I think I may be crazy.

**drownthenunder** · 11-10-2004 08:34 PM

Hey guys, im really new here. but I’ve had this question that I cant find an answer for, and the only thing I can find that is even remotely close is lucid dreaming, so im gonna give it a try here and see if u guys can help.

Now sometimes when I fall asleep (iv recently found that certain things on the tv on in the background aid this) I get this strange over whelming pressure over my entire body, so much so that I cant move. its at this point where I don’t really feel in control of my body at all. its not really dreaming cause I don’t really remember seeing anything but I defiantly feel like im moving, and this is happened many times before

Just last night it happened again, and I since I had read some stuff about obes earlier that day, I decided to give something like that a try, and before I knew it, I could feel my body sitting up, and moving.. not walking or anything.. just mainly the top half of my body. I then felt myself bobble as if I was walking down the stairs and move as if I was opening a door of some sort. ( like a fridge). but then (I think) I was feeling the pressure more so I forced myself awake ( by repeatedly trying to open my eyes, it usually works on the third or so try). I then went back to sleep but it happened again but stronger, the pressure came over and it ended up freaking me out into trying to open my eyes again.

After the 4th time it happened, the pressure was so binding that it felt strangely pulsating (very fast) and I quickly, with still much effort, forced open my eyes and moved around in my bed, then turned off the tv.

After that I had a good night sleep.

I would Really like to know what this is, its been driving me crazy lately,

any comments would be great.

thank you.

**Kaniaz** · 11-10-2004 08:47 PM

The overwhelming pressure is probably SP (Sleep Paraylsis). It's a chemical released by the body to prevent you from moving and re-enacting your dreams as you sleep (like sleep walking). Intresting that you can feel it before you actually drift off to sleep though, if it is SP...

Oh, and welcome to the forums (you gotta PM in your inbox).

**Placebo** · 11-10-2004 09:10 PM

Yep - sounds like sleep paralysis. Its perfectly normal, however most of the time people aren't conscious when it happens
Theres even a few native stories about female naked demons that sit on your chest and choke you - its a very claustrophobic sensation for some people

**lbc302** · 11-10-2004 10:31 PM

Sometimes something simmilar happens to me. In the dream I feel like I can't hardly move my arms or open my eyes. And if I can get my eyes open, things are all blurry. It always reminds me of the sensaion described by the character Meg in the book, "A Wrinkle in Time" when she tesseracts through space and gets separated from her family. You feel paralyzed almost. Is what I sometimes expierience Sleep paralysis maybe?

**Kaniaz** · 11-10-2004 11:24 PM

Here's a link to wikipedia about sleep paraylsis: Click.

Originally posted by wikipedia.com
Normal sleep paralysis

Normal sleep paralysis is thought to be due to mechanisms in the brain stem, particularly the reticular, vestibular, and oculomotor neurons, which prevent bodily movements, block sensory input and provide the forebrain with the internally generated activity that characterises brain activity during REM sleep. This is thought to be necessary to prevent the body from movements caused by dreams. Eyes however are not paralyzed by this system, and this exception was used to prove that lucid dreaming was an objectively verifiable phenomenon.

**nina** · 11-11-2004 12:16 AM

Hey!

I have experienced EXACTLY what you have experienced....many many times!! No, you aren't crazy. Yes, those strange and almost frightening sensations are a result of sleep paralysis, and NO you aren't having OBEs. For awhile when I would be in that stage before wake and dreaming and those weird sensations would occur, I thought I would try to OBE and sit up, but usually experienced some resistance. One time I only could get my head up, another time I got all the way out of my body though I walked extremely awkwardly. I thought I was having OBEs, but after discusing this with someone who knows alot more than me about OBEs, I discovered that they are just FAKE OBEs, resulting from being in a trance-like state (similar to hypnosis state) before you begin to dream. In reality, OBEs only occur in your deepest sleep, where most people cannot sustain clarity or awareness and that's why people experience them during near-death experiences. So to sum things up...what's going on is normal and it sounds like you are well on your way to having some WILDs!

**drownthenunder** · 11-11-2004 02:00 AM

Wow,

thank you guys for replying so quickly this info is a lot of help,

i think im gonna read up some more and experiment

thanks again!

**wheelie309** · 11-11-2004 03:28 AM

welcome to dv.. i just wanted to let you know as the other have already, that you arent crazy lol ... i have suffered from SP before .. the most recent was about 2 weeks ago. But mine, opposite from yours, have happened while awaking. I had a WILD about 2 weeks ago and i found myself in the bathroom. I tend to be in disbelief everytime i have one so i tried to do a reality check. Being that i was in the bathroom standing infront of my mirror (first mirror i ever recall finding in a dream) i tried to put my hand through the mirror. It didnt work. Even though it didnt work the first time I figured i would do it again. But the second time i decided to take a step back and try to send my entire body through the mirror. while jumping head first (dumb idea) into the mirror, i closed my eyes and ended up going through it. But because i closed my eyes i suddenly awoke. I couldnt move anything but my eyes which i could also barely open .. relizing that i was suffering from SP i tried to stay very calm by thinking to myself it will go away in a few seconds. I felt like i could barely breath. But the fact of the matter was that my breathing was involantary and very shallow. Not liking the feeling that i was not breathing as deep as i should be, i tried to take a deep breath and then hold it until the SP went away. Not only could i not take a deep breath, but i couldnt hold my breath as well.. i slowly felt tingling in my fingers and toes and then my entire body. As the SP went away, which felt like forever but was really only about 5-10 seconds, i could finally move. So i sat up on the couch that i was napping on and just thought to myself "wow, i just experience somthing that so many other people have experience and not understood". except that i KNEW what was going on and it wasnt as frightening as it would have been if i didnt know what was happening. But anyway, you're not alone. And now that you know what is happening to you it wont seem as bad next time it happens.

**drownthenunder** · 11-11-2004 05:33 AM

well i was scared the first time it happened (couple of years ago), but lately i'v been accepting it and just exploring, but like i said before, sometimes it gets too intense and i pull out. i think im gonna push it farther next time and see what i can do.