Yes! I get this too. Almost exactly as you describe it as well. It happens to me every couple of weeks and I've had it since childhood. It used to terrify me but as I've got used to it and know what it is I find it really interesting and try experiments to find different ways to "escape" from it. I've never yet managed to make myself move during an attack but I find the best way to make it go away is to completely relax your body when it happens. It's hard to do when you feel like you have to escape from something but this seems to send your body back into normal sleep (although I always get a moment or two of feeling as if I'm being electrocuted before I fall asleep again). I don't think there is any way to get rid of the sheer terror it brings but once you're used to the attacks you can at least realise what is happening.

Do you ever get the feeling during an attack that there is something or someone in your room, with a really menacing atmosphere? I always get this and even though I'm used to the feelings it terrifies me every time.

There's a lot of info about it on the web. Try googling for hypnogogic paralysis and hypnopompic paralysis.

Yep - the relaxing thing seems to be the best remedy! If you try and fight it (as I did last night) you just feel more panicy.

Have read up some stuff on the net, it's great to read accounts exactly as I experience them - I am not alone lol!

I found it distressing as a child but in later years i find it fascinating

I still do find it quite awful

I usually am aware now, of what it is, but there are occasions when I am just sucked into it.

I often have vivid dreams with it too. They are usually non-descript, just more feeling and emotion - panic and fear, but dreams none the less.

I have been reading it up again today, and it makes me tingle just reading it...!

I'm not sure how often I get it.. Depends on what is going on in my life at the time, how I am feeling. But definately once every few months, maybe more often.

Last night was the first time I actually had the 'other person being there' feeling. Even though I KNEW there wasn't, and was only thinking it as I knew it happened to other people. Like the Lords Prayer thing, that was definately more dream/hallucination than me doing it.

My husband has it as well, I sympathise for you all who suffer from it, it's not nice to say the very least. OH can't sleep on his back or else he goes into it.

He's done loads of research but really just has to try to keep off his back, and not over sleep.

I usually get the feeking of someone holding me from behind and a scary creature sound coming towards me (can't really describe the sound) and i just try to move and open my eyes

From reading some of the other side effects, I am sooo pleased I don't get them!

I don't think I could handle it thinking someone was grabbing me! It would make me struggle and panic more...

When you've experienced it you can really see why some people might think it's a supernatural experience. I very rarely get visual hallucinations with it but one time I actually thought I could see a huge black shape moving around my room and coming towards me. I know some people think they see the "old hag" sitting on their chest too. Apparetly a lot of so-called alien abductions are probably sleep paralysis in reality as well.

For those who've experienced it, do your dogs ever react while you're having an attack? I remember Meg waking me up once during an attack. I was probably making a noise, trying to wake myself up and she pressed her nose into my face and that made me wake up properly (well, it would wouldn't it? having a cold wet nose shoved into your eye?!). I reassure myself sometimes during an attack that if there was really anything in my room then Meg would be reacting and barking but she usually just seems to lie still and asleep while it's happening to me. I have heard one very scary story where a man was having an attack and his cat was also standing up and staring at the "thing" that was in his room. I suppose he could also have been hallucinating his cat's reaction, but still terrifying!

I had no idea what it was until a year ago when i heard a tv doctor talking about it