Up until last night I had always assumed I had achieved sleep paralysis before, but couldn't yet reach a full lucid dream. Usually I just start to feel numb all over and feel as if a force is pulling me upwards through my head. Last night, however, I think I really experienced the hypnogogic state for the first time. I felt numb like ussual, but the numbness was more...complete. Aside from my breathing, I could hardly sense my body. I also saw one, very bright flash of light that I almost mistook for lightning. It really made me jump (you know, as much as you can while paralyzed). Finally, I felt a great pressure bear down around a single point on my shoulder, as if someone was pressing on it as hard as they could. It was a thrilling experience; I think I'm on the verge of breaking into a full lucid dream!

Was it like this for anyone else before their first lucid?