Sleep Paralysis and Fear

[CherryFlow]

Hi ! : ) One of the main reasons I joined 'dream views' was to try to find a way to control my sleep paralysis fear. This is not the fear of having sleep paralysis..but rather the fear I feel while experiencing sleep paralysis. I'm also very confused about if what I am experiencing is sleep paralysis or just an LD? I know I am asleep, I know I am not fully conscious, and yet if I try to wake myself up I feel myself sinking deeper and deeper into my bed. Many times I'll feel the presense of something evil or someone trying to hurt me standing over me, and yet no matter how hard I try to open my eyes I can not. Sometimes I imagine myself opening my eyes and turning my lights on...but I know that when I imagine this I am not really doing it and that I am still asleep. I usually feel some kind of anxiety at this point...causing me to try even harder to wake up thus feeling even more frustrated. I'm wondering if anyone else has similiar problems or if there is a way to get yourself out of sleep paralysis faster and back into the conscious world? Thanks for any help !

[Puffin]

Hiya CherryFlow, there's an informative video called "the Science of Sleep Paralysis" that explains a little about why it's usually a fearful experience. Here's the video. It basically says that the amygdala, a small structure in our brains that also happens to control our sense of fear, is more active during SP than while we're awake. This means you're more prone to being afraid, and it also explains the scary hallucinations and feeling like someone's in the room with you. But you won't always experience this; although I've had absolutely terrifying episodes, I've also had ones where I've hallucinated cute, cuddly animals sitting on my bed. If you experience sleep paralysis enough, you'll get used to the sensations and won't be afraid (or as afraid) anymore. After all, you know exactly what to expect and what kind of hallucinations could occur. And, you know that it's completely safe. Nothing can hurt you; if for some reason you feel suffocated or pain, that too isn't real. If you're in SP, you should know because you're often as conscious as you are in waking life, or sometimes even more than that! Sometimes when I enter SP for a WILD (wake initiated lucid dream), I feel a sudden shift in awareness, as if I'm super-aware of my surroundings... What's around me, in the closet, outside the house, under the bed... Even though I can't see those places. If you're groggier or not as aware, then you're dreaming, because typically one isn't as aware in lucids as they are in waking life. Also note how good your senses are and whether things around you look "off". That brings us to exit methods - SP can be stopped by simply changing your breathing pattern. If you entered SP while breathing shallowly, make your breaths deeper. Or, imagine yourself moving your body. Always know that you can use sleep paralysis to your advantage by turning it into a lucid dream via WILD!

[StaySharp]

Just like told in the video, don't take it as something negative, take it as a chance. I'm not "gifted" with easily achieving states of sleep paralysis and I tried to achieve such states quite often for quie a while now. I myself can only envy people who naturally encounter states of SP. Puffin pretty much said everything important, the more you understand what's happening and the less you see it as negative, the less negative it is.