Thread: jolting, what is it?

That would be a hypnic jerk, I imagine.

Originally Posted by space-cadet

last night i tried the body asleep mind awake method. i laid pefectly still and let my mind drift and my body went with a massive jolt, i almost took off the bed. what is that? am i getting there?

That's most likely a hypnic jerk. These are very common, and they occur in the hypnagogic phase, as you are about to fall asleep. One theory about hypnic jerks is that they are caused by the brain mistaking relaxation for falling, and then it mobilizes your muscles in an attempt to stabilize your body.

interesting article, however it did say "the ultimate cause of the hypnic jerk is unknown" ?

Originally Posted by Thor

That's most likely a hypnic jerk. These are very common, and they occur in the hypnagogic phase, as you are about to fall asleep. One theory about hypnic jerks is that they are caused by the brain mistaking relaxation for falling, and then it mobilizes your muscles in an attempt to stabilize your body.

Oh yeah I've had that, before I knew about this site ofcourse.

I get that feeling all the time. If I go to sleep on my back It is guaranteed to happen. I also get some really intense dreamlike images when it happens. They are often quite dark like animals snarling and showing their teeth and falling downstairs. The feelings and images are so real and physical. More so than any dream. I have taken to going to sleep on my side as it can often leave me feeling a bit shaken up.
I would be interested to hear if there is any beneficial use to it in terms of accessing lucidity.

Originally Posted by Darkwater

I get that feeling all the time. If I go to sleep on my back It is guaranteed to happen. I also get some really intense dreamlike images when it happens. They are often quite dark like animals snarling and showing their teeth and falling downstairs. The feelings and images are so real and physical. More so than any dream. I have taken to going to sleep on my side as it can often leave me feeling a bit shaken up.
I would be interested to hear if there is any beneficial use to it in terms of accessing lucidity.

Those images are visual hypnagogic hallucinations. When you get them you are in the hypnagogic state which is the last state before you enter sleep. If you want to WILD you can enter the dream after those hallucinations.

thanks thor. I will give that a go.

I love hypnic jerks

That happened to me one time except i was on the couch falling asleep while watching a movie....scared the s*** out of me

Generally, when I experience hypnic jerks, it is usually preceded by something being about to happen.

The hypnogogic state usually involves a sensation of motion, and right before I get a jerk, I usually feel like I'm about to trip over something.

It definitely feels like falling. It's never felt like an electric shock to me.

Possible beggining of seperating for AP? Maybe?

For myself, I would tend to doubt that, because my bodily definately makes a jerking motion. I almost feel sheepish afterward, as if I am embarrassed to discover I had bidly over-reacted to a stimulus that was only in my head.

Also, when my fiance' and I sleep together, her body makes small jerking motions every night as she drifts off, although these are not sufficient to wake her. It seems to be a pretty normal part of falling asleep, and she has observed me doing the same thing, even when it doesn't wake me.

Kind of same thing I think happened to me start of tonight about 6 hours ago (doing WBTB atm). I wasn't even trying to WILD, I was just thinking about something and suddenly what I was thinking about and my mental image completely changed and it felt like a fells a few centemetres.

Yeah, that was most likely a hyping jerk

Whenever I have them, I have dreamlike hypnagogic imagery, and I will either trip, someone will push me, or something will jump at me. I think you may have have been close, you were experiencing hypnagogia.

Originally Posted by Dj-Dan

Possible beggining of seperating for AP? Maybe?

yes, one theory i read about is, it is the soul trying to leave the body and the body pulling it back in?

Originally Posted by space-cadet

yes, one theory i read about is, it is the soul trying to leave the body and the body pulling it back in?

Not quite, more like the astral body (isnt the soul though).

I get these jerks when I am just about to fall asleep and i am dreaming that I am moving what ever part jerks.

Like I'll be sitting in a chair and then suddenly think "oh I think I'll grab that imaginary thing in my dream" then I jerk back awake and realise I wasn't awake or grabbing at anything.