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22-Year-Old Man With Sleep Paralysis Recreates His Nightmares In Photos, And It’s Terrifying
Photographer Nicolas Bruno spends his days like the rest of us, but his nights are very different. And terrifying. 22 year-old Nicolas has been suffering from sleep paralysis for 7 years now, which means that he experiences his nightmares more vividly than regular sleepers.
Sleep paralysis is a condition that happens when we are about to enter rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In it, our bodies paralyze themselves to stop us from acting out our dreams, but Bruno’s mind is awake and experiencing horrific hallucinations. This forced him into insomnia and depression: “I thought I was possessed by demons,” he said.
Everything changed when one high school teacher suggested he should document these terrors. He has been battling his fears with photography ever since. “This project has gifted me a sense of who I am,” he said. “It gave me the strength to persevere in life, to create art and speak to people. It gifted me art, and I don’t know where I would be without it.”
More info: nicolasbrunophotography.com | Facebook | Instagram (h/t: cnn, lostateminor)
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Watch the video below
What do you think ?
Talitha Calamia 8 years ago
I've had this issue since I was 10 years old and I'm 35 now. Not until 5 years ago I learned how to deal with it. I know what's happening in my mind so I try not to fight it. The more I try to wake myself up the worse the dreams and feeling in my body gets. So I try to coach myself to go back to sleep.
Richa Kharshandi 8 years ago
i do the same. I have been dealing with sleep paralysis since 4 years. I don't fight back now. I just keep myself calm and try to sleep back.
Load More Replies...
Alexandra Lee 8 years ago
IF ti's a series of photos, why can't they present them without video format? So many aren't available in my country...
Daisy Quintero 8 years ago
Alexandra, visit his page: http://nicolasbrunophotography.com/ There are a series of photos...hope this helps
Load More Replies...
Zori the degu 8 years ago
I feel so sorry for him. I`ve heard about this condition but it seems far worse than I thought. Having nightmares is terrifying and what can we say about having this condition.
Dániel Huszka 8 years ago
almost every week, i have at least 1 Sleep Paralysis. For me its a nightmare before i wake up. Its terrible when a monster comes to you and you cant move scream shout. You feel the pain, you think you woke up and its done, but no. One second later the monster comes again... and again... and again... after you "died" 5-10 times you dont know if u are in rl or not. And in the end you just want to die to end your suffer... and ta dam you woke up for example at 2 am, so you have to go back to sleep....
Load More Replies...
Shana 8 years ago
I have had problems with sleeping for a long time. Usually I just wake up between 2-15 times a night, occasionally I start sleepwalking. (I've woken up standing in the bathroom etc). I sleeptalk; I'll sit up in bed and say "there's something in the room" or pushing all the covers off the bed saying "this shouldn't be here". I feel bad for waking up my bf at those times but I never remember. Now he just tells me to calm down and go to sleep. To which my body collapses back into bed and I continue sleeping. (no memory of it whatsoever). Sometimes I "see" things crawling on the wall in that moment where you fall asleep or wake up and I have had sleep paralysis too, can't move at all and there's always something standing in the corner of our room, just like it's watching... Writing all this down makes me feel like there's something wrong with me. :P
Noah Dang 8 years ago
I have expirience this kind of paralysis since 20 years... they scream at me, flying through my head or running around making noises. Ugly faces looks like demons. Some looks normal, now i start to pray to god. That seems to help in my case. I was never into Religion that much, but as long as it works i'll do it. Last sleep paralyse was three months ago. Hope i get rid of that someday. Wish you all the best!
Load More Replies...
Tina Noles 8 years ago
Sleep Paralysis is more than just hallucinations. It's different for every person! For me, it's as complicated and as simple as my brain wakes before the paralyzing agent has worn off. I do not hallucinate. I hear everything going on around me but I cannot move or interact. I can repeat conversations happening around me with 100% accuracy. But I cannot purposefully breathe and must fall back on my body's natural instinct to breathe during sleep. It IS terrifying, don't get me wrong. I have suffered with this for over 25 years. Minimum of 4 attacks a week. Just remember that people experience things differently.
Brooke Lancaster 8 years ago
This is what I had always heard it was, and what I was taught in my psychology classes it was. I had never heard of the hallucinations until now. I had one back in January, freaked me out, first time I had it happen in a long time. Woke up and couldn't move, I wanted to scream for my fiance right next to me to help but I couldnt open my mouth. Terrifying
Load More Replies...
Lu 8 years ago
Wow, i've never heard of this until now - what terrible mental suffering that must be. I will share one tid-bit, the mind is very powerful - it can project the most beautiful desires or the worse nightmares. But at its essence it is no more "real" that a movie projection on the wall...10 years ago i had some kind of mental psychosis , and learned over years from very wise friends and teachers to let it go, not fight it but not ignore it either just let go. To this day things still pop into my head but like a gentle breeze it comes and goes, so in some way I think you can train your mind, with meditation, some analysis, letting go bit by bit of holding onto the projection as being real and solid. That's just my experience.
Brittany Robinson 8 years ago
I have had this issue since i was a child and slept with my mum back then telling her take wake me up if I fall asleep before her cause my body would not be able to move but I be awake. As one time i could hear the tv but saw a person dressed in black and shake someone head till it exploded and I wake up and the tv would be exactly what I hear and this happen to me twice same person maybe a few years later but now that im older I have been getting it more and more yesterday's it happen to me 6 times in a row so i get afraid to go back to sleep. sometimes I walk around my house and someone would chase me or tackle me or I feel something wet on my hand so I usually bite my hand to see if I feel pain or not so I know if I'm actually in reality or so and if I know I'm awake as I said I usually leave the TV on and hear the TV or if my dog is sleeping next to me and I feel her heat and breathing I wiggle my fingers and toes and that helps get the body to wake up. But seeing this makes me c
Lawrence Foster 8 years ago
You have h. Pylori. Clear it and the sp will go away.
Load More Replies...
Daniel Neamu 8 years ago
I heard that when you find yourself in that conscious nightmare its best to imagine yourself with a magic object like a sword or something. That object should represent all that is good so it can help you fight the evil. I tried it once and it worked. I imagined a lighted sword, after that, the dream took a nice turn and I was able to manipulate it. Haven't had the descipline to try it all the rest of the times so I had to fight my way through the paralysis since then.
Noah Dang 8 years ago
The problem is for my mind it is not a dream. I cannot stop it with my mind. It's so exhausting
Load More Replies...
Stevie Dow 8 years ago
I thought sleep paralysis was just not being able to move, but it's nightmares too. That makes me feel like I'm not insane because I have the same thing but I thought I was just plagued by s****y nightmares with sleep paralysis at the same time. The worst feeling is when you try to fight back and it's like magnetic repulsion keeping you from doing so. It's so strong and it makes you feel so so weak and helpless. You will get through this. We will get through this!
Amanda Cochran 8 years ago
My sleep doctors told me told me that sleep paralysis is the term for the paralysis alone. This is the first time I've seen the term used to include hypnagogic (falling asleep) and hypnopompic (waking up) hallucinations. Basically, these are nightmares which usually include real sensory input such as noises. You are not insane (not because you have sleep paralysis and possible sleep-induced hallucinations, at any rate!). You are not imagining how awful it is. You will get through this. You are not alone. If you haven't had your sleep stuff checked out, I highly recommend doing so ASAP. Finding out I wasn't imagining or exaggerating how awful my sleep was, and learning what was really happening with my sleep, was the best part of getting my sleep study results. I didn't need a diagnosis or treatment (although it turned out both were necessary). I just needed to know what was going on. Once I knew that, things became a *lot* easier to cope with!
Load More Replies...
Josh Mifsud 8 years ago
My sleep paralysis really picked up heavily from 19-22 years old. I almost never have it now at 24. My tips for fixing it are 1. Create a normal sleep schedule 2. Don't sleep directly on your back 3. Use an alarm always 4. Drink water before bed and if you wake up throughout the night ... If you do end up getting the paralysis the best trick is to start by wiggling your toes and finger tips and just keep that as your main focus while staying calm.
Lawrence Foster 8 years ago
You have h. Pylori. Clear it and the sp will go away. Calling jesus stopped my episode. Then cleared h. Pylori and it was gone.
Load More Replies... Talitha Calamia 8 years ago
I've had this issue since I was 10 years old and I'm 35 now. Not until 5 years ago I learned how to deal with it. I know what's happening in my mind so I try not to fight it. The more I try to wake myself up the worse the dreams and feeling in my body gets. So I try to coach myself to go back to sleep.
Richa Kharshandi 8 years ago
i do the same. I have been dealing with sleep paralysis since 4 years. I don't fight back now. I just keep myself calm and try to sleep back.
Load More Replies... Alexandra Lee 8 years ago
IF ti's a series of photos, why can't they present them without video format? So many aren't available in my country...
Daisy Quintero 8 years ago
Alexandra, visit his page: http://nicolasbrunophotography.com/ There are a series of photos...hope this helps
Load More Replies... Zori the degu 8 years ago
I feel so sorry for him. I`ve heard about this condition but it seems far worse than I thought. Having nightmares is terrifying and what can we say about having this condition.
Dániel Huszka 8 years ago
almost every week, i have at least 1 Sleep Paralysis. For me its a nightmare before i wake up. Its terrible when a monster comes to you and you cant move scream shout. You feel the pain, you think you woke up and its done, but no. One second later the monster comes again... and again... and again... after you "died" 5-10 times you dont know if u are in rl or not. And in the end you just want to die to end your suffer... and ta dam you woke up for example at 2 am, so you have to go back to sleep....
Load More Replies... Shana 8 years ago
I have had problems with sleeping for a long time. Usually I just wake up between 2-15 times a night, occasionally I start sleepwalking. (I've woken up standing in the bathroom etc). I sleeptalk; I'll sit up in bed and say "there's something in the room" or pushing all the covers off the bed saying "this shouldn't be here". I feel bad for waking up my bf at those times but I never remember. Now he just tells me to calm down and go to sleep. To which my body collapses back into bed and I continue sleeping. (no memory of it whatsoever). Sometimes I "see" things crawling on the wall in that moment where you fall asleep or wake up and I have had sleep paralysis too, can't move at all and there's always something standing in the corner of our room, just like it's watching... Writing all this down makes me feel like there's something wrong with me. :P
Noah Dang 8 years ago
I have expirience this kind of paralysis since 20 years... they scream at me, flying through my head or running around making noises. Ugly faces looks like demons. Some looks normal, now i start to pray to god. That seems to help in my case. I was never into Religion that much, but as long as it works i'll do it. Last sleep paralyse was three months ago. Hope i get rid of that someday. Wish you all the best!
Load More Replies... Tina Noles 8 years ago
Sleep Paralysis is more than just hallucinations. It's different for every person! For me, it's as complicated and as simple as my brain wakes before the paralyzing agent has worn off. I do not hallucinate. I hear everything going on around me but I cannot move or interact. I can repeat conversations happening around me with 100% accuracy. But I cannot purposefully breathe and must fall back on my body's natural instinct to breathe during sleep. It IS terrifying, don't get me wrong. I have suffered with this for over 25 years. Minimum of 4 attacks a week. Just remember that people experience things differently.
Brooke Lancaster 8 years ago
This is what I had always heard it was, and what I was taught in my psychology classes it was. I had never heard of the hallucinations until now. I had one back in January, freaked me out, first time I had it happen in a long time. Woke up and couldn't move, I wanted to scream for my fiance right next to me to help but I couldnt open my mouth. Terrifying
Load More Replies... Lu 8 years ago
Wow, i've never heard of this until now - what terrible mental suffering that must be. I will share one tid-bit, the mind is very powerful - it can project the most beautiful desires or the worse nightmares. But at its essence it is no more "real" that a movie projection on the wall...10 years ago i had some kind of mental psychosis , and learned over years from very wise friends and teachers to let it go, not fight it but not ignore it either just let go. To this day things still pop into my head but like a gentle breeze it comes and goes, so in some way I think you can train your mind, with meditation, some analysis, letting go bit by bit of holding onto the projection as being real and solid. That's just my experience.
Brittany Robinson 8 years ago
I have had this issue since i was a child and slept with my mum back then telling her take wake me up if I fall asleep before her cause my body would not be able to move but I be awake. As one time i could hear the tv but saw a person dressed in black and shake someone head till it exploded and I wake up and the tv would be exactly what I hear and this happen to me twice same person maybe a few years later but now that im older I have been getting it more and more yesterday's it happen to me 6 times in a row so i get afraid to go back to sleep. sometimes I walk around my house and someone would chase me or tackle me or I feel something wet on my hand so I usually bite my hand to see if I feel pain or not so I know if I'm actually in reality or so and if I know I'm awake as I said I usually leave the TV on and hear the TV or if my dog is sleeping next to me and I feel her heat and breathing I wiggle my fingers and toes and that helps get the body to wake up. But seeing this makes me c
Lawrence Foster 8 years ago
You have h. Pylori. Clear it and the sp will go away.
Load More Replies... Daniel Neamu 8 years ago
I heard that when you find yourself in that conscious nightmare its best to imagine yourself with a magic object like a sword or something. That object should represent all that is good so it can help you fight the evil. I tried it once and it worked. I imagined a lighted sword, after that, the dream took a nice turn and I was able to manipulate it. Haven't had the descipline to try it all the rest of the times so I had to fight my way through the paralysis since then.
Noah Dang 8 years ago
The problem is for my mind it is not a dream. I cannot stop it with my mind. It's so exhausting
Load More Replies... Stevie Dow 8 years ago
I thought sleep paralysis was just not being able to move, but it's nightmares too. That makes me feel like I'm not insane because I have the same thing but I thought I was just plagued by s****y nightmares with sleep paralysis at the same time. The worst feeling is when you try to fight back and it's like magnetic repulsion keeping you from doing so. It's so strong and it makes you feel so so weak and helpless. You will get through this. We will get through this!
Amanda Cochran 8 years ago
My sleep doctors told me told me that sleep paralysis is the term for the paralysis alone. This is the first time I've seen the term used to include hypnagogic (falling asleep) and hypnopompic (waking up) hallucinations. Basically, these are nightmares which usually include real sensory input such as noises. You are not insane (not because you have sleep paralysis and possible sleep-induced hallucinations, at any rate!). You are not imagining how awful it is. You will get through this. You are not alone. If you haven't had your sleep stuff checked out, I highly recommend doing so ASAP. Finding out I wasn't imagining or exaggerating how awful my sleep was, and learning what was really happening with my sleep, was the best part of getting my sleep study results. I didn't need a diagnosis or treatment (although it turned out both were necessary). I just needed to know what was going on. Once I knew that, things became a *lot* easier to cope with!
Load More Replies... Josh Mifsud 8 years ago
My sleep paralysis really picked up heavily from 19-22 years old. I almost never have it now at 24. My tips for fixing it are 1. Create a normal sleep schedule 2. Don't sleep directly on your back 3. Use an alarm always 4. Drink water before bed and if you wake up throughout the night ... If you do end up getting the paralysis the best trick is to start by wiggling your toes and finger tips and just keep that as your main focus while staying calm.
Lawrence Foster 8 years ago
You have h. Pylori. Clear it and the sp will go away. Calling jesus stopped my episode. Then cleared h. Pylori and it was gone.
Load More Replies...
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