I just came across this article written by Chris French and published in the Guardian in 2009.
I have recently discovered sleep paralysis as a condition and it has put an end to my constant wondering about the weird kind of dreams I have and how messed up my head must be!
In a way it's a relief to know I'm almost normal in the sense of having such a condition but as this account from a fellow sufferer illustrates, I am far from comfortable going to sleep at night with exactly the same experiences possibly awaiting me as Ms Ball.
...This is illustrated by an account from Lori Ball, a healthy 53-year-old woman from Ohio who is not only well-informed about sleep paralysis but is actually cognisant of what is happening to her while it's happening: "I try to scream (though I have great difficulty making any sound), attempt to flail around, anything, to get the attention of my husband. It is a feeling of panic, entrapment and desperation so horrifying that I have difficulty describing its magnitude.
"If my spouse notices my discomfort and responds, in my mind it's never soon enough. One cannot simply tell me to 'wake up' and tap me on the arm. Often I need to be shaken somewhat to be fully present. At that point I wouldn't care if he slapped me hard as the terror of being in that paralysed state, totally helpless, is overwhelming. Knowing that it will end eventually is of no comfort. Every second is hell."
To see the article in full please click the link in the post title.
