[Elmidena]

Jesus from an approach that it's a muscular contorting word to say, or from a religious aspect?

[murrayp4]

Originally Posted by NeverOnMonday

Hmmm, ya think?
I knew I should have posted a disclaimer with that post.
Listen, the advice I put out there isn't meant to be a universal remedy, by any stretch of the imagination. It was simply offered as a method some might wish to try since it proved effective for me.

Desperate situations often require desperate measures -- you never know what you might try the next time you find yourself pinned to your bed, terrified and unable to move under an invisible, yet extraordinary, crushing weight.

Also, I respectfully question the "medical" explanation given for this syndrome (sleep paralysis). Although I agree with the possible root causes of it - rundown general health, poor diet, irregular sleep patterns, medication use, etc. -- I still maintain that these factors are only catalysts.

Despite my perspective lacking a scientific basis I refuse to believe that others -- usually more intuitive types -- don't recognize some validity in the supernatural theory. (It is a theory, after all.)

I've experienced SP for over 15 years. When I started to experience it I began to read as much as I could of the available scientific literature on the subject. Nowhere did it say the state was caused by evil spirits, but it did note that some cultures believed that it was indeed caused by evil spirits. In Fiji for example it is known as being 'eaten by a demon', in Nigeria its known as having the 'devil on your back.'

No doubt the reasons these were used as explanations were that it is an unnerving experience for some and often terrifying for others. Another reason for evil spirits being used as an explanation is that the science had not been done on the subject at the time or the results were not widely available to many communities.

One of the reasons I'm not disturbed by the experience is that I've read about it and am fully aware of what is happening and why. I know there are no evil spirits, aliens etc. coming to get me and I just get back to sleep.

Your solution of repeating the word 'Jesus' works for you as it seems to be triggering a response in your brain which snaps you out of the SP state. I close my eyes and wait for it to pass which triggers the same response in my brain. If both of these methods work then it is unlikely there is any sort of 'intervention' divine or otherwise going on (there certainly isn't for me), merely the person calming him/herself to end the SP episode.

[EnterNow]

Originally Posted by NeverOnMonday

Listen, the advice I put out there isn't meant to be a universal remedy, by any stretch of the imagination. It was simply offered as a method some might wish to try since it proved effective for me.

Thats fair enough, nobody would question of slate that on its own. But this bit here:

You can choose another way to say this, but do make sure you evoke the name of Jesus.

makes it sound like there's a specific religious agenda behind your post. People would question/slate that kind of thing I find, something I'm often guilty of when anothers beliefs are pushed onto me/cross the mutual respect line.

Desperate situations often require desperate measures -- you never know what you might try the next time you find yourself pinned to your bed, terrified and unable to move under an invisible, yet extraordinary, crushing weight.

Quite true, often an irrational fear will lead to other irrationalities. I'm sure sleep paralysis is terrifying & is a living nightmare...I'd call to any God that'd listen to me if I suffered from it. Thor, Raa, Zeus...help me!

Also, I respectfully question the "medical" explanation given for this syndrome (sleep paralysis). Although I agree with the possible root causes of it - rundown general health, poor diet, irregular sleep patterns, medication use, etc. -- I still maintain that these factors are only catalysts.

Of course those things are catalysts, it's the brain itself which causes the actual actual paralysis. The paralysis is something we all go through, we're just not meant to become conscious during it. Thats what the condition is.

Despite my perspective lacking a scientific basis I refuse to believe that others -- usually more intuitive types -- don't recognize some validity in the supernatural theory. (It is a theory, after all.)

On the other hand, I feel sleep paralysis has been explained quite well enough by modern medicine, certainly well enough to rule out ghosts & goblins.

[jackie1983]

hi all, i was away from the site for a while there but i woudl like to thank all of you for your replies. i have worked out a way to combat the sleep paralysis(well for me anyway) it seems to happen when i sleep on my back so im trying not to do that. i can nearly feel myself drifting off into the sleep paraysis when i sleep on my back so i quickly move to another position and this seems to have stopped it.. im a little relieved that it is so common. maybe now if i have it again ill be able to tell myself its not real and enjoy it as some of you have ..

cheers all..

[tricialou]

Originally Posted by jackie1983

hi all just wondering about sleep paralysis i have been getting this on and off for the past while.. absolutley terrifying! i was aleep on one occasion and woke up unable to move i heard the front door handle going as if someone was trying to get in then i heard footsteps on the stairs and then my door was being opened and a man came into my room and walked over my bed and just stood there looking at me.. i couldnt make out the face because my head was turned straight and i couldnt move i tried to scream and nothing came out my body was totaly lifeless and all i coudl move were my eyes !! i had another night when an animal was trying to come up my bed i could actually feel the bed being weighed down by this animal scratching up fromt he bottom of my bed also i have had the "man in my room" episode a few times. just wondering has anyone had similiar experiences. i know its common but its just so terrifying.

thanks

I suffer from this regularly! I also used to feel a "presence" and have seen a man standing over me! When I was a teenager I went into local library and read up on it. Apparatly it is tiredness/ fatigue. It occurs at the beginning of the nights sleep when you are in rem sleep (or maybe nrem). Anyhoo apparantly everyone is paralysed when they are asleep during certain stages and some people like you and me wake up during that stage. Basically the mind wakes up but the body cant. You may notice that it always occurs after an eventful weekend i did anyway.!

[Yedya]

Originally Posted by tricialou

I suffer from this regularly! I also used to feel a "presence" and have seen a man standing over me! When I was a teenager I went into local library and read up on it. Apparatly it is tiredness/ fatigue. It occurs at the beginning of the nights sleep when you are in rem sleep (or maybe nrem). Anyhoo apparantly everyone is paralysed when they are asleep during certain stages and some people like you and me wake up during that stage. Basically the mind wakes up but the body cant. You may notice that it always occurs after an eventful weekend i did anyway.!

Excatly,i was on 5/6 day bidge,i hadn't slept in properly in days,when i got home and finally got some sleep.I awoke at 4am with sleep paralysis for about 8-9 seconds.Same thing happend with the presence in the room.2 People standing by my bed,it was the most terrifying thing ever.
I read alot about it,alot of people see someone or muli individuals.I red that the brain perceives a presence in the room when we are in such great fear.Crazy thing the brain.....

[shanered]

I just think that the whole people standing at the side of the bed thing is far from explained by the science, why does everybody have such similar images to each other?

[o1s1n]

Originally Posted by shanered

I just think that the whole people standing at the side of the bed thing is far from explained by the science, why does everybody have such similar images to each other?

Have you ever taken drugs? Or even had a drink? See what happens to you brain when it goes a bit screwy from outside chemicals?

Now imagine what happens to your brain during REM etc. It's nothing religious or otherworldly, your brain and your mind can do strange things. That's about the height of it.

[shanered]

Still I think that "the brian can do think crazy things" is a little too simple of an explaination of why people see the same similar figures standing over their beds, usually with drugs/drink people see quite different things from one another, its just the similarity of what people see during sleep paralysis that I think science can't really explain!

[EnterNow]

Originally Posted by shanered

Still I think that "the brian can do think crazy things" is a little too simple of an explaination of why people see the same similar figures standing over their beds, usually with drugs/drink people see quite different things from one another, its just the similarity of what people see during sleep paralysis that I think science can't really explain!

Its a primal/sub-conscious fear in the human psyche. Its all fairly conclusively explained http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

[budgese]

Originally Posted by shanered

Still I think that "the brian can do think crazy things" is a little too simple of an explaination of why people see the same similar figures standing over their beds, usually with drugs/drink people see quite different things from one another, its just the similarity of what people see during sleep paralysis that I think science can't really explain!

But who describes seeing the same similar figure?
Can you describe this figure for me?

[o1s1n]

Do you know what the most identifiable shapes are to humans? Other humans. From faces to the form itself.

It's why people see figures and ghosts in shadows, faces on Mars, Jesus on their burnt bread.

We look at these things and if we see something which resembles a face or human form then our brain sees it that way. As Enternow said, it's a primal thing.

It literally is 'just our brain doing crazy things'.

Unless you're saying that every person who has sleep paralysis sees something as specific as a man called Brian with black moustache and a long mac playing a banjo.

But it's not, it's just dark 'shapes' and vague forms. The mind playing tricks.

[shanered]

Ah yeah, I've heard that the face recognition is a primal thing similar to sheep even having a similar trait. It is a lil freaky that many people I've heard from have seen black and I do admit "vague" figures standing over the side of their bed.
I'm not actually arguing thats its anything other then the brain, but the similarity of the black figures standing over the bed is quite scarey.
I've had it and it really got me up, I remember being particularly irk'd about it and it always just niggles me that many other people see very similar black figures over the side of the bed. Vague as they are.
Nothing more really.....

[DamoElDiablo]

Originally Posted by shanered

Ah yeah, I've heard that the face recognition is a primal thing similar to sheep even having a similar trait. It is a lil freaky that many people I've heard from have seen black and I do admit "vague" figures standing over the side of their bed.
I'm not actually arguing thats its anything other then the brain, but the similarity of the black figures standing over the bed is quite scarey.
I've had it and it really got me up, I remember being particularly irk'd about it and it always just niggles me that many other people see very similar black figures over the side of the bed. Vague as they are.
Nothing more really.....

It's the same reason that people are afraid of the dark, the same reason that "Death" and the "Nazgûl" from Lord of the Rings and the "Dementors" from Harry Potter and many many other fictional characters are still scary, even though they're just vaguely humanoid, black/dark shrouded figures. It's what we think we see, but can't quite make out that scares people the most.

[o1s1n]

I had a terrifying sleep paralysis one time where I thought there was a black figure over me, pinning me down. So I do know the feeling!

I probably just made out a shadow somewhere and that combined with me being unable to move due to the sleep paralysis had my brain trying to make sense of it and that's what it came up with.

It is a really awful thing though.

My girlfriend gets night terrors. Really bad ones. She'll just sit up in the bed at night, eyes wide open and start mumbling jibberish. Sometime she'll run across the room to swipe at things. Throws pillows at stuff. A few times I've even been flung in a bid to save me from falling spikes/knives/spiders/bats etc.

If it were medieval times, I'd probably think she was possessed and have her burned alive!