I have discovered that the vast majority of people have experienced sleep paralysis at least once in their lives, many more than once and sometimes often. Just about everyone that has had this experience, has been freaked out by it and has never wanted to have the experience again. Which is understandable, because the experience makes you feel like you have no control at all, you cannot move your body, you cannot call for help, and you sense a darkness surrounding you. You may also feel like there is something heavy on your chest, or a spiritual being circling you. This can be mistaken for demonic possession, or negative entities. Many religious people are afraid of these type of experiences because their fear of evil far exceeds their curiosity, and that is what makes the experience, a negative or evil experience. It is only due to a lack of understanding of what is actually happening.
Sleep Paralysis, is also known as REM phase sleep. There are 4 states of consciousness that the brain experiences on a daily basis. There is Beta, which is our normal everyday waking consciousness. There is Alpha, which is a trance like state, this is the state where we enter for concentration, such as writing, or painting, or creating something, and also learning. Then, there is Theta, the state of meditation. The last state, is Delta, and this is the state of unconscious sleep that we all enter into every night. We must pass through Theta, in order to get to Delta, and the problem is, we have become rather good at this because most of us never consciously experience Theta at all, and pass right through into unconscious sleep. All dreaming occurs in Theta state, and that is why we often forget our dreams, because we don’t know how to stay there long enough to remember the experience.
REM phase sleep, occurs in Theta state, and often, for many, it is their first conscious experience of Theta, and it freaks them out because it is so strange to be awake in the mind, yet asleep in the body. It is a state of relaxation, that we are not used to. What’s happening, is your mind is awake, but your body is asleep… Meditation is known as conscious sleep, and that is exactly what this is, it is the meditative state, and this state is where we discover our inner world, our inner wisdom, and the truth of the nature of reality. It’s not to be feared, but rather, explored with love. However, because it is so new, and because you are so used to having control of your body, and because the ego doesn’t understand what it is, fear arises, and causes you to have irrational thoughts. When really, you are just being afraid of your own being, your own light, your own consciousness. You start holding onto everything you know to be true, and refuse to let go into the unknown. You are actually giving into negative entities, allowing them to have power over you. Negative entities can only have an impact on you, if you are in fear. If you can face negative entities with love, they have no power over you, they cannot touch you. Negative entities are preventing you from experiencing that love. They make REM phase sleep terrifying, so you never explore it. Because once you explore it, they lose their power over you, and you start to remember who you really are.
When you can wake up into this state and not be afraid, you are capable of doing many things, such as meditating within yourself and feeling your energy throughout your body. You are also capable of astral projecting and coming to a realization that you are not bound to your body. As you lose your fear of this, your vibration will increase, and you will be able to experience bliss and pleasure throughout your body. You may even be able to experience a full body orgasm and a Kundalini awakening. REM phase sleep is very important for our spiritual growth, and it should not be feared, but rather embraced as a learning experience. If this happens to you, there is nothing wrong with you, observe the feelings, and just surrender to it. If you wish to come out of this state, its very simple…. Just simply take control of your breathing, rather than in a panic trying to move your arms and legs that feel like dead weights. Just breathe, and within seconds, you will be awake.
REM phase sleep, is the key to understanding and exploring our own consciousness. Every time we try to meditate, this is the state we are trying to get into, it opens the body up to the energies that are surrounding you and flowing through you at all times. As Rumi says “ you are not a drop in the ocean, but the ocean in a drop." You are the universe and REM phase sleep, is almost like a cheat. If you are capable of waking up into this state, then you have already done what many people have trouble doing, while attempting to meditate. Take advantage of it, feel the experience, feel the energy of your own being, let go of all that comes to the surface. Remove the barriers you have put up, to allow the love that you are, to shine through you, and it will, as long as you let go of the fear. Explore it with curiosity, explore it with love. Love expands, fear contracts. The great secrets to life are revealed only to those that can let go of their fears, rather than ruled by them. If you are afraid of demonic possession, you are already possessed. Possessed by fear, insecurity, lack of confidence, anxiety, self loathing, and hate. Those are the demons, and you allow them to rule you. Stop allowing them, and they have no power over you, and suddenly you gain all that power back and it flows out of you as love, light and wisdom. REM sleep, is where you have the ability to shine your light into the darkness and let go of all that causes you suffering.