Sleep Paralysis - Connected to Astral Travel

[Lynn]

Hello

What are your thoughts on Sleep Paralysis being connected to Astral Travel ?

When it comes to Astral Travel there are so many layers to what happens to us on the mental plane we exist on that part of our life controlled by the physical brain that makes us function and that other part of us that Soul part that hold the spiritual part of our subconsciousness.

Its a wonder that we can ever sleep with all that can go on. When we try to learn to Astral Travel there are episodes like sleep paralysis that come into play. Yet at times we do not understand it all.

What is below is what I have learned over the year, so they are my thoughts on it all. The more we share in our experience the more we seem to be able to learn. I so remember grabbing the sides of the bed and not understanding it all. Being able to step out and figuring all could do the same. To learn that its not easy to do, that you have to learn it.


To those whom have never experienced Sleep Paralysis it will seem almost not to be believed. You’re in bed and you wake from sleep, to find that you feel like you are not alone there in bed. You at times feel as if someone is standing there beside the bed, or even on top of one’s chest. The first thing you try to do is move your head, but it will literally feel like it’s made of lead. This is where the brain kicks in and one starts to think about all sorts of things that are not really in play. This is where the fear and panic sets in and it’s quite normal for us to react like that. We are not used to waking and not being able to move. What is merely seconds or even a minute or so feels like hours on hours that one cannot move.

Sleep paralysis sounds unbelievable. You wake from sleep. As you lie in bed, you feel like someone is standing over you in the darkness. You try to move your head only slightly to take a subtle glance, but you can't. Someone -- something -- is surely holding you down. You attempt to struggle, to thrash your arms and legs, but you are frozen in place. Sheer panic washes over you as your paralysis lingers.

What Exactly Is Sleep Paralysis?

Sleep paralysis is the inability to move or speak as one goes from sleep to wakefulness, without other findings characteristic of narcolepsy. In sleep paralysis, this often occurs while awakening (hypnopompic) as opposed to falling asleep (hypnagogic), which is more common in narcolepsy.
Hypnopompic - the semiconscious state prior to complete wakefulness
Hypnagogic - occurring just before sleep; applied to hallucinations occurring at sleep onset

Features of Sleep Paralysis

There are some common features that characterize the symptoms of sleep paralysis, including:

•Eye movements are typically preserved.

•It more often occurs while sleeping on one’s back.

•Visual and auditory hallucinations often occur and may include a sense of an evil presence, of being touched, or hearing voices or noises in the room.

•Occasionally faces or people may be seen at the bedside.

•A sense of breathlessness (or chest pressure, even someone standing on one’s chest) may exist.

How Often Does Sleep Paralysis Occur?

It is common and may be experienced by 20% to 60% of people, depending on the population examined. In a study of college students, 21% were found to have had at least one episode of sleep paralysis, but only 4% had 5 or more episodes. It is believed to be precipitated by sleep deprivation, stress, and sleep schedule disruption. In experiments, it has been shown to occur with disruption of rapid eye movement (REM), or dream sleep. It also is associated with anxiety disorders.