EMERGENCY RETURN. PARALYSIS

Statistics show that in one-third of initial phase experiences, a practitioner is faced with a degree of fear that forces a return to the body. Periodically, even experienced practitioners face situations that require an abrupt return to wakefulness. This presents a number of concerns.

In and of itself, returning to the body is almost always unproblematic; remembering and thinking about the body often suffices and within moments the practitioner is returned to the body from whatever location in the phase. Admittedly, it is advisable during this type of situation to shut the eyes and abstain from touching anything. As a rule, when these actions are performed, simply standing up in the physical world is all that is required to complete a return; however, this is not always simply achieved.

Sometimes after reentering the body, the practitioner suddenly realizes that physical functionality has ceased due to the onset of sleep paralysis, or the sensation that the body has been switched off.

During sleep paralysis, it is impossible to scream, call for help, or even move a finger. In the majority of cases, it is also impossible to open the eyes. From a scientific point of view, this is a case of an abrupt, unnatural interruption of the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep, during which this paralysis is always present, and it can persist for some time after the phase is interrupted.

This is where it gets interesting. People in the physical world are accustomed to an important rule: if you wish to achieve something, then do it, and do it as actively as possible. This rule, though good, is not always applicable to certain conditions linked to the phase, and applies least of all to exiting the phase. Sometimes extreme effort makes it possible to break through sleep paralysis and resume movement, though most of these efforts tend to exacerbate immobility.

Due to the unusual nature of a negative situation following a deliberate, fear-induced return to the body, the depth of the phase may greatly increase because of the body’s natural, protective inhibition of functions originating in the cerebral cortex; this results in even greater agitation, greater fear. The paralysis grows stronger.

This is a vicious circle that leads to unpleasant feelings and emotions, which may evaporate any desire to practice the phase.

Ignorance of correct procedures has led to the widespread opinion that such adverse situations may make it impossible to come back from the phase at all. These opinions suppose that it is, therefore, dangerous to get involved with the practice. However, the solution to this problem rests in very simple actions and procedures that can prevent a large number of negative experiences:

Complete Relaxation

In the section on deepening and maintaining, it was noted that the more active a practitioner is while in the phase, the better.

Conversely, if there is less activity, the quality of the phase declines, allowing for an easy exit. Thus, in order to leave the phase, the practitioner only needs to completely relax and ignore any perceived sensations, actions, or thoughts. A practitioner may also recite a prayer, mantra, or rhyme, since that helps the consciousness to be distracted from the situation more quickly. Of course, one needs to calm down and try to get rid of the fear, which in and of itself is capable of keeping such a state going. Periodically, the practitioner should try to move a finger in order to check whether attempts at relaxation have had an effect.

Concentration on a Finger

A practitioner experiencing sleep paralysis should try moving a finger or a toe. At first this won’t work, but the practitioner has to concentrate precise thought and effort on the action. After a little while, the physical finger will begin to move. The problem with this technique is that the practitioner may accidentally start making phantom motions instead of physical movements, which is why an

understanding of the difference between the two sensations is necessary, since it is often not very obvious.

Concentration on Possible Movements

The physiology of sleep paralysis, the phase state, and dreams are such that when the practitioner is in one of these states, some actions are always associated with movements made in the real body. This is true when moving the eyeballs, the tongue, or while breathing. If the practitioner concentrates attention on these processes, it is possible counteract inhibitions to physical movement; as a result, a sleep-paralyzed practitioner will become able to move in reality.

Reevaluating the Situation

Under normal circumstances, deliberate exit from the phase is not the norm. Deliberate exit is commonly caused by certain fears and prejudices. If a practitioner is not able to activate the body using other emergency return techniques, a careful consideration the possibilities offered by the phase is recommended. There are many interesting and useful things that can be experienced in the phase.

Why ruin the possibility of great opportunity because of a baseless fear?

To be fair, it must be noted that emergency exit techniques do not always work. As a rule, after a long period of sleep deprivation, or at the beginning of or in the middle of a night’s sleep, the urge to sleep is so great that it is difficult to resist the sleep paralysis phenomenon.

In this respect, reevaluating the situation is highly recommended so that a practitioner is able to take advantage of the situation versus suffering by it. Sleep paralysis is easily transmuted into a phase state by means of indirect techniques.

By the way, knowing how to exit paralysis is important not only for practitioners of the phase, since such paralysis occurs even without the phase for approximately one-third of the human population at least once in a lifetime. It usually happens before or after sleep.