Lucid Dream + False Awakening + Sleep Paralysis??!! HELP!

**Leanbb** · 04-07-2013 04:00 AM

Today I experienced something I have never experienced in my life.
It started a few months ago, when I started being aware I was dreaming. I've not always been able to act upon it, I always wake up from being too excited, except for this one time I killed a gang of thugs who were terrorizing people on the street, after deciding I should run away any more because I was dreaming and couldn't get hurt. Ever since, I've been beginning to increase my awareness during the dreams I remember in the morning.
In November, something even odder happened. I had a random dream, woke up to another dream (strange bed in a strange room), realised it was a dream, then felt my body vibrate and I felt my "soul" leave my body and rise through the ceiling and I thought I was finally having an Out of Body Experience. I got so excited that I woke up in real life. That was my first big dilemma, because I wasn't sure if one could do such a thing like dreaming about astral projection. I had been talking about Astral Projection a lot with a friend of mine that week. I had been thinking how cool it would be to have an OBE. That dream felt very... physical.
And then today happened. I woke up at 8 not feeling very rested. I had abundant breakfast, and I laid in bed until 12 chilling on my notebook. I became very sleepy and I put the notebook aside and took a nap. Today I learned that this is the perfect time/occasion for lucid dreams to happen. I do not remember what I started dreaming, only that at some point I realised I was in a dream and it occurred to me I could do whatever I want. Of course the first thing that came to my mind was SEX, so I pulled down my pants and started engaging some random stranger that was next to me. As soon as it started, I felt the familiar pull you feel when the dream starts fading away. I had gotten way to excited and I was gonna wake up. That's when I realised the pulling sensation wasn't stopping. Actually, it was increasing and I began feeling like I was being vacuumed and I became aware of my body in my bed laying on my side. I don't know what came first, the realisation that I couldn't move or speak or the violent scream that felt like it was coming from within me. It was really deafening, like a freight train running through the middle of my head. I became aware that I must have been suffering from sleep paralysis. I had read about it many times, although I had never experienced it. I knew that if I opened my eyes, I'd see things I didn't want to see. I dared to do so for a second and I saw a VERY creepy smiling face watching me like it was laying in bed next to me. It looked a lot like this (warning, the image is really creepy): *EDIT: I tried posting the link but it seems like I'm not allowed to, since I'm a new member. If you're really curious, google images "horrifying house-guest / Shadowlurker. *

I remember feeling how my heart rate increased violently, so much that I heard it beating inside my ears. I was aware all of the hallucinations were products of my brain so I tried thinking about funny things, like YouTube comedian Ryan Higa (weird how he was the first thing that popped into my mind) and I started seeing his face instead of the creepy one, but it was so hard to concentrate with all the vacuuming and screaming going on, so the happy thoughts disappeared and my heart started beating very fast again, and the screaming was loud again, and the vacuuming sensation got even stronger.
After a while, I recalled reading that you could snap out of it my moving your fingers little by little, which I did... and it started working. After a while, the darkness and the noises faded away and I was laying in bed, completely calmed and still, and the sun was shining outside. I wasn't as freaked out as I thought I'd be (though I was sweating quite a bit). I actually fell asleep again after checking the time on my phone.

You might think "It's obviously Sleep Paralysis" after reading my experience, but after pondering it the entire day and reading other people's experiences I've been starting to think that maybe I experienced a False Awakening followed by a lucid dream about me suffering from SP. My reasons to believe this are:
1.- I do not recall being aware of my room during the paralysis. I was overwhelmed by the vacuuming sensation and the screaming and not being able to move. People often describe feeling an unsettling presence in their room. I just saw the extremely creepy face staring at me, without room awareness involved.
2.- People also describe the sensation of being suffocated, thus the name "incubus", and I don't recall feeling like that. I felt lots of unsettling things, but shortage of air wasn't one of them.
3.- I've already dreamed about having a weird not rational experience after acquiring awareness in a dream, triggering a false awakening (the OBE I described at the beginning of the post).
4.- When I snapped out of paralysis, my body felt completely relaxed and I was able to go back to sleep easily. Also, the atmosphere changed DRASTICALLY as soon as I woke up for real. The light outside took me by complete surprise, almost as if the paralysis episode had taken place in an entirely different room.
5.- When I try to recall what I experienced, it feels all diffuse and surreal (it felt very real at that moment though), and I've heard that SP hallucinations are supposed to feel well... as real as me typing this thread.

Is is possible that I dreamed the SP and the OBE episodes? I'm freaking out royally. This is all really new to me. I kinda feel like I'm going nuts.
Personally, it's not hard for me to assimilate what would have been my first SP. It wasn't that horrible and it was actually pretty exciting and something I'd like to gain more control over. What really messes with my head, is the possibility that it didn't actually happen, I just dreamed it. And apparently there is no way to really know. What would be the difference between a real OBE or SP and one inside a dream? It's like trying to find the difference between thinking a thought inside a dream and thinking it in real life. Thoughts are abstract, just like OBEs and SP. Somehow, the thought of a False Awakening following a Lucid Dream is extremely wicked and deceiving, because of how real it feels.

I apologise for the long post, and I hope someone can put some ease into my troubled mind.

**paigeyemps** · 04-10-2013 06:13 PM

Hello Leanbb, to be honest I can't really tell if it was indeed sleep paralysis or a dream where you dreamt you has sleep paralysis. The reason I say this is because I have had a couple of dreams that are the latter. I would bet my bottom dollar that it was some form of sleep paralysis though. Remember that the experiences are differenr and personal to everyone, and some people might feel suffocation during sleep paralysis, while others might not. Smae goes for pretty much every other sensation that accompanies sp. Also, it is reasonable that you were not able to really be aware of your room. When you are in sleep paralysis, the hallucinations (visual, auditory or tactile) vary greatly in intensity so that could make you NOT be very aware of the physical world while they are happening, as they will seem to overpower your normal physical senses.

As for your question regarding the difference between an obe or sp and one inside a dream, well i dont think i can answer that. The mind does baffling things, and there are very thin lines between knowing what actually happened and what was only simulated by your mind. But like you said, they are all abstract so noone can really tell you. I guess what matters is that it happened, you experienced it. And i totally get how you feel when you say it was scary at first but exciting. Until now, that's how I feel about every sleep paralysis episode or hallucination I encounter!

Anyway, good job on the decent control you displayed with the hallucination and changing it into something more pleasant! Pro tip: if you hear voices, turn them into Morgan Freeman! Why, i have had Morgan scream deadly monologues at me plenty of times. It is rather soothing and funny. Haha. Also, when you start getting into that paralysis stage, try to focus on a dream scene you want to enter. Or you could just try to sink into your bed, that always helps me enter a dream much easier, and helps me get away from some dude seemingly choking me.

Hope this helps, good luck!

**Leanbb** · 04-10-2013 09:48 PM

Hey Paige!

Thank you very much for replying. The truth is that it all feels like a very unreal and far off memory, even though it happened just a few days ago. I'm still trying to figure out what this all means for me but it sure helps to know that I'm not the only one to ever experience the uncertainty of whether it happened or you dreamt it. For a while, I really thought I was going crazy, for the first time in my life.
There's so many layers of depth to this subject, it's rather hard to wrap my head around it. I just hope it'll all make sense someday.
Thank you again

**paigeyemps** · 04-11-2013 12:11 AM

You are very welcome, and don't hesitate to post or ask around the forums or share your ideas! See ya around

P.S. I think most, if not all, of us here on DV have had that 'oh crap am i going insane' phase haha

**Leanbb** · 04-12-2013 02:19 AM

How was it with you then? I mean thinking you were going bananas...

**paigeyemps** · 04-12-2013 04:22 AM

Originally Posted by Leanbb

How was it with you then? I mean thinking you were going bananas...

Hmm well it wasn't too bad, just the occasional 'What is happening to me, why am I thinking this? Is something wrong with me?'.

The very hard thing was just that I didn't have anyone to talk to, and most people would prefer not to go to a shrink if they can avoid it, you know?

So I resorted to educating myself about my experiences, and talking to others on this forum who have also experienced them. The more I learned, the better I felt about myself and the more I understood that it's just normal and it's all in my head when i'm having those sp episodes.

**Leanbb** · 04-12-2013 04:40 AM

Originally Posted by paigeyemps

Hmm well it wasn't too bad, just the occasional 'What is happening to me, why am I thinking this? Is something wrong with me?'.

The very hard thing was just that I didn't have anyone to talk to, and most people would prefer not to go to a shrink if they can avoid it, you know?

So I resorted to educating myself about my experiences, and talking to others on this forum who have also experienced them. The more I learned, the better I felt about myself and the more I understood that it's just normal and it's all in my head when i'm having those sp episodes.

I honestly don't get why people are ashamed of going to the shrink. It was literally one of the wisest decisions I've ever made when I was going through some teenage angsty stuff years ago. I guess I got lucky because my shrink was a really awesome guy, and he asked all the right questions!
It's so sad and funny at the same time how people feel so alone for feeling the way they feel inside, but there are millions of people who feel exactly the way they do but they don't find each other in real life.

**paigeyemps** · 04-13-2013 03:57 AM

Originally Posted by Leanbb

I honestly don't get why people are ashamed of going to the shrink. It was literally one of the wisest decisions I've ever made when I was going through some teenage angsty stuff years ago. I guess I got lucky because my shrink was a really awesome guy, and he asked all the right questions!
It's so sad and funny at the same time how people feel so alone for feeling the way they feel inside, but there are millions of people who feel exactly the way they do but they don't find each other in real life.

Me neither. I would've gone to a shrink if I could afford one. :< I guess many people are intimidated by opening up to other people

**Leanbb** · 04-22-2013 01:47 PM

Sooooooooooooooooooooooo... I have an update!
I was having a dream today, at about 11 or 12 in the morning, and I think something was chasing/attacking me and suddenly I attained lucidity, and just sat down on the floor and started thinking what I wanted to do about it while at the same time trying to remain calm so I wouldn't wake up. I felt my surroundings change around me as I started to concentrate. I was happy I was being more in control than last time... so I decided I wanted to have sex (shocker right?). An unknown girl materialised in front of me and we just went at it. It was strange though... I can't recall being aware of my body parts (if you know what I mean) while having sex. It was like... spiritual sex. It was odd but awesome, very intense. The thing is that after a while I got too excited and woke up to sleep paralysis again, but this time I knew what was coming.
I started seeing some faces but I remained calm. I also (for the first time) felt that somebody was trying to suffocate me with a pillow, but I think I was doing that myself hahaha. This time there was no shouting, just a strong buzzing in my ear. I started thinking about light-hearted stuff and I started seeing cartoons in front of me (lol).
I tried to wake up a few times, but I kept slipping back to the paralysis. It took a while, but eventually I was able to wake up completely, and then went back to sleep.
That was pretty much it!
It was cool, because while I was in SP I could think about stuff I had read on this forum about dealing with it, and I tried to jump into another lucid dream while being in SP (apparently that's a very effective way to accomplish lucid dreaming). Wasn't successful this time! Maybe next time...

**paigeyemps** · 04-23-2013 06:17 PM

Hey congrats on the lucidity! The spiritual sex thing sounds interesting. Don't worry, cdream control will sure be better over time and practice. And great job with remaining calm, that is personally the biggest obstacle for me—convincing myself to relax when my body screams otherwise x) just a tip: dont rely too much on SP though. It is not a necessity for a lucid dream, though some people use it as an aid into transitioning. Good luck and congrats again

**Leanbb** · 04-23-2013 08:11 PM

I don't really rely on it. It just sort of happens when waking up from a lucid dream... it's weird. Sometimes I have avoided it by forcing myself to wake up before the transition from LD and SP. To be honest, I don't know if I'm looking to master "the art of dreaming" or anything... I'm just a regular Joe with an open mind experiencing not so regular dream experiences.

**paigeyemps** · 04-24-2013 05:30 AM

Ah that's good then. And that's alright, you dont have to master the art of dreaming

But you should be really proud of yourself for having all these awesome experiences that a quarter of the world don't even get or get interested in. Cheers, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask!