Help Please: OOBE/Astral, Lucid, or was I just imagining it?

[pamQ]

Hey everyone, I just signed up yesterday, but I've lurked around these forums a bit last year, ever since I experienced sleep paralysis for the first time ever. I should have signed up earlier, but I've been posting my experiences on other forums where nobody could really help.

I am posting my story here, hoping that somebody may help me understand this. I've been doing research on sleep paralysis myself, and a friend has given me resources on astral projection and OOBEs, but I have always been afraid of it.

Here is an account of my first brush with sleep paralysis. I would like to verify if this really is one. I'm copying a message I posted on another forum:

My experience started off in a dream--I saw my older sister driving, and I saw a dark, male figure sitting on the back seat. The scene shifted to my bedroom, where I knew that I was supposed to be asleep. I lay in bed and I felt a strong gust of wind coming from above me. I couldn't move and I knew that the dark male figure was on its way to crush me. I knew I had to wake up, but I couldn't move. I opened my mouth and tried to make a sound, and as the dark figure came, I managed to roll to the other side of the bed, and the figure landed beside me. I woke up after that. 

I was really worried because a few years back, a cousin came and slept in my room in our old house. She woke up at around 3AM and she saw a dark figure looming over me while I was fast asleep. 

I tried researching for incubi and whatnot on the internet after that...

As a rational person, I've been trying to look for explanations. I think my sleep paralysis experience could be due to stress [I had huge exams the next day, and my parents expect that I get a 100 on them], and my cousin's experience could be due to some negative projections that she cooked up in her mind...

Recently, I've been having lucid dreams as well, but I'm not too sure if this was really "lucid":

The lucid dream was super weird. It involved some type of classy mall, my parents, and a T-Rex. The basic gist is that, I was talking with my parents and then when we were done talking, they started walking away. By this time I realized that I was dreaming, and I saw a T-Rex coming their way. I tried changing the scenario and making the T-Rex change into something else, but the dream was too powerful. I gave up and decided to wake up.

I had another sleep paralysis/semi-OOBE [I think] that same week. Did I go OOBE in this dream?

The sleep paralysis episode was weirder. I was working late reviewing for this huge exam that night, so I went to bed at around 2:20 AM. So I dreamt that I was out in the living room, with the TV on. A Lakers game was on ESPN. I was standing, so I sat down on the couch. Zac was there, and I sat beside him. He said something about the Lakers, and we just watched the game. Later on, I realized that it wasn't Zac anymore--that it was my sister. Or someone else who took the form of my older sister. I knew that something was wrong. This time, I knew that this was going to be another astral projection/sleep paralysis episode. So my "sister" grabbed my left wrist and started pulling, telling me to go with her. She was like, "c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon" and I was thinking "no no no no". I tried saying no, but the left part of my face was paralyzed and just like my first sleep paralysis/astral projection episode, I had a hard time speaking. I also felt that I was being dragged upwards. Because I was conscious, I resisted. I later on was able to yank my left arm and roll over to my side. I woke up after that.

I checked the clock. 2:45 AM.

And here's my most recent, most confusing one ever. I had this last Thursday and I am not sure if this is lucid dreaming, an OOBE, or just me dreaming about going OOBE. I am again quoting what I posted on another forum:

So I fell asleep and then I felt that same old "astral" feeling yet again. I knew what it was, and this time, I tried to take advantage of it and "step out" of my body and go with that upward force... so I did and it felt real and hazy and trippy and I was floating. I saw my sleeping form and I floated upwards to the ceiling. When I realized that it was really an OOBE, I remembered what somebody said: "you could go ANYWHERE, and see anything, and see anyone!". I tried going somewhere [lol, Egypt to see the pyramids! For real! ] and I felt a pull towards my body, and so down I went.

I thought I woke up by that time, but I had what people call a "false awakening" and I couldn't seem to wake up. A little later, I managed to wake up [for real, this time].

Now I don't know if that was a lucid dream or if that was really an OOBE. It's all hazy to me now, and I'm very confused...

[Steel Hawk]

Best answer I can give you:

3AM is "Dead Time" -- when Non-physical beings are most active. First thing that popped into my head about the dark being was that it was an incubus, as you said you've been researching.

As far as being a rational person, that I don't understand. It makes me giggle to think of rational people. The same rational people that though the Earth was the center of the universe and that cutting someone would bleed out a sickness. This is all within less than a dozen generations. People in general are far, far, far, behind mystics. Let's hope it stays that way.

A major difference (between an obe and lucid) is what you remember when you wake up -- after your memories are downloaded from your projectable double / astral body. An OBE is remembered as real as this is (for the most part), while a lucid dream you will know it's a dream but you can control it.

If you look at your hands and they melt, it's probably an OBE -- and not a lucid dream.

If you found movement easy and without effort, it was probably a lucid dream -- while an OBE would normally be clumsy.

Normally you wakeup after an OBE...

You can OBE without any exit symptoms (e.g. vibrations, floating, etc) but having them present (symptoms) generally means it was an OBE.

I can't tell you what to think, but look at your experience and see what's more likely. You may not even be able to do so if you have mixed signs (some point to OBE some to Lucid). The easiest way to be sure you're having an OBE is being fully conscious during the exit.

edit for typos, I neeeeeed sleep

[pamQ]

3AM is "Dead Time" -- when Non-physical beings are most active. First thing that popped into my head about the dark being was that it was an incubus, as you said you've been researching.

Oh wow. Yeah, I do remember my older sister tell me that 3AM is "the witching hour". Okay, I just got freaked out. I guess I'll continue my protection exercises and prayers. Thanks, though, I really needed a second opinion.

As far as being a rational person, that I don't understand. It makes me giggle to think of rational people. The same rational people that though the Earth was the center of the universe and that cutting someone would bleed out a sickness. This is all within less than a dozen generations. People in general are far, far, far, behind mystics. Let's hope it stays that way.

Ignore that line. I wrote that last year, all because I really was in denial back then. It's been a year now, and I've started believing everything, thanks to people like you who share information and help others understand these things.

Normally you wakeup after an OBE...
...
The easiest way to be sure you're having an OBE is being fully conscious during the exit.

Thanks, your reply has been really helpful. Well, each time these things happen to me, I always wake up immediately. I haven't looked at my hands when it happened, though, so I can't tell. I also was very conscious during the exits, so I guess they're really OBEs?

But the latest one [see the third quote on my first post] was rather hazy, and yes, I think I moved with greater ease. I also remember being in my room that didn't look exactly like my room. Would that be a sign pointing to lucid instead of OBE?

edit for typos, I neeeeeed sleep

Haha, yeah, glad to see I'm not the only one! 

Anyway, thanks for reading through my huge wall of text. I appreciate it.

[Dragonhawk]

HI and welcome to the madness (well thats what the rational people think of all this  )

This time, I knew that this was going to be another astral projection/sleep paralysis episode. So my "sister" grabbed my left wrist and started pulling, telling me to go with her. She was like, "c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon" and I was thinking "no no no no". I tried saying no, but the left part of my face was paralyzed and just like my first sleep paralysis/astral projection episode, I had a hard time speaking.

I have what you could consider to be an apt analogy to explain what you experienced. Think of a dream like a movie and you are following a script. When you begin to realize that your are dreaming and try to take control you begin to ad lib so to speak. You try to change the script but a part of you wants keep following it. So you may find that your ability to speak becomes confused, in your case it was partial paralasys of the face. This sort of thing has happened to me on a few occasions, my voice becomes a harsh whisper or there is a slurring of words trying to be forced out. I wouldn't worry to much about it though as eventually as you get better at the transition to lucid dreaming it will happen less frequently and it won't freak you out so much.

I lay in bed and I felt a strong gust of wind coming from above me. I couldn't move and I knew that the dark male figure was on its way to crush me. I knew I had to wake up, but I couldn't move. I opened my mouth and tried to make a sound, and as the dark figure came, I managed to roll to the other side of the bed, and the figure landed beside me. I woke up after that.

Ahh the mysterious dark figure. I had a brush with a similar entity some time back. I was coming out of a lucid dream and found that i could not move, I just laid there paralyzed. I then saw a dark figure standing beside my bed, it then lent down with its ear almost touching my chest, looked me in the face and simply giggled. I can tell you that the giggling was an even bigger surprise than the entity itself and that it shocked me out of the paralasys so that I could take a swing at it. As I swung at where its head was it just faded away. I then just sat there for minute or two wondering what it was and what it found so dammed funny. Strangely enough this occurred a little before 4:00am too. 

I hope I've helped in someway and if not then there are always others here who maybe of more help. Of course as I write this I have been up all night and its about 8:00am and I really neeeeeeed some sleep. 

[pamQ]

I have what you could consider to be an apt analogy to explain what you experienced. Think of a dream like a movie and you are following a script. When you begin to realize that your are dreaming and try to take control you begin to ad lib so to speak. You try to change the script but a part of you wants keep following it. So you may find that your ability to speak becomes confused, in your case it was partial paralasys of the face. This sort of thing has happened to me on a few occasions, my voice becomes a harsh whisper or there is a slurring of words trying to be forced out. I wouldn't worry to much about it though as eventually as you get better at the transition to lucid dreaming it will happen less frequently and it won't freak you out so much.

That makes a lot of sense! Thanks, I never thought of it that way. I'll definitely keep that in mind! True, I guess I shouldn't be freaked out so much... It's just that when it happens, it's still too weird.

I then saw a dark figure standing beside my bed, it then lent down with its ear almost touching my chest, looked me in the face and simply giggled. I can tell you that the giggling was an even bigger surprise than the entity itself and that it shocked me out of the paralasys so that I could take a swing at it. As I swung at where its head was it just faded away. I then just sat there for minute or two wondering what it was and what it found so dammed funny. Strangely enough this occurred a little before 4:00am too. 

Whoa, that's just freaky. My anatomy professor just told me that there ought to be something wrong with our brain's parietal lobes, and as a result, we see mysterious dark figures and experience sleep paralysis. I'm sure that there's more to it, though.

I hope I've helped in someway and if not then there are always others here who maybe of more help. Of course as I write this I have been up all night and its about 8:00am and I really neeeeeeed some sleep. 

You have definitely helped! Thanks for your input and for reading my huge wall of text! I really appreciate it!