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Sleep Paralysis: Awake But Still Asleep
Biology 202
2000 First Web Report
On Serendip
Sleep Paralysis: Awake But Still Asleep
Hiro Takahashi
A person may wake up and find himself unable to move or speak as if he is frozen. He also may hear footsteps, see a ghost-like creature, or feel someone sitting on his chest. Throughout the history, people considered this phenomenon as work done by evil spirits. However, the modern science can explain the terrifying event as a Sleep Paralysis.
A Sleep Paralysis is possibly a hereditary disorder in which one experiences very frightening seconds or minutes of total body paralysis with little respiration and eye movements (1). A victim in this state feels awake, but he cannot move or speak (2). In addition to the immobility, the common symptoms include feeling choked or suffocated, hearing strange noises like footsteps and voices, seeing beings or dark shadows, and feeling an existance of someone in the room (1). Although these symptoms often direct the victims to believe in ghosts, mistransmission of neural signals in the brain causes Sleep Paralysis. When a person sleeps, his brain sends signals to inhibit any muscle contraction (3). If he comes into consciousness before the brain sends signals to activate muscle contraction, he cannot move his body, and consequently, become "paralyzed"(2).
In order to understand how a body becomes paralyzed while the person is awake, it is necessary to understand sleep cycles. In a mammalian sleep, the brain activity undergoes two different states called non-REM (NREM) sleep and REM sleep, which differ very much from wakefulness (3). NREM and REM sleep alternate cyclically through the night; in human, about 80 minutes of NREM sleep starts a night of sleep, about 10 minutes of REM sleep follows, and this 90 minute cycle is repeated about 3 to 6 times during the night (3). During NREM sleep, a body produces few movement, but the body has capability of tossing about in bed and producing some other motor events, such as sleepwalking and sleeptalking (3). The cardiac-muscle contraction and breathing occur at a uniform rate, and the eyes move slowly (2). During REM sleep, on the other hand, heart rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure vary (3). The eyes move rapidly because most dreaming takes place in this period, and the sleeper probably "look" at the moving objects in a dream (2).
The brain's control over muscles during REM sleep points out that in this period, a body is normally in the state of total paralysis, called a "nonreciprocal flaccid paralysis" (3). Probably to prevent a person from "acting out" a dream, the brain sends signals to inhibit any muscle contractions (2). Although some peripheral muscles, such as the muscles of the fingers and face, still twitch, the large skeletal muscles become relaxed, or "paralyzed" as a result (3). Some evidence supports that the motor paralysis of REM sleep protect against the acting out of one's dreams. A patient who suffers from rare syndrome called REM Sleep Behavior Disorder lacks the normal nonreciprocal flaccid paralysis, and he acts out violent dreams during REM sleep, often with injurious consequences (4). For example, a 60-year-old surgeon dreamt that he was attacked "by criminals, terrorists, and monsters who always tried to kill [him]" and fighting against them in the nightmare, he was actually punching and kicking his wife who slept in the same bed (4).
A nonreciprocal flaccid paralysis during REM sleep is accomplished actively by postsynaptic inhibition of motorneurons (3). Although the exact process of motor inhibition is not clear, some neurotransmitters and hormones are known to generate the many components of REM sleep. Aministering physostigmine, an inhibitor of the catabolic enzyme, increases the concentration of acetylcholine within the neurons in the pons, making it possible to artificially generate and start REM sleep in the middle of NREM sleep (3). Carbachol, the cholinergic agonist, produces a period of REM sleep in cat when directly injected into the pontine tegmentum (3). The hormone melatonin, a "master hormone" (5) that mainly controls circadian rhythms, also seems to play an important role in enhancing the REM state; the level of melatonin secretion by the pineal gland reaches its lowest during REM sleep (5). Such neurotransmitters and hormones probably activate or inhibit the activity of second messengers, which then activate or inhibit the third messengers, and so on till the last messenger inhibit the synaptic transmission or cause hyperpolarization of the motorneurons. And if, for some reason, the nervous or endocrine system continues to release the neural inhibitors, a person may experience Sleep Paralysis as he enters awakefully into or awakens directly from REM period (2).
While the modern neuroscience can describe the state of Sleep Paralysis as some errors of the neural transmission in the brain during REM sleep, a person who has seen or heard ghost-like figures/voices may easily believe that eveil spirits fully controlled his entire body. However, the images or noises, which the victim believes that he has seen or heard, are most likely hallucinations; and hallucinations, too, can result from the brain activity. In the 1960's, the Canadian neurologist W. Penfield introduced that electrical stimulation of the temporal lobe can cause the auditory hallucinations in the wake state (5). The buzzing or ringing sounds in the ears and other auditory hallucinations are closely associated with the activity of the auditory cortex and involves the temporal lobe (5). During the early period of sleep paralysis, the activity of the temporal lobe increases significantly, sometimes inducing hallucinatory sense (5). Similarly, the visual cortex generates internal visual stimuli, causing the victim to "see" terrifying figures during the paralysis (5).
How an episode of Sleep Paralysis induces visual or auditory hallucinations is still not clear, but it seems to have a significant relationship with anxiety (5). For anxiety is a neurocognitive event closely related to both psychological and physical processes, the extreme anxiety or panic may cause the release of several different signal molecules that trigger all kinds of physical events (5). A person experiencing Sleep Paralysis feels mortal fear or extreme panic, and hence, the brain generates and releases internal visual or auditory stimuli, producing hallucinations.
Also, hallucinations during Sleep Paralysis may happen, for one keeps dreaming even after some parts of his brain wakes up directly from REM sleep. Since the nervous and endocrine systems continue to release the neural inhibitors which sustain the paralysis, it may be possible that those systems keep releasing the neural activators that stimulate dreaming. Thus, a person continues to "see" the images and "hear" the noises produced in the dream that he has just had in REM sleep from which he has awaken.
Understanding more neural concepts of Sleep Paralysis, some researchers now hypothesize that a very rare condition called Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS) may closely relate to Sleep Paralysis (1). Upon the death, a SUNDS victim produces no body movement even though he experiences a myocardial infarction and strong breathing difficulties and should straggle in agony (5). The death may be caused by the extreme muscle atonia during Sleep Paralysis, which is so severe that even the cardiac muscles and the diaghragm paralyze (5).
Until I started researching on this subject, I have believed that the total paralysis of a body is due to an evil taking absolute control over the body. However, the interactions between neurons in the brain can explain this seemingly mysterious phenomenon in a scientific way. Although the explanation is not complete yet, for there are many unclear processes about Sleep Paralysis, the current hypothesis appears to reject the possibility of ghosts on this matter. Of course, it is impossible to completely disprove the existence of "spirits", "minds", or "God" affecting one's behavior. Nevertheless, like Sleep Paralysis and SUNDS, many or the mysterious conditions and behaviors which are only explained in supernatural terms probably result from brain.
WWW Sources
1)The Evil's of Sleep Paralysis
4)REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: A Neurologic Dissociative Sleep Disorder
5)Recurrent Isolated Sleep Paralysis
Comments made prior to 2007
I have been trying to figure out what was going on in my sleep untill i read this.Now i am happy to know what my body was expeiencing. It's quite scary your first couple experiences of sleep paralysis but now i'm gonna stay calm when it is happening to me and try to get my own understanding of the experience ... Jeremy, 21 March 2006
I have had sleep paralyisis at least once per month for the last 8 years. I am 29 as of this writing. I just had the experience about 1 hour ago and thus has caused me to do reasearch about it on the net. I noticed that many Dr.'s contribute this to anxiety, stress and other factors. My question is ... why is there always an evil presence in that concious yet body is still asleep phase? Today I heard a loud static sound, and opened my eyes to a spider crawling all over my arm. When I prayed to God, or said His name (Jehovah) the spider would start to disappear. I finally went thru my mental prayer when I awoke. This leads me to believe that it is more of a spiritual occurence, because I never have positive images while in this paralized state. I know there are many things in which our ancestors thought it was demonic rather than scientific, only to find there was a scientific explanation. However, I think this is different and cannot be simply written off as "scientific". There is not enough proof to show that it is scientific.
About a month ago I had another episode of sleep paralysis and I saw a small presence in the room with me. It was dark, and I could not see it's face (I am getting chills typing about it right now). My question is, why is there always an evil presence not only associated with my episodes, but so many others I have read about? ... Abel, 24 August 2006
i was thinking it is evil who do that during night but now i find out why. I am suffering from sleep paralyze possibly every nigh spicily when i have dinar ... Salah Nasser, 28 January 2007
I used to have this sleeping disorder when I was a child. It has come back once or twice with adulthood, but otherwise, it is in the past. I used to, with great effort, move my hand to my face and pull an eye open, which would wake me up, but sometimes the struggle was too much and I would go on into a deeper sleep.
Since the brain can do this to me, can it also cause me to get migraines just as I am about to wake up?
It seems, as I have discovered, if I get less than 4 hours sleep a night, I do not get migraines. If I get 6 hours or more, it's about a 90% chance I will wake with a migraine. Later in the day, I get an hour or two nap and that is the routine as it works. Doctors just sort of treat the migraine and don't get into the sleep thing I have. I take MaxAult for the migraines when they do get me.
I woke one time, and just as I woke, I felt this white-hot needle going into my head... bingo. A migraine in 5 seconds. That is how they can occur. I wake with them otherwise. I figure it my brain doing things it shouldn't. I have a clean bill of health otherwise.
Thanks for your time. Have a good day ... Jay, 11 February 2007
I have a question, and hope someone out there has an answer, it has been months and I have thus far failed to find one. Has there ever been a record of anyone receiving the effects of sleep paralysis without having been asleep? The reason I ask this, is a while ago, having not slept in a few hours, I was sitting at my computer, and it seemed to have happened to me. Within seconds I was too tired to hold up my own head, and my breathing got very difficult. Then I began to feel a sort of dizziness as my limbs lost feeling, and dropped to my side. after this, the dizziness turned to near blindness. I could see, but nothing would focus, and everything I tried to look at seemed to dart around like a mosquito. By this time I had no feeling in my entire body, could move nothing without quite a bit of concentration, and I could barely breath. My mother heard me try and make out some kind of cry for help, and found me there spilled into my computer chair. She rolled me to my bed, and poured me into it. Within about 10-15 minutes I had regained everything I once had, but my sea legs did not ware off for another ten or so minutes. I went to the emergency soon after. I had an E.K.G. and a C.A.T. scan, with no results, and I piss less in a week then the amount of blood they took that night. After basically telling me I was lying, the doctor told me that my symptoms did not fit anything at all. What I do know, is I have been researching the issue ever since, and can only base my problem on Sleep Paralysis. All the symptoms match. And again, my question....Has there ever been a record of someone under the effects of sleep paralysis without ever having gone to sleep? I hope you can shed some sort of light on this subject, as it,...well, it freaked me the hell out, and no one has been able to answer me! Thank you for your time ... Mitchel Henderson, 7 December 2007
I used get this "evil paralysed me" feeling when i was paralysed and usually saw a ghost. i tried to shout or move but no sound escaped my mouth and couldn't move at all. it happened again yesterday and was almost convinced that ghosts/evil spirits were getting the better of me. But, me being a practical and logical guy, erjected this theory and started researching on this phenomenon. I came across this research paper on Sleep Paralysis. This greatly helped me in alleviating my fears. And next time i "see" a ghost during sleep paralyses, ill just laugh at it ;-) Thanks for the research ... Siddarth, 10 December 2007
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| This paper reflects the research and thoughts of a student at the time the paper was written for a course at Bryn Mawr College. Like other materials on Serendip, it is not intended to be "authoritative" but rather to help others further develop their own explorations. Web links were active as of the time the paper was posted but are not updated. |
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Comments
how to fight it
there are many ways to fight it. it happens to me every time i sleep. all you do is stay calm and try to move any part of your body it works for me.
Sleep Paralysis
Don't automatically put down the occurence to sleep paralysis, It could be an actual event. Alien abduction or similar. The 'device' ET uses to subdue subjects has exactly the same effect as sleep paralysis.
Also, sleep paralysis could be the bodies (brains) way of allowing a person to enter other realms, or be aware of thngs that can't normally be seen. Obviously those in power will want to ridicule such things as it will affect their control of people. The key? Keep a totally open mind regarding the event/s.
I'm not going to go there
I'm not going to go there about the "ET" thing but I do believe in astro surfing, believing that your soul leaves the body and travels, but that's in the paranormal department. I'm saying this because I have heard of being paralyzed for a couple of minutes while your soul is returning to your body. The only reason I believe in this, paranornal activity is because I've seen it first hand, although my experiences of having sleep paralysis. Is mine wasn't painful but I also stayed calmed and I couldn't open my eyes so I couldn't see anything and I was on my side so it didn't feel like anybody was on my chest.
Sleep Paralysis
Okay, so where's your evidence? you all this "alien" stuff really annoys me. You have NO evidence and the term sleep paralysis does. Subject solved.
scientific evidence?
No they don't have any evidence actually all they have is theory...I'd like to believe its all explained away w science but if you really research this you will see its not anymore provnthan the alien theory...its all theory, no facts..its an assumption based on a similarity of events that in actuality have no common links.its Physco babble bs..BTW no disrespect but I've researched this for my adult life and so have a couple others I know & its all the same...they got nothing on sp..
Indeed it could and no matter
Indeed it could and no matter how irrational and far fetched it may seem it could indeed be the truth of the matter. Of course based on current knowledge it in no way a supernatural occurrence. Keeping an open mind to possibilities is always good but where there are countless possibilities, hanging on to the irrational and far fetched in preference to the mundane is usually a sign of a bored and illogical mind. Likelihood usually supports the rational until disproven.
Thanks for your research
I have this condition and it happens to me frequently. I'm am always aware when i got paralyze and i always try to reach my wife or make a noise so she can wake me body up. This disorder is really freaking me out when i started seeing this ghost looking things which really looks true. It happens to me a few minutes after falling asleep, that may explain the NREM REM cycle in your research. I also find it to contribute to this disorder is when my body is very tired and i go directly to sleep. I wish there would be more research to this disorder and to make people aware that they are not experiencing supernatural stuff. This article will surely help me during sleep paralysis as i am well aware and i finally found the explanation to it. Thank you
I think that's just your
I think that's just your fears playing on your mind like all other people. Try not to worry so much. It's like when you dream of falling. Most people prolong the dream by building up the fear of impact. Personally I found it better to confront it. Relax and assure yourself then feel the floor meet you beneath you. Its fine.
Most irrational points of focus are driven by fear. Bare in mind some people are very good at reading body language and playing on it too. On the one occasion I laughed and okd a tarrot reading that tactic was used against me. I must have made itoobvious my biggest issue is with hurting or harming others. The reader shuffled the cards managing to drop one card face up. An emperor but an image of a man on a horse rising over the dark figures on the floor. I think that was purely the reader looking for tells. She got some. Instant concern and sympathy for them. Whatever they represent I don't do branding and stereotype. She then played on it bringing out cards that reflected my thoughts and question at the time but as you'd expect even though they reflected my state of mind she was unable to go into detail at all and didn't quite seem to see the picture. I think after all it is just quackery and make believe from them :)
I can't wake up
I've always experienced what ou call the regular sleep paralysis but lately in my sleep I'll experience so many different ways as in I'm trying to wake up but I can't. I would be dreaming I guess, and clawing at my face trying to wake up but I can't and finally I will but I do so much as in to lift my head up and something pulls me back into my sleep. At first I thought this might just be aleep paralysis but everytime it happens it's taking longer and longer to wake up. Just last night in one of my experiences I flew off my bed into the floor and it was dark I was trying to wake up and I could hear a dog in my hallway coming near to attack me and finally I woke up. Another time just after I fell asleep it happened again I was sinking into my bed and I could feel my bankers wrapping around my body sinking into the bed and I was trying to wake up I screamed as loud as I could and I woke up screaming the otter half of the sentence I screamed in my dream. I was on my knees at this point. I don't know how I got in te position but I guess I was really trying to do everything I could to wake up. At this point I'm a scared teenager who has no idea what's going on, but I really need some help I think. I don't want to be trying to wake up one night and not wake up.
Demonic force
I did'nt know wat this was until I looked it up today, it has happend to me a couple of times threw out the years but never like this recent one that happened yesterday. Usually when it happens I wake my eyes are open but I can not move or talk sometimes I sence something in the room but always thought it was just my imagination, but with wat happened yesterday I am convince it wasnt. First off it starts off as a dream and this is one reason why I found it unusual but thats not even the weirdest part. In the dream im standing on a platform hundreds of feet from the ground and there is a large gold statue in front of the platform. Im taking to someone about the statu, but the odd thing is I cant remeber seeing him only hearing his voice. We are talkin about the statue and he is telling me that the statue doesnt work. The statue is suppose to do something but I didnt know wat. I was telling him how great the statue was and that it didnt have any energy and I was going to reacharge it. I didnt know why but I had strong feeling that I should go reacharge statue. The person started to tell me a bunch of reason why I should just leave the statue alone and not try to reacharge it but I ignored him and wouldnt listen. I went to the edge of the platform to try to reachagre the statue but som how I was frozen and couldnt move right at the edge of the platform. I remeber lookin down hundreds of feet screamin for help that I was gonna fall. Then I heard the voice behind me and he picked me up by shoulders and put down in the middle of the platform on my stomach. Then I remember feeling relief that this person saved my life. Then just wen I was thinking he saved my life a question pop into my from out of nowhere, "then why didnt he let me go polish the Armor of GOD". This is where it gets realy strange and terrifying. Right wen I ask myself that my eyes open and im in my room laying on the bed on my stomach but I cant move or talk . Then I hear this horrible sound in my left ear like some creature. Then I feel this weird pressure on my back liike something is sitting on me, then there is this feeling like its trying to drag me. This is all happening the moment I open my eyes. Then just like that Its gone and lift my face up off my pillow, and look around but saw nothing but I kenw it was not a dream. Just retelling it gives me shiver. The thing I remeber most wen I woke was that not one time wen I was talkin about the statue did I think of it as the armor of god. The question just pop into my head like it was placed there, and I remember the creature or wat ever it was felt realy angry wen I woke up. Im not a deeply religous person but after wat happend I will pray every night and ask god for his guidance. I have researched this sleep paralysis all day and nothing I have found can convince me that it can be explainded scientifically there are many different countrys that have differnt names for it most that translate to demon or ghost that sits on u and this is something I just found out about today wen I didnt know the experience was. The world is changeing who knows mabey we are close to the end I dont beleive any one can predict it though accept god.
Sleep Paralysis
I agree with you man, been in the same situation and it comes back from time to time. I had sleep paralysis in front of my friend as I was napping on his couch. I usually get them every time I'm living in sin.When I go to bars,clubs, and all sorts of that nature or if I drink or smoke the sleep paralysis seems to hit me. The one I had at my friends house brought fear to my soul I literally thought I was not gonna ever wake up. Every time I awoke from my sleep with my eyes open my body would be paralyzed and my eyes would try to shut and every time they did I was launched into another deep dream. It happened for at least 30mins to an 1hr. I finally awoke but after waking up I had to fight the sleep and then slowly get out of the paralysis by moving my feet and hands till I was free. The crazy part was while I was doing this I was talking to my friend which was 15 feet beside me on his desk sitting on his laptop. I asked him to help me before my voice cords shut off and he replied by saying stop messing around. The last thing I said to him was is that the kind of friend you really are, and from there I couldn't talk. When I finally got free from my sleep paralysis I immediately asked him why he didn't help me when I was asking him to wake me up, he replied by saying I didn't say anything to him......I was clearly awake and I could see everything he was doing except his back was faced towards me, if I wasn't talking to my friend than who was I talking to? That was a creepy experience but it didn't strike fear in my heart.
Sleep paralysis
Ok I usually get these dreams and I try fite it and I can't move and I was not so scared of it after all. But this early early morning had to be the worse 1 ever!!!! I'm traumatised from it I couldn't move this 1 was soaring everytime I did try move my hands my body would get zapped and zapping noises and I thought omg what's happening I was using all I had and then Im Muslim as I tried to pray in Gods name I beer usually hear voices but as I was trying to pray I heard the devil laughing at me !! This is when I freaked out coz usually when I do it goes away str8 away any who it was starting to move me I was shifting off my bed I thought omg is this thing going I posses me I thought soon I'm going to b in the air and I WAS SO SCARED AND USED ALLLL THE STRENGTH U HAD it was like I had to repeatedly keep zapping myself just to get out of it thank God I did and than I woke up with my heart racing n I was shaking !!
Demonic force
I did'nt know wat this was until I looked it up today, it has happend to me a couple of times threw out the years but never like this recent one that happened yesterday. Usually when it happens I wake my eyes are open but I can not move or talk sometimes I sence something in the room but always thought it was just my imagination, but with wat happened yesterday I am convince it wasnt. First off it starts off as a dream and this is one reason why I found it unusual but thats not even the weirdest part. In the dream im standing on a platform hundreds of feet from the ground and there is a large gold statue in front of the platform. Im taking to someone about the statu, but the odd thing is I cant remeber seeing him only hearing his voice. We are talkin about the statue and he is telling me that the statue doesnt work. The statue is suppose to do something but I didnt know wat. I was telling him how great the statue was and that it didnt have any energy and I was going to reacharge it. I didnt know why but I had strong feeling that I should go reacharge statue. The person started to tell me a bunch of reason why I should just leave the statue alone and not try to reacharge it but I ignored him and wouldnt listen. I went to the edge of the platform to try to reachagre the statue but som how I was frozen and couldnt move right at the edge of the platform. I remeber lookin down hundreds of feet screamin for help that I was gonna fall. Then I heard the voice behind me and he picked me up by shoulders and put down in the middle of the platform on my stomach. Then I remember feeling relief that this person saved my life. Then just wen I was thinking he saved my life a question pop into my from out of nowhere, "then why didnt he let me go polish the Armor of GOD". This is where it gets realy strange and terrifying. Right wen I ask myself that my eyes open and im in my room laying on the bed on my stomach but I cant move or talk . Then I hear this horrible sound in my left ear like some creature. Then I feel this weird pressure on my back liike something is sitting on me, then there is this feeling like its trying to drag me. This is all happening the moment I open my eyes. Then just like that Its gone and lift my face up off my pillow, and look around but saw nothing but I kenw it was not a dream. Just retelling it gives me shiver. The thing I remeber most wen I woke was that not one time wen I was talkin about the statue did I think of it as the armor of god. The question just pop into my head like it was placed there, and I remember the creature or wat ever it was felt realy angry wen I woke up. Im not a deeply religous person but after wat happend I will pray every night and ask god for his guidance. I have researched this sleep paralysis all day and nothing I have found can convince me that it can be explainded scientifically there are many different countrys that have differnt names for it most that translate to demon or ghost that sits on u and this
I don't see anything wrong
I don't see anything wrong with people referencing god or their cultural beliefs and impressions at the time. It's interesting to see how people deal with and respond to it. In the end though upon waking reason and logic should step in.
First time to hear noises right *after* being awakened
I awoke last night at 4 am because I heard some sort of a noise that I ]didn't recognize (my 7 year old daughter is out of town and I have had my cell phone beside me constantly in case she calls - as she usually gets homesick in the first few days of being away from home). Then as I awoke I immediately heard it again, and it sounded like a baby making cooing noises, as if it was coming from above my room or from outside. However when I got up and walked over to where it sounded like it was coming from, I didn't hear any noises again. I looked outside my window and saw nothing. I pulled down the stairs to the attic and heard nothing. The thing that disturbed me the most about this one, since I have had many terrifying experiences with sleep paralysis, much more terrifying scenarios than this one, was that I literally heard the noise right *after* I awakened (or so I thought). What I'm hoping to find out is that this was actually my mind and not a 'ghost' in my house. I have never heard anything like this when I was able to pull myself out of being asleep. The other odd part is that I cannot remember dreaming of a baby or anything of the like last night. The only thing I can think of as to why is that I have been wanting to have another child for some time but have not been able to become pregnant yet, also I very much miss my daughter when she goes out of town to see grandparents because only she and I live in the house, and we are extremely close. Another thing that was MUCH different than my previous instances of sleep paralysis is this did not make me near as afraid as it seemed to be coming from a very positive, kind source. I truly welcome any feedback about what I may have experienced from your perspective. I live alone with my daughter and have a terrible fear of spirits and prefer to believe they do not exist.
You are possibly
You are possibly misunderstanding me. I speak of that experience as I recalled it at the time. I considered no religious experience when it happened. I felt I understood the feeling of perceived evil for a moment. It was like a strong polarized static field. I both felt their dependency on perception and felt their weakness and felt pity then love.
Now I can take a more open minded view. The state of sleep paralysis is indeed well understood, or so it is believed. The phantoms encountered are believed to be constructs of the brain and eyes. I can't state as fact the reason for anything but all intelligent beings must weigh the possibilities and consider the rational before buying into the far fetched.
I certainly don't recall shouting any religious names or any lasting evidence of the supernatural.
The last time I slept considering such things I dreamt of what's best described as a vast ball of fire and a connection from it to me, feeding me. I don't subsequently preach that it is evidence of god. I don't proclaim it is gods true image.. Nor do I cite it as evidence to explain other, let's say unusual, events or coincidences.
It was after all a product of dreaming...
I've dreamt of droughts, vast floods, other worlds etc. We all dream do we not. Who cites all of their dreams as a reflection of true events?
Awake
Yes this can happen when you are awake. Being tired is key and next would be activating this feeling that runs through your whole body which is comparable to some sort of dopamine related shock. A feeling of a short extreme relaxation vibrating through your whole body in a fashion which makes you feel like your falling. Eyesight gets blurry and sleep would feel like it comes next. This would be when paralysis would kick in. Im not well experienced in this area because its new to me I know it happens a lot longer if you are more tired and even if your not tired you can fool your body to attempt a jump start of sort. I have been experiencing sleep paralysis for over 20 years and now I am learning that there is a way that it can happen while you are awake.
This for the people which are dismissing sleep paralysis as a purely scientific and stress the fact that everything can be explained through medical and scientific terms, its a little deeper than some fancy words and theory. After reading up on the subject it is evident no one is totally sure what exactly is going on. Assumption isnt quite good enough to be able to tell people its a function of the brain which encounters a glitch. Yes science is a factor which one can use math, chemistry, psychology, theory, etc. to explain things but there always is an element of the unknown. Our souls, our connection to everything around us, negative and positive, the abilities of our brains which we dont even know, all play a role in our lives. Reality ultimately rules. There are many realities and there can be many realities for just one person. I am not disregarding science for it is an important tool for our evolution. Metaphysics and the spirit world are one. For thousands of years we have been prosecuting each other for our beliefs wether scientific or religious (spiritual). Once we can unify these two worlds of the mind, body, and soul our race will advance to a deeper understanding of who we are and how we perceive things.
Details then Opinion
So, 1 night maybe a yr or 2 ago I had this dream. When falling asleep I was on my back (a postion I never sleep) & I had a dream or seemed like a half awake dream. I was laying on my back & couldn't open my eyes, scream, or move anything at all! Then I felt something in the room speaking to me a dark male shadow I cldn't see it but, I cld feel it. It was saying awful things to me but, can't remember what. I tried desperately to wake but, nothing worked! I immeadiately called out to god & jesus for help but, nothing saved me! It took a while (maybe several mins.) before my body regained control & finally woke up & stayed awake. Finally, that same day I was getting so tired & it was maybe 10a-noon. I was so scared to fall asleep I convinced myself that it was morning & if I fell asleep on my side it wldn't happen again. Soon after I fell asleep, I was once again stuck to the bed but, this time on my side. Some dark shadow was trying to choke me I cldn't see it because my face was toward my window & back towards my door (this time my eyes were slightly opened). It kept saying bad things again & started to run what I imagined was his long nail down my spine & my whole body was hot. It took a short while again for me to get up & I woke. I was so tired I laid back down on my side but, this time I put my head where I normally put my feet. I fell back to sleep & went through it again. This time I was getting my hair pulled so hard my head kept going back & forth & he kept raping me! Of course, not able to open my eyes, cry for help, or move anything, I had to endure this even more horrifying experience. After it was finally over I fell into a deeper sleep where I didn't dream & it was comfortable. However, when I woke I cried my butt off wishing whatever it was would stop tormenting me. Nothing ever happened since then until this wk. I was on my side & dreamed that I knew was trying to make out with me & (I guess I was lucid dreaming but, I'm not sure because it wasn't something I wanted) I knew I had to be dreaming because idk because I knew they wouldn't be at my house. So, I kept feeling his breath & voice in my ear w/my eyes closed then I turned to his breath & he started making out w/me. Knowing it was a dream I tried to open my eyes. I only got them slightly opened & saw him at a glance then I turned back toward my window & he made out w/me again so I looked again this time I didn't see him. It was like I was half awake & half asleep again. I saw him & I saw my room & what it actually looked like during that time. It was like I was in REM & NREM at the same time.
I'm a 20 yr old & Idk what it is. In a way, I don't think it's an evil spirit. I think that maybe when we are asleep we are already paralyzed & when our minds start to realize it we create some dark character thus forcing our bodies to move or try to (what we think) scream for help making our physical body aware that we are paralyzed. Like maybe it's some sort of defense mode? Just like if you get hot your body tries to sweat to cool it down. Maybe it is an evil spirit. However, if you're religious (which I am but, have diff. views on certain things) why didn't god help me? In my case I doubt it was astro projection. All I do know is it's mainly when I'm stressed when I have them, I wish I'd quit having them, & they scare the crap outta me! I wish dreams are a lot more decipherable than they are. Pretty crazy since we know a lot more about the solar system than our own dreams. I feel the same way about some of my future telling dreams. Confused, unsure, & desperate for real answers.
Reply to comment
This has been happening to me since I was about 8 or 9 (I'm 35 now) and it made me feel like know one would understand or believe me but one day I told my mother and she told me that the next time that happens say the name of Jesus. So it took along time before it came back and it knew I was waiting on it, but it finally came and it caught me off guard and I start yelling for my everyone I could but then I said to myself oh wait somebody told me something and for the first time I heard it speak and the voice said that nothing can help me, and I said, Yes it is and it made a growling sound to try to throw my concentration off, so I tried to remember the name and it finally came to me and I said" OH I KNOW, JESUS JESUS JESUS JESUS" and it went away. I can tell you this that there is POWER in the NAME OF JESUS. So as a 8 year old I didn't really know that name, I just spoke that name to the spirit but the stronger my belief in the Power of the name of JESUS, the spirit went away faster(Little Faith=little Power, Strong Faith
= Strong Power) YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IN JESUS NAME OR THE SPIRIT IS GOING TO TRY TO TAKE OVER YOU BECAUSE IT KNOWS ONE ELSE CAN STOP IT BUT JESUS. The stronger that my faith in the name of JESUS was, it's like the devil would send a different demon that was strong to test me and he tries to take my focus my coming with sounds (tapping, music,buzzing sounds and shaking in the past 3yrs). I use to cry to God and say why me and one day he told me to pray for everyone that is experiencing this that they too will find the answer to this problem, which is the NAME OF JESUS. The devil do not want you to find that out because he wants you to give up and let him take over. I use to feel the spirit start at my feet and make it's way up but now it can't do that, so when I feel the presence I immediately start praying and rebuking the devil and calling on the name of Jesus. God directs me to talk to people about it and every single time I do, that person it having the same problem and I tell them what to do and they always say, I will say Jesus the next time it happens or they would tell me I didn't want to say anything because I didn't think anyone would believe me or understand, and that is what the devil want you to do, NOT TO TELL ANY ONE. The last person that I talk to she( I always pray before I talk to the person) just came out and ask me do this ever happen to you
and I smiled and said yes and she could not believe that someone else was experiencing the same thing(she said she tried to tell someone one time but they laughed at her so she never spoke about it again until we was driving. The one thing that got me about her was that she ask me was it a male or female voice that said what it said to me that one day and she ask me do it ever shake you and
I had to think about it and the shaking started about 3yrs ago with me and she said it always shakes her since the first time years ago when she was young. So I really was praying for her cause the one's that are strong to me now, are the same one's that was bothering her then. I thank God for my husband because when I come out of them or if he feels me shaking he knows what's going on and he instantly start praying for me too. Listen and pay close attention to your little ones when they talk about their dreams or sleeping because the devil want to try to disturb them as early as he can, but if you give them the answer they will overcome the spirit.
You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12 So I quote scripture to it when it comes too. So all those that have said that it feels evil believe what your senses tell you and PLEASE Pray to God to help you put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Read John Eckhardt- Prayers That Rout Demons.
Great Message
Excellent message by friend. I commend you, spread that gospel of peace and of Christ the lamb of God who was before the foundation of the world, Amen.
But I think you should also realize that it can sometimes be lucid dreams, they might not always be a spiritual thing, I remember that sometimes I used to fight with them but it was not the case I was actually dreaming.
Keep the faith because our God is Faithful and keep telling others who need this for the scripture says that we overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, like i commented about this on some other site Job chapters 40-41 puts things into perspective for us especially ch41v10-11
your rite I'm 14 nd dis has
your rite I'm 14 nd dis has been happening to me since I was young nd as a child it was so bad to the point where I couldn't breath, wen I was around 12 I told my mom nd she told me to pray nd it worked it took a while because some voices or something would try to confuese me or twist my words but now as I continue staying strong I have gotten better at it nd praying has taken less time nd now its easy to concentrate and now at first I would move my legs head or arms and slowly get my body back, but thanfully now I am better nd it only takes me 10 minutes Max to wake up some times moving my head or by doing by sheer willpower, thanks for ur statement
Be Encouraged Cartier...Just
Be Encouraged Cartier...Just someone that's praying for you and others.
PLEASE KEEP ME IN YOUR PRAYERS ALSO
How did I know?
I knew I'd get someone telling me about god, some of the scriptures, demons, & the strength of MY OWN faith lol. For one I def. remember saying that I didn't think it was an evil spirit. 2 I mentioned that I called out god's name & he never came was because I don't think I was in danger or else he would've saved me! 3 YOU don't know how strong/weak my faith was at the time of that happening so, you really can't bring that into this & just know that, that is very judgemental (as usual many christians fail to see that). & Lastly, I mentioned that I think it's just a bodily reaction just as our bodies sweat due to being overheated but, of course I don't know what it is. No one KNOWS what it is. Btw, I think me & god are pretty close because of all the things I've been able to endure, I COULDN'T have done it alone. He's now helped me see some little petty dream didn't even require him to save me because he gave me strength & courage to handle it.
Help! I think one of these times I'm going to die!
I have read threw all of the replies but have not seen the symptom Ithat causes me to worry about my health. I experience extreme chest pain, like my heart is going to explode! This is what happens: it only happens while I'm napping in the daytime and it's been happening to me since I was a teenager. I'lllay down for a nap and suddenly I realize I'm awake but cannot move or speak, it's very hard for me to breath and my heart feels like it will explode it is so painful that when I wake up my chest/ heart stills hurts for hours afterwords. And it seems if I try to struggle or move any part of my body the pain in my chest gets more intense. Now until todayi thought I was just dreaming that I was awake but couldn't move. When I was a teenager I felt a presence was hovering over my body pushing me down and trying to get inside of my body. But I haven't experienced that since I was young. Anyways today I was taking a nap on the couch while my 6 year old was playing in the living room and it happened the longest one yet I could hear her but couldn't move/talk and my chest was gonna explode but I woke up but couldn't really stay awake so I rolled on my side so it wouldn't. Happen again but it did instantly! And this time very long and intense. I had to fight it but I couldn't cause the pain was too much so the only thing I could move was my eyes and I started fluttering them to get my daughters attention to wake me up and I heard her say mom why are you doing that with your eyes and laughed. Rite then I knew that this wasn't a dream that all these years it was actually happening to me. So awhile after that I woke up. My chest still hurts. Please does anyone experience chest pain intensely while in sleep paralyses?
Response
No I dont experience chest pain. But I do feel really tired especially if I overexert my self from trying to break free from the attack. The only thing I can say is try not to panic when it happens. Acknowledge the fact you are having one and wait to wake up. If it doesnt work, then wait for some seconds to build up energy and then break out of it with great force. Im not saying its the absolute solution but it has helped me on some occasions. I believe what happens sometimes is a part of our brain gives off the wrong signals to the nervous system like saying hey Im still asleep. And the other part like the heart is saying no youre not! which triggers things off like stress, fear and the like. I hope that helps. Remember...no fear, acknowledge it.
Panic Attack & Maybe Sleep Apnea?
Not sure why you're having it but, it could be that you get really overwhelmed with fear of the occurances, that you have a panic/anxiety attack. When you are in it are you calm or do you start freakin out? When I had my last one, I mentioned my eyes were open seeing my room & my nightmare at the same time. I don't know if it's like sleepwalking but, it makes me think it's very similar to it & also I have people in my family that sleep talk & walk. It's like I was seeing my dream & reality at the same time so it confused my brain to merge them together & when I was moving (I had some difficulty as usual) I really was moving. My heart does beat faster after those occurances happen because it confuses me & then with the unknown comes fear & obviously a lot of it. It used to be worse like I used to freak out in the dream so when I woke up my heart would beat like crazy but, then again my 1st 2 nightmares were really bad the last one wasn't scary just something I wouldn't want to happen in real life. You could also have sleep apnea so when you're in 1 of the occurances maybe your breathing is off & only your subconcious brain notices so it makes your dream all crazy? I notice my heart beats faster the more I'm stressed (even w/o the occurance) & my breathing changes as well. Like I said no one knows what it is but, try & stay calm through all of it. I KNOW it's hard & confusing but, the best thing to do is STAY CALM.
Wow you sound possessed
The way you said that sounds like that demon won. You need church and Jesus.
Ignorant Statements= Frustrating
& as for the person who said she/he needs church & Jesus, that's absolutely true. However, you don't know if he/she goes to church or does or doesn't know jesus so I'd have to say that's absolutely ignorant. I wish people would stop with the whole religion thing because I'd hope that some of the people on here, believe in Jesus. Yes, preach the word of god but, don't force it or criticize, because even god doesn't.
Very ignorant indeed. Best
Very ignorant indeed.
Best summarised as the blind attempting to lead the blind. You are happy to make sweeping statements, presenting them as factual on subjects you have no evidence of in any way.
Comparable to simpleton primitives preaching at the tribesmen that the lightning that just struck is god's work, and that they should make sacrifices to appease the cloud god.
It's all very well saying "maybe" but if we are all to make comments in the manner you have, here's mine...
"Ignore the crazy fanatic. It's got nothing to do with religion. They just need a shrink"
Foolish and not based on wisdom or logic of any kind....
Not attempting to lead
Not attempting to lead anybody. Coming up with possible solutions is what I was attempting & really it's not really a solution, it's my OPINION (or theory) of what it could be. Hello? Can you read? It's even in my subject line. I don't present anything as factual except for my experience because it's not like I've been studying this for years. I've just saw small connections between many things, use my knowledge from school, things I've learned, & do small researches on it all. That's how I make my opinions. I haven't proved anything just came up with many possible opinions. If you knew how to spell & type more understandably, I'd probably take your comment more seriously. You know instead of jumping back & forth commenting to us both. The way your paragraphs are organized is telling me how your brain is organized. Scattered!
Ok
I am absolutely true. That's why I said it. And you are absolutely true also well the title for your comment at least... Ignorant is the best why to describe yourself and your comment.
I remember that happening
I remember that happening many years ago. Found this site, googling high pitch noises, or all things - several of us heard uber high pitch ringing-type noises in the Blackwater area last night, though I seemed to get it worse than most, but ruled out tinnitus as there were multiple people affected. Any ideas??
Anything, regarding the content of your thread, it ties in well with my experience many years ago. Woke up with a strong sense of static / presence, and felt like "evil" approaching and it was getting stronger. Sourced from the direction of the TV, which was switched off anyway. hard to lift head. Looked at end of bed, an saw two black short figures with glowing red eyes. Hid under cover. Questioned the very idea of "evil" entities, the likely static / electrical cause of the "evil" sensation, then considered my hasty and negative response. Moved to face them, more positive mindset. Sudden changes, changing scenes and figures - guessing this was the panic dying down and me settling back into a normal sleep.
Experiences and a Bonus story
Male, Age 21, 20 occurrences (about)
So I've been having these occurences since I was twelve. They stopped for a while but have returned. They never really became scary up until I had one particular one. I would usually just wake up consciously, then struggle physically to WAKE UP. This time i simply woke up, before i could even struggle to get my body moving, this thing, this shadow opened my door and entered. I was so shocked to see someone enter my room in the middle of the night that i became filled with fear and paralysis. I could not see the person's face but they calmly walked towards my backside (out of view, I was laying sideways facing the door). I could not see them anymore but i could feel their presence. I could tell it was a female. I ran so many women through my head to try and determine who could possibly be paying me a visit so late at night and unwelcomed. I could not narrow it down. The fact that it was only a silhouette made me think of the possibility of it being my dead grandmother but i was still unsure. I was scared shitless. Mindfucked, I laid there trying to think of what to do when I suddenly felt the bed cave in a bit from behind. It gave me the biggest chills.... Then i felt a gentle hand on my hip resting. I was so scared. I thought to myself (ok fuck this at the count of three I'm going to just turn around and see what in the world I'm dealign with here) I counted to three, and with great force jerked and turned around to "wake up" (i was already awake....) to see nothing. It was gone. I went to my sink. washed my face and tried to explain to my self what had just happened.
After that one I've experienced another incident in which this shadow also entered my room. It kept circling and circling with out noticing me. I had sheets over my face. I opened my eyes but could not move. I could barely see things through the sheets. Finally after doing its like 6th-7th lap it noticed me. I could tell it was unfriendly. I tried running away from it but could not move. I started yelling to try and wake up. Since i could breath i could activate my vocal chords somehow.... I still wasn't waking up. Desperation got to me, and seeing that I could not avoid this thing i decided to go forth rather than backwards and tried to move straight to its core and attack it. I woke up. My roommate was freaking out became apparently I had been truly yelling.
A few other ones have occurred. I was road tripping by myself and needed rest. I pulled over to the side. Put a blanket over my face. I woke up to what seemed like a group of people looking at me through the window of my car. I could open my eyes by again the covers didn't let me see fully. I felt like they were trying to harm me and were discussing the plan on how to do it.
Yesterday the female thing came back. She ended up kneeling next to my bed after trying to get into bed with me and there not being enough room, just got off and kneeled next to it , again touching me with her hand.
Like an hour ago i just woke up but not physically. i could barely move my fingers. I inched my toes with so much effort. I tell you, it utilizes so much energy, I don't know why, its hard to explain. Anyway after what seemed like a long journey i managed to allow my leg to drop onto the floor sparking me to wake up.
Lastly i remember this particular one in which i was still dreaming. I was not in my room. I was lucid dreaming i suppose you could say, i knew i was dreaming but could not wake. I was being pulled down into some abyss by all these "demons" i fought so hard, again, and again. Like i mentioned before, it is so tiring, so fn tiring. It feels like you use all of your bodies energy with every move. Over and over. Eventually i woke up, I was physically exhausted when i did.
Lastly Lastly, I experimented with a drug called DMT. If you know nothing about this drug go look it up. Shamans used to use it for meditation and to connect with spirits. Anyhow when extracted and consumed correctly It releases the chemicals in your brain which help with your dreams, (the hallucinations). Anyhow you consume this drug (if you take enough) you will pass out. You will literally be sent to another world. It seems that way at least. Craziest thing I've experienced in my life and I've tried my share. Now I hope this doesn't hurt or put a label to my other experiences or to myself as a person. I not one for drugs but curiosity gets to the best of us. I often go in to see what things are like, to experience them for myself and to draw my own conclusions. With that being said its just like I'm a reporter going straight to the place of the occurrence only to come back and detail all of you on the experience. Anyhow please refrain from judging. I was shot through what seems like a tunnel of light. Still consciously awake, but not physically. I could hear htigns outside but was living and seeing things from "another place" I ended up at a club dressed in a tuxedo. I was so mind blow and what the human brain was capable of doing. I looked down at myself and saw myself dressed all nice and was just mind blown on what my mind was producing. It was so overwhelming that i freaked out a bit because, for lack of better words, wtf..... , it was crazy, absolutely like nothing i had ever experienced. Flashing lights were going around. I decided that i was in this place, and that instead of being fearful i might as well go around and explore. It looked like a nightclub, but way after the party had ended. It was trashed. I looked in different rooms to find these (i cal shadow people) just chilling around. I won't bore you with what craziness happened but, these shadow people felt to be connected to those who appear when i experience sleep paralysis. Again , the explanations are endless. But i thought ide share. They tried sending me to space and filling me in on every inch of knowledge known to this universe if i gave them my soul. I said no.
>:(
The Devil is a LIAR! Point, blank, period. Grr, makes me upset >:(
this happened to me once when
this happened to me once when I was little, but never again until last night. It happened for hours and it was probably one of the scariest things to experience. I am petrified to go to sleep tonight.
That happened to me this
That happened to me this morning i woke up from a nights rest, and was still laying in bed i had a migraine so i decided to go back to sleep. Although i wasn't sleep i had my eyes closed and than i tried to move and i couldn't. Than it felt like my bed was stating to shake and somehow i woke up. I don't think this is a scientific thing. It happens all the time but now it is getting worse.
Happened again around 2am
Again I think I woke up not beig able to move, scream or get up. I tried staying calm but it got worse where I felt like the stranger was moving me to the edge of
My bed. At this point I freaked out and tried as hard as I could to scream. What got me to get out of this dream was moving the muscles
On my face and not giving up. Usually I stay calm and it passes but this time
It for worse. I hate these dreams and their always around the same time in he morning. Currently listening to music to calm me down like usual. I'm 19 and this has been happening for a few years now. It is comforting reading all your comments and your opinions on how to overcome these dreams. Hope everyone can get over these dreams in a relaxed non stressed way.
Sleep Paralysis
I'm 18 years old and I've experienced sleep paralysis many times. It happened almost every night for a little while. I just woke up right now from another nightmare and decided to google it and see what the meaning was behind it. I've never experienced anything so terrifying in my life, tonight was so different from the other nights. Everytime I have one of these ocurences, I'm in my bedroom and all of a sudden somethings pulling me and throwing me around my room, but in slow motion. I can't see this person though, it's as if they are invisible. I hear a creepy chuckle almost, however this time when i tried fighting back i felt a pair of strong hands holding mine down tight and i couldnt move at all. I try and wake myself up while its happening but i just cant. Finally when I'm awake im so terrified to fall back asleep, my hearts beating fast, im shaking, and sweating.
When I fall asleep. My eyes I
When I fall asleep. My eyes I guess open.. and I can't move or talk but I feel like there is someone holding me and doing something to me and I feel uncortsblr. I want to know what it is. Also when im in that state I fight back and ty to move a part of my body and I feel it moving but sometimes its hard for me to wake up from the dream or whatever it is. It scares me and sometimes im scared to fall asleep cause of this. Reply please.
my story was pretty must the same
hey martin
i cant tell you what it is cause i dont know, but i can tell you my story.
a couple of months ago i was having some sort of nigthmare and i dreamed i was at some friends house. we where going to sleep
and i was in the livingroom, i woke up whit this creepy feeling and suddenly i could not move.. i was awake but stil kind of sleeping
and there was a lady sitting on top of me and i could not do anything. it lastet for a while and then i woke up.. i was pretty shaked but i
decided that it must have been a dream and moved on....
that was until a week later. where i had falling asleep on my couch. i woke up and got to go to the bathroom ( at this point i was awake and was standing up) i did what i had to do and got back on the couch. i dident even get to lay down before my body was frosen and i couldent move at all but i was awake... and i could fell a hand touching my side.. again it lastet for a couple of minuts and then stoped.. i was i shock and dident know what to do... but here comes the wierdest part ever.. the nigth after i was having dinner ( still pretty shaked up at this time) then my fone rings.. it was a priest telling me that she somehow know she could call my (by the way i dident believe in than stuff at this point) she told me exaacly what there was happening to me and help my get rid of it.. and havent had anyting happend to me since..and the wierd part is that i havent told anyone aboubt it at that point.....
so there is my story.. dont know if it help but there you go
last night
Dear all
I consider myself to be a good scottish career girl but I am compelled to write on this forum as I had such a weird experience last night and relate to your experiences, tho it's the first time I have ever had one. I am 34 years old and for the first time last night I experienced the scariest thing ever. It started with voices heckling me from what felt was from all sides of my bedroom, which culminated with being prodded on my shoulder and heckled again with voices before a sudden feeling of being consumed by goodness knows what...but a sudden surge of energy which made me wake up shouting and made me pull myself back to reality, which I managed to (kind of like in the film Ghost but i don't know if you know what I mean). It's the weirdest feeling i've ever experienced, like someone jumped into my skin, but that's what woke me thankfully. I have subsequently told my family who did the 'wow, that's some nightmare' and to be honest unless i'd experienced it I'd be saying exactly the same. Let's hope tonight's a good sleep, cos last night was like one out of Thriller...'thriller...thriller night, I don't believe it's a mental health issue cos the beast is there to fight (sorry couldn't resist) Sleep tight eh? x
Sleep paralysis experience
For the most part, I'm a light sleeper, and I'm told, move around quite a lot during sleep. But periodically I experience sleep paralysis, and though I sence a presence in the room and hear screaming or static. For me there is not sence of evil, for me it's more instinctual, I feel vulnerable, in great danger because I can't move. This is one of those time where the effect seams to precede cause. This explanation of evil, and prayers sending it away is most likely psychosomatic, and is relative to ones beliefs. Moral absolutes like good and evil don't exist, we all have the capacity for both.
More to the point, what I find most terrifying is my inability to move, the fear starts when I realise this, and it's my belief that subconsciously your mind provides though instinct the sence of danger that would normally acompany paralysis. As we become aware of the paralysis, we realise our own vulnerability in that state and then begin to panic. Some one who believes in god would naturally jump to the conclusion of an evil preance. Then there is the type of person who believes in aliens, and they believe they've been abducted. People who believe in ghosts, atomaticly see ghosts. I think it's important for people to be aware that such explanations are obviously incorrect, especially when there is a perfectly good scientific explanation for these occurrences
effects of sleep para, without having slept in 18 hours
I wanted to reply to the guy asking if anyone had experieced sleep paralysis while being awake. I have one 3 occasions, all while doing reseach on my pc for school. The shortest session lasted 30 min and the longest session lasted 1:30. I was unable to move, scream, breathing was hard....i had sleep paralysis growing up and was very familure with how to break the paralysis mentally, but durring these sessions it took so much more concentration as normally sleep paralysis only lasts mins for me. The crazy part was i had been wide awake. During one of the sessions , the second one, When i was fighting it I had the sensation that the gravity in the room changed and instead of coming from below it was coming from the wall in front of me. I felt almost if I were standing on the wall. It was quite odd. No one was ever able to explain it. I hadn't been sleeping well for over a week and wrote it off to my body trying to shut down and go into rem on its on. This explaination was prob more or less just to make me feel better. I did get all the classic evil feelings. I broke it the first time by praying over and over. but That didnt work the following two times. I've never been one to jump to paranormal unless i've exhausted every natural reasoning. I'd never seen another case until reading this today....jbt 6/3/2012
laughing
I have had some sleep paralysis episodes that have been very frightening, but the most recent have been anything but. In two recent episodes I have fallen asleep in my recliner with my husband and kids in the room and I 'awake' to find myself in paralysis and I can hear them talking, I can hear the TV but of course cannot move. I start to laugh uncontrollably, though I don't know what at (!). It is a strained laugh, with just my chest heaving and intermittent snorting noises - I feel a little like I am choking. I am trying to move my legs and hands, but it just comes out as twitches. I can hear my husband and daughter laughing at me. Lasts quite a few minutes. I eventually awaken and burst out laughing properly and then settle down, but feel quite unsettled after. It is a bizarre experience, but entertaining for anyone present! I am in my 40s and at present under a fair amount of stress.
Possible Solution
I am in college and this has just recently started happening to me; it started out as me just lucid dreaming (being able to control what happens in my dream) and then the sleep paralysis started happening, and then "the stranger" what people call the ghost or presence starting coming into my dreams, and even more after a while I started having out of body experiences during the sleep paralysis and "stranger" occurrences... I must say as many of you probably know this is one of the most terrifying experiences someone can go through - to be attacked in your dreams.
But I have a few solutions that may help anyone who struggles from this.
First - normally your mind is conscious, so try to look for things in the dream that seem unrealistic or out of place, try to find something that shows you that you are in a dream and from there you can start to tell yourself it is only a dream
Second - if you want to get out of the dream immediately, try scrunching your face or wiggling your fingers in the dream - these are the only muscles that are able to move and whenever I scrunch my face I always wake up although the fingers don't always work for me.
Third - if for some reason it doesn't work then the best thing you can do is TRY to relax.. i know it is scary and almost impossible to relax but it is the best thing you can do.. when you get scared your body keeps producing more and more terrifying aspects of the dream. DONT FIGHT TO GET OUT - it will only get worse. Try to think of something that always makes you feel good, or someone you love alot.. i know it may sound silly but it works... once you can control your emotions you can learn to control the dream. You have to feel trust/love for the presence in your dream. I had one a few nights ago and my body was paralyzed yet my "soul" or whatever you want to call it managed to escape, i could see my body laying in the bed. the same bed i went to sleep in but i was traveling as my soul and the stranger was chasing me, once i realized it was a dream i stopped and the stranger grabbed me from the other side of a curtain so i could not see him/her - so i tried to be calm and just think that this is someone friendly someone who needs me to love them and the body i felt through the curtain began to transform in a female and it started to loosen its grip but before i could see it i woke up
i'v been haveing ugly and
i'v been haveing ugly and weird dreams ever sincei was a little young kid. im 22 now but in 95% of all my dreams i die. i'v been shot, stabbed, killed by monsters and weird creatures, burned, drowned, electracuted in a bath tub, and my most famous one is falling from hights like cliffs and buildings. that being said, im a born again christian and do belive in evil things but not completly afraid of them. so about one year agoi had my first "sleep peralisis" lol srry about spelling. and i was lying on my right side on my bead and looking at my wall i felt like i was awake but i guess i must have been sleeping accourding to the other comments i read but the exact same thing happened to my. i wanted to call out for my mom but aside the fact that thats a pussy thing to do, i didnt because it fealt like their were very scary people in my appartment(didnt see them but felt the precence). so i didnt call for help because i didnt want to get my family involved so i laid their to make it seem like i was sleeping. i counted to 3 and turned around to see who or what it was and to my suprise, i saw absalutly nuthing. i think when i counted to 3 is when i woke up, because i tried to move b4 i counted but was frozen and numb. first thing i did was get up grabbed my Rambo knife and i went back to bed and waited and waited then i fell asleep with the knife beside me. But at first when the phnomna happend i was shitting bricks because i was so sure that their was an evil spirt near only because im religios and i belive in these thing. GOOD NEWS is i'v goten used to scary shit bc of all my stupid dreams and shit, now scary dreams are normal to me and i go through with them bc the more i dont want somthing bad to happen in my dream the more likely it is to happen. EX: i was in a haunted house and their was a old ugly wich in the house with me and she had powers to disapear and use forses like telakanetik powers so me being a crazy phsyco path i had two knives in my hands and i was running around the dark and burned house, (very scary house) looking for this bitch wich to stab the shit out of her. so i find her but when i came to stab her she used her powers to take one knife away from me and to cut me i was in shhock for a second. then she used the knive as a dart and would try to hit me with it and she did a few times. i took cover behind the center table in the kitchen and then made a run for the window. as i jumped through i relized it was a sunny and beautifull day in a neighbourhood but i kept running down the road and i looked back the the house looked like every other house but it was black inside and i could see her looking at me. part of me want to go back but i didnt :( point of the story is if you dont want somthing bad to hapen to you in a dream then dont think it. i didnt want to get stabbed but i did and it didnt hurt but it just fucked with my mind.... And i dont do any drugs only cigarettes. B4 the NY twin towers fell. i had a dream that i was stuck in the stairwell in one of them and the lights were off and their was lava comming from the bottom up and the alians from indapendence day movie were comming to get me from the top and i was stuck in the middle with no doors. fuck. so im looking for a way out and im quickly running out of time and i turn around and i see a young little boy younger then me at the time. in the dream i must have been 13 years old or 14 w.e but this kid was like 8 yrs old and he just looked at me, and for a while i looked at him and then he opened a door as if it was their the whole time and it was a long and dark hall way and me and him were running and next thing i remember is we get outside and its nighttime and my grandparents are waiting for me in their car. fucking weird
..if anyone was questens or comments about what i said, msg me at .... i'll be more then happy to chat. current time and date: Jun 4th 2012 at 1:22am
also
Also,can this stuff happen to an eleven year old?that's how old I am.
im kinda confused
I'm kinda confused.I just woke up and I went on here to look for answers.I do i forgotn't think I really understood the paragraphs.but I had a dream about me on my sisters bunk bed, and I was. doing so mething.then,my mouth got dry and I stood up off the bed.I tried to call out to my mom then ust tried to say hey.but my mouth was dry and i couldn't say anything.(I was in the room by myself)I tried kicking the walls and no sound came.I closed my eyes(in the dream)and tried to concentrate on my breathing.before that I tried licking my lips and swall aowing to see if it would work.finally,I could breathe regulary and my mouth wasn't dry anymore.I went into the kitchen and saw tco's.tat's when I realized my dream was taking its place from where it was before.I was like 6 or 7. Maybe 8.and also I saw dumpling sauce.I said"you didntleave me any.my stepdad said I made you some bread.I was thinking what the tuck.(btw I'm still sleeping)then I went to my room and I immediately saw a dark cloaked figure.it looked like it n was floating.I couldn't really breathe but there was no demon on my chest.I thought maybe they're getting me back for me saying I was gonna hurt and I said aname.but I forgot what the name was.my dogs were whining to come in my room so I let them in(somehow)and I immediately was back on the bed.again I somehow was able to put my fingers up in a cross.before that I was thinking "in the power and name of Jesus" and that's all I was saying because I didn't know what to say.well I was actually thinking it in my dream.then I thought in the power and name of God.I said that while holding up my fingers in a cross like five or ten times.then I woke up and my covers were off me.they looked like I was kicking them.and I heard dogs whining to get in my room.that was when I realized I never let them in my room,it was a dream.or a nightmare.but my dreams and nightmares are very vividly and realistic so everytime I wake up I think "I thought that was really happening". I was confused because my mouth was dry but I didn't see anything about that in the paragraphs.and also I couldn't breathe or move and yet I was moving.can someone please explain this to me?
Wow, so many of us experience this.
I used to have both night terrors and sleep paralysis when I was younger but now in my late 20's its just sleep paralysis roughly once a month. I found out my father had night terrors as well, so I know its hereditary. I've been chased by the dark shadows, heard noises and all the other things we seem to experience. When I was younger, I tried praying to wake up one time and it worked. These days I try to see what I can do during my out of body experience. Sometimes I remain calm and just wait it out, but every now and then I still fight to wake up. I look around thinking i'm awake and turn to see my body still asleep. As soon as I recognize i'm still sleeping, i'm back laying down trying to pop back up.
It's comforting too see so many similar stories and know there are so many of us experiencing this. I think i'll try to have a lil fun and push the limits next time I have an episode, because now I feel the need to fully explore this and attempt to grasp my own personal understanding of what it really is, and what I can and can't do during the experience, outside of the little bit that science has to offer in explanation. There is always more that science will never be able to explain and document. And since it appears that this may always be a part of my life, seeing many of you in your 50's....I need to confront it head on. Hopefully I will not suffer SUNDS if I confront a dark shadow.
Is it Ghost?
Felt the same several times... Could not move any of my body parts, except my head... can't speak out... Firstly it happened to my frnd, he said it was a lady ghost; I denied him.. later it happened to me, but I don't think its a ghost, after googling I found that it is that issue of human in which "the BODY remains AWAKE while the MIND is asleep".... - srnvs, 01-06-2012