formallypickles said:

i kinda want it to happen to see whats it like

sounds awesome and scary

I certainly wouldn't wish it on anyone

But if you like scary, it certainly fits that bill

I get it from time to time.

Used to happen to me constantly as a teenager. It's been years since it last happened, and yes, it's clear and away one of the most terrifying things that I've ever had happen.

i remember having this couple of times as a little kid, an old witchy woman in my wardrobe, someone under my bed. it was terrifying & felt so real.. i thought i was awake, could see & feel everything, even my bed moving from under

like i said just couple of times & posiibly consecutive nights. never as an adult, i think i'd die of fright

Spinlight said:

Sleep paralysis has never happened to me and, frankly, I am petrified at what you guys are describing. That reminds me of that Metallica video for "one".

I don't understand how it's just so ho-hum in this thread. If I woke up and couldn't move, I would be fucking mortified that I was crippled.

Looking back it is pretty scary but it's quite an amazing and intense experience.

If it happened again I'd know what was going on and i'd sit back (involuntary) and just enjoy the trip

After seeing The Entity I'm convinced that that was what Carla Moran was experiencing.

I think it might be a heriditary thing I know my twin and dad has had it.Not sure about my older brother I'll need to ask him.

ufoclub said:

This is the common explanation for a lot of supposed accounts of ghosts or alien abduction experiences.

That's how I've always experienced it. Not to allege I've been abducted by aliens or ghosts, but anytime I've experienced sleep paralysis, it's always felt like there was something very evil in the room and very close in proximity to me, and it's absolutely frightening. Sometimes, I can almost feel something breathing on me, or that sense that we get when someone/something is very close to us (...I sleep alone). Often times it feels like I have to pray or otherwise rely on my spiritual faith to be released from whatever it is that has a hold on me.

Other times, it feels as if something is aware of me from very, very far away, but is closing-in quickly (...for what purpose, I don't know). But again, it's always very frightening, as I try to move but am unable. In every instance, it's always felt to me like "something" was aware of my inability to move, and that there was something evil, or otherwise menacing, afoot.

This thread caught my attention because I experienced this just several nights ago, and I've experienced it overall about a dozen or so times in my life.

SagsWay2low said:

I think they used to call it the 'old hag' syndrome because many of the folks

who experienced it remembered seeing a horrid looking wrinkled old

lady beside them or a troll or something like that.

I'm getting goosebumps just reading your comment, because you're describing exactly what I just mentioned in my account, and I wrote my comment before reading yours. And I've never read or heard anyone else say that before.

To me, that's more than a coincidence.

muirdo said:

It happened to me this year.

I woke up and I couldn't move and I coudn't talk.

I was also convinced that someone was in my room with me.

After a few minutes I was able to move but it felt like hours

Damn, you too? I'm not a superstitious person, but I'm rather convinced at this point that there's something supernatural going on with this phenomenon.

Spinlight said:

Sleep paralysis has never happened to me and, frankly, I am petrified at what you guys are describing. That reminds me of that Metallica video for "one".

I don't understand how it's just so ho-hum in this thread. If I woke up and couldn't move, I would be fucking mortified that I was crippled.

I was 16 when it first happened to me.

I remember trying to scream, but not being able to.

Trying to move, trying to do ...... ANYTHING....but not being able to.

I didn't sense anyone in the room with me, but what I sense was

this ambiguous feeling of danger. Like I was going to die.

And because what happens in my case is that I end up just

falling asleep afterwords, I never have a sense of time. It felt like

it went on for about 5 or 10 minutes, though everything I've read

says it only last for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

As an adult, the situation is much, much different.

I realized what it was when it happened, and I was able to

quickly just meditate and tell myself that my body

is asleep, so I should join it. Even though it is generally

unpleasant, knowing what it is and how to handle it

makes all the difference. I am always able to just

realize it immediately and then drift back off into sleep.

I've never woken out of sleep paralysis. I wonder how

many people wake up out of it, and just find themselves

completely shaken up.

According to spiritual teachers...it is when your astral body has not yet fully travelled back to your physical body and the physical body awakes before it gets the chance to.

According to scientists it is when your brian has not "turned on the switch" to allow your body to 'move'

I had this issue too one time, and yes..it felt like something was holding my arms and legs down, and it is usually after a very vivid dream..or feeling of being far away somewhere..in my experience.

PDogz said:

ufoclub said:

This is the common explanation for a lot of supposed accounts of ghosts or alien abduction experiences.

That's how I've always experienced it. Not to allege I've been abducted by aliens or ghosts, but anytime I've experienced sleep paralysis, it's always felt like there was something very evil in the room and very close in proximity to me, and it's absolutely frightening. Sometimes, I can almost feel something breathing on me, or that sense that we get when someone/something is very close to us (...I sleep alone). Often times it feels like I have to pray or otherwise rely on my spiritual faith to be released from whatever it is that has a hold on me.

Other times, it feels as if something is aware of me from very, very far away, but is closing-in quickly (...for what purpose, I don't know). But again, it's always very frightening, as I try to move but am unable. In every instance, it's always felt to me like "something" was aware of my inability to move, and that there was something evil, or otherwise menacing, afoot.

This thread caught my attention because I experienced this just several nights ago, and I've experienced it overall about a dozen or so times in my life.

I used to get it in the mid 90's, and I would always think that I was turned in a way to where my face was in the pillow and I was going to suffocate. And then I would hear a roommate going about, maybe even entering the room, thinking I was asleep (there probably was no roommate there actually). I would dry to say something like "help", and my voice wouldn't come out or it would be so quiet that no one could possibly hear it (in reality, I probably wasn't making a sound at all). My one wish was that someone wuld just come in and nudge me, just a push. That would make my control come back, I just knew it.

The times that I thought something was in the room was different. Those would be times when I had just gone to sleep, and then lightly awaken. One time I thought I saw the classic little monster on the end of the bed, squatting and looking at me. I jumped up and turned on the lights with an intense adreneline rush. I was ready to kill it. Of course there was nothing there. I was in some kind of half awake state.

Another time I was slowly becoming awake only a few hours after going to sleep late one night. I saw in the open doorway of my room, what looked like a teenage girl in a red hoodie, just frozen in mid stance herself, as if surrpised that I opened my eyes, discovering her, as if she had broken into my place and was going through stuff wandering around. It was a standoff, me lying there in bed against some likely crystal meth addict intruder trying to steal things, possibly with others in the living room. I thought about shouting at her, fighting, or just waiting... it was tense and very clear. But then of course I woke up completely, and there was nothing there.

Those were not sleep paralysis like I had experienced before. They were something else that might be similar, but I didn't feel trapped because my muscles weren't working.

Haven't had that kind of stuff in a while.

Lammastide said:

SUPRMAN said:

STFU!

I thought that only happened to me!!!!!!!!

Happens to me too... in boring classes... and in church Kind of a tough thing to play off.

[Edited 4/19/11 20:03pm]

I don't think what you're describing is quite the same thing. I've kinda nodded off for a second in class and even at work from time to time. I think that happens mainly when you're trying to stay awake. I was talking about an almost violent jerk (that runs throughout your whole body) which happens when you're not resisting sleep. I heard someone theorize (without any scientific research) that it occurs when your body mistakenly shuts down as if you're about to die instead of fall asleep. Who knows?

HELL YEAH and it's the worst feeling EVER! Like, my mind is fully awake, but I can't even open my eyes, or move my body. I HATE that shit!!

SagsWay2low said:

As an adult, the situation is much, much different.

I realized what it was when it happened, and I was able to

quickly just meditate and tell myself that my body

is asleep, so I should join it. Even though it is generally

unpleasant, knowing what it is and how to handle it

makes all the difference. I am always able to just

realize it immediately and then drift back off into sleep.

I've never woken out of sleep paralysis. I wonder how

many people wake up out of it, and just find themselves

completely shaken up.

How cognizant are you? What I am envisioning is that you are 100% cognizant, but surely you must be more like in twilight or something?

xpertluva said:

Lammastide said:

Happens to me too... in boring classes... and in church Kind of a tough thing to play off.

[Edited 4/19/11 20:03pm]

I don't think what you're describing is quite the same thing. I've kinda nodded off for a second in class and even at work from time to time. I think that happens mainly when you're trying to stay awake. I was talking about an almost violent jerk (that runs throughout your whole body) which happens when you're not resisting sleep. I heard someone theorize (without any scientific research) that it occurs when your body mistakenly shuts down as if you're about to die instead of fall asleep. Who knows?

No, I think I know what you mean... It's not just nodding off and trying to awaken yourself. It's when your body involuntarily jolts like someone snuck up and scared the crap out of you!! And it's embarrassing!

Googling, it's apparently called a "hypnic jerk," and it happens to most of us. I can't find any consensus around what causes it, though. One theory I'm reading is that it's a reflex left over from days when our evolutionary ancestors lived in trees. The jerk would have been a flailing to avoid falling from great heights when we were startled out of sleep.

Spinlight said:

SagsWay2low said:

As an adult, the situation is much, much different.

I realized what it was when it happened, and I was able to

quickly just meditate and tell myself that my body

is asleep, so I should join it. Even though it is generally

unpleasant, knowing what it is and how to handle it

makes all the difference. I am always able to just

realize it immediately and then drift back off into sleep.

I've never woken out of sleep paralysis. I wonder how

many people wake up out of it, and just find themselves

completely shaken up.

How cognizant are you? What I am envisioning is that you are 100% cognizant, but surely you must be more like in twilight or something?

I think it's the same thing as airplaning.

For those of you who don't know what airplaning is, it's when you breath inside and outside (on purpose) real quickly for about 30 seconds, and someone comes up behind you and squeezes your chest very hard.

It semi-knocks you out, and you're 'high' for about 30 seconds. It's the strangest experience. You think your awake, but the word seems....nice....a bit light.

Then snap!!! YOu're back to normal and realize what you've been feeling the last 30 seconds wasn't 100% conciousness.

NOTE: airplaning is not safe. Do not do it.

Anyways, my point is that it feels very, very real. You think you're 100% awake. You remember the incident as if you were 100% awake but just paralized.

A few times when had it happen to me last, I was 'aware' enough to control my own mind and 'thinking'. So I tried to pay attention and think of how 'awake' or 'asleep' I really was. I never really know because I sort of calm down and drift back off to sleep pretty quickly.

So, I don't know how awake you are. My personal opinion is that you're in a quazi state, and you can't be 100% awake. There's no way if you're imagining the boogie man in the room.

But regardless of it being 100% awake or not, it's normally 100% terrifying and people feel like they were awake when it happened.

Lammastide said:

xpertluva said:

I don't think what you're describing is quite the same thing. I've kinda nodded off for a second in class and even at work from time to time. I think that happens mainly when you're trying to stay awake. I was talking about an almost violent jerk (that runs throughout your whole body) which happens when you're not resisting sleep. I heard someone theorize (without any scientific research) that it occurs when your body mistakenly shuts down as if you're about to die instead of fall asleep. Who knows?

No, I think I know what you mean... It's not just nodding off and trying to awaken yourself. It's when your body involuntarily jolts like someone snuck up and scared the crap out of you!! And it's embarrassing!

Googling, it's apparently called a "hypnic jerk," and it happens to most of us. I can't find any consensus around what causes it, though. One theory I'm reading is that it's a reflex left over from days when our evolutionary ancestors lived in trees. The jerk would have been a flailing to avoid falling from great heights when we were startled out of sleep.

That's a great way to describe it! It's never happened to me except when I'm alone in bed. That's an interesting theory though. I have moderate ocd and I've read a lot about how that condition relates to things that are hardwired in our brains from long ago. So the "hypic jerk" theory makes sense to me. I think I'll google it myself.

It's crazy. I've had it happen quite a few times. At times its like weird music is playing

in the background and you fight to awaken.

Something happened to me very recently it and it freaked me out a bit. Now I dont believe in ghosts.

I was taking a nap for a couple of hours just dreaming away, all nice dreams and then i heard this loud scream but it was more of a very loud yelling like it was right over me, like someone was screaming in my face, I jumped outta of my skin when waking and gasped. There was no one there just silence and no one else was in the house at the time.

PDogz said:

muirdo said:

It happened to me this year.

I woke up and I couldn't move and I coudn't talk.

I was also convinced that someone was in my room with me.

After a few minutes I was able to move but it felt like hours

Damn, you too? I'm not a superstitious person, but I'm rather convinced at this point that there's something supernatural going on with this phenomenon.

current popular theory in physics is that you and i are ocupying the same space/time as other entities in the multiverse.

maybe what we perceive at these moments is the effect of worlds phase-shifting in and out of each other. a moment in time where the overlap of different universes becomes noticeable?

i dunno :shurg:

XxAxX said:

PDogz said:

Damn, you too? I'm not a superstitious person, but I'm rather convinced at this point that there's something supernatural going on with this phenomenon.

current popular theory in physics is that you and i are ocupying the same space/time as other entities in the multiverse.

maybe what we perceive at these moments is the effect of worlds phase-shifting in and out of each other. a moment in time where the overlap of different universes becomes noticeable?

i dunno :shurg:

I wouldn't rule that out.

:shurg:

Here's how it happened to me:

When I was younger, about high school age, I was staying the night with a friend. He had a big, old 2 story house. They were the type that turned out every light in the house off at night...I'm the type that likes a little light, so I was already a little uncomfortable. We stayed the night in the living room. He was on the couch, I had made a bed in the floor beside the couch.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, I woke up, my eyelids flew open, and I immediatley knew something was wrong. I couldn't move whatsoever, yet I was awake and I could see around the room. First off, the sound of the box fan that was blowing on me intensified to this almost unbearably loud buzzing sound. I would say even deafening. Then, amidst this completely dark house, I saw in the living room above me, what I can only describe as a lightning storm. And it wasn't a storm outside. It was bright, flashing, streams of blue and white light, just above me.

I could turn my eyes, and see my friend asleep on the couch, but as hard as I tried, I could not move or speak. I was very scared and was trying in vein to wake up my friend, but to no avail. It was like the intense sound and lightning had me; helpless in its grip. I felt like my whole body was buzzing and the only thing I could do is move my eyes.

After about 45 seconds at full intensity, I felt it all start to drain away. The lightning decreased, the buzzing sound and feeling faded back into the normal box fan sound, and as this was happening, my body felt like it was draining all this out of me. By the time it was over, I was truly awake, could move and was petrified. It was like I was in an intense trance and came out of it. The only thing I can compare it too is when your leg is asleep and when you get up on it, the goes from complete numbness, eventually back to full function. Except this was my whole body.

I went years telling this freaky story to people before I found out about sleep paralysis. My sister has also experienced it.

my natural inclination is to write this off as complete bullshit, but the number of people here claiming that it happened to them gives me pause...

whistle said:

my natural inclination is to write this off as complete bullshit, but the number of people here claiming that it happened to them gives me pause...

It's particularly noteworthy that none of us really know each other, are all from different parts of the world, and have never discussed this with each other, despite the fact there are so many similarities to each of our stories.

whistle said:

my natural inclination is to write this off as complete bullshit, but the number of people here claiming that it happened to them gives me pause...

As opposed to the factual entries you can find in books, articles, journals, or any appropriate doctor on the subject?

ufoclub said:

whistle said:

my natural inclination is to write this off as complete bullshit, but the number of people here claiming that it happened to them gives me pause...

As opposed to the factual entries you can find in books, articles, journals, or any appropriate doctor on the subject?

it's the first i'd heard of it, and it's never happened to me. please forgive my ignorance.

whistle said:

ufoclub said:

As opposed to the factual entries you can find in books, articles, journals, or any appropriate doctor on the subject?

it's the first i'd heard of it, and it's never happened to me. please forgive my ignorance.

I'm wasn't trying to sound mad! I should have added a wink.

It seems to be really common and documented, but people only bring it up once in a blue moon.

What I think is interesting, is how it explains a lot of haunting and alien visitation stories.

ufoclub said:

What I think is interesting, is how it explains a lot of haunting and alien visitation stories.

I hope not bcoz I heard a person screaming, that could mean hell

I was trying to explain it to a couple I know from the pub today..and they both looked at me as if I was some kind of nutter

The last time I experienced it that night I decided to sleep in my bed upside down..head where my feet usually are..I'm not sure why..I just couldn't sleep that night.

I'm going to do it tonight...I shall report my findings in the morning.

night night