[LiteraryLark]

I just spent the last hour in bed cowering under the blankets imagining (not hallucinating) dead people grabbing me and chasing me around the house and imagining being sent to the psych ward again in the middle of the night and begging the nurses not to medicate me and being trapped in the room again in the dark while I am suffering from my hallucinations. While I'm trying to go to sleep.

I think I might have to sleep with the lights on for the first time in who knows how long, or perhaps stay up all night. I hate when I do this but now it's worse because my imaginary fears crossed with fears of relapsing and having to go back to the hospital again. I wish I had someone I could sleep with who could comfort me.

Has anyone ever get the feeling you get after watching a scary movie and you can't help but imagine all the scary things that can come after you while you're trying to go to sleep? But I didn't watch a scary movie, I wasn't thinking about anything scary until I tried to go to sleep. I don't think i did anything different today: took my meds on time, ate three meals, didn't drink coffee or alcohol...Does anyone know why this happens, or what I can do to stop myself from thinking about scary things when I'm trying to sleep?

that sounds awful. I haven't felt that kind of thing in a long long time so I'm not sure I remember details but I know it was bad. I remember the first time I felt extreme anxiety at bedtime as an adult. Like your night, there were no warning signs or identifiable causes for me. I closed my eyes and thought all was well when my eyelids went up like a cartoon character's windowshade eyelids and the fear was there almost instantly.
Back to the ghosty/monstery thing...I believe I got past that when I began to love the night and the dark. That happened long before I was your age.
I can't tell you why it's happening tonight but I'd say go ahead and leave a light on if it helps.
It's too bad you can imagine the ghosts but you can't imagine someone there to comfort you. Doesn't seem fair does it
I read your post earlier about blocking people. I hope I'm not typing this for nothing

[Mindinpieces]

Sorry you are having this I hope you can soon feel at ease again and get a good nights sleep. Not sure if this might help but you know how people say things can trigger you but you don't know your reacting to them at that time, well not always at least I don't at that present time know that I am reacting to a trigger. My point is sometimes even now, althought it's dark you can still make at objects and things in the room when I was a kid I would see a witch, hippo ect and sometimes a figure outline of a person. However all it was was clothes or the line up of things in my room that when in the dark I could form and see what I thought above. Now even though I know the coats hanged on my bedroom door are not a figure of a person lurking over me if I haven't been myself latley then I think it really is what I imagen and sleep with covers over my head waiting for that person to pull them back the covers shaking althought it never happens of course. Fear is a strong thing and can take over our logic. Maybe try cuddling a soft toy when in bed while trying to sleep just a thought. Sorry I couldn't be of any more help.

[Perna]

I have done stuff like that but when it happens, I find another movie/book/form of interaction to shift my perspective. I go downstairs and turn on lights, get a bite to eat, come online and "play" or something? We can't keep focused on one thing forever (a scary image) and if we deliberately break up our focus by doing something else, it becomes harder to "go back"?

[LiteraryLark]

Originally Posted by George H.

I read your post earlier about blocking people. I hope I'm not typing this for nothing

No, creepers be creepin on forums, told him to stop he told me to F off.