[lisasays]

When I was drifting to sleep I was all of a sudden aware of blue lights (like police lights). I really did see blue flashing lights, I was a little panicked, sat up, still saw it, then jumped up and looked out the window too see if it was coming from there. Then it went from my vision, the street was empty, it just looked like normal. I looked back at my room and it was all as normal. No car could of been there and me not heard the engine, so what was this? It's never happened before. Did my head make this up? Is it just one of those things?

Thanks

Just a wild stab here, but a ufo perhaps.
Wish something like that would happen to me. I long to see a ufo again.

[January]

Could you have possibly drifted to sleep and had a dream? Sometimes I have nightmares and wake up and can't recognize my bedroom. It's like I'm still in the dream.

Also, have you had any med changes?

I can't think of anything other than that, but I'm sure it was a very scary thing and I hope it doesn't happen again.

I wish you well.

[lynn P.]

Sometimes when I'm just cross the threshold of sleep I'll dream that I'm laying in bed awake. It feels like I'm awake and I'm laying there until something creepy happens and I wake up - then I realize that I'm actually dreaming/sleeping. So this could have happened to you where you dreamed you were laying in bed and you didn't realize you drifted off. This happens to me alot when I've just fallen asleep and it scares me because I usually dream someones in my room and it feels so real. Hope this helps you.

[lisasays]

Possibly, sometimes as I'm drifting off to sleep I wake up with a kind of bang...but not a brassy bang like the thud of a big tree falling (not that I know what that sounds like!). I think waking up like that is relatively common but with this thing it seemed different.
I'm pretty certain I was still awake, just had my eyes closed, I was still a little cold after changing and getting into bed, so was aware of the cold so thought I was conscious. It kinda took over my vision, and when I opened my eyes and sat up, my room was lit up, flashing, like the police light from the top of a panda car was in my room, then I thought it must be in the street but no, when I looked out the window everything inside and out was back to normal. Weird!!
This all happened pretty quick, after I sat up it was over in a few seconds, before I opened my eyes, I remember thinking there must of already been police outside so tried to push it out my head, then it grew so it was all i was aware of and had to get up, work out what was going on because I had become kind of panicked. It grew and lit up my vision and room like approaching emergency services do, you know that blue flashing light. It felt like it was coming nearer, reaching a climax. I had to get up.
I have been put on citalopram recently, but only 10mg. It's been 2weeks. Do you think that could be a cause?
Thanks for the replies

[opheliasorrow]

Hi Lisa. I'm also on citalopram and suffer optical migraines which are flashing lights but don't usually leave a headache. Otherwise it is quite possible you were dreaming, it is common to wake whilst still having a 'lingering' dream .... I hope it doesn't happen to you again, take care, Ophelia x

[deliquesce]

hi,
it sounds like you maybe had a hypnagogic or hypmnapompic hallucination? one means "seeing things just when you're about to fall asleep" and the other one is when you're just waking up, but i can't remember which is which.

they're incredibly common and a lot of people have them, and there's nothing to be worried about either. some people see tigers pacing around their rooms, or i use to see a toy aeroplane flying around mine.

sometimes changes in meds can cause these to happen more frequently, as our bodies adjust to it. also, being excessively tired, stressed, having a cold/flu etc.

nothing to worry about, but if it continues & still bothers you, mention it to your doc!

[Shangrala]

All the responses sound as a possibility. Who's to say what's what. Anything's possible, therefore, perhaps probable.

A few decades ago, there was a time for me when I was going through much emotional despair...many difficult changes at a fairly young age, and my psyche was reaching a state of great uncertainty.
At that time, I experienced a couple of rather interesting "encounters", which I'm sure some would most likely speculate as being "mere dreams". No matter.

Because of the fact that I believe anything really is possible, therefore probable, I cannot rule out the fact that perhaps it was the infamous "guardian angel" or, my "superior (spiritual) self" offering me a sense of security to provide me a means of "getting through" what was already extremely emotionally overwhelming.
Hard to say. All I know is, I woke to a bright light illuminating immediately in front of me, surrounding what appeared to be a human figure. "It" was just there....providing me a sense of reassurance and security. And I did hear it speak to me, (whether it was merely within my head, or not), I heard it tell me that "all will be alright".
Not a moment after that, I looked away, and back again, and it had gone.

Now...whether or not that was an illusion, or a result of a dream I'd just awaken from, or whatever....doesn't matter. It delivered me a new sense of security just when I needed it most.

Anything IS possible. All depends on what you believe it to be.

Shangrala

[anna342]

I've had similar stuff happen, well not the lights, but seeing/hearing/being in situations in my head before I sleep, when I'm sure that I'm awake. The professionals that I've told about this put it down to anxiety even if I don't think I'm really feeling that anxious. The line between sleep and awake is hard to draw and as you are falling asleep I guess these things can happen. It's scary, and not nice to experience. My only adivce is to try and just go along with whatever is happening/you're feeling and try to not get too anxious over it, otherwise you'll become hypersensitive to it and you'll notice more happening when you go to bed.

[Locust]

I totally agree with deliquesce. Color blobs and lights are common hypnagogic hallucinations to my knowledge and I have experienced them when dozing off. It's perfectly natural. You're just caught between sleep and wakefulness.

[Rhapsody]

Originally Posted by lisasays

When I was drifting to sleep I was all of a sudden aware of blue lights (like police lights).

I too see all colors of police lights as I am drifting off to sleep... not sure what they mean, but I wanted to let you know that you where not along in this mystery of lights.

I also see vivid day dreams... as if I am watching a movie, some times I wonder if what I am seeing is actually happening at the moment or is going to happen.

Just recently... I dreamed three different times that my friends house was robbed and two weeks after the dreams stopped some one tried to break into her house (thank goodness her alarm system worked and scared the burglar away) - I live next to her house and was home when this happened, when the police came.

[lisasays]

Thanks everyone, I think you guys are right, unless it starts happening all the time, I'm just going to put it out my mind. I thought I should point out though that here all police/emergency lights are blue. Thanks again x

[Rhapsody]

The meaning of the color BLUE in Dreams:

Blue can be both a soothing color and one that represents depression or sadness. Either way it is associated with spiritual insight or wisdom. If a person is wearing blue in your dream it suggest he or she has some thing intelligent, spiritual or truthful to communicate with you, therefore, you should listen carefully to their words as they are likely to be valuable and to give you insight into your life.

Thanks so much for bringing this subject up lisasays! It's something I've been thinking about lately -- and thanks to deliquesce for the very useful info -- especially the names. Now I have a name for it. Yea!
I have this a lot. Now I know they are hypnopompic, as all the times I remember are in waking. I will wake, see something strange, even get out of bed and still see it until I get closer or try to touch to verify the visuals (*That's* the part that had me worried. I clearly am not sleeping at that point.) Most recent one was seeing big pipes on the ceiling, like 4" PVC pipe. Had a really long series of related ones years ago where I'd be thinking something was wrong with the roof. It was blown off and there were the stars, there were huge leaks, you name it, all kinds of variations on the theme. Would open eyes, and still see it. We had these slanting ceilings there, and my husband kept waking up to see me standing on the bed with my hands touching the ceiling. Yeah, you can imagine what he thought(!)...
Good to know they are so common and not to worry.

Originally Posted by Shangrala

Because of the fact that I believe anything really is possible, therefore probable, I cannot rule out the fact that perhaps it was the infamous "guardian angel" or, my "superior (spiritual) self" offering me a sense of security to provide me a means of "getting through" what was already extremely emotionally overwhelming.
Hard to say. All I know is, I woke to a bright light illuminating immediately in front of me, surrounding what appeared to be a human figure. "It" was just there....providing me a sense of reassurance and security. And I did hear it speak to me, (whether it was merely within my head, or not), I heard it tell me that "all will be alright".
Not a moment after that, I looked away, and back again, and it had gone.

what a beautiful vision. this reminds me of the mystic julian of norwich who heard "all shall be well" in a vision. here is a little about her all shall be well if anyone is interested.