Ghostly plate!

So, my acquaintance (MA) who experiences microsleep with REM (MWRs – see here) was watching TV. Suddenly, MA  was aware of feeling a large plate dropping. MA succeeded in holding on tighter to stop the plate falling. MA felt anxious nevertheless. Then the plate was gone!

In fact, MA had not been holding a plate at all. The ‘plate’ was only there for a few seconds. MA recognised the plate but it was nowhere near at the time. The TV was visible and audible throughout the experience. It was clearly a MWR experience. It was a type of experience based on reality but with a single object (not physically present) added. MA has noted such experiences many times with the object often being a human figure – appearing as a ghost.

This experience was novel in that it involved action. Generally the added object doesn’t move or do anything. Not only did the object move this time but MA had to physically react and felt apprehension at what was happening. In reality, MA’s hands were not holding anything but instead were folded!

This was, therefore, a new departure for such MWRs. It shows how apparent action can be involved in such experiences. I’m not sure how someone unfamiliar with MWRs would interpret such an experience – a vision perhaps. If it had involved a moving human figure instead of a plate, I suspect it would be seen as a ghost.