Imagine feeling very tired, going to bed, and quickly falling asleep.
Your rest is soon disturbed, though, by some sort of rustling noise. You open your eyes and recognize the normal features of your bedroom in the shadowy darkness, but, when you try to sit up, you realize that you are paralyzed; you are unable to move your arms or legs or even turn your head. With sudden, sickening dread and overwhelming terror, you sense an evil presence approaching. You struggle and try to scream for help, but you still cannot move or make a sound. The sinister being looms over you for a moment, then climbs onto your bed and settles heavily on your chest, crushing the breath out of you. -Taken from Shelley Adler’s book: Sleep Paralysis Nightmare, Nocebos and the Mind Body Connection