Sleep Paralysis

[Gmae]

Hi all,
Does anyone have any knowledge on sleep paralysis? It seems to be a difficult subject for me to get information on. I have found one website that talked about it, nothing more. I have had this for over 6 years now, and in that time it has really evolved. The thing is, when I read about the sensations people have in the beginning of an OBE, they are very similar to what I feel when having SP. Last night was the newest experience. (SP began as a very scary experience, over the years I have heard, felt and seen things, but also lost the fear and feelings of negativity with it. Lately when it happens, I just try to observe, be aware and see if I can learn something from it.) Anyway, since deciding the two (OBE-SP) are somehow connected, when it happened last night, I tried to go somewhere. I kept feeling myself floating up or over, then I would be back, wake up, then go back into it again. I lost count at how many times this happened. Then I made it to the end of my bed, and finally I felt I floated down the hall to the living room, but by the time I got there I couldn't see anything, so I snapped back. I don't know what I was doing.
Any ideas or info would be happily appreciated!
Namaste,
Gmae

[CFTraveler]

Sleep paralysis is what you get when your body is sending out the type of chemicals it uses when you're in the REM state, keeping your limbs paralyzed to protect you from sleepwalking or other dangerous activity. The problem arises when you actually wake up from the REM state but your body isn't done paralyzing you, and you find yourself still not able to move. It gets more complicated when your dreaming mind is still going and showing you (hypnopomps), that's where all the scary stuff happens.

For more detailed information, go to: http://www.sleepdisordersguide.com/sleep-paralysis.html

Now, some (most) of us in the AP field consider dreaming a local projection, that is, your focus of awareness is not in the physical, but in the objectified energetic continnuum (I think I just invented that term :shock: )- so the state of sleep paralysis (body asleep mind awake) is the perfect state to launch from to attempt an OBE exit or phase attempt. It all depends on energy levels and abilty to remain lucid throughout the process.

[Gmae]

Thank you CFTraveler. Over the years I have found a lot of the same information about what SP technically is, but haven't been able to find anything about a connection to OBEs. Since I haven't actually had an OBE, I didn't know if it was just wishful thinking that they could be closely related. It is exciting to know that it is a possible launch point! :D

[CFTraveler]

I'll be a wee bit more technical:
Those that have studied the OBE phenomenon have found that a projection usually takes place at around 4.5 Hz on an eeg. This is the part of the spectrum in which one goes from wake to sleep. This is called Theta, which in nature doesn't last that long, so many people just 'miss' the opportunity and go to sleep. Now, meditators and AP practicioners have learned to try to stay in Theta longer, long enough to be conscious while 'separation' takes place (depending which philosophy you follow); and this is the state where you normally fall asleep. The trick to prolonging theta (or to stay conscious during it) is to stay aware while your body goes to sleep- also known as the MABA (Mind Awake Body Asleep) state. It is from this platform that you try to induce an OBE.
Now, in sleep paralysis, you already have the 'Body Asleep' part of it done- now the trick is to control the mind, to be in the hypnopompic state (if you woke up that way), not be afraid and from then to try to project. I personally have had a couple of sp episodes that were very scary (you could write a couple of books with my scary imagination, lol) so I haven't yet mustered up the courage to ask the hag to help me out- but in other situations, when I have induced OBE the way I do it, and I have been able to stay up for the picture show, I have been able to engage hypnagogics to help me get out.
It's up to you how you want to proceed at that point, and to avoid negative experiences, it is good to ask for protection before you go to sleep or attempt to induce sp on purpose.

[Gmae]

Wow, that clears up so much! And also makes me want to ask more questions. :) When I first started getting SP, it was upon waking and was pretty scary. Then, after it happened enough times and finding out a little bit about it, it was just interesting to me, the bad feelings started to disappear and I got just strange experiences. Now when it happens, it is usually when I am falling asleep. This last time when it happened (after I had just started learning about OBEs, what they feel like, etc.) I kept trying to have an OBE. With every attempt, I didn't seem to get very far, I would wake up again, then try again. Eventually I made it out to my living room, but I don't know if that was real or not because by the time I got there, it was like I couldn't keep my eyes open. :shock: So, was that just my imagination, or could I have really had an OBE? (as soon as I got back, I woke up and went out there to see if I could confirm it somehow, but since I wasn't able to keep my eyes open while it was happening, I didn't have much luck with that. Except of course, that I had a strange feeling I had just been there...hahaha)

[CFTraveler]

It sounds like it could have been an OBE, since sometimes they are blind and dreamy depending on your energy levels.