What was happening to me?

When I was a kid, almost four years old I'd say, I would always wake up from a dream and have the whole thing play out in what I can only describe as a slide show on fast-foward, turning a dream about something pleasant or mundane into a twisted and awful display of pictures, it always would "play-out" on what ever I looked at, even when I shut my eyes it still happened. It was terrifying for me. I was always too scared to tell my mother incase she didn't believe me. This went on for years til I got to about eight, they just petered out and stopped. It still bothers me to this day, at 22, I just always wonder.

[margypops]

why does it bother you, I was always day dreaming when I was a kid, spent half the school day staring through the windows thinking about desert islands, mine wer'nt night dreams as such, it didnt bother me , my teacher wore his arm out throwing chalk at me .I was doing it as a teen, but tell you what it didnt affect my school work unless it was math...the thing is here why are you concerned about it ?

[Quickdrawlaw]

Because it wasn't during the day, it wasn't anything like day dreaming. And I was a little kid and very frightened. Besides, who the hell are you to imply that it was nothing more than childish fantasy, if that's so when why do I still remember it so vividly. Keep it to yourself unless you want to give a helpful opinion.

[RockRose]

Quickdraw,  there's no reason to be rude.

I have some ideas about perhaps what it might have been,  and I hope you don't snap at me too.  Additionally,  I'm very curious about why,  after all these years,  it bothers you.  

It sounds to me that it might have been Alison Wonderland Syndrome,  medically known as Todd's syndrome,  which causes visual disturbances in children's brains.  Probably caused by the aftermath of mono,  which a child may not even realize they had.  Associated with Epstein Barr syndrome.    These episodes may be caused by benign seizures,  that children grow out of.

When I was that age as I as falling asleep my visual field would "zoom in" and "zoom out" in the dark.  It would be like if you were on a trampoline looking down - zoom in zoom out zoom in zoom out for about 15 seconds and then I'd feel very very drowsy and fall asleep immediately.

I spent a lot of time asking people "does the room zoom in and zoom out for you and then you fall asleep"?  I never met anyone personally who had this happen.  

If this explanation doesn't make sense for you,  please don't be rude about it.

[Quickdrawlaw]

It wasn't my intention to be rude at all, I just didn't want it to be dismissed like that after finally asking someone about it. Thanks for your input, I guess it's more morbid curiosity than anything else, this site is free afterall, I thought I may aswell try for an explanation.

[margypops]

excuse me I didnt mean to imply it was a childish fantasy at all, I am sorry you felt that way by my response ....

[specialmom]

It is hard to say why this happened for sure.  Rockrose has a pretty good medical reason for why it could have happened.  I'm curious if you suffer from anxiety at this point in your life?

[Quickdrawlaw]

Sorry to off go the deep end earlier, I tend to get a little defensive over some things. As for Rockroses' explanation, seems feasable I guess but the whole zooming in and out thing never happened to me. And to Specialmoms input, I have alot of anxiety in life but nothing beyond the norm. I'm very scared of the dark, that's only only real thing I can link to what happened when I was little.

[RockRose]

Quick,  if you google Alice in Wonderland syndrome you'll find it covers a lot of visual disturbances,  usually occurring at night.   I don't know why I had  brain blip and said Alison Wonderland,  thinking before typing.

Anyway,  I think you should look in to it - it's thought that's what the true little Alice had,  had made her think she was tiny and everything around her was huge and she could slip through a rabbit hole.

[Quickdrawlaw]

I've had a look but I really don't think so, I never saw things bigger or smaller than they were, or a distorted perception of myself, thanks for the suggestion though, it makes for some interesting reading if nothing else. Still looking into it, can't believe how many sleep disorders exist!