How to Transition from Sleep Paralysis to an Out-of-Body Experience

[1] What is sleep paralysis? Is it a paranormal phenomenon? Can it transition into a lucid dream? Whenever I get sleep paralysis, there’s always a warning sign—my body goes numb and I can’t move. If I don’t resist and just let it happen, paranormal stuff starts. That’s why, at the numbness stage, I desperately try to move my body to break free, check if it’s really not a dream, and fully regain consciousness to stop it. But this keeps happening once or twice a month, and I’m getting tired of it. I’ve been trying lucid dreaming, but it’s not working at all. What should I do?

• [3] Sometimes, even if your brain tells your muscles “Move!”, it doesn’t work well when you’re sleeping.

[6] >>3 So, do you always have supernatural experiences? Isn’t it scary? I absolutely hate it, so I desperately fight it off. Because I can’t tell if I’m really awake, I get up, go to the toilet, and then go back to sleep. (Because there are false awakenings, even when I think I’ve woken up).

• [5] Sleep paralysis definitely exists. Getting woken up during deep sleep or constantly falling asleep and waking up can confuse your mind.

[9] >>5 No, I know sleep paralysis itself exists. Whether it’s a paranormal phenomenon or a physiological one, the fact is my body becomes unable to move. I’m trying to figure out how I can start enjoying this phenomenon.

• [7] False awakenings, I get it. Those are scary, aren’t they?

[9] >>7 They’re really nasty, aren’t they? Often they’re so realistic I can’t tell the difference. Then the numbness starts again, and if I’m not careful, I fall completely into sleep paralysis.

• [8] When you’re in sleep paralysis, you should be able to leave your body. It’s possible if you can feel a sort of ‘fuzzy’ or ‘tingling’ sensation around the outside of your body. That’s your etheric body, so if you surrender to that sensation, you can get out. It’s what they call an out-of-body experience (OBE). Once you do, you can just fly to the house of someone you like.

[10] >>8 At what point does that ‘fuzzy’ feeling around the body happen? ① Is it just when the body is numb? ② Or is it at the stage where you let the numbness continue and become sensitive to ghostly presences, sounds, and sights? If there’s that ‘fuzzy’ sensation, what does ‘surrendering to the sensation’ specifically mean? How can I get that ‘fuzzy’ sensation? Please, I really need to know! And also, is it really an OBE and not a lucid dream?

• [11] >>10 That ‘fuzzy’ sensation is there right from the numbness stage. Being able to see ghosts easily probably means you’ve already shifted quite a bit into your etheric body, but you just haven’t realized it. Once you get used to the etheric body, moving around in it is easy. It’s not a lucid dream. But you can’t leave any physical impact on the world. Feeling the night breeze while flying is fun.

[13] >>11 > Being able to see ghosts easily probably means you’ve already shifted quite a bit into your etheric body, but you just haven’t realized it. So… does that mean that in that state, my body has mostly become the etheric body, and if I get used to that sensation, I’ll be able to have an OBE (can you see your sleeping self?)!? Or, if an OBE is possible even at the initial numbness stage, does that mean the ‘me’ with the ‘fuzzy’ sensation is the etheric body, and I should just try to move consciously or mentally?

• [24] >>13 If you have an OBE, you can see yourself too. You’ll see a silver cord, but try not to be scared. If you get scared, you’ll snap right back into your body. Moving consciously is good. If you try to roll over as if turning in bed, the body separates smoothly.

[28] Is sleep paralysis like having a nightmare where the things you’re afraid of materialize? It seems like it might be reconstructing episodes of fear and memory from the hippocampus. >>24 I looked up the silver cord… is it real? …What an incredible world… Instead of trying to break the sleep paralysis, I’ll try to consciously move! Thank you. I’ll try rolling over with my eyes open. That way, I think I can properly perceive the separation from my body. Does being aware of a body other than your physical body mean that even during an OBE, you still feel like you’re lying in bed? Or do you become a completely separate spiritual entity with separate sensations?

• [30] >>28 There’s no physical sensation. You become your astral self. At first, you get scared and immediately return to your body, but as you repeat it and get used to it, the time you can stay in the astral body increases. You can pass through walls and stuff, I think you’ll be amazed.
• [12] To get that ‘fuzzy’ feeling, you need to properly feel the ether. Get used to the ether. Ether = Ki = Prana. First, you need to become aware that you have a body other than your physical one. You just need to search for the sensation. Once you get used to the ether, you can have fun seeing auras normally, playing by extending your ki, or seeing images in crystals.

[14] >>12 Does it mean I should maintain the numbness, focus my awareness on the ‘fuzzy’ sensation like something touching my skin, and enjoy that feeling? I do get into a state where it feels like my third eye (has opened?), and even though I’m asleep, I can see my surroundings clearly. Does that mean I’ve shifted into the etheric body? From there, if I can just move naturally, is that the OBE?

• [24] >>14 First, get used to the ‘fuzzy’ sensation. Become aware that you have a body other than your physical one. When you say ‘I have a feeling’ (ki ga suru), it means there is ‘ki’ (energy).

[15] When my surroundings become clear like with a third eye, I thought it was a physiological phenomenon where the body is asleep but the brain is awake. But instead, is it that the brain with this heightened sensitivity, that self, is the etheric body? However, the more sensitive my senses become, the more uncomfortable paranormal sensations attack me… Like being watched by someone, a presence that feels like it’s about to come… It’s really scary. But I feel like I’m starting to understand it much better now! Thank you!

• [16] I managed to get to the sleep paralysis stage by looking at an OBE summary wiki, but getting past that point is difficult.

[18] >>16 There’s a page like that! Thank you, I’ll take a good look at it. Even when I think I’ve transitioned from sleep paralysis to a lucid dream, it actually feels more like I’m just closing my eyes and imagining things, or rather, there’s absolutely no realistic skin sensation or anything. Which probably means I’m already awake, right?

• [21] >>18 It’s a summary wiki from back when there were threads on VIP, so it’s not very technical, more like a compilation of methods from the thread participants.

VIP was one of the popular chat boards (ita) on the Japanese anonymous bulletin board group “2channel” (now “5channel”).

[22] >>21 I see, thank you!

• [17] It’s probably just fatigue. I experienced it twice when I was exhausted from working consecutive late-night shifts.
• [19] When I feel that paranormal scariness, I get excited, and if I start anticipating something, the sleep paralysis breaks immediately.
• [20] Sleep paralysis itself is fine, but when that unpleasant ringing in the ears starts, I get scared and break it. If that didn’t happen, I’d just ignore it and sleep.

[22] >>20 Ignoring it and sleeping if there’s no ringing is amazing. I always think something (scary) is waiting after the ringing, but is it different for different people…?

• [23] >>22 Huh, the main event?? I’ve never gone past the ringing, so I wouldn’t know.

[25] >>23 Just like how before the mechanism of sleep paralysis was understood, most people believed in ghosts because of their experiences, in my case, after my body goes numb and the ringing starts, if I don’t break it, a very realistic ghost appears. To be precise, I think it’s a dream about a ghost, though. It gets really close and talks to me, it’s truly terrifying. It’s still traumatic. The ringing seems to amplify the fear, and I think the ghost is something I create from my own fearful images.

• [26] I get the sensation of being choked. If I focus my attention on my neck, the choking feeling gets really intense. Also, sometimes I think it’s over, but then I get hit with sleep paralysis again right after. It’s incredibly scary during the paralysis, but once I wake up, I don’t feel anything.
• [27] Do the paranormal phenomena happen because of an unconscious association, like ‘This is sleep paralysis → Sleep paralysis means ghosts’?
• [29] No, you actually see a lot of ghosts when you have an OBE. Seems like it varies from person to person, but I see them too. Lots of them are flying in the sky. But in your case (>>1), they’re probably coming to you because they find it amusing. It seems like they enjoy watching you be scared. For psychic self-defense (like Dion Fortune describes), ignoring them is the strongest defense, but it might take a while for them to leave. Spirits capable of causing actual harm are rare, so you can probably just ignore them without worry.

[33] >>29 Really!? So ghosts are unavoidable? However, if I don’t encounter ghosts while paralyzed and unable to move—meaning, if I can move too—then maybe I can handle it as just a bad dream, in a way. First, I’ll focus on getting from the sleep paralysis state to the OBE state quickly. Thank you.

• [34] >>33 I sometimes talk to mysterious entities while in my astral body. Maybe they’re ghosts. I say things like, “It’s a nice night tonight.” It’s probably best to interact with ghosts that casually.

[41] >>34 So they’re not necessarily evil spirits or harmful ghosts? Thank you! I feel a bit more relieved.

• [31] By the way, the separation happens after the ringing in the ears.

[33] >>31 Really? So, just before encountering the ghost? That’s incredibly helpful, thank you. Is passing through walls real? Wow, and being able to fly in the sky, isn’t that the best…?

• [32] Sleep paralysis is half dream, you know. The moment you feel fear during sleep paralysis, that fear manifests as a hallucination (dream). In my case, I try to think, “Yes! A succubus came!”, so sometimes I see or feel like I’m having sexual encounters with cute girls. But if I try too hard to force that belief, I end up seeing nothing and just have a wet dream. Also, sometimes when I get chills and feel “Ah, this is a truly dangerous presence,” I keep my eyes shut (metaphorically?) and chant Namu Amida Butsu repeatedly.

Namu Amida Butsu is a chant in the Pure Land schools of Japanese Buddhism, expressing devotion to Amitabha Buddha.

[35] >>32 That might be a really good perspective. Next time, I’ll try to be receptive with the mindset ‘sleep paralysis = sexy time’. But, a succubus, huh? Does it appear in reality looking like an anime character? Or like a 3D woman? And even if you don’t see anything, ending up with a wet dream sounds like a great success! I’m really envious. But are there still times when it’s a genuinely dangerous paranormal entity? Even if I get a little scared first, can I still steer it towards being a succubus?

• [36] Lately, I’ve started being able to have lucid dreams a little. It’s basic, but the other day I had fun playing Mario Kart on a custom stage I created.

[42] >>36 Was the Mario Kart stage realistic from start to finish? Were the game console and TV realistically in front of you, and did the controller have a realistic feel and weight? This is unrelated, but in normal dreams, I’m lucky enough to get into a good, intimate mood, but right before insertion, I either wake up or something interrupts it and it never works out… I’m not a virgin or anything, but I desperately want it to happen, what on earth could be the cause…?

• [44] >>42 Not in front of a game console, I was actually driving, and it wasn’t a familiar stage, I intended to use my imagination to the fullest. But if I overdid it, it felt like my physical body would wake up, so I held back a bit. It was fun, felt like my body was really being shaken around, but I was also experimenting to see how my imagination would be reflected. In the end, maybe because I got tired of imagining, I ended up in a residential area and felt like I was about to wake up, so I wondered if I could do something from there. I was also thinking I wanted to do something sexual, so I first tried to see if I could get naked on the roadside, but my body wouldn’t move, so I gave up. I have had experiences during sleep paralysis in my room where some paranormal entity did (sexual things) to me and I went all the way, but I want to try doing it myself in some dream space.

[48] >>44 Thank you for the details! That’s helpful. But even when doing something obviously dream-like, like driving in Mario Kart yourself, you don’t wake up, but overdoing it (physically?) makes your body wake up, I see. > ‘I have had experiences during sleep paralysis in my room where some paranormal entity did (sexual things) to me and I went all the way’ Uh, wait a minute! You did (sexual things) with a paranormal entity? Were you conscious of the paranormal entity being scary from beginning to end? Did you get sexually aroused by the paranormal entity? Could you see its face? That’s amazing.

• [52] >>48 Maybe when my mind starts racing, blood circulation improves and the body starts waking up? At first, I’m too scared to even look at its face, but as it’s happening, eventually when I sneak a peek, the face becomes somewhat to my liking (though I don’t look clearly because it’s scary). For me, it first starts with the sensation of someone forcefully pushing down on me from above and my body freezing up. So, if it comes when I’m already sexually aroused, I sometimes just go along with it, rubbing against it and doing (sexual things). I think it’s a type of lucid dream, but there’s a difference between the familiar reality of my own room and a completely fantastical dream background in terms of scariness versus the fun of ‘Alright, let’s see how far I can take this,’ right?

[53] >>52 That was incredibly helpful! Real personal experiences are truly valuable references, aren’t they? I’ll try approaching it with that mindset too. I feel like I might be able to do it! Thanks to everyone, I’m actually starting to look forward to sleep paralysis now! That alone is huge progress. Thank you! I’m going to bed soon, good night!

• [38] About lucid dreams, you know, you can have them without an OBE. Just trust me on this, if you keep a dream journal for a while, eventually you’ll start having them.
• [39] Really?
• [40] I don’t keep a dream journal, but I was able to do something as an extension of sleep paralysis.

[43] So, basically, if I just diligently write down the dreams I have in a journal, I’ll become able to control them freely… I’ll try it too!

• [45] Humans have multiple levels of consciousness, and lucid dreaming is something you experience in a dream state when a switch flips to a consciousness more aligned with the etheric side. This is the same consciousness used by spirit mediums when channeling, or by magicians when performing magic. These experts can shift their conscious ‘gears’ at will. Ordinary people are more likely to enter this state during dreams because they are detached from the physical body and can feel the ether more easily. Normally, physical sensations interfere, making it harder to feel the ether.
• [50] I just think my sleep has become unusually shallow due to fatigue and overthinking. Honestly, I don’t even want to have normal dreams that I can’t control.