Incubus awaits... (Sleep Paralysis)

Member Name: Whitehorse

Product:	Sleep Paralysis
Date:	27/10/01 (249 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Used to trigger astral projection

Disadvantages: Frightening, Misunderstood

What is Sleep Paralysis?

Sleep Paralysis is a disorder of sleep (or perhaps better put, a disorder of arousal). Why some people are more prone to it than others isn't really known but I have noticed in my own experience and through talking to other sufferers that it can be connected to stress.

Common factors include complete paralysis, panic, sensing evil (nowadays alien) presence's, feeling suffocated/unable to breath properly. The incubus was spawned from tales of sleep paralysis. Although I am a spiritual person and believe in other realms I think the common feelings concerning a "presence in the room" may be attributed to brainwave activity during this phase. However - that said, in this paralysed state we can perceive other realms that usually we ignore when we are in fully awake mode.

I have suffered from Sleep Paralysis since childhood and therefore understand that it can be a terrifying experience. I used to panic, feel I couldn't breath (I have a fear of suffocation). I would desperately try to move or to shout. Sometimes my eyes would be open and I could see the clock on the wall or hear the television in the background. Sometimes, I too would sense what I perceived to be an "evil" presence in the room. I would feel my heart racing as my panic rose and think I was going mad or was dying.

Usually when we enter dream (REM) sleep, a chemical is produced in the brain to paralyse the body. This stops us from physically acting out our dreams, which could possibly put us in danger. What is happening with sleep paralysis is that although your conscious mind has almost woken up, your body is still affected by this chemical paralysis. Sometimes I have had situations where I fall asleep properly for a while then awake with paralysis then fall asleep again, dream I am awake, wake up paralysed go to sleep again etc...etc...It can be very frightening and exhausting.
Even though it may seem like y
ou are paralysed for a long time it is often no more than a minute or so when we are fully conscious of what is happening. We can dream a whole days happening in a matter of minutes - likewise with paralysis. You will awaken fully in an emergency even though you fear you might not.

I'M A SUFFERER, WHAT CAN I DO?

I have found the following process very helpful. It is something that takes time so try and be patient.

1) Look at where you usually sleep. Do you like this room - is there anything you can do to make it feel more restful? Mechanical objects such as a television can interfere with sleep patterns. You want to feel rested and sleep well. You deserve wonderful sleep and dreams. Taking loving care of the room you sleep in is like taking care of a part of yourself.

2) If you possibly can, try to establish a regular time for sleep. I have noticed (as have others) that paralysis can occur more often in the day. There was a study done a while ago investigating optimum times for projecting the spirit out of the body (astral projection). This process induces sleep paralysis so that you can project the conscious mind out of the body. The study found that taking a nap mid-morning or mid-afternoon was ideal for creating these conditions. Also I have noticed that laying on my back triggers sleep paralysis and I have seen studies that back up this theory. Therefore, if this is your normal position for sleeping it may be necessary to change this if paralysis is a problem.


3) If tiredness is a problem but naps are triggering paralysis, consider learning to meditate. 20 minutes deep meditation is equivalent to 2 hours of deep sleep. You feel rested and refreshed afterwards. guiding you though the meditation. Please see my opinion on meditation for further information.

4) If you are a religious or spiritual person, call upon whatever divine force to watch over you and your family when you go to sleep. Or you can
simply say to yourself "I am protected as I sleep" or "I will have a good sleep" - choose your own words. Make sure it is something positive rather than "I will not be paralysed" because this will induce stress just thinking about it. Affirming you will have restful/protected sleep each time will over time reduce the anxiety about sleep. It can be useful to find something to think about/pray to or whatever words and phrases you want to do BEFORE you go to sleep. Find some time in the day to just reflect on what you will do if you suffer a paralysis. This will set up a trigger in your mind - rather like forming a habit. You could even try pretending you are paralysed for a few minutes and say whatever words of comfort you choose. Practising this again can help form the habit of relaxing should paralysis actually occur.

5) IF YOU AWAKEN PARALYSED - I found this very hard to do but it did work eventually...
Notice what is happening. Try not to judge your situation. Try not to think negatively like - "What if I don't wake up?" Simply notice the sounds you hear. The baby, the birds outside, the radio etc. Even just saying to yourself calmly and quietly "I can hear the radio next door...I can hear the dog down the road barking..." Even just doing this can help still your mind and quieten the panic. Focus on everyday normal things in the real world. The most important thing to do is find someway to relax through the paralysis. Relaxing means that your body and mind both go naturally back to sleep and you will awaken normally. The more you panic the longer it seems and the more often it will happen. The panic sets up a conflict between the body and the conscious mind. The body perhaps stays asleep because it thinks you are dreaming the panic. Therefore it stays paralysed to keep you safe. That is how I feel about it. Again - if you are paralysed - call upon whatever divine force or simply say quietly in y
our mind "I am okay" or something to that effect. Reassure yourself that you are safe and relaxed and it will all be okay. Focus on slowing down your heart rate if your heart is racing. I practice astral projection and I have been told that sometimes the heart isn't actually racing - it is simply the energy of the heart charkra speeding up in preparation for the spirit moving out of the body. Very different from the process of death! You are not dying!

The above always works for me now and I have suffered much less paralysis since I have been doing this - even through extremely stressful times of my life. Be patient with this process as it does take some time to learn.

If you are still feeling concerned seek advice from your doctor.

Relaxation is the key - both in waking life and during the paralysis. Look at how you are feeling in waking life - are there a lot of things worrying you at the moment? Are you finding life hard to cope with? Do you feel anxious a lot of the time? Physical exercise is also known to combat both stress and sleep problems.

Wishing you always restful sleep :-)

© Whitehorse 2001
NB This article first appeared on my website.

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