First time it happened was in 2012. I was already lucid dreaming for many years before that, so this experience felt like I fell through the map.

The first time was a very conventional experience. I woke up, couldn't move, and saw a dark human figure in my doorway. Physical panic was consuming me as the figure walked slowly toward me. I was too scared to look away. As the figure got closer, it looked like a woman in a dark black hooded cloak. She stood over me, then climbed onto of me, sitting on my chest. She then moved her head so that our faces were only an inch apart. She was an old woman with rotting skin and teeth. She had a manic smile, all while I was completely paralyzed.

I woke up covered in sweat and panic. After regaining my exposure, I had no idea what that was about. However, it was the most exciting dream I had and I went back to sleep with the idea that I was going to "kick the old lady's ass." I didn't get it again that night.

After Googling it later, I learned about sleep paralysis and that the figure I saw is a common element and the inspiration for the "succubus." Very weird to see the same figure as everyone else.

Over the years though, I've had a lot of sleep paralysis episodes. Using my experience with lucid dreaming, I worked on ways to destabilize the dream with mixed results. One way I tried was to just not actually look at the creature, so close my eyes or turn my head away. This worked only sometimes.

Eventually I just got fed up in my dreams and did try to fight the shadow figure. I'd basically just do an adrenaline fueled rage while forcing my limped body up out of bed. I would muster enough momentum to get out of bed and charge the creature it will then runaway. I'll normally then immediately wake up laughing that it was a pussy.