I experienced Sleep Paralysis

[mat black]

The experiences of paralysis that people have discussed here can have meanings that most of us may not be conciously aware of.

We have karma, and part of the effects of past karma may manifest in such ways as sleep paralysis.

 

That's why i suggested to recite Namo Guan Shr Yin Pusa.

 

Also, for a reliable explanation of the possible causes of sleep paralysis and the wonderful help that is available, this set of audio discourses by Master Hsuan Hua is good to listen to.

 

Highly recomended

http://www.drba.org/online/audio/sutra.asp@CatalogID=13.html

Edited June 20, 2008 by mat black

[karen]

In sleep paralysis, the body is actually paralyzed, with no ability or very limited ability to move muscles or open or close eyes. In sleep, the ego and astral bodies disengage from the lower etheric and physical bodies, so that the anabolic processes of the lower bodies can be restorative without the catabolic influence of the upper bodies. (Waking consciousness is catabolic).

 

Without waking consciousness, the sleep state has a rudimentary form of consciousness, in which energy streamings from the metabolic forces are predominant. When people experience whirling sounds or have various visual or auditory experiences in this state, it's this consciousness at the lower pole of our being. Without the upper consciousness, we can't mobilize our will forces to move our muscles, so we're paralyzed. If we weren't paralyzed, during dreams we'd actually be acting them out physically.

 

On waking, sometimes the ego/astral (waking consciousness) doesn't completely re-engage with the etheric/physical, and for a moment you can experience a kind of consciousness which is more vegetative. Sometimes this happens when there is a profound inner development going on, with the various subtle bodies adjusting their relationship to one another. The upper ego needs to take command of the lower bodies, and often that process is disrupted in our early development and isn't completed. So later on there is a continual working out of the proper relationships.

 

People who are prone to sleep paralysis often find that it happens during periods of intense spiritual development, or when they are going through intense healing. When I experience it, sometimes I don't have enough consciousness to take any action, and it just resolves on its own in time (which probably amounts to just a few seconds although it can feel like longer). If I can bring some consciousness to it, I just relax into the breath and it becomes a profound experience of trust.

 

When I first experienced it in my 20's, it was terrifying.. the lower consciousness has a primal fear. Over the years the experience shifted as the inner relationships are shifting, and it hasn't happened for years now.

 

Along the same lines, I've also had the experience of waking up from a nap, sitting up and looking around, but having no idea what I'm seeing, for a couple of seconds. The visuals are there, but there is no sense of orientation in time or space, and no interpretation of what I'm looking at (figuration). Interestingly it's a similar phenomenon as sleep paralysis, where certain functions of waking consciousness haven't quite all returned yet from their cosmic sojourn.

Edited June 20, 2008 by karen

[styrofoamdog]

That's interesting what Karen said, and a lot of it reflects my experiences. Sometimes after practicing meditation and being in an energized state, after I go to bed I'll experience it. It happens right after I fall asleep, and I hear vibrations, feel trapped, and then feel myself shaking away from my physical body. I can try to stop it, but I usually start to vibrate out of it. I try to cling to my bed, but I feel like I'm being dragged out. I've never fully separated. It's a shocking experience, and when I manage to snap myself back to my body, I wake up. Only a few minutes have passed, and I feel like I've been sleeping for hours. And after I snap back, I can still feel the vibrations and hear them as well. If I'm not careful, it's easy to go back fall back into it again. It has only happened to me while I've been laying on my back.

 

I've had lucid dreams and that sort of thing, but this is quite different. It feels as real as anything else, and there's not the same dreaming element. Fantasies don't come to life, and such. I'm not someone easily scared, but this can get pretty intense and frightening.