Hi, please tag as Rei. So, I don't know what this is, but a couple nights ago I was lying in bed and I suddenly had like a really fast montage? of all this horrible stuff like maggots and awful injuries and people shooting themselves in the head. It was like a tidal wave just hit me and all these scenes passed through my head. Am I losing it? This happens very rarely but it's still really scary. Is this intrusive thoughts or is it something else? Part 1
Part 2 of ask tagged "rei". I while back I had a nightmare that involved giant mosquitos, and I woke up feeling horrible and really creeped out, and any itch I felt for the rest of the day was very upsetting. Unlike the first thing I mentioned, this was a dream rather than something I was awake for, but it was awful nonetheless. This kind of stuff happens months or years apart, but every time it happens, it really disturbs me. Why does this happen to me?
Is this only happening when you're in bed? If so, it could possibly be a result of sleep paralysis. Your brain paralyzes your body while you are asleep so you don't flail around and hurt yourself while you are dreaming. This normally occurs during your deepest stage of sleep, REM (rapid eye movement), which is where you are dreaming. Sometimes, you wake up during a dream, and this can be during while your body is still paralyzed because your brain thinks you're still dreaming although your eyes and body are awake. Because of this, you may see things like giant mosquitoes or people shooting one another because your brain still believes that you're dreaming. The best thing you can do to combat this is to close your eyes (do not open them!!) and wait until feeling returns to your body. Start by trying to wiggle your fingers and toes and work up from there. It's quite a terrifying experience, but nothing's really going to hurt you from it.
If it's not occurring during sleep paralysis, this could be intrusive thoughts or hallucinations. Intrusive thoughts can sometimes include images. Often, when I have intrusive thoughts, I can "see" what my thought is: a car crash, people dying, etc. Intrusive thoughts are your brain reacting to a threat that is nonexistent in reality. Intrusive thoughts are usually a result of OCD, depression, and anxiety-related disorders. Hallucinations are a little different. Hallucinations have more to do with psychotic-type disorders, like schizophrenia or type I bipolar disorder. Psychosis is a symptom of these disorders, and are often accompanied by delusions, like thinking that they're the President of the United States and that the government is after them or something like that. They also may not realize that the hallucinations are not real and think that they are.
One of these or a combination of these may be what's going on, but I cannot diagnose you, as I am not a mental health professional. I suggest that you see a mental health professional such as a therapist or a psychologist or even a sleep specialist if the problem is strictly related to sleep. Please make an appointment with your general physician and let them know what's going on. They can refer you to the proper mental health and/or medical care that you may need. If you are under legal age, you will need to tell a trusted adult like a family member or school counsellor to help you to make the appointment with your doctor. Getting help can be scary, but it’s true that help, helps! You can also chat with a web counsellor online or call a helpline.
You are not going crazy in any way, this is simply a problem that you're experiencing that has a solution. You can get through this, darling. This isn't your forever.