The Secrets of Sleep paralysis

Many in the world have been hit by this type of "disorder" through-out their lives. For me, I have taken part in up to 30 expiriences in my life.

For those who don't know, sleep paralysis is an occurrence that takes place when one is able to come out of sleep, and not being able to move most parts of their body or speak. What remains is the ability to open and close your eyes, as well as move them but most importantly you are fully aware of what is going on and can think.

During paralysis some people (such as my self) have expiriences where someone or something is in the room, and watching the body. Others hear sounds and some even feel physical contact, pressure on the chest or even attacks. Unable the move, the person is forced to remain in one place and basically live out the expirience until they wake up anywhere from 10 seconds-2 minutes after.(in my cases at least)

After waking up, everything goes back to normal, with no real physical harm, but the question im asking is do you believe that it is linked to different dimensions or paranormal value, or maybe can lead to an OBE?

Here is a link video on youtube, which holds 3 cases of SP which are very similar to the ones I myself have gone through.

video link
Youtube video

and here is more information on the subject

Wiki link

I experienced this myself, and it is terrifying. Without knowing what it was, it is easy to see why people believe they've been abducted by aliens and other nightmarish scenarios. Thanks for putting up the link.

Anyone who believes they've been abducted really should investigate this phenomenon first. It's the likelier (and simpler) explanation.

Most people tend to think that the things they see are a case of the mind playing tricks, based on current state of emotion and this might be true, but its odd to think that everyone sees the same thing if they're scared, there must be a link.

I tend to think by being awake when your brain thinks you're asleep, you're actually overlaying the unconcious mind over the concious, and so we are able to see things that are usually invisible to us, or just things that aren't meant to be seen in our normal state of mind.

Sleep is still a big mystery, and I'm still pondering why our dreams are fleeting alot of the time, and if we're getting some sort of programming or propaganda while asleep, thats makes us do certain things, to continue leading our human nature and everyday lives.

Because now im pretty much able to sink into sleeping paralysis on command when im tired, I should experiment with it. Maybe try to dream with my eyes open and see what happens, or try to pull my conciousness from my body. Im kinda afraid of the turn out though...

I have not suffered from SP for a bit of time.

Last couple of times I had it, I did a kind of Sleep Study like the guy in the vid. I got an infrared camera from Maplin and linked it to my VCR. All I discovered was the cat and dog were craftily very active while my partner and I slept!!

Each time I had it I too was on my back, like in the vid. It can be scary. Sometimes I do think to myself go back to sleep. Other times you feel someone is there...or on your chest.

I believe that some alien abduction and demonic attack experiences are created as part of the fear mechanism. If you believe in aliens then the unseen entity becomes an alien, if you believe in demons, its a demon.

I am curious though if there is a relationship between SP and other conditions. I have had experiences that after reading these boards and the net, I believe were the start of astral projection or oobe. But I found the "whooshing" and feeling of acceleration scarier than SP!! So I willed myself to stop.

It was good to watch the vids..even though Youtube sucks...it was taking about 30 minutes a vid to load!!!

I am now wondering what is different about my life now that has stopped SP occurring?

Oh I hate it when that happens. It freaks me right out. Most recently I had that experience last month; I was stuck in bed, I couldnt move or yell for help or anything. Then I realised there was something holding me down and with that entity in the room I was powerless, completely.

I kept "waking up" and trying to run out into the main room to my fiancee, and got stuck on the sofa. Then I would realise I hadn't woken up at all and was still stuck. I "woke up" a few times before I REALLY did wake up, and when I did, I actually DID get stuck on the sofa as I was trying to run to my fiancee. lol. Go me.

I remember seeing paintings from the medevil (spelling??) times, with demons, etc holding down their sleeping victims. Creepy. I am very good at detecting spirits, and other presences, and when I was stuck that last time, there was definitely something in there with me. Other times I have also felt something was near me, but more like it was me, stuck outside my own body than a separate entity altogether. y'know?

I've had experiences like this as well and it can be nearly terrifying to say the least. I can recall instances in which I was in this state for what seemed like hours... it is anything but a pleasurable experience.

I have experienced this also very briefly.
I just recall waking and feeling like my mind was the only
active part of my body and feeling a presence in the room,
afterwards when i thought of it, I recalled some kind of creature
perhaps alien like but I did not see it, I just sensed it was there so perhaps
it is simply a figment of an active imagination.
I have also experienced an out of body experience where I woke up
in what i can only describe as a higher state of consciousness in a place not too
far from my home, it was early morning and I immediately panicked and thought what the hell am i doing here in the middle of the night? It was then I seemed to return to my bed, I never had another experience like it, it was scary but also quite amazing.

Sleep paralysis - I posted this before and I hope it helps a bit.

Sleep paralysis is caused by the mechanism in your brain that shuts down your motor functions when you sleep. It is usually accompanied by some combination of narcolepsy symptoms. Look it up if your curious. Most of the symptoms revolve around the way your brain is wired, specifically your emotions. The most typical emotion to experience is fear, and for a good reason. It's scary. If you experience SP a lot and want to get rid of it, this is how.

As long as your brain is engaged in the fear emotion, you will continue to experience SP. The trick is to replace the fear emotion with another emotion. For some people it doesn't matter which emotion they choose, but for others, you will have to experiment to find one that works. So the next time you experience SP. Think of something funny, something you love, or something that makes you sad. Whatever it is you choose, you must be able to move the fear out and the new emotion in. It is pretty hard, but it works. Basically, you are diverting your brain function around the fault. Once you achieve mastery of your emotions, you will either experience a lucid dream or fall back to sleep. If it is a lucid dream, you need to remember your emotional control because it really is the merger of the awake and dream states. If you think it, you will experience it. Try not to get too caught up in a particular train of thought, like aliens, shadow people, monsters and such. It will just make you fight with fear harder. Keep in mind the number of times you have experienced SP, and how many times you have woken up from it and been perfectly fine. Fight the fear and no more SP

[edit on 21-8-2007 by popeye0314]

i suffer from night terror and many other sleep disorders, sometimes i see stuff i have nerver seen in my life, weird figures and colors, creatures and conversation, so yeah i believe it has to be linked with some other dimension or something, but i also believe it is more medical than paranormal but who know

[edit on 21-8-2007 by Drzava]

Isn't it a normal chemical that your body produces? Just think if you didn't have it. I think sleep walking is one such effect of not having this when your body should.

BTW a friend had this and woke up to his cat sitting on his face. He said he couldn't move for about 30 secs while his cat plopped it's butt right down on him.

[edit on 21-8-2007 by Xtrozero]

xtrozero - IMO

This is a normal function of your body (brain) and for a good reason. If you are dreaming about running, you don't want your legs moving back and forth. The problem with SP is that your brain has most likely entered or gotten close to REM sleep. Normal or most of the populace takes about 70 min. to enter REM sleep. People with SP usually have other symptom like cataplexy, sleep apnea, insomnia or multiple awakenings. SP is a symptom of another illness, and for that reason its best to have diagnosed if it is a frequent problem. SP happens when your brain goes into shut down mode, and something sparks your consiousness back into focus. A good example is sleep apnea. If you were to fall asleep, drift into REM sleep and then started to have an apnea attack, your brain would slam back into focus to try and fix the problem. This is the moment when SP would occur. For narcolepsy sufferers, it is a disturbance in the REM cycle. My personal experience is due to a short REM cycle. I enter REM sleep just under 7 min. of laying down, and this basically allows my brain to be awake while my body is shut down. My family has a history of narcolepsy, but my only other symptom is cataplexy sparked by laughter. Not really all that funny

Thanks for all the tips, Popeye; I will try the fear-replacement technique.
Let you know how it goes.

well since its basically just the brain functioning, has anyone tried to push their mind from their body? and forced an OBE? I'm really curious at the result.

Yep, SP sucks. I had a thread over on BTS about one. Didn't realize what it was till I got it all written down and got a few replies, but I'm pretty sure what I experienced was SP. Definitely the scariest moment of my entire life! I'll have to remember the fear replacement technique in case it ever happens again.

I must be wierd, as I enjoy SP quite alot. I can induce it while laying down or sitting(such as during meditation). It's really wild to be awake while the body releases '___' into the system. If you understand whats happening, you can sit within this state for hours. It's called looking into "the void" in some religions. The "entitys" you see are well documented in Buhddism, and in some forms of martial arts that use the experience to train the "will". I know of at least 15 seperate qi gong excercises to induce SP while staying aware. It's a natural and controlled way to beat the fear out of ones mind. It helps reject the animal thoughts that a enlightend one should pay no attention to(basicly denying the chemical peptide responces that your brain gives out, which at times are un logical such being angry,overtly excited, or even to empathic).

I've been having sleep paralysis for over a year now, and I've had a couple threads on here already. I was asking the forum if they think it is a blessing or a curse. In a way, you should feel special because not everybody can experiance this, but 98% of the time these experiences are horrible and unpleasant.

I agree that you are breaking into another realm or dimension because if you see the figures or hear the swooshing and people talking then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

In the past I have inquired about SP leading to astral projection, and people say when you feel SP taking over your body, if you fully succumb then you will eventually leave the body and have an astral projection. The biggest obstacle is staying calm, which for me is nearly impossible. People said this is not the way to achieve OBE's although it is possible, but there are many better ways of achieving this.

I guess im going to try it out then. It's quite easy for me to get into the SP state, but I really haven't had much control over my emotions in the state. My mind automatically reverts my state to fear and panic as a natural fall back, and so what usually ends up happening is I see things that then just increase that emotion. Im usually in the dark setting of my bedroom, so I think next time, im going to move outside in the daylight to maybe help control my fear in a lighter environment.

But im quite glad to here that this isnt a problem, and more of a gift (in my personal opinion)

I don't know if I would call it a gift though... this is my great debate from a personal standpoint. There was a time about half a year ago where I was physically and mentally exhausted. The SP episodes kept happening and I had no control over them, and I would have to keep myself awake and doing something until I felt it was safe to sleep. Sometimes I wouldn't get more than a few hours sleep in a few days because of it.

It was not fun, and 98% of the time the experiences were extremely foreign and frightening. In a way, I feel as if I was the select minority who have experienced this, and it was unique. On the other hand, they were not necessarily fun, and I do not know if I would wish this upon anybody.


A lot of people who try to 'advance' the SP and try to obtain an OBE say that they get overwhelmed with the feeling that if they let this go, they are going to die. They think, "What if everybody who said just let it go was not telling the truth" and thats what made me back out of it. Then there are some people who say once they are out of their body, it takes a little bit of training to learn how to navigate, but they can travel almost anywhere...

Yup the Old Hag I know it well. Actually both me and my brother experience it. I cant remember what he said he saw the first time it happened to him but I know he was sufficiently freaked out by it. I saw a clown the first time it happened to me. Im colouraphobic so its not suprising that I saw my biggest fear. Calming yourself down is all you really need to do. Ive experienced it so many times now that when it happens I just lay there till I can move. Its not really a big deal any more but the first few times before I understood it were terrifying.

I've had sleep paralysis probably twice in my life. The first time was when I was 15, and was far more memorable than the second. I had been getting over the flu, and was sleeping on my back (which is unusual for me). During the early morning hours, my eyes opened and I could not move any other part of my body. I saw no shapes, felt no presence, and felt no pressure on my chest either. I can't say how long it lasted - long enough to register a picture of the room I was in at the time. Then I fell back to sleep. For years I thought it was just a particularly vivid dream (as I had not heard of SP before). However, I always remembered it because it seemed a little too vivid - everything in the room was in the correct spot. Then I discovered SP and figured out that was what had happened.

The second time was when I was either 17 or 18. It was much briefer, only a second or two - so brief that I'm not even sure it happened. It was one of those things when you fall asleep unintentionally (I was not on my back, but my side this time) and woke up not able to move for a sec. This was still before I'd heard of SP, but since I had gone through it before, I didn't think much of it.

The thing is, even though I'd been exposed to all sorts of alien and paranormal literature, movies, etc. before this, I never interpreted it as a possible abduction/haunting or anything. For a slight second after the first time, I thought about alien abduction, but I immediately ruled it out. No missing time, no nightmares, no sightings, no marks - nothing.

I also wasn't particularly afraid...just kind of had a "Huh. That's odd..." moment, and fell back asleep. I don't particularly wish to experience it again, mind you.

As for my sleep habits, it does take me far longer to get to sleep than the average person. I'm not an insomniac, but it does take anywhere from a half-hour to a couple hours for me to get to sleep on average. Also, I have had several "false awakening" dreams, mostly as a child and in my teens. I wouldn't say I have lucid dreams, really, but I can often detect that I am in a dream and stop it if I wish. Anyway, that's my experience.