It’s called hypnopompic hallucination.
Unlike with sleep paralysis, you can move and talk while still seeing it and it will last a few seconds up to a minute which can seem like an eternity.
It usually fades as soon as you turn on the light, but for some very few people it does not and persists even after turning on the light.
Here’s an example of someone who often experiences these and has started recording themselves: https://youtu.be/bEMGZNvETMQ
Why YSK: because it’s very scary and unsettling when it happens and since you can move you don’t believe it’s sleep paralysis and can’t explain it. This might explain many of the “monster or spirit at the foot of my bed” sightings that we often hear mentioned in horror podcasts.
I was either experiencing this or something similar to it. I was waking in the night and seeing things in the dark that I was sure was there. Really terrible things. A person standing in the corner of my room, something crawling on the ceiling.
I did some reading on the subject and decided to try a sleep mask for a few days. The whole time I wore it I never experienced the visions again. So after that test I decided to get blackout curtains because it was the light bleeding in from a streetlamp that was contributing to the hallucinations.
Damn, both of those things are like the scariest things I can imagine. I think watching the Blair Witch Project and The Ring as a kid really made some lasting impact…
Yeah it was crazy scarry. I also had a lot of stress in my life at the time and I didn’t realize how much stress and burnout had built up within me. I’m sure that helped contribute to my sleeping situation more so than scarry movies. The sad truth is the boring day to day of real life is more horrific than any horror film.
I’m relieved to know that covering your eyes prevents you from seeing things.
But seriously though, I’m glad you got it figured out because that sounds horrifying.
Haha yeah I guess when you tldr it that’s what it boils down too. Though when you’re seeing things that don’t exist, if covering your eyes didn’t work… I guess it’s time for a hospital trip.
Also, thanks I’m glad I figure it out too.