View Full Version : Sleep Paralysis
Every once in a while I'll have this strange experience while trying to fall asleep (more often when I wake up in the middle of the night and i try to fall back asleep). I'll close my eyes and after a minute or so, I won't be able to open them, I won't even be able to move, but I'm still conscious. Sometimes I'll hear strange electronic sounds. I get a little scared whenever it happens, and if I want to come out of it I have to try really hard to get up, like jolt my eyes open and jump out of bed. This has been happening to me as long as I can remember, and I've kind of gotten used to it. I just wanted to know if anyone else experiences something like this, or has read about anything that fits that description. Is there some chemical in your brain that could cause this, or could i have some sort of fatal neurological disorder? Any information would be welcome.
Alquimista
31-01-2005, 07:15
Not completely the same but I had one weird night few days ago. Was deadtired and took a xanax .. or few... to doze off. The whole night is a blurr - I remember woking up several times, sometimes INSIDE my dream. There were many points when I couldnt understand was I dreaming or was I awake. Scared the shit out of me at first but later on the night I actually started to enojy that mess. Can anyone perhaps tell me what was going on? Most spaced out 'sleep' ever.
par excellence.
31-01-2005, 07:32
1. OOBE
2. Astral Projection
3. Remote Viewing
4. Sleep Paralysis
Most likely one of those... nothing serious at all. Google is your friend. :)
I have gotten that sleep paralysis thing before. It's really scary, but I usually ended up asleep within minutes. Still scary expierences though
windtraveler
01-02-2005, 05:21
Xentity, sounds like it was sleep paralysis. It happens to a lot of people and its nothing serious. It is when your body falls asleep but your mind doesnt. During the REM stage of sleep, your body remains pretty much paralyzed to keep you from moving around and acting out your dreams. Ever have a dream where you are running from a monster or from the police and can't seem to run? It used to happen to me all the time. But i think there are other threads on the forum that discuss this.
Sleep and what happens to us during that time really fascinate me.
Thanks for the info everybody. I did some reading on sleep paralysis, and found out that some people use it to enter a lucid dream state.
So yesterday, i was nodding off, while watching tv, and found myself in sleep paralysis. This time, instead of trying to come out of it, like I usually do, I went with it. At first, I heard this strange sound, like wind rushing past my hears, but a little different. I felt this pressure on my pelvis, like somebody was on top of it, moving up and down, that was enjoyable (I am horny bastard after all). Then I felt myself floating in the air, then do a flip in the air, then float gently down to the floor and touch the carpet; I could feel the carpet brush against my face. I thought I had fallen on to the floor, so I fought to come out of it. When I awoke, I found myself in the same position that I fell asleep in. I wouldn't really call that lucid dreaming, because there was no vision, just sound and touch, but its a start.
Has anyone else had an experience, where they used sleep parlysis to lucid dream?
white_lighter
02-02-2005, 22:11
hmm i dont see how you use sleep paralysis for lucid dreaming since it sp only happends when your awake but yea i have that it use to only happend when i had nightmares i would wake up and try to scream or get up and not be able to move but now it just happends at random even happend last night you kinda get use to it after awhile though but its still a bitch
Sleep paralysis could be used to enter a lucid dream but you'd probably have to have some experience withlucid dreams and the whole sleep thing to take advantage of sleep paralysis..
In the pasti'vedone lots of research on lucid dreaming and haveexplored them many times, my favourite method was allways WILDwhichis a"Wake induced Lucid Dream", basically thismeans falling asleep whilealso staying conscious at the same time. http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/smileys/smiley5.gif
When performing a WILD you remain consciouswhile passing through the SP (sleep paralysis) stage of entering sleep, which canbe very strange especially the first few times. Normally you brain turns on SP, just before the onset of REM sleep to stop you from actingout your dreamswhile asleep. This is why a lot of people report the buzzing feelings and the rushing sounds while in this state, as your brain is used to recieving stimuli from all your sense when fully awake during the day and when these connections are severed by SP it's like (just to quickly sum up) your just recieving static from those connections..
I've probably not explained the abovetoo well, but for more info check out www.ld4all.com (http://www.ld4all.com) a great forum all about Lucid Dreaming. Also, if you want to fully explore LD's the best bookhastobe"Exploring the world of Lucid dreaming", by Stephen LaBerge the godfather of LD's and the first person to prove them in the lab...
Swim has suffered from sleep paralysis for most of his life and it can be very terrifying. He's not had it since he detoxed, but tonight when he went to bed he thought about it and got goose bumps all over his body and still has them now.
When he gets it he can sense a shadow or 2 in his room and can hear them talking in a strange language, sometimes they will tap Swim on the shoulder or he can have outer body experiences. Just thinking about this sends shivers all over Swims body.
It can be a bit like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4c0o9L_21c&feature=related
Is there a scientific explanation for this?
When he gets it he can sense a shadow or 2 in his room and can hear them talking in a strange language, sometimes they will tap Swim on the shoulder or he can have outer body experiences. Just thinking about this sends shivers all over Swims body.
http://watarts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyne/S_P.html
Hmmm Swims been getting this just about every night again. He needs to let go of his fear and just enjoy the experience.
Why is it so scary anyway? When it happens on a drug then you can no this isn't real its the drug.
It happened most of last night but then he thought someone was trying to kill him but he couldn't move although he was aware of the dream and being in his living body at the same time.
Now Swim understands that when sleeping your mind detaches itself from the body just like how a Zen buddhist monk would do but still be aware and in control of their unconscious dreaming thoughts.
poorleno
18-07-2008, 02:13
Like windtraveler said, totally 'normal' and nothing to worry about. only had it twice and was truly terrifying but I have a feeling it's triggered by oxygen starvation so maybe leave a door or window ajar. Both times I had it (in 36 years! So don't have nightmares..) I noticed the room was very hot and stuffy. It actually threw open a kind of insight onto alien abduction stories as the second time it happened, I felt like a big arm was scooping me off the bed and lifting me into a trapdoor of light on the ceiling. What I was actually seeing was the early sun coming through a gap in the curtains but my brain had transposed its position to appear above me. For some reason, this time I was able to consciously think 'I know what's happening, it's sleep paralysis' and was gently placed 'back' to where I'd started and the light on the ceiling became the light on the window to my side and all was good. Made me think about the doorway amnesia and what would have happened had I been 'lifted' into the door! For some reason, although comforting in some ways, this is one 'explanation' which has left me just as puzzled as the original mystery!
wellhelm
18-07-2008, 05:12
This is the epittamy of freaky. Never more terrorized then when this happens. Paralyzed yet thinking of my frozen state that i am fully aware of. Then it quickly go's away and I am to afraid to fall back asleep lol. I am always thinking next time I'll roll with it, but next time I'am freaked......
Last night it happened a lot, panicking at first so I tried to go with it but it felt like something was putting a syringe in my neck. I reminded myself no this is all in my head, I'm doing it to myself. So finally after all the waves of euphoria and whimpering in terror I let myself go. I started to slide of the bottom of the bed but also going down in to the ground. I finally left my body and was like wow this is cool feeling very light, horny and energetic.
I had a wonder about then I came across myself sleeping and I started to move myself about but then I woke myself up so I hid. But as I fell back asleep I found myself back in my body.
Swim wants to learn how to control this.
wellhelm
18-07-2008, 12:53
Last night it happened a lot, panicking at first so I tried to go with it but it felt like something was putting a syringe in my neck. I reminded myself no this is all in my head, I'm doing it to myself. So finally after all the waves of euphoria and whimpering in terror I let myself go. I started to slide of the bottom of the bed but also going down in to the ground. I finally left my body and was like wow this is cool feeling very light, horny and energetic.
I had a wonder about then I came across myself sleeping and I started to move myself about but then I woke myself up so I hid. But as I fell back asleep I found myself back in my body.
Swim wants to learn how to control this.
In awe, I have always had the feeling during this of "sliding" or moving but could not release out of my body. Simply amazing you could. If it wasn't so terrifying I would give it a shot but im always trying in vain to scream for help lol
fiveleggedrat
27-07-2008, 07:40
Swim has always experienced sleep paralysis right before waking. Goes like this:
Swim opens eyes, sees morning, but can't move. Swim panics. Swim tries to reach or scream for help but cant. Swim is not sure whether he awakes directly to this or whether he falls back asleep and wakes back up, but thinks it is #2.
Very bad experience. Worse than any bad trip.
Panthers007
27-07-2008, 08:15
The human body becomes effectively paralyzed during R.E.M.-stage sleep. This being the part of the sleep-cycle where you dream. Theories abound why this is, and there is room for more. Try to think of something that is a common-thread when this happens to you. Such as; Were you overly-tired before sleep? Did you have a bad day? Were you having a nightmare? Did you get laid before bed? So forth. Maybe we can find a common-thread with two or more people.
If you do find a commonality, please do post it. This could prove very interesting to that blob of guacamole-paste that resides in back of your eyes.
fiveleggedrat
27-07-2008, 08:18
Swim finds Sleep paralysis happens most often if his high "ends" while he is in the last stages of sleep, happening noticably with marijuana,alprazolam and lorazepam, and the morning after cocaine. Being overly tired does fit into the situation too.