[druiid]

I am reasonably sure that many of the people who believe they have been abducted by aliens (or seen them in their room with them) have probably just experienced sleep paralysis. I say this knowing that when I was younger I had a few episodes of it that still haunt me to this day.

I can remember at least one episode where I woke up into this state to a black tall figure essentially in my face.. giant eyes and the whole bit. I couldn't move and given that this was the first time sleep paralysis had happened to me, thought (and it truly felt) like the entire experience was real. If I remember correctly I broke out of the state by somehow getting my eyes to close in fear and then waking up what had to have been just a couple minutes later. Obviously there was no alien right in my face but it sure felt like it and bringing this story up now I can still 'feel' the experience all these years later. Odd how the brain works.

Edit: Ah, I'm not the only one who thinks most alien stories can be explained by this http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/06/science/alien-abduction-sc...

[kaliblack]

I agree and have thought the same thing. When I got sleep paralysis in my teens I had the terror feeling and had the feeling of a ghost in my room.

The only time I was able to relax during an episode, I had the experience of moving out of my body. If it is possible to think that with the brain in a state of sleep paralysis then it could be possible at other times too.

[vubuntu]

But have you ever wondered why its always the feeling of a ghost or (some form of human/human-like presence)? Why not a snake or a lion, tiger etc.

I have sleep apnea and used to wake up short of breath some times. Before I got a CPAP machine, there was a period when I experienced sleep paralysis episodes. In some cases I experienced the sounds of fast running steps approaching my bed sometimes that of a child, sometimes adult, which used to terrify me (of ghost presences. These episodes also coincided with my wife and kids away on vacation and I was alone at home, which added to the fear) and wake me up after breif sleep paralysis experience. After lot of post-self-analysis I figured out that my brain must have been replaying events from past to try to wake me up so I could recover from my short breath/sleep apnea situation and get more oxygen to my brain. .... my son used to run into our bedroom early in mornings after waking up from his bed (early days of his sleeping in separate bedroom), and we used to wake up to his running and jumping into our bed. Some times my wife walks up to my bed on weekends when I sleep late, to wake me up.

I believe my brain was using, what were familiar ways of me waking up to, and trying that on me to wake me up to protect me from my low oxygen situation brought upon by sleep apnea short breaths. Nevertheless, this was kind of a vicious cycle for a while even with me fairly certain of my analysis. The terror of waking up from partial sleep paralysis to such ominous 'other presence in room' irrational feeling caused a bad case of insomnia...it was not easy to fall asleep. And the insomnia in turn worsens sleep apnea and sleep paralysis episodes.

The CPAP machine helped a lot. Nevertheless is absolutely dreadful and irrationally terrifying.

[vubuntu]

Also it is during such episodes, there are high chances that you will also experience what I call as 'recursive wakeups', several levels (mostly 1 or 2 levels deep) of indirection out of which you are unrolling to wake up like in the movie 'Inception'. I would feel very certain that I am awake, and have come out of my sleep paralysis by doing what ever tricks others have also pointed out (rolling sideways, wiggling toes, sitting up on bed etc), only to suddenly realize that the 'presence' is still there and panicking and eventually realizing I am still not fully awake ! Absolute terror until then :)

In fact, I would not be surprised if the writers who came up with the concept of 'Inception' and 'The adjustment Bureau' movies are probably themselves sufferers of these conditions (lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis) or at the least have heard accounts/experiences from some one in their circle (family, friends) and did further research.