I have had more than one experience that I associate with sleep paralysis. But this parallel universe dream felt like a gateway to me. It was the first time I had dreamt something so clearly, and its horror left me brooding for years. My fantastical mind kept returning to the idea of another world. That is my imaginative reading of the dream, rather than evidence that I had found a real passage into one.
The Thing About a Parallel Universe Dream
A dream is a poem. There is so much going on in its verses that it isn’t always what we think it is. With its stark unreality, it eludes us, haunts us and sends us searching for answers. Yet every time we try to put a pin in it, something escapes. Involuntary thoughts leap from one junction to another. It is a train impossible to catch, a pattern surreal to comprehend.
I was unsettled by this one dream, which I like to call “a gateway to the netherworld”. Within it, I felt darn sure that I had peeked into a world that wasn’t ours. My constant pursuit of a place beyond us instinctively led my imagination there, I guess.
I was deep into a heavy siesta when the parallel universe dream happened. The child in me wanted it to be more than a mind trick. Eventually, when it was over, my thought rhythm broke and the mundane called me back to my senses. This is the first of the dreams I came to connect with that imagined alternate-universe portal.
The Parallel Universe Dream
I used to live alone and sleep on a mattress in an almost empty room. It was the same room I have mentioned before, if you have been reading me for a while. Dud Horror in the Inanimate and A Rental in the Wilderness belong to that setting too.
The hall was big, so I slept on one side of it. I was really tired that day, and exhaustion got the better of me. Slowly, I dozed towards slumber. I was fast asleep and wading in deep-dream waters when I suddenly felt the need to wake up. It seemed I had been sleeping for a while and that it was time to get up.
I tried opening my eyes. I distinctly remember the immense effort it seemed to take to lift my eyelids. When I did, I felt wide awake. To my surprise, I was no longer in the room I knew. It resembled the same big hall, yet something was different. The lights were out and darkness filled it, but I could still see hazily.
The Gatekeeper of the Alternate Universe
I was on the same mattress, in the same position in which I had fallen asleep. But the room around me seemed different. I squinted to see more clearly, convinced within the dream that I had found a portal to a parallel dimension, something mankind had failed to find. Without changing my sleeping position, I began to scour the room.
To my left, I found a television on the wall. That surprised me because I did not own one. With narrowed eyes, I scanned from left to right. The room seemed empty. Then, at the edge of my vision, I caught something.
There was someone sitting right at my heel, patiently waiting for my attention. It was hard to tell what it was, or who it was. Small and coiled up, it looked like a rugged dog. The moment I realised that something sat there in utter silence, I tried to look at it. Suddenly, it pounced on me with a growl, and I woke with a start — for real this time.
Waking Up from the Dream
I found myself in the same room and the same position in which I had originally fallen asleep. It was still afternoon, and the world outside was bright. I tried to sleep again but couldn’t. That flow was broken. There was horror in the way the dog-like thing had jumped at me.
In the story my imagination made of it, the creature had realised that I was venturing into unknown, restricted territory. It seemed like a gatekeeper, there to keep a wayward stroll in check. That was the image I carried away from the dream, not something I found in the room after waking.
In a way, I was happy with my latest find. To my fantastical head, it was a newly discovered portal, perhaps a passage to a parallel universe somewhere. The problem was that it wasn’t voluntary. If I wanted to go there again, I couldn’t. And then there was that silent gatekeeper, who had not let me explore the uncanny world.
My netherworld mystery had suddenly felt tangible. In my imagination, opening my eyes between reality and dream might reveal an alternate universe, with me leading a different life. How great it would be if we could hyper-jump and lead two lives at the same time! The pleasure of that thought stayed with me alongside the fright.
Looking Back at the Parallel Universe Dream
I know the portal idea sounds far-fetched. An experience around the boundary between sleep and waking is a more grounded possibility, although this remembered account cannot establish exactly what happened. Calling the creature a “sleep paralysis demon” describes the frightening image in the story; it does not establish that a creature was present.
The NHS guide to sleep paralysis describes feeling awake but unable to move or speak while falling asleep or waking. It can also involve the sense that someone is in the room. That offers relevant context for experiences around sleep, without diagnosing this particular dream. The guide also explains when recurring episodes warrant a conversation with a GP.
But the fiction a mind inadvertently carves is too gorgeous to overlook. I still enjoy my juvenile portal theory as a way of telling the story. I revisited what felt like that netherworld in dreams three more times afterwards. Those accounts belong in The Dream Book, where I keep these strange leaflets from the edge of sleep.
For another unsettling account of a presence around sleep, read Uplifted in the Night. The details differ, but the feeling of trying to make sense of a frightening awakening connects the stories.
Hi, I just woke up from a very deep sleep that I hadnt experience in a while and I swear, I was just in the parallel universe. I woke up gasping for air with tears in my eyes and I felt so scared. I never felt THIS scared from a dream before. It just felt so real. I cant remember the entire thing from my dream, and I kindof dont want to. The memories alone were enough to make me frightend. The people I know in this world were all there, but theyre different. I just knew from the start that I was dreaming and that I am not from their world. I encountered families and friends who are very close to me in real life but barely knows me there. The last thing I remember before I woke up was that my boyfriend (who was only a stranger that i met in my dream), all bloodied and tired, asked me about this world I came from and if we’re together in this (reality) world. I told him, yes we are. And he smiled at me and said that he’s glad that somewhere, in some universe, that we’re together. And then I woke up.
I dont know if this makes sense but I’m still from the aftermath of that dream and I dont wanna remember it again. But hell, I know it’s a parallel universe.
Thank you for sharing your story Samantha. So peculiar! This is a perfect paragon of the existence of an alternate reality.
I just had it right now, for maybe the 20th something time, parallel universe, woke up in same position, same way I went to sleep, but I instantly know when I am in another world, I can pinpoint exactly where the demon is in my room, I can’t open my eyes or he’ll take me to his world forever leaving me behind, he is talking to me, telling me things, then puts me in a rollercoaster through my own apartment to my brother to my door knob to my mom, then I can feel when I can pull myself out of it, to scary, it always happens when I sleep in my room in the complete dark, my father passed away in this room 3 years ago, I don’t know if the evil just lingers here because of his death or because there is a evil around me I am not aware of, I follow god thoroughly but this seems a sign of me not being a good follower and not being protected by gods spiritual grace, smh.
I am sorry to hear about this. Hope you are fine James. There are tons of exorcism types. If you don’t find a solution please let me know.
I just had to reply! i had the same exact experience. The world was the same and so were the people it was the like the souls like my mom for example was different and negative and said and did things she wouldn’t ever. I felt like i was fighting myself and thoughts I wouldn’t think of. When i woke up i was struggling to leave like my body was asleep still and i had a rush of emotions like i forgot most of the dream when i woke but i felt it all still. I felt like i was trying to escape that reality and wake myself up. I felt a heavy feeling on my chest and i was struggling to open my eyes and focus my consciousness on waking up. I felt like a dark energy was trying to keep me there. I felt like it was my soul that went into a parallel universe dimension of my own and it was accidental. It freaked me out because it felt all too real. Everyone and everything was the exact same but like entirely different energy.
I have had similar dream experiences and agree with you that it is some sort of gateway to another parelallet universe. Stephan Hawkins last paper before passing away suggests that the “big bang theory” has happened many times suggesting that they’re are other parallel dimensions to ours. I believe some people like yourself and me and many other have some sort of gift that while we are asleep our “subconscious mind” while sleeping is able to go into some sort of other dimension that is unexplainable. I have spoken to psychologists and doctors about these dreams of other dimensions and have been told I’m crazy. I know myself and you are not crazy and that our mind achieves while sleeping to go into some other universe.
Thank you Michael. Glad we are on the same page.
Michael, you might be interested in Robert A. Monroe’s *Journeys out of the Body and subsequent books. He was a normal, rational, and successful media executive and creator/producer in his 50s when he started spontaneously leaving his body during sleep. After his doctor and a psychiatrist friend assured him that he was fine, he started exploring the territory. He wound up writing three books and founding an institute for the experiential study of these experiences and teaching of this skill. Those who tell you you’re crazy just don’t know the territory, like someone who thinks China or France must be imaginary because they seem so strange. Good luck!
First off great article about this strange and often terrifying experience. I wrote a guide for those like myself who have had sleep paralysis and wanted to stop it. I hope that you would be willing to share it with your readers. https://taileaters.com/stop-sleep-paralysis/ Thanks!
Thank you Lee Adams for sharing this. Hope it helps the concerned.
I experienced sleep paralysis from puberty to my mid 30s so regularly that I slept with a rosary. In my experiences, the room I was in remained the same, but the “hallucinations” differed. Back then, there was no internet, and no one knew what sleep paralysis was, not even any doctor I talked to about it. One of them thought I was reliving childhood sexual abuse.
While I understand the physical reason for the condition, I don’t understand why so many people envision the same things – beings, human shapes, all with evil intent, when experiencing sleep paralysis. My experiences were terrifying, full of human like creatures, both male and female, that without a doubt meant me harm…the physical sensations were as real as real life. There was a sexual component to them at times…and my only escape was forcing myself to fully awake. I’ve always wondered if being in that state of mind where sleep paralysis occurs might somehow open one up to other dimensions or universes.
Thanks Geslina. Yes, that’s one question that eludes us all.
Hi,
I must say that this is my torment, at least once a week , I awake in my room but I don’t recognize it. Still I know is the same room but Ifeel that things are just missing on it. And I awake almost in panic, most of the time searching for pets or people that don’t live there with me in real life. Sometimes I awake afraid because I don’t see my dog, but I have none in real life, yet in my half awake state I am so sad and afraid because my pet is gone. Sometimes I awake afraid that I awake and the house is so quiet, Where are all my children (at least three of them are gone); but in real life I have two and they don’t leave at home with me. I awake and see details gone from my room. There are things, details that make me feel uncomfortable when I awake and I don’t recognize my own room even when I know that it is actually my room. I don’t have any mental issue, I live a normal life and work as a teacher, but still, once or twice a week I awake in panic because I have the awful feeling that I just jumped into a parallel Universe. It has become so frecuent that, one morning I awoke, and my partner wasn’t beside me, and I was in despair , I trew myself downstairs shaouting his name, I coudn’t find him and I was telling myself “I knew it, I knew this shit was going to happen for real, I am not in my normal universe, I am in the parallel universe. He was smoking in the garden and it was such a relieve to see him there. Why? Why do I keep dreaming this shit? I am really tired of this.
I don’t think other people dream such things.
Mary
Thank you Mary for sharing your experience. Unsettling!
– Scottshak
I just experienced this 15-20 min ago . I true,y believe your theory , it was a alternate reality . Kind of horrific when I realized that it’s dream and I am trapped . It was the same room where I slept , I knew what was going on as it has happened couple of times before . I knew all my efforts of waking up will go in vain . I tried to hurt myself thinking the pain might help me get back . I told my family member in the dream that I am trapped and to help me get back . I remember especially that when I realized it’s a dream I am in , I noted the color of bedsheet as blue just as a reference to know where could I possibly be .Its a bedsheet which we definitely own but in reality there was a red bedsheet on which I was . In my dream , I tried falling of the bed too , it was probably a very low gravity region as it took me 20-30 seconds falling through the bed and impact on ground . I really want to figure out what’s going on . Currently , I just know it’s access to a parallel universe , but how did I get it ? Why don’t I get it everytime I sleep ?
Thank you for sharing your experience. It indeed is a mystery, my friend. I have come to believe it happens because of irregular sleeping habits. I used to sleep a lot during the daytime, at irregular intervals, push myself to the limit while working at night and then catch a quick nap in the afternoon. That’s when it used to happen. You just have to be conscious at such times that you are dreaming, and try to open your eyes voluntarily. The world could be a figment of your imagination, or it could be a parallel universe. We can only wonder and share experiences to study its definite pattern.
Meanwhile, you can check out other such accounts of sleep paralysis and alternate universes that we have on our site. We hope to garner all such weird accounts with hopes to hunt down an answer. Here’s the link for the same: http://thedarkestblog.com/category/the-dream-book/
I had this dream that I was so cocksure when I woke up it was a parallel universe that I actually had to google it up.
In this dream, I had 2 of my friends who were kind of different but the same people. Now these friends made me join their gang, yeah they were kinda crime robbers.
In realty here I’m a banker, so I’ve never done something so stupid.
Anyways in this dream world which I’m so sure is a parallel universe, I’m also still a banker but with a history of being a criminal. Safe to say that my friends were on a wanted list.
So I picked up my phone to call my friend and warn him about leaving the country for good and starting a new life someplace else. Little did I know my calls were tracked and being listened to by the police.
After the call, someone calls me back and mentions a phrase I used when talking to my friend. Immediately he said it on the phone I knew he was the police. Knowing he heard all my secrets with my friend, I owned up and told him that I would provide any necessary information and not obstruct justice if only he would spare me the publicity because I would lose my job as a banker.
The man told me, there were no assurances on the publicity sake of what I had done and I kept on telling myself in the that reality that I wish I had a never joined a crime gang or done things differently.
With that I woke up and I knew it was a parallel universe.
The timeline of that place looks so close to my mine in the real world but just different in many ways.
Thank you Emelike. That’s an intriguing account. Maybe you made some poor life choices in that alternate reality. The good thing is you are clean here and that matters.
I grew up dreaming a parallel world.
The first dream started with a sunset. I was running the streets of our neighbourhood and a group of people where trying to catch me. My steps streched and by holding my breath like diving in water I could control my gravity and started floating away from the people, by hovering up slowly. It was the first night I was practicing flying, a new superpower I had discovered at 12 years.
These dreams occured for 10 years. In the following dreams it was always nighttime.
I didnt realise at first it was a parallel world.
In the second dream I flew to the country I had left, my parents are from different countries. I could keep track from above of all the seven borders I knew I had to cross, and two rows of Europes biggest mountains.
In the third dream other flying entities, human looking vampires with violet coloured some sort of lazer light super-power, tried to catch me, but I had developed my skills and was faster.
Few years later I entered puberty. I started to frequently run away flying chased by these vampire type of other entities and developed an other skill, an orange hot fire ball that I could make with my palms and direct to these vampire creatures.
Sometimes I was fighting the skies all night with those frightening creatures and everything felt as real as my normal life. In some nights the creatures tried to seduce me with a very powerfull sexual magnetism but I remember fighting it and knowing that mating with these creatures would oblige me to change and join them and slave them. Around my twenties in my life I fell in love with someone and this is where we both got confirmed my dreams where not simply strange dreams that had continued and followed me untill I was a young adult, but truly a parallel world. We where spending the night together and slept next to each other.
I had a dream that night, where I flew right outside of his window, he was standing at the edge of the window and I was holding his hand and encouriging him to take a step, since my power would hold him in air. He took that step and hovered standing still, holding my hand. I clearly remember that room from the window view, it was the fourth floor. In that dream I took him for a flight with me. Luckily I had already told him about my strange dreams before this night. We woke up in the morning and he told me he had a dream where I flew outside that window, and pointed the window, (here I started smiling and I told him I had the same dream) and I had asked him to take a step to fly with me, so he told me all of it thrilled and it also changed him quite a lot. He was suddenly happy and full of energy, also he believed now in himself, before he had been depressed. I was also relieved, finally I had a confirmation to a question hat had kept me busy. While other students where focusing at school, I had been busy thinking about the other world. It affected me a lot and I knew allready at 12 years there is no point in telling anyone. Even writing this here is hard for me. But I’m not afraid, I have never been and That Is The Lesson. I still want to share the last dream I had.
We where spending a friday evening at a local bar with my partner about a year later after we had the flying dream. A strange man approached us that night with a blue pale and thick white skin, very black eyes, wearing a heavy coat and a hat. Without a greeting, he asks “What is your blood type?” And grinns. My partner and I where looking at him confused. We didnt answer his question and my partner lifted his hand showing forward as a common sign between us, as “lets go, he is weird” I also felt unconfortable from his question and cold vibe. The man followed us untill the next bar. He didnt talk to us all night or try to accompany us, he was just there, at a distance, staring cold. We then at some point left home, he followed us, at the second intersection, he said “Good night” touched his hat and walked the other way. We also went home, lifting our shoulders tipsy. That night I saw my last dream. In my dream, the strange man was my big vampire opponent. We fought for hours that night in the skies of our city. At one point he stopped his blue killer-lazer, I stopped my orange light globes, he flew in front of me, to short distance, when I recognizd him in the dream, remember it still clearly. It was the same weird man that followed us the same night earlier. We then agreed with him to share the territory and live in peace in that city since we where equally powerfull and therefore balanced (? What ever that means in this world) but for me it ment a pact of pace. Maybe one day, I will have to do my duties again as paralell-Buffy.. Untill then, If anyone else has been there. I would like to know. To be honest, I miss the Other world. Haven’t been there for 8 years. Pace!
Wow, that’s a fascinating universe altogether. Thanks for sharing your experience.