Unknown voices calling my name

[Lit1]

As I'm about to fall asleep I was startled by a loud high pitched scream from a woman calling out my name. I was shaking and it scared me, what could be a reason for this?

[trinthakias]

if you live by a goat farm, it was probably one of these guys here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RPPPHzPw20

if not, probably just your mother

Edited March 28, 2013 by trinthakias

[docyabut2]

I get that a lot to and what strange it not a voice that I recognize of anyone I know. Just sleeping or going to sleep and a voice just yells out my name.

[pallidin]

Welcome to UM

If this continues you might want to see a doc, just to be safe.

Best of luck.

[Ever Learning]

i think this is reasonably normal, upon waking the sleeping mind is still slightly active and can produce auditory halucinations ( not sure if this is the right word)

the other day i could of sworn i heard a kitten before waking up properly.

if you are uncomfortable with the visuals or auditory visuals from the sleeping mind, id consider what things you are exposed to when awake, which might have a bad effect when asleep.

[SpiritWriter]

Prayer is always effective if you feel there is something negative going on, or if you are just afraid. This happened to my mom maybe five months ago or so.. no more like 9 months ago, she woke up in the middle of the night and heard somebody call her name, she said the dog was acting strange too. This is the only time ive seen her say something like this. She doesn't believe in paranormal at all. She was a little spooked but never had the problem again. I wouldn't worry about it too much..

[SpiritWriter]

One time during sleep parallysis I heard somebody call my name Susan, lol but thats not even my name. Ha!

[Supermeerkat]

I think what the OP is describing sounds like exploding head syndrome, which Wikipedia describes as:

a form of hypnagogic auditory hallucination in which the sufferer sometimes experiences a sudden loud noise coming from within their own head. The noise is brief and is usually likened to an explosion, roar, gunshot, door slamming, loud voices or screams, a ringing noise, or the sound of electrical arcing (buzzing).

This noise usually happens at the onset of sleep or within an hour or two of falling asleep, but is not necessarily the result of a dream.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_head_syndrome

This is a phenomenon I have experienced infrequently for several years, but since the death of my father I have experienced it 2 or 3 times a week, which is interesting as the above article goes on to note:

some physicians have reported a correlation with stress or extreme fatigue

I have heard my name being called (by my mother), loud bangs, muffled scraping sounds and fragments of voices or individual words (usually spoken by a female voice). The noises only seem to register in my left ear, which again is interesting as the article notes:

In some cases it is isolated on the left side of the head, and seems to come from the inner ear region.

Perhaps I'm a textbook case?

[Paradoxum]

I have had this before as well a couple of times, and in both instances I was on the verge of sleeping so I don't think there is anything unusual about this. It does make you jump though!

[SeanJPD]

Its kinda like when you are just about to fall asleep and start dreaming then feel like you have just fallen, it is just something that startled you in your semi-conscious mind therefore waking you up.

[simplybill]

I've had the same experiences several times, usually hearing a shout like "Hey!" or a slamming door or a gunshot. And no, I don't live in a drug-infested ghetto, I live alone in a remote rural area.

I realize now that it is a type of hypnagogic hallucination, but my question is: why are these HH experiences so often described as being associated with frightening sounds, or the feeling of an evil presence nearby? Has anyone had a HH experience where they were suddenly awakened by the sound of happy, laughing children, or sensed a benevolent, angelic presence nearby? Just wondering.

[Frank Merton]

This happens to me often -- a loud distinct speaking of my name -- although usually by a person whose voice I recognize -- when they are nowhere nearby, or, if they are nearby, they deny having said anything.

I figure I'm a touch schizophrenic (This is not the only thing of a hallucinatory nature that sometimes happens).

I figure what might be happening is my brain is constantly talking to itself, and somewhere there's a wire loose that decides one of these internal messages is a real sound and sets off the sequence of events that create the sensation of sound. Of course my brain is bound to interpret these sounds as the sound it likes to hear most -- my name.

[simplybill]

This happens to me often -- a loud distinct speaking of my name -- although usually by a person whose voice I recognize -- when they are nowhere nearby, or, if they are nearby, they deny having said anything.

I figure I'm a touch schizophrenic (This is not the only thing of a hallucinatory nature that sometimes happens).

I figure what might be happening is my brain is constantly talking to itself, and somewhere there's a wire loose that decides one of these internal messages is a real sound and sets off the sequence of events that create the sensation of sound. Of course my brain is bound to interpret these sounds as the sound it likes to hear most -- my name.

You have a good point Mr. Merton. We hallucinate according to our cultural surroundings and life experiences. Aboriginal people have visions of jaguars, whereas Westerners sometimes have delusions of medically-implanted tracking devices or intrusive alien transmissions.

I once lived in an inner-city neighborhood near a gang hangout, and was familiar with gunshots and loud noises in the night. That's probably why I hear gunshots in my HH experiences.

[The Alchemist]

Interesting topic which reminded me of an experience when I was thirteen. As with most people's experience regarding this, I was just falling to sleep when I heard clear as day in a soft voice "we are many, and we are here". I did not react as I was falling asleep, and then I heard it again but being shouted. I woke up immediately scared as all hell. I recall thinking at the time that it was the "little people" or something. Did not sleep well that night. I am not saying that it was the "little people" or anything else as it is very likely the condition as mentioned above, but I do recall the words being quite clear . . . Take it for what it is worth.

Edited May 31, 2013 by The Alchemist

[Mantis914]

I've had that happen and it was not while I was sleeping. I would hear a voice clearly call my name and it sounded like my mom's voice usually. I would call my mom on the phone and see if just by chance she was wanting to talk to me and 9 times out of 10, she was not. I'm not sure what would cause that.

My brother had a black leather sectional couch that I used to sleep on when I would visit him and I swear that couch was haunted because I would always hear a cat screeching in my ear in the middle of the night and usually be woken up by that. Happened about 3 or 4 times then I told him that I'm not sleeping on that couch any more so he got rid of it. Oh and by the way, my brother never owned a cat and there was not a cat in the house also.

[MONICAMAS]

Believe me you really are hearing voices.I have had that happen to me.I am a caulbearer and hear a voice all the time.I have become very close to my spirit.They are fallen angels talk back to them,BUT BE NICE they are stronger then meer man.When they are mean remind then that their father is watching. tell them that fallen angel or not they know how to treat someone who is kind to them.Amd let tjem know they can repent because God is forgiving and even the fallen angels deserve forgiveness

[coldethyl]

Believe me you really are hearing voices.I have had that happen to me.I am a caulbearer and hear a voice all the time.I have become very close to my spirit.They are fallen angels talk back to them,BUT BE NICE they are stronger then meer man.When they are mean remind then that their father is watching. tell them that fallen angel or not they know how to treat someone who is kind to them.Amd let tjem know they can repent because God is forgiving and even the fallen angels deserve forgiveness

Huh. Interesting. I thought they were guardian angels.

Oh well.

[minera]

I've had that happen and it was not while I was sleeping. I would hear a voice clearly call my name and it sounded like my mom's voice usually. I would call my mom on the phone and see if just by chance she was wanting to talk to me and 9 times out of 10, she was not. I'm not sure what would cause that.

My brother had a black leather sectional couch that I used to sleep on when I would visit him and I swear that couch was haunted because I would always hear a cat screeching in my ear in the middle of the night and usually be woken up by that. Happened about 3 or 4 times then I told him that I'm not sleeping on that couch any more so he got rid of it. Oh and by the way, my brother never owned a cat and there was not a cat in the house also.

I have had that happen several times in my life that I heard someone call my name. Once in High school gathering up my books after the class had left, another time while sitting on my deck watching my kids playing. It was always a female voice and just my name. Kind of creepy but got over it and it doesn't bother me and I just ignore it.Once I heard someone yell 'stop' as I was going to go through the intersection. I did just that and a car went through a red light. It only took out the front end of my car but it could have been worse if I had not stopped suddenly. A wrecked car and broken glasses also a light concussion but I was okay. It just takes me by surprise when I hear something weird like that.

[Occult1]

As I'm about to fall asleep I was startled by a loud high pitched scream from a woman calling out my name. I was shaking and it scared me, what could be a reason for this?

It seems not unusual, I have found a similar account on this website:

http://ask.metafilte...-falling-asleep

It could be Hypnagogia, which is a mental phenomena that can produce auditive hallucinations before falliing asleep.

Here is a excerpt form Wikipedia:

Sounds[edit]

Hypnagogic hallucinations are often auditory or have an auditory component. Like the visuals, hypnagogic sounds vary in intensity from faint impressions to loud noises, such as crashes and bangs (exploding head syndrome). People may imagine their own name called or a doorbell ringing. Snatches of imagined speech are common. While typically nonsensical and fragmented, these speech events can occasionally strike the individual as apt comments on—or summations of—their thoughts at the time. They often contain word play,neologisms and made-up names. Hypnagogic speech may manifest as the subject's own "inner voice", or as the voices of others: familiar people or strangers. More rarely, poetry or music is heard.^[27]

You should consult a doctor if it does not stop and becomes a real problem. I am no medical expert and it might as well be something else.

Edited June 12, 2013 by sam_comm

[MONICAMAS]

Huh. Interesting. I thought they were guardian angels.

Oh well.

[coldethyl]

Thanks for the above quote. Feel free to use it in books, magazines, and taglines.

?

[MONICAMAS]

Didnt mean to do that .I wanted to say would guardian angels would not torment.Right?

[coldethyl]

Didnt mean to do that .I wanted to say would guardian angels would not torment.Right?

Heck if I know. One person will say they are guardian angles and someone else will say demons then you say fallen angels. I pretty much say sleep disorder (if I'm in the thread I think I'm in, it's all so confusing).

[MONICAMAS]

i agree I believe this story .Through my angel I ' ve (so called met) Brian Jones of the rollong stones,Keith Moon of the who, John Lennon Jim Morrison ????????As you can see my angel loves music mostly rock and roll

[Frank Merton]

Well it happened again last night; I was startled by a girl loudly whispering my name right behind me. It's a damn nuisance.