What Everyone Should Know About Sleep Paralysis, ASP and OBEs

By Bob Peterson, August 5, 2002

Almost every day, I get e-mail from someone who, whether they know it or not, is experiencing awareness during sleep paralysis (ASP). Usually I give them a brief explanation of what’s happening, but I decided it’s time to write it down in an article that more people can benefit from. I’ve studied and experienced multiple ASPs and OBEs, so I’m speaking from experience.

What is sleep paralysis?

Sleep Paralysis is a normal, natural bodily function that causes our physical bodies to be paralyzed during sleep. Its purpose is to prevent us from hurting ourselves when we’re dreaming. It’s supposed to happen every time we sleep and it usually sets in long before we start dreaming. When it’s not working properly, we have serious problems like sleepwalking where people get hurt. Normally, we are not conscious when sleep paralysis sets in, so most people don’t even know it exists. However, once in a while, someone becomes conscious during that period, and that’s when it becomes Awareness during Sleep Paralysis, or ASP. To the best of my knowledge, this happens more often upon waking up. Basically, your mind wakes up before your body does. Eventually, your body catches up to your mind and wakes up too.

Symptoms of ASP

When someone becomes conscious and aware of their sleep paralysis state, they usually don’t know what’s happening to them. Naturally, because they’re conscious, they try to move, but can’t. When they find out they can’t move, they start to become agitated, distressed, afraid and may even panic. They’re stuck between reality and the hallucinated world of dreams and can’t seem to get to either place. Often, they struggle and thrash against the paralysis, trying to get free, but that rarely helps.

To make matters worse, fears can easily become manifest as very realistic hallucinations in the ASP state. Therefore, people commonly see monsters, demons, witches, or other unsavory creatures attacking them. It is so common for people to see old hags trying to sit on them that they coined the word “hagging” to describe it. Often they seem to wake up “just in the nick of time before the monsters get them,” when in reality the fear-induced shot of adrenaline breaks them out of the paralysis. For the most part, these creatures are hallucinations that can be disregarded, but I realize that’s easier said than done.

Most of the time, ASP sufferers struggle to regain control of their body and eventually win. Sometimes, however, a person may seem to wake up, only to discover that they’re really still asleep and dreaming that they woke up. We call this phenomenon “false awakenings.” Sometimes a person can have several false awakenings in a row, leading them to become frustrated that they can’t wake up, or worse, terrified they may never wake up again. ASP sufferers are often reluctant to discuss their experiences because they’re afraid that people will think they’re crazy. Many people have keep this their little secret all their lives.

How common is ASP?

Actually, ASP is quite common and nothing to be afraid of or ashamed of. It happens to thousands or maybe even millions of people every day, but I don’t have any statistics to back that up. I get e-mails about ASP almost every day, though, so you’re not alone.

What can you do about the monsters?

Usually when people learn about ASP and what it is, their fears lessen. When their fears lessen, they tend to see fewer monsters. Therefore, your best advice is to not panic, remain calm, realize that you’re safe, and this is a natural thing your physical body does. Then, if you want, explore the state.

How can I break out of the ASP state?

Usually, you just have to wait for it to wear off. It’s thought that sleep paralysis has something to do with the chemistry of the brain, and you’ll automatically break out of it when your chemicals stabilize. Until then, all you can do is wait for it to end, or use it as a jumping board for the OBE state. As I said before, extreme emotion like panic or anger will sometimes cause a change in brain chemistry, and that may break you out of the ASP state. Once you learn to control it, I’m hoping you’ll want to explore rather than end it.

How does ASP relate to OBE?

In my experience, in the ASP state, you are out of your physical body and inside your energy body, but usually you’re stuck to the body and unable to move. So on the one hand, you’re out of your body, but on the other hand, you’re unable to go anywhere or do anything; a truly frustrating experience. Struggling against the paralysis is often futile, and if you do win, you’ll return to your physical body instead of leaving it, which is frustrating if OBEs are your goal.

What’s the secret of turning ASP into OBE?