Sleep Paralysis What It Is How To Prevent It

Sleep paralysis is a terrifying experience that affects millions of people worldwide. When it happens, the individual awakens from sleep and finds himself paralyzed with a tremendous weight bearing down on his body. The experience varies from one individual to the next, with some people seeing figures, others seeing shadows, but always unable to move or speak.

My personal bout with sleep paralysis has spanned a period of forty-seven years, beginning when I was five. I remember it happening almost every night while watching T.V. with my family. It happened so often, I didn't think much of it until I overheard my father discussing the subject with one of his friends. He referred to it as a witch riding his back and said he slept with a bible under his pillow to prevent the paralysis from occurring. I was too young to remember whether I tried his suggestion back then, but I did when I was much older and it didn't work.

During my teen years, my experience with sleep paralysis took a turn for the worse and I started seeing things. I'd wake up and find a shadow standing over me and I'd take off running. I had an attic bedroom, so I'd dash down the stairs in the dark, falling most of the way, startling my brothers and sisters who'd hear me coming and often beat me to the front door.

One of my most frightening sleep paralysis experiences happened during my junior year in high school. I was sleeping in the middle of the day and woke up paralyzed. A strong wind began blowing through my room, tossing the curtains around when a disfigured face with horns started floating toward me from the ceiling. I tried calling my mother, but my tongue was frozen stiff inside my mouth and I couldn't speak. All I was able to do was let out an incoherent groan. Suddenly I began speaking The Lord's Prayer in my mind. The weird thing about this is that I didn't even know The Lord's Prayer. As I repeated it, the face backed away, until it was gone. When I was finally able to move, I thought about what happened and was tempted to write it off as a dream, but I didn't. It was real, and I wouldn't let my mind convince me to believe otherwise.

By the time I turned twenty-two, I was involved with a lot of new age practices which I believe opened me up to more intense episodes of sleep paralysis. I was also attending a new age church and thought I had a strong relationship with Jesus, but I quickly learned how mistaken I was.

One afternoon, I was bored and was forcing myself to go to sleep. When I finally dozed off I heard something walk in and begin tugging at my ankles. An adventurous young man not wanting to blow an opportunity to interact with a higher spiritual being, I slid down as he obviously wanted. As soon as I did, he separated me from my body. He then hopped on my back and began to assault me while digging his sharp claws deep into my neck. Paralyzed and unable to speak, I began shouting the name of Jesus in my mind, knowing what the bible said about demons fleeing when you call on his name. Instead of running away as I expected, he just mocked me in an impish little voice. This seriously scared me because I knew that if Jesus couldn't save me from the powers of darkness, I was in some deep trouble.

The paralysis lasted for what seemed like an hour with me fighting, trying to get free, but the more I fought, the stronger he got. Finally I just stopped resisting. When I did, I slipped back inside my body and the attack was over.

The sleep attacks continued with me as a helpless victim until I got married in my early thirties. I married a born again Christian woman who had a strong prayer life, had formally accepted Jesus as her savior and had a strong relationship with God. In time, I became born again as well. The attempts against my body didn't stop, however, but at least now I had a real relationship with Jesus and the demon knew it. Whenever I felt him moving in to attack, I'd call on the name and he'd back away.

Sometimes I'd wake up and find myself paralyzed, speak the name, and he'd have no choice but to leave. There have been many nights, however, when he's challenged my faith, and I've had to hold my ground for hours. The shadow would go away and keep coming back. But I knew my relationship with Jesus gave me dominion over demons, and I kept asserting my authority until he knew that I knew he had no right to be messing with me.

I occasionally battle with sleep paralysis even today, but that's to be expected when you live on the battlefield. The enemy is not going to just roll over and let me live victoriously. With the writing I've been called to do, I expect a fight, because I expose him as the fraud that he is. But as I face him day and night, I keep myself and my family covered with prayer. If I go to sleep without praying for God to protect me, it's almost certain that I will have another incident of sleep paralysis. If I do pray, it's almost certain that I will not. He still challenges me from time to time to see where my faith is, so I have to stay one step ahead of him, knowing that he's always lurking, waiting for an opening to move on me and keep me from doing the work I was put here to do.

Demons don't mess with anyone unless they consider them to be a potential threat to their rule of the earth. If you're experiencing sleep paralysis or having any other demonic experiences, it's because you have important work to do. I encourage you to develop a strong relationship with God and accept Jesus a your savior so you can exercise authority over the demons trying to wreck your life. You're in a battle, so you might as well arm yourself in order to avoid the mental and physical pitfalls he's trying to create all around you.

Here are seven things you can do to help prevent and overcome sleep paralysis:

1. Pray for protection before going to sleep.

2. Don't go to bed angry. Settle any relationship issues before you close your eyes and read a bible verse, maybe one of the Psalms, to put your mind at ease.

3. If you're not sleepy, don't try to force yourself to go to sleep. You'll find yourself lingering between states of consciousness and become more susceptible to attack.