Projecting from sleep paralysis/hypnogogic state- impossible?

[galaxy_storm]

This just happens every time and it is kind of frustrating. When I'm in a sleep paralysis or in a state between sleep and awake, I usually sunbonsciously struggle to force myself awake and I succeed just rarely, most times I drift back to sleep.
However, when I consciously realise that I'm close to projection, it's like an alarm clock, I wake instantly and its gone.

Just like it happened last night, I heard frequent "zaps" in my head (you know what I mean) and as soon as i realised I'm in the right mindset, it was gone!

So really the only possibility that remains is projecting from a dream- by affirmations, as I never become fully conscious in a dream, and if I do, that surely wakes me up!

What can I do? seemse like every time I realise "now I can project!" it wakes me up like a bucket of water in my face...

[CFTraveler]

Does this include very-early attempts?  Like 2-3 hours before it's time to get up?

[galaxy_storm]

Does this include very-early attempts?  Like 2-3 hours before it's time to get up?

It happens mainly in these hours, I get more of these "opportunities" early in the morning. But its every time the same, as I gain awareness the experience goes away quickly.

[CFTraveler]

Hmmm! 
If you want to project from a dream, I don't suggest affirmations only- I suggest you also do reality checks throughout the day.
However, I'm curious about this 'suddenly waking up thing'.  It seems to me that you've trained yourself to 'get excited' when you get exit sensations. 
I have an idea and I don't know if you want to try this, as it would prob. take a few days to implement this.
But here it is:
When you get up at your usual time, don't try to project- just lay there with your eyes closed and only see what you can perceive laying there with your eyes closed (did I say that twice?  ).  Just observe what you see, what you feel, how things around you change, how your awareness changes.  Don't try to project and don't let yourself go to sleep.  Just lay there and stay with 'yourself' as long as possible without losing consciousness.  When you get up write down your observations or experiences.
Do this for a week, suppressing your attempts to get out- consider this a 'study' on yourself you're doing.
Then report back and I'll tell you what step 2 is.
If you accept this mission, that is.

[Synergy]

If you are like me, and have many experiences of waking up in sleep paralysis, I can offer you a bit of advice, though your problems may not be the same.  I find that in that hypnapompic state (just waking up) and while in sleep paralysis... no matter how many times I tell myself that I am not fearful of the state, I always am at least a bit when I am in it.  Its only for the first second or two though as I gain more consciousness but it's enough to distract you... as a result I learned to just accept the SP state years ago, and now I just sort of 'let myself go'.  I don't actually focus on having an OBE itself anymore.  But it IS the end result. In fact, it's when I think too much that I abort the potential OBE.  So next time, instead of focusing on having an OBE, try to just let your mind (and body) go.... just let yourself go, surrender to the SP, but remain aware.  To stay aware, try to focus on all the aspects of the sleep paralysis itself... for the sake of the experience itself.  That will keep you from becoming too excited and sabotaging the potential OBE. 

[galaxy_storm]

CFTraveler- Thanks for the advice, I'll try it out. The problem I face with all these projection things is that when I try to stay awake waiting for the body to fall asleep, it never does and I just stare on my closed eyelids an hour or two.
Similar is with early-morning attempts, when I actually have the desire to project, it fades away. If I don't, I usually drift between sleep and awake, but without any "awareness".

It seems to me that I can't gain awareness in other state than awake, I actually had a few lucid dreams but every time I become lucid, I can sense the dream uncontrollably fading away and I'm awake within a few minutes.

Synergy- when I let go in sleep paralysis, I usually fall back asleep with not very nice dreams I can't gain awareness in SP (or in any other state than awake it seems) and if I do, I'm awake without even knowing how

[galaxy_storm]

OK so yesterday as I woke up, I did not move or anything. As I went back to sleep after a while, I gained awareness in a dream. But it did not look like lucid dream, I was aware I was dreaming and things got clearer after I realised that. But the problem was I could not move, I only consciously observed the dream, the dream had me in control. Luckily this was my first LD longer than a few seconds (maybe it could be even classified as OBE as I was in my house and everything looked as it looks in waking life) But anyway it ended quickly again.
Like in all the few-second LDs I had i was aware that I was dreaming but I could not control the dream, why is that?

[CFTraveler]

Dual consciousness.  It's not like you're going to the projection, it's like the projection is going to you.  That happens to me if I'm very tired.  Energy work is how I fix this when it happens.  And more sleep.

[darkness]

ok  i kinduf dont understand your problem but i will answer the way i think it is

1:if your trying to wake up from sleep do things u could only do in a dream like move around a bit if it skips or your not looking through your eyes but above u think this is a dream this is very hard but it is possible just think about it before you sleep this may take a few days.

2:if your trying to sleep just dont sleep one night the next go too sleep. hope this helps psthis has happend to me before if this doesnt work tell me i will find a way to help u if i have to go thru it my self

[darkness]

sorry i get it now ur in a state where your asleep but not asleep and u cant move this is called narcalepsy if its minor u can home fix it if not go to a docter next time u sleep put on a constant noise and try to sleep when you wake up but arnet awake ok that explenation will take to long so lets call it yob so when u yob listen for that noise if you hear itthink really hard blink like crazy or try too if this does not work get a docter please tell me if this helps u so i can feel good

[CFTraveler]

sorry i get it now ur in a state where your asleep but not asleep and u cant move this is called narcalepsy

Sorry I disagree.  The state you are describing is sleep paralysis, which is something that can happen to a narcoleptic, but all episodes of sleep paralysis are not narcolepsy.  The strongest indication of narcolepsy is not being able to stay awake during the day and the propensity to lose consciousness without control.  It's a state of in-between, all day and all night, to put it generally.
The symptoms that we try to produce on purpose, which is deep trance, are similar to sleep paralysis, in which you maintain conscious awareness and have hypnagogic hallucinations.  These are produced on purpose, not uncontrollably and are used as a platform for a Lucid Dream or an Out of Body Experience, (OBE).
So you don't have to feel bad- if our OP has no problems in waking life, the problem isn't pathological, it's a matter of finding what works.

[Synergy]

Synergy- when I let go in sleep paralysis, I usually fall back asleep with not very nice dreams I can't gain awareness in SP (or in any other state than awake it seems) and if I do, I'm awake without even knowing how

It is common to have vivid and sometimes scary dreams associated with sleep paralysis.  SP by definition, is a component of REM sleep that is encroaching upon the waking state.  Because you are experiencing some elements of REM sleep but you are aware of it, it can be a bit scary.  Some people also have auditory and visual elements of REM along with sleep paralysis (hypnagogic hallucinations), and even the paralysis itself can invoke fear, no matter how many times we tell ourselves that SP is a normal occurrence every night when we sleep.  REM atonia as it's called in medical circles, is to prevent us from physically acting out our dreams.  Just the paralysis feeling on its own though is scary. You may be falling asleep in the SP episode, and also experiencing other REM elements, while still semi-awake, and that can cause you (unconsciously) to turn those images into fear based ones. 

The only way I was able to get over the fear (when I was about 14 or so), I just literally 'gave up' and succumbed to it.  In a way I was thinking 'this is it I guess...'  and at that moment there was no more fear.  Now, with the research I have done about SP, I know that it is not a harmful condition, and I know how to get out of it easily if I need/want to.  But I usually try to use it to my advantage now instead.... it is very easy to launch an OBE from SP.
Just read up on sleep paralysis, and it will alleviate your fears, and if you need to get out of it easily, just try concentrating on your pinky finger.... just try to move that one finger.  By the time you try to move it, the paralysis will have started to subside.  But consider yourself lucky that you have SP episodes naturally... it can prove to be of benefit to you later on, for inducing lucid dreams and/or OBEs.

[galaxy_storm]

I know there's nothing to be afraid of in SP but the fear is subconscious and uncontrollable. I can also wake at will from SP but it requires a lot of effort (strive to move my arm as much as I can and it eventually moves, getting me out of the state; it's funny how all the nerve connections are cut off effectively leaving only the head awake ).

I've been having a lot of SP's when I was a child, they come just rarely now.

But like one member here said, I feel like I have a special connection to the physical at this time/life (maybe because I chose to), making it for me much harder to break this "connection" than for others. But anyway I find my true home in dreams, this physical world looks extremely strange and odd to me! Especially some of the modern society "trends" which I absolutely don't get, and have no explantation for...

[CFTraveler]

I know there's nothing to be afraid of in SP but the fear is subconscious and uncontrollable. I can also wake at will from SP but it requires a lot of effort (strive to move my arm as much as I can and it eventually moves, getting me out of the state; it's funny how all the nerve connections are cut off effectively leaving only the head awake ).

It's what I call 'visceral' you know what you're dealing with but you can't help feeling the fear.  It's sort of like PMS for a woman (you know everybody didn't suddely decide they hate you, but if feels that way).   I think  that fear is due to your own energy causing a 'being watched' amygdala tickle and it takes great effort and concentration to move against the fear.  It can be done, but not every time, I'm sorry to report.

But like one member here said, I feel like I have a special connection to the physical at this time/life (maybe because I chose to), making it for me much harder to break this "connection" than for others. But anyway I find my true home in dreams, this physical world looks extremely strange and odd to me! Especially some of the modern society "trends" which I absolutely don't get, and have no explantation for...

Maybe you should consider projection another way to explore the physical.  I know that many people consider AP purely nonphysical, but I disagree- it's just a different physical with a whole lot of psychology thrown in- and that's very interesting.

ps.  I recommend wiggling your toe to break paralysis- easier than trying to move an arm that feels like a ton of bricks. 

[Synergy]

It's what I call 'visceral' you know what you're dealing with but you can't help feeling the fear.  It's sort of like PMS for a woman (you know everybody didn't suddely decide they hate you, but if feels that way).   I think  that fear is due to your own energy causing a 'being watched' amygdala tickle and it takes great effort and concentration to move against the fear.  It can be done, but not every time, I'm sorry to report.

How I got over it was that I just 'gave up' I guess is the only way to describe it... like if I was at gunpoint and knew that they were about to pull the trigger (not the same I know, but closest I can compare to), like I knew my fate, and just accepted it like admitting defeat.  Then, I realized that nothing bad would happen, and every time after that I just knew instinctively that I would be ok. That initial giving up of my will though, was difficult...  but it was a very effective way of getting the msg to my subconscious.  Not so much admitting defeat I guess.... but more accepting my fate.

[brandon89lee]

you mentioned how when you have lucid dreams, your dreams start to fade away right?

ok so the only thing i can say for you that MIGHT help(and im very new to all of this so i might not know what im talking about...so plz forgive me)....my first time Ever getting to the vibrational state... i was first in a lucid dream, but half awake and wanted to stay in the dream...and some one once told me that, to help me stay in the dream to try rubbing my hands together in the dream...so i tried it but instead of staying in the dream, i somehow woke up and started getting intense vibrations...was really scared at first, but got soo excited that i messed it up lol

dont know if that helps at all, or if it has anything to do with your problem

[brandon89lee]

also i was woundering if i could ask what exactly sp is, and if everyone gets it? or only few people? and i thought if you get sp its a good oppertunity to exit...sorry,once again, im very new to all this and know very little

[CFTraveler]

also i was woundering if i could ask what exactly sp is, and if everyone gets it? or only few people? and i thought if you get sp its a good oppertunity to exit...sorry,once again, im very new to all this and know very little

Sleep paralysis is what happens when your mind wakes up before your body does.  You see, when we sleep, in parts of the dreaming cycle (prob. the REM state) your body is paralyzed to keep you from sleepwalking or sleephurting yourself (or others).  In people that get sp the body doesn't 'wake up' at the same time as the mind, and there is a time when you're still dreaming but you're awake and paralyzed.  This causes all kinds of 'fun' experiences.  The opposite is people who sleepwalk- their bodies wake up before the mind does, and sleepwalking (and other things) can happen.
This is more common than most people think, and it happens a lot when you're in a certain age- hormones catching up and all that.
Everybody in my family has gotten it at some time, making me think that it's more usual than what is reported.

I personally think that sleep paralysis is a terrible time to try to exit, because typically people are not fully conscious when they're in sleep paralysis, and are having unpleasant 'hag' experiences, and are more preoccupied with 'breaking paralysis' or waking up. 
I think sp gets confused with trance, which is the optimal time to try to exit.  Your body is paralyzed but your mind is fully lucid and in control, and you can decide what to do, instead of reacting in terror.
Just my opinion, of course.

[Synergy]

Sleep paralysis is only a part of REM... In fact, in medical circles they refer to it as REM Atonia.... your muscle movement is shut off during REM sleep, so that you do not act out your dreams physically, at least thats what neuro's believe is it's function. When someone experiences REM atonia outside of REM sleep, that's what we refer to as sleep paralysis.  Normally, the paralysis wears off before waking consciousness pervades, however sometimes REM elements can encroach on the waking state. Certain sleep disorders like Narcolepsy are characterized by these.  Besides sleep paralysis, other REM elements that can encroach on the waking state are: hypnagogic (falling asleep) hallucinations, and hypnapompic (waking up) hallucinations... which are basically dream imagery superimposed over waking imagery received through the opened eyes.  Some speculate that the neurotransmitters and/or hormones involved with sleep cycles may be messed up and thats what can cause this to happen.  Not all people who experience SP, or hypnagogic/hypnapompic hallucinations have a sleep disorder.  Neuros still don't know enough to say why it happens or to what percent of the population.  Even more interesting is the fact that SP and the hallucinatory imagery can be induced by will, and that SP seems to be a common precurser to OBEs.  I imagine that at the physiological level, since its possible to alter brainwave activity by will, and also regulate melatonin levels to some degree (darkness) etc, that's how its possible to induce them. 

How SP is related to OBEs I do not know, other than to speculate that melatonin is produced by the pineal gland (also called the third eye, which also produces other chemicals including DMT which seem to be related to dreaming, and is on its own a powerful hallucinogenic) - but the pineal gland may just be the 'door' that we open in order to experience other realms,... like the physical aspect of the receiver that is needed to tune into the frequencies of the etheric/ astral etc.  If I had to pick an area in the brain that I thought was responsible for initiating the external experience, the pineal wold be it... although I have read that the angular gyrus also was implicated in initiating OBEs... however I have been unable to find much info on what exactly the angular gyrus does... what is it's function... other than something to do with spatial awareness.