a) Thanks! b) None. I have a neurological disorder that can sometimes resemble taking a ton of acid all day. Don't bother looking it up, each doctor would say something different but usually refrained from diagnosis because of the complexity of my issues. During the peak of my problems I would have the deepest, strangest, most disturbing dreams. When I woke up, the shift in reality and realization that the last 100 years of my mental life (10-12 hours of sleep, really) was the most pleasurable experience that any drug couldn't possibly reproduce. Being tortured for a century, then waking up to a (moderately) healthy body and finding out none of it was real... it's indescribable. Anyway, point is, that guy was the one guy I could trust inside my dreams. The one guy that would come around and tell me that everything is alright and give me advice on how to resist, how to fight back, how to stay sane. Despite his looks, he was a super nice guy. His voice was nothing like you'd expect, and until now I hadn't thought of a very good way to explain it. His voice was similar to Bane's, actually... if I had that reference before it would have been easier. I never got his name, but if you can't tell based on the black and white sketch, he's a very wise and evolved tree. Moderately brown bark with off white "eyes". Inside his mouth is pure darkness. Thankfully I recovered and adjusted pretty well. Unfortunately I don't dream anymore.
Wow, please pardon my insensitivity before. I haven't heard of anything like what you're describing (closest thing would be sleep paralysis, which evidently isn't close at all). Could I ask how exactly you recovered? Also, have you actually tried any hallucinogens and the like to compare your experiences/dreams with?
Nah nothing is insensitive about what you said. You have heard of some what I'm describing. It's a combination of some undiagnosed (or undiagnosable, as I've been told) sleep disorder and some form of anxiety/panic related psychosis, which all can go hand in hand. Ever had a really mentally and physically exhausting day? How did your sleep go? Now imagine doing that every day for years. That particular story is just the sleep aspects of what I have experienced. Those were mild, to be honest. As for recovery, a certain portion of people with psychotic symptoms can recover through proper treatment over the course of a few years, and it can become latent. I still have symptoms occasionally, but it's manageable and not a big deal anymore.