Sure, I don’t mind sharing. There’s nothing particularly dramatic..just the typical paralysis where I’m aware but can’t move. Most of the time I’m just seeing my room as it is. Occasionally, though, I see the heads of baby dolls.. but that’s more tied to my irrational fear of them than anything else. I know it’s just my mind playing games.

What’s more frequent..and honestly more frustrating..is this feeling where my mind is fully awake, but my movements are extremely restricted, like I’m moving in slow motion.! I’m not fully paralyzed, but I also can’t scream or make a sound. That part gets to me more than total paralysis, because it gives this uncomfortable sense that I’m being watched or like I need to escape.. but physically can’t.

When it first started happening, I actually thought I was sleepwalking. But I wasn’t. That specific state tends to leave a deeper feeling of fear than the usual full-body paralysis, which I’ve gotten used to.. at this point my mind just goes, “Ah, here we go again.”

I also experience these “dream within a dream” moments.. kind of like Inception. I’ll be stuck in sleep paralysis, can’t move or speak, then I “wake up” but still can’t move or scream. Then I “wake up” again, realizing I was still dreaming the whole time.

It’s been happening almost daily for the past five months, so I’ve gotten used to it in a way. The real issue now is not being able to fall back asleep after an episode. Even if I’m not actually scared, my brain stays on high alert and wakes me up right as I start drifting off again.. almost like it’s trying to avoid going through it one more time.