Sleep Paralysis | dream studies portal

Sleep Paralysis Makes Great Art

Posted by Ryan Hurd on February 22, 2012 | 4 Comments

Awareness during sleep paralysis often includes the terrifying and realistic sensation of being held down while waking up or going to sleep. Sometimes, it’s accompanied by grotesque visions that seem to threaten our most prized possession: our sanity. But I have found for myself that sleep paralysis can lead to creative states of mind (such [...]

Filed Under: Dreams & Media, sleep paralysis

Halloween Infographic: the Vampires and Werewolves of Sleep Paralysis

Posted by Ryan Hurd on October 31, 2011 | 2 Comments

Why do millions of sane and rational people believe in ghosts? Because they actually see them, hovering over the bed and holding them down.
Over the centuries, spooky stories have warned us of the creatures of the night. But these tales don’t just come from dusty fairytales: they are panicked stories of real experience transmitted down [...]

Filed Under: Nightmares & Dream Terrors, sleep paralysis

10 Ways to Prevent Sleep Paralysis

Posted by Ryan Hurd on April 12, 2011 | 18 Comments

If you’ve ever woke up and realized you can’t move, or you find yourself sat upon by some foul hag or monster with bad teeth and worse breath, you’ve experienced sleep paralysis. Many sufferers stay up all night to prevent another terrifying episode. Some also find themselves eating a midnight meal, or having a night [...]

Filed Under: sleep paralysis

3 Techniques for Transforming Sleep Paralysis into a Lucid Dream

Posted by Ryan Hurd on February 8, 2011 | 13 Comments

Many readers have asked me about specific tactics for turning a sleep paralysis attack into a lucid dream. Because isolated sleep paralysis happens during REM at sleep onset, we’re only a hair’s breadth away from losing the paralysis sensations and moving deeper into the dreamworld with our self-awareness intact. As such, sleep paralysis is a [...]

Filed Under: Lucid Dreaming, sleep paralysis

The Ghosts, Goblins and Vampires of Sleep Paralysis

Posted by Ryan Hurd on October 29, 2010 | 8 Comments

Halloween is almost here, and that means it’s time to indulge in some corn sugar gluttony to protect ourselves from the thin veil between the living and dead. That’s my strategy anyways.
This time of year, traditionally known as Last Harvest in Europe, and more specifically as the cross-quarter between the Solstice and the Winter [...]

Filed Under: sleep paralysis, Visitation Dreams

Sleep Paralysis as a Gateway into Out-of-Body Experiences

Posted by Ryan Hurd on October 15, 2010 | 16 Comments

A lot of my focus on sleep paralysis and its related night visions has been on how to transform fear into curiosity. Then a reader recently commented, “I can’t believe no one’s talking about the out-of-body experiences!” So let’s open the dialogue, because this is one of my favorite aspects of SP/HH, although I make no [...]