Wholesome

I have it regularly. It is terrifying. I have a fear that that is actually how people die in their sleep, and that it is not a nice peaceful death but one filled with horrors. I hate when it happens to me, it always leaves me rattled.

SarahB60

I get sleep paralysis on occasion. When this happens, I immediately locate my hand and attempt to move it, this helps to get me to wake up. It's a grounding technique similar to what you do during a panic attack. I believe both panic attacks and sleep paralysis are out of body experiences.

Is it terrifying? Sure it is. I try not focus on being scared. I just try and focus on finding my hand and moving it, so I can wake up.

Wholesome

I had one last week where I was trying to get my body to move and really starting to panic because I knew there was something else with me and it was going to touch me and when it touched me I was going to lose my mind. Then my dog when I was a kid was there with me, Misty, and she started to lick my hand and brought me out of it.

Soberwolf

Just know with built up sober time it goes away & becomes non existant and i vcan really say that ive had sleep disorders for decades horrific nightmares lucid vivid dreams sleep walking/talking/eating, sleep paralysis severly insomnia etc

when i sleep now i sleep and i rarely dream/nightmare only in sobriety has that happened

Wholesome

I had it again two nights ago. Dreamt that something was holding me from behind and wouldn't get me go.... I could feel the hands on my arms and feel it's breath on my neck.... terrifying. It took me awhile to calm down and be able to get back to sleep.

zanabanana

Sleep paralysis is extremely scary. I think the experience differs for others. I understand when you said you have to locate your hand, SarahB60. When I feel I'm not getting a normal sleep and the paralysis begins to take affect, I physically have to move my entire body to get out of its gripping terror. Once I realize I'm in my bed, and not in some kind of horrible dream, my body starts to calm down and I move into a different sleep position so it wouldn't happen again. Who likes the thought of being parallelized when you sleep? Why can't we just sleep peacefully? Ugh. I try to take melatonin, and even that doesn't work.

Soberwolf

I dont get it anymore thank heavens but when i did it was really bad

(((Zanabanana)))

zanabanana

Yeah, I haven't experienced sleep paralysis much these days either. I'm blessed for that. Those are scary as heck. I mean, having the sensation of not being to move. Nuts!

RamsesOsirus

I was have sleep paralysis nearly every night a while back, now it only happens maybe once every few months. It is pretty terrifying though.

I try to fight back, and get mad sometimes.
I can actually feel someone's finger poking me in the stomach or touching me. It's crazy.

I've heard wiggling your toes or tongue will help you wake up.
Also heard saying "Jesus" will help, I'm not overly religious but that is an option.

When I finally do wake up, I'm usually so tired/half asleep that I have to get up and walk around, because if you go right back to sleep, it just continues where it left off.

I noticed that drinking too much coffee late will usually cause this. I mean like 1-2 pots full. Yeah, I chug a lug some coffee when I am not/trying not to drink.

HTH

SDH73

I used to have sleep paralysis a few times a year back in my drinking days. Scary stuff. I also used to have lucid dreams a lot, like a couple of times a week or so. Could never control what happened in the dream but I could completely control what I did in it, so of course I did a lot of flying around, having fun.

I don't have either of those anymore. Guess I just sleep more soundly. Miss those lucid dreams though!

1dayaddatime

I use to have them nightly as well. I started researching it and found that it's completely safe but can be the scariest thing to go through. I've even seen recordings of people going through Sleep Paralysis and their completely still while sleeping. Then I read a few stories about people actually being able to climb onto their ceiling and look down at themselves while sleeping. By then I had gotten use to the nightmares and weren't afraid anymore. One night I had an episode and felt myself crawling up the wall to the ceiling to look down at myself and thought it would be interesting to see, but the second I gave in to do this "voluntarily" I woke up completely and never had Sleep Paralysis again. Do some research on it and find out that although it is the scariest thing to go through, it's harmless. It's basically just your body locked between the different stages of sleep. Good luck!
"1dayaddatime"

Riel

Years ago I managed to stand up during a bout of sleep paralysis. I felt weak and a bit sick, and when I turned to sit back down on the sofa I saw myself lying on it. As soon as I realized I was out of my body I stopped struggling I was pulled back into it.

Now when I get sleep paralysis, I try to use it as a way to access lucid dreams. Instead of struggling to get out of it, I try to go into sleep realizing that I'll be dreaming. Lucid dreams are interesting, and they're as refreshing as sleep paralysis is exhausting.

Sometimes though, when I'm in sleep paralysis, I get attacked by something. Then the choice is to try to relax out of it, fight back, or - and I tried this for the first time last night - rebuke the entity (I could see two shadowy figures, and a face, and they were grabbing me). I said something like, in the name of Jesus Christ get back to hell where you belong (hard to speak in sleep paralysis but I managed it; I was pretty angry).

It worked and they were gone instantly and I was out of it.

For those who feel inclined to try this approach when attacked by something, YMMV, but it might be worth a shot.

1dayaddatime

Yeah like I said, I haven't had it since I became not afraid of it, but I have rebuked it several times before I actually knew what it was and it did work. Great piece Riel!

Soberwolf

Hi Riel long time no speak how are you

1dayaddatime

wolf, you seem to know everyone here lol

Soberwolf

Thanks Day I think lol

Riel

I'm fine, Soberwolf - well, I'm sober anyway. How are you?

Re-reading my post it reminded me that I was being deliberately vague when I referred to being attacked by "something."

I was being vague because I didn't want to add to the fear that goes along with sleep paralysis, and which amplifies it.

In that regard, no matter what you encounter in sleep paralysis, or how viciously you're attacked, you cannot be physically harmed.

Soberwolf

Hi Riel so nice to see you

I really used to suffer with this it was awful I think we had the same ideas about mirrors in the bedroom as soon as I removed mine it stopped shortly afterwards

It was a horrible time in my life I still to this day only have one mirror in the bathroom

I remember being spun around in mid air which scared the life out of me & when I tried to scream with no voice to scream

Glad them days are behind me

emilynghiem

Interesting. My brother told me the trick is to move your head from side to side.

I hate when I am half awake and either can't move my body, or I "see" surreal things in the room because I'm half dreaming. This happens from time to time due to sleep deficit.

the worst is waking up screaming because I saw things in my sleep, thinking I was awake and seeing either (1) masses of black spiders one time (2) a bunch of red fireflies buzzing in a mass. Both times I was dreaming until I woke myself and my boyfriend up screaming like bloody murder. it terrifies both of us when this happens.

I hope my sleep patterns return to normal when I get back to a better work schedule.

I hate those paralysis type dream states.

I had a friend who studied psychometrics so he could learn to control himself during dream states. He said he could move around on this higher spiritual plane and even run into people whose bodies were sleeping and they were also floating outside their bodies, but didn't know where they were or how to move, so they are standing around like zombies while he is moving around exploring that realm.

not for me. I want to be out of it when I sleep, and not know where I've been unless I come back with ideas that depend on knowing that.

I don't want to know anything extra, just what I need to get by.
But if it helps you alleviate fears to know how these sleep states work, why not do some research, enough so you aren't afraid of it.

Carpathia

[QUOTE= it's harmless. It's basically just your body locked between the different stages of sleep. Good luck!
"1dayaddatime"[/QUOTE]

That makes sense. I experience this paralysis too, and I've learned not to fight it, but just go back to sleep for a while and try again.

I usually experience the paralysis most acutely while dozing in cars and planes; movement seems to bring it on for some reason, maybe because I'm not deeply asleep....