Sleep paralysis is neither dreamlike nor hypnagogic. The hypnagogic state occurs when a person is drifting off to sleep; it feels different than sleep paralysis, in my experience.
All people enter a state of paralysis when they sleep. Sleep paralysis occurs when a person becomes conscious after sleep, but they remain in the paralyzed state.
Typically, I will wake up. I can see the room around me; I am perfectly aware. I should point out that I do not know whether I really see the room, or if I hallucinate it, since I don’t know if my eyes open or not. It takes only an instant to realize that I cannot move, and then I start to panic. I know that if I could only move a tiny bit, I could break the paralysis, but I can’t, and the panic deepens.
The last time I had this happen, my husband heard me whimpering and woke me up... wrong words, because I was already awake, in a fashion.
Without outside interference, however, things that should not be there begin to appear. In my case, it’s ghosts and phantoms. Once, I actually broke the paralysis, got out of bed, and started walking down the hall before the ghosts and phantoms started appearing. And they frightened me so badly that I snapped back into bed (for lack of better description). It was then that I realized that the paralysis still had me in its grip.
Sleep paralysis hallucinations tend to take a form consistent with the culture of the sufferer. Ghost stories were a bigger part of my life than alien abduction stories; no doubt, if I had been raised with stories of UFOs and such, I would have had hallucinations consistent with alien abduction. Let me point out that the hallucinations seem absolutely real. I *did* see ghosts and phantoms. I *did* leave my body completely once, and partially on other occasions. Those were real experiences that I only know were the products of a particular genetic condition because I am a rational person.
Everything I’ve read about alien abduction experiences tells me that I’m reading the experiences of other people with this condition.
Other than sleep paralysis, we’re completely normal. This is not a mental illness.
There is quite a bit of information about sleep paralysis on the internet.
I don't think I have ever experienced sleep paralysis, but I have lucid dreams almost every night.
I somehow have come to realize they are dreams, but I certainly wish I could have some peaceful sleep instead of these bizarre dreams.
Your descriptions helps me understand the sleep paralysis state. I think that might explain many UFO experiences.
I have many UFO dreams in my lucid state (and I wonder where they are coming from).
That said, John Mack tried to focus on folks who were unlike you and me (if only because our experiences might be tainted by paralysis or lucidity of dreams).
He focused (as much as he could) on those who were wide awake.
Thx again for your wonderful comments. Helps me to broaden my understanding greatly of all our incredible human differences and experiences.
Stay in touch!