For my Visual Arts class, one of my sketchbook assignments was to create an image of a dream event. I'm no artist, but this is what I ended up turning in yesterday. Although the piece may seem slightly dark and disturbed, it does not reflect my personality at all; it is simply based on a nightmare I had a long time ago... one that I will never forget....
Dream Description:
I created this piece based on a dream, or shall I say nightmare, which haunts me still till this very day. Leading up to this particular nightmare, I used to get these very realistic dreams about being paralyzed. I don't get them as much as I did before, but I do occasionally get them still. These "paralyzed" dreams are so realistic, that I feel as though I am actually awake, because in these dreams, I am laying in the exact same sleeping position as I am in reality. I can see my room through my own eyes as I would if I were really awake… it's as if my body is asleep, but my mind is still awake... I can see everything around me, but I can't move or speak. This feeling of not having control over my own body terrifies me, and it takes all my energy and several attempts to wake myself up. During this state, I repeatedly say in my head, "Wake up, Cassy... wake up!" I try moving my head side to side, but can't. I rest for a few seconds… gather up all my energy… count to three… and try again with all my strength to move my head and wake up. This becomes a cycle, and I get closer to waking up as my head shakes slightly with resistance a little more each time, until finally, I am able to snap out of this state and wake up with my head totally shaking and my heart pounding.
Now in this particular nightmare, which I based my piece on, I am once again paralyzed… but something is different this time… I am not alone. There is a shadowed figure watching me from the foot of my bed. This figure has no face… it is just a hooded shadowy presence, with a strong, dark & evil aura. Each time I try to wake up, I close my eyes to shut out this figure, but it gets closer and closer to me with every unsuccessful attempt. It hovers over my body as I try screaming for my husband in the next room to wake me up, but my silent screams go unheard. Then somehow, I manage to muster up all my strength and finally wake up in a panic. This was by far, the scariest dream I had ever experienced. Shortly after I had that dream, I wrote a chilling poem about it, and I have included this poem in my piece.
Till this day, I can't quite make out why I would get these dreams, but there have been studies and many cases of others who experience it as well. It is actually a condition known as "Sleep Paralysis". According to Medicine Net, the definition of "Sleep paralysis" is "a frightening form of paralysis that occurs when a person suddenly finds himself or herself unable to move for a few minutes, most often upon falling asleep or waking up. Sleep paralysis is due to an ill-timed disconnection between the brain and the body. The symptoms of sleep paralysis include sensations of noises, smells, levitation, paralysis, terror, and images of frightening intruders. Once considered very rare, about half of all people are now believed to experience sleep paralysis sometime during their life."
Wikipedia states that "Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain awakes from a REM state, but the body paralysis persists. This leaves the person fully conscious, but unable to move. The paralysis can last from several seconds to several minutes after which the individual may experience panic symptoms and the realization that the distorted perceptions were false. The paralysis state may be accompanied by terrifying hallucinations and an acute sense of danger. Sleep paralysis is particularly frightening to the individual due to the vividness of such hallucinations. The hallucinatory element to sleep paralysis makes it even more likely that someone will interpret the experience as a dream, since completely fanciful, or dream-like, objects may appear in the room alongside one's normal vision. Some scientists have proposed this condition as an explanation for alien abductions and ghostly encounters."
Poem:
