Is this sleep paralysis?

[edenn]

Hey, y'all! My name is Eden. I'm new here. My question isn't about lucid dreaming per se, but I thought someone on here might be able to help me out. Ever since I was young, I've had this experience in my dreams where I see or sense a scary entity, then I feel this really intense, unbearable vibrating or tickling in my chest area, sometimes accompaied by a levitating sensation. Then I usually wake up right away. It's the closest thing to pain I've ever experienced in a dream. It literally feels like I'm being thrown around by some unseen force. The feeling is very disturbing because it feels much more real than anything else I've experienced in a dream. I usually realize I'm dreaming at some point in time during this experience. I thought this sounded kind of like sleep paralysis, but it always happens within the context of a dream right before I wake up, never when I'm awake, and I've never been paralyzed when I've woken up. It might help to mention that I have a history of sleepwalking/talking. Let me know what you think! Eden

[dolphin]

Eden! No, these are not a real episodes of sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is a sleep disorder in which the process which immobilizes our sleeping body during dreams occurs outside of the dream. That said, during sleep paralysis, there can this intense vibrating or tickling sensation and/or the sight or sense of a scary entity.

[Voldmer]

Your explanation of your experience is similar to countless descriptions of the early stage of out-of-body experiences, or astral projections. The scary part of it is associated with the early stage, whereas after projection of the "astral body" (there are many other names for this) all is peaceful and calm. When you "snap back" to your body and wake up, this marks the premature end of the projection, meaning you did not get "fully out". I would suggest that you keep very calm, even though it may seem scary, and relax fully. With any luck, you should be able to have a full out-of-body experience, and that will be an experience worth having. Always bear this in mind: it's not dangerous in any way, shape or fashion.

[edenn]

Thank you both for your insight! I'll definitely look into astral projection.