Is there something more to sleep paralysis? Maybe something spiritual?

I'm 22 years old and have been experiencing this "sleep paralysis" ( all of my life. It occurs just before I wake up or right before I fall into a deep sleep. My brain in awake (at least I think It is) but my body in completely paralyzed, I cant even lift an eyelid. I try my hardest to call my girlfriend who is sleeping right next to me but in reality im completely still. The only way for my to wake is try my hardest to wildly wiggle and jerk to bring my body to conciousness.
My mother is very spiritual and told me that some people use this experience to their advantage to mind travel hence the sensation of moving back and fourth at incredible speeds when under sleep paralysis.. So I figured the next time it happens i'll try to stay calm and see if i can travel somewhere. So when I tried it i found myself at my local grocery store, but i didn't know if i had just fallen into a dream, i then had to struggle to wake myself up because under the SP u get a feeling of sufforcation

I have had this before I usually experienced this right before I would go to sleep but only during the day and rarely at night it feels like your sleeping and wake up but you cant move or speak. I could hear people around me and even the T.V. but when i tried to talk it was like I was thinking it and not speaking. After a few of these episodes I started to have lucid dreams like where in my dream I would realize it was a dream and then teleport somewhere else or fly, funny thing is though when I tried to fly i would just fall again even though i still knew it was a dream. The only way to wake up would be to try and move and speak/scream then I would almost jump outa my bed or couch and it was a bad feeling. as far as the sufficating feeling i think it comes from your breathing slowing down when you sleep so when you panic in your paralysis state and wake up you feel as if your nervous but your not breathing like you are?? I hope that makes sense but Im telling you this so you know your not alone.

No, it is purely a neurologic phenomenon. What you do with it is up to you.

This used to happen to me so often, and a lot when I was your age, too. I used to try so hard to keep calm for the same reason you want to. It never worked. It began happening to me when I was about 14. At first, I would see an old lady telling me to come with her. She would just stand there sort of waving her hand to come toward her. That is why I have always believed there must be something spiritual about it, however, it really may just be a dream state. Wow, it had me freaked out for a long time, I don't experience it anymore. Now I am 35 and have 6 children, so I have not had much time to be in that state of sleep, either. I am always so extremely tired when I sleep, and I am awaken so often by a baby. What I do find strange is that nobody has ever disturbed me during one of these episodes. I wonder what would happen?

i suffer from sleep paralysis and have done for 18 years now, its like my body sleeps but my mind stays awake, but i still have nightmares so its like waking nightmares but the strange thing is ( and only sufferers of this will no wat i mean here )there always feels like there is someone in the room with me watching over me, and its usually an evil thing ,i can feel it, ive learnt to experiment with it and create my own kindof dream i can also make sleep paralysis happen which is strange and just wondered if any of u lot no anythin else about it, people who dont no wat im on about will think im absolutely off my head but i aint, he he. it is a serious and terrifying thing at first