." he whispers, stroking his thumb over my cheek. His voice is so soft and soothing. It lulls me effortlessly.

"For me?" I can't imagine meaning enough to these ethereal wonders that they might bargain anything on my behalf.

"For you." he confirms, fluttering his lashes prettily when I reach up to caress his face.

"With who?"

"Don't." Jake orders Josh in a low, menacing tone before he has a chance to answer my question.

A silent exchange passes between them, and then Jake is moving forward. There will be no further questions answered tonight.

Josh sidles over, making room for his other half, and dips his head down to take the peak of my breast into his mouth. He suckles slowly while Jake's lips fit themselves over mine. He licks against my tongue, allowing me to really taste him for the first time in weeks– and I want more.

"I want you in my mouth." I purr desperately.

He makes a positively filthy sound in reply.

"Which part of me would you like to have in your pretty mouth, pet?" he presses two fingers into the cradle of my tongue for good measure and I suck them like a cock-hungry whore.

His skin is inhumanly warm and he tastes of a thousand lazy summer afternoons.

"Your cock." I clarify, though of course he already knew.

"I love when you talk that way." Josh whispers through the gentle trails his tongue is blazing along my waist.

Dark entity from another realm or not, it seems shockingly mortal when Jake unzips his black leather pants and withdraws his breathtaking, and already hard, cock. He presents it to me like a gift, and I am elated to receive it.

"Slowly." he whispers, lovingly drawing me near. "I want to savor you."

My tongue spirals and flickers over the head– it's so swollen and plush against my lips that I wish he would keep it there forever. I toy with him gently, sucking and stroking delicately until his breath is quaking through every exhale.

Josh has abandoned his efforts to tend to my body in preference of watching the show, but he utters soft words of praise now and then so I’ll know that he's still present in the moment with me.

For his part, Jake keeps his eyes locked on mine as I gaze up at him through the thick fan of my lashes. He's quiet, save for his subdued moans of pleasure...until he isn't —

"What a vision you are, pet." he soothes, trailing his thumb along my jaw. "An angel sucking the wicked cock of a monster."

My circulatory system hums to life further at his praise. I want to tell him how wrong he is, that he isn't a monster. He is a god and I would gladly sacrifice my life for his. That I would throw myself upon a sword without hesitation if it meant that he might smile from the entertainment of it all.

Yes, I want to say those things to him, but that would require relinquishing his cock, and I’d rather not do that. Not now, not ever. To that end, I remain silent with his length locked in my mouth and buried down my throat.

Instead, I try to convey my opposition to his statement by adoring him with my stare.

In the end, I’m forced to stop anyway when he tips my chin up until length his slips from my lips. A frown furrows my brow at the loss, but Josh walks his fingers up my sides and puts a stop to it.

"None of that, lumen." He pulls a genuine laugh from somewhere deep inside me — simply brings it forth out of thin air. It flutters up out of my chest as they look on adoringly.

"Do it again." Jake whispers to Josh when my laughter subsides, and just like that, a second giggle floats into the room.

"That's better." Josh nods, smiling at my blushed cheeks.

They give me a moment to catch my breath, and then begin a leisurely path down my impatiently waiting form.

In retrospect later, I will see that their intentions should have been obvious, but in the thick of it, I don't see it coming. Because of that, I am massively unprepared when they settle side by side between my legs and lower their mouths to my center simultaneously.

Their tongues flicker on either side of my clit and with a guttural groan that I would never admit to, my back arches off the mattress and my hands sink into their hair, holding on for dear life.

Raising my hips to meet their obscene ministrations, I earn a rumbling growl and a rasping groan, respectively.

My mind wanders, imagining the picture we would paint if someone else happened to stumble into the room. Me, splayed out on the bed, panting and writhing, legs spread to accommodate both of them as they fight for purchase, burying their faces in my overheated, aching cunt. The thought of it alone is enough to wildly unravel me.

"Yes, yes, yes—-" the word spills from my lips steadily. But, again, I’ll remember that later. For now, I’m hardly aware that I’m even speaking, let alone practically chanting a mantra of ecstasy into the darkness of my room.

"Let go, Lumen." Josh urges, curling his fingers inside me as Jake sucks my clit into his hot, wet mouth. "We need it, come on."

Jake nods and pats my thigh in silent encouragement."

"Here she goes." Josh sounds positively beside himself with anticipation. "Can you feel that?"

Jake nods once more and I get the impression that what they are feeling isn't something physical that my body is doing, but something that is taking place within themselves. I’d like to think that over a little more, but it will have to wait.

"I'm gonna cum." I manage to choke out, though they're clearly already aware. "Fuck, please."

With a surprisingly whiny, coaxing whimper from Jake and a gently issued, "Give it up for us, angel." from Josh, I am sinking into a pit of satin, orgasming with a strange and beautiful slowness. The languid pace allows me to really feel it all. The pulsing clench of it keeps perfect time with my flickering heart. Wracking me with a sensual, careful, violent, euphoria.

It fades slowly, like the tide pulling away from the shore and then they are curling themselves up around me, whispering softly and stroking my skin carefully as they ease me back to the here and now.

"You did so well for us, pet." Jake breathes into the crook of my neck, a tingle travels down my spine, causing a little shiver to shake my shoulders.

"So well." Josh agrees, his palm presses into my stomach, soothing me physically while I fight to calm my breathing.

They look even more radiant now, if that is even possible. It reminds me of shining an already gleaming coin.

I know goodbye is approaching, but as they coddle me closer to sleep, Josh uses whatever hold he seems to wield over my emotions to keep any sadness at bay.

"You'll come back, right?" I sigh, sleep threatening to overtake me at any moment. "You won't stay away so long this time? I can't go through that again."

"We'll come back, lumen." Josh promises. "Very soon."

You stave off unconsciousness long enough for one last question. "Will you bring them back to me too?"

"Of course we will, pet." Jake assures just before I drift off into a dreamless void.

A/N: so I know this is a little different from my usual content, but I felt like stretching my wings and isn’t that what it’s all about? Anyway, this will be a 2, possibly 3 parter, so I hope you enjoy. I love you all so very much. Ps- Part 2 will have more of the obscene nonsense that you’ve grown to love 😏

Taglist: @gretasintrees @greta-flanveet-admin @gardenofgreta @greta-van-chaos @moonlightbrekker @theweightofstardust @celestialfauna @s0livagant @groggyvanfleet @kiszkathecook @shesalrightshesouttasight @brokenbellz @llightmyllovee @doodle417 @kdarling1 @gretasmokerising @tripthelightfandomtastic @tripthelight-fanfic @mckenna4 @trplshotofdopamine @sarakay-gvf @theweightofjake @dakotadovato @joshsmama @sammysvanfeet @kiszkashorizons @weightofdreams-gvf @imdepressedaf1996 @alisonwonderland29 @agirlwithmanytastes @gretavanfleas @gretavangroove @janegvf @sparrowofthedawn @xserenax-13 @pardeeinsaginaw @tripthelightjaketastic @jakeslovehandles @loofypoofy @heatmyfleet @age-of-nyahh @sammiboo162 @ohgotthisfeelingthatyoucantfight @prophetofthedune @gretavanflowerpower

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vhaven93-blog · 6 years ago

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Surfing the Waves: Science and Conscious Sleep

(K-complexes, Sleep-spindles, and PGO-waves during Conscious Sleep)

By Daniel Allen Kelley

Conscious Sleep is arguably the most fascinating skill you can learn. It's almost ironic, really, because sleep is largely a process of memory and skill consolidation. Why is that ironic? Well, first of all, sleep is thought to be an eight-hour period of inactivity but is actually anything but. By the time you've entered the second phase of sleep (90 minutes in), your brain and nervous system have been very busy. While you were busy snoring, your brain was constructing neural connections to house new skills and information. Those piano lessons you had yesterday afternoon? Check! Those elective courses you took yesterday evening at school? Yup, your brain made room for those too.

And that's happening whether you're sleep is conscious or not!

The most ironic part of conscious sleep is that you're learning a skill which employs the very same mechanism that learns new skills. Dreams, being largely the consolidation of new skills, are now the skill you're attempting to consolidate! It's the neurological equivalent of what happens when two mirrors are facing eachother: It generates an endless hall of unending reflections that you experience as Lucid Dreaming, Astral Projection, Remote Viewing, and much more.

Isn't that far out?

Your dreams are at least 70% composed of people, places, things, emotions, and sensations you've experienced at some point in your life. The remaining 30% is, well, something extra. That “something extra" isn't personal or biographical. We experience these extras when we have Out of Body Experiences (OOBE), Astral Dreams, Precognitive Dreams, and so forth. We'll talk more about that later. For now, just note that Conscious Sleep, even though much of it is a theatrical reenactment of your diary, is unique in that it's a new skill that uses old skills to refine itself.

Reflections within reflections within reflections…

For example, imagine for a moment that you're having an OOBE. You wait until you reach the second phase of sleep and induce the OOBE by conjuring up the feeling of riding a rollercoaster. Suddenly, you feel yourself rocking back and forth. Heavy vibrations flood your body and a buzzing sound fills your ears. Before you know it you're up and out! You look around your room and everything is as it should be, save for the occasional appearance of a dream scenario. There's just one problem:

You can't seem to fly away from your physical body!

The reason you're anchored to your mortal coil may be any number of things. In this case, your subconscious mind presents you with a dream image of a vast body of water. You approach it and begin swimming. Suddenly, you find you're able to fly! The water vanishes and you're soaring high above the roof of your house.

What's happened is that, because you've never actually flown before, the closest activity your mind could conjure that resembles flying was swimming. So you used your former experience with rollercoasters to get up and out, as it were. You then used your former experiences of swimming to fly away. Or, to put it more technically, you used the process of consolidating skills (dreams) to tap into learned skills to support the learning of a new skill; in this case it was OOBE.

Reflections within reflections within reflections…

But what's going on inside your brain when all this is taking place? In my book, Behind The Veil: The Complete Guide to Conscious Sleep, I discussed the Five Basic Brainwaves and their corresponding subjective experiences. Here, I'd like to focus on three specific brainwave phenomena called K-complexes, Sleep-spindles, and PGO-waves. Since I'm not a sleep specialist, l won’t be tangling you up in convoluted dissertations on synapses and neural firings along calcium channels in the brain (ahem, and so forth). Instead, I'll limit my focus (as always) to the experiential aspects of these things. After all, that's where all the fun is!

What Are K-complexes?

According to the book, Neurology Secrets (Fifth Edition), A K-complex is a high-voltage diphasic slow wave that may be preceded or followed by a spindle burst, maximally expressed in the frontocentral regions of the brain bilaterally.

In layman's terms, what this means is that a K-complex is like the trough of a wave and a Sleep-spindle is like the crest. We'll discuss Sleep-spindles in a moment. For now, let's take a closer look at K-complexes and how they might be experienced by a Conscious Sleeper.

When brainwaves are recorded on an Electroencephalograph (EEG), K-complexes appear primarily during the second stage of NREM sleep and are more prevalent during the first two sleep cycles in a night’s rest. At this time, the brain is still responsive to external stimuli and K-complexes tend to multiply in the presence of external sounds, touch, and changes in light patterns. Should you awaken someone at this phase of the sleep cycle, the subject may insist that he or she wasn't asleep. Some scientists speculate that K-complexes evolved to be responsive to external stimuli in order to serve as warnings of approaching predators while sleeping.

Another theory holds that K-complexes perform a sedating function, effectively turning off the analytical mind so that the brain can begin its process of consolidating memory. My own experience bears this out and, in just a moment, I'll offer my own take on this theory.

At any rate, once the sedative power of K-complexes takes hold, the process of memory consolidation begins. This neurological construction project begins with the appearance of Sleep-spindles.

What Are Sleep-spindles?

Here's what Tuck Sleep has to say about Sleep-spindles:

“Researchers believe Sleep-spindles represent periods of time where the brain inhibits mental processing in order to keep the person in a tranquil state. By keeping the person in a tranquil state, the sleep cycle can continue and the person can transition to the next stage of deep sleep.”

That sounds an awful lot like the function of K-complexes, yes?

As I said before, I'm not a sleep specialist. Having said that, I strongly believe K-complexes and Sleep-spindles are two parts of the same movement. They are the Yin and Yang, the valley and the peak, the trough and the crest of the same brainwave phenomenon. In my own experience of over twenty years as a Conscious Sleeper, I've noticed a pattern during stages one and two of my own sleep cycle. This pattern convinces me that my theory is correct, but its credibility ultimately relies on future scientific research. I'll discuss the experiences that led to my theory in just a moment. In the meantime, let's hear more of what recent science says about Sleep-spindles:

“Fast spindles (13–15 Hz) occur in the centroparietal part of the brain, while the frontal brain produces slow spindles (11–13 Hz). Increased spindle activity occurs at the onset and outset of light sleep.” (TuckSleep.com)

For those of you who have no idea what these egghead scientists are talking about, here's a short list of the basic functions of the Frontal and Parietal areas of the brain:

Frontal lobe

•Personality, behavior, emotions

•Judgment, planning, problem solving

•Speech: speaking and writing (Broca’s area)

•Body movement (motor strip)

•Intelligence, concentration, self awareness

Parietal lobe

•Interprets language, words

•Sense of touch, pain, temperature (sensory strip)

•Interprets signals from vision, hearing, •motor, sensory and memory

•Spatial and visual perception

With me so far? Yes? Good! Let's hear more from the eggheads:

“Sleep spindles begin to develop once an infant has reached six weeks of age, and may explain why babies twitch in their sleep. EEG typically will display sleep spindles immediately after muscle twitching.” (TuckSleep.com)

Since the Sleep-spindles located in the Frontal brain tend to be slower, could it be that their function is to sedate the analytical part of the brain? In other words, the part of the mind that is capable of Lucidity. And could it be possible that the Sleep-spindles found in the Parietal area of the brain are faster because their function is to discharge residual kinetic energy to prepare for Sleep Paralysis?

I believe this may account for why the first and second stages of sleep are the most potent times for OOBE. Energy that would otherwise be spent in Gross Body activities can now be employed in dream activities, and even OOBE (if you know how).

Whereas K-complexes “stun" the sleeper, slow-wave Sleep-spindles “sedate" the sleeper. This paves the way for fast-wave Sleep-spindles to release excess kinetic energy and do a quick run-through of recent data to consolidate. In my opinion, this accounts for microbursts of dreaming experienced during light sleep (e.g., hypnagogia/hypapompia, hypnic jerks and twitches).

As an aside, I refer to the subjective experience of K-complexes and Sleep-spindles poetically as The Sleep Serpent. Like a snake with potent venom, these sedating brainwaves render dream Lucidity impotent. This is not to imply that these brainwaves are toxic, only you have to learn how to surf them. Just as you can gradually become immune to snake venom by ingesting small amounts of it, so too can you become immune to the sedative power of K-complexes and slow-wave Sleep-spindles. The secret is, in my experience, a mystery pertaining to the adrenals, hormones, and retraining of attention. But that's another story.

Before I share the experiences and experiments which led to these theories of mine, there's one more brainwave we need to discuss.

What Are PGO-waves?

It's difficult to find a straightforward definition of PGO-waves. At least not one that doesn't leave you cross-eyed. Generally speaking, PGO-waves occur at the tail-end of NREM sleep and at the start of REM. K-complexes and Sleep-spindles have accomplished their stun-and-sedate mission, and your physical body is now completely paralyzed. This is a necessary step for both Conscious and Unconscious sleep. With your physical body out of the way, its projected double can come out and play. This neurological doppelganger is called the Subtle Body.

At this phase of the sleep cycle, a group of cells, called Cholinergic cells, begin firing upwards to the higher regions of the brain and down the spinal cord. The net effect of this neurological tango is twofold. On the one hand, the emotional and sensory areas of the brain become activated. On the other hand, the nerve-plexes responsible for physical movement are stimulated. Despite this kinetic stimulation, however, the body is now in sleep paralysis. Besides a few myoclonic twitches and hypnic jerks, the Gross Body is dead to the world. Instead, the motor impulses are now passed on to the Subtle Body and you can now run, fly, have sex, and breathe under water. Why? Because you've now passed the Veil of Tears and have entered through the Veil of Dreams.

PGO-waves also appear to play a role in image-stabilization. Not just in dreams but in creative visualization, fantasy, and hallucinations. PGO-waves strobe rapidly, kicking up a dust cloud of paradoxical images and emotions. This is fertile soil for creative inspiration, spiritual epiphany, and psychological insight. Evidence suggests that many poets, painters, musicians, and even schizophrenics spin their webs using PGO-waves for yarn.

My Little Experiments

The moment I learned about K-complexes, Sleep-spindles, and PGO-waves I immediately intuited what they were. I plan on one day recording and submitting my findings using my very own EEG machine.

Just as soon as I can afford one…🤔

In the meantime, I've carefully monitored my sleep cycle over the years and have achieved a good working knowledge of its architecture. I can tell, for example, when I'm entering the first and second phases of sleep. Depending upon factors such as how hard my workday was, how stressed I am, or how much caffeine or alcohol I've consumed, I can even consciously access the third stage of sleep fairly regularly. But before I could consciously access stage three sleep successfully, I spent about five years tapping into it by accident during the hypnopompic phase of sleep (beginning stage of waking).

I'll never forget the first time I experienced PGO-waves consciously. It was about 3:00 or maybe 4:00 am. I became Lucid in the middle of a dream and noticed, to the left of me, a field of sunflowers. The dream starting shaking and I stabilized it by employing what I call The Hitchhiker Method. This works by fastening your attention onto a dream-object, sensation, sound, or smell and holding onto it for dear life. This surfs the already present PGO-waves and assists them in their purpose of stabilizing dream images.

The next thing I knew I was taken up into a blizzard of fantastical images. These occiliated at a frequency that resembled the rapid flicker-rate of a strobelight. Lucid Dreams blended with OOBE and I was able to control every nuance of the narrative (Dream Control).

I've had similar experiences during the hypnagogic phase of sleep, but that pesky Sleep Serpent often bested me in battle.

K-complexes and Sleep-spindles are, in my opinion, responsible for the mind’s tendency to believe the absurdities of many dream scenarios. PGO-waves have also been shown to be responsible for this mental confusion. However, due to the fact that REM sleep resembles wakeful consciousness, it's easier to become Lucid while dreaming than Pellucid during NREM. In fact, scientists refer to REM sleep as “paradoxical sleep” for this reason.

NOTE: (Pellucidity is, generally speaking, meditation carried into the sleep cycle. It's easier to access Pellucidity in NREM than in REM sleep.)

As the years rolled on, I gradually learned to detect the signs of approaching K-complexes, Sleep-spindles, and PGO-waves. For example, have you ever seen flashes of light behind your eyes as you're falling asleep?

Those are PGO-waves…

Have you ever felt like you were falling, only to snap out of it with a sudden jolt?

Those are fast-wave Sleep-spindles…

Or perhaps you've felt yourself “drifting off" into reverie. You're still vaguely aware of your surroundings but you're feeling disembodied.

Those are K-complexes...

Have you ever been to a hypnotherapist? You know that part where the doctor says, “Your eyelids are getting heavier…”

Those are slow-wave Sleep-spindles…

The cool part about learning how to consciously surf these bioelectric brainwaves is that it amounts to a sort of Tao of Conscious Sleep. It's sleep Yoga at its most scientific. It's Qigong at its most scientific. If we can honor the insights and practices of the ancient Wisdom traditions and wed them to modern scientific research we’ll be left with an Integral approach that honors the discoveries of the past, the technologies of the present, and the breakthroughs of the future.

In such a world, what more proof would you need of the magical and miraculous?

http://behindtheveil.simdif.com

About the Author

(Daniel Kelley is an author, poet, musician, and Integral Life Practitioner with over two decades of experience in the Esoteric arts. He is the creator of Subliminal Cognition Training, Animitariomancy, and is the author of four books. His work has been featured in several magazines and journals including Chronogram, Psychedelic Press, Global View, and LDE Magazine. Daniel was born in 1979 to Baptist parents in Waterloo Canada but raised in Chicopee and Springfield Massachusetts. His father was a Baptist preacher. After a profound and prolonged transpersonal crisis in early childhood, Daniel broke away from his strict Christian upbringing to study the wisdom traditions of the world. At age sixteen he suffered a breakdown that culminated at age twenty-one, at which time he experienced a transpersonal breakthrough. After joining various Hermetic societies and practicing their methods, Daniel eventually found his spiritual home in Chinese Taoist Alchemy, Integral Life Practice, and the various yogas of India and Tibet. He also practices and teaches Internal Chinese Martial Arts, Qigong, Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. Daniel currently lives with his wife and daughter in upstate New York.)

#lucid dreaming #astral projecting stories #sleep study #eeg equipment market #eeg

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ellymackay · 4 years ago

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The Real Sleep Science Behind Some of My Favorite Spooky Sleep Movies (Just in Time for Halloween!)

The Real Sleep Science Behind Some of My Favorite Spooky Sleep Movies (Just in Time for Halloween!) is courtesy of Elly Mackay's Sleep Blog

I love movies, including scary ones (yes, I’m the one who actually covers his eyes and then peeks out). And—no surprise here—I’m always curious about how sleep is portrayed and used as a plot in films. Think about it: there are a lot of movies, including a bunch of scary ones, that rely on sleep experiences to tell a story. Hello? Nightmare on Elm Street, anyone?

I was reading last week about a book that examines the science behind Stephen King’s novels. (I’m also a fan of those.) I thought, what a cool idea. So, this Halloween week, I thought we’d have some fun and take a look at the science behind some movies that have sleep themes. Grab your popcorn!

The sleep science behind Inception and Dreamscape: lucid dreaming

With his recent release of Tenent, Director Christopher Nolan is in the news, but his prior movie Inception is my current favorite, and my all-time favorite classic Dreams film is DreamScape with Dennis Quaid. These are two awesome sci-fi thrillers that are all about sleep and dreaming. Inception is about a criminal “dream stealer” (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) who conducts corporate espionage by invading peoples’ dreams in order to manipulate them and steal secrets. The director of Inception has said the inspiration for this story came from the sleep phenomenon of lucid dreaming.

Dreamscape also involves dropping into other peoples’ dreaming lives. In this movie from the ‘80s, a teenager with psychic abilities is put into a secret government program that trains people to enter the dreams of others. Before long, the teenager (played by a younger Dennis Quaid) is being used to try to manipulate the US president through the president’s dreams.

The real-life sleep science of lucid dreams:

We can’t control other peoples’ dreams, but some of us can control our own. That’s lucid dreaming: the awareness of being in a dream and the ability to control the dream you’re in.

I’ve written about lucid dreaming before, including here and here. It’s one of the most fascinating aspects of dreaming.

Not all of us have lucid dreams, but more than half of us will probably have at least one lucid dream during our lifetimes. However, regular lucid dreaming is more rare. I’ve been a lucid dreamer for as long as I can remember.

Scientists have learned that brain activity associated with lucid dreams is very different from regular dreaming. Research has found lucid dreamers displayed significantly higher brain wave frequencies than non-lucid dreamers. Lucid dreamers also appear to have increased activity in regions of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, areas of the brain that are typically inactive during sleep. These parts of the brain are deeply involved with conscious awareness, a sense of self, as well as language and memory.

Recently, scientific study revealed that the brain activity of lucid dreams is similar to what are brain’s look like when we’re awake and in what’s known as a state of metacognition—that’s a state of heightened self-awareness, where we’re able to reflect on what we’re thinking about as we think about it.

We don’t exactly know why some people have lucid dreams but others don’t, but there are some interesting clues in the science of lucid dreaming. Some research indicates that certain personality traits and cognitive styles may be linked to lucid dreams:

Imagination and creativity have both been associated withmore frequent lucid dreaming.

Introspection, and a tendency to rely more heavily on internal thoughts (rather than external information) have also been linked to lucid dreams.

People who can effectively split their attention between different tasks, or points of focus, may be more apt to have lucid dreams.

People who have a greater ability to remember their dreams may be also have a greater capacity for lucid dreaming.

There are also certain sleep phenomena linked to lucid dreaming:

People who experience nightmares more often may be more prone to lucid dreams.

Studies have shown lucid dreaming is more common in people with narcolepsy.

Research has also linked lucid dreaming to sleep paralysis,another striking sleep experience. Sleep paralysis occurs when we wake from sleep unable to move or to speak. Both sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming appear to be related to transitions in and out of REM sleep. During REM sleep, the body is largely paralyzed (a condition known as REM atonia). And REM sleep is a sleep stage characterized by vivid, active dreaming. More on sleep paralysis in a minute.

Lucid dreaming is something we can actually get better at, a skill we can improve with practice. And there’s evidence that we can use lucid dreams as a therapeutic tool—to enhance creativity, to reduce the intensity of nightmares, to work through traumas and phobias.

How can you enhance your ability to lucid dream? There are several techniques to try:

Reality testing. Make a habit of checking in with your surroundings throughout your waking day. As you observe your waking environment, ask yourself: am I awake or am I dreaming? This practice can prompt the mind to ask this same question while you’re dreaming, and create a self-awareness in dreams that may enable you to take control of your dream world.

Wake back to bed (WBTB). With WBTB, a person sleeps for 5-6 hours, then deliberately wakes for a period of time—as little as 10 minutes, or up to an hour—before going back to sleep. The idea here is to send yourself immediately into REM sleep (which occurs most prominently in the final third of the night), where most, if not all, lucid dreaming occurs. (One note: don’t use WBTB if it shortens your sleep amounts or leaves you feeling tired and shortchanged on rest. Lucid dreaming isn’t worth actually losing sleep over!)

Mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (MILD). This is one of the best studied lucid dream techniques. It uses intention to stimulate self-awareness in dreams. Before going to sleep, say to yourself: “The next time I’m dreaming, I will remember I am dreaming.”

A 2017 study investigated these techniques above and found that people who used all three together were successful in stimulating lucid dreaming.

Improve your dream recall. Enhancing your ability to remember your dreams is one way to develop an ability for lucid dreaming. Keep the journal at your bedside. As soon as you wake, write down everything you remember about your dream.

Meditate. Meditation is a practice of mindful awareness, of attention to the present moment. Practicing meditation during your waking day will help you develop your capacity for awareness of where your mind is in the moment. That skill may translate into the dream world, increasing your ability for self-awareness—aka lucidity—in your dreams. A 2015 study found that meditation and mindfulness were connected to more frequent lucid dreaming.

The science of The Conjuring: sleepwalking and sleep paralysis

This is a supernatural horror film from a few years back that my teenagers and I watched one night and really liked. It’s about a married couple who are paranormal investigators, working with a family to try to rid the family’s farmhouse of some seriously angry, dangerous spirits. The Conjuring is full of scenes involving sleep phenomena, including sleepwalking and sleep paralysis.

The real-life sleep science of sleepwalking and sleep paralysis:

Sleepwalking and sleep paralysis aren’t caused by demonic possession, of course. But they can be scary, dangerous, and in some rare cases, even violent. Both conditions are known as parasomnias, the term sleep scientists use to describe unwelcome, unpleasant behaviors and experiences during sleep. And both involve mixed states of consciousness, where parts of the brain are active in ways similar to waking consciousness, while other parts of the brain are in a sleeping consciousness.

Sleepwalking is what’s known as an arousal disorder. Arousal disorders usually take place during non-REM (NREM) sleep. Sleepwalking typically occurs during deep, slow-wave sleep. It tends to occur in the first half of the night, when deep, non-REM sleep is most plentiful. When in a sleepwalking state, parts of the brain are aroused to allow for waking activity, while other parts of the brain remain in a sleeping state of consciousness.

Sleepwalking most often occurs during childhood and will often disappear with age. Sleepwalking and other arousal disorders share some common characteristics, including: • An absence of memory • Slowed, slurred, or strange speech • Mechanical answers to questions • An appearance of confusion, or just staring off into space

There’s a broad range of behaviors that can take place in a sleepwalking episode, ranging from wandering around the bedroom to having conversations, driving, eating, and undertaking other complex tasks—all while still in a mixed consciousness state of sleep.

Twenty-five percent of children are sleepwalkers at some point in time. More than 3 percent of the adult population may experience sleepwalking —and sleepwalking appears to be becoming more common, according to scientific research. Factors that increase risk for sleepwalking include:

Genetics—sleepwalking tends to run in families

Stress

Sleep deprivation and disruptions to regular sleep schedules, such as from travel through time zones

Medications, including hypnotics, sedatives, and medications to treat psychiatric conditions (We’ve all heard the stories of people who take sleep medication and wind up sleep eating or sleep driving.)

Substance use, including alcohol consumption

Sleep disorders, including sleep-disordered breathing and restless leg syndrome

Sleepwalking can put the sleeper in danger, most often from injury or accident. And in rare cases, sleepwalking is linked to violent behavior. Some scientific estimates suggest as much as 2% of the population will experience sleep violence at some point in their lives. I’ve written before about sleep violence and the role of parasomnias in this frightening and dangerous sleep behavior.

When you experience sleep paralysis, you wake up from sleep and cannot move or speak. It can be an incredibly frightening and disorienting episode that can last for a few seconds, up to a few minutes.

As frightening as it is, sleep paralysis—another parasomnia—isn’t actually dangerous, nor is it typically a sign of a serious condition. The phenomenon is actually relatively common, and can occur at any point in life. Estimates vary widely, but as many as 65% of people may suffer an episode of sleep paralysis at some point in their lives. Factors that make people more likely to experience sleep paralysis include:

Genetics—research has shown that people with certain variations of the PER2 gene are more likely to have episodes of sleep paralysis

Disrupted sleep patterns

Chronic anxiety, stress, depression

PTSD, and the presence or history of trauma

High blood pressure

Sleep disorders including obstructive sleep apnea and narcolepsy

Using sleep medications

Sleep paralysis can occur when you are awakened from sleep and it also can occur when you’re in the process of falling asleep. What’s causes sleep paralysis? Scientists don’t know for sure. But it appears likely that many instances of sleep paralysis occur because of difficulty transitioning in and out of REM sleep.

In a state of sleep paralysis, you’re actually in a combination of waking consciousness and REM sleep. REM includes a temporary paralysis of major muscle groups known as REM atonia, which is thought to keep you immobilized during an active dreaming stage. In people who experience sleep paralysis, they wake with REM sleep still active in the brain, leaving the body paralyzed while the mind is alert and in a waking state of consciousness.

Sleep paralysis may also include hallucinations. People often describe feeling a ghost-like presence in the room with them, as well as feelings of terror and foreboding. These hallucinations can include strange sounds and even smells, along with sensations of falling or flying. Although the mechanisms of breathing aren’t impaired by sleep paralysis, people sometimes feel breathless, and often feel a weighty pressure on the chest.

There are steps you can take to eliminate the frightening disruption of sleep paralysis and make your nights more restful. Those steps include treating sleep disorders, adjusting medications, managing stress, seeking therapy for psychological distress, and knowing how to relax and cope during an episode of sleep paralysis. I’ve written in-depth about how to get rid of sleep paralysis for good.

The science of Maleficent (and Sleeping Beauty): long sleeping (and beauty sleep!)

Maleficent is a live-action fantasy film (starring Angelina Jolie) that’s based on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, which was itself a classic mid-20th century animated film from Disney. (Fun fact—the 1959 animated version of Sleeping Beauty was the last full-length animated film Disney made for 30 years. The next one? The Little Mermaid.) We all probably remember how the fairy tale goes—having been cursed by the evil fairy Maleficent, Sleeping Beauty falls into a deep, permanent sleep, and can only be awakened by a kiss from a true love.

The real-life sleep science of oversleeping:

We aren’t capable of sleeping endlessly, and healthy sleepers aren’t typically capable of sleeping for more than a normal full night of rest. The body is biologically hard-wired to maintain balanced sleep and wake cycles throughout the 24-hour day, driven primarily by two systems:

Our circadian system, which regulates sleep and wakefulness within a 24-hour daily cycle.

Our internal sleep drive, which revs up the longer we go without sleep and slows down after we’ve rested.

There was a once-in-a-blue-moon case a few years ago of a boy in Kentucky who sleep for 11 days straight. Doctors couldn’t figure out why. The boy was treated with seizure medication to successfully bring him out of his extreme duration of sleep. Seizure medications often work to alter activity in the brain’s communication cells. Seizure conditions, including epilepsy, can be accompanied by excessive sleeping—but not to this degree. An 11-day sleep stretch is incredible and just about unheard of!

Much more common, are sleep, mood, and health disorders that lead to what’s known as hypersomnia—that’s the clinical term for chronic oversleeping.

Like its counterpart insomnia, hypersomnia has several core symptoms:

Sleeping for extended hours at night (typically well beyond the 7-8-hour general norm)

Difficulty waking up in the morning (including sleeping through an alarm)

Trouble rising from bed and starting the day

Grogginess on and off or consistently throughout the day

Trouble concentrating

While it may seem like a welcome thing to be getting super-sized nights of sleep, hypersomnia is a form of disordered sleep with potential health consequences. Sleeping too much is linked with many of the same health risks as sleeping too little, including heart disease, metabolic problems such as diabetes and obesity, and cognitive issues including difficulty with memory. Similar to people who sleep too little, people who sleep too much have higher overall mortality risks.

The sleep disorder that comes closest to a “Sleeping Beauty” condition is a rare neurological condition called Kleine-Levin Syndrome. People with KLS experience recurring episodes of excessive sleeping that can last for a few days or a few weeks. During an episode, they sleep for up to 20 hours a day, getting up to eat or go to the bathroom before falling back asleep. During their brief daily awakenings, people with KLS are often confused and disoriented, have trouble communicating and display an absence of emotion. They feel “spacey,” and frequently are highly sensitive to light and noise.

In between episodes, people with KLS function and sleep normally, and they typically have no memory of what happened during their episode of excessive sleeping. Episodes can occur as frequently as every few weeks, or not reappear for months or even years. KLS occurs most often in teenagers—an estimated 70% of cases are in adolescents—but this disorder can also occur in younger children and in adults.

While the intense, prolonged hypersomnia of Kleine-Levin syndrome is rare, a lesser degree of chronic oversleeping is common, and can be the result of a number of different underlying conditions, including:

Depression

Narcolepsy

Obstructive sleep apnea

Restless leg syndrome

Neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis, as well as brain injuries

Epilepsy

Being overweight or obese

Substance use disorders

Circadian rhythm sleep disorders, including non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome, in which people’s circadian clocks run on a longer cycle of time, of 25 or 26 hours or more. In a very rare handful of cases, circadian clocks have been found to run on a 72-hour cycle, with 48 hours of wakefulness followed by 24 hours of sleep.

Medications, including antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, antipsychotics, sedatives, antihistamines can also trigger hypersomnia.

And what about beauty sleep? There’s an abundance of real science to back up the idea that sleep can make us more physically attractive. Stay tuned, because I’ve just finished an article about the power of sleep to make us look and feel younger and it’s coming your way soon!

This was fun—and there are a bunch more movies that deal with sleep and strange sleep phenomena. I’ll do another round of looking at sleep in the movies down the road!

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD, DABSM

The Sleep Doctor

www.thesleepdoctor.com

The post The Real Sleep Science Behind Some of My Favorite Spooky Sleep Movies (Just in Time for Halloween!) appeared first on Your Guide to Better Sleep.

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