Sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming?

Hi! I'm new here. Just recently I've become fascinated with dreaming. I don't know what brought it on.

Ever since I was young, I've had extreme sleep paralysis. My immediate family, such as my mom, dad, and grandma, also get it, but I don't think they've experienced as much as I have. I hear of most people only having it in bed at nighttime, but I can get it just about anywhere at anytime. Once it was in the car on a family road trip which was a little strange. It used to not bother me as much, but lately I've become really afraid of it. I like to have it because to me it's very interesting to be in that half dreaming half awake state, but at the same time I want to get out of it in fear of seeing something unpleasant even though I know it's all in my mind. I just don't like seeing anything scary and I have a really wild imagination. I've heard of people being able to enter a lucid dream through sleep paralysis and I'm interested in doing it, but I'm also a little scared to try it out. Has anyone here been able to accomplish this? If I can get over being afraid and just let it happen, I think it might be the easiest way for me to have a lucid dream because no matter how hard I try, I just can't become aware while I'm already in a dream. If you have any other suggestions on becoming lucid I'd like to hear those too!

Relax and roll out of your body, do a quick reality check to make sure you didn't accidentally wake yourself up (it often seems like you did) and enjoy the dream.

I came close to sleep paralysis once when I tried to WILD, I got scared the first time but you just have to remember that you are still in control even if you can't move. Say if you do see something scary you need to remind yourself that it isn't real and you can try visualizing other things that are happy and eventually the bad things will fade away. If you would not like to experience sleep paralysis then I suggest you try the DILD method. I'm no expert on LDing so have a go at WILD too if you think you can. As for tips to becoming lucid, keep a dream journal for recall, do reality checks many time a day (the nose plug is a good one but everyone's different) and make sure you really question if you're dreaming. I think practicing awareness helps a lot too, both for recall and becoming lucid :)

Like Original Poster stated, Try and visualize yourself rolling from the body you have in reality, and ending up in your dream body.

Thanks for the replies! I'll try to relax more next time and focus on just going with it. I just wish I wasn't scared so easily. lol

I am actually going through the same thing right now. I am aware of how my body is paralyzed when I have false awakening dreams. Though I've been able to roll off the bed and go into my dream body. Up to now I've only been trying to wake up from the dream, but I've finally decided perhaps I should face it. I'm really scared too. Mostly scared that the intruder I face in my dream will try to hurt me (even though I know it's not real) or keep scaring me and I won't be able to wake up. But, from what I've read, when people face their dream characters and ask them what they are, they'll say something revealing about their subconscious or back down and be embarrassed. This gives me hope. I hope your attempt goes well! Looking forward to hearing how it goes.

@lumiina

You'll almost always learn something about yourself when you face your fears. And it's usually not; "I shouldn't have faced my fears" ;)

So good luck ! And happy dreams

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Originally Posted by lumiina

I am actually going through the same thing right now. I am aware of how my body is paralyzed when I have false awakening dreams. Though I've been able to roll off the bed and go into my dream body. Up to now I've only been trying to wake up from the dream, but I've finally decided perhaps I should face it. I'm really scared too. Mostly scared that the intruder I face in my dream will try to hurt me (even though I know it's not real) or keep scaring me and I won't be able to wake up. But, from what I've read, when people face their dream characters and ask them what they are, they'll say something revealing about their subconscious or back down and be embarrassed. This gives me hope. I hope your attempt goes well! Looking forward to hearing how it goes.

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I've never been able to just roll out of my body during sleep paralysis no matter how hard I try. DX It sounds very interesting. Talking to dream characters sounds like a good idea. I'll try it out when I get the chance. Thanks and good luck to you too!

Well just now I tried intentionally going into sleep paralysis and was successful. Well I jumped up when I felt myself going into it. lol But at least I know that I can do it. I feel like I'm so close to being able to have a lucid dream. I just need to get over my fear of sleep paralysis.

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Originally Posted by astraeaa

I hear of most people only having it in bed at nighttime, but I can get it just about anywhere at anytime.
Once it was in the car on a family road trip which was a little strange. It used to not bother me as much, but lately I've become really afraid of it.

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This sounds a bit extreme - sorry to say - but I would go to a neurologist in order to exclude something like narcolepsy - and maybe treat it, if it is there.
If you get this in a car - think about what could happen should you be driving the car. Or your bicycle - dangerous for you and others. But then - maybe I just over-interpret and you just fell asleep normally in a car and had your SP - you will know it best.

How many times per day or per week does this happen?
Do you sometimes loose consciousness while these episodes?
Especially since there are people in your family with an unusual amount of SP - something might lie behind this.

I've read it a lot on here, but isolated SP is not a disease - not even a disorder, if you don't suffer from it.
That's called ISP - more common than some people believe - isolated here means without a neurological problem like narcolepsy being associated.
Maybe it will indeed be great for you in terms of lucid dreaming esp. WILD - look it up on here!
But please go to a doctor and have it checked out astraeaa.
:)

She may be referring to having fallen asleep in the car naturally and getting it, not suddenly falling asleep out of no where like narcolepsy. Every time I arrive to Japan after a 12 hour flight and sit in the car on the drive to Fukushima, I experience horrible sleep paralysis after going to sleep. I really want to sleep, but I hate the sleep paralysis. So it is possible to have sleep paralysis in a car, and she only mentioned having it once while on a road trip.

SP can be due to sleep deprivation, which is why I experienced it so often as a teen. Teens never get enough sleep as it is, since they need more of it than older children and adults, and they have to stay up late doing homework (and fit in hobbies somehow) then wake up early for school.

If it is really extreme, such as experiencing SP even when taking a nap at your desk at school, or randomly falling asleep places, then yeah, see a doctor. It doesn't hurt to discuss it with your doctor or go to a specialist. But there could be other normal reasons that don't indicate a disorder. So a good start would be to see if you could make your sleep schedule more consistent and start getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. Also, I recommend avoiding taking naps. Once I stopped taking naps, my sleep at night really improved and I didn't experience SP on a regular basis anymore.

astraeaa - Remember! You don't need to go through SP to have a lucid dream! But, it is a good idea to conquer your fear of experiencing SP when it does happen.

Oh yeah sorry for the confusion. I didn't mean I'll just randomly fall asleep and have it. It's just whenever I do decided to fall asleep. During the road trip my dad was driving and I was in the backseat. I took a nap and got it. I usually get episodes of SP 2-3 times a week. The most was 7 times in one night, each time with a scary hallucination. It was awful.

I am actually going to see a doctor tomorrow because for awhile I've been extremely sleepy during the day even though I get plenty of rest. Also I want to ask if there's any way for me to help reduce the episodes. I've been dealing with it for 10 years now and have done tons of research but nothing has helped. I was hesitant to see a doctor because I was afraid they would just think I'm crazy since not very many people I know know what SP is, but it's worth a shot. If I'm going to get it, I want it to be intentionally. I hate the random episodes. haha Thank you so much for the advice!