This is something that has been happening to me for years, but I honestly never really thought of it until now. Of course, now that I have thought of it, I can't stop thinking of it. Really, I'm just hoping that someone can tell me what's going on.
I'm sure many of you know of the phenomenon known as 'sleep paralysis,' where one cannot move because the brain is awake while the body is still asleep. According to articles I've read, the person often experiences terrifying hallucinations that cause them to feel as though they are in danger, such as someone else being in the room with them.
But, I'm not sure if what I've been experiencing can exactly be defined as 'sleep paralysis.' Although I often find myself unable to move, I've never dealt with the terror or fear described by others with sleep paralysis. It's a little bit difficult to describe, but I can sometimes sort of force my eyes open, and take a momentary look at what is in front of my face. When I wake up after, the images always line up exactly, which leads me to assume that one of three things is happening. The first option is that I actually managed to open my eyes through the paralysis. The second is that I just recalled it from an earlier memory and my mind re-created it.
However, the third option is the reason I came to this site.
I also read up on astral projecting not too long ago, and apparently, a form of sleep paralysis can often be the gateway to actual astral projection. Therefore, the third option is that I opened my eyes with my astral body rather than my physical one, which sounds kind of crazy in comparison with the other two options.
Of course, when I read that, I felt like I had to try getting out of my physical body the next time it happened. So I did. It may have worked.
It didn't happen again for a while after that, but when it finally did, the whole thing seemed to go off without a hitch. I literally just threw the covers off myself and marched around the bed in a circle. The room was completely dark (which was also the case when I woke up) but I had a pretty good idea of where everything was. The darkness was making me paranoid, as though something really creepy was going to turn up, so I went over to my iPod and picked it up, hoping to use it for light. Something told me it wouldn't turn on, and it didn't. I got irritated and threw it against the wall.
That's the only part I remember clearly. I'm pretty sure I went back to my body before waking up for real, but I'm not positive. Of course, my real iPod and covers hadn't moved.
The other time I made a conscious effort to get out of my body was actually just a few days ago, and it didn't appear to go nearly as well. I was taking a nap (I've realized this happens more frequently when I'm napping) when I realized I couldn't move. Honestly, I wasn't really in the mood, but I figured 'what the heck' and I tried to get out. This one was different from the first time though. Instead of just getting up, I felt more like I was floating up and I only got partway out before something snapped me back in. I was actually rather annoyed when I woke up.
Another thing I've found that happens with more frequency when I'm paralyzed is it's very easy to imagine feeling of being touched. (Not weirdly or anything, just being poked or petted). This can very easily incorporate itself into a following dream unless I get it to stop.
When I was little, I actually developed a tactic for waking myself up from this because being frozen used to scare me. It included 'relaxing' all my muscles, and then twitching violently and forcing my eyes open. I used to tell people that the trick was to twitch so hard in the dream that it happened to your body in real life.
I would also like to add that I've never actually felt threatened in any of these situations. I know I sort of already wrote that above, I just wanted to be very clear ^.^
Anyway, I mostly just want to know if this is a form of sleep paralysis, or if it could lead to the potential of astral projection. If astral projection is the case, how can I further develop it and get to the point where I can get out and wander around properly?
Thank you for reading!
KaalaLilee
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