>>16908228
If you are certain that no amount of logic or relaxation/breathing techniques are going to help you at all, then maybe it's time to seek professional help.

>>16908228
You're not taking any drugs are you?

>>16908457
What are some relaxation or breathing techniques? Logic won't work, these feelings are irrational as shit. I'll be sitting at my desk and as soon as there's the first "there's something behind you" thought, it just gets worse and worse until I get up and sit in a corner to do my work where nothing could sneak up on me. I also can't close my eyes in the shower because I'm always worried something will be there when I open them. There's a lot of things like that

>>16908462
I've done DXM, LSD, and weed, but this stuff has been going on way before I started that stuff. Also, those types of thoughts didn't get worse when I'd taken that stuff

adv pls

one last bump

used to have similar fears, but found a way to tackle them.
I'd go to sleep with the lights on, whenever the atmosphere in my room seemed kind of eerie. after a while, I'd turn off the lights, force myself to stare at the corner of the room where I believed the ghost/demon etc. was standing, then switch on the light quickly to confirm that nothing was there. I'd do this repeatedly, until my mind calmed itself down.
I also used to carry a flashlight on me, so as I could perform this procedure outdoors, if needed. it might seem silly, but after a while your brain will learn that there is nothing scary hiding in the darkness, and eventually this information will be stored in your long-term memory. try it.

>>16908691
I feel like my brain would pull super childish logic to explain how something scary could disappear and reappear at will. It's super cool when part of your brain feels that way, while the rest of your brain is like "But those things aren't even real"

Anon, i had this problem a while ago. I had sleep pralizis and was unbelievably paranoid. I could lay awake with an adrenalin kick for hours. For "unrelated" reasons i went to therapy and my doc once said that some people with severe depression suffer from fears like that. It's like emotional overkill or something. I went to speech therapy and had ssri's for a year and i'm not afraid anymore. The nightmares have stopped and i'm not going crazy over the slightest sounds and so on. I'm now off medication again since 3 months and am still fine. Get professional help! This shit is draining...

>>16909284
Jesus, that sounds fucking horrible to go through. I haven't had it that bad. The worst it ever got was when I had this creepy wooden cat statue (relative gave it to me as a present in like middle school). Got creeped out, moved it to the closet. Then I started having weird thoughts, like how if it had feelings it would be so pissed off at me. That kinda stuff got worse until one day I got...sort of stuck staring at it. Terrified that if I looked away, it would turn to look at me and kill me. But also terrified that the longer I looked, the more likely I was to catch it move its eyes to look at me. Ended up having to chop the thing into pieces with an axe before burning it

I don't have sleep paralysis but I have hypnagogic hallucinations.
Pretty much when I'm on the edge of sleep, I see things.
Mainly spiders, but not always.

Last week I was in a state that I was both dreaming and awake and the blanket I clutched around me was wrapped around a cat like animal that was struggling and pushing against my body.
It felt real.
It was real to me.

The thing is, you have to learn to ignore the things like that.
Sometimes when I'm half asleep, I see giant spiders crawling over my bed and everywhere I can see.
But I know they're hallucinations.
So I see them and ignore them.

Same thing.
Learn what is reality.
And ignore the rest

>>16909295
Yeah, it's fucking daunting. Whay you described sounds a lot like it. I spent hours awake and alerted, tensed up to no extend, listening for steps or breathing, staring maniacly into the dark, always fearing that there was a movement i didn't see and so on. It was bad. I don't with this upon my biggest enemy.

>>16909309
The only thing is that I'm not on my way to falling asleep when this happens. While it happens more often when it gets dark, I've had thoughts like this happen at all times of the day

>>16909319
Felt that too.
When it gets too much for me, I just turn on the light, breathe for a bit, and then go back to trying to sleep.

>>16909317
Oh I couldn't bring myself to stare in the dark, that would make the fear so bad. I just lay down and keep my covers over my ears (weird thing I gotta cover to feel safe) and stay there until I go to sleep. I also have a light remote, which is nice because I can be in the bed when I turn the lights off

>>16909329
It just sucks, because how can we feel such terror from these things that we know don't exist?

>>16909334
I'm the guy above with the hypnagogic shit.
When I stare into the dark, I see things.
When I go to sleep, I have to force myself to never open my eyes until morning.
Because if I open them, I see things.
Things I don't want to.
Thank god they're only spiders.

>>16909344
I've never actually seen anything, thank god.

Have you ever felt like you might see something scary during the day? Like for me, taking a shower can be stressful when I wash my face because I have to close my eyes, and I'm always nervous hat something scary will be in the shower when I open them. I also don't like looking in the mirror for too long

>>16909353
When I was a kid, I used to always stand in the shower facing the curtain, fearing that I would have to whip it aside to see something awful.

I can blame it on the fucking Disney ride "Extra-terror-estial", but nonetheless, that's how I acted.

I can relate to you as a boy.
As an adult, only sleep makes me afraid.
The dark?
Bah, I love the dark. I can hide in it. I can move in it.

Honestly, I can say that if you play hide and go seek as an adult, you'll learn to love the dark.
So long as you feel like you're hunter and not the hunted, you'll feel good about shadows.

>>16909353
Oh fuck this hits close home. I can't look into my rear mirror sometimes cause i'm terrified that something is sitting on the back seat, staring back at me.
And i always think that something is suddenly going to grab me under the blanket... Yuck

>>16909370
Never had the blanket thing, but holy shit do I know that rear mirror deal. I am also terrified of leaving my feet hanging off the bed, or standing too close to my bed. I'm worried something will grab me.

>>16909361
I don't think I'd feel like the hunter in the dark. There's this one nightmare I had a few years ago that really fucked with how I feel about the dark. I woke up feeling so terrified

>>16909341
I've actually learned to deal with it.

When I hallucinate spiders, I focus on their arms and body.
I see that they have too many legs and their bodies are too small.

So I watch them move around in my bed, knowing that they're impossible.

Sometimes, I hallucinate things bigger than spiders.
I wake up panicked, but I can go back to sleep quickly knowing that they weren't real.

It's about establishing a baseline of reality.
I can see things that I totally see, but I can know they're not real.

>>16909381
Argh! Don't remind me...
I'm also VERY worried that the mirror will suddenly do something like wink or frown at me.
Oooh, and i'm afraid that something is down the toilet...

>>16909381
>I don't think I'd feel like the hunter in the dark. There's this one nightmare I had a few years ago that really fucked with how I feel about the dark. I woke up feeling so terrified
Honestly bro, play hide and go seek with your friends in a dark house.

You'll see the seeker going room to room looking, but you'll be in the dark and feeling superior.

It really helps

>>16909391
Holy shit I have the mirror thing too. Also if I see my reflection in other places (dark computer screen, blank TV screen)

>>16909395
I'll have to try that. Gotta grab me some friends first lol

>>16909391
>>16909397
Have you seen the movie "Black Swan"?
They use that a lot.

It's the most disturbing and least comforting movie I've seen

stop caring about your life rather helps

>>16909404
Yep, Black Swan freaked me out from the reflection shit

>>16909405
Idk if helping my fear of stupid shit is worth giving up my enjoyment of life