I've had many episodes of sleep paralysis (which, for a while, was a terrifying experience), and I've recorded in my journal several successful WILDs, but I'm totally boggled by what is meant by entering sleep paralysis before a WILD. I realize everyone's experience won't be exactly the same, but I was hoping you could help me understand.

When I WILD, I usually am conscious with my eyes closed and feel myself drifting off to sleep (e.g. hypnogogic imagery, I "lose" my hands and no longer feel them). Then, the next thing I know I find myself fully immersed within a dream (sometimes without sight at first). Now I know this probably isn't the typical WILD, but please hear me out.

Before entering the dream, yes, my body is very still, but how would I know if it was paralyzed unless I tried to move? In fact, all the WILD tutorials I've read specifically instruct me to try not to move. So, how do you know you're in sleep paralysis at all? In my experience with non-WILD-related sleep paralysis, I knew it was sleep paralysis because I tried to move and could not. Also, perhaps more importantly, I knew it was sleep paralysis because my senses were like those of waking life and not of hypnagogia.

For example, the images I see within hypnogagia are with my "mind's eye" (and not my real eyes, just as how I know the sounds I hear are with my "mind's ear." However, in sleep paralysis, just as in a dream, I see things with what I believe to be my real eyes and ears. Everything is ultra realistic in my sleep paralysis episodes--moreso than my average lucid dream, in fact.

I suppose it's possible that since I have my eyes closed anyway and am not moving anyway that I may actually be in sleep paralysis after all, but really I can't see how I'd know the difference other than auditory hullicinations (which are few and far). However, the fact that you're hearing an auditory hullicination is no indication of sleep paralysis per se, so I'm totally stumped how so many of you are claiming to have experienced sleep paralysis before the onset of a WILD (assuming you're trying not to move and your eyes are closed anyway). What gives?