I have had times I thought I was able to control my dreams like throwing something and making it hit what I want it to or even flying around but I was never sure that WAS the dream or if I was manipulating it somehow. I think when you are reading about this sort of thing you are more likely to have some strange dreams.
Sleep Paralysis Who else deals with this?
- Thread starter GWYW2015
- Start date
I've been kind of having feelings that there might be a demonic element in it as well. I used to never hallucinate anything, but last year when I started praying every day, I saw saw a demon come into my room during sleep paralysis. I can't know for sure if it was real or just in my mind, but ever since then, I've felt like there might be some spiritual aspect to sleep paralysis. Have you ever seen anything demonic during sleep paralysis?
I have never seen anything that I thought was there but I have had times I knew I had awoke in the morning (because it was light out) but coudn't move and I felt something was at the door to my bedroom. Usually this presence is definitely in my dream that is usually in the house I grew up in or an apartment complex I lived in for over twenty years. For me it's often the stupid light switch not working that lets me know I am going to be trying to scream for my life or I go into a room in my dream and it is messed up when it shouldn't be. Then I start to panic.
From a distance maybe it sounds silly but when it happens it feels completely real and there is something there with bad intentions that you can't see but it makes you freeze.
What blows my mind is I can go to bed feeling wonderful and still have it happen a couple of times, which makes me think it isn't always about stress.
Timothy Crow
Robin
This is an interesting topic. I can only say this may have happened to me twice in my life. The first time was many ages ago when I was about three or four. My father worked nights so he wasn't there when it happened. Anyways, I awoke to see a strange man, a shadow actually with a hat standing in the corner of my room. I never knew this character had a name or that others had seen him until well in adulthood and the interenet. Being a little kid I was scared and ran into my mothers room, I don't know what time it was but boy was she ticked. She beat my ass and put me back in my room. Of course I got my first nightlight after that but the fear never came back. I have seen many shadow people in my life but they just observe me.
The second time was about five years ago when I moved out of my house into an apartment. I was sleeping when I felt what to me was very real hands pulling me down, like it was trying to take me somewhere. Curious, a poster earlier made the statement that sleeping on your back may have something to do with this. I never sleep on my back but this night I did. I believe this may have been a residual from the house that I just moved from. Yep, the name of Jesus seems to send them packing.
The second time was about five years ago when I moved out of my house into an apartment. I was sleeping when I felt what to me was very real hands pulling me down, like it was trying to take me somewhere. Curious, a poster earlier made the statement that sleeping on your back may have something to do with this. I never sleep on my back but this night I did. I believe this may have been a residual from the house that I just moved from. Yep, the name of Jesus seems to send them packing.
Thanks for sharing that. Personally I think I can relate to being that young when this happened the first time. I am 59 now and my wife had to push me to wake me up last night again during sleep paralysis. I was dreaming I was down here in our furnished basement (first time being here has appeared in one of these dreams), and the lights in the storage room were on and I couldn't turn them off!. Then I knew I was going to end up struggling to wake myself up. All of the other times it is the opposite, I can't turn a light on, then I know the wierdness is underway.
You are fortunate it hasn't been continuing for you.
As a teenager I found a book in the library by Robert Munroe, I forget the title. Anyhow, it was all about astral projection, his out of body experiences (OBE) exploits and instructions on how to achieve the state. Being curious I followed the instructions and got a shock when it began to work. At that point I got scared and gave it up. It wasn't exactly pleasant. Then it began to happen spontaneously, usually in the morning. They'd be a frightening roaring followed by a sensation of either sinking or rising. I'd then have to summon my will to resist it and I'd wake up with a start.
OBEs were fairly common throughout my teens and 20s and became more frequent after periods where I'd been drinking and drugging heavily. They would even occur while nodding off in front of the TV with all the family present. I'm going to say that I was spiritually vulnerable back then. Although I never exactly got involved in the occult, I was curious and read many books on the subject. And I knew people who were involved in it and had some pretty spooky experiences themselves and with witnesses. It was from one of those guys who told me about an experience he had with "men in black" and this was way before it became an urban legend.
I cleaned up my act in my late 20s and OBEs became much less frequent. Over those years I experienced other spiritual phenomena, but that's a big topic that would take the thread off topic. What I will say is, for me, the spiritual realm is as real as the earthly realm and it's no playground for the curious. I still get the occasional OBE and I break the hold with prayer.
OBEs were fairly common throughout my teens and 20s and became more frequent after periods where I'd been drinking and drugging heavily. They would even occur while nodding off in front of the TV with all the family present. I'm going to say that I was spiritually vulnerable back then. Although I never exactly got involved in the occult, I was curious and read many books on the subject. And I knew people who were involved in it and had some pretty spooky experiences themselves and with witnesses. It was from one of those guys who told me about an experience he had with "men in black" and this was way before it became an urban legend.
I cleaned up my act in my late 20s and OBEs became much less frequent. Over those years I experienced other spiritual phenomena, but that's a big topic that would take the thread off topic. What I will say is, for me, the spiritual realm is as real as the earthly realm and it's no playground for the curious. I still get the occasional OBE and I break the hold with prayer.
Thanks for sharing that. I am guessing that the sensation of roaring and sinking and rising could be from the sleep hormones starting to work to paralize the body. If your mind is still awake and somewhat alert, it will feel very strange when the body is going down. Normally of course, we fall asleep before the lockdown of the body.
Last night my wife woke me up only two hours after I fell asleep (she was stil there reading) when I was trying to snap myself out of a bad dream. I was looking down the basement stairs at our old house we grew up in and the whole stairway area was totallly black. I knew right away that something evil was there. That's whenI realized I better do something so I started to yell at whatever was there, trying to wake myself up and fortunately my wife pushed me and I woke up. I think it has happend four times this week. I am 59. Doubt it ever goes away.
The best explanation I have heard is it runs in the family often. But why exactly, who knows.
I decided to use one of our CCTV devices upstairs in our bedroom instead, in hopes of capturing my spike of sleep paralysis on camera. I have had a half dozen sleep studies over twenty years and of course, it didn't happen.
This time, in only five straight days we saw seven instances. Three times on the first night alone. My wife saved some of them to messenger to me and I am going to show them to a sleep doctor next week.
I wake up with a shout, not a moan, but a shout, and my poor wife has to shake my shoulders or push my face to wake me up sooner. It is loud and I am not kidding but I think the neighbor in the attached townhouse could probably hear me. I know my mother who lives upstairs can hear it. It sounds like I am shouting. Sometimes it is several loud groans that sound like I am struggling with someone who is trying to choke me to death. It is hard for me to watch. Last night it happened and I had a good dream and then my wife woke me up and sure enough, I was shouting.
If I sleep upstairs then my wife might sleep better but I don't want to sleep without her since she can wake me up. That's the problem though, I wake her out of sleep for that to happen, and if it is two or three times during the night, that is bad for her too.
One time last week was on my side, so much for the theory it will only happen on your back.
Good grief, I may have to get a tent and sleep outdoors.
This time, in only five straight days we saw seven instances. Three times on the first night alone. My wife saved some of them to messenger to me and I am going to show them to a sleep doctor next week.
I wake up with a shout, not a moan, but a shout, and my poor wife has to shake my shoulders or push my face to wake me up sooner. It is loud and I am not kidding but I think the neighbor in the attached townhouse could probably hear me. I know my mother who lives upstairs can hear it. It sounds like I am shouting. Sometimes it is several loud groans that sound like I am struggling with someone who is trying to choke me to death. It is hard for me to watch. Last night it happened and I had a good dream and then my wife woke me up and sure enough, I was shouting.
If I sleep upstairs then my wife might sleep better but I don't want to sleep without her since she can wake me up. That's the problem though, I wake her out of sleep for that to happen, and if it is two or three times during the night, that is bad for her too.
One time last week was on my side, so much for the theory it will only happen on your back.
Good grief, I may have to get a tent and sleep outdoors.
I was wondering, as I was reading your post, if you'd ever considered demonic oppression. For many year now I've suffered, not from sleep paralysis, but from insomnia. I'm not suggesting that it is that, but it's an avenue worth considering.
Just to outline my insomnia for context. For many, many years now I've suffered from insomnia. It's usually been cyclical, with periods of sleeplessness or shallow sleep, followed by periods of being able to get a few hours deep sleep. Rarely have I had what I'd call refreshing sleep, just relatively better nights. Last year was a strange time for me. Out of the blue I started sleeping well. I even slept well away from home, which has always been a problem for me. Then, in October last year it suddenly ceased and since then I've had the worst insomnia of my life. Last night being a typical night. I went to bed at 10pm and, as I usually do, started reading a book. I didn't put it down until gone 2am and only because I thought I'd better try and sleep. After 5 hours of tossing and turning, with very light hypnogogic sleep (it's a dreamy state where I feel I can wake up at any moment if I choose to) I was up again, thinking it's pointless to lay there any longer. In 2019 I could read more than a chapter before feeling so dowsy, so deeply relaxed, I had to just put it down and sleep.
This is the weird part. Why I mentioned spiritual warfare was because around 2015 I started to experience what I'd call ghostly, nighttime visitations. It's difficult to describe in words, but I'd sense a presence around me that whispered and moved up and down my body touching me. Not a physical touch, but let's say an ethereal, ghostly touching. When laying on my side it seemed to approach from the rear oftentimes and, although I did not get a strong sense of evil, I did think there was something sexual, which freaked me out. So I'd lay on my back and pray. When it became persistent and scary I took to leaving the light on. Then, at the end of 2018, I decided to look for a priest. In the UK I could not find one Catholic priest, but I did find that Poland had many. So, since I'm half Polish, I flew to Warsaw. Long story, but I did not make contact with that priest while there, but I did have what I'd call a spiritual experience of sorts in a church I visited. I was praying and just started crying. I realised that I was grieving my father's death. He was from Poland and died in 2014 and I had never grieved his passing. My period of sleeping well commenced around this time.
On my return home, the visitations became less intense and gradually stopped. I should add that around the same time I started to practice the Jesus Prayer and have been doing so ever since. Now I no longer get the visitations but I still feel a sense of spiritual oppression or at least activity, which is a little too complicated to write about here. Sorry to write so much that isn't exactly related to sleep paralysis, I just thought that, as someone who used to experience sleep paralysis frequently, I have also had some pretty weird spiritual experiences and that the two might be related.
Just to outline my insomnia for context. For many, many years now I've suffered from insomnia. It's usually been cyclical, with periods of sleeplessness or shallow sleep, followed by periods of being able to get a few hours deep sleep. Rarely have I had what I'd call refreshing sleep, just relatively better nights. Last year was a strange time for me. Out of the blue I started sleeping well. I even slept well away from home, which has always been a problem for me. Then, in October last year it suddenly ceased and since then I've had the worst insomnia of my life. Last night being a typical night. I went to bed at 10pm and, as I usually do, started reading a book. I didn't put it down until gone 2am and only because I thought I'd better try and sleep. After 5 hours of tossing and turning, with very light hypnogogic sleep (it's a dreamy state where I feel I can wake up at any moment if I choose to) I was up again, thinking it's pointless to lay there any longer. In 2019 I could read more than a chapter before feeling so dowsy, so deeply relaxed, I had to just put it down and sleep.
This is the weird part. Why I mentioned spiritual warfare was because around 2015 I started to experience what I'd call ghostly, nighttime visitations. It's difficult to describe in words, but I'd sense a presence around me that whispered and moved up and down my body touching me. Not a physical touch, but let's say an ethereal, ghostly touching. When laying on my side it seemed to approach from the rear oftentimes and, although I did not get a strong sense of evil, I did think there was something sexual, which freaked me out. So I'd lay on my back and pray. When it became persistent and scary I took to leaving the light on. Then, at the end of 2018, I decided to look for a priest. In the UK I could not find one Catholic priest, but I did find that Poland had many. So, since I'm half Polish, I flew to Warsaw. Long story, but I did not make contact with that priest while there, but I did have what I'd call a spiritual experience of sorts in a church I visited. I was praying and just started crying. I realised that I was grieving my father's death. He was from Poland and died in 2014 and I had never grieved his passing. My period of sleeping well commenced around this time.
On my return home, the visitations became less intense and gradually stopped. I should add that around the same time I started to practice the Jesus Prayer and have been doing so ever since. Now I no longer get the visitations but I still feel a sense of spiritual oppression or at least activity, which is a little too complicated to write about here. Sorry to write so much that isn't exactly related to sleep paralysis, I just thought that, as someone who used to experience sleep paralysis frequently, I have also had some pretty weird spiritual experiences and that the two might be related.
The Stronger Sex
Kingfisher
Is this some kind of trend? It seems like everyone now is talking about their "sleep paralysis monsters". I didn't even know this was a thing until recently.
I don't think my situation is demonic oppression as I have had it for about 50 years but more regularly lately. My poor wife has to push me to wake me up when I yell or moan loudly. It finally didn't happen last night but that doesn't mean anything for tonight.
You may be right, there may be some kind of connection to something spiritual though, but man that would be difficult to pinpoint. I will be showing a new sleep doctor my clips of paralysis soon. It can't be helping me get a good nights sleep.
Supposedly most people experience it at least once in their life while some of us deal with it more regularly. I am inclined it runs in my family as that is about the only medical explanation you're going to find. It has been around for centuries.
Coming into this discussion really late but wanted to chime in as I may be able to contribute from a completely different angle. A year or so ago I was diagnosed with an immune system disease and my wife did a ton of research on how to address it. Doctors are mostly useless especially when it comes to an overactive immune system.
Anyway, the one thing she found is that a wide range of immune related diseases as well as some cancer patience can benefit from Low Dose Naltrexone. Now, this has nothing to do with your insomnia or other sleep related issues. HOWEVER, the one thing that is reported by many who take it, and also by myself as well as my wife (who also started taking it) is that you start to sleep much better. Meaning very deeply, rarely having to get up at night (although I'm OLD now) and that you dream heavily. Takes a bit getting used to but I wake up refreshed and not groggy - it doesn't work that way, it has to do with binding to your opoid receptors.
Do a bit of digging online and search for LDN, how to take it, where to get it, etc. It may be worth a shot as it has a) healed my immune system disease and b) lets me sleep deeply every night now. It's like I'm a teen again, in that department at least ;-)
Anyway, the one thing she found is that a wide range of immune related diseases as well as some cancer patience can benefit from Low Dose Naltrexone. Now, this has nothing to do with your insomnia or other sleep related issues. HOWEVER, the one thing that is reported by many who take it, and also by myself as well as my wife (who also started taking it) is that you start to sleep much better. Meaning very deeply, rarely having to get up at night (although I'm OLD now) and that you dream heavily. Takes a bit getting used to but I wake up refreshed and not groggy - it doesn't work that way, it has to do with binding to your opoid receptors.
Do a bit of digging online and search for LDN, how to take it, where to get it, etc. It may be worth a shot as it has a) healed my immune system disease and b) lets me sleep deeply every night now. It's like I'm a teen again, in that department at least ;-)
Noted, thank you!