Thread: Sleep Paralysis & Lucid Dreaming - Connections, Tips & Advice

First, it might be worth noting a couple things.
1) I am not an expert on Lucid Dreaming beyond what my own experiences are, although I have had years of personal experiences to draw conclusions from. Therefor, my terminology might be different and I might experience things differently than others in the LD community.
2) I have some pre-existing mental illness. I have high-functioning autism that causes depression and sleep issues which might make it easier or harder for me to do certain things pertaining to Lucid Dreaming.

I am simply attempting to document my personal experience the best I can and collaborate with the Lucid Dream community so I can control my "ability/condition" better. Because what so many people struggle so hard for, when naturally occurring can be a curse...

So... Let me start from the very beginning. My mother used to tell me about experiences she has had since childhood where she wakes up from her sleep only to find that she is paralyzed in bed. Sometimes this would last for several minutes and other times only a few seconds. She said that often times she thought she would be getting up to turn on the light switch only to find her self back in bed with the lights off after she had gotten up. I mention this because its possible that this could be a genetic thing.

I had my first episode of real sleep paralysis in my early teens. It was exactly how my mother describes it. Waking up to find yourself "trapped" in bed. This happened a few times as a teen and by my late teens it would happen to me at least once or twice a month. Fighting it was useless and exhausting. I could sometimes make my facial muscles twitch trying to force a movement but that was about it. Eventually it became commonplace for me and became comfortable with it happening. After a while I noticed that if I woke up and found myself paralyzed that I could relax and focus on my breathing and I would come out of it and be able to move. But right afterward I would slip right back into it. It was frustrating to say the least.

Sometime during my early 20's I started to realize the connection between sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming. I thought to myself "if me getting up and turning on the light is a dream, then why can't I float over to the light switch, or leave the house for that matter and fly up and down the street." So basically that's exactly what I did. The sleep paralysis became a way for me to induce a lucid dream. As time passed I wouldn't simply wake up into a state of sleep paralysis, but I could lay down and just drift into it. The lucid dreams became more and more clear and in my dreams I was able to fly around town, up into space (which is actually kinda boring), and jet across the world to see places like the Great Pyramids or other monuments. Eventually I even began creating my own worlds to explore and could create circumstances and story lines to follow. I could live out scenes from my favorite movies like blowing up the Death Star or fighting in battles from Lord of the Rings.

In the past, before entering into sleep paralysis I felt like I would float above my bed and I could begin conjuring up any experience I wanted. I learned to clear my mind of negative thoughts however because it was easy to "sabotage" myself into seeing things or experiencing things I did not want to experience. The feeling of a very Lucid Dream can be quite real so being eaten by zombies from The Walking Dead is not a great experience. It's like a part of me would induce a terrible situation and retreat to a safe distance and watch. This wasn't always the case but I felt like it was worth mentioning.

This brings me to the present day. There are some nights when it is easier than other nights but the difficulty seems to cycle by about a month. I am about to explain what it feels like on an easy night and how it differs from past experiences.

First I go lay down really not expecting to enter sleep paralysis. Then after laying down it feels like a wave of electricity or something jolts my body from the inside out. Sometimes its so overwhelming it takes my breath away. Then another... Then another. This is a key indicator that I am able to experience sleep paralysis at will. I close my eyes and roll them upward to where they normally rest while one sleeps (if you haven't notice you sleep with your eyes rolled back in your head then you just learned something). After a moment I feel a familiar "buzzing" in my head much like a calmer but static version of the wave I mentioned earlier. At this point I know I am paralyzed and I simply "let go". I don't know of another way to describe it than "let go". I used to feel like I floated up out of bed but not I feel like I am pulled quickly through the bottom of my bed where I experience free fall in darkness and blotches of light until I regain my composure. At this point the world is a blank canvas ready to painted on. I normally have some ideas in mind about what some cool dreams would be and just "pop them into existence". Sometimes I just go with the flow and imagine I am outside or in my room. I can instantly turn night into day or create other characters. This is when it all goes well. But sometimes it plays out differently...

Here is what happened last week. I laid down and entered sleep paralysis. I was distracted by my wife laying beside me as I thought she wasn't feeling well. I dreamed that she and I sat up and had a lengthy conversation about her not feeling well. Then I realized that it all had been Lucid Dreaming. Then I dreamed that I saw her convulsing and ultimately die while I was kicking and fighting to exit sleep paralysis in a panic. After I woke up I had to get up and smoke. That messed with me a bit. I went and laid back down and during the next couple hours I lived out the shittiest day I had ever had at work all in my head. Even all the times lined up, as I am a compulsive time watcher. Finally there were clues that alerted me that I was actually in sleep paralysis and woke myself up and went to work. I wish I had more time to explain what happened but I need to pick my wife up from work...

I'd love to hear about your experiences or answer any questions regarding my experiences. Hope to get some feedback soon!