Brittney Searcey
WR121- Dr. Russel
Essay 1
601 words

My eyes scanned for the flashing red alarm clock reading only 12:28 as I glanced over to see her sitting at the edge of the bed. Her blood soaked red hair falling over her black, soul-less eyes, moving closer and closer to my motionless body. As she places her right hand beside my head and leans in closer, she whispers “I told you I’d be back” with a trembling voice, not stuttering a single word. When I am finally able to move, I spring up from what seemed like a dead sleep and realize that it was just a dream. As I look over to see the alarm clock read only 12:27, I hear quick but quiet footsteps creeping down the hall and my bedroom door creaking open, only to see long white hair and a dark figure peak into the room. Sleep paralysis is defined as a phenomenon in which a person either falling asleep or awakening, temporarily experiences an inability to move, speak or react. This phenomenon is considered a “transitional state” characterized by muscle weakness. Most people who experience this type of paralysis have terrible hallucinations, such as seeing people of their past, demonic like presences and even animals of all sorts. Although many people experience terrifying figures that are described as “out to get them”, many people experience people who may have passed on and are believed to be visiting from another life. There are all sorts of allegations, ranging from extreme and terrifying to friendly and happy. Many people who experience sleep paralysis don’t just have one experience, but many, and some people don’t experience hallucinations but only experience the state of paralysis in general. My personal experiences with sleep paralysis have been more than terrifying. When I had my first experience, I was so scared that I thought there was something wrong with me. I was so unsure of what was going on that I kept it all to myself. I didn’t tell anyone, not even my own mother, as I was afraid that that something was wrong with me or that she would think that I was crazy or even worse, that she wouldn’t believe me. I was so sure that my experience was just a one-time thing that I