Hello everyone,

I am new to this board and would like to share some of my experiences and hope that someone could shed some light on some of the unexplainable things that had happened to me while growing up.

From around the time I was 15 to 17 years old, I experienced sleep paralysis almost on a regular basis. It's very hard to describe. It feels like there's this heavy, oppressive weight bearing down on you while you're sleeping. It always occurred at night and happened when I laid on my back, very fatigued, and ususally between the stage where you're still awake and about to drift off into sleep.

The paralysis seemed to last several minutes (approx. 5 min) but I'm thinking it was more like 15 seconds. I can't move - not even to turn my head or open my mouth to scream. It just seemed so real. I like to think that I was fully awake during these episodes because I was keenly in tune to my surroundings - the few times when I did have my eyes open, I could see the dark outline of my room as well as the moonlight streaming in from my bedroom window, and I could hear the sound of the air conditioner running.

But the one thing that I remember most was the humming in my ears. It would start off really low and then gradually build to an almost deafening sound. This is probably what scared me the most. When I told my mom about it, her advice to me was to say a few quick prayers during these episodes to see if it would help. However, whenever I did, the sound would only intensify. And the more I tried to fight it and resist it, the worse it got and the longer it lasted. I realized that struggling against it was useless. Since I'm paralyzed, I can only wait it out and let it pass. And when it does pass, I am fully awake. Not even the least bit groggy.

However, I have noticed that the minute I hear sounds or sense movement coming from any one of my family members in the house, such as my mom getting up to use the bathroom, the "spell" gets broken and everything is back to normal. Strange.

One other time, I actually had this sensation of being slowly dragged across my bed. Of course, I couldn't move, and it scared me to no end. I was yanked from a deep sleep (not between stages). And when it happened, I was completely conscious of my surroundings. Just when I thought I had hit the edge of the bed and about to fall, the paralysis breaks, and I snap my eyes open, only to realize that I was nowhere near the edge and that everthing was normal. Like as though it had never happened.

I shared my bedroom with my 2 other sisters, but I was the only one this had happened to. And it was only under this house that strange things had happened to me. It only went on for about 2 years until I was about 17 years old.

When I moved out of that house and left for college, it stopped and I never experienced it again since.

About 10 years have passed, and I have always wondered about all those sleep paralyses I had at my old house. Were they just bad dreams I had? A medical condition? Was my bed haunted, if not the house? Or something more? It's unexplainable and I really don't have an answer for it. Around that time, I was younger and believed in ghosts and so my mind just naturally concluded that it had something to do with the paranormal. I'm more of a skeptic now and have attributed those events to a physiological/medical cause.

If anyone has or had any similar experiences, please share your stories. It has always bothered me not knowing for sure. I'm sure there's a plausible scientific explanation for it, but a not so small part of me think otherwise. I don't necessarily need definitive answers or proof (although that would be great). I would just like to know I'm not the only who went through this and that it wasn't a product of my overactive imagination.

Sorry for the long post.

Thanks to anyone who can provide any insight.

Catherine

[ April 18, 2004, 04:02 AM: Message edited by: Catherine ]

Hi Catherine, nice to meet you.

That was quite the experience you had. Not sure if this will help, just a little food for thought.

I am still trying to determine if a dream I had was in fact just a dream or more (post of man in mirror). From the replies others also feel like I do, that it was more than a dream, just not sure what. I have done some reading since and found an old tape I have from a Coast to Coast show that was on OBE's. What you described sounds like this was the start of an OBE or part of one at least based on what was talked about on the show and some of the info I have been reading. The guest on the show talked about some of the sensations that can happen as you have or are about to have an OBE. The humming in the ears and the feeling of not being able to move were both mentioned. I've read the experience can be longer and more involved or very short and quick.

Perhaps that is what this was?

Cat =)

Yep, lol! I was reading your post, & thinking OBE, Catherine.
Could be, maybe, if you weren't afraid & were undisturbed. Completely relaxed, you might've had a full out of body experience. From what I gather, you can sort of navigate after you're out.
Not quite sure whether I've had one myself before or not. Maybe I've just been on the verge. I've had a plethora of strange sleeping experiences.

If you do a search with Google there is a ton of different information out there on the topic...
What I could find on avoiding them is this.->

How to avoid sleep paralysis:

· Get lots of sleep

· Avoid sleeping on your back

· Try to maintain a regular sleeping pattern/schedule

· Reduce and avoid stress as much as possible-( yeah, right =P )

· Try to get regular exercise

· Eat a healthy diet

[ April 18, 2004, 11:25 PM: Message edited by: hallowseve ]

Hi Catherine,

I myself had had the same experiences as you. I would be totally aware of my surroundings, but unable to move or speak. One morning i seen a man in black standing in my doorway and tried to yell "HELP ME" to my boyfriend lying next to me, but the words just wouldn`t come out. Another time i seen a hand slowly crawling up my bed and couldn`t do a thing about it. VERY TERRIFYING.
I did also have the ringing or high pitched sound in my ear, but only on two occasions when i could see and feel the bed sink down beside me as if some spirit was there. I was also paralyzed during these two occurances, but could still hear my family talking downstairs. Like yourself i scratched it up to sleep paralysis and am just grateful that i havn`t had an episode in about six years.

Paranormal?...I don`t know. I`m just glad i don`t have them anymore. I can say one thing though. At the time they occurred with me , i was going through an extremely stressful time in my life.

I have had numerous paranormal experiences in my life, but never considered these to be one. So l too am curious and open to any comments on this.

hallosweve,

Thanks for the good advice. During the time they occurred, I learned the best way to avoid such episodes was to avoid sleeping on my back. I noticed that when I'm overtired, I tend to sleep on my back with my arms thrown over my head - very BAD. It's almost like an invitation for the paralysis to sneak up on you sorta speak.

It's been over a decade. I don't get them anymore. And yes, I still sleep on my back - even when I'm exhausted. But no sign of it ever coming back.

Last week I posted about my sleep paralysis episode (which thankfully hasn't been repeated!). My husband had numerous bouts with this while in college and had awful hallucinations to go along with it. Last week was my first time to experience sleep paralysis, and it certainly was not pleasant.

Catherine, your experience does sound a lot like an OBE. I have a friend who has experienced numerous OBE's, some of which sounded pretty neat.

Interesting stories guys!

I've had sleep paralysis episodes (rarely), and they are similar to what you folks have posted. They only seem to happen if I'm lying on my back, and when I have them they're usually early in the morning when I'm drifting between asleep and awake. I've heard the buzzing, or rushing sound, and although I can see my surroundings, sometimes I see things that aren't really there, as if my mind is superimposing an image over what my eyes are seeing. I chalk it up to being in a half-asleep stage, where my mind is dreaming but half awake at the same time.

I always wonder if OBEs are related to this. I've never had an OBE (to my knowledge), though sometimes I'll have a floating sensation when I'm lucid dreaming, but usually I don't see anything, since if I open my eyes I wake up.

Sure sounds like OBE to me...certainly not possession. Sometimes we have the capacity to experience moving from the , what I'll refer to as real time,,,into the dream time. Since the dreamtime is in another body, we experience a feeling of paralyasis in the physical. I, too, know the terror of seeing someone out there,,and feeling like there is nothing I can do. The sound you seem to hear is the sound of the beyond...which can change if you take the time to just listen to it....quite wonderful! Interesting that this experience is no longer happening for you. If you are more interested in OBE you can achieve them through meditation-especially Jyoti meditation...or Shabd Yoga (lots under google).