My Sleep Paralysis Experience

Reading time: 1.5 min

Yes, I did encounter a sleep paralysis demon.

That day, I was extremely fatigued. I fell asleep, lying perpendicular to my bed. It was supposed to be a quick lie down, but I soon dozed off.

When I woke up, I felt keenly aware of my surroundings.

I felt like I could see.

Everything in my room felt visible to me. But I knew my eyes were not open. I tried moving my arms and fingers- they wouldn't budge.

I started thinking:

"Wow, so this is sleep paralysis. Cooler than I imagined. Quite calming and peaceful."

And then my monkey brain started to wander. I recalled reading about how others who experienced sleep paralysis had some scary monster looming over them.

Good job, brain.

That exactly began to manifest. 

Slowly, a tall, dark, shadowy figure appeared in the doorway.

It began to approach me as I seriously began to attempt to wiggle my fingers. I had an immense urge to regain control of my body. 

No luck. 

The shadowy figure felt familiar as if it was someone I knew, yet it felt hostile. It crept closer and closer. Eventually, I felt pressure on my neck.

In hindsight, it was probably just the collar of my shirt lightly pressing against my neck. I did awkwardly flop onto my bed, after all. But at the time, my mind amplified it.

I felt like I was being strangled. 

I fought against this in my mind, feeling that air could still enter my lungs. I had to stay calm.

After perhaps another minute, I regained control of my body in panic, moving my limbs and opening my eyes to dispel my sleep paralysis demon.