Sleep paralysis

[zegh8578]

Anyone had experiences? It seems common enough not to be rare, but rare enough not to be common... in a sense

I can remember 3 times for absolute certain, but I've had much minor moments that could qualify

The first one I remember with clarity was associated with a nightmare. I dreamt that I was in a subterranean city, that I had simply stumbled upon, and that I was investigating, like a good white guy in a horror movie. The city was small, VERY clean, and completely devoid of activity, no people. I saw an exit sign eventually, and left. This is the point where the dream goes "aaand cue nightmare!", as in front of me, there's a stairway up, and a very worried class-mate screaming at me "do NOT tell me you were IN there!" freaking me the hell out, rushing me to flee up the stairs while I still can. Behind me children appear... ghostly, white-clad children, calling my name, calling me to join them, back in the city. I collapse, I can't run, I drag myself towards the stairs, and then - I call my class-mates name, and they switch focus from me to him, and I am freed from their spell, and able to flee.

I wake up
Above me there's a hammock, for some reason, with a stranger sleeping. He should not be there. I turn around, press my face into the pillow, and scream "WAKE UUUUP!" That is the sleep paralysis moment, as I know I should be awake, I'm on the verge of dream and real world, but unable to just snap out of it.

I wake up. I had one more very similar experience, also starting off with a very frightening dream, and ending with my panicked attempt at waking up, even to the point of opening my eyes, while still seeing a dream-fog through the air, and completely unable to move

This is not the worst one (although the dream was creepy enough to keep me awake for a while, before going back to sleep)
The worst one was during a few days of tremendous stress
I was at my uncles, in a small village way north of here, long story, I was trying to relax, reading a comic before going to sleep.
I must have just begun to doze off, with lights on and everything, when I felt hard, ice cold fingers grasp harshly around the back of my neck, and pull me backwards, right out of bed, and down on the floor. I immediately come to, and for several moments I have to tremble with adrenaline, cold sweatting, staring around myself, slowly coming to the understanding that no-such-thing-as-ghosts, and that it was all in my head.

Very different, and very short lasting
I'm not sure which one is worse - a spectacularily active short lasting shock, or those long, drawn out inabilities to open your eyes and wake up, when you know you should be able to

It's very distressing the notion that your eyes ARE open (in the dream), yet you need to open them further ​in order to wake up :I

 

[Hassknecht]

Is it sleep paralysis when you can actually move?
I thought sleep paralysis is when you are in a peculiar region between sleep and wakefulness, when your body is paralysed as it is during the REM phase while still (or again) being fully conscious.
What you described sounds more like semi-lucid nightmares.
I used to dream lucidly quite often with good control of my dreams, but I lost that control over the past years. I guess the stress of adult life takes away the ability to fly. Fucking Peter Pan was right.

 

[zegh8578]

Is it sleep paralysis when you can actually move?
I thought sleep paralysis is when you are in a peculiar region between sleep and wakefulness, when your body is paralysed as it is during the REM phase while still (or again) being fully conscious.
What you described sounds more like semi-lucid nightmares.
I used to dream lucidly quite often with good control of my dreams, but I lost that control over the past years. I guess the stress of adult life takes away the ability to fly. Fucking Peter Pan was right.

In two of the occasions - especially one of those two - I am wakefully unable to move, and qualifying perfectly as sleep paralysis.

The other one, where I roll to the floor, you are right, it might be something else, that I lump into the same category.

I did have flying dreams on rare occasions, but they were never truly lucid. I mean... I never quite escape that ridiculous dream logic, even in dreams where I am aware I am dreaming.
The best example is a dream where I found a lot of money, and actually thought "Awesome! I'll take this cash with me when I wake up and be totally rich!" <---apparently aware I am dreaming, but still expecting dream-reality to count.

One of my favorite dreams was one where I jumped hundreds of metres into the air, in a huge metropolis, draped in perfect sunset. Just jumping from rooftop to rooftop.
A similar dream had me gently flying inside a supernatural forest, with giant bears, magical, purple, glittering creeks, and all kinds of awesome whatnots

Normally my dreams are neither fun nor scary, but just frustrating and annoying, such as persistent attempts at tying shoelaces or stealing groceries :I
(I never stole groceries, nor need I, but it's still a recurring theme)

 

[Avallach]

I had a sleep paralysis a bunch of times, but mosly shortly after I had fallen asleep (or during the process).

I would abruptly wake up with full consciousness and find out that I can barely move, or turn my head (basically what Hassknecht describes). Plus I'll usually have that terrible feeling of dread as if something else was in the room with me and I couldn't even see it due to my limited mobility.

 

[zegh8578]

I had a sleep paralysis a bunch of times, but mosly shortly after I had fallen asleep (or during the process).

I would abruptly wake up with full consciousness and find out that I can barely move, or turn my head (basically what Hassknecht describes). Plus I'll usually have that terrible feeling of dread as if something else was in the room with me and I couldn't even see it due to my limited mobility.

Yes yes, that dread feeling is what makes me count the fall-out-of-bed situation as sleep paralysis, even if I moved. Although, I didn't move by my own volition, rather by whatever was happening subconciously, in the "dream state"

The ones where I can't move at all are also marked by intense fear and panic, a sense of acute vulnerability

 

[TorontoReign]

I had a sleep paralysis a bunch of times, but mosly shortly after I had fallen asleep (or during the process).

I would abruptly wake up with full consciousness and find out that I can barely move, or turn my head (basically what Hassknecht describes). Plus I'll usually have that terrible feeling of dread as if something else was in the room with me and I couldn't even see it due to my limited mobility.

Yes yes, that dread feeling is what makes me count the fall-out-of-bed situation as sleep paralysis, even if I moved. Although, I didn't move by my own volition, rather by whatever was happening subconciously, in the "dream state"

The ones where I can't move at all are also marked by intense fear and panic, a sense of acute vulnerability

You are having an Out of Body Experience (OBE) also kown as Lucid Dreaming or Astral Projection. Most of your symptoms can be written off as such. When in that half awake/half asleep state you often lose control of your motor functions but are still conscious. If you were able to calm yourself when these events happen you would possibly be able to control the dream state. It takes practice.

 

[Gizmojunk]

Lucid dreaming is knowing that you are in a dream, knowing that you are asleep; possibly with the chance to affect the dream.

Once or twice in my life I have awoken to be unable to move; totally awake, but with unresponsive muscles. At the time I recall, I just decided to get some more sleep, and that it would sort itself out in the morning; and it did.

 

[TorontoReign]

Lucid dreaming is knowing that you are in a dream, knowing that you are asleep; possibly with the chance to affect the dream.

Once or twice in my life I have awoken to be unable to move; totally awake, but with unresponsive muscles. At the time I recall, I just decided to get some more sleep, and that it would sort itself out in the morning; and it did.

I realize that there is a difference. What I am saying is with practice you can leave that paralysis state (sometimes) because often times you aren't actually awake but you think you are. I've had it happen dozens of times. Often when people feel paralyzed and see figures, aliens, demons, whatever they are actually in that half awake/half asleep state where the dream world is still visible, meaning you can visualize or project your fears and manifest that, much like you can control what happens in a dream. I perhaps recall you posting about something like this in
before Zegh....

 

[Gizmojunk]

That makes sense; a dream of being awake...

 

[zegh8578]

I realize that there is a difference. What I am saying is with practice you can leave that paralysis state (sometimes) because often times you aren't actually awake but you think you are. I've had it happen dozens of times. Often when people feel paralyzed and see figures, aliens, demons , whatever they are actually in that half awake/half asleep state where the dream world is still visible, meaning you can visualize or project your fears and manifest that, much like you can control what happens in a dream. I perhaps recall you posting about something like this in
before Zegh....

Hmmm... I wasn't sure you understood me correctly at first, but the man-in-hammock-above-me event was indeed a "dream of being awake"

Terrifying, though, but I am curious of how I would have handled it have I managed to calm down.

It's very different from "Ha! I'm dreaming!"-dreams, because I am often very... dumb... in those dreams. Like, right now, in a fully concious state, I know perfectly well that I can't use dream money, here in reality. But in those dreams, I often can't tell the difference, I'll be celebrating certain aquisitions, money, sometimes guns, I dream about getting guns (don't judge me!) and be SO happy I'll be able to bring them into the real world - apparently aware I am dreaming, but unaware to understand that I can't bring dream-objects into reality!

--

Speaking of dreams, I dreamt that I was a viking-style armored warrior with a sword, in a battlefield, frustratedly fighting for a losing side, but winning in the end. Stabbing someone with a sword felt surprisingly easy, including taking out some surrendered POWs when the battle was over (with a chokehold, and a stab in the lower back. Wth... ). As often, my comrades were strange amalgams of friends, old classmates, a cousin or two, a hodgepodge of familiarity.
The enemy employed some "overkill" elements, that I can't fully recall now, giants or monsters, that we had to bog down to defeat.
When it was all over an ancient viking manifested in front of us, and congratulated us with our victory, while I looted fallen enemies for improved armors.
o_o

 

[Avallach]

I don't know, for me it's mostly because I am being completely defenseless, immobile and vulnerable, while being aware of everything around me. Can you imagine if you were in a coma, but somehow still regained your consciousness during the whole ordeal? Dear god.

 

[zegh8578]

I don't know, for me it's mostly because I am being completely defenseless, immobile and vulnerable, while being aware of everything around me. Can you imagine if you were in a coma, but somehow still regained your consciousness during the whole ordeal? Dear god.

Isn't that even a distinct possibility, in some cases?

I kindov-know a comatose person, from a previous forum I hung out on. I didn't have much contact, but was FB-buddied as "part of the gang", and then she got hit by a car, and time just begun to pass. Every now and then I'd go and check, only to find a long list of "get better"-notes.
Coma's such a damn bummer

 

[Avallach]

Whops, I probably meant being aware of everything while in coma, instead of fully regaining consciousness. Well, I think you got my point. My english and phrasing sucks.

 

[Hassknecht]

While not really sleep paralysis, I recently had repeatedly some of near-sleep hallucinations that I never really got in that intensity. Like, lying in bed falling asleep and suddenly seeing some huge-ass bug flying around, jumping up to turn on the light and looking around before slowly realising that I actually couldn't have seen that bug that clearly in the dark, and that a bug that big just doesn't exist around here.
I had these "falling sensations" or loud noises right at the edge of sleep before, but it was never really this vivid or even visual.
As I mentioned before, I used to dream lucidly quite often as a teenager, and even though it still happens irregularly it's not as, well, "lucid" as it used to be. I guess studying physics for seven years also affects your unconsciousness in a way that you can't believe in yourself flying anymore. The Matrix-effect kinda stops working
Well, it's either that or really just the constant stress of adulthood.

 

[Crni Vuk]

I don't know, for me it's mostly because I am being completely defenseless, immobile and vulnerable, while being aware of everything around me. Can you imagine if you were in a coma, but somehow still regained your consciousness during the whole ordeal? Dear god.

Isn't that even a distinct possibility, in some cases?

I kindov-know a comatose person, from a previous forum I hung out on. I didn't have much contact, but was FB-buddied as "part of the gang", and then she got hit by a car, and time just begun to pass. Every now and then I'd go and check, only to find a long list of "get better"-notes.
Coma's such a damn bummer

I always asked my self, what it must be like to be in a real Comma. I mean, do you dream? Do you, just shut down, like a PC without power? So it's all black and it feels like a second but like months or even years passed?

 

[TorontoReign]

I had these "falling sensations" or loud noises right at the edge of sleep before, but it was never really this vivid or even visual.
As I mentioned before, I used to dream lucidly quite often as a teenager, and even though it still

If you can ride that sensation out without being alarmed (yet focused) right after you will have an OBE or a Lucid Dream as some would call it. The loud noises and falling sensation is the exit you experience when "leaving your body" to have the OBE. Actually recalling the memories from these events is often hard upon waking as most dreams are easily forgotten no matter how spectacular.

I advise any posters here interested in such things to read Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce. It might sound like New Age hogwash but it is a totally legitimate experience that can be controlled and even documented. It took me some years to get to the level where I can experience OBE's once or twice a month sometimes more. Certain drugs can also make this easier (or worse) such as SSRI's.

 

[zegh8578]

I had the fall-sensation a lot when I was little
Rarely, now and then lately - as in past few years - I might hear this... loud, very sudden chainsaw-like noise, filling my head. It's very sudden, and stops as soon as I hear it, like "RRRRRNNG!!!"

I had visual hallucinations, in the stages of falling asleep, twice, and only as a kid. One was my little door-sign, suddenly spinning like a propellar. The other was my door, that suddenly and violently opened and shut, again and again, in an unnatural manner, I jumped out of bed, and ran to my mom, who obviously got annoyed, and sent me straight back to bed

I always asked my self, what it must be like to be in a real Comma. I mean, do you dream? Do you, just shut down, like a PC without power? So it's all black and it feels like a second but like months or even years passed?

Well, it's not death, people come back from comas, and can report their experiences. But I can't think of a single example of that, except I've heard mentions of people indeed being concious, hearing people talk. I really hope those were short lasting comas.
For long lasting ones, years and years, even if you were concious, I think you'd sortof slip into a catatonic state anyway, since you're robbed of most stimuli, you can't react to anything.
I'm just guessing though...

 

[Stone Cold Robert House]

That thrilling, strange "falling sensation" you sometimes get when trying to sleep is actually called a hypnic jerk. Experts generally agree that it's a normal part of the sleeping process, though they're not entirely sure why the body does it. The simplest and most logical explanation is that, as the muscles begin to slack and go into a restful state, the brain senses these relaxation signals and misinterprets them as indications of falling (this is also why it feels as if your arms and legs are trying to regain balance). In other words: your body inevitably reaches a point where it relaxes, and if enough muscles relax at once, that sudden force can be misinterpreted as falling,

Sleep is an interesting thing, in part because science still knows relatively very little about it.

 

[Akratus]

I don't recall ever having sleep paralysis. Maybe without the imagery, since I do seem to recall just lying in bed with my eyes open unable to move any part of my body.

However, I have had very vivid dream-related things happen in my life. It's the one most vivid memories of my childhood, where I used to have dreams of black shapes and green lines (if I recall correctly, this might just be my imagination's interpretation. Point is it was very abstract) and these shapes would move and cause extreme discomfort. That would be the whole dream, nothing real actually takes place in it.

I also have had more regular dreams, one where I was biking around as a ghost, going through the bureacracy of my death, walking through people and filling out forms. Woke up very glad to be alive, and confused at the dream logic.

And then there was the dream within a dream, the only one I can recall. I woke up in my bed and kind of planked at an incline against my bed and went "Fly!" and nothing happened and I was like "Aww I can't even work on it because I'll wake up in 5 seconds." and I did.

 

[TorontoReign]

And then there was the dream within a dream, the only one I can recall. I woke up in my bed and kind of planked at an incline against my bed and went "Fly!" and nothing happened and I was like "Aww I can't even work on it because I'll wake up in 5 seconds." and I did.

It helps to imagine yourself being pulled out of your body or drag yourself out mentally. It is very difficult to stay conscious during these events. Typically I lose control in a few minutes. If you can get into the habit of doing "reality checks" in your dreams you can trigger Lucid Dreams more frequently. For instance, if you are in a dream and you take a drink from something yet it does not quench your thirst, then you are dreaming so you can teach yourself to acknowledge this when it happens and gain control.

There was a very good Dream Thread in the Order at one point which I will link here since it contains a lot of information.

http://www.nma-fallout.com/showthread.php?193389-The-Dream-Thread