Conesa, J. (2008). Dreaming With Bear. Ecopsychology Symposium at the 25th Annual Conference of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, Montreal, July 11.

Download Paper Presented International Association for the Study of Dreams

New Findings (skip to symptoms)
Depending on the experimental sample, up to 16% (5 to 10%) of the normal population experiences Isolated Sleep Paralysis (ISP) at least once in their lifetime (these percentages are population sensitive and may increase or decrease depending on the country or ethnic origin of the subjects sampled). We and other researchers have been aware that physical or  psychological stress or high levels of emotion may trigger SP in sensitive individuals on a regular basis.  The nature of the geological, domestic and/or occupational environments may induce SP's as well.  For example, SP is common in sensitive individuals who work graveyard shifts and are sleep deprived.  The SP episode may coincide with  the natural physiological correction experienced during REM Rebound during the early hours of the morning.  Individuals in the health occupations have reported these events throughout the 20th century ( 3).  Even strong positive emotion (falling in love, beginning an intimate relationship) may lead to SP.  Many of our subjects report SP's after coitus.
There is an insignificant trend between an increased in reports of SP episodes and high levels of awareness and attention throughout the day.

Finally, we continue looking into the association between the incidence of SP's and the disturbance of ambient geomagnetic and/or geological conditions.  We still find statistically significant effects of changes in the geomagnetic flux and the reported incidence of SP's.

The Lucid Dream Exchange: Lucy Gillis

Sleep and Hypnosis (Journal)

Dr. J. A. Cheyne's Sleep Paralysis Page

SleepNet

Lore and cross-cultural terminology associated with SP

Sleep paralysis symptoms and other phenomena

Sirley Marques Bonham's The Dreamer Page

Joseph Polanik's sleep paralysis research

Sleep paralysis and geomagnetism

ONTOSEMIOTICS

Conesa, J. (1995).  Electrodermal palmar asymmetry and nostril dominance.  Perceptual and Motor Skills, 80, 211-216

Conesa, J. (1995).  Relationship between isolated sleep paralysis and geomagnetic field influences: a case study.  Perceptual and Motor Skills, 80, 1263-1273.

Conesa, J. Brunold-Conesa C. L. and Miron, M. (1995).  Incidence of the half-left profile pose in single-subject portraits.  Perceptual and Motor Skills, 81, 920-922.

Conesa, J. (1996).  Preference of the half-left profile: three inclusive models.  Perceptual and Motor Skills, 82, 1070.

Conesa, J., Ross, T., Fitzgerald, R., Newman, L., Beua, S., Sanders, C., Thurman, K., Moore, J., Heinz, J., Van Dyke, A., & Pedack, E. (1997).  Sex and differential hemispheric activation in directional and orientation preferences.  Poster/abstract presented at the 77th meeting of the Western Psychological Association, Tacoma, Washington.

Conesa, J. (1997).  Isolated sleep paralysis, vivid dreams and geomagnetic field influences: II.   Perceptual and Motor Skills, 85, 579-584.

Conesa, J., Martin V., and Stewart, D. (1999).  Hemispheric activation in adult second language acquisition.  Poster presented at the 1999 Western Psychological Association Conference, Irvine, California.

Conesa, J. (2000).  Hemispheric activation and preference for the half-left profile.   Poster presented at the 1999, Western Psychological Association, Portland, Oregon, April 2000.

Conesa, J. (2000).  Geomagnetic, cross-cultural and occupational faces of sleep paralysis: An ecological perspective.  Sleep and Hypnosis, 2, (3), 105-111.   Link to Article

Conesa. J. (1999)  Ecological Outcome Psychological Theory (EOPT): Application of Human Developmental Theories to Other Scientific Fields.  New York: Forbes Publishing.

Conesa, J. (2000). A Semiotic Metalanguage Based on Existential Ontologies.

Conesa, J. (2002). Isolated Sleep Paralysis and Lucid Dreaming: Ten-year Longitudinal Case Study and Related Dream Frequencies, Types, and Categories.  Sleep and Hypnosis, 4, (4), 132-142.
Link to Article

Conesa, J. (2003).  Sleep Paralysis Signaling (SPS) as a natural cuing method for the generation and maintenance of lucid dreaming.  Presented at The 83rd Annual Convention of the Western Psychological Association, May 1 - 4, 2003 in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

General Description
"The isolated sleep paralysis event (and sleep paralysis in general) occurs most often at sleep onset.  An individual, even though aware and maintains that he is awake, is atonic, has has great difficulty moving.  This atonic state is similar (the same?) to the atonia experienced during REM sleep.  This experience also may produce great anxiety and fear, while the individual struggles to 'wake up'.
Individuals who experience sleep paralysis often report concurrent hypnagogic hallucinations... A commonly reported hallucination is the feeling of presence (FOP) or entity in the room in which the individual sleeps.  At times this presence may seem threatening and evil giving rise to the folklore belief of the "night-mare," the "old hag", and the "incubi"."

Other Phenomena: Somatosensory, vestibular, etc.
"Exosomatic, but affecting the body
Waves (electrical like), vibrations and earth-like tremors
Acoustic
Crackling, snapping, high-pitched, ringing (sometimes hours preceding SP) and booming 'noise'
Visual
Luminous-colored blobs (blue, orange, peach, or green), auras, perception of objects and details of wall crevices and bed lining fabric (SP); vibrant and surreal colors (LD).
Sleep Paralysis
Complete or partial atonia
Somatosensory
Rotation of the body (pivot: the belly area), twisting of the body, rolling into oneself.  Also, pressure on different parts of the body, but most commonly the belly area; floating, flying, and being squeezed through tunnels.  Microsomatognosia: Shrinking in size.   Dissociation: Out-of-the-body experiences (OBE's).
Hypnagogic hallucinations; Nightmare
Feeling of presence in the bedroom (FOP), benign or maleficent; sense of suffocation; sense of entity sitting on one's chest; sense of entity pulling one's feet (more common than incubus, arms or legs.
Other
Bolt of lightening at the base of the neck, pain in the midsection.

More Symptoms >>>>> Link to this page >>>>>

Sleep Paralysis

Sleep of day
Sleep of tender
Sleep of me-wolves
Who surrender
                                                            To fragments of unimaginable fright.
Sleep of Autumn
Sleep of winded leaves
Sleep of Berserkers drinking
With the me-sages
Pissing moon milk
                                                            For others to go mad.
Sleep of tossing
Sleep of flying
Sleep of disappearance
From this world
                                                            In the fangs of the shaman of Oblieng.
Sleep of instinct
Sleep without rules
Sleep otherworldly
Sleep of death
                                                     Sleep of being awake inside the chambers of one's heart.
Sleep feline
Sleep ancient
Sleep temple
Sleep jade
                                                            Like the Olmecs wore jade with jaguar faces.
Sleep of once-a-month
During the new moon
When the owls are silent
When the wind implodes
When the soil goes insane
                                                       When the trees carve themselves a grave in my chest.
Sleep of all sleepers
In my head
All whispering at the same time
Their nonsense of yesteryears
Prisoners of their own beds.
Sleep of frozen waters
Sleep of walking alone
In the steppes
With the Olmecs
In Oblieng
With fox-fur sandals
Drinking moon milk
Devouring owls
Being a corpse
Enduring this short death.
                                                                Sleep not.

Sueño?

Todo duerme esta noche
El aire incluso sueña
De viento Marroquí,
De palmeras infideles.
Un Tapiz de azul cobalto se extiende en mi silencio noche:
Detrás de mis ojos
Como seda
Como red
Que busca atrapar
Peces radiantes con
Escamas de ojos.

Todo duerme esta noche
El silencio incluso sueña
De la voz de la musa
Que suspira secretos.
Un túnel azul y blanco gira hasta el infinito en mi silencio de noche:
Mi centro-vientre gira con esta boca
Como el agua se vierte
Persiguiendo nubes fuego
Que esconden
Seres rojos
De otros infinitos.

Todo duerme esta noche
El mismo miedo incluso piensa en silencio
Se asusta de si mismo
De su parálisis.
Me despierto en el sueño y gobierno otro mundo, de levitación y de viento:
Vuelo, salto y giro
Mientras ustedes, los cojos,
Tan solo duermen.
Yo soy lucidez en sueño
Coronel de mi regimiento
De milagros.

Mi anima oriental,
Señora viejita y bondadosa,
Me invita, "Jorge, hoy vamos a aprender
A flotar como las hojas,
Ni mas rápido ni mas lento"

Yo quizás no duermo esta noche pero
Sueño con la velocidad de una hoja?
Y al despertar, la otra realidad sigue igual:
Un sueño desconocido.