too much horror shows/movies/books perhaps?

Thanks for the replies.
To address some of the questions..
No she was never attacked, so this isn't reliving an experience.
She has no cable TV, internet, or even time to watch scary movies as she works full time, and has a busy social schedule too.
She has alternate nights with either terrors or paralysis..not at the same time.

We are exploring the avenue of diet, as I pointed out to her, that if I drink anything with caffeine in it before bed, I have horrible nightmares.
She said she quiet often drinks a Dr.Pepper before bed..so I told her to stop and see what happens.
We'll see the outcome.

i don't normally get sleep paralysis but i was on some meds called amitriptyline which could make me induce them at high doses say 200mg+ yes i freaked out at first like wtf is going on and i pulled out so i had control over it... didn't see any aliens or nothing like that though

Directed dreaming techniques may help. Try to do some mental exercises prior to drifting off to sleep. Try closing your eyes and bring your hand up to your face.
Imagine you can see your hand. Tell yourself to look at your hands in your dream. Focus on that task intensely before falling asleep.
When you dream, try and bring your hand into focus. This exercise will have astonishing results, once you can actually accomplish it.
It sometimes takes a few attempts, but once you do it, you will gain a small amount of control over your dream state.

There are other techniques, but the one I mention is a very simple and effective beginners trick that really works.

Hello AccessDenied.

First off let me just say that I feel for your daughter - I have had sleep paralysis ever since early childhood so I can definitely sympathise. I will list a few aspects from experience that may or may not help:

1- I am 29 years old now. The worst times I ever had - coincidence or not - were when I was 19. It was hectic - the sounds, the feelings, it went so far as me feeling the clear, "real" touch of breath to my face's skin as things were being "whispered" to me in the dark of the night. It can freak you out beyond reason.

2- I still have sleep paralysis. It has even progressed into visual hallucinations (some rare times) but I'm not freaked out any more. I just take it for what it is.

I cannot tell you what the origin of SP is or what it means all I can tell you is that at some point I simply refused to be afraid of it. If your daughter has my condition then she will know that we feel when it is starting - a sudden sense of vertigo for lack of better words to explain it - at that point focus that you're not afraid, relax... calm down. Then just let it happen.

This is I know a pretty flimsy piece of advice it is not medical or scientific - it is just how I have dealt with SP. It worked for me.

I hope it helped some and I wish all the best to you and yours.

Cheers.

I think it just depends on ones personal thoughts at the time. If their alone in a dark room and start getting affraid or start thinking that there's something else in the room with them they may get nervous/scared and this would probably increase adrenalin until something actually does go 'creak/bump' in the night, then theres the atomatic assumption that its a 'other worldly' being of sorts that may have caused it, not that thier in a converted 1900 building.
My own experiences (and im 23) when im sleeping facing the wall (one side of my beds next to a wall, the other isnt) i sometimes get that spin chilling feeling that somethings behind me. And always being curious, i role over and 'loe-and-behold' theres nothing their. Its just self induced paranoia basically.

...And id only be worried when i actually do role over and see a Alien/Ghost thing. You know? But then id probably try having a little chat with it.

this subject has always facinated me, i have never had it myself but i can imagine it would be terrifying

Originally posted by InTrueFiction
H
1- I am 29 years old now. The worst times I ever had - coincidence or not - were when I was 19. It was hectic - the sounds, the feelings, it went so far as me feeling the clear, "real" touch of breath to my face's skin as things were being "whispered" to me in the dark of the night. It can freak you out beyond reason.


Cheers.

thats wierd because i was 19 when i used to get it.