Ed R's Experience
Home Page Share Experience New Experiences

Experience description:

May 4, 2017, it was a fairly typical day, nothing unusual having occurred. I had been having some pain in my left hip (arthritis) so I took a couple of Tylenol before bed. I went to bed around midnight. My wife had already gone to bed and was asleep by that time. I went to sleep rather quickly. Woke up at 3am to urinate, went back to bed and fell back asleep. At some point after that, I became aware that I was above our bed looking down on both my wife and myself sleeping. It's like I was in the spot where the wall and ceiling meet directly above our heads and was looking down from that vantage point. It was dark in the bedroom but I could see, sort of like a night vision camera would look. I started to feel like I was suffocating or something, and I thought, 'This isn't right - something is wrong.' So I called out to my wife to wake up but she just laid there sleeping. I called out louder and louder until finally she stirred, rolled over and started gently shaking my shoulder. As I watched this happen I started saying, 'Help me! Help me!' Then I watched as she grabbed my shoulders with both hands, shaking me and she started saying, 'Wake up honey! Wake up! What's wrong?'

Suddenly I jolted awake, gasping for air and sat up on the side of the bed, breathing very hard. I noticed on the clock that it was 3:40am. She asked me, 'What's wrong, were you having a bad dream?' I said, 'No, I was watching you from the ceiling and I couldn't wake up.'

So here's the deal: everything I saw from the vantage point of the ceiling was actually happening in real life. As I was calling out to my wife, she said what woke her up was me making noises in my sleep, like a whimpering kind of sound. She has awakened me from dreams before (occasionally I have experienced 'sleep paralysis') but all she ever had to do was just touch me and I would wake up. She said this time she didn't think she was ever going to get me awake, so in that regard it was unusual. But especially, for me to observe all of this he way that I did, as it happened, was extremely weird. I don't quite know what to make of it.

Any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience? Uncertain I had taken Tylenol before bed because I had pain in my left hip. However, I have done this before with no unusual effect.


Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? No

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event? No

What was your level of consciousness and alertness during the experience? I'm not certain. I was observing things as they happened so in that regard I was alert and conscious.

Was the experience dream like in any way? It was in that it was highly unusual and had a 'floating' kind of a feel to it. But again, I was simply observing things that were actually taking place in real time, including watching my self as I slept.

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body? Uncertain I did not see myself other than observing my body laying in bed.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Confusion, desperation, fear.

Did you hear any unusual sounds or noises? not that I recall

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Did you recognize any familiar locations or any locations from familiar religious teachings or encounter any locations inhabited by incredible or amazing creatures? No

Did you see a light? No

Did you meet or see any other beings? No

Did you experiment while out of the body or in another, altered state? No

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later? No

Did you notice how your 5 senses were working, and if so, how were they different? Uncertain I could see and hear. I also had the feeling of suffocating.

Did you have any sense of altered space or time? No

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose? No

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? No

Did you become aware of future events? No

Were you involved in or aware of a decision regarding your return to the body? No

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience? No

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience? No

How has the experience affected your relationships? Daily life? Religious practices? Career choices? No change

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience? No

Have you shared this experience with others? Yes Some, laughter and disbelief. Others, amazement.

What emotions did you experience following your experience? Curiosity

What was the best and worst part of your experience? Best part was waking up. Worst part was feeling like I was suffocating.

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience? I'm just curious about it, that's all. This is the only time I have experienced anything like this.

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience? No

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience? No