For eight years, I've been a devoted listener of Darkness Radio with Dave Schrader and Tim Dennis, often documenting interesting stories shared on the show. When hearing credible accounts, I meticulously record dates, locations, and details, sometimes transcribing them for my personal collection. This information becomes valuable to my network of researchers who specialize in different paranormal phenomena, like David Weatherly with his black-eyed kids database or Juan Strickler with his winged creature investigations.

One particular story from Darkness Radio has haunted me for years - a woman's account of bizarre experiences with her boyfriend in their apartment. Initially seeming like a typical ghost story, it evolved into something far more perplexing. The woman began noticing her boyfriend's strange behavior, including complaints about noisy upstairs neighbors in a vacant apartment. Eventually, she too began experiencing these phenomena - hearing the nonexistent party upstairs, seeing people watching their apartment, and feeling followed. When they broke up and he moved out, all these experiences immediately ceased, coinciding with his diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. The most unsettling aspect was how his perceptions somehow transferred to her while they were together.

Key Takeaways

After years of documenting paranormal stories from radio shows, one account about shared hallucinations between partners stands out as particularly perplexing.
The woman in the account gradually began experiencing her boyfriend's paranoid perceptions, including nonexistent neighbors and stalkers, despite initially perceiving nothing unusual.
All paranormal phenomena immediately ceased when the relationship ended, suggesting an unexplained psychological connection that transferred his mental illness symptoms to her.

Host Background

Darkness Radio Origins

Darkness radio, a popular paranormal-themed show, has captivated audiences for many years with its unique storytelling and investigative approach to the unexplained. The program became known for featuring listener submissions about strange encounters, paranormal experiences, and unexplained phenomena. These stories ranged from ghost encounters and UFO sightings to more unusual tales involving cryptids and mysterious entities.

Dave Schrader and Tim Dennis Partnership

The show's success largely stemmed from the dynamic partnership between hosts Dave Schrader and Tim Dennis. Their complementary personalities and genuine interest in paranormal topics created a compelling listening experience. Schrader's inquisitive nature and Dennis's thoughtful commentary provided balanced perspectives on the unusual stories they presented.

Both hosts developed a reputation for treating listener submissions with respect while maintaining a level of critical thinking. Their approach involved reading letters from listeners and discussing the implications of these experiences, often bringing in experts to provide additional context or explanation for the phenomena described.

Network Changes and Independent Journey

The program initially found a home at iHeart Radio, where it built a substantial archive of episodes and a dedicated following. However, significant changes occurred when Schrader and Dennis transitioned to Podcast One, which was associated with Chris Jericho's podcast network.

This move resulted in the original iHeart Radio archives becoming unavailable, with many classic episodes essentially disappearing from public access. The situation highlights the challenges content creators face regarding ownership of their work in the digital media landscape.

Most recently, the hosts have established independence from larger networks, reportedly to maintain greater control over their content and brand. This transition represents their commitment to preserving their unique approach to paranormal broadcasting while maintaining direct connections with their longtime listeners.

Researcher Network Connection

The world of paranormal investigation often involves extensive information sharing among dedicated researchers. This network of individuals who exchange knowledge helps build a more comprehensive understanding of various unexplained phenomena. Through patient data collection and consistent communication, researchers create valuable resources for the paranormal community.

Story Collection and Distribution

For approximately eight years, I've maintained a practice of documenting intriguing accounts from paranormal radio programs, particularly from shows like Darkness Radio. When hearing credible stories, I record essential details including dates, locations, and specifics of the incidents. This process sometimes involves transcribing content directly or locating existing transcriptions. The collection process has become systematic over time, creating a valuable repository of firsthand accounts across various paranormal categories.

These documented stories don't remain isolated in personal files. Instead, they flow through an established network of researchers with specialized interests. This sharing system ensures relevant information reaches those most qualified to analyze it, creating an informal but effective distribution network for paranormal accounts that might otherwise be lost.

Research Collaborations with Field Specialists

David Weatherly and Juan Strickler represent two key connections in this research network, each with distinct areas of focus. Weatherly maintains a comprehensive database of Black-Eyed Children encounters, requiring constant updates with new cases. When related stories emerge from radio programs or other sources, these accounts are forwarded to him for inclusion in his research materials.

Juan Strickler's research centers on winged humanoid sightings across various regions. His investigative approach is particularly hands-on, as he:

Actively seeks to contact witnesses directly
Documents firsthand testimony whenever possible
Builds geographical patterns of sightings
Compares witness descriptions for consistency

Both researchers benefit from this collaborative arrangement, receiving filtered information specific to their areas of expertise. This system exemplifies how paranormal research often operates through informal but effective networks of specialized investigators, each contributing to broader understanding through their focused work.

April's Apartment Mystery

First Impressions and Concerning Behavior

When April and her boyfriend moved into their new apartment, everything seemed perfect at first. However, as they settled in, she began noticing subtle changes in his behavior. He would wake up during the night complaining about noisy neighbors in the apartment above them—despite April's knowledge that the unit was vacant. He would describe hearing parties and loud conversations while she heard nothing but silence. His concerns didn't stop there. He frequently mentioned being watched by strangers outside their building and believed cars were following them during outings.

These peculiar behaviors emerged gradually. April initially dismissed them as harmless quirks but grew concerned as they became more frequent. Though worried about his apparent paranoia, she didn't consider it serious enough to end their relationship.

Growing Awareness of Unexplained Sounds

After months of April hearing nothing when her boyfriend complained, something unexpected happened. One night when he woke up agitated about upstairs noise, April actually heard it too. The sound began faintly but gradually increased in volume—voices and commotion exactly as he had described many times before.

The mysterious noises soon became a nightly occurrence for both of them. They complained to their landlord, who insisted the upstairs apartment remained empty and locked. Despite the landlord's assurances, the disturbances continued at predictable times each evening. What had once been her boyfriend's solitary experience had somehow become shared.

Disturbing Shared Perceptions

The phenomenon extended beyond just sounds. April began seeing the very people her boyfriend had described—strangers standing outside their building looking up at their windows. She noticed cars slowing down with occupants staring at their apartment. When they went out together, she too felt they were being followed.

Before After Only boyfriend perceived strange events April also experienced them April heard nothing upstairs Both heard parties and voices She saw no one watching Both saw strangers observing them

After they broke up and he moved out, all paranormal occurrences stopped immediately for April. She later learned he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, which explained his perceptions. What remained unexplainable was how April clearly experienced these same phenomena, but only when in his presence. She remained certain these perceptions weren't imaginary—the people and sounds seemed completely real to her while they were together.

Looking Back After the Relationship

Understanding the Paranormal Episodes

When I moved out of the apartment and separated from my boyfriend, something remarkable happened - all the strange phenomena immediately stopped. The noisy neighbors upstairs that had disrupted our sleep vanished. The mysterious people watching our apartment disappeared. The cars that seemed to follow us no longer appeared on the streets. It was as if someone had simply flipped a switch, turning off all the paranormal activity that had plagued us for months.

The landlord had been right all along - the apartment above ours was indeed vacant. No one had been hosting late-night parties. The street watchers and followers existed only in a shared perception that somehow transferred between us.

Mental Health Revelation

Following our breakup, I learned something significant about my ex-boyfriend - he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. This condition had gone undiagnosed and untreated throughout our relationship. His mental health condition explained the progression of events:

First stage: He complained about noises I couldn't hear
Middle stage: His delusions intensified and became more specific
Final stage: He received proper medical diagnosis and treatment

The diagnosis provided a medical framework to understand what had happened during our time together. His paranoid thoughts and hallucinations had manifested as complaints about noisy upstairs neighbors and suspicious people watching us.

Making Sense of Shared Experiences

What remains difficult to explain is how I eventually began experiencing the same phenomena. I distinctly remember:

Hearing the upstairs noises after months of silence
Seeing people watching our apartment from the street
Noticing cars following us when we went out

These experiences felt absolutely real to me at the time - not imagination or suggestion. However, I never experienced any phenomena when alone. My ex-boyfriend's presence seemed necessary for me to perceive these things.

This raises fascinating questions about shared delusions or psychological contagion. How could his internal experiences transfer to me in such a vivid, convincing way? While his diagnosis explains his experiences, it doesn't fully account for how I came to share in them so completely.

Thought Contagion: When Paranormal Perceptions Transfer Between People