Expectations of Sleep Paralysis

[bugler]

Now, I'm new to this whole dreaming business, and I've been reading a fair lot about it over several sites and forums. One of the things I've been reading about is sleep paralysis and the things associated with it, especially hallucinations (of which most would fit very well in a horror movie). In regards to them I have also come upon a few pictures, so if only my head decided to scare me to death, it probably could. On two occasions I've almost induced it, but was distracted. It didn't come particularly hard, so I know that I could succeed if I wanted. But being the undetermined person I am, I'm not sure I wish to experience anything similar to the horror stories of SP that I've read about. On the other hand, albeit I'm just a beginner, I like the idea of WILD. So for now I've decided to first become proficient in LD by other means, confronting any fears that I may encounter, and hope that with that experience it will be easier to go through hallucinations (in my book they're worse than bad dreams). My problem is that I now seem to be unable to just go to sleep. I feel certain that I will go breathless and see and hear things without even trying, as if I had forgotten how to fall asleep the normal way. The result is that even the smallest ordinary noise startles me and I keep looking around to see that all shadows in my room are just shadows, and it takes long before I can sleep. I can't help it. I haven't had any frightening experiences just yet (thank goodness), although yesterday I did hear a demonic voice for a split second (it absolutely couldn't have been anything else), yet nothing else happened that night. If anyone could give me advice on how to deal with these expectations, it would be much appreciated.

[O-Nieronaut]

Hey bugler, welcome to DV! SP can be a little scary the first couple of times, but it's not that bad, IMO. I look forward to it, myself! You shouldn't worry about it sneaking up on you, though. It's most likely to happen, in my experience, when you do a WBTB (Wake Back To Bed), that is getting up early, staying up for an hour or so, then going back to sleep for a little while. There are sometimes hallucinations, but usually the only thing I see is my dream body as I move around. SP is being locked in REM, but being lucid and aware of the physical world. The hallucinations are just dream figures presenting themselves. Unless it's the Old Hag, then you're in trouble! j/k Now that you're in the dream crowd, my best advice is to read the tutorials on this site, practice, and hang on for a wild ride. This stuff gets to be a lot of fun! Oh, and of course keep comming back here with any questions you have. This is a great community; it's been around for a long time, and the people here really know their stuff. Glad to have you aboard!

[pj]

It's not a horror for most people. First, the hypnogogic hallucinations are quite pleasant and entertaining... though hypnotic. If you get involved in them, you will quickly lose consciousness. If your dreams aren't horrors, the hypnogogic imagery will not be horrible either. Mine have never been. Occasionally disturbing, perhaps... but never inducing terror. The experiences some people find disturbing are the hypnogogic sounds and what many refer to as the Old Hag. The sounds are just very realistic sounds and voices you will hear - the analogue of hypnogogic imagery, except in sound rather than image. They can sometimes be quite startling in their volume and clarity. The Old Hag is something else entirely, and not a universal experience at all. (I have never experienced it, and have WILDed a lot.) For some, though, when they enter sleep paralysis, they will sense a presence that may move closer and hover over them. The combination of paralysis and the sense of a threatening presence hovering over you could indeed be frightening - especially if you aren't prepared for it. If you know what it is, though, you expect it. I find sleep paralysis to be an incredibly pleasant feeling. For me, it is like my body has been enveloped in some sort of electric energy - stimulating and exciting... not painful at all. It is a wonderful, delicious feeling... one that tells me I'm very close to the goal. By the way - you go through all of these experiences every night anyway. You just usually aren't conscious of it. One of the beautiful things about LD is that there are many paths. WILD isn't for everybody. My best lucid experiences have not come out of WILD, but it is a challenging discipline and that intrigues me in itself so I keep at it. (I tried several times this morning and didn't get past the hypnogogic imagery again - but did get to sleep paralysis and enjoyed that!) Point is, if you aren't comfortable with WILD, pick another. DILD seems to get many people to their first lucid dreams pretty quickly. That's how my first and all my best have come about. Reality-check, journal, learn your dream-signs and reality-check some more, every time you encounter anything even vaguely like your dream signs. Read up on other techniques. You'll likely find one or more that you are comfortable with trying out.

[mongreloctopus]

like these other guys said, sleep paralysis is really enjoyable for me. the first time i experienced it, it wasn't frightening so much as it was completely unexpected and strange. if you havn't already experienced sleep paralysis accidentally, chances are you will actually need to exert a lot of effort and patience to be conscious during it...so going to sleep normally is not risky.

[bugler]

Ah yes. I may have been a bit unclear - the paralysis itself is no problem at all, and in itself I think it's no thing to be skeptical about. It would be the hallucinations along with it that I find (potentially) disturbing, though they may be good as well as bad (?). The problem being that the thought of "hags", "shadowy figures" makes me quite paranoid, even though I have full knowledge of their harmlessness. Fear of the unknown, perhaps. Thank you for your pieces of advice.

[wombing]

i've had some pretty disconcerting hallucinations in the past (demonic growling near my head, my name being called, doors slamming (not actually obviously , things of that nature)... after awhile i got sick of being scared by them...i real-ized that hypnagogic hallucinations, whether auditory, visual, or tactile, are nothing more than the start of a dream...the next time i had strange hallucinations i stayed calm and they almost instantly disappeared. ever since then i've never been remotely scared, and hardly ever have hypnagogic hallucinations, let alone frightening ones...i actually quite enjoy the whole SP/ transitioning period now, even if there are potentially frightening aspects involved...it takes an act of will, but then, there is literally nothing to be wary of.. oh, incidentally, the first time i heard demonic sounding vocalizations was the same day i first heard that some people have potentially disturbing experiences in SP...shows how much expectation is involved... your plan to get acquainted with LDing by dream-initiated methods is a good one though. once you've had a couple lucids and get a feel for how your mind works hypnagogic hallucinations shouldn't scare you abit...chances are you'll realize that when they occur you are very close to a fully blown lucid if you stay calm adn lucid. happy trails