For many years I have experienced episodes of Sleep Paralysis. I understand that medically this means the hypo-thalamus does not signal your central nervous system to go to sleep at the same time as your brain. I believe this to be the cause of what happens to people who experience Sleep Paralysis but I do not believe all experiences are the imagination.
It was 1996 and my daughter was four years old. Once again, as so many nights before, I found myself awake inside my sleeping body, only to hear my daughter calling out to me with her spirit. However, this time was different. She said, "Make the spirit go mommy." I reached out with my mind and saw through the common wall separating our bedrooms. I had encountered ghosts before and that is not what this was. It was hovering over her bed. I commanded it to leave her and in that instance it was beside my bed where my sleeping body lay. I commanded it once more to go but it didn't. I reached out with my spirit to "push" it away, and once again commanded it to leave. It "felt" cold and hot at the same time. Upon "pushing" the entity, it left. Early the next morning at roughly 6:30am, my four year old woke me only to say, "you made the spirit go mommy."
She and I have shared many experiences ever since, to include waking visions which were premonitions and ghostly encounters as well.