I just woke up from a horrible nightmare and I don't feel I'll be able to go back to sleep until I get this out. In my dream I was late for work and hurrying to get ready. Each time I would look in the mirror I'd see myself, but then if I moved the reflection would change to someone else. He looked almost exactly like me, but with longer hair and a thicker face. I heard his voice in my head yelling things like "You stole my body" "Give it back to me" "It belongs to me" This first happened in my bathroom mirror and then in my rear-view mirror as I was driving to work. Each time I made eye contact with him I'd be unable to move until I broke eye contact. It was like having my body possessed.

I'm hazy on the rest of the dream, but I awoke suddenly and was completely overcome with sleep paralysis. I couldn't move at all, it was like the effects of my dream had been confirmed and I grew terrified. To make matters worse I was facing the left side of my bed and on my right I distinctly heard the sound bed covers make when someone lifts them up and gets inside. Unable to move my head and look I was completely terrified at what could be behind me. Moments later I finally broke through the paralysis and slowly turned to my right to of course see nothing.

I've awoken with sleep paralysis a couple times in my life and that's a scary enough feeling, but this is the first time it's ever happened after a nightmare. I'm not one to scare easily, but right now I'm sitting up in bed with the lights on and for the past hour I've been too scared to even get up for a glass of water. There's no way I'm going back to sleep tonight...

Also this is the second or third time I can recall the face in the mirror who takes over my body.

Well, on its own I would say that the nightmare has to do with issues about identity and the role that you play in life.

However, since you experienced sleep paralysis at the same time, I would say that this also has to do with your stages of sleep becoming mixed up and confused. Your image changing and the voice saying things like "you stole my body" could have to do with the confusion between the real, physical, waking life you and the image of you that your mind creates in your dreams and that becomes "you" in your dreams.

This sort of reminds me of the experiment that was done in which a woman had part of her brain stimulated and she developed the feeling that a "shadow person" was following her every move.

What Happens in Your Brain During an Out of Body Experience.

Out of body experiences, lucid dreams, and sleep paralysis are all related.

Sleep paralysis, and the related nightmare that you experienced, can be caused by stress or illness.

Can you recall when the sleep paralysis started? I've had similar experiences. They had to do with spiritual issues I had. There were things I allowed into my life unknowingly. I had opened doors in the spiritual realm that allowed darkness into my life. Drugs , the occult , unforgiveness, and other dangerous practices allowed me to be taken over. I stopped my involvement in these activities. I started going to church and gave my life to Jesus Christ. All the bondage I had experienced was broken. Since then, I still have trouble some times in my dreams but am no longer tormented at night. Can you think of any way darkness would have access to your life? If so, repent, ask Gid to remove it. He will. It's simple. He loves you. Be blessed