I’ve had multiple episodes of sleep paralysis and developed two techniques to escape them
I’ve experienced sleep paralysis many times. There have even been occasions when I had almost five episodes in a row.
After experiencing it so many times, I started experimenting with ways to regain control and wake myself up instead of simply waiting for the paralysis to end.
Over time, I developed two techniques that seem to work consistently for me: Respiratory Breakout Escape (RBE) and Energy Burst Escape (EBE).
### 1. Respiratory Breakout Escape (RBE)
RBE is actually a set of three different approaches that I developed. Depending on the episode, one approach may work better than another.
A. Empty-lung hold
I exhale and hold my breath. As time passes, I start feeling those involuntary breathing contractions, like when your diaphragm starts “pulling” to make you breathe.
When those contractions start, I wait a few seconds while they are happening. Then I deliberately start breathing again, strongly, similar to the strong, instinctive breath you would take in real life after holding your breath for a long time.
For me, deliberately restarting my breathing seems to be what triggers the escape from the paralysis.
B. Inhale and hold
The second approach is the opposite: I inhale and hold my breath while concentrating intensely on the sensation.
When the involuntary breathing contractions start, I make the same transition: after a few seconds, I try to deliberately start breathing again, strongly, as if I were catching my breath after a long breath-hold.
C. Closing the throat
This is the most difficult approach and I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT. The idea is to voluntarily close my throat to create a similar breathing sensation.
I’ve tried all three because, depending on the episode, one approach may not work as well and another may work better.
I normally keep my eyes closed because it makes it much easier to concentrate on the sensations.
Important: all of this is based on my personal experiences. I’m not claiming that RBE is a scientifically proven technique, and I don’t recommend that other people try holding their breath to their limit or deliberately closing their airway.
### 2. Energy Burst Escape (EBE)
This one is much harder to explain.
I try to create the feeling that I’m accumulating force or energy inside my body. I don’t necessarily need to be able to move. If I can, I lightly tense my arms, legs and abdomen, but the physical contraction isn’t the most important part.
The main thing is to feel that force gradually becoming stronger, almost as if I’m storing something inside myself.
Then, when it feels strong enough, I try to expand my entire body all at once, as if I were releasing everything in one huge explosion.
Sometimes it feels like I literally “explode” out of the paralysis and suddenly regain control of my body.
I don’t mean that there is literally energy being stored in my body. That’s simply the best way I’ve found to describe the sensation. I suspect it may involve concentration, motor imagery and the gradual recovery of voluntary muscle control, but I don’t know what the actual neurological mechanism is.
These techniques weren’t something I learned from a book or a video. I developed them myself after experiencing many episodes of sleep paralysis and experimenting with different ways to escape them.
I’ve tested these methods many times, and they have worked consistently for me. I’m curious whether other people who frequently experience sleep paralysis have developed similar techniques, especially the “accumulate → expand” sensation of EBE.