Sleep Paralysis/ Lucid Dreaming

TheStook

I know that there is a sleeping & dreaming forum but I think that this is a very interesting topic and the sleep forum doesnt get used very often. Feel free to close/move the thread if necessary. Does anybody else experience this? And fyi, lucid dreaming I think is when you can control your dreams , like you know that your in a dream and sleep paralysis is when your in a waking state but your still kind of asleep, you cant move or speak and a lot of people see things. It can be very scary which is why I think its an exciting topic.


Ive been getting a lot of sleep paralysis recently, maybe once a fortnight but only once have I actually been scared or seen things. Generally Im awake and I just cant move, nothing happens and sometimes I can hear my mother moving around in the next room etc. Theres a few things im unsure of though, am I actually awake? Cause when I get it I cant shout or scream but I can make like weird groan noises, loud enough for my mother to hear but she has never aid she hears me. And does anybody else just snap out of it? Like to end it I have to like jolt forward and then im fine, I can move propely etc.? And also on the topic of Lucid dreaming and all that, has anyone ever been in a situation where they can literally fall asleep if they want to? What i mean by this is that sometimes in the middle of the night after a dream, if I close my eyes again I can feel myself slipping into a dream, I start vibrating and falling. And then I can control my dream cause I know im dreaming, I guess cause I went from being awake to asleep so quick my brain didnt have time to dose off completely. Any help is much appreciated

southcentralts

was studying this topic on a website called dreamviews.com who lay out options for people who want to try to induce lucid dreaming. and not 100% about this but i think they explained that sleep paralysis is actually a dream state where you are asleep but aware( not aware you are dreaming, but conscious) and you dream that you are exactly where you are (your bed) but are unable to move, and you remember it vividly as the paralysis is so unnerving. if it occurs again picture a mirror/window in the room and focus on it then picture somewhere else through the mirror/window and you should be taken there if you are dreaming and if you are not then you will likely find yourself still in your bed. Hope you have better luck then I had, 0 lucid dreams.

most people new to lucid dreaming experience sleep paralysis and think they are still awake instead of dreaming and they recommend using a dream sign like looking closely at your hands/fingers which are usually distorted/ incorrect number of fingers.

best of luck.

TheStook

southcentralts wrote: »

was studying this topic on a website called dreamviews.com who lay out options for people who want to try to induce lucid dreaming. and not 100% about this but i think they explained that sleep paralysis is actually a dream state where you are asleep but aware( not aware you are dreaming, but conscious) and you dream that you are exactly where you are (your bed) but are unable to move, and you remember it vividly as the paralysis is so unnerving. if it occurs again picture a mirror/window in the room and focus on it then picture somewhere else through the mirror/window and you should be taken there if you are dreaming and if you are not then you will likely find yourself still in your bed. Hope you have better luck then I had, 0 lucid dreams.

most people new to lucid dreaming experience sleep paralysis and think they are still awake instead of dreaming and they recommend using a dream sign like looking closely at your hands/fingers which are usually distorted/ incorrect number of fingers.

best of luck.

Thanks for the reply, But I seen on a Youtube video (I'll try to get the link now) that a woman with frequent sleep paralysis was being recorded by her husband and even though she's in sleep paralysis in the video, she is making mumbling noises in response to him, something I can do but my mam never hears. So are you more awake than asleep when in sleep paralysis? I got it again this morning but only lasted like 5 seconds, I dread the day when I encounter this "Hag" or presence in the room when it happens cause that stuff sounds scary

southcentralts

found this info on the dreamviews website

What is Sleep Paralysis?
Sleep Paralysis is the paralysis of your body while awake. This is very similar to REM Atonia, which happens in REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement). REM Atonia allows the sleeper to dream without acting out things with their real body. Sleep Paralysis does the same thing, except the person is still aware, meaning they may have hallucinations (but not always).

Sleep Paralysis doesn't have to be a bad experience. Many people have the wrong idea about Sleep Paralysis, which causes them to panic when you end up having it. Panic leads to a much more likely outcome of a negative experience. However, if you are able to keep yourself calm and/or expect enjoyment from it, it is much more likely that you will enjoy it or not feel anything bad.

Wake Induced Lucid Dream is a common lucid induction technique which makes the use of Sleep Paralysis. The idea with this technique is to shut your body down while keeping your mind awake, allowing you to drift into a conscious dream (lucid dream). Sleep Paralysis is not required to do this technique, but if it happens then you are at an advantage, because that means your body is shut down, leaving only the need to drift yourself into a dream.

i would recommend remaining calm and knowing that anything you see, even frightening things are not really there and panicking only allows the dream to control you instead of controlling the dream in a lucid manner. Also in another study I was reading changes to your sleep patterns can induce sleep paralysis.

lastly I have not actually experienced full sleep paralysis but had similar experiences while attempting lucid dreaming, being conscious of not being able to move my body, but I was expecting this and it did not affect me or last long, as I slipped into a dream usually but could not hold onto to realization that I was dreaming and just had a regular dream. But during the transition to the dream I experienced what could only be described as a visual hallucination, colors and shapes forming in front of me, vivid and distracting to someone attempting to concentrate on remaining conscious, but I would imagine somewhat terrifying to someone thinking they are awake and unable to move.

TheStook

Thanks very much man, exactly what I was looking for. So basically I should embrace the Sleep Paralysis and just attempt to fall asleep again, heightening my chances of a Lucid Dream i hope. Thanks