Sleep paralysis an astral experience, not a brain malfunction?

Hi all,

Since I started reading about OBEs and sleep paralysis, and the link between the two, I came up with an idea that sleep paralysis isn't just the brain waking while the body is still asleep, but you are actually stuck in your physical body, while you are in the astral plane in your astral body. Your physical body is completely asleep like it always is each night, but you have become aware of your astral body and have become stuck in the transition to leaving your body which happens every night without most of us knowing. Some people know that this is an ideal condition to have an OBE.

During sleep paralysis, most people say they are completely paralysed, yet they can move their eyes and look around. What I believe, is their eyelids are closed but they're seeing with their astral eyes. The reason I believe this is the case, is my experience during my recent episode of sleep paralysis. I was asleep under the sheets but when this occurred I could see through the sheets, and I could see the door and walls of my room clearly, even though my room is pitch black at night. I could also see an entity that came into my room (I have detailed this in my other thread here). I also think that I was forced into sleep paralysis by this entity so it could help pull me out (I think it must have known I was learning about OBEs).

As for the beings people see next to their beds etc. I've heard that in the astral plane, any negative thoughts will manifest in front of you. I think when people experience sleep paralysis they get scared, because it is scary for people who don't know what's going on and these "demons" appear because either they feed off fear and negative energy, or they're just manifestations of the person's fear.

People also see ETs, mainly greys during sleep paralysis. I am pretty sure the greys do have the the ability to paralyse people , as there have been cases of people being abducted while in broad daylight and being unable to move. I think though that a lot of the encounters people have with greys are part of this fear manifesting while in sleep paralysis. They could also inhabit the astral plane and appear that way.

So yeah in conclusion I don't think sleep paralysis is a malfunction between the brain waking and the body still asleep. I think the astral body is what is aware when this occurs, and something happens during the transition from physical to astral that sometimes causes people to get stuck.

Anyone have any others views on this?

well, i haven't had sleep paralysis much, but i've often wondered if i was REALLY awake or not...

it'd be cool for someone to record themselves sleeping, if they become paralyzed often, to see what one actually does physically during sleep paralysis!

i've actually been waiting for the chance to enter this state again so i could "play" around with it, like maybe have an OoBE, but i haven't had it in a while - i wonder if there's a way to induce sleep paralysis...

EDIT - i just came across this:


i think the guy mentions that she took "Effexor" ( ) ...her eyes aren't open, and she's breathing kinda fast like i was; the first time it happened to me, when i didn't understand the concept of sleep paralysis, i remember my breathing was fast... also, i remember yelling "HELP!" to my wife, but all that came out was moaning like in this video!

i swear it felt like my eyes were really open when it happened to me, though...

maybe they weren't!

[edit on 10-5-2009 by adrenochrome]

Good synopsis...I agree for the most part..But I believe in demons

I'd really like to record myself next time I have one of those experiences. In my case, I actually feel myself "floating" and "spinning" away from my sleeping body, followed by an electric shock sensation in my neck. You know how when you contract your muscles to a certain point they start to tremble? That's how my neck feels.

It's very strange. I just hope i'm not having some type of nocturnal seizure or something.

An interesting opinion indeed!

It's funny that I've found this topic today as my last experience was last night/this morning, I am currently unwell which might go some way to explaining why it happened but I woke to hear my flatmate going to the bathroom, I screamed and screamed for help but got no response, in retrospect, considering my paralysed state, I don't think I was making any noise at all.

I personally believe the demons are manifestations of our fear rather than real demons or perhaps something else entirely. The reason I don't believe they are demons is that during my first episode of sleep paralysis the demon wasn't a demon, it was my dog who I had been dreaming about before waking. I woke in a strange position, it felt like I was falling slowly and got it in my mind that I was crushing my dog and I could feel his teeth on my arm in response. This sensation of his teeth faded away as I gained control of my body. The following times I've experienced this there has been no demon or entity of any kind present to my knowledge, just paralysis and panic.

Even though it has happened many times in the last few years I am still unable to be rational and calm myself, its as if that part of my mind is paralysed as well as my body.

reply to post by dmorgan


Great point !!!!!!!!

I have experienced sleeping paralysis a number of times and had never thought of it that way before .

A bit off topic here , I once saw some documentary that supposedly taught one how to enter sleeping paralysis .

They said in that movie that if you lay still long enough the mind sends a trigger to the body to move or twitch , or whatever , as a means to see if the body responds , there by telling the mind your still awake . However , if you refuse the temptation to react to the trigger sent from your testing brain then you will enter S.P

reply to post by Max_TO


I've heard that too. My brother told me about it, and I actually tried it a couple of nights. It seemed to take a very long time for me and I never got to the SP stage, usually because I just gave up through boredom

It probably is worth trying again though, thanks for reminding me

The next time I experience S.P I will remember this post and see if the experience is any different as a result of a change in how I perceive what a S.P is .

Originally posted by Max_TO
reply to post by dmorgan

 

They said in that movie that if you lay still long enough the mind sends a trigger to the body to move or twitch , or whatever , as a means to see if the body responds , there by telling the mind your still awake . However , if you refuse the temptation to react to the trigger sent from your testing brain then you will enter S.P

I know that feeling. Most of the times when i lay too long and can not fall asleep i have feeling/visulization of a ball that is goin to hit me. Then my body twicth and i fall asleep.

I'm not one for much in the way of spiritual matters, but I have seen a few UFOs in my life. So I'm not totally adverse to the notion of the paranormal. That stated, I do not believe every case of sleep paralysis is just some mental abberation. If ETs are here, and I've seen enough indications of it to think its a reality, I believe some sleep paralysis is indeed extraterrestrials subduing humans by some means while they observe/experiment on them.

I have no opinion on astral projection, but I do not rule out the possiblity of it being a reality.

[edit on 10-5-2009 by Frith]

As an ex-believer in astral travel (insert blushing emoticon) and an occasional sleep paralysis experiencer, I disagree with the 'astral' explanation. The same reasons why I disagree with 'astral' applies to demons also.

I've had sleep paralysis, on and off, since my early teens. Back then, I thought of ghosts, demons, evil presences and whatever else as I tried to make sense of it. I'm a rational guy and they were the reference points I had at the time. Later on I read a lot of the literature about sleeping disorders at University.

Whilst at Uni, I had a period where I couldn't sleep. I found out that a mental exercise can bring sleep quickly. Control your breathing until it's deep and relaxed. With your eyes closed and on your back, imagine you have a deep 'nothingness' beneath you. Now imagine that you are falling downwards into that void and that it represents unconsciousness and sleep. You can feel yourself getting sleepier and losing consciousness and then you're out.

It took me weeks to realize, but this method caused incidents of sleep paralysis several times a week. It was fairly unpleasant and I stopped doing it...incidents diminished. Cause and effect...

The literature on sleep paralysis and similar sleeping disorders recognizes that it is the lack of 'quality sleep' that leads to incidents. Too many late nights, too much stress, broken sleep patterns can all cause it. The mind is in such need of sustained REM sleep that the limbic system loses synchronization with the higher functions (or vice versa) of the brain and 'switches off' the body.

This brings me to explain my reasoning behind accepting sleeping disorder as a more accurate diagnosis than 'astral travel.' People claim astral travel is possible for people with heightened awareness or higher 'vibrational frequencies.' Others suggest that the soul has reincarnated enough to be aware of itself and leave the mortal shell. Whatever reason is given, it seems unanimous that 'spiritual awareness' is necessary for it to occur.

I've experienced floating around, leaving my body, attacks by 'demons' etc. I've had a classic experience where an 'oobe' involved meeting a Yogi/Guru that told me deep things about life. When I have regular, quality sleep none of these things happen. It seems counter-intuitive that at our most exhausted we have 'astral' adventures. Is our spirituality dependent on fatigue? Why don't they occur when I'm sleeping deeply and regularly? If there's supposed to be demons, then why are they rendered powerless by a good sleep pattern?

There's no reason to tie these experiences to spiritual, astral or demonic explanations. Reasonable and tested explanations cover all aspects of the events.

Waterloo Sleep Paralysis and Waking Nightmare Project

Fear-Induced Hallucination: How Sleep Paralysis Triggers Hallucination

In almost a year, I've never had a reply from this section on the SP subject. Too many people would rather believe that are transcended, psychic or spiritually aware than read rational alternative explanations (supported with evidence). Spirituality and empathy are not dictated by what occurs when our eyes are closed at night

iv done some APing...actually alot when i was a little but younger, the two pretty much go hand and hand. When im expiriencing sleep paralysis its because iv have just become fully aware and awake but my physical body is not...you should read rivergoddess thread and theres a couple of other....sorry no time to get the links right now

hi i had sleep paralysis once...only once. i opend my eyes and saw a bloke on my keybourd. it was a tall bloke and i stared at him for about 30 seconds and he kiked me and dissapeard... i couldnt move in the duration lol...it was strange.. i dont think it was asteral cus an alien wouldnt kik u wud it lol

Hi All,

I have been experiencing spontaneous astral travel for the last 18 years. However, I have only very recently experienced my third sleep paralysis incident. On this last occasion I became conscious of a voice whispering in my ear and became aware that I was totally paralysed. I was not afraid, but very annoyed and tried to yell out to my partner but knew that I couldn't be heard. From experience, I knew I was 'in the astral' and I could see my room although my eyes were shut. The voice was trying to tell me that I had to sign something, which at the time, I had no idea what it was talking about. The sleep paralysis wore off after about 2 minutes but before it did, I was amazed at how every thought I had materialised in front of me, like watching a TV screen. I was quite amused by that.

Turns out, 2 days later, my son told me that he had forgotten to ask me to sign a permission slip for his school and he was worried that he might miss an excursion.

Go figure! A helpful astral entity? Makes a nice change from the nasty ones that used to bother me!

I don't believe that this is just a medical phenomenon. I do believe in the energy body or consciousness of every human and its ability to leave the physical body.

Dobbie

yeah that video in my post up top is really interesting...

i bet she can see the guy talking to her, and she feels wide awake, but it's just that she can't move, and her eyes are CLOSED, not open!!

that's what i find weirdest about this, is that during my sleep paralysis, i swore my eyes were open, but apparently they were closed!!

i don't think sleep paralysis is a bad thing, and i agree with the other member that broken sleep patterns might attribute to it. i kinda doubt every SP experience is alien induced, but i'd imagine that it would be a possibility during an "abduction" - however, i think most "abductions" are when someone has sleep paralysis; the mind is an incredible thing, and we can materialize objects in front of us during SP, which is the whole reason i want to have it again ASAP to "play" around with it, and possibly astral project...

Sleep paralysis is strange but i dont think its paranormal in the slightest.The only time i get very bad sleep paralysis that i can remember is under the influence of certain things.I say remember because like many dreams sleep paralysis is actually quite common although not usually remembered by the next morning.

Originally posted by Kandinsky


I've experienced floating around, leaving my body, attacks by 'demons' etc. I've had a classic experience where an 'oobe' involved meeting a Yogi/Guru that told me deep things about life. When I have regular, quality sleep none of these things happen. It seems counter-intuitive that at our most exhausted we have 'astral' adventures. Is our spirituality dependent on fatigue? Why don't they occur when I'm sleeping deeply and regularly? If there's supposed to be demons, then why are they rendered powerless by a good sleep pattern?

Your basing your opinions on a point that's not really true, people can have sleep paralysis at any time and at will. Sleep paralysis is the main way people experience AP, they aim to get sleep parlysis to experience AP, so of course that means people can do it at anytime not just when exhausted...



[edit on 11-5-2009 by _Phoenix_]

reply to post by Max_TO


I haven't had SP in years, but when I did get it in my earky 20's, I was so bloody petrified of the demon/presence/ghost/figment of my imagination sitting on me I really couldn't have rationally analysed it! You are a brave soul!

Sleep Paralysis occurs naturally in EVERYONE during Stage 5 REM. It is called hypotonia when it occurs regularly during REM. It is a natural function of the hormone melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) in the body to stop the depolarization current in the nerves, preventing the stimulation of the muscles, to prevent the body from enacting the dream activity. The disorder of Sleep Paralysis is when one awakens prematurely from Stage 5 REM while their melatonin levels are elevated, and encounters panic sometimes accompanied with hypnopompic or hypnagogic hallucinations.

Narcoleptics tend to experience Sleep Paralysis disorder much more than most because they skip the initial cycles of REM sleep (N1-N2-N3-N2) and often skip at least 2 of the 4 normal NREM Cycles in between REM states. These NREM Cycles are crucial as they provide time for the hormone melatonin to build up and later decrease in the body, allowing one to wake normally from hypotonia without encountering Sleep Paralysis.

The presence of abnormally high levels of the Dimethyltryptamine ('___') and Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HTP) have also been found in those encountering abnormal Sleep Paralysis as opposed to normal hypotonia as well.

Those who Lucid Dream, and are consciously aware of their physical surroundings as well as their dream state, tend not to encounter the disorder of Sleep Paralysis. This is most likely due to being able to willfully disassociate their Kinesthetic (Proprioceptive) Body from their Physical Body...and also probably why those who finished puberty at younger ages tend to Lucid Dream more frequently than those that don't.

Being Narcoleptic myself, I have experienced Sleep Paralysis quite often and frequently. As a very young child I experienced panic the first time it happened, but have never experienced either hypnopompic or hypnagogic hallucinations along with it (or OOBE/Abductions if you prefer). After the first time I never gave it a second thought and it became quite normal for me. Over time I came to the conclusion that Narcolepsy itself wasn't a disorder as it allows me to finish the same number of Sleep Cycles a "normal" person would get from a full night's sleep in about 3 hours. This allows me much more waking time to live and be productive when compared to most. No sir...NREM, I don't need it.

As for the Astral connection...we all connect Astrally during REM. Problem is, unless you are Lucid all the time, most may not consciously recall it...but your sub-conscious mind is experiencing it nevertheless. When we experience Sleep Paralysis, our conscious mind is aware, whether it experiences Lucidity in REM or not and recalls those experiences normally. Even though I have Astrally Traveled thousands of times outside of REM, I'm not entirely convinced that it is anything other than a conscious awareness of bi-directional communication with our sub-conscious mind or if it really is something external to ourselves. I've Astrally met wise people and those who speak languages that I do not consciously know (or have ever encountered) and who possess knowledge I do not consciously possess...however, as we still know little about that 9/10ths of our brain, it is still too early to conclude that Astral experiences are anything external to ourselves.

Well, there is always next lifetime, isn't there? Understanding the mysteries isn't something a few books will resolve, nor untrained questionable 'experiences.' AP has a few very necessary rigors to uncoil it's secrets, and no tyro is going to achieve it.

SP, like everything, has two sides to the coin. There are also two very different types of people, some with spirit potential, others with concrete limitations. Only one kind can reach the guidbook of being; the rest must remain clueless.