IndyMojo: A Sleep Paralysis Nightmare

(Also posted here for discussion)

Physiologically, sleep paralysis is closely related to the paralysis that occurs as a natural part of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is known as REM atonia. Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain awakes from a REM state, but the body paralysis persists. This leaves the person fully conscious, but unable to move. The paralysis can last from several seconds to several minutes "after which the individual may experience panic symptoms and the realization that the distorted perceptions were false".[5] As the correlation with REM sleep suggests, the paralysis is not entirely complete; use of EOG traces shows that eye movement can be instigated during such episodes.[6] When there is an absence of narcolepsy, sleep paralysis is referred to as isolated sleep paralysis (ISP).[7]

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The other night, I had a really funky nightmare. Like there's was nothing scary, per se. No monsters, no falling, no death... everything was just WEIRD. I can very vividly remember the thing that woke me up, and it was a picture of a piece of cake and it said "It's Waiting For You"

Video game nerds need only the attached picture to explain why cake was in my subconscious

Anyways, it's not weird that I woke up from something stupid I dreamt about. What's weird is that I woke up in a body I could not control

My eyes opened, and I was able to move them around the room, but I tried to life my arm and nothing happened. Every sensation in my body FELT as if I was moving my arm, but it didn't respond. It felt like it was asleep x 50, so I figured it was just really asleep. Then I tried to roll over, and I realized I couldn't move anything.

I even tried opening my mouth to call for Jen (she had left the bathroom light on, so I thought she was home still), nothing. For what I have to believe was a solid 60 seconds, it was probably the most terrifying sensation I've ever had.

So has anyone else had this happen to them?

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Front Brake thu jan 21 2010 at 11:07 pm ·


	I have it happen now and then. I don't find it terrifying so much as curious. I'm deeply inquisitive and anything that separates my sensory perception and my motor control has my immediate interest. I actually deconstruct my thoughts and dreams in my head and try to figure out how I got myself all contorted and knotted up inside, and either get it worked out, or it wears off. I think it's a weird and fun thing to experience, like when you're partially asleep, almost fully out, and you suddenly experience a falling sensation, snap fully awake, and the mattress is still bucking, and your heart is beating at a thousand miles a minute.

Taylor fri jan 22 2010 at 8:45 am ·


	This has been happening to me on and off since I was about 12. It happened very frequently when I was in college and had an irregular sleep schedule. I can pretty much be guaranteed an episode if I take a nap on the couch with the lights on. You're right. It is terrifying. Most times you feel like you cant swallow or control your throat muscles causing fear of suffocation. On the upside, if you just give in and accept that you dont have control, you can let yourself go back to sleep and direct your dreams. I usually imagine I'm flying. It works most of the time.

Little Sarah mon jan 25 2010 at 2:02 pm ·


	weird. i opened the laptop to research nightmares and i clicked on the tab i already had open that had mojo up and this is the first thing i read...weird... but yeh same thing happened to me. totally terrifying.

Kenneth Allen mon jan 25 2010 at 5:56 pm ·


	This actually happened to me several times before, it can be terrifying if it has never happened before. It use to happen when i was super tired

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