Previously asked: I just accidentally woke up from sleep paralysis :( I did; however, notice that the pulsing sensation is more intense when I imagine a movement. I feel like when the pulsing is intense, that usually grounds me to it and brings me away from worrying about waking up. I was doing pretty well for around 20 seconds and then out of the blue, the adrenaline came and woke me up. I have that feeling it might've been a slight shortness of breath, but I really have no idea what happened. It's weird because a couple weeks ago, I was able to avoid waking up 4 times. Any immediate advice? I'm honestly a little confused and potentially overthinking something.
Update: I'd still appreciate your take on what I said before, but I just remembered I had very immense relaxation when I don't wake up. It's a very distinct part of those experiences. It's more relaxed than I could possibly get in waking life, even meditating! I definitely lack that on days I accidentally wake up. I think I may just need to focus on achieving this relaxation again. I used to pretend I was The One from The Matrix back when I entered a lucid dream pretty much every time, which is probably why it worked so well! I'll focus on hypnogogia while doing that. I didn't really have hypnogogia today other than feeling like I was moving to the left in my same sleeping position when visualizing that.
It's important to remember that not every attempt CAN lead to success. The variables required for a lucid dream are vast, and not every moment of falling asleep will result in REM/Dreaming sleep. It's possible that in these failed moments, you are entering NREM. It's very important to remember that each attempt is unique, and that the conditions are not always optimal. That said, it may also be likely that you are setting your expectations high, and creating a level of excitement and expectations that is counterproductive.