[Stainditnew]

Hi, I'm writing about an experience I had about 4 years ago that I'm still confused about, and if possible I'd like some opinions on it.

One time when I was trying to have a wake-induced lucid dream (I've been having lucid dreams since I was born so I'm fairly experienced), I concentrated on the ringing in my ears and let the vibrations pull me into the "dream world". I was thinking of somewhere fun to go in my lucid dream, but I couldn't concentrate because it felt like there was a heavy weight on my chest. I opened my "dream eyes" and I was in my bed and there was a shadowy figure crushing my ribs. I could actually feel my ribs grinding together and bending so I forced myself to wake up. I woke up but kept myself still and I induced another WILD that produced the exact same dream. When I woke up from the 2nd one, I once again remained still to keep my body asleep and try WILD again. I figured the exact same thing couldn't happen the 3rd time, but it did.

The shadow figure kept showed up every now and then in false awakenings and WILDs for loosely a month, until one time it suddenly disappeared in the middle of tormenting me. The creature was moving all over my body and creating intense vibrations, but then it just dissipated. I looked up toward my doorway and there was a lady standing in my doorway facing away from me. As she was turning around, I expected her face to be really mangled and scary (and usually when I expect things that way in a lucid dream they come true) but to my surprise she looked normal. The fact that she didn't look like I feared she would made this experience feel different than a lucid dream. She then said something to me but I couldn't make out what she was saying, then I woke up. After that, I never had a dream about that shadow figure again.

This happened before I knew anything about astral projection, so at the time I passed it off as a lucid nightmare (which I had never really had before since I usually have no trouble defeating evil dream characters). Is it possible that I was actually in the astral plane and that the shadowy figure was an astral being? And that the lady I saw was an angel or spirit guide who got rid of the shadow creature?

Although it still felt like I was in my body, I believe I was seeing the astral plane since I couldn't affect what was happening using power of suggestion like I usually can in lucid dreams.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: After reading a bit around the forums, I think this might be a Dweller on the Threshold