Sleep Paralysis in SEA Park, Petaling Jaya

Sleep Paralysis in SEA Park, Petaling Jaya

I personally experience this phenomena of Sleep Paralysis when I was studying in Petaling Jaya – is it real?

I have heard the scientific reasons for Sleep Paralysis, that is when a person is unable to move or even to speak as if totally paralysed. That person may hear sounds, imagine an apparition or a ghost-like creature or feel their chest was pressing on them. This is what the scientific term of Sleep Paralysis is related to REM (Rapid Eye Movement) which occurs at the onset of sleep. The body’s muscles are relaxed but dreaming is frequent.

I used to live in SEA Park in Petaling Jaya, at my cousin’s place, while I was attending my studies at Taylor’s College (so many years ago!). My cousin invited a couple for a room and in addition she also rented to 8 guys who studying at FIT (now have closed down). As we were young, we did not mind the inconveniences, we basically just need a room to sleep.

One night, the water was not on and we had to do without any water. However my cousin and some of the guys from FIT were busy gambling and I was busy drinking my beer. When it was finally over, I slept on an old couch and three of the guys were sleeping in the living room. 

An Old Couch in the Living Room

When I woked up in the middle of the night, I was really shock that I could not move and even talked. It felt like an immense weight on my entire body pressing on me. I was absolutely frightening and sweat was pouring on my body but I thought I could trick it. 

Taking deep breaths, I will get my “paralysed” body to relax and without warning, will push my entire body away (there was my aim – probably a dumb idea). I jerked my whole body away from the couch only to find my body has only partially move – I was suspended in the air, as my knees and lower portion was on the sofa but the upper portion was suspended in the air! In fact my upper body was directly above Ah Meng (one of the FIT boy) who was happily sleeping. “Oh Gosh! What am I going to do!”

At that precise moment the water was turned on and the loud gushing of water from the tap from the bathroom and my upper body suddenly can move again. I fell directly on top of Ah Meng who must have startled him and I quickly yelled at him to turn off the water.

The next morning, I found a few thick stringy hairs on my blanket and I wondered it was the guys or was it from somewhere else. This is my real life experience and whether its real or can be explained by science – I really do not know!