Sleep Paralysis/Hag Phenomena

koHd

I only done some research on this recently and found out the name of it. I've been sufferin' from it for years.

Sometimes I do be afraid to go back to sleep straight after it in the middle of the night.

here's some of my stories;

Presence coming up the stairs

The first one I remember was recurring for about 2 years, until I moved my bed into a different part of the room. I would "wake" up, but as paralysis goes, I couldn't open my eyes or move any part of my body. But I had hearing, smell, touch etc.

I would then feel there was somebody in the house that was there to do me harm. They weren't in my room, but they were somewhere. The foot of my bed was close to the door, the door almost touched it when it's opened.

I would then hear a slight noise downstairs. My room is directly at the top of the stairs. Footsteps would slowly start on the stairs and I would really start to get worried and my heart would be racing. The steps get louder and closer and I still can't do anything. Then the door slowly opens and I feel a gust of cold air and my body starts shivering. I feel a presence move closer to me coming around to my left hand side. Always on my blind side. Not that I could see if it wasn't.

The presence would linger for a bit and I would be in a really bad state of fear. My body would get shivers as if the presence has it's hand an inch away from me but moving it around slowly at the back of my neck and my hairs would be standing on edge.

I'd usually wake up after a minute or two of this. But it really was terrifyin'. So much so that I moved my bed to try stop this happening. And it worked. For about a year anyway.

Presence whispering into my ear

This one happened in Lanzarote. During the day I was really tired and had a nap in one of my mates appartments instead of mine. It was just above mine. He was asleep in one bed and I feel asleep in the other.

I got sleep paralysis and felt a presence as usual, but this time there was a faint whispering in my ear from a woman. It was scaring the crap outta me so I tried to scream out to get me mate to shake me awake. But apparently nothing was coming out. It felt like I was screaming though. But the woman was whispering something like "don't worry *some girls name*, they won't hurt you if you hide".

When I got control of my body I was sweating and woke my mate up and said in a bit of a shakey state why didn't you shake me awake did ye not hear me shoutin' for ye. He said he didn't hear a thing.

Presence in my room with me

The one I'm having the last few years now is scary, but not as much as the old ones.

I don't get the feeling the presence wants to hurt me in this one. It feels more like it's watching over me. But it gets scary anyway when I feel it move close and I feel it touch my back. The shivers I get are unreal. I try to say please don't do that, it scares me, but I can't do anything.

Anybody else have this? I'd like to hear other peoples stories. It doesn't happen to anybody else I know. I'm not a believer in spirits etc, but this really scares the crap out of me, and at times I do think it is spirits and I am really awake but in sleep paralysis.

This happens to me, hallucinations of cold dead babies sitting on my chest.

I was reading about tryptophan, which is a dietry precuror to serotonin formation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan
I've upped my intake and I have hadn't any bad wakings since. ~fingers crossed~

alissa

This happens to me too..

I've experienced sleep paralysis sensing a presence in the room and also without feeling a presence but just feeling paralysed/ breathless

when I was a teenager i would 'wake up' sometimes, feeling paralysed and trying to shout but no words would come out and I would not be able to move..I would feel heavy thumping in my chest..like having a heart attack or something..then it would all be over after a minute or so..really scary

lately though I have been having experiences similar to what you describe..it always starts with waking up suddenly and feeling paralysed and not able to speak and that there is a bad force around me..I sometimes feel a cold burst of air, or hear noises..

while it's very scary when it's happening, i'd love to know more about why it happens and how much of it is physical/ psychological

Jomjoms

Have had this a few times in my life, im not sure if im awake or asleep or somewhere in between when it happens. Always wake up after it has passed though. For me it takes the form of around a 5ft black figure at the side of my bed. He is pressing down on me or has me in some form of submission. Im not sure if he is actually touching me or just his presence or attention which has me paralysed.

It then becomes a battle in my head where i struggle to get up or im resisting him/her with every fibre of my being. I can usually speak out (brother has heard me) but it feels like the hardest thing in world at the time .Needless to say i do be totally freaked out afterwards. I reckon/ hope its more psychological than anything.

Im an odd sleeper anyway, have had many precognitive dreams so perhaps im open to paranormal forces when asleep

xzanti

Happens me a lot, happened the other day and when I woke up my boyfriend asked me what I was dreaming cause I was making noises like I was really distressed and scared, deep fast breathing and mumbling etc.. He said he didn't want to wake me incase I had a heart attack (hey wheres the rolleyes face gone?) anyway I told him next time, wake me the hell up ffs..

angelface2008

Hi all
I suffered from the same thing for years,usually when Im very stressed,I had my first one when I was about 17 an old lady that looked like a witch came straight for me and pinned me to the bed I tried to scream but nothing would come out I felt fully awake but couldnt move! I ended up very distressed and when I came round fully I had an anxiety attack,my parents called the doc and he said I had probably taken drugs,It was terrible that no one would believe I hadnt,previous to this happening I had always been a restless sleeper,kicking the walls and shouting and I had one horrible occuring dream for years.Im my early twenties from time to time I had these 'night terrors',my last one was about three years ago,I was pinned down to the bed,I could feel the weight on me and thought my daughter had got into bed with me but when I looked down there was no one there,I usually find when I feel them starting,My warning sign was the bed would feel like it was lifting off the floor or staring to spin I would try to keep really calm and breath deeply before putting on the bed side lamp and waking fully and I sprinkle lavender oil in my room before bed too.Im under a bit of stress at the moment trying to organise a communion and have had nightmares for the past three nights,Im drinking camomile tea tonight in the hope that it will help,Wish me luck,sweet dreams everyone x

Delganys Finest

Hello,
This happened to me recently,it was terrifying.I had been reiki'd that day and the lady said I might have strange dreams and not to worry about it too much.
In anycase I woke in the middle of the night with this feeling of something sitting on my chest,it was hard to breathe and I couldn't move except my eyes, which were looking around frantically for the "presence".Couldnt see anything though and after ages I fell back exhausted to sleep.
Not pleasant.

-Els-

This happens to me a lot aswell! I find it happens if I'm particularly stressed or tired or if I'm napping. Most of the time it's happened where I've been asleep in the couch.
Its absoloutly terrifying, and even when you know what it it, it doesn't get any better. It started happening 2 years ago where I would just wake up and not be able to move, I found this alone really scary. It used to happen to me when I was asleep on the couch and I was fully conscious and could see the tv was on and everything, It used to always be going through my head had I suddenly been paralysed in my sleep or had there been an accident or something.
Last Year I did my Junior Cert and had a pretty stressfull year all around and it got worse. I used to frequently wake up in the middle of the night not being able to move and there was someone at my door or at the end of my bed. I remember one particular night during my exams and I had History the next day and I knew I had to be there at 2. I woke up in the middle of the night and I dreamt that I was really late for my exam and then I couldn't get out of bed! I just remember being so stressed and freaked out that night...
I think it is definatly linked with stress because this year and have had a very relaxed year all around and I have only had a few sleep paralysis episodes (if thats what you call them?)
Theres a good article about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

shabtheboss

Hi,
I am 22 years old and I have recently started experiencing SP about a
year or two ago.. Many of the things that have been described has happend to
me such as being pinned down to the bed, hearing footsteps, feeling a sense

Saint_Mel

Used to happen to me very regularly when I was younger but in my case I'd wake (at least I thought I was awake) to find myself paralysed and then have a feeling that I was being dragged out of bed. Always felt like there was another presence in the room but I could never see anyone.

Went on for years and then just stopped happening!

unreggd

The basis of it is that you're brain is awake when you're still asleep

This happens from having lots of stress, and not gettin enough sleep

Once you're undertand it and you're aware when it happens its ok

It even happens to me in a non-scary way

I use my clock-radio as my alarm, so the news will come on, but im still asleep, so i'll have a dream where im listenin to the news. so the settings will be different, but i hear the news as it is on the radio, its mad

I wouldnt start gettin dependant on any supplements

Just let your brain relax a while before you sleep:

Try to spend as little time as possible in your room besides sleeping, aka keep it for nothin else than sleeping

Use a lamp for the last 2 hours your awake: Strong light keeps you awake

Do somethin thats a no-brainer for at least an hour before you go to sleep: Watch TV or read a book

Personally, i think TV is the best as books under bad light is bad, and TV makes yer eyes tired, which is like a placebo effect of being tired, so ye fall asleep easier


Good luck!

the_barfly1

Hi, i've never experienced sleep paralysis before, up until about a month ago.

Strange thing is, the very night before my girlfriend turned over and woke me, hysterical, pointing towards the door of my room saying that something/someone was there, and i just passed it off as her having a nightmare and we both went back to sleep.
The next morning we were talking and she told me how she had awoken and felt like she was being choked and tried to call for me, but when she did this "person" covered her mouth and prevented her from doing so... Before she felt a warm, burning sensation inside her (as in sexually)...
So, then, the next night i experienced the paralysis state, just without the feeling of something threatening around me, same symptoms, not being able to talk, move, etc, but eventually brought myself around by concentrating hard on moving my hand.

Thought it was all a bit strange, especially as neither of us had experienced this before, but didn't delve too deep into it.

Then this morning, i was sleeping alone for a change, after a very restless night in which i couldnt sleep between 1am and 5am. And "woke" to the sound of my bedroom door opening (it squeaks) at about 8am, unable to move again. I started hearing footsteps coming across my wooden floor, heavy footsteps, like the sound of heavy boots with very solid soles, coming closer to me, but couldnt turn to the direction of the sound to see what/who it was, tried to talk to ask who was there, but there wasn't a hope of me making a sound.
As i felt this "prescence" getting closer to me i concentrated on clenching my fists, then finally broke out of it into body consciousness.

Very very freaky experience for me, and i can't stop thinking about it today.
I find it all a little strange that both my girlfriend and I both experienced it within 24 hours of each other for the first time, although she hasn't experienced it since.
What further freaks me out a little is that over the past year that i've lived in this apartment i've met 3 other people who lived there previously tell me that that house freaks them out, that they all felt it was "haunted" while they were there.
Connection? I don't know.

marti101

I used to get this an awful lot when i was younger.Id wake up and not be able to move but i could see people comong in and out of my room like they lived their and i was invisible to them.One of the people i remember was a girl about 17 and i remember she wore an orange jumper and had dark hair i dont remember seeing a face but it freaked me out trying to scream and shout to get someones attention.Hasnt happened for a while.Thank God.

murrayp4

Happens to me about once a week. I wake up paralyzed but am fully aware. I've been experiencing this for at least 10 years and have done quite a a bit of reading on it. I don't go for any paranormal explanation as I've read some university studies on sleep paralysis. During sleep, the body paralyzes itself so that you don't start acting out your dreams, sometimes you wake while still paralyzed. People who work odd hours (which I do) e.g. nurses who do night shifts, report the phenomenon more than others.
My experiences don't bother me as I know exactly whats happening and I just close my eyes and go back to sleep. Also I suppose I'm fortunate as I've never experienced any negative hallucinations as described above. Worst thing I've seen was a dark mass approaching me from the window beside my bed. Again, as I was aware what was happening, I knew I was in no danger and just took in the experience.

púca-mór

I have experienced a lot of SP in my life. The first time i experienced it when i was in my early teens, and i found it terrifying. I never had any experience of the presence in teh room.

Just felt paralysed and wanted to get up - the more you try to fight it the harder your heart goes, and the stress is worse.

I find the best thing is to relax and try to just sleep again.

I've also had consciousness whilst falling asleep - which is somewhat more scary, like you can feel your body falling away while your mind moves inside your head (hard to explain)... I managed to use SP to trigger lucid dreaming though - which is fun, and i've heard can help people overcome nightmares by facing up to the threatening figures.

emermc

It happens me ever so often. It happened last night. I'm not scared any more since I found out what it was. I just try & relax and try & wiggle either my toe or my finger. Once I can do that the rest of my body follows.

I have had the presence in the room, someone sitting on me, which are very frightening but since I researched it that hasn't happened since. I think it can explain a lot of the stories you hear about people seeing ghosts at night.

Plug

Thanks Christ im not the only one! This hapened to my friend as well, very scarey. The first time I was staring at the wall and couldn't move at all, I thought I was dead and trying to cry but couldn't. It lasted a few minutes.
It only ever happened twice, it feels like theres a ghost or something in the room.
Is there a way to stop this happening?

emermc

I think it happens when you wake yourself suddenly out of a deep sleep. I think if I'm having a particular scary dream I wake myself up & then I'm paralysed.

I found this on the net:

You may be able to minimize the episodes by following good sleep hygiene:

• getting enough sleep
• reduce stress
• exercise regularly (but not too close to bedtime)
• keep a regular sleep schedule

http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/paralysis.html

doonothing

This has happened to me a couple of times! First time, I thought I was dying, couldn't sleep at all after it...
Happened again last night, scariest moments of my life, it's really horrible alright

emermc

I think if you just try & relax it lifts faster. try not to worry. Did you know that when you are in deep sleep your body is immobilised? It is probably a protective mechinism so you don't roll off a cliff or whatever.

So you are waking suddenly from this.

doonothing

emermc wrote: »

I think if you just try & relax it lifts faster. try not to worry. Did you know that when you are in deep sleep your body is immobilised? It is probably a protective mechinism so you don't roll off a cliff or whatever.

So you are waking suddenly from this.

Aye, well the other night it lasted much much shorter because it was familiar and I was thinking "Oh crap, not this again" as opposed to the first time when I was thinking "Oh my god, I'm dying/ going insane"!
I don't think I'll ever be able to relax through it though, it's frickin' horrible!
Thanks for the advice though, the more I read/hear about it, the less I'm worried about it

Freewheeling Ed

crumbs , I hope reading this does not make it happen again...

happened me twice, both associated with the south midlands of Ireland, for some reason ?? I have no idea why this might be

Anyway, same experience, an "evil" hand on my shoulder ( no real sense of more than a hand... ) and total paralysis.

first time really scary... and fought against it, not even really aware I was asleep

Second time, knew I was dreaming, and was able to relax and it stopped..

but not nice

brock92

I often used to suffer from this in my younger days, feeling of person in the room, then pressure on your chest making breathing difficult and last of all hands hands around your throat choking you.... Its terrifying when it happens and your not able to move a muscle

venarogen

i experienced my brain being awake in three separate times while in the middle of dreaming.

one i was in the middle of a street.. that is when i realised i was dreaming, i decided to pick a house to go into and see who was living in it, but as i got to the front door i was afraid it would turn into a bad dream, so i said to myself 'i want to wake up, i want to wake up' and i closed my eyes in the dream, then usually within 5 secs i wake up out of the dream.

another one was a good few years ago, and in the dream i was at school. we finished up the last class for the day when i realised i was awake in my dream... i said to the girl next to me 'your in my dream' and 'she said no im no' i said honestly 'your in my dream' and then i woke up.

kazza81

the_barfly1 wrote: »

Hi, i've never experienced sleep paralysis before, up until about a month ago.

Strange thing is, the very night before my girlfriend turned over and woke me, hysterical, pointing towards the door of my room saying that something/someone was there, and i just passed it off as her having a nightmare and we both went back to sleep.
The next morning we were talking and she told me how she had awoken and felt like she was being choked and tried to call for me, but when she did this "person" covered her mouth and prevented her from doing so... Before she felt a warm, burning sensation inside her (as in sexually)...
So, then, the next night i experienced the paralysis state, just without the feeling of something threatening around me, same symptoms, not being able to talk, move, etc, but eventually brought myself around by concentrating hard on moving my hand.

Thought it was all a bit strange, especially as neither of us had experienced this before, but didn't delve too deep into it.

Then this morning, i was sleeping alone for a change, after a very restless night in which i couldnt sleep between 1am and 5am. And "woke" to the sound of my bedroom door opening (it squeaks) at about 8am, unable to move again. I started hearing footsteps coming across my wooden floor, heavy footsteps, like the sound of heavy boots with very solid soles, coming closer to me, but couldnt turn to the direction of the sound to see what/who it was, tried to talk to ask who was there, but there wasn't a hope of me making a sound.
As i felt this "prescence" getting closer to me i concentrated on clenching my fists, then finally broke out of it into body consciousness.

Very very freaky experience for me, and i can't stop thinking about it today.
I find it all a little strange that both my girlfriend and I both experienced it within 24 hours of each other for the first time, although she hasn't experienced it since.
What further freaks me out a little is that over the past year that i've lived in this apartment i've met 3 other people who lived there previously tell me that that house freaks them out, that they all felt it was "haunted" while they were there.
Connection? I don't know.

I've had experiences like your girlfriend, if you want to pm me do, they were horrible experiences, I've experienced other forms of sleep paralysis not like this and spoken to other people who have as well as read the experiences by people on this forum, but i genuinely feel these other episodes like your girlfriend were of a much more sinister nature, I'd love to put it down to stress but I just know it's not, sounds crazy I know but it makes me feel a bit better knowing someone else has experiences what I have.

Plug

Happened to me last night and the night before, this brings me up to 4 times.
Just relax and you'll wake up quicker, Its very scarey and its always a nightmare dream when it happens to me.

Curlypinkie

So good that I'm not the only one. Having these quite a lot lately.
And I do get enough sleep. It's so scary being on my own when I manage to wake up. Takes me forverer to stop being afraid... heart is beating for ages afterwards!

Anything I can do apart from just breathing slowly? Like I'm a grown up, I shouldn't be afraid of dreams!!:rolleyes:

andy23

happens to me at least 4 times a week always in the morning,dont fight it just take deep breaths your body will wake up after a minute or so. the paralysis happens when you sleep so you wont hurt yourself while dreaming,sometimes part of your brain will wake suddenly for whatever reason while the body is still paralysed.

bealbocht

14.00 , `15/1/2009
just heard , the Moncrieff show on Newstalk 106 are doing a thing on sleep paralysis ( show ends at 16.30 , so between now and then)

could be good, could be rubbish, but though someone might like to try and catch it

Laphroaig52

I have experienced this regularly for more than twenty years.

Some people seem to be prone to it. I have tried to explain it to Mrs. Flyer28 but she has no idea what I am talking about.

I have never experienced the presence that others speak about. That may be because no part of my conscious or sub-conscious mind could ever believe in such nonsense...

However, sometimes I do awake paralysed and with a sense of falling into a void and possibly towards death. Attempts to speak out fail. but a conscious effort to move my limbs always gets me out of it.

In most cases, it has occurred while sleeping on my back. Avoiding sleeping on my back seems to preclude the problem unless I am very tired or jet lagged.

My guess is that sleeping on ones back might limit the flow of oxygen to the brain resulting in all kinds of confusion.

It's a nasty experience but I have never heard of anyone being harmed by it.

Jip

I get it a fair bit too. I'm having a nightmare of some sort but am fully aware it's a dream so in my head I'm telling myself to scream so that my wife beside me will wake me up but I can't. After discussing it with my wife it turns out she can hear me moaning in my sleep and thinks nothing of it. I have to remind her if she ever hears me doing this to wake me as I'm actually ****ting myself (not physically of course).

monellia

I experienced sleep paralysis once. Unlike any nightmare I've ever had, it felt absolutely real. At first I couldn't tell whether I was dreaming or not but then it started to feel like I was totally awake. Someone (I could sense them) was dragging me down my bed by my foot. I couldn't move, I couldn't make a sound and I damn nearly felt I couldn't breathe. I could just feel myself being dragged down the bed by this force. I can't remember what happened next, but then I felt a presence in my room. I could make out the bleary outline of a dark figure beside the door. I thought it might have been my mam but I since I could neither move nor scream I had no way of knowing. I felt conscious, but totally paralyzed. Awful feeling :-/

I was totally freaked out by the incident for weeks until the topic of sleep paralysis and "night terrors" came up in RE class. It said in the book that someone experiencing a night terror wakes suddenly from a slow-wave sleep and often feels a presence in the room. The description was so familiar that I relaxed and haven't been bothered about it since.

mossie110

this happens to me very often about once a fortnight or so. i wake up, well my brain wakes up but the rest of body is still fast asleep, and a can say with my hand on my heart. it scares the s**t out off me every time it happens but thank god i don't get what other people get with people sitting on them, if that happened to me i would die,
no matter how much i try and shout and scream kick no good i just cant wake up, but one night when i was having one of these episode's i heard a pist noise and i woke up. the noise came for one off those air fresheners that go off every 9,18,36 min's so what i found out that i set it for 9 min's so if i have one of these bloody things again the longest it lasts is 9 mins cause the pist niose from the air-freshener is enough to wake me up.

mrenglish

Less than an hour ago I had an exerience that caused me to get out of bed and Google this.
I am not a believer in ghosts or spirits. This happened to me once before while I was living in Belgium. I was in my mid twenties and had arranged my room differently in my dorm room. I was sleeping and felt a 'sweet' presence as an arm from behind laid across my chest and a head came around to my right side of my face. I could feel the smile and smelled an almost sickening scent and realized the presence was evil, not loving as it had originally tried to appear. I knew that there was no way a person could be there as this is where my headbard now was. I realized that I was awake and wanted to yell, but couldn't move for several minutes as I felt its breath upon me. Its been about twenty years since then, and I am living in California. It happened again just now. Laying in bed next to my wife, I was dreaming that I was tired and laid down on the grass to sleep. I felt someone (a female) come up behind me and lay a leg against my arm and an arm across my waist as it began to touch me sexually. As I slowly awoke, I found myself hoping that is was my wife's touch, but knew it wasn't. I lay there awake for about ten minutes and did not feel threatened, but still felt the leg and arm upon me. More curious than anything I wondered when it would stop.

IvySherwood

Yesterday, I experienced what I think was sleep paralysis for the first time. I have heard about it many times. What I experienced was unlike anything that I have ever heard of except for the fact that I was paralyzed. I was completely awake, I swear to you. But I could not move.

It was in the afternoon. I went to school in the morning to take a final, and came back home to go back to sleep because I was so exhausted. I closed my blinds, my closet door, and my bedroom door in my room so I could make it as dark as possible in my room.

I slept for about 3 hours and then I woke to a strange sound. The sound that woke me was the sound of water being pored onto the carpet. The sound was coming from near my bedroom door. I tried to sit up to see what the sound was realized that I couldn't move. I tried with all of my might to move my arms and my legs and I couldn't. But my eyes were opened. I was asleep on the left side of the bed and I heard heavy footsteps approaching on the right side of the room, opposite of the side of the bed I was sleeping on. I knew I was home alone because my husband was at work but I tried to say his name. I couldn't turn my head so I couldn't see if there was anyone there.

Then I knew whatever it was that was in the room with me was not a physical being because it was then standing where my headboard is. A person couldn't have stood there like that. Then I felt REAL (I promise you I was not dreaming) hands were put on my shoulders. Not hurting me but pushing my shoulders down into the bed. It was as if a person was standing behind me and pushing my shoulders into the bed. It happened slowly and four times. It wasn't a jerking motion. It was as if someone was trying to gently wake me up.

I wanted to ask who the entity was, because my older brother committed suicide 2 years ago and hasn't tried to contact me since he died. I wondered if maybe he was paying me a visit, although I doubted it because whatever or whoever was in the room with me had a sort of evil presence.

So, with ALL of the strength I had in my body I forced the words out of my mouth "Who..... Are..... You?" And in a creepy, low, scratchy, man's voice (which made me know it was NOT my brother) the voice said, mockingly, "Who are YOU?"

What happened next was the strangest part of all. The entity, entered into my body. I knew this because my body suddenly jerked and instantly I felt like I was on fire inside. Literally, my whole body (only inside) felt like it was a million degrees. Now I knew that since it was inside, I didn't have to use verbal words to communicate with it because it would be able to hear my thoughts. My leg (which I didn't move on my own) elevated up into the air, like the entity was trying me out or something. So I said to it, "I am not for sale. You cannot have me." And a moment later I could move again and the heat left my body.

I laid there when it was over, just kind of in shock. I was not afraid, my pulse was not elevated, I didn't experience adrenaline. I just laid there and wondered what that thing was and why it came to visit me, and even more curiously, why it asked me who I was.

What do you think? Am I crazy or did I get a visit from a supernatural being?

Ronan|Raven

Has happened me a few times over the years. The first time was the most terrifying experience I have ever had. I found it hard to sleep for nights after and I was 22

This dark shadowy figure at the bottom of my bed, the more I tried to get away the more one felt imobilised. Not much fun at all!

emermc

Wow that was some dream!! It has happened me too, with a shadowy figure at the foot of the bed. It started climbing up the bed on to of me. I was totally freaked out & couldn't move. I was so scared but I'd heard of similiar dreams from people so I've learnt to just relax & concentrate on wrigging a toe or a finger.

Susannahmia

I only experienced sleep paralysis twice thankfully but the first time was truly terrifying. I remember waking up and not being able to move or open my eyes. It felt like there was a load of people or things all around me whispering and I was sure that they were evil entities and planning to hurt me but I couldn't make out the words.

The second time I couldn't move and was scared but no feeling of strange presences thank god.

mk6705

This has happened to me two or three times, the first two weeks apart and the next one a few months later.

The first time it happened, I woke up and tried to move but couldn't. It was like a brick was tied to my arm, I just couldn't move it. I remember also feeling a little difficulty breathing, but nothing that major compared to what people are describing here. I managed to move after a few minutes after really concentrating on moving my arm, but it scared the absolute living F***ING S**T out of me.

The second time, I didn't take much notice that it was happening, and it just kind of faded out (I may have fallen back asleep). The third was the same.

ratmouse

First off, I'm not a believer in ghosts or spirits. Unless people go intentionally looking to contact such, I don't believe they will ever appear to you. However, for so many years now, I've experienced sleep paralysis but just didn't know what it was until a couple of years ago. When I was still living at home in my parents house (old house, grew up here too) I slept in several different bedrooms over the years yet the horrible dreams/SP only happened in one particular bedroom so I did start to wonder was it maybe something to do with this particular bedroom and maybe the previously hous eowners who lived in the house many years ago and had some connection to this room for whatever reason. However, as years went on, I noticed it happened if I stayed in a hotel room and it has happened since I moved into my own newly built house so I definitley stopped believing that it was anything to do with old houses, etc. Then, I did some research into it and found out how common it was. Found that very reassurung but it still didn't help deal with the actual experince as it was happening. For me, when it happens, I can never open my eyes, move any part of body or scream/shout/make a noise even though I'm trying my hardest. It only happens when I sleep on my back which I only do if I'm completely exhausted. Also, as another poster described, I've learned now to tell when it's about to happen, even though I'm supposedly asleep. The sign that it's about to begin for me is that the bed and/or my body only own start to lift off the ground and spin uncontrollably around the room. For many times that this has happened, I've done my best to try keep my whole body held tightly to the bed or to call for help but neither ever worked. Now, I'm fully aware of what it is and so I just go with it but it's till very frightening. The only consolation is knowing that it will be over and nothing ever happens in the end. There is nearly always a presence of something else either in the room or about to enter the room. Another thing that seems to happen and I've a feeling that this is specicif to me, is that my mind tells me to try use all my strength to bless myself and then it'll be ok and sometimes, whether it actually happens or it's in the dream as I never seem to be able to move any part of my body, I think I manage to bless myself and then the persence goes away, the spinning ends and the SP stops. It happens less and less now and I do my best to ensure that I don't sleep on my back which, luckily is not the normal position that I sleep in. I think being aware, in your half concious state or whatever state it is that you are in, of what is about to happen and therefore just going with and realizing that you won't come to any harm makes it easier and also makes it finish faster.

JulietW

The solution to the awful sleep paralysis nightmares for me was never ever to go to sleep on my back. This sounds really simplistic but it has worked for me. I had sleep paralysis nightmares from the age of 18 until my mid 20's. I had variations on the same theme, something in the room, a dark energy creature which would slowly come closer to the bed. I could feel its hatered and that it was intent on killing me and then i would feel it trying to suffocate me. I would trash about in my head and fight as hard as i could and eventually i would wake up. Sometimes i would think i had woken up only to go straight back into the nightmare again. In college i even slept on friends bedroom floors to feel safer but it made no difference, the sleep paralysis happened anyway.
I eventually noticed that when i fully woke up from the nightmare i was always on my back, every single time. So the next night i made sure to sleep on my side or stomach and it worked, no sleep paralysis. It has been about 11 years now since i worked this out and i only have the occasional episode and its always because i accidently drifted off to sleep while on my back. Try this, i know it sounds simple but it worked and still works for me. I hope it works for you.

cocoshovel

Ive had a few experiences where I have felt a presence in the room with me but that was only about 2 or 3 times a few years back and they were no where as near as bad as what you say.

2011 has been the worst year for sleep paralysis for me, as in its happened most often. Seems to be happening at least once a month but sometimes up to 5+ times. For me it only happens just as Im nodding off, when I get abruptly awoken and find myself unable to move anything but my neck slightly. Its very hard and almost feels as if its fighting back trying really hard not to move. The thing that frightens me the most is how I always find it very hard to breathe, and end up struggling as hard as I can to snap my body out of the paralysis.

Past experiences I have felt heavily drunk as I nodded off and heard lots of shouting/noise in a strange language. I have felt and heard stuff in my room, and only thought I saw something about once before during this. But the strange thing is, it always happens just as Im drifting into sleep and never any other time.

Terry Cotta

I get this a good bit. As mentioned above it always happens when you sleep on your back.

I get the usual stuff - presence coming in my bedroom door, something climbing on top on me. It also happens for no reason in a dream when I interact with someone. If they touch me the paralysis starts and I wake up feeling a cold sensation where I was touched.

I'm fairly used to it at this stage and I usually just stay asleep. There's a very strange floating sensation if you don't fight the paralysis, especially when there seems like something is on top of you. Sometimes I even go asleep on my back on purpose just to feel that sensation.

If the paralysis freaks you out, just don't sleep on your back. Even if I'm sleeping on my side but slightly leaning back it'll happen.

LaVail

I have had a few of these over the years and I felt that they shook me up for a day or so after. Each time I had them I was in the middle of a nightmare, I could think really clearly and I kept telling myself to sit up in the bed or make a roar so I could wake up but each time I tried to sit up/roar I couldn't. I kept trying this over and over but all I could manage was a mumble and each time I tried to get up it felt like somebody was sitting on me forcing me down.

After reading some of the posts above about dreams/nightmares like this only happening while lying on your back, it was the same in my case. Each time I have had these dreams I was asleep on my back.

Also I have noticed that when I have these dreams/nightmares It always starts when I'm nodding off and I know it might sound weird but when I'm relaxed with my eyes closed and on my back I start felling a sensation of floating, then I start seeing random shapes or figures in the flashing colours inside my eyes (don't know if that makes any sense, it's hard to explain) Sometimes the random colours/shapes will start to resemble people running/horses jumping or other random stuff,