Nightmares...

The sleep paralysis used to scare the shit out of me - seriously petrified (pun WIN!). For some sufferers like me it is coupled with hallucinations which are ALWAYS fucking dark - feelings of an evil presence in the room. Back in the day, people thought they were being visted by the devil.

Having spent some time reading about the condition and others experiences, Im less frightened now than I used to be... more intrigued by the phenomenon. Still, I'd prefer it to fuck off.

I've experienced that - not for a while mind, but I never knew that it was a recognised condition, makes me feel better about it now. I remember some terrifying moments especially as a kid, waking up convinced that there was an intruder or some other threat in the room, and not being able to move or make a sound. Everytime I was lying on my back, could see and hear (probably worse on the imagination as it was dark), but not move, and eventually fell back to sleep after probably 5 mins which felt like hours. But as you say - a really petrifying experience.