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From: clewis@spectrix.UUCP (Chris Lewis)
Newsgroups: sci.misc,sci.med
Subject: Re: Dreams as a reaction
Message-ID: <266@spectrix.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 15-Dec-86 14:18:47 EST
Article-I.D.: spectrix.266
Posted: Mon Dec 15 14:18:47 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 16-Dec-86 19:45:22 EST
References: <43@wjh12.UUCP> <733@dg_rtp.UUCP> <4101@jhunix.UUCP> <4734@mimsy.UUCP>
Reply-To: clewis@spectrix.UUCP (Chris Lewis)
Organization: Spectrix Microsystems Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Lines: 45
Xref: mnetor sci.misc:135 sci.med:386

In article <4734@mimsy.UUCP> dsn@mimsy.UUCP (Dana S. Nau) writes:
>In article <4101@jhunix.UUCP> ins_amap@jhunix.UUCP (Mark Aden Poling) writes:
>>In article <733@dg_rtp.UUCP>, throopw@dg_rtp.UUCP (Wayne Throop) writes:
>>> (Cites a study showing that cats are partially paralysed during sleep.)
>>> So, your body is paralyzed in dream-state sleep so that you
>>> don't thrash around and hurt yourself.
>In the middle of the night, I sort of woke up half way.  My eyes were open,
>and I could see the wall of my room, but I was hearing music in my head, the
>way I do when I dream--and I couldn't move.  At first, this intrigued
>me--but then I got scared.  I tried hard to move, but still couldn't.  Then,
>suddenly, I was completely awake:  the music was gone, and I could move.
>
>If anyone knows of any studies that might explain this, I'd like to see them.

Me too.

I've had experiences very much like this, starting the night I had my
tonsils removed (22 years ago?).  Usually when I'm very tired and am trying
to get to sleep, say about 30 minutes after going to bed, but not having
much success, I experience something wierd.  The first couple of years
it was the sense of having the room expand and feeling sort of an "out of
body" feeling - looking back at myself.  The last 5 years or so, it's been
sort of like the above without the music - I recall sort of a "humming" in
my head - sounding like having an overloaded 60Hz transformer against my
ear - complete with vibration.  Not particularly  scary, except the first 
couple of times when I tried to move and found I couldn't.  Now I just 
relax and after a while I can move.  Used to happen a couple of times per 
week.  Now it's sort of settled down to a couple of times per year.

Described it to a TM teacher once who said it sounded a whole heck of a lot
like the TM meditation state without the "direction" of trained meditation.  
He was right.  It is.  And TM is easier on the nerves because you're expecting
it.

It has never been associated with dreaming though.  That I know of.  Then
again, I hardly ever remember having dreams anyways.

Got a wierd brain I guess.  Have never been particularly scared of it when
awake - I was too young when it first happened to worry about it.  Since 
then I've got independent evidence that I'm crazy... :-)
-- 
Chris Lewis, Spectrix Microsystems Inc,
UUCP: {utzoo|utcs|yetti|genat|seismo}!mnetor!spectrix!clewis
ARPA: mnetor!spectrix!clewis@seismo.css.gov
Phone: (416)-474-1955