Silk Road forums
Discussion => Newbie discussion => Topic started by: WebDevGal on May 17, 2013, 05:26 am
-
I've been having the occasional sleep paralysis event where I partially wake up but can't move or speak. It's terrifying because most of the time I feel like I can't breathe either. I can hear things going on like if my partner is running the water in the bathroom etc., but I can't yell out or even make a sound. I try to roll myself off the bed so I'd wake up, but nothing works, if I calm myself.
I've used a fair variety of drugs, in moderation. opiates & xanax fairly regularly. does are very low and no needle use. It happened before the xanax so I'm wondering if it's a symptom of opiates? any ideas?
-
I have learned sleep paralysis has such weird symptoms and stuff because it has something to do with astral projection, but other then that I have no clue, I dont wake up in the middle of downer sleep lol. But you could also just not be completely and totally conscious and be in a sort of "consciousness limbo" if you will, but these are just guesses.
-
Sometimes it just happens to people. Like stated above it's something that happens before astral projection in Lucid Dreaming. Maybe you could look into lucid dreaming and possibly learn to control it more? I'm not sure if it's necessarily a side effect of drug use.
-
This also happens to me from time to time, particularly when I am taking afternoon naps. I am not too experienced with astral projections and lucid dreaming, but a more experienced friend told me that sleep paralysis can be the first step towards an astral projection. I am definitively going to explore further astral projections, since I've heard that they are wonderful, mysterious experiences.
-
Basically, dont freak out about it, its not dangerous, The most logical explanation to me is that your consciousness hasnt completely shifted awake. Your brain is awake and completely aware but your body is still asleep so to say. That is how one achieves a successful astral projection so it makes sense. I really wanna learn how to astrally project efficiently, as the closest I've gotten in meditation is my entire body vibrating intensely and when I made it to that point I kinda freaked out and snapped out of meditation cause It feels fucking nuts for real, but I def wanna experiment more. Usually its harder for younger, healthier people, as their connection from their "spirit" to their body is stronger than say a 80 year old person.
-
Your brain releases hormones to prevent you from acting out your dreams.
Sometimes, your body keeps releasing these hormones despite the fact that your consciousness is already out of 'dream mode'.
This usually happens when you have an effed up sleep schedule. Opiates absolutely exacerbate this if you are prone to it.
It's not a good feeling at all, it's fookin scary. They say that the best thing to do is to focus on a toe or a finger and try to move it, or just remember that you're prone to it and calm down till your body realizes your brain is awake. Don't freak out, you won't get stuck, keep telling yourself it will be over in 10 minutes tops.
My ex used to get it real bad to where he could hardly breathe. It sucks. It's not wonderful or mystical in the least.
-
WebDevGal, I've had the same experiences most of my life so I totally know what its like: utterly frightening, and sometimes even knowing it was happening made it a worse panic, but it's a horrible situation to be in. Everything around you is crystal clear real, you feel 100% awake, and can't move an inch. Trying to move and realising you can't makes it feel even more real (and feeds the fear).
I'm not a medical doctor so am just sharing experiences and thoughts, but my experience makes me sure this isn't a result of drug effects. I started using low dose opiates only last month...Xanax around 7 years ago.
My sleep has been messed up since I was a kid (had a lot of trauma when I was a child), so bad I ended up in a sleep clinic a few years ago, but there was nothing wrong with my brain I just had some 'sleep disorder' thing. I was on ambien for a few years (which worked ok, up to a point), anti-depressants forever (some worked but the side effects were always worse than the positives).
I'm now on Seroquel, which I've been on for one year, and no problems with sleep at all: most importantly, I can dream...
However, it's only through a psychiatrist recommendation that I was able to go on Seroquel (it sure does knock you out, gets you sleeping for a good night), and I didn't get a prescription for Seroquel only cos of sleep troubles.
I like the astral projections idea but I think that's more for Lucid Dreaming than Sleep Paralaysis - I've had lucid dreams, and the feeling there is really beautiful and I have controlled these for a brief time, such that I'm really in the dream, and it's been amazing; everything around you is ordinary but vivid, colourful, happy. There is a slight feel that you could end up being in that place forever, but it's temporary.
Sleep paralysis, however, is just not nice and feels totally uncontrollable; I'd be interested in knowing anybody who has actually been able to control it.
Hope you find a way through this that works for you cos its scary as hell.
-
this happened to my father back in the 80s when he was prescribed a medication for migraines. he got really bad sleep paralysis with hallucinations. they took him off the medication and later he found out the medication was taken off the market. i have heard of this happening to people without drugs/medication as well.. besides that fact that it can be scary while its happening i don't think its harmful. unless its disrupting your sleep on a regular basis i would try not to freak out about it when it happens which i'm sure is easier said then done. you could try stopping the benzos and opiates for awhile and see if it goes away. i know both can affect sleep patterns but whether or not they cause sleep paralysis i'm not sure.
-
You probably have sleep apnea!
I get those occasionally too, only mine have the added component of having the sense of an evil entity in the room - evil spirits. It's common with sleep paralysis, but I told the asshole doctor at the clinic, and she was completely ignorant of the subject and assumed I was just crazy.
Good luck.
-
OP, allow me to shed some light. I have not experienced sleep paralysis myself but I have researched the phenomena in length and have come to understand it quite well, and it's definitely not what you think it is. It has nothing to do with drugs or medical conditions and everything to do with metaphysics and the nature of reality.
The people who have been saying it has something to do with astral projection are correct. Astral projection and lucid dreaming are two branches of the same tree with the main differences being your state of wakefulness. Lucid dreaming occurs after you fall asleep, and you remember that you are a human being while you dream. This allows you to gain conscious control of the dream world. Astral projection is the process of moving your consciousness into your "astral" or "energy" body from a wakeful and aware state. Once your consciousness has been moved into your astral body, you can then wriggle your astral body free of the physical, float around your room, fly, see your physical body lying there, etc. There are countless people who have learned how to do this consciously, but you may find it interesting to learn that we do this unconsciously every single night while we sleep. While projection and lucid dreaming are closely related, sleep paralysis is a by product of the mechanics of astral projection, and the way we 'work' as human beings.
Sleep paralysis is due to the fact that we project every single night, most of us are just not aware of it. Our energy body loosens and usually just sort of mirrors and freely floats very close to our physical bodies every time we sleep. At some point the energy body reintegrates and we wake up later none the wiser.
Sleep paralysis occurs when a person wakes up while the energy body is not integrated with the physical. While you are lying on your bed paralyzed, you are actually in the middle of an astral projection! Your consciousness is inside of your energy body, and your energy body is outside of your physical body. This does not mean that your mind has 'left' your physical body though .. it has just made a fully functional copy .. and here's where things get a little, erhm ... a bit perplexing.
The reason you are paralyzed is because your machine (your body) is not fully operational. Your energy body is a part of your machine, and must be fully integrated with your physical body before your machine can be put to any kind of use. The energy body attaches to your chakras and acts as a conduit between the physical and non-physical energies, and thus full energy body integration with the physical is required for operating waking life.
The second aspect of the paralysis is the mind split. While you are paralyzed on your bed, looking out from behind your physical eyes and aware of it all, you are also inside your energy body, floating around your room, checking stuff out, probably having a good time doing it, and your astrally projected copy is fully aware of the experience it is having, simultaneously.... but the kicker is that neither will be aware of each other. (Like I said ... perplexing)
Here's the concept : When you project astrally, YOU will leave your body and be fully aware of everything you experience while at the same time experiencing things from the perspective of your physical body. The problem is, having two copies of yourself experiencing different things at the same time. Our minds were simply not built for this, and often times people will go through the meditations, experience the symptoms, and actually project, but will be under the impression that nothing happened, because they were not able access the memories from their projected double when it re-integrates, and the only thing they remember is sitting in their living room, even though they DID project, fly around their neighborhood and had a great time. Any experienced astral traveler will tell you that the most important part of projecting is the ability to 'download' the memories which your projected double experienced after re-integration, otherwise you will not even know that you projected! This is much like using a dream journal to recall dreams, where unlocking one memory seems to unlock more and more, exponentially.
Often times, people will report feeling a "presence" or an "incredibly ominous" or "fearful" feeling during sleep paralysis. You did not mention this in your experience, but a lot of people do. This can be easily explained and I think it sheds interesting light on the subject.
When people wake up paralyzed, and feel a "presence" in the room with them .. they are correct, because there is a presence in the room. It is your astrally projected copy. Now, like I mentioned before, the astrally projected copy will probably not be aware that it is a human, or has a body .. etc. So, when you wake up on the bed paralyzed, a natural response might be to become fearful or anxious. Although your astral copy is probably not aware that it has a body, it is still connected to the physical body, and as you lie on your bed feeling fearful and anxious, these feelings are instantly felt by your projected copy as well! Your projected double does not know what is happening, all it knows is that it suddenly feels fearful and anxious, and is violently being pulled towards something (your bodies desire to re-integrate with the energy body) while meanwhile you lie on the bed paralyzed, fearful and not knowing what is going on. A feedback loop of anxiety is created between your physical body and your energy body as both sides resist what is happening to them with all their might. Neither knows what is happening and both are scared.
Sometimes this manifests itself as the feeling, or perception of a malevolent presence in the room with you, but this is not the case. It is an expanded version of YOURSELF in the room with you, and your own choice to feel fear is what manifests itself as something which you fear, ie) an "evil" or malevolent spirit.
Soon enough your energy body is reigned back in and re-integrated with the physical, at which point you will be able to move again. Sometimes re-integration requires falling back asleep for a short time, but not always. If re-integration happens when you are asleep, you have no chance of accessing any shadow memories from your projected double, and thus will have no idea what really happened. Your chances of remembering are higher if you stay awake until you can move again, but if you have no experience with astral projection your chances of accessing anything from 'the other side' are very, very slim.
If you want to delve deeper into this and gain more control and understanding of it, then you definitely need to study and apply astral projection. The best books I have ever found on the subject are written by Robert Bruce. He talks about all this stuff in great detail. Check out his book 'Astral Dynamics' for all of the science and theory behind projection, and if and when you are ready to voyage beyond your body, pick up "Mastering Astral Projection : A 90 Day Guide to Out of Body Experience".
Hope this has been informative.
Good luck!
-
TRON: Awesome fucking info man, I love the way you put that in words, it could help me with my own astral projection practice, my goal is to get good enough and feel comfortable enough with it, that I can transfer massive amounts of physical energy from the Earth into my astral body, thatway I feel super safe. Then I would go straight to the moon and see what the fuck is goin on at that sketchy ass satellite... lol
-
And I am guessing that most people that have had lots of sleep paralysis would be very good at astrally projecting, or better than me anyways, I have whacked out sleeping schedule where I will stay awake for like 3 days in a row sometimes. But I think pepole will feel much better once they come to accept that the sleep paralysis is completely natural and I would say almost a sort of "gift" (genetic, maybe?) and should not be seen as negative. Sometimes, especially on hardcore trips, people will think that they arent breathing at all but they really are, and panicking worsens the feeling I am sure. I cant explain why, have just seen it happen and have felt it happen once.
-
deep a dream journal
-
Tr0n, thanks so much for your great post and the references to Robert Bruce. Astral projections is something I definitvely would like to master.
-
sorry didn't have time to read through the thread but..
it could be the opiates doing it.. just recently I had a panic attack in the middle of the night (woke up hyperventilating and felt like I was having a heart attack) and I'm pretty sure it was from taking opiates
I have also had sleep paralysis after taking opiates but mine was never too bad.. I would just be paralyzed for like 30 seconds or so
-
Your brain releases hormones to prevent you from acting out your dreams.
Sometimes, your body keeps releasing these hormones despite the fact that your consciousness is already out of 'dream mode'.
This usually happens when you have an effed up sleep schedule. Opiates absolutely exacerbate this if you are prone to it.
It's not a good feeling at all, it's fookin scary. They say that the best thing to do is to focus on a toe or a finger and try to move it, or just remember that you're prone to it and calm down till your body realizes your brain is awake. Don't freak out, you won't get stuck, keep telling yourself it will be over in 10 minutes tops.
My ex used to get it real bad to where he could hardly breathe. It sucks. It's not wonderful or mystical in the least.
You're absolutely right Aktion. I've experienced this a lot, and it isn't all that awesome. It is a bit scary when one first experiences it, but the key like you said is to NOT FREAK OUT. And yes, opiates can make it worse. I know from experience.
As far as my experience, I would relax, concentrate on moving my fingers and within seconds my body would awake. Now that I've experienced this for quite a few years, it almost goes away instantly without me trying to wake up my body. My brain knows when it's in this state and triggers my body to wake up. It also happens less and less as I get older.
-
MrChinoCat, its cool that you have learned to sort of control your sleep paralysis, and that you know not to panic.
-
I used to get it frequently after using MDMA in the days prior.
-
MrChinoCat, very pleased to know it can be done :-D I always just freaked out.
Is it possible to actually create a paralysis situation by taking a drug like ketamine to go into astral projection - or what they call 'k-hole'. I know it's different as you aren't waking up from a sleep (or trying to), but...
...I'm pretty much a novice about loads of stuff drugs do, but just wondered if it was a same/similar thing?
Peace :-)
-
TRON: Awesome fucking info man, I love the way you put that in words, it could help me with my own astral projection practice, my goal is to get good enough and feel comfortable enough with it, that I can transfer massive amounts of physical energy from the Earth into my astral body, thatway I feel super safe. Then I would go straight to the moon and see what the fuck is goin on at that sketchy ass satellite... lol
Glad you found that interesting. You could take Astral projection a lot farther than the moon, but that would be a good place to start ;)
I've been interested in this stuff for years but I didn't really pursue actually doing it until I tried DMT. Smoking DMT can be very overwhelming and I would rather ease myself into a dimensional shift than get launched from 0-60 like that. I have basically put down the idea of breaking through on DMT until I able to break through without it. Then in comparing the two experiences I'll be able to tell if I even still need to smoke DMT.
The journey continues. Robert Bruce helps.
Peace !
-
Why do you people believe you have "energy bodies"? The only body I know is purely physical. I have experienced sleep paralysis before (together with the evil entities present) but I see no reason to believe those experience and the accompanying hallucinations were anything but the products of my subconscious mind. Probably related to my sleep apnea too.
-
MrChinoCat, very pleased to know it can be done :-D I always just freaked out.
Is it possible to actually create a paralysis situation by taking a drug like ketamine to go into astral projection - or what they call 'k-hole'. I know it's different as you aren't waking up from a sleep (or trying to), but...
...I'm pretty much a novice about loads of stuff drugs do, but just wondered if it was a same/similar thing?
Peace :-)
I have no idea if you can take a drug and go into astral projection??? Probably! I know for me it was a natural thing, and I don't think it was astral projection. I am by no means an expert, but as I understand it astral projection is much more than just separation of mind and body. It's that plus projecting oneself, not physically but mentally.
-
jahbless, our "energy field" is our life force, It is there, regardless if you can see it or not (there are some people who can physically see peoples aura's, which give off different colors depending on the type of energy you are putting out.) On some psychedelic drugs you can see and feel energy waves, at least I can. Basically, just because you cannot see something in front of you, do not simply dismiss it
-
Tron make a lot of sense here. I've never done opiates in my life, but plenty of the usual MD* for almost 19 years now (and still all functional!). However sleep paralysis, particularly the Monday/Tuesday nights after the weekend madness were always a serious problem. Zopiclone (even 3.5mg) completely eliminated the problem and allowed me peaceful sleep. After a night or two, reducing zopiclone to 1/4 (1.75mg) or completely altogether brought me back to normal sleep.
-
Why do you people believe you have "energy bodies"? The only body I know is purely physical. I have experienced sleep paralysis before (together with the evil entities present) but I see no reason to believe those experience and the accompanying hallucinations were anything but the products of my subconscious mind. Probably related to my sleep apnea too.
How do you know you have a nose? It may seem like you have a nose, but how do you know that your nose is real? Do you need someone with more data on the subject to confirm that you have a nose?
Sound silly? That's because you know you have a nose. It's not really something that needs to be verified, proven or dis-proven. You know you have a nose because you can see it, feel it, and can use it to breathe and experience the sense of smell. It is an intrinsic part of you which you do not need confirmation of. You just know that it is there.
This is the same way I know that I (and you, and him and her, and all of us) have energy bodies which are not physical. It is an intrinsic part of me which I can feel, and use. The difference here is that the energy body is not readily apparent. Awareness of the energy body is something that must be cultivated, but reaching awareness of the energy body is a lot easier than you think.
You can manipulate your energy body without astral projection, moving energy around, finding blockages, etc., and this is the easiest and most accessible way for people to familiarize themselves with their energy bodies. Once you are able to consciously interact with your energy body and derive physical sensations from it (just like you do with your nose), then you will know, just as you know that you have a nose, that you indeed have an energy body.
For more information on your energy body and how to use it, look into Robert Bruce's book "New Energy Ways".
-
Your brain releases hormones to prevent you from acting out your dreams.
Sometimes, your body keeps releasing these hormones despite the fact that your consciousness is already out of 'dream mode'.
This usually happens when you have an effed up sleep schedule. Opiates absolutely exacerbate this if you are prone to it.
It's not a good feeling at all, it's fookin scary. They say that the best thing to do is to focus on a toe or a finger and try to move it, or just remember that you're prone to it and calm down till your body realizes your brain is awake. Don't freak out, you won't get stuck, keep telling yourself it will be over in 10 minutes tops.
My ex used to get it real bad to where he could hardly breathe. It sucks. It's not wonderful or mystical in the least.
You're absolutely right Aktion. I've experienced this a lot, and it isn't all that awesome. It is a bit scary when one first experiences it, but the key like you said is to NOT FREAK OUT. And yes, opiates can make it worse. I know from experience.
As far as my experience, I would relax, concentrate on moving my fingers and within seconds my body would awake. Now that I've experienced this for quite a few years, it almost goes away instantly without me trying to wake up my body. My brain knows when it's in this state and triggers my body to wake up. It also happens less and less as I get older.
Yeah. Our large muscles are paralyzed during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is the intense dreaming phase of sleep, so we do not hurt ourselves by acting out our dreams. Sleep paralysis is simply a remnant of that, and it will go away after a short time. No idea about the effect of opiates on this, but it it seems plausible to me. And the stuff about it being related to astral projection is very interesting.
Sleep well.
-
That sounds terrible.
-
First off thanks so much for all the responses.
the astral projection/lucid dreaming is interesting as I read those Carlos Castenada books a teenager and experimented with lots of lsd back then, so my minds pretty open to that kind of thing, however the sleep apnea thing makes sense. One of the more frighting aspects to the sleep paralysis is having no control over your breathing. it feels like I'm suffocating, I try to scream can't. I try to move, to roll myself off the bed to wake up my body, anything. it's horrible. realizing it's happening and being relaxed enough to use it as a gateway for lucid dreaming or projection would be a great solution if it weren't for the feeling of not being able to breathe. But I will try... :)
I've weaned off the opiates for the most part now. (kinda what the xanax was for)... still happens...
You probably have sleep apnea!
I get those occasionally too, only mine have the added component of having the sense of an evil entity in the room - evil spirits. It's common with sleep paralysis, but I told the asshole doctor at the clinic, and she was completely ignorant of the subject and assumed I was just crazy.
Good luck.
-
I first had sleep paralysis when I was 14. Since then it`s something that happens from time to time. Lucid dreaming began a little after that too. They are surely related phenomena but lucid dreaming is more.. well.. dreamy lol.. You are aware you are dreaming so you enjoy it. Even frightening dreams aren`t really frightening, but they surely make an impression. Sleep paralysis is an awful feeling. Once I kept trying to scream or say something and my partner heard me moaning and screaming (when he told me that I was like: MAN why didin`t you shake me or something, I was obviously not fine LOL). The more it happens the more you know it`s happening when it happens, so now they don`t scare me anymore. From my experience, pscyhiatric drugs induce sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming (or exacerbate them in those who are prone?). The drugs mirtazapine and quetiapine are the ones that gives me the worst paralysis but also the nicest lucid dreams... But they go away with time and as tollerance builds up. SSRIs like paroxetine makes me remember and live all of my dreams intensely and they are all coded with bizarre symbols and stuff (once i even kept a dream diary to try and decode them later). It is actually wrtitten on that folded piece of paper with info that comes inside the box (don't know the word in english now, someone tell me please) that it can cause "strange dreams". These drugs really mess with your head. Much more than what people are led to believe because of prohibition policies. I have never felt so weird on acid, X, K, or anything else as I do on those prescribd meds.. scary shit :o
How do I get out of a sleep paralysis: I kinda concentrate enough (as if i'm charging like in an rpg videogame lol) and them realease this "energy" all at once trying to turn on bed or to move an arm or something... It usually works after one or two tries, when it doesn't, I usually go back to dreaming and keep cycling between dreaming and being paralysed until I finally wake up. I tried the projections many times, you go walking around your house or other places and stuff, but I'm inclined to believe they are hallucinations made up of inconscious material and your recollection of (or how you imagine) the spaces, because sometimes the space I see doesn't match what should be there. With time it gets tiresome and boring.
How to avoid it completely (it works for me): benzos (with the exception of alprazolam wich paradoxicaly makes me more anxious). Especially when taking these other prescribed drugs that makes you drowsy but not sleepy (i.e. quetiapine knocks me out but doesn't really makes me sleep. So i combine it with clonazepam).
Sorry for some mispelling as English is not my native language. ;D
PS? apnea probably has something to do with it cause sometimes I wake up grasping for air :P
-
research 'lucid dreaming', that's what it is and can be amazing.
bottom line is though, its probably happening because you haven't been sleeping enough in general.
it's only ever something ive experienced after caning it for too long with club drugs and when my immune system and circadian rhythms were totally fucked.
its a sign you're in bad shape physically and mentally, unless you're meditating to induce it!!
-
well webdevgal it sounds like sleep apnea to me....its happen to me before it went away.....i think......its scary read about it......has this happened before you ever did drugs or completely recent?
-
caffeine gives me sleep paralysis.
-
Sleep paralysis was a major part of how my PTSD manifested itself when it was really bad.
I generally get it now only when I am seriously out of balance in some way.
Took some time to learn how to control it and how to "flow" through the wave of panic that hits you when you are sure you have gotten out of bed at least 10 times in the last 60 seconds, but lo and behold, you are still drooling on your pillow trying to wake yourself up.
I've not found one drug that helps and withdrawal from any of them generally increased the risk of me experiencing an episode.
Of course, YMMV.
Namaste.
-
wow guess thats why i dont have m anymore i treat my ptsd with medibles! i sleep like the dead! bad joke but seriously!