How close am I?

[jguitar]

I know this is probably asked time and time again, and I know it's different for everybody out there, but how close do you think I am to entering SP when WILDING? I lay there, listen to some calm music...clear my mind, etc. I feel slightly numb, but that's just from sitting in one spot for a while. It's like I can't feel where my fingers touch my sheets, to be exact. Then, after a fairly long while, I feel a heat in my forearms and calves, and feel them get "heavy". I can't really move unless I concentrate on it at this point. I do not see anything in my mind. Then, coming on in a sort of wave, this vibrating sensation goes over my body. Its like my mind is shaking...I can't move, but I changed my breathing pattern. I still couldn't see any hallucinations, and I still heard the music in my headphones? So, how close am I to sleep paralysis? I have to stop wimping out at this point, but this is the furthest I've ever got.

[KingYoshi]

Ah, SP (sleep paralysis) is starting to set in when heat and heaviness sets in. Once those vibrations start, SP is almost set in completely. You are probably less than a minute away from full blown SP. Just remind yourself that these aren't real. They are all hallucinations and nothing can harm you. Allow the SP to do whatever it is that it wants and simply ignore anything that is unpleasant. Continue to relax and just try to get a little further along in the process. Nice job on your progress and keep working at it. You will eventually get used to SP and it will be nowhere near as frightening. Good luck and if you have nay more questions, don't hesitate to ask!

[jguitar]

Thanks! I think I had one really scary experience with SP when I was a little kid. I remember having a nightmare, and then I opened my eyes and it was still in my room, and I couldn't move. I always wondered what that was until I got into this stuff. Really the only fear is fear of the unknown, so once I do it once, I'll realize it isn't real, and be able to continue with it.

[KingYoshi]

Yeah, the fear of the unknown is a pretty common fear, especially in dreams. I still get a little skiddish when I am in deep space or extremely deep water .

[jguitar]

You can almost link all fears to the fear of the unknown. The fear of death, for example, is not exactly the fear of dying itself, but the fear that you aren't completely sure what happens after that, because its never happened to you before. Fear of heights could be accountable to a fear of not knowing what will happen when you fall. And through this, I can narrow what all my fears are linked to, and identify them, but I'm still scared!

[KingYoshi]

Indeed, I have never looked at it that way. That is a pretty cool theory. Yeah, you are still scared because even if you know the root of the fear, the experience is still unknown . Once you are able to power through some SP, it will get easier and easier to deal with the fear. I rarely feel fear when WILDing nowadays, but I used to get pretty freaked out too.