YDB

Hello everyone!

I recently created a new page to launch my literary career, and I'm excited to connect with all of you!

I'll be hosting contests from time to time, where dedicated followers of my page will have the chance to win free prizes!

Please like and follow my new page linked below, and engage with me regularly. Your support means a lot!

https://www.facebook.com/chaunaleatriciamikien

Chauna-lea T. Mikien Author & Singer 💫 Redefining the modern South
through grit, grace & rhythm.

🖋️ Contemporary Southern Fiction Author

🎶 R&B/Pop Musician

🎥 Versatile Actress

📍 Little Rock, Arkansas

Read, listen, & follow the journey:

➡️https://shorturl.at/gTSH7

(Okay, readers— I’m working on a future screenplay that I’d love to adapt into an indie film. Much of my writing draws loosely from my own life, and this story is no different. For now, I’m just testing the waters on social media with works in progress.)

Summer of ’97 follows fraternal twin sisters Felicia and Courtney, born in 1980 and separated at age four when two Black families from opposite ends of Little Rock, Arkansas, adopt them.

One grows up in a gated neighborhood with private schools and summer trips; the other is raised in the hood, learning early how to survive without safety nets. By the summer of 1997, both are seventeen and living lives they never chose.

When they finally meet, their reunion exposes buried resentment, class divides, and the cost of growing up apart—forcing them to decide whether sisterhood is something inherited, or something you fight to keep.

After my dad passed away last year, I feel ready to speak openly about the tragedy surrounding his death.

The Paralyzing Sleep Monster

Several years ago, I experienced a condition called sleep paralysis. I didn’t know what it was called when it first happened. I didn’t even know it existed; something just felt wrong, and I thought something was wrong with me.

The first time it happened, I was lying in bed early in the morning, just waking up. The sun was coming up, and sunlight streamed into my bedroom.

Trying to move my arm resulted in nothing. Gosh, the horror. Not only could I not move my arm, but my whole body refused to move. Panic set in. My mind raced. Trying to call out for help didn’t work—no words came out. I could only see and think. Words formed in my mind, but my mouth wouldn’t speak. It was terrifying. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before, at least not that I remembered.

As a teenager, I thought maybe it was a sign of some god-awful disease. Maybe death. Maybe an out-of-body experience. Stuck in bed, unable to move or speak, the experience lasted only a couple of minutes but felt much longer.

Then, all of a sudden, movement and speech returned. I could move again. I could talk again. A whisper escaped—whatever I said is forgotten now. I let that experience pass. Wrote it off as a fluke. Dummy, I know. Who lets something like that pass? Apparently me. Every now and then, the memory came back, and I convinced myself it had to be a dream or nightmare, though deep down I knew it wasn’t.

When I was twenty-five, it happened again. This time, it was even scarier.

Another morning, just waking up, and suddenly unable to move or speak again. A presence could be sensed in the room. Something or someone was there. I couldn’t see it. Something felt like it was holding me down. Demons or aliens? I didn’t know, but it felt like something was trying to kill me. I couldn’t fight or get up because I couldn’t move.

It creeped me out. No voice would come. The presence left as quickly as it came. Lying there for a minute, catching my breath, the only thought was: What the hell was that? My home had never shown signs of being haunted. Lived there over five years. Nothing paranormal. Nothing unusual.

Was it me? Was I losing it? Was it a disease? I didn’t forget this time.

Several months later, while surfing the web, a weird article appeared:
“Exploding Head Syndrome: The Weird Sleep Phenomenon That’s Way More Common Than You Thought.”
(Author unknown; I don’t remember the name.)

Reading the article and comments from people who experienced sleep paralysis and/or Exploding Head Syndrome made everything click. So many people experienced the same thing. I researched articles for hours and found millions of results. Checked credible medical websites. Learned that anyone can experience these conditions.

Discovering that people hear unexplained “loud booms” before or after sleep (Exploding Head Syndrome) reminded me of a time I thought a car backfired. After checking, there was nothing outside. It was just me. My research said many individuals experience both conditions. That knowledge brought relief. Maybe I wasn’t alone.

If a condition becomes serious or continues, medical advice should be sought. For me, it never became that serious. Just bizarre. Unwanted. But knowing what it was helped.

Finally, names could be put to these experiences: sleep paralysis and Exploding Head Syndrome. Learning that made me feel better. The term “Exploding Head Syndrome” sounds strange and misleading; “Booming Head Syndrome” might be better.

Hopefully, I don’t experience these sleep phenomena again. If I do, at least it won’t be as frightening. Now there’s something to call it. It was all in my head.

A medical professional even told me they experienced these phenomena too. So, I wasn’t crazy or dying or hallucinating. This experience changed my life. I learned something new, even though it was bizarre. Next time, I’ll seek medical help—though I hope there isn’t a next time.

Now I know I was normal.
I am normal.