Sleep Paralysis

You know perfectly well that you were lying in bed and your eyes were shut. But the thing was, for some reason you were scared and you could even see your every move--struggling to wake yourself up by raising your eyelids, trying your best to scream out but totally in vain, etc.-- which was the dreadful bit. In an illusion, I even felt that I rose from my pillow and then gradually lied down with my head pointing to the opposite end of the bed. I remember clearly that there was a moment I did managed to have my eyes open but couldn't move my body. In short, it was not strictly a nightmare in which your adversary chases you with a sword swinging in hand or anything. It was more like a self-induced hypnosis.

Above is an extract from one of my blog entries according to which I was diagnosed, by a commentator, to have had sleep paralysis.

How many of you TSR people have ever had the similar experience??

Reply 1

Note

11

Yea I think I have had that a few times, but I don't remember the being scared part. Does that come as one of the pre-determined requisites? It's freaky isn't it.

Reply 2

Hanzing

13

I have had it in the past.. Some of the scariest experiences I've ever had. I remember once knowing I was awake, Or some what aware the what was around me but still half sleeping. But I couldnt open my eyes, and All I was doing was rocking back and forth really quickly and I couldnt breathe and there was nothing I could do, I couldnt move my self at all.. It was the weirdest feeling that I'd never wake up again. I havent had an attack of years thank god.

Reply 3

Drunk_Kid_Catholic

1

Yeah I've ahd a couple of episodes of this over the past few weeks. The first was just after I'd had a very vivid lucid dream (which I get quite regularly) and I 'woke up' and felt somebody was in bed with me. It was such a strange sensation, I was sure someone was there. After I had convinced myself that that was impossible, I tried to move, but I literally couldn't. This lasted about 20 seconds, then I could move again.

Then last week I had another one. I'd just woke up after dreaming, on my back (which is means paralysis is more common) and felt a massive pressure pressing down on my chest and my limbs. I t felt horrible. Then I realy fought in and could move again. Scary, but I was aware of what they were, so it wasn't too freaky.

Reply 4

joeybee

11

I watched a programme on this, and it really frightened me, and i really sympathise with you, cos it terrifies me!!!There was this story wheer this woman half woke up, but was paralysed, and this dark old woman figure, was walking towards her (in the programme they made it look a bit like michael jackson, which quite frankly made it even more scary) Then the woman got ontop of her, got right in her face and began strangling her, and the woman paralysed couldn't breathe, and it would feel like it was going on for ages, then suddenly the woman disappears.
It's so scary, oh my God, if i was on my own, i think i'd wet myself.

Reply 5

Anonymous #1

Yeah I've had quite a few episodes of this and it scares the ****e out of me to be frank. It's always when I'm drifting off, and I must be half asleep and half awake or something because my head (seemingly) starts to levitate unstoppably. It appears that I'm just lying there awake but I doubt it if I am able to levitate. :rolleyes:

It's always a very vivid, lifelike experience and I've heard accounts of people who have been able to see people in their room, and things happened, just as when you are dreaming. Just that it looks real :biggrin:

. Horrible stuff.

Reply 6

wiggles

2

I've had this, it's always after a nightmare where someones been chasing me, and they've caught me, and I'm really scared so I try to wake myself up, and I can feel myself trying to open my eyes. I also try to raise my hand to bang on the wall next to my bed that's the wall between my room and my dad's, to alert him to come and wake me up, but I never can. I also try to scream but just can't. It's horrible, probably the scariest thing that's ever happened to me, and it's happened several times throughout my life.

Reply 7

RobbieC

15

I've had it at totally random times. Once, in the last 2 months after waking, I tried to move and couldnt... All I could do was roll my head from side to side... so I kept doing that, until I got frustrated...

Then I thought id gained the ability to wiggle my legs, and started kicking up and down to remove the bedclothes from me... it didnt work. So puzzled, I moved my head slightly to side to see what my legs were doing (cos I could feel them kicking quite hard). To my great surprise while I could FEEL them moving and kicking wildly, they were to my eyes COMPLETELY motionless.

What the HELL is going on there? Never really found out what was wrong, but I was so scared.

Reply 8

Sarky

18

I've had sleep paralysis brought on by my medication and it scared the crap out of me. I used to try and wake up and just not be able to move.

Reply 9

jonnyq

I don't get scared easily, but sleep paralysis is the scariest feeling ever. Trying so hard to move or shout but you just can't!

Aparantly you can induce out of body experiences from sleep paralysis - I would try it if I could overcome the fear.

Reply 10

Spiral Architect

1

The first step towards Astral Projection.

Reply 11

Sarky

18

One thing that helped for me was trying to wiggle my little finger. If i could manage that i usually slowly came out of it. Weird i know but it worked for me.

Reply 12

That artistic one

1

I used to get that if i slept on my side, i just couldnt seem to move at all and it did seem quite scary. i dont get it that often now

Reply 13

FoodBuff

OP

Thank you guys/gals. It's such a relief to know that so many people share the same thing. It may sound a bit odd but I think I'm really looking forward to another onset!! lol It could be fun.

joeybee

I watched a programme on this, and it really frightened me, and i really sympathise with you, cos it terrifies me!!!There was this story wheer this woman half woke up, but was paralysed, and this dark old woman figure, was walking towards her (in the programme they made it look a bit like michael jackson, which quite frankly made it even more scary) Then the woman got ontop of her, got right in her face and began strangling her, and the woman paralysed couldn't breathe, and it would feel like it was going on for ages, then suddenly the woman disappears.
It's so scary, oh my God, if i was on my own, i think i'd wet myself.

you remind me of Ghost.

Reply 14

JadedHippy

11

It happend a couple of times with me. Normally when my sleeping pattern is disturbed.Once I woke up paralyzed facing the wall, and I could see someones foot come down in front of me. I thought someone was standing on my bed. Felt really dangerous.

Of course we all know it's just a cover for aliens abducting us :smile:

Jaded

Reply 15

JadedHippy

11

Spiral Architect

The first step towards Astral Projection.

Ooooohhhhhh magical'ness incarnate.

Though I personally think they are just lucid dreams while you are awake, have you ever managed one? I tried for ages but could never manage it.

Jaded

Reply 16

frappuccino

6

I've had a few times before, most of the time I've been stuck under the covers and couldn't breathe properly, and the word "suffocate" kept repeating in my head :frown:

It's ****ing scary! I haven't had it for about 2 yrs though. Really hope it doesn't happen again.

Reply 17

Ting-Ting

I'm a regular sufferer from it (well when i say regular..i meant at least once every month) and its really scary! Got all the symptoms....can't move,can't scream, illusions, loud rushing/banging noises in my ears and crushing feeling on chest or racing heartbeat.

Usually i get a sense of immense fear for no reason and try to desperately move..even a twitch of a finger to 'wake up'! The worst one i had was of a skeleton coming towards me but since i couldn't move, all i could do was just watch it approach me...then i woke up.

Its weird that i know its nto real and that its just a negative side effect of sleep but i still can't help getting sh*tscared everytime! Sometimes, i even know when i'll go into paralysis just before sleep cause i hear loud rushing and banging noises in my ears and my whole body kinda freezes up. :frown:

Apparently, irregular sleep patterns and stress etc promotes this condition. And its just that our brain woke up before our body which is why we are paralysed.

Meh...I'm used to it now :p:

Reply 18

Spiral Architect

1

JadedHippy

Ooooohhhhhh magical'ness incarnate.

Though I personally think they are just lucid dreams while you are awake, have you ever managed one? I tried for ages but could never manage it.

Jaded

Have I hell. I think most people who have them are also on LSD at the time. Go figure.

Reply 19

joeybee

11

FoodBuff

Thank you guys/gals. It's such a relief to know that so many people share the same thing. It may sound a bit odd but I think I'm really looking forward to another onset!! lol It could be fun.

:eek:

you remind me of Ghost.

lmao, i don't know what to reply to that!

Sleep Paralysis

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