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Sleep Paralysis: Awake But Still Asleep
Biology 202
2000 First Web Report
On Serendip
Sleep Paralysis: Awake But Still Asleep
Hiro Takahashi
A person may wake up and find himself unable to move or speak as if he is frozen. He also may hear footsteps, see a ghost-like creature, or feel someone sitting on his chest. Throughout the history, people considered this phenomenon as work done by evil spirits. However, the modern science can explain the terrifying event as a Sleep Paralysis.
A Sleep Paralysis is possibly a hereditary disorder in which one experiences very frightening seconds or minutes of total body paralysis with little respiration and eye movements (1). A victim in this state feels awake, but he cannot move or speak (2). In addition to the immobility, the common symptoms include feeling choked or suffocated, hearing strange noises like footsteps and voices, seeing beings or dark shadows, and feeling an existance of someone in the room (1). Although these symptoms often direct the victims to believe in ghosts, mistransmission of neural signals in the brain causes Sleep Paralysis. When a person sleeps, his brain sends signals to inhibit any muscle contraction (3). If he comes into consciousness before the brain sends signals to activate muscle contraction, he cannot move his body, and consequently, become "paralyzed"(2).
In order to understand how a body becomes paralyzed while the person is awake, it is necessary to understand sleep cycles. In a mammalian sleep, the brain activity undergoes two different states called non-REM (NREM) sleep and REM sleep, which differ very much from wakefulness (3). NREM and REM sleep alternate cyclically through the night; in human, about 80 minutes of NREM sleep starts a night of sleep, about 10 minutes of REM sleep follows, and this 90 minute cycle is repeated about 3 to 6 times during the night (3). During NREM sleep, a body produces few movement, but the body has capability of tossing about in bed and producing some other motor events, such as sleepwalking and sleeptalking (3). The cardiac-muscle contraction and breathing occur at a uniform rate, and the eyes move slowly (2). During REM sleep, on the other hand, heart rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure vary (3). The eyes move rapidly because most dreaming takes place in this period, and the sleeper probably "look" at the moving objects in a dream (2).
The brain's control over muscles during REM sleep points out that in this period, a body is normally in the state of total paralysis, called a "nonreciprocal flaccid paralysis" (3). Probably to prevent a person from "acting out" a dream, the brain sends signals to inhibit any muscle contractions (2). Although some peripheral muscles, such as the muscles of the fingers and face, still twitch, the large skeletal muscles become relaxed, or "paralyzed" as a result (3). Some evidence supports that the motor paralysis of REM sleep protect against the acting out of one's dreams. A patient who suffers from rare syndrome called REM Sleep Behavior Disorder lacks the normal nonreciprocal flaccid paralysis, and he acts out violent dreams during REM sleep, often with injurious consequences (4). For example, a 60-year-old surgeon dreamt that he was attacked "by criminals, terrorists, and monsters who always tried to kill [him]" and fighting against them in the nightmare, he was actually punching and kicking his wife who slept in the same bed (4).
A nonreciprocal flaccid paralysis during REM sleep is accomplished actively by postsynaptic inhibition of motorneurons (3). Although the exact process of motor inhibition is not clear, some neurotransmitters and hormones are known to generate the many components of REM sleep. Aministering physostigmine, an inhibitor of the catabolic enzyme, increases the concentration of acetylcholine within the neurons in the pons, making it possible to artificially generate and start REM sleep in the middle of NREM sleep (3). Carbachol, the cholinergic agonist, produces a period of REM sleep in cat when directly injected into the pontine tegmentum (3). The hormone melatonin, a "master hormone" (5) that mainly controls circadian rhythms, also seems to play an important role in enhancing the REM state; the level of melatonin secretion by the pineal gland reaches its lowest during REM sleep (5). Such neurotransmitters and hormones probably activate or inhibit the activity of second messengers, which then activate or inhibit the third messengers, and so on till the last messenger inhibit the synaptic transmission or cause hyperpolarization of the motorneurons. And if, for some reason, the nervous or endocrine system continues to release the neural inhibitors, a person may experience Sleep Paralysis as he enters awakefully into or awakens directly from REM period (2).
While the modern neuroscience can describe the state of Sleep Paralysis as some errors of the neural transmission in the brain during REM sleep, a person who has seen or heard ghost-like figures/voices may easily believe that eveil spirits fully controlled his entire body. However, the images or noises, which the victim believes that he has seen or heard, are most likely hallucinations; and hallucinations, too, can result from the brain activity. In the 1960's, the Canadian neurologist W. Penfield introduced that electrical stimulation of the temporal lobe can cause the auditory hallucinations in the wake state (5). The buzzing or ringing sounds in the ears and other auditory hallucinations are closely associated with the activity of the auditory cortex and involves the temporal lobe (5). During the early period of sleep paralysis, the activity of the temporal lobe increases significantly, sometimes inducing hallucinatory sense (5). Similarly, the visual cortex generates internal visual stimuli, causing the victim to "see" terrifying figures during the paralysis (5).
How an episode of Sleep Paralysis induces visual or auditory hallucinations is still not clear, but it seems to have a significant relationship with anxiety (5). For anxiety is a neurocognitive event closely related to both psychological and physical processes, the extreme anxiety or panic may cause the release of several different signal molecules that trigger all kinds of physical events (5). A person experiencing Sleep Paralysis feels mortal fear or extreme panic, and hence, the brain generates and releases internal visual or auditory stimuli, producing hallucinations.
Also, hallucinations during Sleep Paralysis may happen, for one keeps dreaming even after some parts of his brain wakes up directly from REM sleep. Since the nervous and endocrine systems continue to release the neural inhibitors which sustain the paralysis, it may be possible that those systems keep releasing the neural activators that stimulate dreaming. Thus, a person continues to "see" the images and "hear" the noises produced in the dream that he has just had in REM sleep from which he has awaken.
Understanding more neural concepts of Sleep Paralysis, some researchers now hypothesize that a very rare condition called Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS) may closely relate to Sleep Paralysis (1). Upon the death, a SUNDS victim produces no body movement even though he experiences a myocardial infarction and strong breathing difficulties and should straggle in agony (5). The death may be caused by the extreme muscle atonia during Sleep Paralysis, which is so severe that even the cardiac muscles and the diaghragm paralyze (5).
Until I started researching on this subject, I have believed that the total paralysis of a body is due to an evil taking absolute control over the body. However, the interactions between neurons in the brain can explain this seemingly mysterious phenomenon in a scientific way. Although the explanation is not complete yet, for there are many unclear processes about Sleep Paralysis, the current hypothesis appears to reject the possibility of ghosts on this matter. Of course, it is impossible to completely disprove the existence of "spirits", "minds", or "God" affecting one's behavior. Nevertheless, like Sleep Paralysis and SUNDS, many or the mysterious conditions and behaviors which are only explained in supernatural terms probably result from brain.
WWW Sources
1)The Evil's of Sleep Paralysis
4)REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: A Neurologic Dissociative Sleep Disorder
5)Recurrent Isolated Sleep Paralysis
Comments made prior to 2007
I have been trying to figure out what was going on in my sleep untill i read this.Now i am happy to know what my body was expeiencing. It's quite scary your first couple experiences of sleep paralysis but now i'm gonna stay calm when it is happening to me and try to get my own understanding of the experience ... Jeremy, 21 March 2006
I have had sleep paralyisis at least once per month for the last 8 years. I am 29 as of this writing. I just had the experience about 1 hour ago and thus has caused me to do reasearch about it on the net. I noticed that many Dr.'s contribute this to anxiety, stress and other factors. My question is ... why is there always an evil presence in that concious yet body is still asleep phase? Today I heard a loud static sound, and opened my eyes to a spider crawling all over my arm. When I prayed to God, or said His name (Jehovah) the spider would start to disappear. I finally went thru my mental prayer when I awoke. This leads me to believe that it is more of a spiritual occurence, because I never have positive images while in this paralized state. I know there are many things in which our ancestors thought it was demonic rather than scientific, only to find there was a scientific explanation. However, I think this is different and cannot be simply written off as "scientific". There is not enough proof to show that it is scientific.
About a month ago I had another episode of sleep paralysis and I saw a small presence in the room with me. It was dark, and I could not see it's face (I am getting chills typing about it right now). My question is, why is there always an evil presence not only associated with my episodes, but so many others I have read about? ... Abel, 24 August 2006
i was thinking it is evil who do that during night but now i find out why. I am suffering from sleep paralyze possibly every nigh spicily when i have dinar ... Salah Nasser, 28 January 2007
I used to have this sleeping disorder when I was a child. It has come back once or twice with adulthood, but otherwise, it is in the past. I used to, with great effort, move my hand to my face and pull an eye open, which would wake me up, but sometimes the struggle was too much and I would go on into a deeper sleep.
Since the brain can do this to me, can it also cause me to get migraines just as I am about to wake up?
It seems, as I have discovered, if I get less than 4 hours sleep a night, I do not get migraines. If I get 6 hours or more, it's about a 90% chance I will wake with a migraine. Later in the day, I get an hour or two nap and that is the routine as it works. Doctors just sort of treat the migraine and don't get into the sleep thing I have. I take MaxAult for the migraines when they do get me.
I woke one time, and just as I woke, I felt this white-hot needle going into my head... bingo. A migraine in 5 seconds. That is how they can occur. I wake with them otherwise. I figure it my brain doing things it shouldn't. I have a clean bill of health otherwise.
Thanks for your time. Have a good day ... Jay, 11 February 2007
I have a question, and hope someone out there has an answer, it has been months and I have thus far failed to find one. Has there ever been a record of anyone receiving the effects of sleep paralysis without having been asleep? The reason I ask this, is a while ago, having not slept in a few hours, I was sitting at my computer, and it seemed to have happened to me. Within seconds I was too tired to hold up my own head, and my breathing got very difficult. Then I began to feel a sort of dizziness as my limbs lost feeling, and dropped to my side. after this, the dizziness turned to near blindness. I could see, but nothing would focus, and everything I tried to look at seemed to dart around like a mosquito. By this time I had no feeling in my entire body, could move nothing without quite a bit of concentration, and I could barely breath. My mother heard me try and make out some kind of cry for help, and found me there spilled into my computer chair. She rolled me to my bed, and poured me into it. Within about 10-15 minutes I had regained everything I once had, but my sea legs did not ware off for another ten or so minutes. I went to the emergency soon after. I had an E.K.G. and a C.A.T. scan, with no results, and I piss less in a week then the amount of blood they took that night. After basically telling me I was lying, the doctor told me that my symptoms did not fit anything at all. What I do know, is I have been researching the issue ever since, and can only base my problem on Sleep Paralysis. All the symptoms match. And again, my question....Has there ever been a record of someone under the effects of sleep paralysis without ever having gone to sleep? I hope you can shed some sort of light on this subject, as it,...well, it freaked me the hell out, and no one has been able to answer me! Thank you for your time ... Mitchel Henderson, 7 December 2007
I used get this "evil paralysed me" feeling when i was paralysed and usually saw a ghost. i tried to shout or move but no sound escaped my mouth and couldn't move at all. it happened again yesterday and was almost convinced that ghosts/evil spirits were getting the better of me. But, me being a practical and logical guy, erjected this theory and started researching on this phenomenon. I came across this research paper on Sleep Paralysis. This greatly helped me in alleviating my fears. And next time i "see" a ghost during sleep paralyses, ill just laugh at it ;-) Thanks for the research ... Siddarth, 10 December 2007
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Comments
Hehe here's a controversial
Hehe here's a controversial one ; o)
Most religions believe in god. Perhaps god doesn't mind what name you call it by. Perhaps regardless of what religion you are, pure all worshipping the same being and the only difference is trivial rules the religious leaders tell you makes some of you right and some of you wrong. Perhaps god doesn't see it that way and is bemused at the squabbling of religions and wondering why they don't all get along because they all believe...
Stephanie, This is for you.
Stephanie,
This is for you. I've realised how this works.
The little girl is present in all your dreams if you see her or not. She's been hurt and very scared. She is the focus and the hurt. Your approach shields you in reassurance but that's about its limit. The little girl you see has suffered and is unloved. She tries to convey her fear and pain and how scared she is because it is all she knows.
Try to protect her and reassure her. Tell her it's ok. Tell her that even though youre scared too someone loves her and she's not alone.
Please post on here again... :o)
Help me please
I'm 20 years old and until two nights ago had never properly heard of or experienced SP, for two nights I have continuously experienced every most severe symptom mentioned on this page, last night I had about 5 and tonight since falling asleep at 22:30 I have had two, it is now 23:30 and I've finished reading this whole page but still don't understand why most people have the same experiences of people sitting or laying on them (which I had in my last) or seeing a figure standing at the end of the bed (which I had twice last night and once tonight) I always put things I cannot understand seeing or hearing down to the human brain subconsciously taking something in but not realising it or hearing something in the past and forgetting it, but I have had no prior knowledge of SP until I searched and found this page and so cannot fathom why my mind picked the same experiences as everyone else, why would it not choose to have me see a dancing banana or one of my guitars talking to me, why a scary figure and someone holding me down and shouting like everyone else sees?? Why did I hear my aunt screaming downstairs when she lives 20 miles away and hundreds of children getting off a bus outside at 3 in the morning when no one was there? The correlation between everyone experiencing the same episodes is what scares me, what causes this correlation? Should different people not experience different things when having an episode of SP?? I definately agree there is a link between SP and feeling anxious and being tired, I spent this weekend at V festival with very little sleep and I always get depressed with a hangover, I also finished a year of taking anti depressants last week which I have been on because I am a very anxious and worried person, but I have been that way all my life, why has this only effected me now? I realise every scared person in the world wants to know these same questions and I don't expect anyone to truly be able to awnser them, but I have felt scared and on edge for two days now feeling that there is always something watching me, even scared to take a shower incase someone or something is there when I open my eyes, I'm 20 years old and am now laying here at 00:15 scared to go to sleep incase it happens again, I need to be at work in 4 hours and cannot be so pathetic to run into my dad again screaming when I finally managed to pull myself out of it, this is ruining my life it can't go on any longer can anyone please give me any advice of things that seem to help them pull out of or prevent Sleep paralysis? Anything at all that has helped you in the very slightest I will try, Thank you, Joe.
sp help
i dont know if you will ever read this, but i can honestly say i have found deliverence from sleep paralysis. I, like you, was very afriad and confused wondering why everyone had the same dream, hypnagogic hallucinations, or REM sleep visions. i found out that my activity in the occult and my practicing of buddhism contributed to my attacks. you say you have had bad ones, i have had terrible ones. many scientist will say that its a natural occurence, and for a while i believed them; until, of course, it got worse and i foud that everyone else experienced the same exact thing. science will always try to make natural sense of the supernatural, not possible. now dont get me wrong, I am a very logical man; i can debate the hell of of a religous guy. so, what do you do to stop the sp? I, myself , have tried many things: sleep positions, affirmations (e.g. i am not asleep), and i have even tried to fight back. often times when i try to fight back, I do fnd myself moving but its a struggle, i am fighting something. what then? i have found that saying the name of jesus really works. i was not a believer in jesus before i tried this and it still worked. say what you want about the science of it, its called a phenomanon for a reason. you can try pills, you can relate it to anxiety, you can even try to explain it away like the scientist, but i tell you i have been free from back-to-back attacks five mouths now. that's what it comes down to, whether or not it actually works. you have to come to a point in yourself when you realize that too many people are having the same reacurring nightmares and the same hypnagogic hallucinations. it's real, my friend; you know from experience. i write this to you offering you a way out, a helpful testimony of my own success. the ball is in your court. one last word of encouragement: if the scientist are write and it is just a physical enabiblty to move the muscles, then good news, there is now know cure. I'm sorry to say that but it's the truth. many, many people have given testimony that jesus' name drives out the spirits. listen, i know how frightening it is, how terrible it all is. I am telling you, call on his name. you will be delivered.
I'm glad I'm not alone in this..
I'm 26 years old, and I've had these for as long as I can remember..Everytime I've tried to tell someone about these, they think I'm crazy. They don't understand how serious this is to me. The only person who believed me is my mother because growing up when I would get these, I would have to wake her up to pray over me and put Christian music on or TBN on T.v..
In my teen years, these happend almost every other day. I would see things like dark figures and ghost like figures. There were even times I felt myself leave my body and stare at myself sleeping.. I remember a time following a little girl outside my room to my livingroom playing the piano. My brother asked me the next day if I was sleep walking because he heard the door close a few times. As I got older, these things I thought were "dreams" got worse. There were times I heard evil laughs and figures looking over me. The worse part is feeling like I'm screaming for someone to wake me up, and it felt so real, I was convinced I was really screaming in reality, I was sleeping and dreaming. I would try to tell my brain to move my fingers, then my hand, then my arm and so on... I noticted every time I would have one of these I as a Christian, thinking it was evil spirits would say in my mind "Let the blood of Christ surround and protect me from the top of my head to the soul of my feet" I would say in my head "Jesus, Jesus" and this would slowly go away. I would wake up slowly and then be able to wake up and move and when I would put TBN like T.D Jakes, and Joyce Myers on, I would feel a huge weight lifted off of me and I would feel peace...
A few years ago, I was getting these so bad that after I got my body to move, I would scream loud like I was being murdered. In my early 20's I had to move back in with my mother and one of the worst ones I had, I woke up and swear I saw an evil face with an evil laugh and just screamed and cried like a little child.. It frightened me.. I had my mother pray over me and put on her Christian radio station. It wasn't until this year, as I'm 26 I have had one of these episodes. I just got married and moved into a new place. I thought I got rid of these things, but recently even today I've had these experiences. I've had the feeling of my body being drug up the walls and on the ceiling. but it's like I see my actual physical body as I'm going up. I've seen this figure of a little girl staring at me, and as I was trying my hardest to wake up, I thought I was awake at least 3 times, but I was dreaming of a dream. (i hope that makes sense) I kept dreaming I was awake but it felt so real. It was so real, my dog was barking at the same spot as the little girl I thought I was seeing.
It seems like everytime I have one of these now, I feel like I wake up, but in reality, I'm still sleeping. I've even had the feeling of being awake, and I'm having someone break in, but I can't open my eyes because they're so heavy and I can't fight back. These feel so real. I wake up really in belief that this all really happend. I'm scared that one day, my husband will come home and think I'm dead because I'm not moving. I fear I will be pronounced dead and really be staring at my body screaming I'm still alive. These are scary and for my whole life, I thought that maybe it was just in my mind. I'm just so thankful I woke up and felt the need to research this and find out that I am not the only one who has these dreams. So far, the only cure I have for these is to continue praying and claiming the blood of Jesus. I have a feeling that is going to be the only answer to waking up from these. I want to do a sleep study, but I never wanted to tell anyone in the fear they would check me into a mental hospital..
I'm so glad I was able to read all of your stories, and I hope someone might be able to relate to me.. God Bless you all, and I pray that you guys find your cures.
-Stephanie
I have always wanted to say
I have always wanted to say something too and have been afraid that they will think I'm crazy. I've had these experiences since I was 12, almost every time I fall asleep, it's so bad that I may only get about 3-4 hours of sleep because I am fearful of the feeling. I feels like my soul is being pulled out of my body sometimes, and I try to wake up because I know I'm sleeping and it will stop when I wake up but I can't move or scream for help. My chest gets so heavy and I can feel my heart beating faster, and panic sets with such fear that it's so unbearable. Sometimes I think I'm floating and I can see my body laying in bed still. Sometimes I have dreams and I'm so scared in my dream my mind is struggling to wake me up but I can't. Sometimes I have a scary dream and I'm trying to wake up but I go back and forth from my dream to me laying in bed (like I'm awake). When I do wake up my chest hurts, I have goosebumps, I'm cold yet sweaty, and I'm breathing heavy. It is most definitely the scariest thing ever!
freaky...
Couple of my experienced it and they were freaked out. I always thought these guys are on crack of something lol. It happened to me yesterday. I wasn't sure if it was a dream or in reality but I opened my eyes as soon as I could move. Mine lasted only 10 seconds and it was gone as soon as I recited laa ilaha illallah (means there is no got but Allah in Arabic). Thank god it was over but pretty weird experience
I've had this condition
I've had this condition happen to me a few times in the past. My sister and I both had it in the past two days, which lead me to do research on it. Every one of my experiences does seem to have an evil entity in it, and I've always relied on praying to make it end. One of the first experiences I had was of a tall dark figure standing at the end of my bed and I heard my dog barking and it sounded as if the house was on fire, I tried really hard to move to attack the figure, but it was useless. After a few more experiences I figured out that if I stay calm and start by moving my fingers I could snap out of it right away.
It is very scary
When I explain this condition to people they laugh and say i'm on drugs. But the fact of the matter it. It's very real and
And very scary, I've had this condition for nearly ten years and I get it when my body gets run down
With my type of job I never have a regular sleep pattern and hardly ever sleep. the paralysis occurs for me either
Just before I go to sleep or in the middle of my sleep I wake up with it, I thought it was spirits at first but now I
It's my fault for not looking after myself properly. When I get it I try screaming for help as I get sucked deeper into the bed
I hear voices but never understand what they are saying, I sometimes see a dark shadowy cloaked figured near me
I feel cold breathing down the back of my neck, I hallucinate asif i'm being moved all over the bed and flor
I see everything in the room asif my eyes are open but I dont actualy lnow if they are because my girlfriend never feels
Me move or make a sound other than hyperventilate trying to breathe and get her attention shouting help.
I know what it is and when I try to ignore it it gets worse and worse asif there is no comfort zone becau
se I cannot breathe. I really wish there was a cure other than sorting my sleep pattern out. I'd happily do
Tests for research. and I tottally agree with the unexplained death in sleep... Because I have to fight for my
Life every time this happens to me which may not occur for 6 months then hit me 12 times a night for 2 weeks...
What I have found though. when it occurs and I break free from it I turn the light on, it stops me slipping straight back into it
i was in a truck and i looked
i was in a truck and i looked into the mirror and a white face opened his mouth and i woke put could not breathe it has been the same thing for a week.
so done purposely
I was trying to get into so i tried like four tim e finally I got into it ,i did hallucinate a little but i couldn't move at all i tried to call for help but i couldn't .it was scary i hardly was able to breathe i saw shadows
out of my windows.they were very hard to see.finally i got out of it.
Sleep paralysis
I have had this issue many times and is starting to happen more often , I've researched and couldn't really find an exact answer for it but I think its a medical and a spiritual thing probably. I would sleep then when wake up , my eyes remained closed and my body can't move. It happends to me for a good minute or so while I struggle out of it and its pure suffering and agony...
Because this is what some
Because this is what some people need....
These have been known by many names. Skinwalkers, Shadow walkers, Sethites, Dream wardens and more, perhaps being the basis for other beings. They have been spoken of throughput history, American tribes, Egyptians and many others.
They seem quite inhuman but appearances can be deceptive and they are more human than you might believe. You might say the majority of your cause for concern is your own reaction and belief. They seem to be able to steer your perceptions envisions and will react to your responses. You feel fear and threat will loom. They appear at times to be scientific in a psychological way, triggering reactions, pushing for more and seeing what happens. Other times, they seem to almost feed on emotional response, like an emotional vampire. Perhaps a reflection of human condition, curiously trying to identify the soul itself or the sheer variety of the human psyche.
Experiences with them are sometimes brief sometimes prolonged. There have been mutterings that some humans relatively recently have joined their ranks. Note it is often extreme emotional response that results in memory being retained or by their choosing.
To deal with their presence there are several options. I will list just one as it is sufficient on its own.
Think positive. Prepare in advance. Imagine you have died. In death you have no fear of pain or dying or any cause for worries ever again. You are free and at peace. Death was always inevitable. Now in life picture a leech feeding on you. You have no fear of it. You understand little of it yet what it needs to live you can spare willingly. Send it good will. Find yourself hoping when it's done it does well and lives a good life. When you master that you have no more need for concern. Fears will flow around you like water. Good will will prevail and alike a fast flowing river, fears will have no hold on you.
Did anyone else find it
Did anyone else find it DIDN'T stop when they moved? I woke up with the tingly sensation and became acutely aware of everything. In the corner of the room by the TV was a dark shape and I did feel very heavy and found it hard to move. Despite the static feeling coming from the dark shadow it felt like there was something at the other corner. A feeling like you can get sometimes in an MRI. Like you're being softly brushed by cotton wool if that makes sense.
My first move was to lift my head which felt heavy but I managed it. The two figures at the bottom of the bed were short and black with glowing red eyes. The eyes were unusual. Rather than the lattice-type effect you usually see they had no iris I could make out. The whole eye glowed red but with almost lava lamp style little blotches dotted around them.
Apart from that though once I rationalized my fear it was all fine and I've never been scared of them since or had any worries
sleep paralysis
I just had this experience early morning this Sunday. I guess the last time i experienced this was some 3 years ago. I characterize this happenings when i am very stressed days before and had drink large amounts of alcohol prior to.
My sleep paralysis lately started out of these activities lately. Friday and Saturday was quite stressful since as a building contractor, two new projects were simultaneously started friday and saturday. Saturday caused even more fatigue since it was payroll day and with a start-up construction company i have, i have also to be the accountant and the disbursement officer. I had a couple of beers later afternoon saturday and was too tired to eat dinner right after so i only ate burger. My hyper-acidity surely worsened that day. Very tired, It made me fall asleep so much early than usual. I was awakened by a very painful stomach similar to symptoms of acute gastritis. So early morning, i took maalox liquid to relieve the pain. Right after that, i had to go to the bathroom 3 time to relieve myself since it seemed i had LBM right after that. When things went ok, i head out to an eatery to have some freshly made sunday meat soup. Upon reaching the house, i felt very sleepy - normal symptoms when you eat a lot of pork and when you are deprived of sleep.
So i went to bed again lying beside my wife thinking just to keep a power nap since i had an appointment hours from that. While half asleep, I hear our house help knocked the door and saying that the guy (my worker) whom i would meet is already waiting outside. But due to severe sleepiness, i induced my self to fall asleep even for just a couple of minutes. And there the strange feeling started. While half awake, i felt a sudden rush of force pushing me to the bed. I wanted to shout and kick my wife's feet so that she would be aware but i couldn't. I cannot move my entire body and i was grasping for air. As if i was sucked into a black hole. But i didn't saw any creepy or ghost stuffs like most claim. I literally thought that i would be dead. I presumed that it was a heavy heart attack. I struggled a lot until i was able to move my feet. The foot movement took me back to normal and was pretty damned scared right after that. I was sleeping flat on my back that moment.
Moments later my younger son went into our room and said that somebody is looking for me outside. They're i stood up like nothing happened.
The last time i had this ( 3 years ago) i was also very fatigued.
Thanks everyone for sharing!
Thanks everyone for sharing!
sleep paralysis
this happens to me very often. it's really scary !!! my last experience was just last week. i was at my great grandmothers house, in her room sitting on the chair. next, i noticed i couldn't move at all, losing breath quickly, heart was starting to race then slow down, and while i was trying to yell for my great grandmother's name. i saw her across the room in the other chair sleeping, while my body was getting tighter and tighter. really couldn't breathe, tried punching myself . finally my great grandma yelled at the television then, it went away. i was breathing very heavily , eyes was so watery. she asked me what was wrong, i told her that it was nothing. it's so bad that im going to the doctor for it, when i get my physical for soccer. sometimes i stay up because i don't want to experience it again. i feel like , i may lose all my breath and wont be able to wake up then next time , when im alone.
hi my names dave wileman im
hi my names dave wileman im 22 years old ive ad sp on multiple ocations, i can say that when it happens i am 100% awake. it feels as if some 1 is holding me down, i ear foot steps in my room, i feel cold i get scared i ear whispering in my ear. it feels as if some 1 is stood over me i see figures in the room, ive seen a bright light come through the door in my room. im always unable to move or talk but my eyes are always wide open but i end up closeing them because i get scared. when i close my eyes it feels as if sum 1 is moveing my bed. this as happend to me atleast 20 times. the first time it happend to me was about 6 months ago.
A personal comment
I consider myself to be a godly following person, therefore, I believe in demons and such. I've had this Sleep Paralysis before, and I am 15 at the moment. My personal opinion on why we see these Evil Figures, which some see as demons or spirits, while there is also an explanation that puts the theory down, is that it's how I think evil works. I have never seen the apparitions myself since I was probably around 11, which was a stressful year. At the time, I did believe in ghosts. I find that believing in the power of something does give it more power over you. And I also believe that evil spirits or demons are smart enough to do something science can explain to remain undetected.
I know a lot of people who would try telling me that praying to God just calms you down, and that it doesn't actually do anything, but I guess I just don't agree.
And I do not believe that seeing something is enough to subject you to accepting it. I was once with some other people my age in a cemetery, in middle of the day, while it raining out. Of the four of us, I was the only one disbelieving of ghosts, and was the only one not bothered by sights and sounds. One of us even got horrible scratches down her back... Somehow. I don't know how it happened, and I would be comfortable saying it was demons, but it didn't scare me.
Anyhow, I do support the theory of SP being caused by stress, as it weakens the mind and will. I too have had experiences, like just today, where parts of my body can move. I often have trouble getting up after recovering from this. My arms will be able to briefly move, then my legs, and after a bit of struggling, the rest comes in tow. It starts with the enhanced sensed and inability to move. I often hear white noise on a daily basis, so I didn't thin anything of the weird sounds I heard while "paralyzed".
Probably a purely
Probably a purely physiological/psychological condition but I remain open to other possibilities.
Electromagnetic field propulsion is now being touted as the way forward and a soon to be practical means of space propulsion. It may be coincidence but the effects of such strong fields have been known to include a sense of evil and static. Who knows. Perhaps it's visits.
If that is the case they will likely be the same as us. Curious intelligent and most likely reactive. Hostile intents may be reacted to as well as peaceful ones. Give it a try and see. Ignore the evil sense which may be misleading and think positive welcoming thoughts so you're not seen as hostile.
If you're having ongoing issues try this and let us know what happens.
the same things
i also have the same thing, it happens alot. and to be honest, i can activate it almost at will. go in a dark room with some shady looking pictures or statues, and BAM, there i am into it. it can also happen during the day. I even got it laying down listening to music! i listened to music just to get rid of it and that didnt work. also, i have a twin brother which also have SP, and when we were younger, we layed together one night and we both heard the same thing in SP! he heard it first....a few moments later it came to me and i told him i heard the exact same thing. i try my best to get out of it the first few seconds, i think the longest was a minute cause i think i might die if i just let it go on.... sometimes shadows and beings..sometimes repeating sounds....
This has happened to me 20+ times
This occurence has happened with me over 20 times. They started when I was 20 and have continued for the last 5 years, and is the same situation every time. I'll be asleep, dreaming, and in the dream will be able to feel a presence in the bedroom coming towards me. In my childhood I was terrified by the thought of a cloaked killer coming to murder me(watching "I know what you did last summer" by myself when I was 11 was a big mistake), and now those thoughts have returned to my dreams. I will feel this presence coming towards my bed, all the while I am telling myself that this is just a dream and that I need to wake up. I'm fully aware of the situation, but I am still terrified because part of me doesn't know if I'm in a dream or not. Eventually I will wake up, look around me to make sure everything is OK and then go right back to sleep.
The scariest episodes are the ones where in my dream I am dreaming, and that is when I first feel the presence of something in the room coming closer to me. As it nears the bed I wake up, but am actually still dreaming. I once again feel the presence of something in the room, coming towards me, but my mind is thinking that this is real life since I already woke up. So instead of telling myself to get up, I'm telling myself to grab the gun in my nightstand, or the knife on my dresser. Being unable to grab these things since I'm in a state of sleep paralysis really terrifies my mind until the point where I actually wake up, finally free from my minds grasp.
I believe what the author states about this being induced by anxiety, as I have a slight problem with it. However, the majority of my anxiety is not bad....most of it is for something like 'waiting for a package to arrive with something I ordered', or being anxious about a big meeting coming up. Hopefully in the future these episodes will diminish in number until they no longer happen....but until then I can take solace in the fact that part of my mind knows what is happening, and thus won't allow me to scare myself to death.
The first time SP happened to
The first time SP happened to me I was in college. Ever sense, it only seems to happen when I try to take a nap during the day or when I am stressed out about something (usually having SP). I have never experienced any sort of "evil" presence. When it happens to me I always know what is going on and I try so hard to move my hands in hopes it will wake the rest of my body up. I also always think that I am rolling off the bed and onto the floor and crawling for help. Then what seems like minutes later I finally wake up and I am on my bed. I think it must be stress and anxiety related. Shortly after I started having SP I also started having panic attacks. All I really know though, is that it's very scary and I HATE it!
I've had sleep paralysis many
I've had sleep paralysis many times. It happens many times in a year, or even monthly/ basis. It's difficult to tell how often it happens unless I would keep some sort of notes. And you kind of forget they happened, just like you forget dreams. But still I know they really do happen. I wake but cant move my body. Which feels frightening. Don't necessarily remember experiencing some evil around me or in the room, but it still feels scary cos you can't move and you might think how long is this gonna last. You try to move your body, but can't, then slowly shake your body out of it. It feels like it could be something from 30 seconds to few minutes. It always feels more or less unpleasant and bit frightening, allthoug previous experience. Cos even if you know it wont last long time, you feel your body is not in good position and feel like buried. Arms are numb and you want to move but you can't. In some weird way it is also bit intriguing.
I have had this experience.
I have had this experience. As for it being "evil spirits" I would beg to differ.
I have seen planes fly. I do not believe them to be chariots of the gods. I do not see air yet experience and sense tells me it is there. I see mirages but knowledge and experience teach me what they are.
This experience is no exception. The limited knowledge of my own mind and perceptions, memory of dreams and so on lead me to reason this is as real as a half waking mirage. I have no evidence or reason to believe more than that regardless of the effects of vivid memories enhanced by the initial shock.
As for all the talk of "evil demons" I would never subscribe to that. I don't believe in any form of stereotyping and placing such subjective opinions and descriptions on anything based on its appearance are at the very heart and nature of racism and hatred of diversity. It's just a pity so few recognise imprinting from society when they experience it.
I get what everyone is saying
I get what everyone is saying but as long as you have never experienced these evil spirits you will never believe. i have experienced such things and i have seen alot that even today i ask myself how did i survive all that and my answer is that God was there with me. I never believed in evil spirits but i have experienced it and now i know these things do exist. Only if you experience them you will believe.
SP
I also suffer from this condition. The first time SP occurred to me, the hallucinations scared the shit out of me. But as an atheist, and on most times, a critical thinker, I ignored it and struggled my way out of it. Here's my advice: since fighting SP can be tiring and can hurt us (emotionally and physically), meditate - empty your mind, to escape from the fears that haunts you, try to focus in breathing and slowing your heart rate, or try thinking about good times and hood emotions, people you like or even praying (one of the most powerful things to religious people)
Slightly relived, still terrified.
Like my title says im slightly relived to come across this, I too thought it was a spirtural being holding me down. This has happened to me at least five times each experince leaves me scared, teary eyed, unable to sleep, and scared to dream.
The first time it happened as soon as I opened my eyes I became aware that I couldn't move my body. I was 15 at the time so my first comment was "What the fuck" all I could do was look at the celling. I felt a presence in the room so i turned my head and beside me was a huge black demon dog, I screamed my lungs out, I screamed so loud I was sure everyone heard me. I heard myself scream. But, no one came into the room, no matter how loud I screamed my parents didnt run to my rescue, neither did any of my siblings or my dog. The next morning when I told my family what happened my parents said they thought it was the dog whimpering, and my sisters said they too thought it was just our dog whimpering. To make matters worse my mom goes into the theory that it was indeed a dog from hell.
The second time it happened was about a week or two after the first occurance. This time I heard chains and when my head turned towards my closet there was a corspe of a woman staring at me, her mouth wide open full of sharp teeth. When she caught me looking at her she smiled at me and held her hand out, than dissappeared. I didnt scream this time, I was sure nobody would hear me. Instead I closed my eyes and prayed when I opened them she stood above me fearful, and than she vanished into a dark hole. Afterwards I could move again, I stood up turned on my lights and everything in my room, tv, radio, ipod, cell phone, ds. Everything was on.
The third time, obviously once again I couldnt move, I was seventeen and I was becoming slightly facinated by this. Still very afraid of what will happen. I instantly prayed. When I opened my eyes there was a dark figure, all it did was stare at me, than my room started spinning and I started to cry in fear, and pray some more. Than it was over.
After that the third one kept happening, I would be paralyzed, and there would be a tall faceless dark figure staring at me. Sometimes it would have a mouth and it would open its mouth and all I would see is darkness, endless darkness.
When all this was happening to me at first I thought it was my over active imagination. Than I thought it was spirtual beings, now part of me is sure that its a combination of the two. The other part of me wants to believe in sleep paralysis.
i guess its not the drugs..
Recovering meth addict. ive been having these the past couple monthes. When i was smoking everyday, usually a couple times a week this would happen. except i would be sitting or laying right awake then suddenly my body is asleep and i can move. Ill be right awake. they would last to 5-10 mins until i woke. Even though some times when i woke if i didnt keep in motion ill fall right back in. Its just really freaking because the whole time i would think " Move your arm! just open your eyes. do something" I would try to breath really heavily so someone can hear me and wake me up. some of the time people did hear me and say something and it would work. but other time i would have to wait til the my effort works and my fingers start to move and my arm shoots up and i wake. People told me its from meth and its called " witch hazing " but i guess i just need more sleep. it is the drugs fault for the lack of sleep though.
i am a witness of what occurs..
These past few months have been stress full for my husband, age 20. He gets sleep paralysis? or something weird attacks him. honestly we dont know what is is. This happens during the day light when he is about to sleep. Mostly at night though. It happened in the old house we lived in. We used to think it was surrounded by bad spirits, ghost or something? we were wrong its happening in the new house too. How and when do i know its happening to him? Like every regular night when going to sleep, he breaths lightly , very normal. all of a sudden his heart beats fast and faster. his breath gets deeper, his eyes open sooo little you can bearly see them. One time he breathed so hard his stomach was moving up and down. So i yelled "BABE!" and he woke up looking clueless and with fear. He told me he was trying to yell out for help. He tried to look at me and give me a signal. It's happened so many times that i get more curious about what is this? He also tells me he sees a ghost like figure. Thats completely black with no face its just black. That holds him down he feels pressure and unable to speak or move a bone. It happends again that same night. When he tries to go to sleep, i know it happened because of the way he is breathing deep. He says he feels fear. If you do not feel fear you'll finally sleep.Other times he hears bad comments, voices. One i can remember was "puto" "bitch" in english. He tried to sleep AGAIN once more as i was telling him "babe have faith in god and you won't be scared", i said this two times. The third time his voice became agressive and said " If you keep saying that i'm going to get more scared!" than he turned around opposite of me. like iterally 10 seconds after he turned around put his hands on my cheek and said babe did i say something? i responded, "yes" he said i know i said something but i didn't yell. As i kept telling him yes you did. I dont think this is something scientific. It is fear, scary, un-normal, it feels horrible, hopeless (according to husband). And when he tries to find a way out of it he can't. He will wake up walk a little and it does not work. I believe everything he tells me because ofcourse i am his wife and i witness this every single time.
The same
Hello, I am writing you because this is the same exact feeling i get very often. I feel exactlly how your husband feels and I am very scared. I wake up unable to move, i could see hear and everything. I try to signal somebody in the room to wake me up or shake me, but nobody seems to notice. I have this thing where I try to move a part of my body that seems slightly movable and move it quickly so I could wake up. My heart pumps really fast afterwards. Over time i'm starting to realize my heart is hurting more and more from this. And whats scaring me the most is that as I get older my heart may not be strong enough to battle this out. I live in fear almost everyight to fall asleep hoping to wake up not stuck. What has helped me alot is alarm clocks. Alarms seems to instantly wake me up. Maybe that can help your husband too. But they can't just be regular alarm clocks they have to very loud, and annoying like a loud beep or alert. Like a fire alarm in your house or something. Hope all is well, please write back
sincerely,
some one in the same position
Disorder
I had it happen once and its never since happened again
Does the enraged villager
Does the enraged villager with his pitchfork and torch ever recognise the true face of evil?...
Nothing like leaping to
Nothing like leaping to conclusions. Human nature. As for this experience being a religious event, every person here will have their own view on that and every one of them will believe they are right. Human nature. As for good and evil, this is limited to... Human nature.
I sigh every time I see reference to good and evil being brandished as if by the blind. Do you really understand what defines them? They are no a force but a perception and perspective. Different for every person and subject to their own interpretation. To blindly classify any being or experience as evil is to fail to comprehend the complexity of nature and life in its entirety. Any being is more than a single event. The whole truly is more than a part.
To brand in such a manner by definition is as evil as your perception. None are defined by a single perception and none are beyond redemption. But such labelling is division and rejection. You want to understand true evil? Understand yourself. Pride is the worst.
My Experience
I have been afflicted by what I can only guess to be sleep paralysis three times in my life. They have all occurred within the past year and two of them were in the last month. The first time I don't think I was ACTUALLY asleep. I was laying on my stomach with my eyes closed fighting off a terrible migrane. It had started to fade when my grandmother called me to come eat supper. I laid there for a second and then started to get up, finding that I couldn't. Confused, I thought I should take it slow and merely attempted to lift my head and open my eyes. I was unsuccessful. Naturally, this freaked me out a little, especially when I tried again to no avail. However, I wasn't terrified and had no frightening visions or anything. I felt relaxed and my headache was nearly gone. After a few more minutes I was able to go about my day. I read somewhere that sleep paralysis can be a symptom of a migrane? Do you have to be asleep?
The second time I experience this was sort of self induced. I had had trouble getting to sleep that night and when I finally dozed off and reached REM I was harassed by a horrible nightmare. In the dream I kept telling myself that it couldn't be real, I had to be dreaming. I didn't actually believe that as my dreams always feel real to me, but I fought desperately to open my eyes anyway. It worked. My eyes fluttered open, I saw the walls of my room but then suddenly I was seeing the dream again. My eyes were moving frantically. I couldn't move during this process, but I knew what was happening. I was aware that everything was alright. That I had simply disturbed my brain's REM process. I knew that ones body cannot move during REM sleep and that I would awake eventually. I had never heard of sleep paralysis.
The most recent occurance was this morning. My grandmother came in my room to tell me that she had brought me some tea and cheddar rounds. I acknowledged this was a slurred "Okay, be there in a minute." Evidentally though, in reality I hadn't even moved. After a moment of "waking up" I opened my eyes, threw the covers back and started to get up. Or at least I thought I had. Everything went black and I was still laying there on my back. Confused, I tried to repeat the movements. I couldn't even open my eyes! This was all occuring in my head. I felt heavy and couldn't move. It went on and a became slightly panicked. After trying again though I was simply frustrated. I really wanted my stinking sweet tea! Finally I regained control. Instead of being terrified by the experience though, I was fascinated.
In my case, sleep paralysis hasn't been entirely unpleasant. I've only had frightening visions once. Is this sleep paralysis? Does it HAVE to be a scary experience? If so, then what is happening to me if it's not sleep paralysis?
I don't think that sleep paralysis has anything to do with demons or evil spirits. Mainly because of my own experiences with it. I do believe in demons though, being a Christian. Maybe some people's experiences with it is caused by a demonic force. But I think most of it is simply natural neurological effects. Especially considering my second experience. What do you think?
Cause your calm
As the author of the original article said, the evil visions are proably caused by the panick of the situation. As your body starts to freak out because you can't move it panics and gets anxious. This anxiety activates the part of your brain thats involved with panic. Just like when someone has an axiety attack they get feelings of dread and visions of death/dying your brain probably creates these evil visions which when your half asleep appear as halucinations. Because you were for the most part very calm during your episode, you didn't get these visions. As you said you did get some, the left over parts of your dream, but that was about it.
I just dont know
Im a 36 year old female that has been dealing with this my whole life !
first i want to say i dont sleep on my back! not that it matters but maybe im lucky! i only feel ,i do not see. its scary why is it always scary? medical is not always a 100% secience. I do believe in GOD. with that being said i have always joked about it being Aliens taking my eggs. i always have pain on one side or the other when i wake up. maybe a kiddny shuts down for a bit also! I dont know. i dont truly beleive in Aliens or that they are taking my EGGS. i do know that when im tired or stressed it happens... last night it was something with wings. i felt it wrap them around me and use my voice box to say in my voice " I will KILL you". i dont know what it is but i cant ever just go with it what if thats when it stops the lungs and i die in my sleep (SILLY I KNOW).
im never short of breath like some when i get up, maybe thats cause i dont sleep on my back.
i find that a raido playing helps me. i like to sing and i first try to just humm the song. moving just some small bit like my toe or finger helps. once your awake get up and move.
my sister has freaked out on me once or twice when she has walked into my room seen my eyes wide open and not moving. poor girl! she now knows all she has to do is touch me to wake me up! she still thinks its freaky!
I dont know what this is. i dont think any of us not even secience can tell us. if it was just r brains telling are body to fast to go to sleep? why is it im so scared? why do we all think its evil? even if we have never known any kind of evil. A small child can tell u its bad without ever being told about the devil or evil? why cant it be a good thing? a angel or my grandma poping in to say hi? i can go months without a "visit" and then bam go a month with it happening every night! I just dont know?
some tell me sleep aids help, in states where its "ok" they say a little waky grass from the a script from a doc before bed helps.
my state dose not and i hate sleeping pills.
so for now keep up the good fight!
keep the helpfull tips coming any tool is better then no tools! I will try anything to stop them or get over it faster.
We are made aware of good and
We are made aware of good and evil because of Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, You see, you cannot receive the messages of the radio station unless you have a radio receiver. You may have a washing machine. But the fact that you have a washing machine does not make possible for you to receive the messages of the radio station. You necessarily need a radio receiver. Similarly, God is spirit, and to communicate with Him you must receive and walk in His spirit. Body and soul are enough for things of the five senses. But when it comes to the things of God, what you must receive is His spirit (John 1:12, 1 John 1
According to I Corinthians 2:14, a man who is content with being body and soul only will not receive the things of the Spirit of God. As it was said above, to receive "the things of the Spirit of God," to communicate with God, to fellowship and walk with Him (walk in His ways), you need the appropriate receiver…spirit. That's why the passage says: "neither can he (the man of body and soul) know them, because they are spiritually discerned." It is impossible for the man of body and soul to know the things of God for the simple reason that such things have to do with the spirit, "they are spiritually discerned," and since he lacks spirit, he cannot know them.
It is very sad but true, even a little baby know the difference between good and evil. I have experience it myself, I had my niece over to spend a night with me and she was only about 2 or 3 months old she had not seen anything bad before( tv ,movies etc.) but I witness her having a bad dream and she woke up crying(I was like wow, this is crazy he(the devil) starting to brother the babies too so I prayed) so I asked her mother and she said just all of a sudden she start having bad dreams and I said what do she know about good or evil yet but we do because we are born knowing the difference, and this was not the only time this happen I started to hear a lot of parents tell me there kids were crying in there sleep at a early age.
I have experience pretty much of everything except a few of these stories , I recently was soo tired from having multiple back to back attacks that just was so bad to me that I just cryed out to God and said to him I'm tired of this fear and I know that this fear is not bigger than you and I so bad want to feel your presence(I didn't really know that I made this fear become bigger than me) And I know we are not suppose to fear anything but God but I came to realize that I was not sure what it felt like to really fear God( well I did by not trying to do bad things and knowing that I would have to be accountable for what I did) I heard about fearing God but I needed to know the feeling also of fearing God. I have to go but i will continue later.
Sleep paralysis
It happened to me last night. And when I started saying the lords prayers I could move and wake up but it took a while
thinking am awake, going towards the door, but,am still on bed
It has happened to me 5-6 times since the past 2 years, that I have trouble waking up... then i finally do wake up... i walk till the doors, to open it... then something happens, and am back there in my bed, my eyes open, fighting to get up... This type of fight can happen 2- 3 times while trying to wake up... and after much will, i finally wake up for real..
It's quite scary, and i have never told anyone about it...
When i wake up, i usually find myself breathing hard, and still feels a little bit dizzy.
It did happen also that when i finally do wake up, i make some steps, and then fell down unconsciously, and regain conscious when my head hits the ground... [happened 3 times]. Been to the hospital once, and the doctors couldn't associate it to any disease, and told me it's due to stress.
I really want to know if there's anything which can explain this...
Thanks
I think this experience is a
I think this experience is a universal one and not specific to religion or anything else. The nature and imagery of the experiences seem to vary depending on conditioning. Those with Christian tendencies naturally opt for demon or devils as their interpretation. Those from other backgrounds vary accordingly.
The key requirement either seems to be anything that offers comfort or calms the sufferer down. For Christian tendencies it'll be praying etc. Others will vary in the same manner.
My outlook is a more scientific one so mine took a logical twist and was promptly fine. By no means is there a requirement to pray or perform any other ritual... it's just a question of what works for you psychologically
Sleep Paralysis
I'm also one of those who are suffering from the so-called sleep paralysis. Almost every time I went sleeping, I experience this and sometimes, I feel I would not be awake anymore. I used to experience this since I was in Grade 6 until now that I am a first year college. Sometimes, I used to experience this 5 times in just one night. And when I used to continue sleeping after experiencing sleep paralysis, I continue experiencing this also. That's why every time I experience sleep paralysis, I just get out of bed after I become awake to discontinue. During this situation, I can hear the sounds in my surroundings and see everything in my room which is exactly in the same position when I become truly awake as if I am really awake but my body cannot move no matter how I wanted and tried to. But I am very sensitive to a little call of my name when experiencing that and also to a little tap within me which really awakens me. But aside from I can see everything in my surroundings, I can also see terrifying creatures like ghosts. From one of my experiences, one night from experiencing sleep paralysis, I saw a man in an all-black attire staring and smiling at me at the bottom of my bed. Another one from my other experiences is that I saw 2 men. One is in all white attire while the other is in black and also wearing a black hood and holding an axe which is exactly the image of Death as what we see on TV. The 2 are pulling me with all of their might. The black one is pulling my left arm and seems that he really wants to get me. While the white one is pulling my right arm and seems that He will not allow the one in black to get me. This terrified me so much. That time, I thought I would not be awake anymore. Another one from my lot of experiences is that I saw a lot of people which surround me. They came by my side one by one and whispered me some words which I cannot understand but are like Latin words. And then right after they had already whispered some words to me, they vanish like ghosts. Those are just some of my experiences. But every time I experience sleep paralysis, I pray to God to help me awake and skip that situation. And sometimes, when I used to pray, I experience vibration of my body. Sometimes, I also experience a difficulty in breathing especially when I used to experience sleep paralysis in a too long period. These gave me the fear to sleep.
Sleep paralysis
Hello, my name is Robert and This happens to me all the time. In fact the only reason I'm here at this website at one in the morning is because I just had this happen to me. There was a child laying next to me and we were choking each other until I finally woke up. These got really bad my first year of college, stress I think. I know a lot of people say its a chemical deficiency or transmitters in the brain misfiring, but all I know is what I see and feel and what I see and feel is evil. What I do is stay calm and pray. I hope this helps at least a little.
Dude 3 years ago while very
Dude 3 years ago while very fatigued, i was sleeping with my eldest son. At dawn i had this weirdest sleep paralysis wherein my 5 year old son that time was choking me to death while i was lying in bed. It took me seconds to recover. Just move you toe and the rest of your body will follow to move and recover. Never sleep on your back when you are very stressed and had a good amount of alcohol that night.
What I saw just then,
So I was sleeping just then, not long ago after I got up to check my phone and went to sleep then suddenly things got cold, my whole
body feels numb and I couldn't move absolutely anything, and guess what I saw.. a lady with long hair (like me) and wearing red was jumping on my chest and trying to get in it.. not sitting on my chest but trying to get inside my body or something, she was kneeling on my head and choking my neck, I don't know what to do, I didn't try to move anymore because I know it's not gonna work.. so I layed there hoping that some how I will get up sooner or later, until I couldn't breathe anymore, I hear myself saying 'Get out! Out! now!' then the ghost lady wasn't on my chest anymore, I'm still gasping for some air, but even if I still can't move, as long as the lady disappeared I'm good. I was thinking: Omg is that bloody Mary or some shit? then I see the lady again doing the same thing, I kept saying 'Get out now!' then eventually she dissappeared because im trying hard this time to move and scream and hitting myself, but yeah, I still couldn't move. Throughout that, I was like to myself: Why does she appear when I mention bloody mary? laying there frozen I was thinking: Let's try again, bloody Mary. And yep, she appeared again, this time she wasn't sitting on me or trying to get inside my body, this time I could move my leg, after moving my leg, I know I could move my arms, so I broke free and woke up with the shortest breath ever of my life... this is one crazy experience, I have experienced this before last year, but it wasn't that bad, I seriously thought that I was the only one but researching it on the net proves I'm not :-) thank god. Just thought that I share this and see if anybody else have the same awesome experience seeing a lady in red like me. Haha.
Hi all, I would like to share
Hi all,
I would like to share my experience with "sleep paralysis". So yeah, I just woke up around 7:30am having sleep paralysis again. I am extremely tired but I don't want to go back to sleep knowing it'll happen again. I'm pretty sure I remember experiencing this once or twice as a kid, but it hit me continuously since last year. The first time it happened last year was when I was really bad and what I mean by this is being in a lot of sin. Such as lust, loving idols ( for me that is singers, bands, etc), obsession with make up ( being in vain), disrespecting my mom, swearing all the time, having thoughts of commuting suicide ( was emo), and yeah it's just all really bad! I grew up being a Christian but I baptized when I was 15, and now I'm 19 . I never followed the way of being a true Christian it was just a "label" to me but at the start of this year I finally believed truly in my heart, that Jesus is my Lord and only savior. :) I chucked away my posters of singers , Pokemon cards (really old) and all the other stuff that I feel is unclean. Anyway, sleep paralysis, first time it happened to be in a long time was like this, I heard a deep growling sound and felt it coming closer to me, I started to freak out and tried to yell myself awake, but it felt like inception, I thought I have woken up but then I'd be in the same state again, I can feel my hands moving around, I can literally feel the table next to me and I put my hands in front of my face but I just couldn't see my hands. I was like what the? And so I keep trying to wake myself up several times and feeling like a fool that I actually have not woken up. Anyway this sleep paralysis kept happening to me non stop for days and days. Once I actually got up, which I'm guessing is my spirit mode, and I walked to my sisters bed sleeping, and then suddenly her eyes pop wide open and I scream and she screams. Was just weird. Moving to my new house, it happens again and this time I heard a feminine but monster voice, it sounded angry . Then I heard a sigh like it gave up on me ( cause that's when I started to truly wanting to follow God). And then after hearing that sigh I would wake up. Then it felt like the more closer I wanted to draw closer to God the more it tried to come get me. This evil thing, the next time it was an incubus (I believe) cos just before waking up to sleep paralysis I dreamed of something sexual which is realllllly bad. And when I opened my eyes I literally saw this dark shadow figure on top of me I was so scared but I closed my eyes and said " flee in the name of Jesus!" . Indeed you can't hear yourself talk or move cos it's hovering over your body and I'd continue saying it until I trusted in Jesus name it would leave. Anyway I started truly wanting to be born again, I've prayed and asked for forgiveness. But like it says in the bible, that God won't forgive you of your sins if you don't forgive others. And you must repent. So that's what I did, I'd read the bible everyday and pray trusting in God. And I honestly say, I have not had sleep paralysis for 6 months. But it's cause recently I've started being disobedient again, falling back to my old ways and so I get sleep paralysis again. That's why I know 100% this ain't scientific at all, there's no proof for it but proof that it is demonic. Jesus is coming soon, I'm not trying to scare anyone but it's the he truth. He is the way, the truth and the life.
I can guarantee you that if you'd just repent and trust in God now. Praying and reading the bible, you won't experience sleep paralysis anymore. Cause that's the only way to stop it. Jesus's name has power only, and only the devil will flee cause its inferior to him. It'll chicken out and flee from you if you don't become lazy in your prayers, before you sleep you can pray to God to protect you from evil and have a peaceful sleep. Anyway believe me or not, but it's clear tht sleep paralysis always has an evil presence cos it is an evil spirit. Anyway thanks for reading. May God be with you all (He's always been) but its you who needs to draw closer to Him.
Devil? I keep an open mind to
Devil?
I keep an open mind to some extent. I'm more inclined to believe in the rational or scientific than the far fetched.
I have to say though in the event these experiences represent dealings with consciousness other than our own I have no reason to believe that they are incapable of the same states of mind as us. That said if these are demons in the story book sense as you propose (whichever interpretation of demons you refer to throughout countless stories books and differing religious groups)... I find myself thinking I have no less concern or compassion for their welfare than my own.
Conflict and war are never permanent states. To exist they must be perpetuated. Without intent and action they cease to be.
I don't think thats quite the
I don't think thats quite the same thing where you get the sense of identity. Doesn't tend to be associated with strong feedback to the victim and fear. I've had the calm almost daydream sensation too where you feel like there's someone present and sympathise for their problems and fears etc. I call it the upset child syndrome :)
The devil won't bother with
The devil won't bother with people who don't believe he exists as he's already won them over. It is very clear that the devil is here to steal,kill and destroy, so the devil and his demons are like a really really bad gang that's trying to take over and also making people feel he will protect, or keep them from these things but his lies are only worth a minute.
God has no respect of a person he takes care of the just and the unjust. But Jesus meant this in a very positive way. So Jesus was not saying here that God sends bad things upon the just as well as the unjust. He is not even saying that God sends bad things upon the unjust at all. Quite the opposite: God sends sunshine for the those who are evil as well as those who are good. And He gives rain, not just for the just, but for the unjust as well.
I'm sorry I have a different focus, I HAVE SOMETHING THAT IS NOT JUST AFTER ME BUT A COUPLE OF MY FAMILY MEMBER'S FOR YEARS AND I KNOW THAT IT IS NOTHING BUT GOD THAT IS KEEPING ME,GIVING US STRENGTH TO WAKE UP IN OUR RIGHT MINDS IN THE MORNING. This has happened to a couple of family members of mine(my grandmother, my aunt(my grandmother sister and many more) but my grandma and aunt woke up different one day, and I thank God that right now my grandmother has the mind to serve God and she is a believer that God can deliver you for the enemies hands. Con't to pray for my aunt cause she still hear the voices that are speaking nasty things to her. I can't turn to anyone But God and I surely can't turn around now. when I was about 8 or so I had a dream that God said if I don't change that I would go down there and I turned to look down there and saw blackness(I will have to tell you what I experience when I use to walk into church and didn't know why I would get instantly mad for no reason and glad that God helped me realized it and I ask God to change me at that age) .Even if you give up on God, He will not give up on you. God told me that it happens to me that I might pray for others that don't know the answer to their problem.
2 Cor 1:5 - Those that have received the Lord's comfort become his agents to administer that comfort to others.
HElP!
Well iv read most of these comments nd i still cant get my head round what this is. I can relate to most comments and i agree that this could be religeous as its not yet prooven of what it really is and why it happens.... It happend to me a few times a couple of year ago maybie when i was 13 and i remember it being horrible. I never really told anyone about it, I mooved house and forgot about it. im now 17 and it happend again at my boyfriends about 2 month ago, its confusing to explain, its like i wake up from my dream but im not fully awake as my body as asleep or 'paralised' but my brain is awake and i can see everythiing around me but its a diffrent feeling to actually being fully awake, i can feel a awfull presance in the room aswell like something is watching me and i panick triying to wake up as hard as i can it seems like ages before i can wake up,i remember shouting once bbut it felt like nothing was comming out. i havent expierienced something sitting on my chest or seeying something i can just feel something sceary in the room. I get sceard to go to sleep sometimes and havent yet been to the doctors i just wouldnt know what to say hed probs think im crazy llol but this is real and im glad im not the only one going through this. I just dont know what to believe. Its WEARD!