Sleep paralysis, I think

Wrong place for this? I'm not sure, I'm a noob right now.

I think I experienced sleep paralysis and I wanted to see what somebody thought about it.

My mom likes to call me early in the morning and tell me that it's later than it actually is. After she called me this morning at about 8:30 (she told me it was 10:00, evilhax, I know.) I went back to sleep, with some difficulty.

I had a dream about going to visit my parents. Nothing happened other than I just saw them sitting in an apartment. After seeing my parents and my dog, I found myself in the electronics aisle at Wal-Mart. I was staring through one of the display cases. I started to get this feeling I get when I lay in bed really still and I can feel my heartbeat through my whole body, really subtle but noticable. Well, I felt this sensation and it rapidly got more extreme to the point I felt like I was on a boat rocking back and forth, standing there in Wal-Mart. I remember saying "Stop. Just stop." Suddenly I all I could see was nothing, which I knew I was awake staring at the back of my eyelids. All I could feel was my hands by my pillow, laying in a "fell flat on my face" kind of position. I tried to shift and I couldn't. Immediately, I was thinking "oh shit oh shit. It's SP." I couldn't lift a finger. It felt like when your feet go to sleep and and you strain so hard to move a toe, but without the tingling. It was a cool feeling except I was scared because I've read stories about people in SP hallucinating they're being dragged through hallways by dead children and other crazy stuff. I kept thinking "c'mon move man, you can do it. Just move your finger." I could feel my hands slip through the mattress. I couldn't hear anything but a droning sound and muted footsteps in the hallway outside my room. Finally I got my finger to twitch just barely and I was able to open my eyes and move. My hands were so tired I could hardly make a fist. Does that happen when you experience SP and you strain to move? I just stayed there, staring up at the ceiling laughing. Then I did a reality check just to make sure it was done.

The dream wasn't lucid at all, so was it really SP? Or was I dreaming it was SP and nothing was happening at all?

Sounds like it to me. It seems like you were almost lucid right at the end of that dream, and woke yourself up on purpose. I drop into SP a lot when I try to wake myself from a dream. Maybe your body was just not ready to wake up yet. Good job trying to wiggle a finger to get out of it. I find my toes work best. Next time maybe you can try to re-enter the dream.

Were there really footsteps outside your door? Or were you hallucinating them?

At least, now that you've experienced the "dreaded SP" you don't have to be afraid of the unknown anymore.

Robot_Butler, thanks for reading!

I was fairly certain when I was in SP that the footsteps were outside the door for real, as my roommate was probably awake (this would have been around 10:00 AM). They didn't intimidate me very much. I've just heard the stories about hallucinations and I wanted to keep it from happening. Since I'm aware of what SP is and likely to be aware of it when I enter it, does that mean my chances of hallucinations are less? And I may be going out on a limb here, but is SP useful for doing an OBE?

Dunno if I'm outta place here too talking about my experience with sleep paralysis.I've been going through with SP since i was a kid, 5 maybe? I grew up in a christian home, so.... I do believe in demons. I honestly believe that (well in my case) the majority of SP episodes I've been through were caused my demons. THEY ALWAYS STOP WHEN I PRAY. I pray in my head, rebuke it in the name of Jesus Christ and its gone.

I mean yeah there have been times where i wake up paralyzed hearing that same droning sound or something, the sound is hard to explain. Imagine being in a vibrating room I guess. And then there are other times where its just extremely bizarre. This one time, i woke up in the middle of the night,hearing static sounds coming out of the surround sound in my room. i sit down to look at the radio to see if it was on.... and it wasn't . I didn't feel like getting up to further examine it. just ignored it and tried to go back to sleep. As soon as I laid back down I got paralyzed, hearing the radio static get louder and louder , and then i heard my best friends voice mumbling gibberish in my head. I prayed, it stopped, went back to sleep.

I had my eyes opened in this one all the way through -
Another time I wake up in the middle of the night, every ones asleep in their rooms, then Start to hear my dad praying by my feet.I looked around and didn't see anyone so i started getting a little creeped out. Then I got paralyzed, then it sounded m like my dad was speaking in weird tongues, going faster and faster. I prayed, voice stopped, paralysis went away. Prayed some more and went back to sleep.

"Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain awakes from a REM state, but the bodily paralysis persists. This leaves the person fully conscious, but unable to move." - Wikipedia

To my understanding, SP is supposed to happen in the process of waking up, not when your sitting down, lay back and try to go back to sleep.
I also believe this has to do with demons because of many other experiences me and my family have had. So next time you go through an SP episode just pray, rebuke it in the name of Jesus Christ, and see what happens..... It doesn't hurt to try!! ;)

God bless.

You're just assuming I'm a member of the same faith as you. Not to be "smart" or anything, but if you're not asleep then I'd venture to guess it isn't sleep paralysis. You stood up from your bed to check on a strange noise and then after laying back down you became paralyzed before falling asleep again.

Perhaps your experience has to do with demons. Perhaps not. I'm not interested in a religious debate so I won't begin. Prayer may bring divine help, or it may just be that prayer is what you need to calm yourself and escape a frightening situation. Whatever the case, I'd say that there are other ways of managing SP. I simply willed it away after a few seconds, and maybe remembering the voice of a loved one, or imagining playing with your dog in the yard will relieve you.

I understand what you're saying about the vibrating room. It's as if everything vibrates but the sleeper. I'm no longer so interested in avoiding SP - I'm curious about it and how it relates to LDs and OBEs.

Thanks for the reply!

Yep SP can be scary at first. After a while though I got used too it. Just remember you are still dreaming and you cannot be harmed, you do not have to fear of any scary hallucinations. Actually I find sleep paralysis a good way to enter lucid dreams again.

nah i wasn't assuming you were of the same faith as me, i knew you weren't when you mentioned OBE's actually.I was just speaking my mind about my experiences and what helps me out of it. I go through sp atleast every other month, sometimes twice a week. It just happens, not really scary, you do get used to it actually. Its just that some of them we're really weird.

I wasn't aware that believing in OBEs made you a member of one faith or another. I was only operating under the belief that some faiths are probably more inclined to accept such an idea. I'm relatively new in the OBE department and I'm not sure if I accept it as truly being out of yourself in a spiritual manner or if they are just some serious in depth dreams. I've not read anything verifiable yet that proves it is possible to leave your own body and travel the world, but because I find it so intriguing, I wish to try and experience it for myself. I want so badly to believe it is possible, so I want proof that is more concrete than "wow man i just did obe last nite and it were awwsum! lol"

Thanks for replying so fast!

PS. To anyone who wishes to clarify - what is the difference between lucid dreaming, astral projection and out-of-body? I think I understand LD pretty well. Is SP a gateway to an OBE or just back into a LD? The way I understand things from what I've read, OBEs are limited to physical Earth (meaning no space flight, no spirit realm, etc). Astral projection is visiting what are called Astral Planes - which are what? I've also heard astral projection is a way to explore the galaxy and the universe. This just what I have gathered, and I may be wrong. I just want to get updated on the most accepted definitions for these terms. Any scientific readings related would be appreciated!

And if my hopes are fulfilled and I can really fly around the universe, will the fact that I'm not a member of *insert religion* stop me from being able to accomplish my goal?

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Originally Posted by Advantageous Noodle

I'm relatively new in the OBE department and I'm not sure if I accept it as truly being out of yourself in a spiritual manner or if they are just some serious in depth dreams. e to accomplish my goal?

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Remote viewing, and Astral Projection are proven. To clarify

Second bout of SP on Monday (07-28-08).

I've been working late (1:00 AM or later) for the past week and thus sleeping in. During the mornings I do the thing where I lie in bed, glance at the clock, lie some more, glance at the clock, repeat, repeat, until it's time to get up. I accidentally fell asleep during one of these repetitions, and instantly started having a dream about playing GTA IV. I playing the game, chasing a speed boat while driving one of my own. I shot the other boat until it exploded, and my boat crashed into it. My driver was sent hurtling into the water. I remember imagining how crazy it would be to be that guy, and suddenly I was in the water, eyes closed, and I could feel myself rising to the surface faster and faster (I could breathe in the water). Except instead of reaching the surface I ended up in bed lying on my side in SP. All I could hear was that noise of having water in my ears and birds faintly chirping outside.

Being as this was my second time in SP, I knew I had nothing to be afraid of - but before I could play around with it I realized I had to get up and get ready for work - fearful I had already slept to long. I tried moving my lips really hard for about twenty seconds until they finally gave in and I could move. From falling asleep to regaining body control ~ 10 minutes. Still no old hag. Do I have to hear the 'old hag' stage before I can LD from this state? (meaning I am nowhere close?)