[Tatoon]

I'd never had SP before or heard of it.It only started to happen when i got to college (probably because of the irregular sleeping time, some nights I sleep 2 hours other i sleep 12).The first time i had it, like most people i started to panic.I tried to scream out but i couldn't make the most insignificant sound (or so i think, i live alone).Allthough i felt a presence near me I never thought it to be evil(!)most of the times it was people i knew well.I learned a few tricks to snap out of an episode: most of the times i tried to start moving a finger (hand or toe, whatever)and in a heart beat the full limb beggan to move and the episode ended.
When I discovered it was an experience common to lots of people i read more about it.SP is not a disease, it's basically when the brain wakes up before the body, or the body falls asleep before the brain.It is not even an health problem, it's completely normal (like a fart, it stinks but it doesn't hurt you).
The best way to avoid it is to have a regular sleeping pattern.First of all you must realize the paralisys is due to the substances the brain uses to relax the muscles when you fall asleep, but the panic and the presences you feel they're all in your head.There is nothing to fear but fear itself.When you have an episode just relax (try the finger trick)if you feel a presence remember it happens on SP, and it's normal, and it is not there it's only in your head.

[Soul Surfer]

Just catching up with this topic.  I am surprised that no one appears to have mentioned the link with sleep apnoea.  That is stopping breathing when you are asleep.  I have been tested and found to suffer from this problem and think that I have probably had it all my life.  I have seldom been aware of sleep paralysis because I learned not to try to move until I had been awake for some time and my breathing had been normal for a while.  This waking up just as you are about to flake out through lack of oxygen can cause serious panics in some people but it has never really bothered me because I like underwater swimming and used to win bets at school for holding my breath for more than three minutes. I don't think that I can do that now!  (only 2 mins while typing this but could probably have done a bit better)

Learn, create, test and tell
evolution rules in all things
God says so!

[Blahzaay]

I am so glad I found this thread!!! I have had SP very intensely 4 times now and every time I swear I was on the verge of death. Usually the only thing working is my brain. The 1st two times i experienced it I could not open my eyes and could barely breathe for the 1st 30 seconds or so.

If I am able to force my eyes open (only a couple of mm anyway) I still can not move an inch and still have the trouble of not breathing properly. Eventually I will be panicing enough for my brain to snap out of it but I have a lot of trouble staying concious. I constantly fall in and out of the same dream and everytime I re-enter not a second has gone past. It's like the dream is put on pause.

I can't say that I suffer from being smothered, my chest doesn't feel heavy and I definitely haven't been freightened of any other figures or bodies in the room. All I feel is complete paralyzation.

I would like to add that I have been diagnosed with high levels of anxiety resulting in many heart pulpitations throughout my entire life.

Anyway I'm off to bed... Have to get up early 2moro. Just hopin I don't have another one!!!

[another_someone]

Don't know if the following is of any interest to people in this topic.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4898726.stm

quote:
Near death experiences have a biological explanation rather than a spiritual one, research suggests.
The US team said the same parts of the brain are activated when people dream as in near death experiences.
The study, in Neurology, compared 55 people who had had near death experiences and 55 who had not.
Those with near death experiences were more likely to have less clearly separated boundaries between sleeping and waking, the scientists found.
People who have had near death experiences commonly report being surrounded by a bright light or gazing down on themselves in an operating theatre.
Many of these sensations are also common to experiences of being in the dream state, or rapid eye movement (REM), stage of sleep, the researchers said.
'REM intrusion'
Near death experiences were defined by the University of Kentucky researchers as a time during a life-threatening episode when a person undergoes an out-of-body experience, unusual alertness or sees an intense light or feels a great sense of peace.
They found 60% of those who reported such experiences said they had experienced the REM state of sleep during periods of wakefulness.
Only a quarter of those who had not had near death experiences said they had experienced this "REM intrusion".
Examples of this include waking up and feeling unable to move, having sudden muscle weakness in the legs and hearing sounds just before falling asleep or waking up that others do not hear, the team said.
'Biological basis'
Study author Professor Kevin Nelson of the University of Kentucky, Lexington, who led the study, said the findings suggests that REM state intrusion contributed to near death experiences.
He told the Daily Telegraph: "I see it as an activation of certain brain regions that are also active during the dream state.
"However, I hesitate to call it dreaming or dreaming while awake. This is the first testable hypothesis of a biological basis for these experiences."
"People who have near death experiences may have an arousal system that predisposes them to REM intrusion," he added.
'Incredibly real'
However, he suggested the theory did not automatically rule out a spiritual dimension to near death experiences.
"We, as neurologists. address the how of these experiences coming about but not the why," he said.
Dr Neil Stanley, director of sleep research at Surrey University, said the theory was a very plausible one.
He said: "There are plenty of rational people who say that these things happen and the one part of us that's utterly fantastical is our dreams.
"Our dreams can appear incredibly real - after all they are our reality when they are happening.
"If you get that sort of reality playing through into your consciousness - it's a very convincing reason to believe such a thing is happening."

George

[cfury]

I am going to describe most of my sleep paralysis experiences.  Nothing traumatic has really happened to me,they just occur.  I have asthma, allergies, and I'm not a very happy person most often.  I don't think I have severe depression, but I felt like it since I moved 600 miles from my best friend and I'm still "coping" although I've been handling it pretty good.  I'm almost 15 years old and about ready to kill these dreams.  I will also post some of my own tips that I have tried and sometimes work.  Here goes:

Usually my sleep paralysis kicks in during early morning hours (around 4am to about 6am).  It happens ANY TIME and is completely unpredictable.  It happens mostly when I sleep on my side, but happens in any position.  It seems to have a mind of IT'S own.  I usually have this very strange feeling of tingling and numbness crawl all the way up my spine.  Then, recently I have had a crushing feeling on my side, back, or chest like something is sitting on it.  This is what TERRIFIES me.  Yeah I've read all about the hallucinations, but also about the "Old Hag".  By the way, Enter Sandman is a great song to listen to about this topic.  It goes right with the subject of sleep paralysis.  Back to my dreams...  Sometimes I begin to hear something talk or whisper into my ear which is also scary.  It sounds like it talks in latin, once again scary.  Then all of a sudden the weight on my back or chest lets up like IT flies away.  I don't always get the Old Hag Syndrome along with my sleep paralysis, only sometimes.  Every other time it starts with the tingling and paralyzing and then I just can't move.  I panic and feel my heart beating like I'm in vigorous exercise.  Sometimes this paralysis lasts for what seems like seconds, other times a few minutes.  (I'm starting to make myself paranoid right now.)  The weirdest part is when I HAVE to "build up" my strength to shake my arm or leg to wake myself up.  Then it's all over.  I sit up real fast sweating and breathing hard.  I check the door to make sure it wasn't my cat that was sitting on my chest, but my door is always closed and the cat is sleeping in my parents' room.  Another note: I have been known to have the flying/floating sensation during my "night terror".

Okay, if anyone can help or share their experiences that would help.  Here's a few tips of mine (obviously I'm no doctor, but...)

- Check your bed.  Make sure there are no springs that are poking in your back or side.  Sometimes I wake up from SP and notice that I was sleeping right over a hard spring.

- Don't worry about SP.  I can't help this myself, and I'm sure I will be afraid to go asleep because I fear just having these dreams.  Whether you worry about it or not, I will come if it wants.  You might as well forget about it.

- This is my favorite.  I haven't tried it yet, but I found it on a reliable website.  If you ever see a demon or monster in your bedroom during SP, relax for a few seconds or look away and concentrate on a not-so-scary figure.  Men can think of that hot chick you are always fantasizing about and women can think of someone they wish to see.  Then, the monster should turn into that person.  That would help you until your little nightmare ends, and it will.

- What I always try to do is fight your image of Sleep Paralysis.  If you imagine Sleep Paralysis as a certain figure (i.e. The Devil, the Old Hag, Sandman, etc.) before you go to bed and you are brave and willing enough to try it, attempt to fight it in your sleep.  *Maybe* this will permanetly "kill" it.  You might trick your mind into actually believing that it (sleep paralysis) is dead.  Some days when I just get totally furious over it all I dare it to come.  I don't know if it works either, I haven't tried it.  Just an idea.

Hope that helps.  I know these are pretty bizarre and hard to keep your cool, but just try to remain calm.  There's nothing more I can do to help.  Here's the lyrics for Enter Sandman by Metallica for ya' if you are like me and love guitars and music.  The song itself is about the "Sandman" that terrifies kids in their sleep and haunts them.  Replace the Sandman with the Old Hag and you've got yourself a song to relate to.

Say your prayers little one
Don’t forget, my son
To include everyone

Tuck you in, warm within
Keep you free from sin
Till the sandman he comes

Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight

Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
Off to never never land

Something’s wrong, shut the light
Heavy thoughts tonight
And they aren’t of snow white

Dreams of war, dreams of liars
Dreams of dragon’s fire
And of things that will bite

Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight

Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
Off to never never land

Now I lay me down to sleep
Pray the lord my soul to keep
If I die before I wake
Pray the lord my soul to take

Hush little baby, don’t say a word
And never mind that noise you heard
It’s just the beast under your bed,
In your closet, in your head

Exit light
Enter night
Grain of sand

Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
We’re off to never never land

[another_someone]

Although I have no direct experience or expertise in this topic, one question that I have wondered from the beginning is, how does sleep paralysis relate to sleep walking, or similar sleep activity.  I would see them as two extreme opposites, but are they in fact based on a common mechanism that is operating in one extreme mode or the opposite extreme mode, or are they in fact two distinct mechanisms?  Am I totally misunderstanding what sleep paralysis is about?

George

[lickacube]

I would fill it out, but I cannot get the link to work.

[fm47]

Oh-My-God... I can't believe I found this place (thanks google)! And I can't believe this thread is still alive!

CAUTION: My post WILL be long and rather detailed.  But please do read it.  I've read the rest of the posts and some of my experiences are similar to others, some briefly talked about, and a bit not at all mentioned.

Hello, I'm Tony and 19 years of age.  I was born and raised (at least till 8yr) in Taiwan.  I've had sleep paralysis for as long as I remember and have debated to myself about it scientifically and spiritually.  My culture has influenced me on it, so I've always had something to refer it to as.

In the Chinese culture, sleep paralysis is also known as "Gui Ya Chuang", or literally, "Ghost pressing on bed".  I was always told that it's caused by stress and fatigue, but sometimes a ghost could really be holding you down.

That's as much as I knew about sleep paralysis until I did a slight report on it back in high school, but only described the scientific reasonings to it.  Other than those few information, I've never heard of the Sandman, Old Hag, ect or at least not realize it when I've heard of it.  I have, however, concluded that though it may sometimes be caused by physical and psycological reasons, but I beileve that it also--maybe not always--but also involves spiritualism (if that's a real word).

My sleep paralysis exeriences have become so common in my life, I sometimes expect it as much as women expect their menstral cycles.  By that, I do not mean to be offensive or immature, but in means that I expect it and it comes periodically, where I would experience them from days to months.
In fact, sometimes it's so frequent that sometimes right when I find myself in sleep paralysis, I think, "DAMN!"
That period for me has come and happens about 5/7 days a week, and 6 or 7 times a night (as I repeated wake up and fall back asleep right away).

My experiences are much like others.  Here I will list those similar things, followed by my personal experiences.

First, I'll explain my most common SP experiences in general.
I often get a sensation, somewhat of that "buzzing" feeling, and that's when I know I'd be having SP, but by then, I'd be too tired to care and doze off within seconds to that thought.  I usually cannot open my eyes, and instead of paralysis, it feels like someone's turned on the gravity many times higher.  Many, many times.  Sometimes it feels stronger, other times less.  There is usually an entity that makes me feel ensecure and fearful.  I usually try to fight it, but whenever I do wake up, I'd still be so tired that I'd just fall right back sleep, into the same situation.  Sometimes I try to just forget about it and relax, but then it feels like the atmosphere came down upon me and all the weight would squeeze me to the point I'd *splat*.  Sometimes relaxing just cause my body to be uncontrollably tense.

All that and:

1) Feel of a presence.  I also feel an entity, and from what I've read in this thread, seems we all have some sort of entities in our SP experiences.  I have a few different ones, actually.  Earlier in my life, I've always just felt a presence, one that made me fear uncontrollably and threatened.  Later in life, at about 14ish, I had an experience of sliding off my bed... though it's flat on the ground -_-  I was being sucked into the closet and something told me "Witch" lived in there.
I've felt spiritual all my life, thoughts of Chuckie, Boogie Man, ect, never really scared me, so I never really had a reason to believe something was in my closet and I never had a thought of it.
After that, I met a man... he'll be in my exerience section later.
And after that it actually changed into an entire room of people, but I felt calm and safe -- also will be in my experience section.

Please bare with me.

2) Sleep Apnea.  I read a bit on sleep apnea and realized that I've experienced it before, though not as often as I experience SP.  Recently, however, it's been incorporated into my SP experiences.

3) Floating sensation.  I've only had this experience once or twice, it felt like I was at the end of the ride.  I felt like I gently fell into my body.  When I woke up, I concluded that it was the transition from dream to consciousness.  But I've had curious thoughts of it as well.

It's become something I've been trying to exploit, to explore, and to record.

This was not recorded, but more of a memorable experience.

Exploration
While experiencing and experimenting with sleep paralysis, I found that if I could last longer than the effect of the paralysis and remain asleep, but conscious, I can explore my dreams.
Most of the time I'm conscious, but it's still like I'm following a plot, and just watching it as it all happens.  There are usually two views, one as first-person, the other as third-person.  Both of those views are in a sense... simultaneous.
Sometimes, I'm allowed to explore freely, to look about my surroundings, and sometimes, even create my surroundings.  All I have to do is give an idea a thought, and suddenly it would all be built.  Even at that, though, random things could happen.

Here's an example, rather recent, too.
I had just endured sleep paralysis--I refer to it me fighting it off--and I was at the stage where I could move freely.  I thought of this particular girl and wished that I could see her and talk to her and embrace her...
Suddnely I found myself with her, somewhere in a vast garden of fountains, flowing endlessly from one to another.  It was beautiful.  The fountains were of white stone and the water shin/knee deep.  She was in a beautiful white dress and we were speaking.
She looked like someone else, but to me, she held the position of another.  The last rays of sunlight just before sunset were glowing on our skins and I embraced her in my arms and we kissed.  The kiss was long and beautiful, but suddenly my mother appeared, calling to me as if she had a chore for me to do.  I woke up, bittersweet.

The Sighing Man
I was on sitting at my computer, tired, depleted of energy.  I rolled around onto my bed, under the bed cover, and fell asleep.  My eyes were uncommonly open.  Wide open.  I was still under the bed cover, I could source that my monitor was still on, and hear the hum of my computer fan.  There was presence again... but this time, it seemed to be a different person.
Suddenly, I had an urge to ask in my mind, "Who are you...?"
All was white and I audienced two small clips, almost like video tapes or a recording of a reinactment.  The two "videos" lead me to ask next, "Were you... murdered?"  I then anticipated a sharp pain to be placed on my lower back, so I asked again, "Were you stabbed in the lower back...?"
!!
Though the entity felt about six feet away, it let out a deep, gravely sigh that sounded like it was right beside my ear.  Goosebumps arose about my body and I struggled to do something.  I couldn't.  I tried with all my might and couldn't even turn my head.  I tried desparately to turn my head all the while I wondered what would happen if I were to wake up at this moment?  Could I have a sudden turn of head so hard that it'd break my neck and kill me?
At that thought, all the fear disappeared and I suddenly was more occupied to the possibility of someone killing oneself by such a movement.  I woke up.

The Hanging Woman
I had fallen asleep on the couch.  The couce in the living was shaped like a shape such as this:
 __________
/          |
|\ / ______|
| | /
|\|/|
|_O_|

And according to the picture, I lied vertically, head pointing downwards, and facing upwards.

I woke up with paralysis and was meeting eyes with a woman who hung in midair.  Her long black hair had as much life as she did--none.  She had a long white gown and her feet, though I couldn't see, could not have reached the ground.  She stared at me blanky with terrifying sorrow and sadness.  I fought against the paralysis and tried to crawl to the lightswitch on the other side of the couch.  I managed to get there, even if she did rotate her body and gaze with my movement.  Right as I hit the switch on, I fell instantly back into the same position as I had "woken up", but was actually in my dream.  Even so, I was convinced that I had woken up.  I repeated the strategy, and on the 6 or 7th time, I got sick of it and it wasn't much of a deal.

Suddenly, with one last flicker of the light switch, I woke up, and this time, was absolute that I had really woken up.

Grunting
A few times, I've experienced SP in a place where there was a lot of people, a lot of warmth, and interestingly enough, a sense of calm.  But it was like no one even realized I was there, like I never existed.  I try to see them but my eyes are shut tight, and I couldn't move.  I try desparatly to say something, to cry out, but the breath is caught in my throat.
A low grunt came from my voice and I wondered if I was making such sounds in real life.  Chuckling ot myself, I wondered some more, then woke up.



I want to record myself sleeping sometime and see how that goes.  One time, during my waking of my dream's dream's dream's dream's dream... and forever on, my friend saw me violently jerk my body up from lying down, stare blankly, then falling back to sleep, only to happen again from seconds to minutes later.

Though there'd always been a place for me to be at during sleep paralysis, it's been weird recently.  It's becoming harder and harder to fight it and wake up from it all... and all that surrounds me is darkness.  Nothing but pitch black.

There is much more I planned to type, but it's very late... or early (6:30 am), so i will stop here.  I would love to speak to some of you about sleep paralysis.

my MSN is dark_knights_ag@hotmail.com
Just add me and message me ZZZ if you want to talk

[bumstar]

I googled 'sleep paralysis' and found this thread.. funny thing is, I just had an episode of it last night, which was beyond terrifying.

I woke up in the middle of the night, paralyzed and staring into the dark while I heard demonic laughter reverberating throughout my bedroom. It happened three times that night. The feeling of helplessness and terror was just overwhelming.

The most vivid one I had was when I was 15, and sleeping on a fold-out bed at a condo. In this episode, I saw a pale, little eyeless boy at the foot of the bed, chanting something in a high-pitched sort of scream.

The other ones involve dark, tattered-robed things gathering towards my bed. Or decaying, skeletal things clawing at me.. I guess I have a vivid imagination, huh?

Why is it that the hallucinations that accompany sleep paralysis almost always relate to evil/ominous things? I found it interesting.

[fm47]

Yeah, I've always wondered why things have to be so horrible until you either get pass it or you wake up.

I had an experience that wasn't exactly sleep paralysis, but more of an OBE (out of body experience).  At first, I heard all these noises: cars, horns, broad metals booming, people, screeches, everything.  It's as if every sound in the world happened at once right by the side of my  ear.  I was furious and couldn't stop the sound... I kept waking up, trying all I could to stop the noises, but couldn't.  I then had a dream.
I was flying high above a road just down the street, pass the elementry school by my house.  Everything was in shades of beige and objects and people were in shapes sketched by dark, rust-red lines.  It was as if everyone was a sketch.  I slowly floated down the road and stopped at the cemetary and it was as if I saw every movement in my surrounding in thousands of angles simultaneously.  As I saw literally "everything" happen, I noticed that some of the figures travelled extremely fast, and some ridiculously slow... it was as if everyone was in the same place, but on different dimensions or at least they weren't aware of each other.  Figures moved at speeds leaving an image-trail, some so slow you wondered if they're moving at all, and some just normally strolling as a real person would.

It felt like that was where people were after they died... they all exist in the same place but on different... levels.  It was like life after death is just another life...

I then had a sensation of drifting down and opened my eyes slowly and just realized how heavy my body was as compared to my dream.

This experience led me to wonder:  If life after death is what my dream has shown me, then does that mean it's possible that as we live in our dimension, our time, our "level", there are others that really do coexist?

[brettc1]

Hi, im new to this, so bear with me.

I have been suffering from SP for about past 4 years and I have the episodes about once a week. I have got used to it now and started experimenting with it, a bit like the film Flatliners where they experiment with after death, although not quite as servere i guess its the same principle! I have tried to stay in the state as long as i can before i 'wake' my self up.

I knew that SP existed when it first started happening to me, thanks to an older friend.

My search today was prompted by my first hulucination last night. It wasnt of an old hag as most people have mentioned but a very transparent and vivid image of an older bearded man who decended through the ceiling to stand in the middle of my room and walk towards me. At this point i decided i didnt really want to be in that situation and 'woke' my self up.

The way i wake my self up isnt a graceful as wiggling a finger or tensing muscles, the only way i can do it is to shake my head side to side or jolt my body upwards, i would imagine its a horrible sight if anyone ever saw it!

I find it usually occurs after a late night and is as im going to bed in the evening. However I have found that when it occurs (often 5 or 6 times in a evening when it does happen) that sleeping with a fan on helps stop it. I dont know whether this is a phycological thing, taking you mind off the situation or that it helps you in another way. But it appears to work for me.

I dont know anyone else who suffers with this now so i am glad to have found this forum, reading other peoples similar experiences has helped me understand it more, while im not shy about telling people that i experiece it, it gets mixed reactions, from interest to disbelief, sometimes sarcsm. But it doesnt bother me, i know kind of know why it happens and its harmless so i dont worry about it, going to sleep isnt a problem.

Its just a strange experience and to be honest im glad im experiencing it because it makes things that I am scepitcal about almost life like which i find interesting.

probably a useless post but i thought id share it with you.

Check me out!

[fm47]

Definitly not a useless post.  Your method of waking up is just as mine--constant struggling and body jolts, all the while wondering what I look like in real life.  What an interesting scene that'd make... I've even thought of recording my sleep.

I just experienced another one yesterday, but it was so confusing, I "broke" the paralysis and charged to the living room, pulled a blanked over the couch, hoping that when I wake up I'd see if I was sleep walking or anything...

The paralysis feels more of a constriction more than paralysis.  Perhaps that's what makes it so scary for me.

[paperheart]

It's hard to find a topic like this kept alive. Just wanna share my crappy SP experiece with all the other SPers. I started to fall into SP since 4 years ago which I were only 16 years old. It gave me a shock for a momment there when it first happened, when I was somehow trying to fall asleep.. but i still manage to realize that I was actually awake. Tried pulling myself or moving, even trying to scream or shout.. but to no avail. After a while going through it, it made me curse with my conscious mind and tried fighting like a bull with my paralyzed body.. and somehow managed to break free with my heart thumping real fast. There isn't any hallucination about some presence or something (learning from wikipedia about SP that hallucination will happen).

It went on til now, and I realized it happened only when i was somehow very sleepy and tired over the day. There is once when this happened, my mum was in my room doing a little cleaning.. I managed to open my eyes, tried to call out for help to my mum, but there ain't no voice coming out. Then from my peering eyes i saw that my mum came over and wake me up, it can't help.. and from what she saw it seems like my eyes were turning white (as the pupils went to the back) when she saw that momment. After a while i managed to pull myself up, with a fast beating heart. But it can't be that my eyes were turning back because I was looking around and able to see my mum cleaning the room.

Due to my mother (we're a Chinese family) and she believe that some spiritual being is making this up. I wasn't worried at all, and it happened almost thrice a week. Until yesterday night, when I pretty tired working on the computer.. wen't on to my bed and tried to fall asleep. Seems like my body fell asleep before my mind did.. and again.. SP is happening, but it's a bit different, when now I saw an old granny telling me to follow her, which i resisted and told her I don't want to, I'll prefer to wake up! ( my eyes were shut tight, and pretty conscious that it was a dream). I pulled myself up by fighting with my own body, just like every other time. Once awake I tried changing position of sleep, and again it happened.. my ears were humming and my eyes were widely opened. Only able to move the tips of my fingers. Pulled myself up again, changed position.. and it happened again!! Ain't planning to sleep, so went and consulted my mum, she told me to do some Buddhist prayers when it happen.. So I went back to bed, and again it happen..

I wonder when will this thing stop, I wasn't worried or anything, being strong all these while fighting over it.. But it is kinda disturbing when I was just looking for some sleep like everyone else.

[fm47]

Paperheart, if you have the time and boredom to go through my giant post just above, read the first few paragraphs.  It's most likely what your mother told you.

If it's the so called "Gui Ya Chuang", then you either chant "Na muo wo mi tuo fwo" (you know what I mean, or your mother will) repeatitively, or become real angry and swear up a storm to literally "scare" the ghost away.

I sure do hope more people post.

[sasperella]

I am so glad I found this sight as I am finding it harder and harder to cope with the SP. I don't really speak to friends about it anymore cause they just think I'm having a bad dream and don't understand at all.

My first SP experience was about 4 years ago and happened a couple of days after I had taken ecstacy so put it down to an after effect of that. I have just read that a lack of sleep can cause it that would explain this.

I was only having SP about 10 times a year but in about the last year it is alot more intense.

The feeling of dying is the worse thing ever and it's nice to read that so many people have this same feeling so I now don't feel so alone.

2 nights ago, I had the worse one ever and was convinced I was not going to wake again. The hullicinations would just not stop and I saw a man in my room walking towards me, trying to scream and move I managed to come out of it before he reached me.

I never want to have this experience again but am just waiting for it to happen so I am still a bit of a wreck at the moment!

I've read that anti-depressents can stop it from happening - has anyone tried this who could give me some advice?

I just hope that I haven't caused this myself through years of ecstacy abuse - any comments on this will be appreciated

[MunK]

Hi I've had SP about 3 or 4 times over the last 6 months (dont remember ever having it before this).  Before I go into my last experience here is what puzzles me:

I can agree to the theory that SP is caused by your brain failing to wake your body properly from REM sleep, that seems plausible but why such a common theme? Hallucinations are generally so varied from person to person under any other situation, why does everyone get the banging, rustling, sense of being watched, sense of terror, sense of looming death? the old hag? why cant i wake up paralysed with a naked fitty straddling me ffs? why is it that i have not read one really positive sp experience? for me this is where science falls over, even if it could prove exactly what causes sp and the hallucinations etc. it cant explain a common theme that goes back centuries can it? one that I experienced before I even knew it existed.  Thats what really interests me about SP.  Sorry if this has re-itterrated a past post but i've only just found it and im about to finish work so dont have time to read them all yet, nice forum tho!!

My latest SP experience:

Its normally been a fairly scary experience but as of Sunday night it suddenly became absurdly terrifying.  Previously I would just have the paralysis and the feeling that someone was in the room with me but I would always have my back to them and couldnt turn my head.  

Sunday night I woke to loud slow banging on my bedroom door, couldn't open my eyes, tried to shout out and couldn't, could also hear a rustling about 4 ft to the right of my bed.  The terror was overwhelming at this point I really cant stress how scared I was. After a struggle I managed to open my eyes, the banging stopped and I looked towards the door and seen a silloutte of a man/woman of average height, I tried to look towards the rustling but couldnt and then I snapped out of it like someone had just clicked a switch and started breathing v heavily.

[paperheart]

Hey fm47, thanks for  the info. Well yea i chanted "Them" while I was going through SP.. but it didn't help. Just like your experience, I do know I'm about to step into SP again, so I started chanting. Til in the middle of it, am still chanting.. with the thought of 'making it' go away (well previous SPs made me curse and swear while in it). Somehow i didn't believe it's a spiritual thing until that night when I mentioned that this old lady appeared and told me to keep up with her.(The old lady look decent enough to not being some bad spiritual thing). And again I don't pray much or visit the temple much in my life.

Another thing is, even it felt like my eyes were wide open, when I jolted/pulled myself out if it, I find myself opening my eyes (which were actually shut). Somehow are my eyes taking a snapshot of the surroundings on the last second before i close my eyes and fall asleep right after? This sound ridiculous though.

I'm pretty interested in recording myself and laughing it out watching them, but I guess it's not gonna help much. The only thing I've always wished for when SP occured was that I can have a sword or some kinda weapon to slash all these constriction away. Ofcourse hoping that I won't occur ever again because it kinda irritates me when I'm really looking for some sleep.

[fm47]

Hi.  I really hope some of you have taken the time to my gigantic post above.  I wrote it during some late-night time, so there are a few things I want to clarfiy that I may have left out.

  I am not at all religious.  I like to find both sides of explanations, and of course, the scientific one is much easier and more accessable than the spiritual one.  I fully understand that my knowledge (whether they are fact or not) could alter my perspective.  Most of us already know about the scientific side, that is why I presented my perspective of what else it COULD be.  I should have, however, expained the possible reasons to SP, but MunK just did that for me (thanks .

  "Well yea i chanted "Them" while I was going through SP.. but it didn't help."
As I was telling you during our conversation, the chantings, prayings, and/or swearing may just be a source of phsycological comfort.  For example, you've been stressed and tired.  When you fell asleep, you experience SP.  The situation terrifies you and brings your stress level to a whole new level.  You do all you've been adviced to do, hoping they'd work, thinking they'd work.  It provides with some comfort because now you have something you can at least try to do to make it go away.

  Sasperella (that's a good drink , I can't tell you why you have SP experiences, but I can tell you that I, myself, and others I've known to have SP have not taken any drugs (excluding the common perscription drugs).  It may be the ecstacy, it may not be.  I personally doubt it.
From a bit of research online and with a good amount of people I know, I noticed (as research has) that they experience SP when under stressful times, have gone to an extent of fatique, or physical exertion.  Have you had any or combinations of these situations?

  MunK, I will share with you my wonderful experience with SP.  As annoying and nerve-wracking SP can be, I try to find the good sides of it.  It's an experience that some people, some I personally know to be ages 40 and beyond, have never had.
  As I've explained above in the "Exploration" section, there are times where I've been able to explore my dreams.  Though I follow a general plot, I'm conscious, thinking, and sometimes even making decisions.  When I "explore" or even "control" my dreams, I usually have to go through SP.

  Now, just to clarify, this is NOTHING like times when you slightly wake up midst having a good dream, close your eyes, and try to sleep and resume the dream, which you always realize later that the rest of the dream was just your imagination.

MunK, read this if you havn't read my huge post above.  It's a direct quote of what I posted earlier:

"I had just endured sleep paralysis--I refer to it me fighting it off--and I was at the stage where I could move freely. I thought of this particular girl and wished that I could see her and talk to her and embrace her...
Suddnely I found myself with her, somewhere in a vast garden of fountains, flowing endlessly from one to another. It was beautiful. The fountains were of white stone and the water shin/knee deep. She was in a beautiful white dress and we were speaking.
She looked like someone else, but to me, she held the position of another. The last rays of sunlight just before sunset were glowing on our skins and I embraced her in my arms and we kissed. The kiss was long and beautiful, but suddenly my mother appeared, calling to me as if she had a chore for me to do. I woke up, bittersweet."

Notice how, even though, I wanted to see her, I didn't think about the garden of fountains and the beautiful lighting.  And though I thought of her, she appeared to be someone else, but still representing who she is to me.  It's like there are many universal dimensions with every possible event can occur, and after I gave it my general thought, it brought me to one of them.

For me, that's a valuable experience... not because we kissed, not because it was so beautiful, not even because I wanted it to happen.  It was valuable because the surreal became real for me.



Lastly, I've experienced with the ability to "control" the dreams, but it's a rather... personal and mature content.  If you are interested in knowing how I went about that, email me or message me at dark_knights_ag@hotmail.com
I'll just say that the phrase "Anything is possible if you set your mind to it" and beyond what the figurative (if that's a word) speech means is very, very true.

[fm47]

Oh, I forgot to post what I try to do to get out of SP.

As weird as it may sound... give sleep a rest.  Stay up for about 5 minutes, when you are slightly less sleepy than when you barely wake up.  Sometimes it seems that putting yourself in different temperatures will stop SP from reoccuring.  I usually just walk to a different room, usually my living room, and sleep there.

Sometimes providing background music, noise, or light will help you get past the SP-occuring stage (which is usually within the first few minutes and last few minutes of a sleep session).
I usually just turn on the television, sometimes setting it on mute, and some how time whatever it is I have going to turn off by the time I'd fall asleep; around 30 minutes.
To have the "lullaby" source on after you've gone through SP occuring stages is bad for sleep, even if it's your favorite music that calms you down whenever.  It disturbs your deep sleep cycle (forgot what it's called) and you'd wake up like you hardly even slept, and possibly more tired than you were (because you just spent some eight hours somewhat awake, adding to your fatique).

Good luck to those of you who seek to put an end to SP when it happens.

I do not claim these... rememdies to work.  They work for me, perhaps it'd work for you too.

[MunK]

FM - I was going to mention the lucid dream aspect to all this as i've been trying to achieve lucidity for some time.  I like yourself generally direct my dreams and control things to a certain extent but rarely become completly lucid.  Anyway i've read various accounts of ppl being able to become lucid thru SP.  Im a bit confused about this as when i had SP I was awake (or at least 99% sure I was) or maybe in some wierd (very wierd) state somewhere between sleep and waking? when you go into a lucid dream from SP do you fall back into full sleep?