Thread: Turning sleep paralysis into a lucid dream?

Unfortunately, the term Sleep Paralysis has a lot of ambiguity in the LD community. There is Isolated Sleep Paralysis, which is a medical condition, and there is sleep paralysis as a term for the bundle of sensations someone feels when entering a WILD.

The first type (ISP) occurs when you become conscious of REM atonia during sleep. You are conscious, although may be in a type of dreamy state and are usually aware of your surroundings. Sometimes the experience is accompanied by an evil presence. Since you said you 'suffer' from sleep paralysis, I assume that this is the type of sleep paralysis you are talking about (please correct me if I'm wrong). Most people are not familiar with ISP, since experiencing it on a regular basis is pretty rare.

When people say that you can use sleep paralysis to enter lucid dreaming, they are talking about the second kind of SP (sensations surrounding WILDs) and not the medical condition. It may be possible to use ISP (the medical condition) to enter LDs. I have heard of this happening, but never have spoken directly to anyone who suffers from the medical condition who has done it. I suffered from the medical for over fifteen years, having episodes as often as once a week, and am a natural lucid dreamer and have been lucid dreaming longer than that. I have never entered from ISP into a lucid dream, or even had them occur on the same night. All of my episodes were accompanied by a shadow demon, so I always wanted to get out of the experience as soon as possible, not prolong it into a LD. Once or twice, I had what felt like astral projection (I left my body and was in a dream state, but it felt different than an LD), but the shadow demon was still present.

Unless the advice your receiving on entering ISP into a lucid dream is from someone who actually experiences the medical condition or is intimately familiar with it, I would take it with a grain of salt.

It sounds like you have a pretty good understanding of the situation. The person who told me this does not have sleep paralysis. Even though I can lucid dream my sleep paralysis feels nowhere near transitioning, I was not aware there were multiple types, and mine set in during my early teens when I was given ritalin in high doses for several years when I am actually an extremely focused person, it caused me to go days without sleeping until I hallucinated and became paranoid. That was when I started waking up unable to move and feeling like a bug in a spiders wrappings, and when I stopped taking ritalin the condition continued. Like the SP you describe there is often a frightful presence nearby, and it doesn't feel like a dream. So maybe it is enough that I've learned how to end it quickly. Thanks for the new perspective on it.

From SP, you want to shake loose your dream body. The literature on OBEs is full of good methods such as rolling out of your body and the like.

For me, I usually feel my dream legs or arms first. By swinging them around, I'm usually able to disengage myself fully, although I often have trouble separating my head and torso.

Just pay attention for phantom limbs, even if it's only a hand. Usually I'll notice that the hand I feel under my head is not where my actual hand is located, and i go from there. Once you get something to work with, rolling and rocking is a good way to go.

I've been having these sp dreams for years but they seem to be happening more and more and now I feel like I can't breath during them I freak out and try throwing my body around and it wakes me up but I have sleep troubles and was prescribed xanax very low dose right before bed which is the only way I can sleep but this happened before I took that I don't know of I scared me to the point I couldn't sleep now need that could it be making it worse it just happened again and I idk if I should take another cuz o won't be sleeping otherwise........idk ne more

I've been having these sp dreams for years but they seem to be happening more and more and now I feel like I can't breath during them I freak out and try throwing my body around and it wakes me up but I have sleep troubles and was prescribed xanax very low dose right before bed which is the only way I can sleep but this happened before I took that I don't know of I scared me to the point I couldn't sleep now need that could it be making it worse it just happened again and I idk if I should take another cuz o won't be sleeping otherwise........idk ne more

Originally Posted by PaulMakesThings

It sounds like you have a pretty good understanding of the situation. The person who told me this does not have sleep paralysis. Even though I can lucid dream my sleep paralysis feels nowhere near transitioning, I was not aware there were multiple types, and mine set in during my early teens when I was given ritalin in high doses for several years when I am actually an extremely focused person, it caused me to go days without sleeping until I hallucinated and became paranoid. That was when I started waking up unable to move and feeling like a bug in a spiders wrappings, and when I stopped taking ritalin the condition continued. Like the SP you describe there is often a frightful presence nearby, and it doesn't feel like a dream. So maybe it is enough that I've learned how to end it quickly. Thanks for the new perspective on it.

My episodes extend far bar as I can remember into my childhood. The first one I can recall was when I was eight, and they continued until I was around 25 (I'm 28 now). I've done a lot of research on it from neurological and psychological viewpoints just to understand what the hell was happening to me.

I do think it is possible to achieve an OBE during this experience. One time I floated out of my body during an episode with the shadow demon floating above me, however, it turned into a really disturbing experience. Maybe things are different for you, though, and you can find a way to end the feelings of terror. Personally, I would rather minimize the occurrence of the episodes and pursue LDs/OBEs through less terrifying means.

It makes sense that it started after you began taking a drug that negatively affected your sleep schedule. Irregular sleep patterns can make these episodes more likely. If you want to avoid these episodes, get a regular sleep schedule and don't get too much or too little sleep. Sleeping on your back can also make it more likely, as well as stress. I also found mine occur most frequently during emotionally/psychologically unhealthy periods of my life. As long as I stay emotional balanced, stress-free, and live the life I want too, the attacks don't seems to occur anymore.

I hope this helps, and feel free to PM me with any questions.

I quoted your entire post because it raised a lot of questions for me.
I have suffered from ISP since I was in junior high. At first not understanding what it was until recently; like 8 years later. I have never consulted my physician but as soon as I started doing some research it all described what I had; actually at first I stumbled upon a post of it from someone and recognized it as what I experience. Lately I've been getting them more frequently; almost every night to every other and usually multiple times a night. Both while falling asleep and waking up.
I've also been dreaming more… way more. and remembering them. They are personal enough that I wake up crying. More times scary and upsetting than overtly evil. But my ISP is always evil, there is this surreal tingle over my whole body, a hieghtened white noise that coincides and hallucinations in my real surroundings.
I wonder if you, or anyone know's if these go hand in hand?
and now… I can actually see my dreams fade away and turn into my ISP as I'm waking up. For instance, one of my dreams was a friend and I in a truck. She was crying about being pregnant. and as soon as we started to drive away it was as if the truck stopped and reversed and as it did, everything was turning dark and black and faded away and into another scary ISP as soon as the truck stopped. immediately. Is this apart of lucid dreaming?
Sometimes I am aware that I am dreaming, it takes understanding like: oh that person doesn't live here or drive a truck, oh I can't find that person's name in my phone because this is a dream… etc.

Any wisdom or guidance is greatly appreciated. I'm becoming worried to just fall asleep. and waking up is hard; I try and wake up as soon as possible but keep falling back into sleep usually resulting in ISP.

Originally Posted by hermine_hesse

Unfortunately, the term Sleep Paralysis has a lot of ambiguity in the LD community. There is Isolated Sleep Paralysis, which is a medical condition, and there is sleep paralysis as a term for the bundle of sensations someone feels when entering a WILD.

The first type (ISP) occurs when you become conscious of REM atonia during sleep. You are conscious, although may be in a type of dreamy state and are usually aware of your surroundings. Sometimes the experience is accompanied by an evil presence. Since you said you 'suffer' from sleep paralysis, I assume that this is the type of sleep paralysis you are talking about (please correct me if I'm wrong). Most people are not familiar with ISP, since experiencing it on a regular basis is pretty rare.

When people say that you can use sleep paralysis to enter lucid dreaming, they are talking about the second kind of SP (sensations surrounding WILDs) and not the medical condition. It may be possible to use ISP (the medical condition) to enter LDs. I have heard of this happening, but never have spoken directly to anyone who suffers from the medical condition who has done it. I suffered from the medical for over fifteen years, having episodes as often as once a week, and am a natural lucid dreamer and have been lucid dreaming longer than that. I have never entered from ISP into a lucid dream, or even had them occur on the same night. All of my episodes were accompanied by a shadow demon, so I always wanted to get out of the experience as soon as possible, not prolong it into a LD. Once or twice, I had what felt like astral projection (I left my body and was in a dream state, but it felt different than an LD), but the shadow demon was still present.

Unless the advice your receiving on entering ISP into a lucid dream is from someone who actually experiences the medical condition or is intimately familiar with it, I would take it with a grain of salt.

Originally Posted by hermine_hesse

Unfortunately, the term Sleep Paralysis has a lot of ambiguity in the LD community. There is Isolated Sleep Paralysis, which is a medical condition, and there is sleep paralysis as a term for the bundle of sensations someone feels when entering a WILD.

The first type (ISP) occurs when you become conscious of REM atonia during sleep. You are conscious, although may be in a type of dreamy state and are usually aware of your surroundings. Sometimes the experience is accompanied by an evil presence. Since you said you 'suffer' from sleep paralysis, I assume that this is the type of sleep paralysis you are talking about (please correct me if I'm wrong). Most people are not familiar with ISP, since experiencing it on a regular basis is pretty rare.

When people say that you can use sleep paralysis to enter lucid dreaming, they are talking about the second kind of SP (sensations surrounding WILDs) and not the medical condition. It may be possible to use ISP (the medical condition) to enter LDs. I have heard of this happening, but never have spoken directly to anyone who suffers from the medical condition who has done it. I suffered from the medical for over fifteen years, having episodes as often as once a week, and am a natural lucid dreamer and have been lucid dreaming longer than that. I have never entered from ISP into a lucid dream, or even had them occur on the same night. All of my episodes were accompanied by a shadow demon, so I always wanted to get out of the experience as soon as possible, not prolong it into a LD. Once or twice, I had what felt like astral projection (I left my body and was in a dream state, but it felt different than an LD), but the shadow demon was still present.

Unless the advice your receiving on entering ISP into a lucid dream is from someone who actually experiences the medical condition or is intimately familiar with it, I would take it with a grain of salt.

Well as a person that experiences ISP, not so much recently I can attest to the fact that I did have quite the strange experience one time.
I woke up to my strangely motionless body as I look at the ceiling of my grandfather's living room. The sun is shining, its a brand new day. I hear sounds coming from a television in the other kitchen. I hear birds chirping and it seems to be quite the beautiful day. But sadly as I previously stated, I cannot move my body. Having dealt with ISP for many years I understood what had to be done to get out of the situation, just twist my neck until I wake up. But this time I did something different, I got up, not bothering to look back at where I was sleeping (I was sleeping in a sleeping bag so there would've been no way for me to actually get up without getting out from inside of the sleeping bag. I looked at the darkness within the powered down television in front of me and I knew that I had to be dreaming or something along those lines. I put my hand into the tv and I was pulled into it. I found myself in a sea of black water and blue skies. I see a strange shape in the water and I touch it, I feel a strange sensation and then I get sucked into it and "wake-up". That is the closest thing that I can call a OBE.