After watching Rodney Ascher's The Nightmare last night, I'd be interested to learn if any of you Lushies have ever experienced the phenomena of sleep paralyis (If you're not sure what it is, watch the trailer below).
My wife suffers from it intermittently, has done so since a young girl. I have only experienced sleep paralysis once in my life, about three years ago.
Even though I knew about the phenomena, had read about it, seen other documentaries, I still found it a terrifying experience. It was not so much the inability to make my body obey me that alarmed me, more the intense vibrations that spread from my feet and up my body, until my head was vibrating as if a pneumatic drill was at work inside my skull.
I thought I was having a stroke.
But after watching The Nightmare, if only half of what these sufferers are reporting is true, seems I got off lucky.
Love to hear if anyone else has suffered the waking nightmare that is sleep paralysis.
Join the best erotica focused adult social network now
Login
The Terror of Sleep Paralysis!
Almost 70 and I still got it!
In my teens through my twenties, I'd wake up needing to shout or scream or warn but I wouldn't be able to open my mouth. I rarely remember my dreams so whatever led me to need to shout faded quickly. I'd wake up a little more and my jaw would unlock. Sometimes I made a noise but sometimes opening my mouth was enough.
It's funny, though, that after I learned that sleep paralysis was a thing, I completely stopped having those dreams.
It's funny, though, that after I learned that sleep paralysis was a thing, I completely stopped having those dreams.
Active Ink Slinger
This problem can be terrifying. I would wake up paralyzed and lying on my back with a feeling that I had to move and wake up fully or I would die. I would finally manage to move usually with a loud gasp. I used to think that I was the only one with this problem until I heard a radio programme about it and learned it had a name. I had cured it by then by lying on my stomach when I sleep - maybe this would work for others? I still periodically get restless leg syndrome though which is not as terrifying but irritating.
Active Ink Slinger
I've experienced it once a couple of years ago, even though it wasn't a fearsome visual. I could recall that I wanna scream and call for some help, but I couldn't. I couldn't even get up, even though I was half-asleep.
Often I experience jerks in the midst of my sleep, but this was strange ...
Often I experience jerks in the midst of my sleep, but this was strange ...
Trust people to be themselves...
Where I'm from, I first heard about it as, 'Demons riding you.' Essentially an entity sitting on top of you and holding you down, which makes the phenomenon even more disturbing.
Thankfully, I have never experienced it and hope never to. I could only imagine the shock of waking up to such could possibly trigger a heart attack or something related(Okay, I'm no medical professional, so I'm being hyperbolic... but still).
Thankfully, I have never experienced it and hope never to. I could only imagine the shock of waking up to such could possibly trigger a heart attack or something related(Okay, I'm no medical professional, so I'm being hyperbolic... but still).
My last published story: Good For Nothing
Quote by CarltonStJames
Where I'm from, I first heard about it as, 'Demons riding you.' Essentially an entity sitting on top of you and holding you down, which makes the phenomenon even more disturbing.
.
Interesting. It's like the old term "Hag-ridden" which has come to be used as meaning, "You look knackered this morning, mate.
I remember it first happened to me when I was in third grade. I thought I was being abducted by aliens, I was terrified that I was awake and could not move. It happened to me a few times in my twenties but has not recently. Sometimes I would wake people up because I would say "Help me" out loud after struggling to say something for a while. That movie looks good!!
"insensitive prick!" – Danielle Algo
I've never had this, as far as I can remember, and so maybe this is a silly question: is the paralysis real or dreamed up? As in: can someone wake you up and will the paralysis be gone if they do, or is there an actual inability to move?
I've woken up a few times in a deep hypo (low bloodsugar) where my body, or a large part of it, could hardly move, or only in a hardly controllable manner. Often combined with constantly going in and out of consciousness. This is very scary, since there's a chance you won't get out of it unless you're able to eat/drink something, which is very hard to achieve in such state and with no one around to help you with that. While these have been probably my scariest moments, where I've actually feared for my life, it's not sleep paralysis.
I've woken up a few times in a deep hypo (low bloodsugar) where my body, or a large part of it, could hardly move, or only in a hardly controllable manner. Often combined with constantly going in and out of consciousness. This is very scary, since there's a chance you won't get out of it unless you're able to eat/drink something, which is very hard to achieve in such state and with no one around to help you with that. While these have been probably my scariest moments, where I've actually feared for my life, it's not sleep paralysis.
=== Not ALL LIVES MATTER until BLACK LIVES MATTER ===
Quote by noll
I've never had this, as far as I can remember, and so maybe this is a silly question: is the paralysis real or dreamed up? As in: can someone wake you up and will the paralysis be gone if they do, or is there an actual inability to move?
I've woken up a few times in a deep hypo (low bloodsugar) where my body, or a large part of it, could hardly move, or only in a hardly controllable manner. Often combined with constantly going in and out of consciousness. This is very scary, since there's a chance you won't get out of it unless you're able to eat/drink something, which is very hard to achieve in such state and with no one around to help you with that. While these have been probably my scariest moments, where I've actually feared for my life, it's not sleep paralysis.
Morning, Noll. The above does not sound like a classic case of sleep paralysis. Having said that, the emotional impact you experienced appears identical.
Like I said in the earlier post, I have only experienced this on one occasion.
In my case, the paralysis was profound, my mind crystal clear. I was not dreaming. I wanted to call out so that my wife would attend to me, perhaps shake me out of it like you might push a car with a dead battery to bump-start it.
Think of it like those cases you read about when people wake up during a surgical procedure. From memory, I believe there are two aspects to surgical anaesthesia: a drug to paralysis the body, and another to render the patient unconscious. When the latter is inadequate, a patient can sometimes become conscious on the operating table. It is rare, but obviously not rare enough for those who have the misfortune to wake up while the surgeon is cutting and slicing.
From what I have read, when we sleep the body becomes somewhat immobilised in order to prevent it from acting out our dreams. You do read of cases where the opposite to sleep paralysis occurs, this mechanism fails.
There was a case in the UK a few years back where a bloke murdered his wife while they were both sleeping in their camper van on a commercial campsite. There was a bunch of rowdies in the field and he dreamed he was fighting with them — only it was his wife he was hitting. Some might say it was a poor defence for murder, but a bunch of experts were trotted out and — from memory — he was acquitted.
So that is an example of the usual fail-safe paralysis failing to do its job.
When I experienced the phenomenon I already knew about it, had seen documentaries and read articles. Even then it still terrified me. It was not so much the paralysis that alarmed me. more the sense of my entire body vibrating that accompanied it. Imagine holding on to a pneumatic road drill and you will get an idea of how it felt. I suspect this was subjective, that my body was not even twitching.
Some people claim that vibrations such as those I have just described are a precursor to a full-blown OBE (not the kind the queen pins on your chest). Robert Munroe in his books writes that this is how his experiences began.
If only I had kept my cool, maybe I could have "Far Journeyed".
"insensitive prick!" – Danielle Algo
Quote by LucaByDesign
Morning, Noll. The above does not sound like a classic case of sleep paralysis. Having said that, the emotional impact you experienced appears identical.
Like I said in the earlier post, I have only experienced this on one occasion.
In my case, the paralysis was profound, my mind crystal clear. I was not dreaming. I wanted to call out so that my wife would attend to me, perhaps shake me out of it like you might push a car with a dead battery to bump-start it.
Think of it like those cases you read about when people wake up during a surgical procedure. From memory, I believe there are two aspects to surgical anaesthesia: a drug to paralysis the body, and another to render the patient unconscious. When the latter is inadequate, a patient can sometimes become conscious on the operating table. It is rare, but obviously not rare enough for those who have the misfortune to wake up while the surgeon is cutting and slicing.
From what I have read, when we sleep the body becomes somewhat immobilised in order to prevent it from acting out our dreams. You do read of cases where the opposite to sleep paralysis occurs, this mechanism fails.
There was a case in the UK a few years back where a bloke murdered his wife while they were both sleeping in their camper van on a commercial campsite. There was a bunch of rowdies in the field and he dreamed he was fighting with them — only it was his wife he was hitting. Some might say it was a poor defence for murder, but a bunch of experts were trotted out and — from memory — he was acquitted.
So that is an example of the usual fail-safe paralysis failing to do its job.
When I experienced the phenomenon I already knew about it, had seen documentaries and read articles. Even then it still terrified me. It was not so much the paralysis that alarmed me. more the sense of my entire body vibrating that accompanied it. Imagine holding on to a pneumatic road drill and you will get an idea of how it felt. I suspect this was subjective, that my body was not even twitching.
Some people claim that vibrations such as those I have just described are a precursor to a full-blown OBE (not the kind the queen pins on your chest). Robert Munroe in his books writes that this is how his experiences began.
If only I had kept my cool, maybe I could have "Far Journeyed".
Mine was definitely not sleep paralysis. Low blood sugar ment certain parts of my body were cut off from the little energy that was left to preserve other parts, and that's not a smooth operation, but a rather brutal balancing act of survival. Arms and legs are not crucial body parts for, unless they're the only means to get carbohydrates into your mouth in order to get the necessary energy for your system to keep running.
While I can't comment on actual dangers related to sleep paralysis, you may be right about the emotional experience though. Since I had two of these experiences I described in a relatively short period, I became very much afraid to go to sleep for a while, as I'd lost all confidence in my body. Now my sleeping pattern, or lack thereof, has been a mess ever since I was a kid. But being afraid to fall asleep is a true wrecker. For a while I set alarms multiple times a night to check my blood sugar in order to make sure I'd notice issues before it would be too late.
Had to look up OBE.
=== Not ALL LIVES MATTER until BLACK LIVES MATTER ===
Active Ink Slinger
It’s claimed that sleep paralysis is the origin of Incubus and Succubus stories. Discussed this in one of my stories. Sounds terrifying. The closest I’ve come to this is a bad dream which was very difficult to wake up from. I remember trying to wake myself up several times before it was effective.
An old favorite story of mine: The Chaise Lounge
Easily amused
This stuff fascinates me. I listen to this crazy paranormal/conspiracy theory/UFO radio show late at night, and they talk about it a lot. Sleep paralysis presents as The Old Hag, who shows up, in the corner of your room, or the foot of your bed, and then sits on your chest and paralyses you. The weird thing is, the description of the Hag and what she does is so similar, every time, and it crosses cultures, and eras. She's an archetype, and one strongly tethered to the experience of sleep paralysis.
The also talk about it being a gateway to out of body experiences, and remote viewing. The incubus and succubus as well.
Thank God I've never experienced it. It sounds absolutely terrifying.
The also talk about it being a gateway to out of body experiences, and remote viewing. The incubus and succubus as well.
Thank God I've never experienced it. It sounds absolutely terrifying.
Tintinnabulation - first place (Free Spirit)
Comet Q - second place (Quick and Risqué Sex)
Amnesia - third place (Le Noir Erotique)
Quote by Ensorceled
This stuff fascinates me. I listen to this crazy paranormal/conspiracy theory/UFO radio show late at night, and they talk about it a lot. Sleep paralysis presents as The Old Hag, who shows up, in the corner of your room, or the foot of your bed, and then sits on your chest and paralyses you. The weird thing is, the description of the Hag and what she does is so similar, every time, and it crosses cultures, and eras. She's an archetype, and one strongly tethered to the experience of sleep paralysis. They also talk about it being a gateway to out of body experiences, and remote viewing. The incubus and succubus as well.
Thank God I've never experienced it. It sounds absolutely terrifying.
Thanks, Jeff. That late-night radio chat show you mention sounds the perfect way to finish a day.
We should all give ourselves some slack, let ourselves off the rational lead from time to time to sniff and at the edges of consensus assumptions. Even though we don't have to swallow every impossibility we come across, such talk can often lead us re-assign the boundaries of what we consider possible — it only for an hour or so.
than
You're probably already aware of the painting below. I've posted it for those who are not. "Sitting on your chest paralysis" couldn't be more explicitly rendered here than by Fuseli in his famous painting.
I too am grateful to have never endured such an experience. Phew!
