I have been working in the field of dreams and dream "recording" for asbout 8 years. I built an online dream journal back in 2001 that allows users to create their own dream journal, track themes, settings, emotions, activities, and more. They can use this data to see trends within their own dreams and compare their dreams to other members. We have recorded over 100,000 dreams to date, this is a free service.
I "suffered" from sleep paralysis from the age of 14 until about 28 and have since learned how to overcome it, or more importantly how to live with it and enjoy it. Read more below.
You can check out my free online Dream Journal website at http://www.dreamjournal.net. It's a great way to track your dreams and compare them with others.
"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, None but ourselves can free our minds." - Bob Marley
I "suffered" from sleep paralysis from the age of 14 until about 28. I
used to experience episodes nightly (somethines several times a night).
Over the years the episodes became less frequent, about once a month by
the time I reached 28. Then I ran across an article online that defined
sleep paralysis in medical terms. Before then I didn't even know the
term "sleep paralysis" existed. I had not told anyone, not even my
mother, that I had been going through this as I figured she'd think I
was nuts. It was truly a terrifying experience. The article explained
much of what I was experiencing and the "why" behind it. Why there was
always an ominous presence, why it felt like I could not breathe, why
it happens more often while sleeping on your back, etc.
This small bit of knowledge changed my life and how I view sleep
paralysis. I chose to put this knowledge to the test and found that the
experience is only scary because our mind is in a state of panic and
fear when finding ourselves in this paralized state. I realized that
part of what was being expereinced was in fact a lucid dream of sorts
and that I had complete control over the "fear factor" of each episode.
Knowledge is power and it allowed me to get past the "fear" and opened
up a door to some very interesting experiences. I no longer "fear"
sleep paralysis, I have helped others overcome that fear. I now look at
it as a gateway to something marvelous. It appears it was a blessing
not a curse, I now can put myself into a sleep state without losing
consciousness (which is a great launching pad for OBE's and/or lucid
dreams) and that came very easy due to the sleep paralysis experience I
had in the past. I'd love to assist anyone in either overcoming sleep
paralysis or learning to live with sleep paralysis and actually enjoy
it.
Kelly Matthews
cell: 619.807.7473
email: kelly@webdiva.org
websites:
http://www.webdiva.org/straight
http://webdiva.stumbleupon.com
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=549683081