i am certain some of you have experienced this phenomena at least once in your lifetime.
i on the otherhand, go through it almost nightly. it is singlehandedly one of the most frightening experiences ive ever had. among these episodes, i have felt crippling fear, asphyxiation, cardiac arrest-like chest pain, and often humans, beings or creatures attacking me.
sometimes i will feel myself float above my body, and my eyes will be open making everything in the room visable, but also accompanied by frightening visions and/or halluncinations. often times i hear chaotic noises such as loud machines, explosions, people talking/screaming in foreign languages. ive tried to kinda "let it roll" like a lot of people recommend (some people are able to achieve lucid dreaming or OBE's this way), but this only makes it more prolonged, frightening and much more difficult to wake myself.
sometimes i am able to snap myself out of it by twitching fingers and sudden body movements/jerks, or by forcing out just enough sound to wake my wife so she can wake me. i find that my sleep paralysis also increases and intensifies with narcotic use. when i was using heroin i would experience it more frequently, but was much more tolerable and less bothersome. after getting my wisdom teeth pulled a week and a half ago, i was taking oxycodone and hydrocodone, as well as methadone occasionally for pain and it made sleeping almost impossible.
how do you deal with it, what behaviors seem to induce it for you and do you have any memorable experiences?