Very strange sleep paralysis experience.
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Last night I had the bizarre experience of feeling as though I exited my body and could see it from the outside. I was surprised by the realism of the experience and how for a moment I perceived as though it was actually happening. I was obviously terrified until I became able to direct my movement and seemed to be floating atop my body surveying the room. Light engulfed my body the further I got away from it and the patterns it gave off where amazing and I became emotionally overwhelmed. I can't tell how long it lasted or if I was awake or not. The range of emotions and images are hard to piece together, but it seems like what people refer to as out of body experiences. But this was definitely the most intense sensory experience I've ever had. I have used psychedelics twice before and this surpassed that experience exponentially. After when I was conscious again I couldn't go back to sleep and stayed up trying to make sense of what happened. You can imagine someone not scientific minded could believe it to be some kind of supernatural experience. I was pretty much in shock for a while afterward and for a few brief moments I completely questioned reality. I thought maybe someone had given me a drug, but it doesn't seem to be the case.
I read into sleep paralysis from wikipedia: In addition, the paralysis may be accompanied by terrifying hallucinations (hypnopompic or hypnagogic) and an acute sense of danger.[9] Sleep paralysis is particularly frightening to the individual because of the vividness of such hallucinations.[8] The hallucinatory element to sleep paralysis makes it even more likely that someone will interpret the experience as a dream, since completely fanciful or dream-like objects may appear in the room alongside one's normal vision. Some scientists have proposed this condition as an explanation for alien abductions and ghostly encounters.
I'm amazed that the brain can produce these states naturally and I had always been skeptical when I heard people mention lucid dreams, out of body experiences, etc. Some people seem to have sensitivity to this kind of thing and it happens pretty often to them. Either way some of it was amazing and beautiful and being able to replicate it would be interesting. Anybody had a similar experience with this type of thing? 
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i've had simple sleep paralysis twice, i.e., i was fully conscious, my eyes were open and i was able to see around me, but i was unable to move my body. it felt like i was made of lead. i panicked for a few seconds the first time but then calmed down and found the whole thing interesting, until i went back to sleep. i'm pretty sure the experiences each lasted less than a minute.
i've never had any sort of sustained visual hallucination or out of body experience and i don't want to. i have a very active, and paranoid, imagination and i think it would terrify me horribly.
i have had the experience once or twice of waking up and hearing what seemed like thousands of voices whispering all around me. at that time reality seemed very tenuous and i said to myself, "my god, am i going crazy? is this what it feels like?" it was an awful feeling of helplessness, like my mind was about to snap like a dry twig and there was nothing i could do to stop it, until at the last second i was pulled back from the brink.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
Some time back I tried lucid dreaming (I don't anymore, because I suck at it
). One technique is to fall asleep while remaining conscious, because of which you will experience SP. When I did, I felt like I was falling out of my body (it seems my soul is a little heavier than yours). No matter how hard I tried, though, I never got any of the good stuff (like you got), so I quit.
Anyway, I think the emotion are indeed caused by hypnagogic imagery, which are basically dreams while you're not asleep yet.
I also think Extremist posted some article on how some guys explained that your consciousness can feel like it's outside of your body (but, yeah, he posts quite a bit, so it'd be hard to track it down
)
Are you going to try getting an OBE again? I would try the WILD technique, if I were you.
Secondly, why doubting realism of something that is actually happening? Why trying to interpret at all costs? What is so awesome about contemporary neurological theories, that you should distort the precious experience to fit it into them? Scientific-minded people should above all know the momentary borders of science and if something does not yet belong within them, they should admit it. No matter how awesome the science is, it still sucks in understanding rare phenomena.
Instead of reality itself, you should doubt contemporary scientific attempts to describe the reality. Because what you experienced can be true both in scientific sense and in literal sense. For example, if there are multiple dimensions as string theory describes, then there may be multiple bodily components that give together your living, thinking self. In some rare circumstances such components may come apart consciously, giving you such an experience. That is of course nothing new, many theories, mythologies, even superstitions revolve around such thoughts. And why the hell not? If this is a real phenomenon, rare but nonetheless historically known, then why shouldn't it enter the history? But now you know at least, that even fantastically sounding accounts of out of body experience are not exaggerating.
You could ask yourself these questions as well, for the sake of open-mindedness.
Tell me, why are criminals always asked for motives of their crimes, yet nobody asks the brain for a motive? Why seemingly critical thinkers always assume, that the brain is a caleidoscope full of colourful glass bits, which produce spectacular images with no cause, no logical cause or reality whatsoever? If the brain is too small for certain rare experiences, (like seeing itself from the outside) isn't it more probable that it is a limited computer which is linked to something greater beyond it?
I must recommend you Robert Allan Monroe (founder of The Monroe Institute in Virginia) and the trilogy of his books. He had the same experience, only regularly and repeatedly. Basically, he re-discovered what was already known to certain occult teachings, which he had no idea at the time. He was an audio engineer, a rational person, just like you, I hope. After the doctors made sure he is physically and mentally healthy, he lost his fear and continued to explore.
Beings who deserve worship don't demand it. Beings who demand worship don't deserve it.
you know what, Luminon, i'm genuinely interested: what do you think is going on when a person wakes to thousands of whispering voices that seem like they're trying to ruin his sanity? see my above post for details of my experience. i've experienced the voices twice in my life, several years apart. the first time was around 2004, the second time within the last year and a half or so. it's not pleasant, but the voices fade away in less than a minute.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
My theory is, that it has to do with your consciousness being attuned at the astral realm, or alternatively, having damaged our natural ability to isolate from the astral world. The astral realm is our neighbouring dimension. We and animals have astral bodies, it is our seat of consciousness when we enter REM phase or undergo death. Animals are more astrally sensitive, we thankfully lost this ability through evolution, though it persists in certain primitive and unreliable forms of clairvoyance.
But on some ocassions we can still come to lesser or greater contact with astral when we're awake. This can be short-termed, spontaneous or induced by drugs, or long-termed as a serious mental disease. Esotericists would say, that many serious mental conditions like schizophrenia are actually a damage of some kind, which deprived the person of natural isolation against the lowest, coarsest sub-states or sub-dimensions of astral matter. (they still advise heavy medication, not some woo cure)
Such a person who found himself in the receptive state of mind will usually not receive any specific communication like mediums do. (which is for the better, really) Instead, he will receive something like astral "radio noise", a medley of voices, because astral realm is overcrowded. It is also speculated, that when Pentecostals get into trance and speak in tongues, they pretty much do the same, they only pronounce the random astral noise aloud. And think it's something holy.
If you're mentally healthy and sober, but still feel quite ungrounded and hear voices, try some physical activity. Sport, work on garden or molding clay, or sex, whatever works. If it looks like you can communicate with a voice in your mind, don't be afraid, be highly skeptical to any claims it makes. (or just tell him GTFO)
If you are still interested, there is an online book by the old pervert C. W. Leadbetter on the Astral plane.
Beings who deserve worship don't demand it. Beings who demand worship don't deserve it.
I'm going to research OBE and lucid dreaming and see if I can produce this effect similarly. One thing I forgot to mention is that I had been sleep deprived for a couple of days before the experience. I had stayed up working and slept about 3- 5 hrs for about 3 days. That saturday I had slept 6 hrs and had the "experience." What you said about it being a dream while you're not asleep sounds pretty accurate, it really seemed to blur the lines between dreaming and a hazy half awake feeling. Which probably contributed to it feeling EXTREMELY fucking real. I have had regular sleep paralysis before several times when I was a kid, but never like this never with full blown hallucinations. I wonder if I'm somehow susceptible to having lucid dreams or hypnagogic experiences. I'm going to try to find some neuroscience research on stuff like this if there is any.
There is a post somewhere on the main page here describing what happens to your body during obe's. They are not OBE's but you are still dreaming while awake. It goes on to say it is a fallacy to think you can ever be 100% awake or 100% unconscience, we are always a mixture of the 2. They have also been able to recreate the feelings in a lab.
Ahh here it is found it, NDE's start in the second section.
http://www.rationalresponders.com/new_atheists_really_all_there
____
The bible, good fiction? A 3 year old can write a better story.
I was taught lucid dreaming by a therapist some years back to help deal with some disturbing dreams about past experiences. It is not useful to relive things that you'd have preferred to have never gone through the first time. The technique involves knowing that you're dreaming, and choosing to wake yourself up when you observe things that are logically impossible. It is not logical to see people in my life today, in the house where I lived as a toddler, listening to music popular in 2010 being played on a phonograph by my long-dead grandfather who's railing on about how President Johnson is ruining the country. I might choose to stay in that. But, if it turned to me being abused by someone in that situation, I'd be better off realizing it's a dream and changing it, or choosing to wake up. Or, other times, such as last night, I have a vivid dream of something that is logically impossible, realize that it's a dream, but choose to remain there because it was enjoyable.
Likewise Near Death Experiences. (NDE) Yes, I too have had one of them. I was even a theist at the time. Unlike some (the popular literature on the subject indicates "most" or "all"
, I did not see the God I worshiped nor one that I believe(d) in. My NDE consisted of Egyptian images and deities from ancient Egypt. Like many or most people who have NDEs, I got some vague instructions and directions about living my life which was to go on. I suppose that theme can be explained by the universal will to live that everyone has - even animals and plants. Of course, the people who actually have such an experience and go on to die don't tell us about what they see or hear. 
I knew about the Egyptian pantheon because I went through a lingering phase of interest in Ancient Egypt during my teens. Since my NDE, but in no way related to it, and it was years after it, I decided to stop believing in any gods. I went through a litany of things during the interim trying to make sense out of the notion of divinity, and the whole thing with the problem of evil and suffering and how that's incompatible with an omnipotent and benevolent being. Religion says it's a "mystery", whereas it's the "argument from Evil" that an all good, all powerful, all knowing God is a logical contradiction. If God is not good, It is not worthy of our love and worship? If God is not all knowing, why worship It? If God is not all powerful, why call It God?
My reading of psychology concerning NDEs indicates to me that they are the mind's attempt to make sense out of what is happening to the brain at the time that it is threatened with death, including lack of oxygen (from breathing stopping and/or blood loss) or injury to the spinal column. The persistent seeing "a dark tunnel" appears to come out of the occipital lobe of the brain as all of this is happening, interpreted (perhaps) as something like the birth experience by the mind, or being "in the dark" since the occipital lobe of the brain is what gives us our vision. In some, or many NDEs, the dark tunnel fits in somehow with what is hardly more than a vivid dream one is having while comatose, and the mind logically links the dream and the neurological input it's getting.
How's my proselytizing? Call 1-800-FANATIC
Beth
IN RESPONSE TO LUMINON:
I know of no other way to interpret the experience than to analyze it in a scientific way. I've always been like this since I was a kid I've always wanted to know in a way I could explain and rationalize properly. Although like I said in my first post, for a brief moment I did question everything I had ever known about what constitutes reality. It was really that intense and I was completely taken by surprise by what I was seeing and feeling. Would you prefer I just call it magic? I guess it's human nature to want to contextualize and frame our perception to something that makes sense otherwise we would be in a state of complete confusion all the time. Do you feel that trying to understand it somehow diminishes it's importance as an experience? I don't feel that way at all in fact I gained alot of inspiration musically and artistically from the experience. I think alot of the colors and sounds during the most intense part stuck with me after. There where elements of synesthesia which I recall, similar to what you get with psychedelics. I tried to record, write down, and draw as much as I can remember and every passing day I start to forget more of the small details. I have to say I dismissed every person that ever told me about this kind of thing before as full of shit. But your right I can see where it could be even more extreme or intense so I won't think of people as idiots when they say they've had an experience like this. I could imagine alot of revelations and religious type experiences where had while in this kind of mind state and I can empathize with what they may have been seeing now that I know it can happen naturally.
PS: I don't know wtf I did I fucked up the quote function...
I think that the science vs. "magic" is probably a false dichotomy. It led me to learning about string theory. String theory is remarkably similar to principles of esotericism and yet it is scientific. (though I believe the secret of verifying string theory lies in esoteric practice) It can explain why dark matter is dark and why it consists of weakly-interacting massive particles. According to string theory, there are seven dimensions, which should be best called "material". (plus 3 spatial and 1 temporal) According to esotericism, matter of these dimensions can live and somewhat interact together, forming living organisms. The resulting life form is similar to biosphere of a planet, consisting of solids, liquids, gases, "magnetic" and "gravitational" fields. These components less or more interpenetrate and overlap each other, yet being less or more fundamentally different.
But each of these components is actually less or more independent symbiotic organism. They share one consciousness, but one of them can take it over and temporarily act independently, even travel externally. This is quite an extensive teaching, but it gives sense internally and can externally explain many phenomena, such as your out of body experience or my etheric perception.
Although your OOBE was much more profound and gave you lots of inspiration, my own perception is permanent and can be tested in real time. I came to conclusion that this is something that science yet knows nothing about. In this way I learned to be careful with Occam's razor and scientific rationalization. Once you acknowledge that there are beyond-scientific phenomena among us waiting to be studied, it makes you wonder how many "debunked" phenomena actually were genuine in the first place.
Beings who deserve worship don't demand it. Beings who demand worship don't deserve it.
I've never experienced an out of body experience or sleep paralysis, but every dream I've had in the last 20 years or so that I can remember is a lucid one. There's always something that tips me off to the fact that it isn't real. Some flaw in logic, or a person doing or saying something they'd never do or say, or landscapes that don't belong, or a few dozen other possibilities. It's pretty awesome. I know what it would feel like to be a god thanks to lucid dreaming.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.