Morbid Podcast – Episode 702: Listener Tales 101: Sleep Over / Dream Edition!
Date: August 28, 2025
Hosts: Ash & Elena
Episode Overview
This special Listener Tales episode is themed around sleepovers and all things dreamy and strange: from glitches in the matrix, astral projection, and sleep paralysis, to demonic boyfriends and surreal dream encounters. The hosts, feeling mellow and reflective due to personal family matters, create a cozy, sleepover vibe to say farewell to their old recording space. Listener stories offer a blend of comedy, sincerity, and classic morbid spookiness.
Key Discussion Points & Listener Tales
1. Setting the Sleepover Vibe
- Ash and Elena note it's been a long, tough week with family issues, which makes the night’s calm, dreamy tone perfect (02:45–03:02).
- They indulge in the soothing atmosphere, referencing starlights and “VPR” jokes, and explain their phone volumes need to remain on due to a family hospital situation (03:26–04:01).
- The sleepover theme celebrates their last recording in their current house before moving ("Ended on a sleepover note." – Elena, 04:18).
2. Tale 1: Glitch in the Matrix – Courtney’s Lost Town (05:00–15:16)
Summary:
Courtney recounts a teenage experience of seemingly driving into a 1950s ghost town at night after getting lost with MapQuest directions. The main street, perfectly vintage and abandoned, was never found again despite repeated searching—even after she moved closer to the area.
Highlights:
- “It felt like I’d pulled up to a drive-in from another dimens[ion]... all the cars parked... antique. No modern cars, no people, no dogs, no sounds. Just this heavy, eerie stillness.” – Courtney (10:24)
- Ash and Elena reflect on how disturbing glitches in the matrix are, and the strange nostalgia of MapQuest directions.
- Ash: “I love a ghost town.” (06:05)
- Elena: “The fact that she couldn’t find it ever again... that’s the kicker!” (15:36)
3. Tale 2: Astral Projection: Punching My Stupid Sleeping Body – Kip’s Experience (17:19–33:11)
Summary:
Listener Kip describes vivid dream and sleep paralysis phenomena since childhood. Kip tries to “let go” during a pulling sensation that seems supernatural. In their only adult astral projection episode, Kip finds themselves trapped outside their body, unable to re-enter, growing panicked and eventually “punching” their sleeping body to wake up.
Notable Quotes:
- “I let go and it pulled me away. It pulled me awake... I was in my bedroom. Everything was exactly how it should have been, but everything was more dim and less saturated.” – Kip (25:36)
- “I just got out of bed. My body was still in bed, but I couldn’t see it... It was like I was in both places at once.” – Kip (26:56)
Hosts’ Discussion:
- Ash and Elena compare derailing experiences with dissociation (Rod Stewart concert moment, 27:00), reiterating how unnerving such dream states are.
- Elena: “I think that was 100% astral projecting. You were just new at it; maybe you went too hard too fast.” (33:03)
4. Tale 3: Haunted for 10 Years – Sleep Paralysis, Jesus, and the Devil (33:28–43:53)
Summary:
Whitney shares about her mother, Betty, who thought she was haunted for a decade due to waking visions of Jesus and the devil, before discovering sleep paralysis explained her experiences. Betty is portrayed as a delightful, eccentric character—a seagull-calling contest winner and paleontology grandma.
Highlights:
- “She awoke to a glowing blue light... It was Jesus Christ Superstar, the man himself... ‘Believe in me.’ Betty fought it... Once Jesus left, she was able to calm down. Then came the devil.” (38:28–39:10)
- “Can you imagine waking up naked in a bath after a seizure to an alien saving you? That’s just Betty’s life.” – Elena (43:19)
Hosts’ Discussion:
- Elena: “I still don’t think that was sleep paralysis. I refuse to believe. I get sleep paralysis. I’ve never had Jesus and the devil visit me stereotypically and yell ‘believe in me’ at me. That was something else.” (43:30)
5. Tale 4: The Time My Boyfriend Turned Into a Demon – Kara’s Dream Loop (44:04–62:44)
Summary:
Kara recounts a harrowing recurring sleep paralysis/lucid nightmare loop where her boyfriend, Ben, morphs into a “demon” with black eyes, telling her “I’m not Ben.” The nightmare repeats, each time more terrifying, until she finally wakes—traumatized enough to sleep with her emotionally distant mother. The couple eventually breaks up (amicably).
Memorable Quotes:
- “Looking back at me wasn’t Ben. The body was Ben’s... All but his eyes... replaced by these disturbing, searing black eyes.” – Kara (51:11)
- “It whispered in my ear, calling me by name, telling me to look at him, assuring me it really was just Ben. It was freakishly manipulative...” – Kara (54:04)
- “I feel like we’re soul sisters.” – Kara to the hosts re: her rambling storytelling, commenting on their similar banter (61:03).
Hosts’ Reactions:
- Elena: “That sucks. I hate it for you.” (54:16)
- Ash: “Maybe subconsciously I never did [shake the nightmare], because about a month after, I had the dream loop again, pretty much the same as before.” (59:03)
- Both hosts express relief that Kara shares and processes her trauma through story, relating strongly to her humor and vulnerability.
Notable Quotes and Moments
- “Starlights are magnificent. Here’s the thing. Starlights are gangsta.” – Ash (03:17)
- “All smart, I know it all just goes to say that I appreciate the work y’all do.” – Kip, on how true crime podcasts have heightened their situational awareness (18:40)
- “Jesus himself. Meanwhile, I had no idea Jesus was soliciting believers in my own home.” – Elena, after Betty’s apparition story (39:39)
- “I like purr if I’m using it correctly. Anyway...” – Ash attempts Gen Z lingo (45:02)
Engaging Banter & Listener Inclusion
- Almost every tale is accompanied by a direct, spirited dialogue with the listeners—hosts praise their writing, joke about their own dream experience, and riff on references from pop culture and their own lives.
- Listeners often provide pictures with their tales; the hosts delight in seeing everything from pets to “Pookie,” Kara’s supportive new partner.
- Special shout-outs are given to family members who may hear their stories, for example: “Tim, here we are reading your wife’s tale on the pod. Surprise.” (06:46)
Time-Stamped Guide to Key Segments
- 00:00–02:10: Brief chat, mood-setting, explanation of family situation
- 04:08–05:00: Framing the sleepover/dream edition and structure
- 05:00–15:16: Tale 1 – Courtney’s glitch in the matrix
- 17:19–33:11: Tale 2 – Kip’s astral projection mishap
- 33:28–43:53: Tale 3 – Betty’s haunted decade (sleep paralysis and visions)
- 44:04–62:44: Tale 4 – Kara’s demon boyfriend dream loop
- 62:44–end: Hosts reflect, thank listeners, share personal/family updates
Closing
The episode closes with the hosts expressing heartfelt thanks to listeners for the much-needed boost amidst personal challenges. They highlight the uplifting and spooky blend of tales, the importance of sharing even the oddest or most vulnerable experiences, and pepper their wrap-up with signature reassurance and affection for the listener base.
“They really shot us in the arm today—they really did. It was what we needed. Dreamy, spooky, but also kinda uplifting at times. We needed Betty!” – Elena (62:50)
Keep it weird... but not so weird that you end up stuck in 1953 without a GPS, or let your boyfriend become a demon!