Most of us are familiar with the phenomenon of sleep paralysis. For those who have never experienced it, words might not be enough to convey exactly what this terrifying sensation is.
Of course, feeling like you have lost control of your body is a terrifying thing indeed. Catching yourself off guard while you sleep only intensifies the terror. But the thing is, if you are willing to look beyond the horror, you’ll discover that sleep paralysis can free you in an amazing way, even as it binds your body.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of sleep paralysis, it refers to the state in which you find yourself torn between sleep and wakefulness, losing the ability to control your body, including the ability to speak, move your hands, or other body parts.
When this happens when you are falling asleep, it goes by the name of hypnagogia, whereas if it occurs when you wake up, it is called hypnopompia. The reason a person experiences a loss of control and is unable to make any kind of movement is due to their muscles becoming extremely weak.
This phenomenon is known as muscle atonia. These are the main characteristics. However, depending on the individual, you might also experience a sensation like electricity coursing through your body or hear rumbling.
Sleep paralysis is a scientifically proven phenomenon, and one of the explanations involves our Rapid Eye Movement or REM sleep. When we enter REM sleep, our body’s muscles are completely induced with muscle atonia, so we lie still and don’t start enacting our dreams.
If we are suddenly or violently disturbed during REM sleep, we might experience sleep paralysis. Some other reasons range from anxiety, migraines, and sleep apnea to narcolepsy. So if we wake up suddenly and our muscles are all paralyzed, what does our brain do?
It immediately paints us with a worst-case scenario that makes us believe there is a demonic presence in the room. This is necessary for our survival, as it triggers the fight or flight response.
As we can see, fear is our body’s natural response to a sleep-paralysis situation. But what if we can look beyond the fear? That is when we can utilize this admittedly scary phenomenon to allow us to have an out-of-body experience.
If you are brave enough to conquer your fears, you might be able to start your own lucid dream state and even enhance your dream memory. When you feel that you can no longer control your physical body, turn your attention towards your spirit, your soul.
Although conquering the fear associated with sleep paralysis is undoubtedly challenging, the benefits can be worthwhile if you are able to push your boundaries.
When you overcome your fear of a presence in the room by logically analyzing your symptoms and tricking your brain to think beyond the fear, you will find that you are better able to project yourself outside your body. It would not come easily and cannot be achieved in one sitting, but it has definitely been shown to work.
Even though science has not yet accepted astral projection, it does acknowledge sleep paralysis. And there are many people who have successfully used sleep paralysis as a starting point to enhance their astral experience.
People have reported that they have very clear memories of what happened when they had an out-of-body experience while undergoing sleep paralysis. If you are one who wants to experience it too and has frequent sleep paralysis attacks, learn to change your fear into an accessory.
