On Sleep Paralysis

August Elizabeth Ann
Jul 18, 2017
3 min read

My experience with sleep paralysis.

Sleep Paralysis. While many people may have heard of it, there are people who live their whole lives suffering with it. I had heard a few things about sleep paralysis over the course of many years, from friends and just from coming across articles. I didn't gain interest in the matter until I experienced it myself. There are a few supposed explanations out there.

If you search for sleep paralysis in Wikipedia, the definition it's the body's response to being woken during REM dreaming, therefore the body's muscles are still "asleep" and cannot move. Also, since you're interrupting a dream, it gives an explanation as to why people see supposed "hallucinations" during sleep paralysis. Some studies say you're more likely to experience this phenomena if you sleep on your back, have extreme anxiety, or abuse substances.

Other people believe there are more spiritual things going on during sleep paralysis. Some people think that sleep paralysis has something to do with connections to other worlds. I have heard people say that other dimensional creatures, ghosts, even demons are what may cause it. Instances that make you wonder if it's true: people who have never met, who have never researched sleep paralysis, often see the same visions. This could simply be proving that while every experience is different, the human brain seems to create the same kind of scenarios in our subconscious. Or does it truly point to something darker?

Something interesting that I've noted from looking into the subject, its seems like sleep paralysis is something that can be opened up, like a door. For example, a man tells his friend about his sleep paralysis, she researches the subject. Suddenly, she seems to be experiencing sleep paralysis as well. Is it because the mind now has that notion inside it? Is it because that person has opened a door in their life to allow the paranormal in?

I cannot remember the date of my personal experience, but it happened this year, in 2017. I remember going to bed feeling very tired. I don't sleep on my back, in fact I "woke" still on my stomach, but I slept on the side of the bed closest to the window at the time. I remember having a dream, or what I thought was a dream, that there was someone outside our bedroom window. I heard a tapping noise, that's what woke me, and was sure there was someone there. As I went to pull open the blinds and take a peak outside, and realized I couldn't move my arms.

There was no deep heaviness on my chest, or feeling of malevolence, but the feeling of not being able to move, is absolutely, mind numbingly terrifying in itself. I remember trying to cry out, or even force out a whisper, to my spouse to help me. But no matter how I tried, I couldn't move, couldn't make a sound. Somehow, though, the rational part of my brain was comforted by the fact that I at least had someone else in bed beside me.

I started trying to rationalize with myself to keep me calm. I could see most of my bedroom, (and because I had heard a few things about sleep paralysis before) I was ready to see a shadow, or feel something holding me down. Thankfully, none of that happened, I focused on my breathing, and my inner Beatrix.

In case you don't know, Beatrix is Uma Thurman's character in Kill Bill. In the movie, after being paralyzed, she focuses on wiggling all her toes, eventually making herself mobile. That's what I did, focused on relaxing and reminded myself "If you could just wiggle your toes, then you'll be alright." Eventually, I was able to wiggle my toes and fully wake.

It took me ages to fall back asleep that night, afraid it would happen again. It's been months since my one and only episode of sleep paralysis, and it honestly still haunts me. To this day, I can't sleep alone, terrified that I'll wake up paralyzed, with no one there to help me, and no comfort beside me.

So what do you think? Is sleep paralysis our souls, trying to leave or be pulled from our body? Is it a demonic or malevolent presence purposefully inflicting pain or fear? Or is it really j