Tripping Without Drugs: My Experience With Lucid Dreaming and Sleep Paralysis

I have seen a few people mention the possibility of reaching a deeply altered state of consciousness without the use of psychedelic (or any) drugs. When I first considered the idea, I thought about meditation and various other methods of reaching that trippy head space. Unfortunately, I am always forced to say that, while those things can work for some people, they never could match the strangeness or intensity of a psychedelic substance in my experience. I was thinking about this issue a little deeper last night, however, and something did come to mind that I had not considered earlier. Specifically, I remembered that I have, in fact, "tripped" without using any drug. I have, since I was very young, experienced occasional episodes of sleep paralysis and these often melt into a state of lucid dreaming which is very intense and is a sort of psychedelic experience but it is one that not everybody would enjoy.

I believe that I overlooked sleep paralysis (and the lucid dreams it brings) because it is not something that I can consciously induce nor would I if I could. There is a good deal of literature about the phenomenon of sleep paralysis so I won't go into great detail here but I will say that it strikes without warning in most people who experience it. Essentially, one seems to be awake and conscious of his or her surroundings but is also unable to move or speak. Despite seeming like normal consciousness, one is still very much dreaming during the episode and he or she will often see various hallucinations but not the interesting patterns and visual distortions of a psychedelic trip. These seem more "solid" and are often far darker in their character. It is extremely common for people to report feeling or seeing a presence near them during sleep paralysis. Some have even gone as far as to attribute these visions and feelings to supernatural beings (I have seen no evidence to suggest that this is true but you are free to believe what you wish). I can certainly understand why people feel that way, though. Often, I would believe that my dog was in the room while I was in that state, only to awaken and find my door shut and him asleep on the couch in the living room. There were other times where the "presence" was some dark creature drawn up out of the deepest of nightmares. Once, I saw a cloaked specter floating above me. It was made of darkness from its mid section up with eyes and a grin being its only visible facial features. Its lower half was translucent and was extremely colorful with the visible spectrum seeming to be melt into the air below it. Needless to say, this is a highly unpleasant way to begin your day.

If I was able to fall back "asleep" during sleep paralysis, I would become aware that I was dreaming during the dream which ensued. I have heard about people who could achieve lucid dreaming through other means but this is the only way that seems to work for me. It usually begins in a strangely mundane setting for a dream. Sometimes I might dream about waking up only to notice that my lights don't work (fun fact, this is usually a dead give away that you are dreaming) and, unlike normal dreams, I am able to use this information to recognize what is happening. At this point, I can take some control of the events of the dream which sounds great but is it? Who doesn't want godlike powers to imagine things into existence? I would enjoy them but, as usual, we can't have anything nice. You see, as soon as you start consciously romping around dreamland, your unconscious mind realizes that something is awry. The conscious you is moving in on the unconscious you's territory and it doesn't seem to like it, so it starts trying to rip control away from the conscious you. There you are, trying to frolic through your imagination and the unconscious you ruins it with some nightmare monster. This drugless trip, devolves into a literal battle of wits with yourself and that isn't fun. You decide to fly and the unconscious sends a demon eagle. You throw a lightning bolt at it and it goes away but now the lightning is sentient and hates you. Those are exaggerations, of course, but the way it plays out is true. In short, it rapidly grows tiresome and if you can't get any rest when you sleep, when can you?

These things are really interesting to have experienced and they are fun to talk about but the benefit that they provide is not worth the unpleasantness that comes along with them, in my opinion. I, personally, would never willingly put myself through it after having experienced it, but as the bumper stickers and cheap shirts say, "shit happens." I make the best of it and it is occasionally kind of fun. However, if is one is looking to become altered and they learn of a way to bring about lucid dreams or sleep paralysis, I would recommend that he or she think hard about he or she is walking into. It won't be a giggly mushroom trip waiting for that person in those darker recesses of his or her mind. If you are still willing to try, that is fine. It won't hurt you but drugs might be the better option.

Peace.

All the images in this post are sourced from the free image website, unsplash.com.