New here. Not sure who reads this stuff, but looked like a place I could vent a little, maybe even get some feedback. As a kid, I had no idea what was happening, only that it scared the (insert bad word here) out of me. I was 12, things were rough at home, lots of things to could have contributed... I had gone to school all day and had a job in the evenings in a kitchen. I wanted to take a nap before starting my shift. I put a glass of water on the nightstand and proceeded to get comfortable. I heard a buzzing noise, it seemed like it was getting louder. I tried to jerk up, and realized I couldn't move. I could feel my body, hear my breathing, hear my thoughts, but I couldn't move any part of my body. It didn't take long before I began to panic. I wanted out. I keep trying, over and over again to jerk my head to the side. Wake up wake up wake up, I repeated in my head. I tried to talk, nothing but air. I could make myself breath harder, and faster, but no words would come out. I was screaming in my head. "Wake up!!" I remembered the glass of water. I could see nothing, but I knew it was there. I tried to move my arms. I think I scared myself awake. I sat straight up in the bed. It happened more and more frequently during my teenaged years. Always as I'm falling asleep. I became afraid to go to sleep. I tried to talk to my Mom, but she didn't understand, and past it off as nightmares. I became accutely aware of the noise, the buzzing that I always hear before I get "stuck". I am shaking now just thinking about it. That noise has become a monster to me. Sometimes I'm able to jerk myself awake when I first start to hear it and sometimes the jerking seems to backfire and pull me all the way in. All of this "activity" seemed to peak when I was 18. I became more concious of my surroundings while stuck in this half sleep half awake state, instead of darkness, I could see. Almost like my minds eye was filling in the blanks. Everything was in its place. I could hear my family members enter the room, and watch them move about. But I could not communicate in any way with them, no matter how hard I tried to get their attention. Then, one night, something entirely different happened. It started out the same, with the buzzing and the paralasis. I was just laying there, listening to the noise, hoping it would be over soon. I felt my legs start to lift off the bed, almost like I was starting to float, then my middle section came up. This happened 3 times. Each time I came further off the bed before waking up. On the third night I came all the way off the bed and floated into the corner of my bedroom. On a small table that sat in the corner of the room I noticed two small white objects that weren't there before. I focus on them, and seemed to drift down to their level. As they became clear, I recognized them to be two small ivory looking figurines. No bigger the a couple inches tall a piece. As I got closer, their shape became clearer until one resembles a woman in a cloak and hood and the other a man. I focused closer in on the mans face. As I looked at him, his face got brighter and more lifelike, color came to his skin. There was bright light behind him. As his face got bigger and bigger, I could see every line in his face. His facial hair, almost rugged. Soon I could see no more of the table, then the room. His face filled my vision. Then gone. I was back in my bed, sitting straight up, fully awake, completely dumbfounded. Two years later, I got married. We had our first child soon after. It hadn't happened again since the floating incident. I hadn't talked about it with my husband. I guess I hoped I was "cured". As suddenly as everything stopped, one evening it happened again. I was zoning in and out watching tv. I heard the noise and soon was stuck. My husband was on the floor below the couch. I tried as hard as I could to get his attention. When I finally woke, he asked me if I was having bad dreams. Said that I was moaning in my sleep. I tried my best to explain my experiences to him. He must have thought I was crazy. I couldn't figure out why it had gone so suddenly and hadn't returned until then. I can count on one hand how many times it's happened since then. Nothing for several years nows, until last night. I was watching a movie, not really into it. My husband had just come to bed and snuggled in next to me. We said out good nights and the next thing I remember was hearing the noise. I tried to jerk awake and found myself once again stuck. I could see my husband laying next to me. He wasn't asleep. I tried to talk, nothing but air. I made myself breathe harder, until I was basically hyperventillating. I could feel my chest raise and lower faster and faster, I could feel the air escape my mouth. I was panicing. That's all I remember. The next day my husband said, you did some crazy Sigorney Weaver ghost busters stuff last night. Suddenly I remembered. Oh my god. He heard me. He described my bretahing exactally as I had remembered it. Fast, frantic, almost hyperventillating. He said he was sure I was going to open my eyes at any moment and they were going to be blood red. He said he tried saying my name a few times and was afriad to touch me at first. He wasn't sure if I was having a bad dream or a seizure. When he finally touched my arm, he said my breathing calmed and I snuggled into the blankets and seemed to sleep comfortably. I've done some research on sleep paralasis. This seems to match what I am experiencing. My mind is awake but my body has shut down for sleep. Only automated breathing and eye control is left. The "buzzing" noise has been documented in many cases. I've considered writing a book about my accounts. Maybe it will help someone else suffering from the same thing. It is terrifying to be completely aware of your body, but have no control over it. I can't help but feel like I will stuck there forever.

its not really anything to worry about. sometimes irregular sleep patterns and stress can trigger it. perhaps you should ask a sleep specialist instead of an internet forum

Umm yeah... thanks creature for your insight. If I needed to go to a specialist... which I'm quite positive your not, I would go to a specialist. I posted my experiences here to help any others that might suffer from SP in the hopes that they would find comfort that their not alone. This is a terrifying sleep disorder that is hard to understand especially if you have not experienced this. Your response that this is not harmful is callus and misinformed.

i DO suffer from sleep paralysis from time to time, and once i under stood what it was, i could just relax and let it pass. thats really the key, at least for me, just to relax and let it pass. if you talk to a specialist they may be able to find what triggers them for you, or give you advice as to how to keep them from happening.

Ah, this exact thing would happen to me when I was about 4. They started when I moved to a house and stopped when we moved out. Every night it would happen! The dream that I woke up from when it happened was also a reccouring dream. I'd panic like crazy and once I got a bit of control over my body I used to try and speak to my mum, shout even. She says she remembers me just staring at her blankly. Not saying anything or moving. I dont think it's very normal because it does not happen to everyone, but I think it's quite interesting and we should kind of embrace the fact that we could probably leave our bodies.

I've posted an article on sleep paralysis in the Lucid Dreams section. It is actually quite common for people to experience this at least once in their lives.

If it happens frequently, maybe at least once a week, you can be treated with medication for it. Otherwise, the side effects of the medication aren't worth it.

I have a few nights not very many where I experience the lucid 'can't move dreams' and it's always triggered by the same noise which is a loud thump that sounds like a large animal nearby. When it happens I fight it until I'm thrashing out of my bed and when I finally do gain control I always (and it's quite frustrating) realize the noise wasn't real.

There's a condition called "exploding head syndrome" where you hear a really loud nose that wakes you up just as you are starting to fall asleep.

I wonder if what happens to you is related.

OMG!!! This is a situation I have been trying to create for myself for MANY years...!! This has NOTHING to do with dreaming AT ALL... Have you ever looked into something called Astral Projection or Out of Body Experiences? EVERYTHING you have just described here are harmless psychic experiences that lead to Astral Projection. (when you are able to percieve the world from a point of view other than from your physical body) You have ability you are not even aware of that I have been working to achive all my life. I have studied this subject for 17 years. I would not fear this at all. Let me see if I can try a couple explinations without frying your mind:

Not being able to move:
When your etheric body is exiting/entering the physical body there is LOADS of psychic energy flowing through EVERY enery pathway in your body. As this happens you will hear loud noises, having feelings of falling, not able to move, and even feel like you are pluged into a 1,000,000 volt light socket. These feelings and temporary sounds (which go away after an amount of control when you learn what they are and have no fear of them) are what people strive to have when attempting an OBE. (out of body experience) Most people have to train for years, some for months. Others just have a natral nack for it. LIKE YOU....

Seeing people that you knew weren't there:
In point of fact, they were REAL! Most people that have this ability also are very clairvoyant as well. I would guess you were looking at other astral travelers. They are people just like yourself in the "Real Time Zone."

Heart beating and heavy breathing:
when your etheric body leaves and explores, it is ALWAYS connected to the physical body and leaves an amount of consciousness and etheric material with the physical body to act as like a "guard dog." When your consciousness in the physical body becomes afraid and confused, that emotion gets passed to your etheric body as well doubling the fear and confusion. Thus you will be unable to move, noises will get louder and louder, you may feel vibrations get stronger, and may even feel tugs on your body as your etheric body is getting pulled in the direction of your body. In this case, your etheric body will try to stay away from what if frightening it and bull away (from your physical body). This is what makes the episodes last as long as they do when you try and try to get them to stop while this tug of war is going on.

There is alot to take in and I would have to type a book to explain everything. But if you only knew what awaits you with this ability. You are weightless so you can fly, you can walk through walls, spherical vision, travel anywhere in the UNIVERSE with a thought, and in cases even travel through time. There are more GREAT things to enjoy then there is to fear. And the things you are fearing now are the things most all Astral Projectors have to overcome at the beginning of the training.

I would recomend a book called "Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce" That will answer ALL your questions and get you on the path to using this ability to your benifit. You will no longer fear it, you will LOVE IT.....

If you have more questions just ask.

You are right these experiences (sleep paralysis and out of body experiences) are harmless, but they are often accompanied by feelings of fear, so it can be hard to relax and take advantage of them.

What have you been doing to try to create this situation? I've only experienced sleep paralysis and OBEs involuntarily.