I've known a couple of sufferers, one described it as painful, the other doesn't seem to mind it.

Damned frightening the first two times, only once in the last ten years. Its that unknown entity in the room with me, that scares the ship out of me. Ive heard to escape the paralysis, wriggle your toes.

Night Ripper, thanks for the thread. I was wondering what that was. It has happened to me 3 times in the past 3 years. Two of those quite closely three years ago and once about 4 months ago. It didn't feel like a "paralysis" to me, more of a "something" gripping me and trying to hold me in that sleep state? The first time was extremely unnerving and the experience was hard to shake.

That last two were no so startling as the grip seemed to be "lesser" than the first one. Having read the Wiki article you provided helped a lot and to that extent a certain amount of relief in that no one knows what it is exactly. Only that the mind is an awesome place and one need be careful of what dangers there are in traveling in those areas of it we are not meant to wander. I know that is difficult to make sense of but that's just how it came out.

It really seemed like something in that sleep state where I was didn't want me to leave and tried to hold me there? It was not a harsh grip but it was a rather firm one, more like a desperate, caring one?

I can remember the dream but it was not what one might consider a nightmare; I don't have those. It seems to me when I am dreaming, in some way I "know" I am dreaming and because of that they don't effect me as much as others say theirs do.

Ha, I been disposed of in numerous ways. Drowned, shot, stabbed, plummeted and just went with the flow and woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed. Go figure? But these three instances were different?

Wiki is all over the place in what if offers. Like I said it did not feel like a paralysis; I could move, it's just that I was restrained somehow and it felt quite real. It could be what I experienced was something else all together? I don't know, but if it doesn't happen again, I sure as hell won't mind, ha!

William

Many confuse vivid dreaming with sleep paralysis. In sleep paralysis you are awake but unable to move and your fear creates monster lurking beyond your vision. When we sleep our body paralyses our movements so we don't act out our dreams. Those who don't have this ability have murdered their loves ones in their sleep or have injured themselves badly. Sleep walking is a form of this inability to be paralysed. It is extremely frightening the first time you have sleep paralysis. Remember wiggle your toes, you will thank me.