# Lucid Dreaming > Dream Control >  >  Sleep Paralysis to Lucid dream

## Heisenberg

I did a quick search and couldn't find an answer to how you do this. I have heard people say that you can use sleep paralysis as a gateway to lucid dreaming. I have tried one technique where you try to roll out of your body. Whenever I try this it takes extreme effort and I don't get very far. It feels like something is holding me back and I usually get a bunch of uncomfortable sensations.

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## Moinsquerien

I've had quite some experiences with sleep paralysis, but I always freak out and start stressing until I can move again. I've read somewhere that the key to lucid dreaming while paralyzed is to stay calm, close your eyes and try to visualize another dream. It should be really easy to enter one in the sleep paralysis state, since your body is still asleep and sleep paralysis is often accompanied by hypnagogic hallucinations.

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## roswell

I've been able to enter lucidity from sleep paralysis. For me it has to do with how I feel I can deal with what's out there. A sound from the waking world is often what triggers the sleep paralysis state. Then it's like "what am I going to do about the it?" If I'm paralyzed with fear, nothing good happens. But if I'm either brave enough or curious enough I can get up and get out.


Once up, being in my own bedroom or house seems to make finding inconsistencies and keys much easier.

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## Heisenberg

Thanks for the advice. I know you're supposed to calm yourself but sometimes they can be overwhelming. Sometimes it feels like I can't breathe or I am being attacked and I have no chance to calm myself.

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## waterandcoffee

My most recent experience with sleep paralysis was my most successful. I experienced many of the same sensations you described, particularly not being able to breath (I was being strangled by a shadowy figure. fun!). What helped was realizing that even though I was unable to breath...I was actually breathing. The inconsistency triggered a natural RC and I was able to relax.

I guess my advice would be to avoid concentrating on how difficult it appears to breath and instead focus on the fact that you are actually breathing.

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## kiffakitty

Isn't that the only way to go from being awake to lucid dreaming? I do it all of the time, but I do it in the morning. In the morning, I am not as scared to be paralyzed in my sleep (I admit it, I am still scared of the dark even though I am 22 x___x). You just close your eyes, breathe slowly and get comfortable. Then I focus on that feeling of heaviness and numbness and just embrace it. You have to experience sleep paralysis at least once to really know the feeling that you are searching for. Once I am stuck in sleep paralysis, it is much easier to go to a dream state because it is harder to wake up. 

If you don't stay calm and embrace it, you can have a terrifying nightmare. Sleep paralysis often stimulates paranoia and hallucinations. So remember to stay calm and go with the flow.

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## MissLucy

I'm very paranoid by nature, and I can reassure people: I experienced SP and it gave me a panic attack at first, until I realised what it probably was. Knowing it was the gateway to a lucid dream, I relaxed and just let happen what happened. I got colourful swirls and some geometric shapes for hallucinations, but that was pretty much it.
It feels like how I imagine Han Solo must have felt when he was put in that solid block thing. You can feel your body but you can't move it, as if you're cast in concrete. Once the initial panic is over, though, you get the hallucinations and when those are over, you're in a dream. ..this is, given that you didn't move or pay too much attention to the hallucinations. I personally find music helps to silence auditory hallucinations.

..hope that helped?

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## RyanJF

Hey, 

Oddly enough, I almost always enter my lucid dreams through sleep paralysis. I've gotten to the point where, after waking up in the middle of the night, I can usually roll onto my back and rest assured knowing that I'll soon be in the midst of a lucid dream. The key for me, in attempting what I presume to be a sort of WILD, is staying calm and willing myself to be in a certain set or setting. Unfortunately, my transitions from sleep paralysis to lucid dreams toe the boundary between "disturbing" and "terrifying". I'll feel my body vibrating and quaking, my arms and back arching, and a terrible, almost painful rushing noise emanating from within my very skull. I normally have to concentrate on getting into the dream, lest I be pulled from paralysis; if I can manage my thoughts, my fear starts to fade, and I begin to experience a number of auditory hallucinations and hypnagogic visuals. 

As others have said, calm yourself down and focus on your thoughts and desires, rather than the unpleasant sensations which will likely be coursing all throughout your body.

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## SlenderMatt

See, I have actually been able to train myself to slip into sleep paralysis within a matter of minutes.  The first time, it was freaky, but after that, I've found it incredibly relaxing and an excellent tool to help me fall asleep faster.  However, I heard that it could help you achieve lucidity, too.  It's never worked for me, though.  Even if I am able to 'plan' out a dream before mentally falling asleep, so-to-speak, I always forget I'm dreaming, and never become lucid.

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## vapidity

One time I was listening to theta binaural beats and meditating in bed. After 20 minutes I opened my eyes and looked around because I heard a dull honking noise. I went to sit up but was startled when I realized something; i could not sit up. It felt as though something or someone was sitting on my chest, and my arms and legs were ragdoll limbs. I. Was. TERRIFIED! I struggled for a minute when I remembered what my friend had told me about SP. I concentrated on the backs of my eyelids, entranced by the purty colors and swirls, then drifted into a deep, dream filled sleep. Those dreams were vivid, not lucid (unfortunately). Learning to change experiences like this, my first SP, would be awesome because for me it is a simple thing, something that occurs naturally. How can one achieve this?

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## The Cusp

I still think rolling out of your body is the best way to go here.  Your dream arms and legs are much easier to dislodge from your real body than your head and torso are.  So start with those.  Just keep rocking back and forth with your arms and legs until you gather enough momentum to pull your whole body off.

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