[Dreamland]

Sleep paralysis occurs when the hypnotic part of your brain wakes up during sleep but the paralytic aspect of sleep is still active. In other words, that inner voice in your head wakes up and you can hear what's going on around you to a degree but you can't move your body. You feel heavy and paralyzed; very scary feeling but completely harmless, since most people experienced it at one time or another. The reason I'm asking this is because anxiety sufferers- a lot of people with dp have anxiety as well-seem to have this phenomena to a much greater extent. And what's ineteresting is that it seems like the opposite of depersonalization. You can't move you body but your conscience is definitely aware and screaming for help. With depersonalization you oprate as if your awareness is gone, completely robotic and not there, but your limbs/body/physical is working just fine.

 

[Shadow Cat]

I've never had that happen, but I've heard of it happening to other people. It seems to make sense that this would happen more to stressed and anxious people since they usually have some sleep problems. Slightly off topic, but I also heard that sometimes when you sleep, your body doesn't completely "shut off" and that's why people sometimes sleep walk.

 

[Rektchordz]

yo i get this basically every morning, along with rls, lucid dreaming, and obe's, doesnt bother me, sleep paralysis is a bit annoying but not scary, man lucid dreaming so amzing, i can fully wake up in a dream and walk around a place in my mind its soooooooo weird, i remeber when i woke up in my last one i was just walking around thinking this is like aving dp soooooo badly but its still fun, it sorta feels like ur on coke, ur really awake and exceited about where u are, and u can do what u like, being a young bloke sex is usally the first thing i go in search of hahahahahah what a cool weird reality. I have had bad experinces with it tho, like waking up in the dream and trying to convince everyone that i know im asleep and they all think uve gone crazy and look at u weird, those sort usally end up with me moving objects with my mind to convince people that im asleep its sooooooo weird. I know the cause for all my sleep probs is inge drinking and i think its something to do with the lack of magnesium in ya blood stream, i get alot of bangs and twitches just as im drifting off, which is to do with the rsl which is a pain in the arse, well legs actually im sure this sorta thing is more comen in people with dp, peace jay

 

[Guest]

yes, I've had sleep paralysis, and have experienced very intense hallucinations/ dreams while in this state. I've also experienced lucid dreaming, where you are aware that you're dreaming but are still asleep, and can direct in some ways the course of your dreams.

There was some famous philosopher or artist from the 1700s (? might have the century wrong) who had lucid dreams every night and documented them.

 

[Da'Burgh]

I've experienced lucid dreams before. Before DP/DR I kind of enjoyed them, but they frighten me now.

 

[peaceboy23]

To be honest I'm a little concerned....sleepy paralysis, lucid dreaming and things like that are signs of the sleeping disorder Narcolepsy. It is a treatable condition, and since it effects your mind and your sleep, it is possible that it could make your dp/dr much worse. After all, sleep effects the mind in a lot of ways, and those who are sleep deprived get mild dp/dr anyway. Narcolepsy can also be dangeorus, because you can fall asleep during the day, while driving, etc. If anyone has these types of symptoms, especially if they are falling asleep during the, defiantely see the doctor! (Sorry if i'm a bit of a downer here)

 

[Dreamland]

Peaceboy23- Sorry to burst your bubble but you're incorrect. Yes, people who have narcolpesy will go into a state called catplexy whereby their body becomes completely limp, they pass out, and are aware of their surroundings. Somehat similar, but sleep paralysis occure during normal sleep cycles, or an afternoon nap.

 

[Martinelv]

Yes, for as long as I can remember. Used to scare me as a kid (I remember at the age of about eight waking up with my face pressed against the ceiling, turning around and seeing my bed five foot beneath me!), but not as an adult, as I now what it is. It's harmless, and not an indication of something more serious. I kind of enjoy it now, much like a scarey movie. I don't usually get hypnogotic hallucinations, just now and again - hearing people shuffle around my room, whispering in my ears, that kind of stuff, and of course the famous buzzing/roaring sound. Very rarely visual hallucinations - balls of light and distorted shadows. As I've got older the content has switched to OBE's more and more, and they are cool.

 

[Guest]

I get sleep paralysis on occasion

Its a horrible experience

 

[peaceboy23]

Hey dreamland...I understnad that sleep paralysis alone is not indicative of narcolepsy, so no bubble bursted. just wanted to say if you have a lot of symptoms, then you might want to check it out. My mom gets sleep paralysis and she isn't narcoleptic...but I have sleep apnea and i know how lack of sleep and bad sleep can increase symptoms of dp/dr!

 

[Crumbles]

I have a funny story about this. I remember it like it happened yesterday.

I was at college in my psychology class, and we were watching a video about something....(for some reason I can't remember now...) and the sleep paralysis came on. They went over what it was and I remember laughing about it in my head.

Anyway, it was literally like the next day, I woke up quickly from a dream. It was one of those dreams where you fall really fast, or someone throws a baseball at your face, and you wake up JUST before you hit the ground, or the object hits you in the face. Anyway, I opened my eyes, took in a deep breath and for like less than half a second I tried to move my arms and they just didn't move. I freaked out for literally like half a second and then everything started working again.

I remember laughing out loud after it happened. It had to be a total mind thing. What are the odds that that has never happened to me EVER until that day, and it has never happened again to me. Just goes to show you how powerful our minds our. Stupid psychology class!