Help with turning random SP into LDs

[JustinS]

I feel like I have a pretty unique history with SP and need some help/advice on working through it and potentially using it to my advantage. So I have woken up in SP alot over the years. Only in the last few years have I started to understand it a little better. I'm perfectly content with DILD and MILD for the time being. However, I normally end up with more SP than LDs. I would like to get some help with possible ways in using the SP to my advantage. I can't seem to stop it so I might as well put it to use. I have experienced SP over 100 times now (over many years). The two occasions that I did just relax, the results were the same. About 5 years ago, I was stuck in a SP and false awakening cycle. I kept waking up into SP, or at least I though I was. It seemed to go on forever, so I just gave up the fight and let go. I immediately lifted out of my body and found myself zooming though a tunnel. the second time happened last week. I had been reading more about SP and the WILD technique and was a little better prepared to stay calm. So, when it happened I just stayed calm and let go (still didn't like it much though ). The voices, whispers, footsteps, buzzing, etc were present as with most all of my SP experiences. The more I let go though, the louder and more jumbled the audio became. I felt like I was hearing the audio version of the countless neurons firing in my brain. The intensity increased until I reached some sort of pentacle. Like before, I felt myself lift out of my body and began zooming though a tunnel. On the first occasion of being in the tunnel, I decided to go find God. I ended up in black, empty, nothingness where I floated around for a while trying to interpret the meaning of my experience. I was fully lucid at this point. After a while I was pulled back though the tunnel (very quickly this time) and found myself back in SP. With last week's tunnel experience, I was elated that I had gutted out SP and was on my way to a potential LD. I must have been too excited though, because I was quickly jerked back to my body and into SP. Anyway, I feel like I might be sitting on a lucidity goldmine. Hopefully with some guidance, I can put it to use. Some questions that I think might help me: 1. Does anybody else experience the transition out of SP by lifting out of their sleeping body and into a tunnel? It is definitely a break away from SP and seems to be a gateway to LD. The ride in the tunnel is great by the way. Like a gentle, but amazing roller coaster ride... complete with a butterflies in the stomach feeling. 2. Is it common to go from LD to SP? This happens with about 80% of my LDs. Is it plausible to get back to lucidity at this state or is the cycle most likely over? 3. Any advice on how to put SP into a different perspective would be great as well. I still don't find it to the the most pleasant experience. The best I've come up with so far is to try and become an outside observer of my brain's activity. I normally only have auditory sensations. Thankfully, the only visual that I have is a sort of gloomy monotone version of the actual room that I am in. 4. At times as I am just drifting off to sleep, I experience a large jolt. It is as if my head was struck by a small bolt of lightning. It is startling but not painful in any way. When I do have this, without fail, I will experience SP at some point later in the night. Does anybody else experience this? I could go on and on with questions, but hopefully this is a good start in getting some help/advice. Any input would be great. Thanks!

[LouieO]

Some questions that I think might help me: 1. Does anybody else experience the transition out of SP by lifting out of their sleeping body and into a tunnel? It is definitely a break away from SP and seems to be a gateway to LD. The ride in the tunnel is great by the way. Like a gentle, but amazing roller coaster ride... complete with a butterflies in the stomach feeling. 2. Is it common to go from LD to SP? This happens with about 80% of my LDs. Is it plausible to get back to lucidity at this state or is the cycle most likely over? 3. Any advice on how to put SP into a different perspective would be great as well. I still don't find it to the the most pleasant experience. The best I've come up with so far is to try and become an outside observer of my brain's activity. I normally only have auditory sensations. Thankfully, the only visual that I have is a sort of gloomy monotone version of the actual room that I am in. 4. At times as I am just drifting off to sleep, I experience a large jolt. It is as if my head was struck by a small bolt of lightning. It is startling but not painful in any way. When I do have this, without fail, I will experience SP at some point later in the night. Does anybody else experience this? I could go on and on with questions, but hopefully this is a good start in getting some help/advice. Any input would be great. Thanks! 1. SP is unique for most people, but the tunnel experience sounds pretty typical of the weird sensations (I personally experience sudden vertigo and falling) 2. It's not particularly common, but it sounds like a great way to do a DEILD so look up that tutorial if you're interested. 3. There are many ways to do this. First, you can control your hallucinations in ways similar to dream control (just will it to happen). Secondly, pretend you're watching a really, really weird movie. This has always helped me. Third, just try to enjoy it--it's a weird but also unique experience. 4. Not me personally, but that sounds like the 'gunshot' that some people experience when 'astral projecting' (I personally believe that astral projection is a weird kind of WILD, but others may not) so you can look that up online. Hope this helps, Louie

[Robot_Butler]

The easiest way I can get out of sleep paralysis (or a sleep paralysis-like state) is to imagine something involving motion and tactile sensations. Visual imagery doesn't quite do it fully, for me. I like to use a recent, easy memory of something familiar. I try to imagine the movement and tactile sensations I would feel while living out that memory. If I'm really hallucinating bad during my SP, I will try to use the hallucination to help me. For example, if there is a giant black shadow creature leaning over me, I will try to reach up and ask it to help me get out of bed.