This is seeing things smaller than they actually are, not going faster than they actually are. Thanks fro trying anyway
Hi everyone, I'm pretty desperate here. It's not me, it's my 6 year old son. He's been having night terrors for 2 or 3 years now and they always last about 1/2 hr, during which time I reassure him and try to bring him back to reality by talking to him in a soothing voice and making him think about reality (what we did that day, where he is now, what we are doing tomorrow). He was never able to put things into words while this was happening, he would stare blankly, often at me or through me and just freak out and breath heavily while his heart pounded out of his chest. Now he's begining to talk during and then again when he's awake about his experience. He pleads during these episodes for help from whoever is in the room (so he is aware that we are there). Last night he was pleading with me and his brother to help him. When he comes to a bit (but still breathing heavily and heart pounding fast), he says that it's like everything in his dream is moving fast and everyone is talking fast and too many people are talking and that things are moving fast. Last night he put his hand over my mouth and said "slow down". He said things are too noisey and that his mind is moving to fast and that he can't stop it. This is the second time he's been able to articulate this and I'm hoping it's not the begining of some serious mental disorder. I'm curious as to why if there are many people experiencing this same thing, why there isn't an official explanantion. After a 1/2 last night, I settled him and then he woke up 3 hours later with a continuation of the episode and I had to go through the whole thing again. He doesn't appear to experience this (that I know of) while he's awake. He is a high energy boy and could probably be diagnosed with the HD part of ADHD but we are sure he'll grow out of that as he's only 6. He's a happy, healthy, smart boy who happens to be an old soul with a very good imagination. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. -Jacqueline
Hi everyone, I'm pretty desperate here. It's not me, it's my 6 year old son. He's been having night terrors for 2 or 3 years now and they always last about 1/2 hr, during which time I reassure him and try to bring him back to reality by talking to him in a soothing voice and making him think about reality (what we did that day, where he is now, what we are doing tomorrow). He was never able to put things into words while this was happening, he would stare blankly, often at me or through me and just freak out and breath heavily while his heart pounded out of his chest. Now he's begining to talk during and then again when he's awake about his experience. He pleads during these episodes for help from whoever is in the room (so he is aware that we are there). Last night he was pleading with me and his brother to help him. When he comes to a bit (but still breathing heavily and heart pounding fast), he says that it's like everything in his dream is moving fast and everyone is talking fast and too many people are talking and that things are moving fast. Last night he put his hand over my mouth and said "slow down". He said things are too noisey and that his mind is moving to fast and that he can't stop it. This is the second time he's been able to articulate this and I'm hoping it's not the begining of some serious mental disorder. I'm curious as to why if there are many people experiencing this same thing, why there isn't an official explanantion. After a 1/2 last night, I settled him and then he woke up 3 hours later with a continuation of the episode and I had to go through the whole thing again. He doesn't appear to experience this (that I know of) while he's awake. He is a high energy boy and could probably be diagnosed with the HD part of ADHD but we are sure he'll grow out of that as he's only 6. He's a happy, healthy, smart boy who happens to be an old soul with a very good imagination. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. -Jacqueline
Jacqueline here again, forgot to mention that my son also speaks about being in a bubble that is closing in on him and it becoming harder and harder to breath. I think his really rapid heart rate and his apparant struggle with breathing are the scariest part of this whole thing. Next is the possible mental break from reality he's having. Hellllppppp......
I have tried to select part of your post ( not sure if it will work) because what your son describes is exactly ( word for word) how my 8 year old son describes his experiences. Not the bubble bit but the speed bit. I too was worried what it might mean, but I feel greatly reassured having read many of the posts of this thread. Ok , it isn't pleasant, but there are others out there having the same sensations . I tell my son that he is having " an alice in wonderland" moment and that it will pass and to stay calm - not sure it helps a lot but I don't panic so much now because I know it will pass. He only has the episodes now when he is ill ( high temp) and for a while afterwards. Our gp thought it might be epilepsy link and referred us on, but the specialist said that in my sons case anyway , it wasn't and that he might have the episodes for ever or he might grow out of them. Might be worth you just checking things out to be sure. But thought you might be ( sort of ) relieved to hear that my son has been like your son for 3 years now!
No, it didn't work , i was trying to quote the bit which is word for word the same- any way its the words starting"now he's beginning to talk....................and he can't stop it".
I have never noticed fast heart beat but will look for that next time it happens.
Thank you for your post. I am interested to hear what people have to say on this subject. I feel helpless and if it weren't for my concern about it having possible medical implications (like a heart attack or mental issues), I wouldn't be as concerned. Based on the responses on this feed, it doesn't appear that people are having mental health issues or heart attacks, so that is comforting. Perhaps there is an explanation and possibly a rememdy?? I can only hope and I look forward to more feedback. I'm glad we aren't alone in this:)
Still trying to figure this out, last post on 2013-03-14 should have been from Jacq2012.
Thank you so much Crystal for your post. :) It makes it a little easier to have someone who understands me and what we are going through. We don't have the size or the different feelings just the auditory. It seems as there are a lot of us out there but no one (doctors) can help.. Heck I'm still waiting for Childrens to contact me for an appt, it's been months. (I was told they are very busy) As soon as I told our pediatrician about her having these episodes, she looked at me like I was crazy for believing her and said it was more than likely a dream. Then I told her I remember having them when I was younger but forgot about them until my daughter started going thru it, she then said we need to have her a psych evaluation. My daughter gets headaches a lot, and we have always taken her to the eye doctors due to the fact that she was diagnosed with amblyopia and strabismus at the age of 2 and just started wearing bifocals about 7 months ago. So we have always assumed that it was her glasses. Thank you again for the tips and advice. I'm open to try almost anything to help her. We are just very afraid they will want to medicate her, and we don't want that. I wish you the best of luck with your little one.
I HAVE THIS TOO! Because it has been a part of my life from such a young age, I assumed it happened to everyone when sick/tired/stressed etc. As a young child I would tell my mother (with difficulty describing the episode) that 'everything was loud around me' and she put it down to a high temperature as it was most prominent while I was ill.
The nightmares were the worst, indescribable texture and sound and with a sinister chaotic feel.
If you have experienced this then you should know its not really connected to being nervous. I have had this on occcasion all my life without being even close to nervous. It´s a whole other sensation.
Hi, I have several posts on this thread regarding my 16 year old son. When this first started with him when he was probably 4 (first I remember anything weird was when he had a high fever and had the "dream"/hallucination), there was little on the internet about it. I too was terrified that he was developing a mental disorder. Everything I could find indicated something terrible! Thankfully, I have a friend who is a physician's assistant, and she gave us some good advice and eased my mind. Eventually, there was more and more info available on the internet. The hardest part was getting my son to believe it was ok. The night terrors ended in early grade school. Thank goodness for that, because my son would wake up vomiting from fear. Then whenever he would be in situations that "felt" like those dreams (which he was never really able to articulate) - such as a haunted house with friends at Halloween - he would also throw up! He no longer does that, either. When he began having the dreams several times a week, we contacted our PA friend. Her suggestion was to limit food before bed - up until then, he had a bedtime snack. She thought it might have something to do with blood sugar or other digestive issue. They did decrease after that. It seems to be something that is outgrown to some extent, occuring less and less as they get older. Have you asked your son if the "fast feeling" ever happens when he's awake? Does he remember the dreams when he is fully awake? I would suggest talking about it honestly and openly when he's fully awake - explaining that you know it is scary, and you hate that he experiences it, but that it is NOT REAL, and to try to remember that when it happens. It is only his tired brain playing tricks on him. I personally think it must be something similar to when we are falling asleep, and have the feeling of falling, and jerk awake.... I think it may be that same type of phenomena on a larger scale. Or when our eyes have trouble focusing, so one is focused farther away than the other, and it's hard to make sense of what you're seeing (does that ever happen to anyone else?). I think it's just some sort of distorted perception by the brain, and not indicative of any serious problem. I would love to see studies done on this! I have some connections in the medical field, and recently realized I even have connections with a neurologist. I'd love to mention this to him sometime and see what he has to say! Anyway, I wanted to try to put your mind at ease a bit. As scary as it is when it happens, it doesn't seem to be an indication of anything really serious. Some say it is connected to migraines, but my son doesn't have migraines. I wonder about a correlation between this experience and IQ or ADHD. Anyone still following have input on that? Do those of you who have this also have high IQ or have ADD/ADHD?
i get this on when I'm nervous but i get it sometimes when trying to sleep. It is a normal thing, caused by anxiety or certain hormone in your brain. Don't worry about it as it something that only certain people get and it can cause better reflexes. It is commonly known as rapid mind and racing thoughts.
Its called Alice In Wonderland Syndrome. I had first had an "episode" in the 4th grade and a few during that year. I hadn't had that feeling in years then finally had it again my Freshmen year. I began to think I was going crazy and had an anxiety attack in the process. The feeling finally passed after a few minutes and It occurred much more frequently. I went to a neurologist and he scheduled me an MRI and EEG and I discovered that it was more serious. Mine is a form of epilepsy (Localization Related Left Temporal Lobe Epilepsy) If you experience these symptoms I recommend seeing a neurologist. I'm now put on a medication in hopes to never experience this "fast feeling" again.