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Questions for people who have experienced sleep paralysis

posted 7 years ago by thulk01
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1) Does your mind feel like it's awake or asleep? What I mean is, when you're awake you are able to think rationally, make conscious decisions, etc. Whereas when most people are in a dream, they are basically unable to think rationally or solve problems and things like that. I am wondering if, while you're paralyzed, it's like being awake, or if it's like acting in a dream where you can't really "think"?

2) In this documentary they make it seem really scary. Is it ever something good? For example the girl gave the example where she felt like she was being raped. I wonder if a man has ever had sleep paralysis and felt like he was having sex with an attractive woman. Or, instead of seeing shadow people, you see cute animals or something else.

3) Building on the last question, do you ever feel more curious than afraid? For example a couple of them gave the example of aliens and thinking there were aliens in the bedroom. So I'm wondering why you would have to be afraid, rather than curious about the "aliens," wondering what they want, whether you can talk to them or send them telepathic messages, etc. I can see someone being afraid the first time or maybe even the first few times, but if you've been waking up and seeing aliens every night for 6 years, I would assume that at some point you'd just stop being afraid and would start being curious and trying other things instead, wouldn't you?

[–] cherrybombb 7 years ago

1. Your mind is completely awake, and this is the reason why people are so scared. When you're dreaming you're asleep so the fear you have in a "normal nightmare" is different. It's blurry and a part of you knows you're asleep, if that makes sense. However, sleep paralysis is different. You know you aren't dreaming, you know you're awake BUT you cannot move and then all these scary scenarios take place and it is *beep* scary.

2. In my opinion, the sleep paralysis kind of "plays off your fear" and so nothing "good" happens. Even when you can't see anything and you just feel a presence, it's always scary.

3.Like I said, it is always scary... You have no control of what is happening and you kind of start to think you're crazy. When these episodes happen the last thing I want is to "investigate" I just want to be able to get out of it and move.