Boys claim "something" bothering them (ghost or something)

[tex-mex]

 

Is it an old house? Do you know it's history?

 

This is what I was thinking too. Or what took place in that region of land (i.e. Civil War battle field area, ancient burial ground, horrific murder, etc.) according to local historians.

 

In all sincerity, it sounds like there is a poltergiest bothering the kids. I would have someone trained in exorcism or deliverance to help "cleanse" the house.

 

Any possibility that there could be something in the family line (anxiety, paranoia, mental illness, etc) to rule out as environmental factors like mold were ruled out?

[kamom]

"I claim the protection of the blood of the Lamb," and "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to leave.". These are for immediate situations only, not for long term protection. Evil spirits need to listen to Christ.

 

 

Please do not attempt to handle this yourself - and teach everyone those prayers!

I agree.

I would also recommend contacting a pastor or priest and having them pray over the house.

I would also keep Bible reading on CD going full time, in several different rooms. These bad spirits are subject to Christ and that is the name I would use. I would also make sure I have no satanic stuff in the house.

[Chris in VA]

"I claim the protection of the blood of the Lamb," and "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to leave.". These are for immediate situations only, not for long term protection. Evil spirits need to listen to Christ.

 

Our priest, studying to be an exorcist, says do not mess around with this kind of thing. Get your home blessed and anything else they (Catholic exorcists) recommend. He also said evil spirits use situations involving drug use as open doors - perhaps you had a drug user help build your house?

 

Please do not attempt to handle this yourself - and teach everyone those prayers!

 

(Bold mine)

 

I can absolutely attest to that.

 

I would get a priest and not do the sage--mixing up New Age (or, just not Christianity) and Christianity isn't a good idea. No offense to anyone, my opinion.

 

I would also, however, be assured that a priest doesn't have more authority or more intrinsic ability to cast out spirits or rebuke them. They listen to Jesus, not the person doing the praying--it's the Holy Spirit inside that is the Authority.

 

And, if I found it all to be real, I don't think I'd stay in the house--tho it would make me mad as Heck to be driven out of my own home.

 

I, for one, have stood in my driveway and told "them" to leave.us.alone, by my authority given to me as a child of God in Christ Jesus and thru the Holy Spirit.

 

And put your Armor on, too--you can pray to put the Armor of God on each kiddo also.

 

And, further, I would continue to look for natural causes.

[Cricket]

Am I the only one who will have trouble sleeping tonight?:leaving:

[meggie]

Am I the only one who will have trouble sleeping tonight?:leaving:

 

No, I'm getting scared now and it's broad daylight! The haunted house episode of Castle...I watched at night after all the kids were asleep and when DH was gone. Never again! I now watch Castle the next day during all the kids naptimes.

 

And you don't even want to hear what I did after I saw Signs in the movie theater. I'm a big baby.

[Joker]

Am I the only one who will have trouble sleeping tonight?:leaving:

 

I watched Paranormal Activity 3 this weekend and now after reading all this I will probably hear all kinds of weirdness tonight! :eek:

[DawnM]

My aunt was dying of cancer. Three days before she died she said that she saw my cousin, her mother, and her sister in law all at the foot of the bed telling her they were waiting for her.

 

Dawn

 

You guys are freaking me out.

 

 

But I believe you. I believe there is a sirirual world...so, I have to believe it.

 

A short story...2 weeks before my mom passed away, she told me she got up at night to go to the bathroom. When she got back to her bed, my dad...who was gone 7 years before was lying on her side of the bed. She told him to move over and make room for her. He did. She told me about it the next day. She got sick the following week...and was gone and next to my dad one week later.

 

I believe she just wanted to be with him and he came to get her.

 

Faithe

[MamaSheep]

Some other things to look into are hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations, which are a type of sleep disorder. From your description it sounds like the events mostly happen when the child is trying to fall asleep, and immediately after waking (or being woken). That's pretty classic for these kinds of hallucinations, which can also sometimes be accompanied by "sleep paralysis" in which the person is unable to move. Your brain sort of 'disconnects' movement for your body while you sleep, for the most part, so that you don't wander off, and in sleep paralysis this lingers a little after waking--which can evidently be very frightening, especially if the person is also having visual and/or auditory hallucinations. I also gather these things can run in families, which could explain two children having the experience. At any rate, it's something to look into. Here's an article:

 

http://www.sleepassociation.org/index.php?p=hallucinationsduringsleep

[starwarsmomma]

Am I the only one who will have trouble sleeping tonight?:leaving:

 

 

LOL

 

No, I am totally peaceful. I have the blood of Jesus protecting my family. My kids are young and do not understand that protection yet. So they're an easier "target" to frighten. And frightening people is a effective way to distract a person from their relationship with God.

 

Do I think my house is haunted? No.

 

Do I think that there is some demonic spirit causing trouble? Absolutely. Hubby and I have had some scary stuff happen to us also-- usually when praying for someone who they want to keep ahold of.

 

Are they living here? No. I think they are getting in, causing chaos, then leaving like cowards.

 

God is stronger than them, and me staying calm is going to help my kids.

 

Hubby and I are calm and ok. We are going to definately spend the night in their rooms. I want to see/hear/feel what they are experiencing.

 

I will debunk what I can, and deal with the rest. I will definately do prayer and annointing. Considering fasting and prayer too. My neighbor (catholic) and I are talking about what we can do together, since we hare having similar experiences.

 

 

 

 

Now, about that paranormal activity-- that is freaky stuff! I cannot even watch the commercials! Hollywood is way too good at making things scary! No, nothing like that in our home. (THANK GOD!)

 

 

About the property. We live on a tiny lot. Behind us, is a cattle ranch. Literally cows come up into our driveway. LOL We've had goats break into our backyard. :D:D This whole subdivision used to be part of the cattle ranch. The same family has owned this land for well over 125 years. Before that it was used by american indians, and at one time the land was part of a cattle train trail. There used to be a saloon/dance hall/gambling house about 1-2 miles away. I've seen pictures, seemed to be quite a party place! LOL

 

 

I really don't feel threatened. My kids are spooked, and we are dealing with it.

 

It's trying to explain that there ARE evil spirits without freaking them out that's difficult. (especially with those freaky paranormal commercials on tv ALLL the time!). The Bible talks about evil spirits. But the Bible is also very clear about them not being allowed to mess with God's people.

 

Thanks for the advice. I needed a sounding board, make sure I was going the right direction to deal with this.

[TracyR]

Call your local Catholic parish and make an appointment to speak with the priest. Tell him what is going on and ask if he can bless the house. Also if you think it is needed each diocese has a priest trained in exorcism.

 

It isn't something to attempt to do on your own. You could possibly make it much much worse.

 

Absolutely. I would call on the experts in this area and that would be a Catholic priest. I would NOT attempt it all on my own. Regardless of your relgious affiliation. With the the ghost stories I watch on cable , doing it yourself can make it MUCH worse.

 

I would check the house too to be sure that something medically isn't going on too.

Maybe set up a video camera to see if you can pick something up during the evening too. Cameras supposedly pick up 'ghosts'.

[Teachin'Mine]

Call your local Catholic parish and make an appointment to speak with the priest. Tell him what is going on and ask if he can bless the house. Also if you think it is needed each diocese has a priest trained in exorcism.

 

It isn't something to attempt to do on your own. You could possibly make it much much worse.

 

:iagree: This is exactly what I was thinking too. I doubt any of this is their imagination. :grouphug:

[MrsBasil]

Some other things to look into are hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations, which are a type of sleep disorder. From your description it sounds like the events mostly happen when the child is trying to fall asleep, and immediately after waking (or being woken). That's pretty classic for these kinds of hallucinations, which can also sometimes be accompanied by "sleep paralysis" in which the person is unable to move. Your brain sort of 'disconnects' movement for your body while you sleep, for the most part, so that you don't wander off, and in sleep paralysis this lingers a little after waking--which can evidently be very frightening, especially if the person is also having visual and/or auditory hallucinations. I also gather these things can run in families, which could explain two children having the experience. At any rate, it's something to look into. Here's an article:

 

http://www.sleepassociation.org/index.php?p=hallucinationsduringsleep

 

I've had a few instances of sleep paralysis as an adult, accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations. Shadows standing around my bed, unintelligible noise, buzzing, and I couldn't move or scream even though in my mind I was trying so hard.

 

It was terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.

 

:grouphug:

[Singingmom]

LOL

 

No, I am totally peaceful. I have the blood of Jesus protecting my family. My kids are young and do not understand that protection yet. So they're an easier "target" to frighten. And frightening people is a effective way to distract a person from their relationship with God.

 

Do I think my house is haunted? No.

 

Do I think that there is some demonic spirit causing trouble? Absolutely. Hubby and I have had some scary stuff happen to us also-- usually when praying for someone who they want to keep ahold of.

 

Are they living here? No. I think they are getting in, causing chaos, then leaving like cowards.

 

God is stronger than them, and me staying calm is going to help my kids.

 

Hubby and I are calm and ok. We are going to definately spend the night in their rooms. I want to see/hear/feel what they are experiencing.

 

I will debunk what I can, and deal with the rest. I will definately do prayer and annointing. Considering fasting and prayer too. My neighbor (catholic) and I are talking about what we can do together, since we hare having similar experiences.

 

 

 

 

Now, about that paranormal activity-- that is freaky stuff! I cannot even watch the commercials! Hollywood is way too good at making things scary! No, nothing like that in our home. (THANK GOD!)

 

 

About the property. We live on a tiny lot. Behind us, is a cattle ranch. Literally cows come up into our driveway. LOL We've had goats break into our backyard. :D:D This whole subdivision used to be part of the cattle ranch. The same family has owned this land for well over 125 years. Before that it was used by american indians, and at one time the land was part of a cattle train trail. There used to be a saloon/dance hall/gambling house about 1-2 miles away. I've seen pictures, seemed to be quite a party place! LOL

 

 

I really don't feel threatened. My kids are spooked, and we are dealing with it.

 

It's trying to explain that there ARE evil spirits without freaking them out that's difficult. (especially with those freaky paranormal commercials on tv ALLL the time!). The Bible talks about evil spirits. But the Bible is also very clear about them not being allowed to mess with God's people.

 

Thanks for the advice. I needed a sounding board, make sure I was going the right direction to deal with this.

 

I am glad to hear that you are not fearful of these spirits. The Bible says that " Greater is He that is in you" . And that he has given you, through faith in His shed blood, authority over the evil one. Just take your authority, and command them to leave in the name of Jesus. If Christ lives inside of you, and you take authority, they must leave. They are trespassing. It does sound like there have been "openings" for demon spirits to take up residence in or around your property in the past because of sinful behavior that occurred . But as long as there is not ongoing "doors" being opened because of things like: worship of false gods/ occult involvement, drug use, sexual sin, violence, they have no

right to stay there now.

I have dealt with similar things in the past, and was very afraid as a child ( who was not believed at first, until my parents began seeing and hearing the same things) . Because of that, I am on alert for my children, because I want them never to have to go through what I did. It was unnecessary, as I could have, even as a child, learned about my authority in Christ.

[Jyniffrec]

You might also have your Catholic friend show you how to make the sign of the cross. This can be very effective at driving away spirits.

[Birdwinglips]

Just know that I have (and am pretty sure others have too) been praying for you and your family since reading your original post!!

[tex-mex]

OP,

Sounds like you know what you are up against. One last tidbit to share. There are Child Psychologists who theorize that children are more "open" to the spiritual realm. After a certain age, that stops and the "door" to that realm is cut off. Freud would say that the line between reality and fantasy (i.e. magical thinking) is blurred at that age.

 

It is also in my opinion the ripe time for a spirit to wreck havoc with children. My family were not Christian but practiced in other arts. I recall having been assigned a "friend" at a young age whom would communicate with me about many things. That familiar spirit opened up a lot of doors that was not healthy for a young child. I grew up knowing too much about the spiritual realm.

 

Ironically, when a college student, and first introduced to the Gospel and baptism of the Holy Spirit... it made perfect sense to me. If there was so much darkness (that I had experienced) surely there would be a "light" in the midst offering relief. Indeed there was. It took a long time to get rid of a lot of my spiritual baggage and hubby is well trained as a minister to deal with this area, thanks to his young wife. ;) But sharing this to have you deal with the matter on a serious note. Whatever is going on has no authority to harass your children nightly. It has no authority in Jesus' Name to be there, period. Stand your ground.

[Ester Maria]

Sleep paralysis is one option for sure. It is a LOT more common that you might think.

 

Some electromagnetic waves on some frequences can affect the brain in similar ways, they generate some sort of a feeling of "presence". My daughter was watching some documentaries on brain in general and there was some story she told me of a girl who had those creepy feelings of "presence" until they figured out it was 'coming' from a radio alarm clock or something like that? Not sure what exactly, but definitely something very normal and Earthy, even though it creeped everybody out initially.

 

Next - and I do ask this gently - have your kids been known to use any kind of "substances" or medications which might affect them that way? I would not rule it out. Something as 'innocuous' as melatonin does weird things to me, for example, so there might be some triggers for them too. Scary, but completely biochemical at its essence.

 

Try sleeping in their room for a few nights.

 

(Personally, I have never had experiences with anything which turned out supernatural and may it stay that way. :D )

[Singingmom]

I just wanted to add that I learned about my authority in Christ as a teenager through studying the Word of God, and developing a close personal relationship with Him. I did not have any "professional clergy" helping me. There is nothing wrong with other believers praying through your house with you, but there is nothing more special about a priest or pastor than a child who has Christ living on the inside of Him. Any believer has the same authority, because it is the same Jesus living on the inside of us. It will be such an important spiritual lesson for your boys to learn. God can use this for good to open their eyes to the spiritual reality around them, and the power of Christ resident on the inside of them ( if they are believers) .

[Shellers]

My aunt was dying of cancer. Three days before she died she said that she saw my cousin, her mother, and her sister in law all at the foot of the bed telling her they were waiting for her.

 

Dawn

 

Right before my Grandpa died he saw his mother at the foot of his bed. He was calling to her.

[BatmansWife]

Scary stuff. I would definitely not let the kids sleep in their rooms alone; I wouldn't even want them sleeping in there together.

 

Do you garage sale shop or second hand shop? You don't know where those things have come from (although, I still garage sale shop and second hand shop...unless there is a ouija board there, or anything obviously weird, then I leave & don't buy anything).

 

How about Mardi Gras beads? I knew a little girl who would tell her mom that "Satan graggled" her at night (graggled meant putting hands on her throat). The only thing the mom could find that was new in the house were Mardi Gras beads. She threw them out and the graggling stopped.

 

But, by now it's probably going to be hard to find any item like this because it's been going on for over a year. I doubt you're going to remember what things you brought into the house around the time this started.

 

I know you are a different religion than me, but my number 1 advice is to call on the name of Jehovah. Satan and his demons are afraid of Jehovah and they flee from him. Call his name out loud and pray to him, through Jesus. Even if you don't believe in Jehovah, it can't hurt to call out his name. Proverbs 18:10 says, "The name of Jehovah is a strong tower. Into it the righteous runs and is given protection."

[Laura in MI]

Call your local Catholic parish and make an appointment to speak with the priest. Tell him what is going on and ask if he can bless the house. Also if you think it is needed each diocese has a priest trained in exorcism. It isn't something to attempt to do on your own. You could possibly make it much much worse.

 

Do some history on the land this street was built on. What's up with the area? Any native ties? Battles?

 

:iagree: I believe everything you're saying, Praying for your family! :grouphug:

[TranquilMind]

(we are Christian)-- We have prayed over the entire home, told the "things" to leave, we annointed the entire home in oil, put better lighting in his room (thinking the shadows might have been the bad lighting in the room), put "happy" posters of puppies in his room, keep a Bible on his headboard (that he regularly reads), painted and carpeted the room, even changed out the blinds to a less creepy set.

 

Ever since the latest annointing with oil, things have improved, but once in a while he still mentions the problem.

 

 

NOW... my 12 year old son is saying "they're" bothering him too. He says they've been bothering him for a few months, but he was afraid to say anything. Says that he doesn't even want to go into his room during the daytime anymore. Actually asked to sleep in our room lastnight-- after coming into our room 4 times with noise complaints. He hasn't asked to sleep in our room since he was about 7. He's always slept alone and never minded, at all... Now he's afraid of his room too!

 

Third son is pretty oblivious. He doesn't feel or see any problems, except when he is in the other two rooms... then he says he feels creeped out sometimes, like something is watching him...

 

Hubby and I don't really feel creeped out anywhere in the house. The dog isn't afraid of any areas either, but she rarely goes into their rooms because she's almost blind and there's always stuff on the floor that she gets hurt on.

 

We are the only owners of this house-- 13 years now. No wigi boards (sp?), no seances (sp?), nothing that I can think of that would invite anything bad.

 

 

Ok, so I need peace in my house. And I need my kids to want to sleep in their rooms again. And I need whatever it is-- real or imagination-- to go away, forever.

 

My 12 year old wants to talk to me to tell him how to make this GO AWAY, and I have no clue.

 

I don't think you are crazy at all, and would be quite concerned if my three kids were all mentioning this. I would do the things you mentioned repeatedly until you see results. Jesus did say that sometimes some things only come out with fasting and prayer too, not just "casting out" alone. Unlike some others here, I believe if you have the Holy Spirit, you've got the goods and it is not necessary - but sometimes quite helpful - to go to your Pastor or another spiritually strong individual with understanding of spiritual things.

 

What has your pastor said? If you don't have one, call one who actually understands this stuff and how real it can be, and see what he suggests.

 

I'd also examine any other possible avenues, whether scary movies the kids might be watching, if not at your house, maybe someone else's or any other possible exposures that may be making things worse or scaring the kdis Exposures to troubling things could definitely be at other people's houses, not just your own.

[TranquilMind]

Have you tried burning sage?

I am curious. What would burning sage do? Never heard of this in conjunction with scary things going on.

[ravinlunachick]

Some other things to look into are hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations, which are a type of sleep disorder. From your description it sounds like the events mostly happen when the child is trying to fall asleep, and immediately after waking (or being woken). That's pretty classic for these kinds of hallucinations, which can also sometimes be accompanied by "sleep paralysis" in which the person is unable to move. Your brain sort of 'disconnects' movement for your body while you sleep, for the most part, so that you don't wander off, and in sleep paralysis this lingers a little after waking--which can evidently be very frightening, especially if the person is also having visual and/or auditory hallucinations. I also gather these things can run in families, which could explain two children having the experience. At any rate, it's something to look into. Here's an article:

 

http://www.sleepassociation.org/index.php?p=hallucinationsduringsleep

 

I have experienced this as a child, and it was indeed TERRIFYING. Also, having had two of my kids experience night terrors on a regular basis, I am convinced that our reptilian brains like to screw with us at times. They just are NOT supposed to be in charge of things! :lol:

[TranquilMind]

 

I did have an interesting conversation with the neighbor. Seems his daughter has been having identical things happen. She's 5. Two doors down from me. Our kids really don't play together because of the age difference.

 

Kinda freaky.

 

Hmmm. That is very strange.

[TranquilMind]

If your neighbor's child is having similiar problems, do you know the history of the land your house(and the rest of the neighborhood) is built on? I would be looking for someone with more expertise who you are comfortable with.

That was my thought exactly.

[TranquilMind]

I have a niece who has always seen spirits. When I was talking about this to an elder of my church, she said she, too has this gift.

She explained that the distiguishing of spirits is a spiritual gift (1 Cor 12:8-10).

 

This can be as simple as feeling things to be off in a person or as complicated as seeing and hearing spirits. If you move, they will follow. (they always followed DN)

 

She (niece) was always taught to not believe in these things and felt that she was "wrong" or "tainted" She turned away from God until I could get my elder to talk to her. There are ways to "tame" this gift and ways to protect the individual.

My Elder cleanses her house with oil and prayer regularly, she demands in the name of Jesus all spirits leave and puts oil all around the house and perimeter of the yard. Over every entry (doors and windows) (Even the pet door has an oil cross over it). She does a lot of spiritual teaching and has numerous people in her house so she cleanses her house frequently.

 

I cannot say I do or do not think you have spirits, I do know the damage that was done to my niece as a result of noone believing her and helping her to understand what was happening.

 

Lara

Discerning of spirits is not the same as seeing demons and being fearful. The former is a gift, and is not at all visual for most people. They simply pick up on the evil vibe behind something, though there may be very visual sorts who might actually see things, yet they will feel no fear. It is simply instructive for them to share with someone.

[bjrieb]

I can not believe all these posts "call a priest!"

 

Do you even have a relationship with your local priest?

 

The catholic church is not the Orkin Man for your child's nightmares and Bogeymen.

 

wow....that is not how I look at any Priest or Pastor...they are usually VERY willing to help in any way. If the Priest didn't want to help I'm sure he would say so. Since when does a church send people a way? Then again...I'm Christian. Is that how Catholic churches work? I'm shocked if they do. Others have posted that they got help from a Priest that was very willing to work with them. I'm sorry this post just struck me wrong.

[Ohdanigirl]

I did not say the priest would send anyone away.

 

 

I am appalled at the idea that someone would make use of a priest like the Church is an a extermination service for their superstitions.

 

I have no experience in the area, nor do I wish to. I also cannot say what exactly the op is dealing with, and whether or not it is as a result of something physical (mold), mental, or super natural, but it sounds like their dc are pretty scared. People have mentioned calling a priest, because a priest is likely to have better knowledge in the area. Maybe they can calm their fears, and even find that it is just nightmares.

 

I don't see why this would be apalling to you. If I do not know about something, then I find it smart to learn from

those that do.

 

 

Danielle

[Mergath]

I can not believe all these posts "call a priest!"

 

Do you even have a relationship with your local priest?

 

The catholic church is not the Orkin Man for your child's nightmares and Bogeymen.

 

:lol: Maybe not appropriate, but that made me lol.

 

I still say that, all physical causes having been ruled out, the best thing to do is to teach them not to fear the spiritual in the first place, but I guess I'm a minority where so many people think that Harry Potter can conjure Satan. :tongue_smilie:

[cin]

:iagree:

 

 

Meanwhile, I don't know how you ladies who have actually seen things (glowing eyes!!) have survived. I'm about certain my heart would stop.

 

I'd be replacing the carpet in that room :001_huh:

[Penny_P]

Oh, my goodness. This hits a little close to home, but not on such an intense scary level.

 

We moved into our house just over two years ago, remodeled, and made my daughter's room from just an extra room into a beautiful attic-style little girls room. And, that's where the problem was/is. After a few months she wouldn't sleep in there and ever since moved onto her brother's upper bunk. And, you know what? The room IS creepy, especially at night. We don't go in there. Even my dh finally admitted it was a little weird. We NEVER experienced anything real, just a general creepy feeling in the doorway to her closet. The closet that WE had added durning the remodel! We did NOT discuss this with the children, as we didn't want to scare them, and were concerned that we were a little goofy ourselves. About 6 months ago we had the house blessed by our parish priest and explained the situation. Although not an exorcist, he spent an extra long time in the room. He stated that he felt a presense himself. He didn't believe it to be demonic in nature...perhaps a lost soul. For a long time the house felt cleaner, but dd still won't sleep in there, and I do feel like the creepy feeling is back, if not quite to the same degree. The priest stated to call again, if we did feel like we needed an exorcist. His advice was to own the room- to pray often, to hang a cross, to use the room. He did not suggest forcing her to sleep in there. Gosh, I don't even want too. At night the creepy feeling feels like it leaks out the door.

 

Frankly, after your experience, I would consider moving. I'd like to and our experience isn't nearly as bad. Call a priest. Seriously. Don't make your ds sleep there.

 

Also, in my research, I read that carbon monoxide can cause creeped out feelings. You may test your room for that. Detectors are fairly cheep if you don't already have one in a garage.

 

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

[MamaSheep]

I have experienced this as a child, and it was indeed TERRIFYING. Also, having had two of my kids experience night terrors on a regular basis, I am convinced that our reptilian brains like to screw with us at times. They just are NOT supposed to be in charge of things! :lol:

 

Oh ds used to have night terrors when he was little. Those were scary things to behold. I'd be sitting there holding him while he tried desperately to brush the bugs off (or whatever it was at the time) and screaming for me to please come help him, come save him, come find him, and he would have his eyes open and be looking right at me and still not know I was there. But fortunately he never remembered them when he woke up, so I think they were harder on me than on him.

 

I've had a few instances of sleep paralysis as an adult, accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations. Shadows standing around my bed, unintelligible noise, buzzing, and I couldn't move or scream even though in my mind I was trying so hard.

 

It was terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.

 

:grouphug:

 

My sister and I both have hypnopompic hallucinations occasionally, which is how I know about them. We've had interesting discussions about similarities and differences. If I remember correctly (it's been a while since we talked about it), for example, people standing around watching and things hanging from the ceiling are common themes for both of us. Also spiders and bugs. She has occasionally had auditory components to hers, like whispering, whereas I never have, but I have had tactile components, like feeling a hanging ribbon brush my face. Other differences are that she's had the paralysis and I haven't, and she sees them clearly even without her glasses (which is how she can tell they're hallucinations) whereas my brain evidently is as blind as my eyeballs and my hallucinations are as blurred as everything else (I've been known to poke them with my finger to make sure they aren't real; dh asks me what I would do if I poked a guy standing by the bed and it turned out I wasn't hallucinating...lol). The things can definitely be frightening, especially if you don't know that's what they are. The images seem very real and you are awake and KNOW you are awake. It's not the same thing as a dream, and when they end it doesn't feel at all the same as 'waking up'. For me it feels kind of like I've been staring at one of those computer-generated "3D" pictures where you have to kind of focus your eyes strangely to see the image--and then my eyes have focused back on the paper and I can't see the 3D image anymore, just the squiggles.

 

If you can get past being startled or frightened by them it's kind of an interesting show, sometimes, for the few minutes it lasts For me, though, the images are not usually menacing. Most of the people I see seem to just be observing, or waiting for something, but now and then they appear to be guarding the house, and there have been a few occasions on which I did feel menaced by them. I'm sometimes creeped out by a giant spider on the ceiling (or worse, on my comforter), and once I was sure for just an instant that I was going to bump my head on the huge stalactite hanging over the bed, until reflex gave way to logic, which told me that there was no way a stalactite could have appeared on the ceiling overnight. The ribbons and flowers hanging from the ceiling were kind of pretty, though. One of the first ones I remember from childhood was an old lady with white hair wearing an old-fashioned nightgown and sitting on the end of the queen sized bed my sisters shared. She was looking at them, but when I woke up she looked at me and smiled before she disappeared. I had a very safe, comforted feeling and thought it might be a great-grandmother or someone checking in on us. But I also remember waking up sure there was a scary "thing" under the bed or lurking in the closet and being afraid to breathe lest it hear me, too. More than once.

 

I dunno...I don't completely discount the idea of seeing spirits, benign or otherwise. There was one night a few months ago when I jolted awake in the middle of the night and "saw" something lurking in the shadows, and it seemed like the shadows in that part of the room were darker than they should be, the air felt dense and kind of oppressive, and I had the most hideous feeling of dread. Really, my skin was just crawling. It still makes me shudder to think about it. Sometimes with the scary ones I do what I was taught as a little girl (you know, 'just in case it's real') and command it to leave in the name of Christ. It always makes the thing go away, whether that's because it IS some real thing, or because going through that little performance makes my mind feel better I'm not quite sure, I just know it works. I did that this time, and told it to leave and stay away from me; the thing went away, the room got lighter, the air went back to normal, and I settled back down in bed and rolled over to go back to sleep. And this is where it gets weird. It was only moments later that I heard my daughter start to scream. I ran in there to see what the problem was and she was huddled up against the wall, crying and screaming. She said she got woken up by a nightmare, but the nightmare kept going after she was awake and there was something on the floor that made her too scared to get out of bed and come get me (which is what she usually does if she has a bad dream). It was dark and wanted to hurt her. She said it went away when I came. So I held her and rocked her and we said a prayer together, and after a little while she settled down and went back to sleep. And I went out in the hallway and told the thing that it had better stay away from my family too. (It made me feel better, if nothing else.) So I don't know, maybe it was just weird timing, but it seems a little far-fetched that she and I would both hallucinate the same hallucination on the same night one right after the other. Anyway, the point being I do believe in spirits and I don't totally discount the idea that they can sometimes be seen. I am honestly not sure where the line between "hypnopompic hallucinations" and "gee, that might actually be a spirit" might be. I do know that I've seen lots of them, whatever they may be, and none of them have ever hurt me, not even the ones that seemed as if they wanted to. I'm sure it would be much more frightening if I couldn't roll over and poke the stubborn ones to make them go away, and I'm glad I've never had the sleep paralysis.

 

But anyway, the scientific explanation for this sort of thing is hypnopompic and hypnogogic hallucinations, and if a child is seeing stuff that's not physically there before or after sleeping, I thought a parent might like to know about it and do a little research. I know there are times I find it comforting to tell myself that that thing over there in the corner isn't real, it's just a hallucination.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

oh man.....I've had episodes of sleep paralysis and night terrors they are very scary--I agree that you should have the house cleansed/blessed ....either by a priest or other spiritualist.......kiddo talked about things like that for a while but I found out he was watching ghost adventure stuff and I think he got scared from that.....good luck :grouphug: if that didn't work I would have to move.....

Edited January 30, 2012 by SweetMissMagnolia

[SweetMissMagnolia]

from what I understand,sage clears negative energy--alot of spiritual groups use it-even native americans.....

[ravinlunachick]

MamaSheep, night terrors are most definitely more terrifying to the parent than the child. We endured a solid year of them with ds. Nightly. It's a wonder we didn't start having them ourselves, we were so sleep deprived. Interestingly, that's also the year in which he "slipped away" into autism, so to speak. It was a dark time for us, but things have gotten progressively better since then.

 

OP, what about secretly putting a camera into your ds's room? If you don't tell him, you will get a chance to see what is really happening without him unduly influencing anything.

[ravinlunachick]

from what I understand,sage clears negative energy--alot of spiritual groups use it-even native americans.....

 

It smells like pot (marijuana) though. A friend of mine who is a chiropractor was appalled to come back from a long weekend to find that his massage therapist had "cleansed" the office with sage. It smelled like pot for nearly a month in there.

[Celia]

:iagree: but fear is a powerful thing. I had horrible night terrors until I was about 13. I was totally paralyzed by fear and "saw" all kinds of terrifying things (that honestly weren't there). I'd have your kids sleep together and see if things improve. Sleeping alone was awful for me. Having someone else in the room improved things 90%. It didn't eliminate all of my irrational fear but I realized that it was, in fact, all in my head.

 

:iagree: I'm religious, but don't believe in ghosts things like that. But I did when I was younger as I was taught to. There were a few movies that sparked my imagination and I slept on my parents floor until I was at least 11 or 12, always convinced that I saw fleeting shadows and ghosts.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

I have a sage bundle in the closet-haven't burned it but have thought about doing a cleansing here (not for evil spirits).....

[Teachin'Mine]

wow....that is not how I look at any Priest or Pastor...they are usually VERY willing to help in any way. If the Priest didn't want to help I'm sure he would say so. Since when does a church send people a way? Then again...I'm Christian. Is that how Catholic churches work? I'm shocked if they do. Others have posted that they got help from a Priest that was very willing to work with them. I'm sorry this post just struck me wrong.

 

I assure you that Calandalsmom is not speaking as a representative of the Catholic Church. :tongue_smilie:

 

You're absolutely right that a Catholic priest would be happy to do what he could to help. :)

[chiguirre]

oh man.....I've had episodes of sleep paralysis and night terrors they are very scary--I agree that you should have the house cleansed/blessed

 

OTOH, if you have the house cleansed, you're giving the impression that the hallucinations are real. That would have had me staying up all night clutching garlic and a crucifix when I was 12. Having the mechanisms of hypnopompic hallucinations explained would have calmed my fears much better. Even if I still had the experience, I'd know that it wasn't really threatening and it's pretty common and not something unique to me. That would have been very comforting.

 

ETA: OP I'd discuss the possible causes of these experiences with your son and see if they click with him. That might comfort him enough to get over his very real fear.

[Catwoman]

It smells like pot (marijuana) though. A friend of mine who is a chiropractor was appalled to come back from a long weekend to find that his massage therapist had "cleansed" the office with sage. It smelled like pot for nearly a month in there.

 

And that's the story he's sticking to, right?;). Yup, the age-old "it was just sage" excuse... :D

[Mommyfaithe]

And that's the story he's sticking to, right?;). Yup, the age-old "it was just sage" excuse... :D

 

Yep...uh-huh. :lol:

[woolybear]

A few months ago, we painted the house and re-carpeted. I personally went through every.single.thing in their rooms to purge the toys/junk/outgrown clothing, etc... There MIGHT be something, but I have no idea what it might be.

 

We dont' even have any harry potter movies or books, or any books on werewolves, vampires or witchcraft. Not even kids' fiction books-- my kids just don't like that stuff, and I'm good with that! LOL

 

To get a little more specific on to my oldest son's most recent description:

 

Last night, son felt like he was being watched and felt "creeped out" while trying to go to sleep. He said he prayed to God that anything Bad would be kicked out of the room and leave him alone so he could sleep. He said IMMEDIATELY after that the room felt good again. Like a big breath of fresh air. THEN, he started hearing stomping/banging noises in the attic above his bed. He got scared that his prayer getting "something" kicked out of his room made the thing mad. he was then too terrified to do anything so came to our room and slept there.

 

Hubby checked the attic lastnight and again this morning. The area above his room is nothing but insulation. there's no hard floor for something to stomp. And there is no evidence of rodents in the attic-- hubby recently had an exterminator check and they didn't find anything. (but did put poision up anyway and that poision is untouched).

 

Son and I went up to the attic again this mornig to check again. We cant figure that one out.there's no pipes, no anything above his room, or really near it. Those things are above MY room. And we didn't hear anything.

 

Trust me, we are TRYING to debunk or find any explanation for what they are experiencing.

 

 

I did not post it on the thread earlier, but one night my husband was wide awake, in bed praying and working on a Bible study that we used to email out to friends. Suddenly SOMETHING punched him in the arm and SCREAMED in his ear, "STOP IT!"

 

That same night, me, hubby and all 3 kids had the same identical dream of snakes and demonic creatures. When we talked to the kids seperatly, the descriptions of the things were identical.

 

 

So we have experienced enough on our own to believe the kids. There is probably a mixture going on here.... some real, and their imagination going wild based on what they are experiencing. I just need to sort the real from the fear. then deal with the real.

Okay, that's it. I don't want to freak you out more than you may be, but I would be OUT of there. Fast. I would find a place to stay today. And stay there until I had a permanent place to live. Really. This whole thread is completely creeping me out and I'm not sure I even want to read the rest of it. Your poor children and you too. Something bad is happening there. It may be real or not (though I'm inclined to believe it is very real) but whatever it is is too much.

[ravinlunachick]

And that's the story he's sticking to, right?;). Yup, the age-old "it was just sage" excuse... :D

 

Ha! Well, at least the chiro was innocent since he was out of the country. He said it was funny watching the recognition on certain patients' faces as they sniffed.

 

If it wasn't sage, the massage therapist must've had a heck of a party!

[ravinlunachick]

For those who think it might be an evil spirit....why wouldn't a demon just go ahead and cause serious physical harm, or manifest in a way that *couldn't* be denied? Why would something supposedly that powerful content itself with merely disturbing the sleep of a child?

 

For me, it's kind of like asking why, if Jesus wanted to make an appearance on Earth, he'd choose someone's toast or oddly-shaped potato to do so.

[FaithManor]

And that's the story he's sticking to, right?;). Yup, the age-old "it was just sage" excuse... :D

 

 

Of course, the real question is "Did the chiropractor inhale when he returned from the trip?" It's pretty hard to hold your breath for a month.

 

:D:D:D

 

Okay, seriously, to the OP...you mentioned you had an inspector in, but is that person an expert in mold. Many regular building inspectors do not know the first thing about mold in air ducts, mold inside the gypsum of wall board that hasn't yet penetrated the exterior so it is obvious, mold in air ducts, etc....you would be SHOCKED at how many inspections have failed to find black mold...the stuff is incidious and very, very dangerous.

 

I'd also want to find out if there has been any toxic waste dumping in the area, defunct now uninspected nuclear power plants, etc.

 

I think it is VERY important to find out exactly what heavy metal contaminants and chemicals all of you may have been exposed to...there are many that can be stored in the fat cells and then build up to a toxic level and cause hallucinations and delusions.

 

Faith

[woolybear]

I hope I don't remember this in the middle of the night. When I wake up to go to the bathroom (which I do a minimum of three times a night :eek:) I might not want to leave my room to go if I remember any of this. Seriously. My imagination is way too good. I can work myself into quite a tizzy.

 

I am not Christian or Catholic, but I might convert if that helped. Oh yes, I'd call a priest and anyone else I could think of. Then I'd take the kids and go stay at my parents' house till it was resolved. Or move.

[Parrothead]

I can not believe all these posts "call a priest!"

 

Do you even have a relationship with your local priest?

 

The catholic church is not the Orkin Man for your child's nightmares and Bogeymen.

No it doesn't work that way.

 

One does not have to have a previous relationship with one's local parish personnel to call and speak to someone and get advice or assistance.

 

The reason so many people have suggested a priest is because they are actually trained to deal with the type situation the OP described.

 

wow....that is not how I look at any Priest or Pastor...they are usually VERY willing to help in any way. If the Priest didn't want to help I'm sure he would say so. Since when does a church send people a way? Then again...I'm Christian. Is that how Catholic churches work? I'm shocked if they do. Others have posted that they got help from a Priest that was very willing to work with them. I'm sorry this post just struck me wrong.

No, it most definitely is not!

 

Catholics take the existence of evil very seriously. One of our most famous prayers (The prayer to St. Michael the Archangel) asks for protection,

...cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,

who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

[Parrothead]

For those who think it might be an evil spirit....why wouldn't a demon just go ahead and cause serious physical harm, or manifest in a way that *couldn't* be denied? Why would something supposedly that powerful content itself with merely disturbing the sleep of a child?

 

For me, it's kind of like asking why, if Jesus wanted to make an appearance on Earth, he'd choose someone's toast or oddly-shaped potato to do so.

The way I understand it (and I may be wrong. I've not looked into it much), a demon (evil spirit), while it can harass God's children, can't cause physical harm.