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The disorder known as "sleep paralysis" occurs when the brain is awakened from a REM state into essentially a normal fully awake state, but with the bodily paralysis still occurring. This causes the person to be fully aware, but unable to move. In addition, this state is usually accompanied by certain specific kinds of hallucinations. This state usually lasts no more than two minutes before a person is able to either return to full REM sleep or to become fully awake.

Many report hallucinations during these episodes. The features of these hallucinations generally vary by individual, but some are more common to the experience than others:

Most common

* Vividness

* Fear

Common

* Sensing a "presence" (often malevolent)

* Pressure/weight on body (especially the chest)

Fairly common

* Auditory hallucinations (often footsteps or indistinct voices)

* Visual hallucinations (often related to the aforementioned "presence"; in these cases, sometimes nebulous)

Less common

* Floating sensation (sometimes associated with Out-of-body experiences


Rare

* Falling sensation

* Vibration


Some report that various factors increase the likelihood of both paralysis and hallucinations. These include:

* Sleeping in a supine position
* Irregular sleeping schedules; naps, sleeping in
* Increased stress
* Sudden environmental/lifestyle changes

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The above information was compied from :

thefreedictionary.com

I would love to hear from anyone who may have experienced something like this.

I suffer from the sensation of falling, and being attach but I can't scream for help.

I've experienced it, and I must say, its pretty fuckin scary!
I woke up, next to my ex, and I was unable to move, except for my eyes.
I tried calling out to her, but I just couldn't. All I could do is look around the place.

It was a great relief to gain control of myself again.
I don't want it to happen again.
Funnily enough, nothing happened to wake me up that I know of, I just woke up.

On a slightly related topic, recently when I was trying to sleep, I started dreaming while still awake.
As in, I had my eyes closed, and I was in a dream, moving around as normal, but I was still awake, if I opened my eyes, then I could see my bedroom, but still partially see my dream.
That was weird.
Has this happened to anyone else also?

I have actually suffered from sleep paralysis many times. One time when this happened I tried to move and couldn't so I started to panic and after about a minute of freaking out, in which I swear that I did see some freaky looking shadows or something, I was finally able to move. But once that happened I was still freaked so I rolled off the bed I was sleeping in, trying in vain to stand up, and ended up spraining my ankle. After that happens do you know if parts of your body can still be stiff? Because when I was finally able to move and when I tried to get up the reason I sprained my ankle was because my entire right leg was still stiff as a board and I couldn't move it for about another minute or so after the fact.

Yes, it has happened to me too. This is why i posted this question. It usually feels for me, like I am just awake, but cannot move, and it feels like an energy force is gathering at my back and blows through me. SOmetimes is comes from the top of my head through me.

Like you, mem, I can't move, or talk, and all I can do is "watch" the dream or show my brain is giving me, and scream in my own head.

I have heard of methods of trying to wake yourself from it, like pick just one thing and intensely concentrate on it ... like speeding up your breathing, or wiggling your pinky finger. Nothing has worked yet. Still trying. :)

This "awake" dream I had was different from sleep paralysis. I wasnt paralysed, I wasn't unable to move, but as soon as I did move I fully woke up.
It was weird, as I could move around in my dream, but could keep myself still in real life, and when I moved in real life, I woke up from my dream.
It was before I fell asleep also, it was as I was trying to fall asleep.
Madness I say.

Yes, I used to have that very frequently and it is very scary, and feels like it really is somebody sitting on your chest making it so difficult to inhale. Then panic would set in, and you feel like you are not going to get air into your lungs and your frozen and unable to move. Haven't had it in a while 'tho *touch clay*. the doctors say it is something the majority of sufferers grow out of in your thirties or forties. Lets hope he is right!

Sleep paralysis is the opposite of sleep walking. We need to be paralyzed when we sleep, otherwise we'd act out our dreams (like sleep walkers do). Experiencing this in a conscious state is usually the result of awaking abruptly. The mind doesn't quite catch up with the body.

This isn't always the case, and my personal sleep paralysis has gotten progressively worse over the years. When I was younger I would experience it between 30 and 60 seconds perhaps twice a week (More often if I awoke in the middle of the night). Today, at age 32, it is almost a daily occurrence. Some mornings I cannot move for 5 minutes or more (there have been periods in excess of 30 minutes).

The only conclusion I can come to about the increase, is there has been a significant strengthening of my dreams in the past few years. Most of this has been deliberate, I discovered a few ways to increase the intensity and prophecy of my dreams.

Requiem mentioned reports of hallucinations during this period. I refer to it as my Lucid Dream state. It's a state where both sets of rules apply. The rules of the dream realm, and the rules of the conscious realm.

I've had it happen myself as well. It wasn't scarey-- it just so happened my Donor was over me-- trapping me anyways, and when I told him I REALLY couldn't physically move, he began to panic a bit.
I told him what it was and he seemed quite relieved...then pounced me again.
No harm done, obviously.

Never had the sleep paralysis thing, that I can remember. I certainly be more aware of it, if it happens, now.

I have done the awake dreaming before. Actually, all the time. I will be reading in bed, then suddenly zone out, start to dream, then SNAP I'm back reading. Strangely, these dreams are always very good, and I enjoy them immensely. Never daymares.

GREAT topic, Requiem!