sleep paralysis | dream studies portal

Nexus of Nightmares: Fuseli, Sleep Paralysis, and Horror’s Master Image

Posted by Matt Cardin on October 31, 2012 | 4 Comments

A guest post by author Matt Cardin. When I first started experiencing sleep paralysis attacks accompanied by visionary assaults from a shadowy demonic presence in the early 1990s, I was already a long-time fan and student of supernatural horror. I had grown up enthralled by horror stories, novels, and movies, as well as by nonfiction [...]

Filed Under: Dreamy Book Reviews, sleep paralysis

New podcast: Borderlands of Consciousness — Sleep paralysis and hypnagogia

Posted by Ryan Hurd on July 13, 2012 | 5 Comments

In April, I gave a lecture at Stanford University on sleep paralysis and hypnagogia. The teaching assistants of Dr. William Dement’s class were kind enough to record the talk, so I cleaned it up a little and added a creative-commons badge so it can be shared and remixed to your heart’s content.

Filed Under: 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 | 25 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 | 32 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 [...]