sleep Paralysis nightmare?

Hello all, I'm new here. I've been reading some posts here on and off and have tried some of these lucid dream inducing techniques with no luck so far. I've gone through weeks of trying to get these to happen and I'm not having any luck, but I have had something happen to me that was very terrifying.

I was having a hard time falling asleep, tossing and turning. Finally I started feeling like I was relaxing and getting ready to slip into a dream, then suddenly I realize that I can't move at all. Fear starts to kick in almost instantly, and I begin to see what appears to be a dark entity or cloud slowly making its way out of one of the rooms in my house (almost looked like thick smoke). The entity slowly made its way into my room, and collected at the edge of my bed, forming what looked to be a large cloak (similar to what you see the grim reaper wearing). When this entity was finishing up its formation I noticed a white face, but I couldn't really make it out clearly. Now at this point the fear was so strong, I don't think I've ever felt this much fear in my entire life. I felt hands on my shins, slowly make their way up my body, finally stopping at my throat. I am literally trying to scream and move for someone to help, not that I really know what they can help with but I felt desperate and helpless and really started to think that I was going to die. The hands on my throat felt impossibly strong, and just when I felt myself slipping all of a sudden I woke up, and it was the next day (the whole sequence took place in the dark).

Now I need to make this clear, this looked and felt VERY real. I've had sleep paralysis before and have had hallucinations but there was always a realization at some point that this wasn't really happening, followed with me getting my movement back/waking up. Whatever happened I still don't really know, but I never want to experience anything like this again.

I am curious if anyone has had a similar experience. I've seen something on A&E in the past where some people had experiences like this, where each person really felt like they were going to die during this whole thing. Some call it a "dream demon," any thoughts?

Hi, welcome.

You were in sleep paralysis and you experienced hypngogic imagery. How realistic they may seem, they are not real. You may want to refrain from WILD techniques, as they rely on sleep paralysis.

I haven't had any similar experiences personaly, but there are plenty of people who do. I came across someone who was visited by spiders frequenty, also seemingly very real.

Sounds like a variation of the Old Hag.

It happens. Its relatively normal. Sleep Paralysis hallucinations can get very vivid, and very frightening.

I personally have no experienced it, but doing a search for "Old Hag" should get you some results from the forum.

EDIT: If not for the fact that the search function doesn't like 3-letter words >.<
EDIT2: Here we go.
http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&q=+site%...ad2a9a3503d34a
Thank the Internet for Google.

Hi and welcome to the forums. :)

I had something somewhat similar happen to me just a few nights ago.
I was having a hard time falling asleep, and once I did slip into a dream, it was a terrifying one.
I lay in my bed and I tried to move with no luck, but my eyes were still open. 'Oh, this must be what Sleep Paralysis is like.' I thought to myself. I didn't panic, as I knew what it was. All of a sudden, a white figure began forming beside my bed. At first it just looked like a bright light, but it formed into the shape of a person. I began to panic and I tried to scream. The figure glided toward me, and I woke up. When I woke up, it was something like 4:00am and I was lying in a completely different position to what I was in my dream.
This is no where as terrifying as what you experienced, but still frightening. I was so stunned when I awoke, that I went and slept on the couch. :oops:

It seems terrifying at the time, but I give it a week or so and I usually don't find the memory of these sorts of experiences that scary anymore. :lol:

Wish you luck. :D