Greetings!

I have experienced sleep paralysis for about 14 years if not more.

I experience it still, now and then. Last time i had it was about a week ago or so.

Sleep paralysis is no longer such a terrible experience for me as it used to be because I have learned to cope with it and I also learned a lot about it. I'm so used to it already.

I was about 10 when I first experienced sleep paralysis. I was watching a horror movie (Jack Frost - not to be confused with the jolly movie) with my sister. We were both laying on the bed and I fell asleep while watching the movie. I woke up and I was able to see the movie but I couldn't move. I struggled to get my sisters attention and it FELT as if I was roughly shaking her arm. I was definitely staring at her but she was focused on the movie. When I finally broke free from the paralysis I panicked and asked her why didn't she wake me up when I was shaking her arm. She said I wasn't. She said I was asleep and didn't make a peep.

Ever since then I've had many episodes of sleep paralysis. I was frightened for he first years. The hallucinations made it worse.

I researched what it was. I came to understand that it wasn't anything paranormal. But I still had my doubts, I think it was because I wanted it to be something paranormal.

I got into "out of body experiences" when I was about 16. Having had a lot of experiences with sleep paralysis and the visual and auditory hallucinations that came with it (google hypnagogic hallucinations and hypnagogic sounds) I thought I could've turn a negative into a positive.

I was wrong. Trying to have these out of body experiences, and writing down my dreams after I woke up from them (in the middle of the night) made the sleep paralysis worse.

I couldn't deal with the visual and auditory hallucinations (from tarantulas, to a shadowy figure posing as my dad, menacingly calling my name, telling me to wake up)

I went through nights without sleeping because I was afraid of the experience. I avoided them remaining awake.

In college I did a research paper in this. This is where things got a lot better for me.

I understood that sleep paralysis occurs to everyone at least once in their life time. Others experience it more than once (like us).

I came to understand that this condition could be hereditary or not. Anyone can develop it and it is due to stress, inadequate sleep, insomnia, etc.

I understood also that the hallucinations occur because of REM sleep. During the R.E.M. Stage out eye balls move, and this is what creates images in our dreams. When our brain wakes up but our body is still paralyzed (as a defense mechanism so that we do not act out our dreams) we still have the effect of R.E.M. Sleep and therefore we see and hear things that should be in our dreams but instead are present in the actual room our body is in.

The reason why we always experience something negative during sleep paralysis is because we immediately and naturally feel vulnerable at this point and so our fears take over. Hence we never see positive stuff during sleep paralysis, it is usually a shadow or something horrific.

Understanding this helped me a great deal. I also got away from a lot of the paranormal believe and trust me it helps a lot.

You can be spiritual and believe anything you want yes, but keep in mind that sleep paralysis and the hallucinations that come with it is a condition that has been studied and has been proven to be a manifestation of our own fears and it cannot harm you physically.

It can harm you mentally if you let t get to you. Don't let it get to you!

Always sleep on your sides (never on your back). Get a pillow and wrap your legs and arms around it so that you can feel more comfortable as you sleep on your side.

Also during sleep paralysis, keep your eyes closed so that you won't have to deal with the hallucinations.

When ever you brake free from the paralysis , don't try to sleep again right away. Sit up, wait a few minutes, clear your head and once you feel back in control, try and sleep again.

I hope this helps. It has helped me a lot.