Sleep Paralysis (NOT YOUR TYPICAL!)

WHY this is different before I explain the rest:

I was able to sit up during the SP and the instant I did, I felt like I was being crushed and unable to scream.


Now let me give the details:

I have the flu, and this was the first time in my life I have fallen asleep on my back.

So I awake in my room, BUT when I look up, my posters on the wall are upside down. Right away I know I am in trouble and have a huge rush of terrified feelings. All the photographs on my room are upside-down as I look around.
Next, I feel the sheets of my bed start to tighten around my body and sharp pains in my arms.
I try to fight, almost getting an arm out from under the sheets but they tighten more.
Finally I squeeze my arm out and sit up as fast as possible (I know this should wake me up).
HOWEVER, I do not awaken! Instantly I feel like my chest is being crushed from all sides and I can't scream. I massive black presence starts to rise in front of me, trying to show its face, but for some reason I can't see it. I sit there trying to scream over and over.

Finally I awake. I could not sleep after this...

That sounds scary.
I heard that a fever can cause hallucinations of it's own (my friend said that shadows attacked him when he was sick :D ).
But I doubt that it was SP, probably a effed up false awakening caused by the fever.
I always have weird dreams when I'm sick.

Yeah, I've had positively terrifying hallucinations as well.
90% of the time in SP it feels like my body "vibrates", but most intensely around my left kidney. It's almost like I can feel my blood, it's weird as hell. It can either be uncomfortable or downright painful. I sometimes have to wake myself up because of it.

Quote:

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able to sit up

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This has happened to me too. The pain of SP made me hallucinate that a knife stuck me in my left kidney and lifted my torso up to see a rectangle of light around my door. (I had just seen "The Ring")

Quote:

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black presence starts to rise in front of me

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That was one of the first hallucinations I had with SP. I even saw a really bright flash of light come in through my window and chase it off.

Quote:

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Right away I know I am in trouble and have a huge rush of terrified feelings.

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This is where you went wrong.
I've found that staying calm, especially in the beginning, is crucial. Fear makes you have scary hallucinations, which makes you even more fearful, which makes the hallucinations scarier...etc. Sometimes it will just melt into a nightmare, which is what I think happened with you.

If it gets overwhelming and you need to bail, shut your eyes and wiggle your toes. If your eyes are shut, you can't see any weird shit that'll freak you out. It will be hard to move your toes at first, but you'll quickly gain control and be able to move your foot, then your ankle and all. (SP doesn't paralyze the smaller muscles, and that's why you can move stuff like your eyelids and toes.) I never try to move my limbs, it ends up being futile and makes me more panicky.

Well, I hope that helps you a bit. Good luck, and don't worry about it before you go to bed. :)

There is a possibility you didn't really sit up.

These things can't hurt you, and it is likely it just happened because of the flu.

I've had some wierd experiences because of the flu. One time I had this bright vivid image of shooting through this tunnel, here is a drawing

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_stRlRXrhkjk/S3...0/DSC01778.JPG

Hey again,

Thanks all.

I'm not overly worried about fear, it's just a temporary feeling.
I was just interested with the sitting up part.

I also must confess I had been studying sleep paralysis for almost 2 years now, conducting interviews with various people. I have to say it was quite humbling having it actually happen to me FINALLY and so unexpected!

Cheers + Best,

Thats pretty strange, although i have had similar dreams to this i've just realised, however ones where i can feel myself laying down, but its just darkness around me, then i get the feelings that im like powering through a rollercoaster or that im being constantly shaken and i have to just lay there and embrace it as i cannot move an inch myself.

re-thinking about it, my dream isn't that similar to yours but i'll still share it :)