Help i'm starting to get really freaked out.

[Rachit]

Hi, I am new here and wondered if anyone could help me or tell me if you have had similar experiences. When I was 18, i was really desperate to experience astral projection, but after several failed attempts I gave up. I have never given it anymore thought until recently. I have been practising buddhist meditation now for 2 and a half years and believe that i am also going through a kundalini awakening, which maybe started about 4 years ago. Over the last year I have frequently experienced sleep paralysis when i go to bed. It starts off with a vibrational noise that gets progressivley faster and louder. I am then paralysed and can't move. This really scares me and i try desperately to stop it. When i manage to stop it, i turn over, but as soon as i start dropping off again, it starts again. These experiences seem to be getting more frequent. The other night i tried to relax about it as i don't seem to be able to stop it. I managed to distract myself by thinking about my son's forthcoming birthday, I then found myself in my living room playing the guitar my sister has bought him. I managed to turn the vibrational sound into a song that i liked with the guitar (note i only know a few chords, but the song came out perfect). I then remembered my physical body being in paralysis and became freaked out again. It took a good few minutes to recover from this state. I then had to physically get out of bed before i was able to return to bed and go to sleep. I know that i am not goning to be able to stop this happening, but has anyone got any advice on how to not get so scared? Thanks, Rachael

[Niddiboy]

well simply there is nothing to fear about sleep paralysis because everyone in the world (apart from sleep walkers) gets sleep paralysis. The fact that you are fully awake during this process is what many on dreamviews are attempting to achieve through patience. I dont believe that there is anything to worry about. But if you continue to be scared just take note that sleep paralysis is a perfectly normal process that happens EVERY night so that we humans do not act out our dreams in waking life. Can you imagine doing certain things such as fighting or swimming etc in a dream, and the exact same motions are being carried out in waking life so dont worry is my advice =)

[Serith]

Instead of trying to escape sleep paralysis, or to just tolerate it, you might get better results if you try to use it. Sleep paralysis allows for much easier transition into lucid dreaming, and you've already seen how if you're not fighting it, it can easily lead to lucid dreams. I suggest you go to the tutorials subforum, and read up on WILD. Much of the terror of sleep paralysis come from the way it's unexpected and unwanted. People using sleep paralysis as a method to lucid dream, who seek it out and actively want it to happen, find it to be much less frightening than those who develop it accidentally. Therefore, if you were seeking it in order to lucid dream, it would be much easier to deal with, especially once you got better at transitioning from sleep paralysis to lucid dreaming. Then you just have to remember to focus on how your dream body is fine, instead of how your real body is paralyzed, to avoid panicing.

[Robot_Butler]

Rachit Whoa, that's freaky, I feel like you just told my life story. The only difference is, I've been getting spontaneous sleep paralysis since childhood. It is what drove to investigate deep meditation, OBE, and lucid dreaming in the first place. I know how freaky SP can be. Even if you know it is coming and are not logically afraid of it, it still brings with it the adrenaline rush that triggers that terror. The good news is, you don't need to be afraid for any logical reason. It sounds like you already know this, since you mentioned the history with AP and kundalini. My problem with the AP or OBE angle is that they add a spin to it that often seems dangerous and intimidating. They often make it sound like there is a threat of not being able to return to your body, or running into some energy vampire aliens or something. These threats can create expectations can often be self fulfilling, and your beautiful lucid dream turns into a nightmare. Dont worry about it. There are people here who do this almost every night (or at least try every night) and there is no danger. It sounds like your last experience with the guitar playing dumped you into a lucid dream. Maybe you should try to induce this consciously, so you can feel in control of the situation instead of having it happen out of your control. If you relax through the vibrations, you can end up in a pretty amazing lucid dream.

[gagaku]

Hypnogogic experiances can be intimidating, but it seems like knowing and being able to communicate with people who have no problem with it makes it easier.

[Rachit]

Hi to everyone, Thanks so much for your replies. I think robot butler's advice on trying to induce this consciously may help. I certainly felt better the other night when I managed to distract myself by playing the guitar. I'll give it a go, if i can. Thanks again

[Gorillaman23]

Well i have acually had something similar to this i was sleeping in my bedroom and then at 3 o'clock in the morning found myself down in my basement sleeping in the laundry room!...wicked scary.