Astral Catalepsy vs Sleep Paralysis....Has anyone else had an experience with sleep paralysis?

Question

For about 3yrs now I've had episodes of sleep paralysis. Its terrifying! Although now I've learned how to control it. I would like to know of anyone who's had any experiences with this. Just to share and compare.

Answer 1

I have twice that I can recall. The first time I thought it was a supernatural experience until I learned about sleep paralysis and realized the symptoms sounded exactly the same. What freaked me out most was I was paralyzed (just in that state between dream and waking) and I saw two semi-opaque faces floating in the air above me looking down. One was an old man, and the other a young man. Evidently I was seeing the room around me and a dream at the same time and my mind tricked me into believing something was in the room with me.

The second time, my hallway had a strange chandelier hanging in it and I felt like there was someone coming down the hallway and I was able to break free from it and really wake up. It can be disturbing especially if you don't know what's happening to you.

Answer 2

Yes, and what a terrible feeling it is. There was a period of time where I try for what felt like 20 minutes to get a noise out of my mouth, and was so relieved when I could finally get out a mumble grunt of "hit me" to my friend. When she (with amusement) hit me, I was so relieved I could finally wake up. Also, like other people who've responded to this question, I've also had this combined with hypnogogic hallucinations -- extremely vivid dreams/hallucinations in a semi-sleeping/semi-waking state.

I have found several things to be really helpful:

1) Since normal alarm clocks don't effect me when I am in a period of sleep paralysis, I now have a "sonic boom" alarm clock that attaches to my pillow and vibrates my head awake.

2) Antidepressants that are SSRI's helps suppress REM sleep (the dream sleep that emerges inappropriately causes sleep paralysis and hypnogogic hallucinations)

3) If you have other symptoms, you may have a sleep disorder, and a qualified doctor and a sleep study may help better address and treat your symptoms.

Isn't it nice to know that you're not alone? Best of luck to you.

Answer 3

I have dealt with this for years.

For a long time, I would have terrifying nightmares followed by sleep paralysis. If there wasn't someone in the house to wake me up (apparently I would make a scary groaning noise when trying to fully wake) then I would have to lie there for a long time and just wait.

I've learned to manage the nightmares a little. They used to be about someone chasing me but I finally decided to confront him in the next dream I had and it worked very well. The nightmares are infrequent now.

I've also learned that sleeping in a cool room and getting up when I've had enough sleep helps.

Answer 4

If you want to interpret natural events as the work of demons, no one can stop you, but natural remains natural no matter how many people imagine or invoke demons. Sleep paralysis is caused by different parts of the brain going to sleep or waking up in the wrong order. Both visual and auditory hallucinations are common. It's happened to me many times. No demons were involved. End of story.

Answer 5

When you dream your brain excretes a hormone that stops your body from moving. Otherwise you might act out your dreams. People who wake up bruised have the opposite problem you do. What is happening is that you are waking up too soon. The hormone has not left your system yet. People who wake up bruised either aren't getting any or aren't getting enough. So they're moving about.

You know there are people who pay to have a very expensive masseuse put their body to sleep like that - while their minds are awake.

Strange if you ask me.

Try your best to stay relaxed. Freaking out may be counter productive.

Answer 6

Yes, I have been going through it with most of my life every now and then. I had just experienced it a couple of weeks ago while being on vacation up in Norfolk. A friend and I was staying at this particuliar hotel in downtown Norfolk. Well, as time progressed our first night there. My friend had went to sleep before I did. Finally I cut off the t.v. around 2:00 am. I then fell asleep. But then I had awakened only to find out that I couldn't move my body, not even a toe! I couldn't speak or scream. I couldn't open my eyes. But every time I experienced this type of thing, I then call on the name of Jesus in my mind and I try to move my lips to say "Jesus." Finally I would get this break through only to repeatedly experience it four different times over and over again. I fought with this thing from the time I shut my eyes until 5:15 am. From one side of the bed to the other side of the bed, from the bottom of the bed to the top of the bed.I fell asleep and awakened in between each encounter. A voice told me to lay hands on this spirit. I could not lay hands physically on this spirit but I felt my hands move as if to lay hands in a in and outer body experience. Then I felt something like a hand bearing on my back and I sensed that it was playing games. So I then I tried to break free again. I had begin to talk to myself saying that this time I am going to call Tasha's name. ( My friend that was in the other bed across from me ) And when I spoke these things in my mind, all of a sudden this spirit had spoken to me and said, "Kiss Tasha's fat ---! This spirit had also read my thoughts! That is when things really had gotten scary because I have experienced this so called sleep paralysis a lot of times but this is the first time I have ever had a spirit to read my thoughts and actually speak to me telling me to do something that is foul. I have never had a voice like that to speak to me before. The only voices I would hear would be sweet and mild and correcting. I then jumped up like a fire cracker just being lit. So when I had that last break through I stayed sitting up on the side of the bed hesitating to tell my friend if my experience because I didn't know if she would believe me or not and I didn't want to scare her because we had three more nights in that hotel. But I told her anway and she told me that she hadn't slept all night either because she was in her bed praying most of the night, yet being unaware of what I was experiencing. So we both decided to hold hands and pray in the Name of Jesus. Afterward we went on about our day and the next three nights I slept like a baby. Everybody has thier opinion on what they think this paralysis is but they should remove the first word "sleep" from paraylsis because anybody that has experienced this thing will tell you that we are not asleep while experiencing this super natural thing. We are very much awake. We just can't move and other strange things are taking place while we are trying to break free. My opinion for myself is that I have experienced contact with the dark world in a unvolentary way!

Answer 7

yeah it's a crappy experience to say the least.

i know when it happens to me i tell myself i know what's going on and i try to figure out ways to make myself fully wake up.

it's like being in that half awake, half asleep mode, but you're paralyzed and can't move.

Answer 8

I've had that happen to me lots of times and your are right, it is terrifying. I've only learned to pray until it passes.

Answer 9

Lots of times for many different reasons.

Answer 10

I have studied it , although not experienced it personally
but would be glad to help if i can