Sleep paralysis - and then?!

Today I woke up in the morning and listened to music from my MP3 player while I was lying completely still in my bed. After a while my feet began to prickle and then I realized that it was difficult to move them. Then my legs started to prickle and to twitch, and they got numb, too; I tried to move them a bit, but I couldn't. At that time, I wasn't very tired and I still listened to music. Finally, also my arms started to get paralysed, and my fingers, and my whole body, but my mind was still awake. I thought that maybe the music kept me awake, but I couldn't stop it because I wasn't able to move. So I was lying there and nothing happened. I tried to visualize a dream, I started to count, I imagined that I could float out of my body. But while my body seemed to be asleep, my mind was very clear. Time passed by ... half an hour, one hour, 1 1/2 hour ... nothing happened, not even any hypnagogic images. In the end I opened my eyes and I saw my room ... I closed them again and everthing was like before ... But I felt very uncomfortable, and so finally I forced my fingers to turn off the music. But I knew I wouldn't fall asleep anymore, and so I got up ... :(
Why could my body fall asleep while my mind was so awake? :( What can I do next time this happens?

Aw, sorry that this didnt work for you this time. The music could have kept you grounded to reality. Try this again without the music? See how that works.

When you say that you couldn't move, what do you mean? Did you try really hard, or was your body just very relaxed? Over an hour of SP is a very, very long time for that occur. Even people who have SP as a disorder rarely experience it for more than a few minutes. I have only ever heard of narcoleptics being paralyzed for such an extended length of time.

Hm, I'm not sure ... in the beginning, my arms weren't paralysed at all, but my feet became paralysed quite slowly, and it took a lot of time until the whole body was paralysed (if it was real paralysis ...). So I wasn't completely paralysed for an hour, just in the end. First I didn't try to move (especially my feet) too hard, than I tried more and more and I couldn't; but it might be that I could have moved my feet when I had tried it even harder. I tried to got paralysed already before, and I always started to feel very numb and relaxed, but this time was very different, and so I thought it might have been real paralysis. But maybe you are right and it wasn't. It was quite strange, anyway ... :?

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Originally Posted by Ymbripolis

Hm, I'm not sure ... in the beginning, my arms weren't paralysed at all, but my feet became paralysed quite slowly, and it took a lot of time until the whole body was paralysed (if it was real paralysis ...). So I wasn't completely paralysed for an hour, just in the end. First I didn't try to move (especially my feet) too hard, than I tried more and more and I couldn't; but it might be that I could have moved my feet when I had tried it even harder. I tried to got paralysed already before, and I always started to feel very numb and relaxed, but this time was very different, and so I thought it might have been real paralysis. But maybe you are right and it wasn't. It was quite strange, anyway ... :?

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Hahaha well hey, I wasn't the one who experienced it, you tell me how it was :tongue:. Just trying to clarify. I have done that zone in/out of consciousness over a long period of time like you have. I had the similar relaxation feeling, but I was able to move when I tried. It is strangely relaxing, isn't it?

Well, when I was still lying in my bed, it wasn't really relaxing. It was quite uncomfortable, and later I even felt pain. 5 minutes or so after I had got up, I realized that I was quite relaxed now; but not earlier. :| I'm not sure if I should try it again tonight ... I always stay awake for a long time when I do so :(

It's energy. Do you intentionally try to induce sleep paralysis? Having an awake mind but an asleep body is what all meditators seek. Might be a state of being that could help with lucidity. The best thing you did, from what I read, was observe in a relaxed state. Being relaxed is the foundation. And you proved to yourself you are in control, which is important to know.