Pictures to illustrate what Manelle Otto saw:
Dark Dreams
by Shanna de Caluwé Whatever happens while you sleep, feels like the unknown and is surrounded by mystery. We can have happy dreams, nightmares, or not remember anything at all. What happens in your subconscious, feels like a completely different world.
“When I was about thirteen or fourteen I started getting sleep paralysis almost every night. I had a very bad sleep schedule and mental health issues. There was never a night that I completely slept through. I woke up multiple times every night, even though I was exhausted. When I woke up I knew I was awake but I wasn’t able to move my body, the only thing I could move were my eyes. Most of the time I would snap out of it and get a glass of water and go back to sleep. But one night I woke up and felt an immense pressure on my chest. I looked at my chest to see if maybe I fell asleep with my laptop on my chest but there was nothing there. I looked up and saw a man hanging over me with a lantern in his hand. He had a hooded, dark green cloak and even though I couldn’t make out his face I knew he was looking at me. His lantern was dangling over my face and for some reason I could tell he was a sailor. I was terrified beyond reason and my heart was beating in the back of my throat. We just looked at each other and I begged for my limbs to move. My breathing became faster and faster and I’m sure I had a panic attack, but nothing seemed to snap me out of this paralyzed state. I decided to blink really hard and fast and finally I was able to move. I quickly sat upright and the man was gone but the panic wasn’t. I started crying and yelling for my mom. She slept in my bed that night and held me the entire time. I haven’t seen anything in my sleep paralysis since then and I don’t have it often anymore. I do believe it wasn’t just a visual dream but something paranormal visited me that night.” - Manelle Otto
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