Sleep Paralysis

[Drew2]

The other dream thread got me thinking about lucid dreaming and how I do it and how others can do it... a bunch of stuff. Anyway... I came across "Sleep Paralysis" and almost fell out of my chair. I've heard this mentioned a few times in Psychology classes and it has always been REALLY interesting to me because I do this at least once a month. I have since as long as I can remember and I have NO idea why.

Anyway... I'll post exerpts from the website I was reading so it can explain it better...


Lucidity from Sleep Paralysis

You may or may not experience the phenomenon of sleep paralysis. During dream sleep, our body shuts off our ability for movement, and we are temporarily paralyzed (in order that our bodies will not act out our dreams). Sometimes, we wake up, arising into the sleepy haze of stage one sleep, but our bodies are still paralyzed. A person experiencing sleep paralysis may feel that they are having "difficultly" in waking up. They are unable to move, and have trouble even in keeping their eyes open, and focusing on the surroundings of their sleeping quarters.

So yeah... I did it just a couple days ago, in fact. The website continues to say one can take advantage of this by willing yourself back into dreaming and being aware that you are doing so... thereby forcing a lucid dream.

Another way to 'exploit' this is to do a sort of dream 'astral projection'. It's a combination of capturing your surroundings as you fall back asleep and forcing a lucid dream about it. You basically will a dream projection of yourself from your body as you let yourself fall back asleep, so when you fall back asleep, you're standing next to your body, more or less.

The only thing I've ever gotten from sleep paralysis is myself thinking "Shit, not again." It's really frustrating and hard to overcome. Your choices are usually either to remain 'awake while you're asleep' or force yourself awake. The latter is difficult and I still fail sometimes after years of practice.

Anyway... I'm kinda excited about trying these new techniques on manipulating sleep paralysis. Anyone else experience this? Or any other odd sleeping quirks?

[Latrinsorm]

I have enough trouble getting to sleep in the first place. So no somna-gymnastics for me, thanks.

[Knights Templar]

I've had that sleep paralysis. Except, it only happens when I am having bad dreams... Bad dreams where I am dying. I can feel myself dying and I am in a paralyzed state, and it feels like my body is fighting to keep my eyes open because if I close them I will die. I have really screwed up dreams though, about getting shot in a drive by, shot in the side with a shotgun, getting stabbed with knives, drowning, falling off of buildings. I hate sleeping, because I always have nightmares.

[Kat]

My boyfriend experiences sleep paralysis on occasion. He's never tried any techniques. The experience always freaks him out though. My ex-boyfriend also experienced sleep paralysis, but he always seemed to have that out-of-body experience, without willing it that way...

[Drew2]

It is freaky. Most people wouldn't like not being in control of their body while conscious. But after years of it, I've learned to deal with it.

[Myshel]

I used to have nightmares and I read somewhere that if your conscience of having a nightmare you can manipulate them. So I began trying to control the dream, where if I was being chased I would stop, or if I was scared I would just tell myself it was a dream and wake myself up. It worked, because I no longer have them.

[Snapp]

I've found that if I wake up in the middle of the night and go right back to sleep, I almost ALWAYS remember the dream completely... although I don't remember any kind of trouble moving.. that's creepy.

[Edaarin]

The only times I'm ever aware that I'm dreaming are generally in situations where insane shit that would never happen in real life occurs. The worst dreams are the ones where I've done something that while not insane is really unlikely (like, kill someone), and then having to deal with the consequences. It's dreams like that that I wake up and just lie there so grateful that it wasn't real.

Isn't it funny how time runs in dreams? I'm sure that I've gone through days (if not weeks) of time in dreams, and I don't think dreams last longer than a few hours if you consider you only dream in certain phases of sleep.

[TheEschaton]

I dream lucidly to begin with. The thing is, I never enjoy the dreams I actually control - I rather like it when I'm not in control. Thus, while I do lucidly dream, I willingly give up the control to my subconscious.


And no, I'm not into S&M, nor do I want to be dominated.

-TheE-

[Wezas]

My girl gets it, but usually only if she takes a nap during the day or falls asleep on the couch. Sounds like it totally sucks. At least she doesn't get mad at me anymore for not waking her up when she thinks she's shouting (I don't hear a thing).

[Shari]

Oh my god I hope that never happens to me. That has got to be so scary. Every now and then I have horrible nightmares where I wake up crying but at least I was able to move.

I hope that works for you, Tayre.

[ThisOtherKingdom]

Fiona Apple and I disagree on this. I do go to sleep to dream.

[Mint]

I have actually died three times in dreams. Shot once, stabbed, and car accident (big surprise). Surprisingly I have no problems going to sleep and I dream mostly normally I suppose although I seldom remember the mundane ones. Only the ones that jerk me awake screaming.

edited to add: ah hell, just saw the other dream/nightmare thread. This should have gone there but I am too lazy to move it.


[Edited on 3-11-2004 by Mint]

[Fengus]

Originally posted by Tayre
Another way to 'exploit' this is to do a sort of dream 'astral projection'.



Seems like a lot of trouble, why not just daydream that you are outside your body, same thing. Yes I am saying you are crazy.

[Atlanteax]

I've waken up from nightmares before, being unable to move.

Sounds like it was sleep paralysis.

It seemed more like I just got scared stiff though. :lol:

Falling back asleep was usually easy, after I tell myself that I don't want to be conscious in the dark and unable to move.

Interesting stuff!

[Drew2]

Originally posted by Fengus
Seems like a lot of trouble, why not just daydream that you are outside your body, same thing. Yes I am saying you are crazy.

Because it's totally not the same thing. Lucid dreaming is like.. being in the Matrix. If you learn to break the rules of reality in your mind, it seems real while you're asleep. It's like nothing else in the world.