One of my most memorable episodes of sleep paralysis was also the one which liberated me from my fear of falling asleep and dreaming. For anyone not familiar with sleep paralysis, you can read up on it by researching “hypnagogic hallucinations.”

During this episode, I woke up paralyzed in the dark. Breathing is slow, you can’t blink nor fall back asleep. Like a finger-trap toy, fear pulls you in harder and makes it difficult to break free. Stuck between the physical and the metaphysical world, I felt a presence enter my room. I felt it grab my legs and pull me off my bed and onto my floor, where it proceeded to pull me under my bed. Inch by inch, I watched my room move past me. Still petrified from fear, I surrendered; I made peace with the situation and my perceived death.

Then… I woke up. I no longer fear sleep.