This started off as a letter but I think there's enough in here to make a full article out of it for those who want some better explanations on things. Latisha asked some very common questions and I think a lot more people will see them here than in the letters section.

Hello Doug,

   I was surfing the internet to find out more about sleep paralysis and I kept finding the word Out of body experience. Well, my first thought was “Is this happening to me?” I have always believed in the paranormal, so when I had this particular experience, I thought that there was a spirit looking over me and I just couldn’t move. So I am writing you because after reading all of the information that you have on the site, I am not sure what has happened to me.

   Last night, or this morning, at around 2:54 am, I was having a vivid dream about a famous entertainer and myself, very good dream, very good…..anyway, I suddenly started to feel myself wake up. I could hear the TV. and I could also hear that someone was in my room. I thought it was my daughter who’s 4 and I normally jump up when I hear her. But when I tried to get up, I just couldn’t move. I heard myself moan twice, and then I jumped up and I turned to look in the area where my closet and my dresser sits, because I had this feeling for that quick moment, that I wasn’t alone in my room! And I felt that if I had the chance to look a second sooner, I probably would’ve seen what was over there. I wasn’t afraid, I wasn’t nervous; I just didn’t feel like I was alone in my room. I didn’t feel like I needed to check on my kids nor did I think that there was anything evil lurking around my house. My husband works nights so I knew it wasn’t him. I asked my kids this morning, if any of them had been up and they all said no. I even asked them if they ever had the feeling of not being able to move in their sleep, and my 8 year old son said that he has had this happen to him. So with this being said, I immediately thought that someone was watching over me, like someone who had passed in my family because that’s what people in my family always believed. I also felt that who or whatever it was didn’t want me to see it, because I felt it leave my room, but I didn’t see anything. Is this an OBE? And if so, is it possible that it was me moving around in my room. I knew that I wasn’t sleep Doug, and I know that I was not in my room alone. All I know is that something or somebody was there, and when I tried to get up to see, I just couldn’t move. Please help me to understand this. And tell me that my son is not going to have the same thing happen to him.

Sincerely,

Confused by not quite afraid

Latisha

Hi Latisha,

   I love those dreams too. Anyway, having a lucid dream like that is similar to an OBE because your mind is awake but your conscious is in your mind - not in the astral plane. It's relatively easy to switch into an OBE during these dreams because they're so similar. The sleep paralysis is always the start of a true OBE as your mind tries to break free of the bodily cage and there's usually a spirit or two somewhere around you at all times. This was mostly likely your guardian angel watching over you and you felt his/her presence. The "someone's watching me" feeling happens to me all the time during OBE's and it's really hard to get used to. You just have to remember it's a friendly spirit watching over you and making sure you're safe.

   As for your son, you can give him little bits of information over time as you see fit. I've done this with mine because I think he's felt the sleep paralysis a couple times but I'm not positive. I've told him how much I love that feeling as a starter so that he won't be afraid if it starts to happen regularly. He's grown up with mischievous spirits so I let him know some are here to protect him and others because they just wish they could play with him. It's hard to calm a child's fear of ghosts when he's going to sleep and something's jumping on his bed but I let him know it was most likely his little sister (miscarriage) and she's always watching him too. I've dropped hints of OBE's to him and if he starts getting sleep paralysis as he gets older I'll be able to tell him more since his mind is already open to the idea of spirits and "enjoyable" sleep paralysis. He now knows that sometimes it's possible to move around like a ghost but I haven't given him too much information on that because you really don't want your child wandering around the planes at that age. It just keeps him open-minded for when/if that day comes.

   Of course, you could completely ignore that suggestion if you think it might scare him or you just don't feel comfortable telling him something like that. It's just the way I deal with these things and it works for me but I'm a little different than a lot of parents.

Hope this helps.

Happy dreaming,

Doug

   So am I really having OBEs? Or, was it a guardian angel in my room with me? I mean I thought that it was me moving around. So when your spiritual self disconnects from your body, this is why you feel the paralysis? Or is it when it is coming back and you feel aware? I am not too clear as to what is happening. My husband told me that I was just dreaming about being awake. I also had the chance to ask my older son and he says that he has had that happen to him, too but he said that he heard foot steps and couldn’t move. I just want to be clear about it. Am I really astral projecting or starting to? Or am I really being visited by someone other than my guardian angels? How do I deal with this? I don’t know whether to freak out or accept it. I have two out of three sons experiencing the same thing, but I don’t understand how to explain it. Also, are you saying that this ‘lucid’ dream that so easily cut off is actually apart of my OBE?

Thank you so much for responding to me.

Latisha

Hi Latisha,

You got lucky the first time and emailed me right as I was finishing clearing out the pile of emails. Sorry this one took so long to get back to you.

So am I really having OBEs?

It sure sounds like you did. You've had countless OBE's throughout your life (everyone does) but over time some people begin to realize they're having them and can even make them happen at will.

Or, was it a guardian angel in my room with me?

Both! It might not necessarily have been your protector in the room - it could have been any spirit. I ran into my grandmother's spirit a couple years ago and she was watching over my dad. Since she died in 2000 she wouldn't be my father's lifelong guardian angel but a loved one that was either watching over him or just coming to check on him. More than likely the presence in the room was your guardian angel but it could just as easily have been a departed family member watching over you.

I mean I thought that it was me moving around.

If you were having an OBE it would be you moving around. It's completely different than moving in the physical world - your thoughts put you in motion rather than your brain telling your legs to move. Because this is something new it can be hard to accept the reality of it when you know your physical body is sleeping a few feet away. That really is the true you moving around.

So when your spiritual self disconnects from your body, this is why you feel the paralysis? Or is it when it is coming back and you feel aware?

Sleep paralysis is nothing more than your mind being awake while your body is sleeping. At night our bodies shut down into hibernation mode. Imagine if our bodies didn't shut down at night - all those dreams of running around and knocking things over would turn into a huge mess once you woke up. What happens with sleep paralysis is the mind stays awake and notices that the body is no longer able to move by the usual method of sending messages to the right body parts. You can also feel the rush of energy coming from the "cosmic battery" of the astral plane that recharges your physical energy. This is when the fear kicks in for most people and they will try to fight it until they finally move and wake up completely. By relaxing and enjoying the feeling (it does become enjoyable) you will either drift into sleep or transfer into an OBE if your mind is still fully awake. As your spirit disconnects from the physical body you will no longer feel the paralysis because that has been left behind in the empty, rechargeable "shell" that is lying on the bed behind you. When returning to your body after an OBE you will rarely notice the paralysis again since you will either fall back into a regular sleep or waken completely.

My husband told me that I was just dreaming about being awake.

That's always a possibility but what you described sounds like a typical OBE. You might begin to doubt yourself after a while and believe it was only a dream but when you're sure from the start that it was something other than a dream then you're usually correct.

I also had the chance to ask my older son and he says that he has had that happen to him too but he said that he heard foot steps and couldn’t move.

Best thing to do is make sure he's not afraid of it. If he's open to the idea and learns to enjoy it who knows what could happen in the future. OBE's change lives for the better in many, many ways and those who use them for good purposes gain a lot mentally, physically and spiritually. As for the footsteps, it could have been anything. It may have been 1 of your family members, a spirit or even someone living across the street. The senses can become more acute and pick up sounds from farther away than you would normally hear them. The "footsteps" could also have been a common Kundalini noise associated with an oncoming OBE. Knocking can often be heard and there is actually a loud "pop" or "knock" when your mind pops out of the physical. As a child I would always hear knocking on the windows during my sleep paralysis and it scared me half to death. You don't want him afraid to fall asleep at night. I think giving him little hints about the "wonderful" experiences he's having could be beneficial but use your own discretion.

Am I really astral projecting or starting to?

I would say you are - or at least had a single one. This could have been a fluke and most people will experience an OBE at least once in their life. I'm not sure of your age but guessing by the kids I would say you're between 25-35. This is when a lot of people begin to first experience OBE's. If the thought of having no boundaries in time, space or knowledge sounds appealing then you might want to learn to astral project regularly. You're at a prime age to begin and if you wait it only gets harder as you grow older.

Or am I really being visited by someone other than my guardian angels?

Like I said, it could be anyone. It was probably your guardian angel but any spirit can be around at any time. Most of the time they're good but just like the physical world you get bad spirits you may run into. If you didn't sense danger then you shouldn't have to worry. These spirits that watch over you also keep away the evil spirits so you always have a personal bodyguard in the spirit world as well.

How do I deal with this?

There's pretty much 2 choices:

1. Forget about it. Call it a dream or call it a one time thing. Stick with what you've always known and forget about the astral plane until your time comes. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this choice and most people will go this way.

2. See if you can wilfully try for a 2nd OBE. Read up on it in books or the internet and you'll see it's nothing scary. It's amazing what can be seen and done during OBE's. Once the door's been opened it's usually easier to obtain OBE's on your own. Could take a couple years to have your 2nd or it could come the first time you try.

I don’t know whether to freak out or accept it.

Most people will/would freak out at first. It's completely different than what we've learned our whole lives. The material world has brought about a fear of ghosts and death through the use of media and movies. We grow up in fear of the Unknown and when the time comes for people to experience the Unknowns they have this built-in fear that has to be overcome. There is no reason whatsoever to freak out. You can accept it if you want but I like the thought of "welcoming" it. Once you realize there is nothing that can hurt you the fear will be overcome. It's like getting on your first giant roller-coaster as a kid. The nervous time spent in line and even going up that first mountainous hill, all the while fearing for your life, is completely forgotten as you begin soaring through the air, doing flips and turns and having the best time of your life. The next time you may still be slightly scared standing in line but you know what happens when you lift off. After a while you no longer tremble while waiting but instead go back on a weekday so you don't have to wait in the long line. You ride it over and over and can't imagine anything better in the world.

I have two out of three sons experiencing the same thing, but I don’t understand how to explain it.

Again, use your own judgement. Are they old enough and mature enough to handle this kind of subject? Are they petrified of ghosts or do they know that there's always a spirit or two watching over them? Are they going to run around school telling everyone that they have a ghost with them? It's another one of those tough parental choices but just remember that something might be better than nothing because of the doors it could open up to them in the future. I've only been giving little hints on occasion because I honestly don't know how to explain it either. I've spilled what I thought was a little too much a couple times but he handled it fine. Break it to them gradually. It's up to you how much to tell them and at what age.

Also, are you saying that this ‘lucid’ dream that so easily cut off is actually a part of my OBE?

There is a very fine line between lucid dreams and OBE's and I sometimes have trouble telling the difference between the two.

Lucid dreams happen in your mind while it's in the physical body - that's how I like to explain it anyway. Lucid dreams can also take place in a dream plane but there are different opinions on this and either way your astral and physical bodies are still attached. Lucid dreams happen during regular sleep cycles with the only difference being that you know you are dreaming and can control the dream. Try changing someone's hair colour or make them 6 inches taller by thinking about it and you'll see it happen. You are in partial or complete control. In a lucid dream you can touch, taste, feel and smell. Walls are solid and you can have those great dreams with all the physical feelings involved.

OBE's happen when your astral body and and your physical body become disconnected. Many dreams take place during OBE's but most people will never know it. The other planes are filled with dreamers that think you're nothing more than another character in their dream. During an OBE you rarely have the usual senses (besides hearing) that go with the physical body. You can walk through walls and people like they weren't there. Simply put - you are a ghost.

Your mind is actually awake during a lucid dream just like it would be awake during an OBE. The only difference is that you are still in your physical body. Sometimes this consciousness can shift and you will find yourself in an OBE. Many people obtain most of their astral projections this way with practice but I'm not experienced enough in this method to elaborate. The point is that there is a very fine line between the lucid dream state and an OBE. It is just a matter of transferring between the two which can be pretty easy for some.

I hope I've explained this a little better.

Good luck with everything and take care,

Doug

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