Has anyone had any Paranormal Sleep Paralysis experiences? (phenomenon, aliens, light)

[Mark S.]

The first time this happened to me was in college. I've had it happen a time or two since.

But there's nothing "paranormal" about it. See: Ask the Brains: What Is Sleep Paralysis?: Scientific American

[yankeegirl313]

My husband said that as soon as he realized it was sleep paralysis, and not a dream, he was attacked.
He also said that it almost felt like he was watching it, as a third party.

He has had numerous experiences with this, and he tells another story that really scared him.
He was awake at the bottom of the bed like sideways, watching TV.
He wakes up doing the sleep paralysis thing and the TV is snow( nothing on it) he can`t move, and he says me...or what he thinks is me, comes walking past to the bathroom, and turns the bathroom light on. He can see the back of my head looking into the mirror, but he could not see my face, just the back of my head... at this point, he is panicking.
He starts under his voice to scream at me, to get my attention, but its like he is paralyzed. He ends up falling on the floor, still screaming, and still cannot make out my face.
Then..he wakes up, and he is still at the end of the bed. TV is playing, no light on, and no me, standing in front of the mirror. He says the kicker is, if it was just a dream, he would have been sleeping in the bed normally, because he never sleeps at the bottom of the bed.

[spm62]

Originally Posted by ocpaul20

Some references would be good which mention that science can measure that people who are in this state are unable to move.

I have no doubt that in various deeper states of sleep our bodies shut down to a minimum, but I do not think that science can yet measure what we are feeling. Movement is a function of the brain and then muscles, and paralysis is (I assume) the signals not getting from the brain to the muscles of the body.

Who knows what we are feeling and whether we want to move our body but cannot. I am afraid that I will need more information on this before I accept your "scientific fact" that the body goes through sleep paralysis during REM sleep, and I would also be interested to know how science can determine what we want to do with our body when we are in that in-between state.
.

Look it up if you`re interested. It isn`t that difficult to do if you know how to google. I really couldn`t care less what you believe or accept. Science and medicine have proven some really amazing things about the brain. That`s how they can put people under anesthesia and cut a person open. People had different ideas about dreams and what they were before they started studying brain activity during sleep. There were also different ideas about mental illness and other brain disorders centuries ago.
Come join us over here in the 21st century. There are people that study brain activity. I guess they don`t have a clue what they`re talking about. They should come on this forum and listen the experts.

[firstborn888]

Originally Posted by NorasMom

I fall into REM sleep seemingly as soon as I fall asleep (or it seems that I dream immediately) - so maybe that figures in somehow for me.

Dreaming is known to also occur in stage 2 sleep and hypnagogic hallucinations are common just before falling asleep. I looked into this a little because often I too INSTANTLY seem to begin to dream.

I have suffered from sleep paralysis in the past and it can be very traumatic for sure. For those who don't know: as soon as you fall asleep the brain cuts off the electrical signals between itself and your muscles so that you don't get up and jump around or walk into walls while you are asleep. Normally as soon as you wake up the signals are restored instantly but sometimes there is a glitch and the brain partially awakens (generally straight out of REM sleep) and you are aware of the paralysis. This is sleep paralysis. The same hypnagogic hallucinations mentioned above also occur and it can be an extremely terrifying mixture. The feeling of being pressed down into the bed gave rise to the demon theories (in more superstitious times) you can google image sleep paralysis demons and old paintings of demons sitting squarely upon the chest of hapless medieval subjects will appear.

Bottom line is that no one's being pushed down, it's a sensation caused by the paralysis glitch and hypnagogic hallucinations can include sight, sound and physical sensation.

Yet because of their "experience" and the feeling of dread/evil some are sure that it is the devil's work. I thought so at one time, but we (hopefully) learn and grow in these matters.

[firstborn888]

Originally Posted by NorasMom

Oof, I forgot about that rushing sound.

Sometimes really LOUD too!!!

[firstborn888]

Originally Posted by tilli

It is a known peculiarity of sleep paralysis, common to almost all sufferers, that these experiences occur only when sleeping on one's back.

I'm guessing that since sleep apnea incidents greatly increase with back sleeping they may account for being suddenly jarred out of REM into a sleep paralysis experience since it happens outside the normal sleep cycle..

[Mister Miaugie]

SP can happen on your side too. As it just happened to me this morning. And the SP was completely put away by sleeping on my stomach. Audio hallucinations are rare for me and don't scare me at, for I know that it is all within my head. Visual hallucinations are extremely rare for me and have only happened twice. Still I was not afraid because it the figures weren't actually there.

[ocpaul20]

OK, there are a couple of people on here who seem to think that science can read our thoughts and science also knows what we wish to do when we are asleep. I dont think this is correct. I dont think science CAN determine that we want to move but are unable to.

I realise that it does not matter what I think - except that there are some half-truths flying about in answer some of the questions asked on here.

There are some science-types suggesting that they know what happens but only half the answer has been given.

Doesn't anyone care? Maybe no-one has noticed it?

[firstborn888]

Originally Posted by ocpaul20

OK, there are a couple of people on here who seem to think that science can read our thoughts and science also knows what we wish to do when we are asleep. I dont think this is correct. I dont think science CAN determine that we want to move but are unable to.

The people describing the experience here are the ones who are reportedly trying to move but are unable. It's part of the evidence showing that in REM sleep the body is normally paralyzed and if jarred out of REM consciousness can occur without motor control being instantly reestablished.

There is evidence that people can unknowingly physically act out their dreams if motor signals are not shut down from the brain. The theory is that during sleep the brain stops sending electrical signals to the muscles during sleep because we are using the same parts of our brain to walk and talk in dreams as we do in an awakened state. For example - when someone is speaking in a dream they sometimes speak aloud if they suddenly begin to wake up from the dream (even before they are aware that they are awake and beginning to speak aloud) more evidence that the exact same speaking skills are being used while dreaming and if brain to body signals are not blocked then the mouth would be moving and words coming out.

So all science is saying is that upon the arrival of a sleep state the mind stops sending signals to the muscles to move. It is not claiming anyone "wants" to move and cannot it is claiming that if not paralysed the body would automatically be acting out the dream which (of course) would be disastrous since the dreamer is generally not aware of their physical surroundings at all. Makes a lot of sense to me.

Interestingly - I sometimes stutter in dreams just as in real life. Kinda' weird, huh?

[ocpaul20]

I understand what is being said. However, there are others including myself, who have never, ever had sleep paralysis and it follows therefore that it is NOT a fuction of REM sleep but something else (since all healthy people have REM sleep.) To me it sounds as if science is just trying to come up with a hypothesis which it thinks is reasonable, but in reality, it is no better than other hypotheses also put forward.

What evidence is there, because I very much douvbt whether science can determine if we are unable to move or not. Normally healthy people can move their muscles when they want to - therefore it is a function of will. So, I ask again. How does science think it can determine if we wish to move or not?

The people describing the experience here are the ones who are reportedly trying to move but are unable. It's part of the evidence showing that in REM sleep the body is normally paralyzed and if jarred out of REM consciousness can occur without motor control being instantly reestablished.

This is not evidence for the scientific hypothesis. I have often been able to leap out of bed straight from sleep if I hear a crash or some other disturbance. If what science is saying is true, then it is likely that I and others would never bee able to do this from REM sleep. That would be easy to test since we CAN tell when sleep goes into Rapid Eye Movement state.

There is evidence that people can unknowingly physically act out their dreams if motor signals are not shut down from the brain. The theory is that during sleep the brain stops sending electrical signals to the muscles during sleep because we are using the same parts of our brain to walk and talk in dreams as we do in an awakened state. For example - when someone is speaking in a dream they sometimes speak aloud if they suddenly begin to wake up from the dream (even before they are aware that they are awake and beginning to speak aloud) more evidence that the exact same speaking skills are being used while dreaming and if brain to body signals are not blocked then the mouth would be moving and words coming out.

Of course some people can sleep walk - or shout out in sleep. Everyone knows this and have probably experienced it, but one does not equal the other. Just because someone sleep talks or sleep walks does NOT mean that if the body was not paralysed, it would act out the same actions as it does in the waking state.