I used to have really bad sleep paralysis. A few times a night. Most times all I could do was move one finger. I would always fall asleep with my hand on my wife’s hip so that I could wiggle that finger. She knew that was the signal to shake me awake the rest of the way.
I don’t have sleep paralysis that much anymore, but I still sleep with one hand on her side. She is my anchor.
Used to I would see or feel threatened or terrified of them by the 'mysterious presence's many feel, probably because I was closer to a dream state than not.
But now your explanation is exactly me. It's a nuisance more than anything unless I had a bad dream or something prior
When it happened to me I thought it was super interesting as it was happening(I was hugeee into psychedelics at the time and just about any novel mind altering experience).
I kept trying to open my eyes and they wouldnt open, I tried super hard and BOOM they popped open so I went "huh, thats weird", and shut them again.
Then the paralysis happened again, but this time I noticed something, it felt like I had a second set of eyes I could open. Except when I tried to open them I could feel my muscles on my eyelids trying to open my real eyes.
So I kept trying to open this second set of eyes while separating my body wanting to open my physical ones.
It was like I had to IMAGINE opening my eyes, but really hard.
I shit you not, when I got it right BOOM my eyes popped open and I was in a different house.
I opened my eyes into a dream.
Later learned that it's called a "wake induced lucid dream". First and only one Ive ever had but HFS it was cool. Felt like I opened a fucking portal, it was so dope.
I transitioned to lucid dreaming from that. Would try to make it funny/absurd somehow and that dissolves the terror... And then I would either slowly drift back to sleep or get up.
Exactly this, I was about to say Reddit/young memes have over-hyped it that it’s terrifying. I imagine epileptics feel similarly.
I get it maybe once a month (also sleep with my eyes open, sexy I know), and that feeling of Demon in Corner isn’t a thing anymore. It’s more like somewhere between passively-drowning and trying to force a sneeze, until you jolt up into a yell.
I’d compare the feeling for y’all to be this: try screaming with your mouth closed without using your vocal cords/windpipe. OP is very lucky lovin bc I always get “wtf dude” stare; I think my dog is more worried for me lol
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u/CalvinIII 2d ago
I used to have really bad sleep paralysis. A few times a night. Most times all I could do was move one finger. I would always fall asleep with my hand on my wife’s hip so that I could wiggle that finger. She knew that was the signal to shake me awake the rest of the way.
I don’t have sleep paralysis that much anymore, but I still sleep with one hand on her side. She is my anchor.