Sleep paralysis is a curious thing. As you might know, during an episode of sleep paralysis a person is unable to move or speak, all the while being totally aware of that. If that wasn't enough, there's also an eerie twist - while being paralyzed, one might also see hallucinations, which, when seen for the first couple of times might be intensely scary. And to make it just a little bit more fun, visual hallucinations are never pleasant, merely the level of terror felt might vary. Of course, there are a couple of theories why these things happen to usually otherwise healthy people, but nobody knows for sure.
Unlike with dreams, people with sleep paralysis always remember their hallucinations easily, since they weren't dreamed of, but seen during a period of awakening. And that makes these visions a perfect inspiration for horror-themed art. Mostly, the sleep paralysis hallucinations include dark figures watching, supernatural creatures suffocating or terrifying the sleeper, often accompanied with and out-of-the-body feeling and loud buzzing, humming noises. Though it is quite hard to describe what exactly this grim experience feels like, these artists have managed to impart their episodes perfectly, giving us a glimpse of these nightly terrors in their dark drawings.
If you also suffer from this mind disturbance, try following a healthy sleeping regime as it decreases the chances of sleep paralysis phenomena occurrence. On the other hand, these deep drawings might consolidate you in knowing that you are not alone and these hallucinations haunt other people, too.
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I Too Had Sleep Paralysis
such a beautiful contrast, the sweetness of the style with the darkness of the subject
I'm A Little Bit Panicked That I May Find Myself In Sleep Paralysis Again
Sleep paralysis hallucinations often include visions of incubus and succubus - demonic entities who lie atop sleeping people, harboring evil intentions.
I have had this a lot when growing up. My granny used to say it was a "haint " and if you can name the person that sent it to you, you could call their name and the thing would have no choice but to go into an open bottle. Crazy stuff....
Sleep Paralysis
"Why can't I wake up? I have had this before, and it is undoubtedly one of the most frightening experiences ever. Who else here has had sleep paralysis? Once I woke up but I was not really awake it just felt so real, I looked at my room door to see why it was open. I close it every night, all I see is what seems to be an old woman silhouette standing there then all of a sudden she runs to the side of my bed, I can't move, can't talk, can't shout."
Intruder
Another common theme in sleep paralysis hallucinations - terrifying intruders.
Had Another One An Hour Ago. Decided To Photoshop An Example
I've had sleep paralysis for a few years, and each time is just as terrifying as the last. I always wake with a feeling of being in a void, alongside a sense like the void is rumbling deeply, like an airplane engine is above my house, combined with a weight on my chest
I Use My Nightmare Creatures As An Inspiration
Thank God, I've only had this experience once. I knew what it was and I wasn't panicking...much, but it still was a harrowing experience.
Sleep Paralysis Self Portrait. I'm A Long Time Sufferer
It started in my teen years and has continued into adulthood. It was always hard to explain to people without thinking I was crazy. I wanted to create something that conveyed how scary the experience is when your body is paralyzed, and you lay there while you feel things in the room or see dark shadows or demons staring at you
Crazy. I always had this, being half awake half asleep periods when I was 14-19. But it was always the same situations and fortunately nothing terrifying. One set-up was that I slided from the dream to being in my room, which seemed to have being turned into a party house, friends around me chatting kinda blur figures everywhere. And my ofc unable to move. The other situation was that I was aware of me being in a bed, not being able to move, but at the same time everything around me was in movement and everything felt out off place. Very vivid, though it still was more a dreamlike state of mind.
Ever Since That Day, I Pray I Never Wake To It Again
Dark and eerie monsters are what accompanies sleep paralysis most often. And when the ability to move and speak is lost, it is incredibly hard to snap out of it.
The Feeling Of Sleep Paralysis
Feeling of sleep paralysis is probably the best described by using such words as terror, helplessness and threat.
I Feel That This Is A Pretty Accurate Depiction Of Sleep Paralysis
Here's A Painted Storyboard Shot For My New Horror Film Called Tickle About Sleep Paralysis And Domestic Abuse
A Drawing Of One Of My Sleep Paralysis Experiences
I feel it's definitely a manifestation of my inner issues and fears. Although I used to get sleep paralysis all the time when I would drink heavily and that seemed pretty straight up demonic at times - like I was in hell. Which felt like I was in a lot of the time. But this drawing was from the tail end of my excessive drinking days and a bad relationship. That was two years ago. A lot has changed. I'm healthy. I am feeling better than ever. I don't have sleep paralysis anymore. Not often anyway. It's happened once in the last two years, but after dealing with it nightly for years, I'm no longer afraid
Describing Sleep Paralysis
Illustration I Did A While Ago Based On A Sleep Paralysis Experience I Had
The Best Picture To Depict Sleep Paralysis
Sleep Paralysis
I Can Tell You That Sleep Paralysis Is Not Fun
For me, I know for sure that it was a sleep paralysis since I couldn't move at all. It felt like all nerve connections were cut, and even though I ordered my legs and arms to move, they didn't respond in any way. It was a terrifying moment. Also, I saw all kinds of stuff, but after the thing was over I realized I had kept my eyes closed all the time
Mine are very similar except i also ordered myself to wake up and couldn’t open my eyes.
Drawing For My Illustration Class. The Assignment Was To Pick An Article And Do An Illustration For It. I Chose An Article On Sleep Paralysis
This Is A Painting About Sleep Paralysis. If You've Ever Had It, You'll Understand
After a sleep paralysis hallucination episode one might feels totally helpless and out of control of their own body.
I've Been Having Sleep Paralysis For Years, And I Wanted To Reflect The Suffering You May Feel And The Loneliness That It Brings
This is a profound subject to represent for me, so it was kind of hard to do, and I think that's why my style is so different, kind of truer
A Girl From Some Of My Sleep Paralysis Episodes. I Am Not An Artist By Any Means But She Is Kind Of Creepy
She comes from the doorway and kind of just floats in the corner of my room staring at me. She has no legs that I can see as her dirty white dress covers them. One of her arms is cut off above the elbow and bleeding onto her dress. There is always a breeze blowing her hair and dress around. She doesn't do anything but float and look very sad. Never tries to approach me. Sometimes she has a lantern in her intact arm. I used to be very afraid of her but now that I am used to having sleep paralysis - I know she is not real and nothing to be scared of
My Sleep Paralysis
I get sleep paralysis quite a bit, a few times a week at the moment, but unfortunately/fortunately I don't get the creepy woman sitting on my chest like so many others do. I also get night terrors, but they are always completely separate from my sleep paralysis. So anyway, a few days ago I woke up to some sleep paralysis but this time it was different, it was like an out-of-body experience, but I could see myself asleep in a hospital ward, the creepy empty 1950s asylum type. I didn't think that much of it, and I was doing the usual actions trying to wake myself up, at some point, I 're-entered' my body and was laying there asleep but able to see. Then all of a sudden from underneath my duvet these grey old spindly claw-like hands reached out towards me followed by this hollow/shallow face. It moved lightning fast with the kind of jitteriness of a spider, and this woman came from beneath the covers and injected me. The instant I was pumped I was awake
So in a way, she saved you? or killed you - depends how you interpret it
The Sandman, A Drawing About Sleep Paralysis
I avoid sleeping on my back when I don't want it to happen. It still scares me
This is the scariest I have seen here. Reminds me of a play I saw about a woman being stoned (with rocks, not a chemical).
A Drawing Of Something I Saw During A Sleep Paralysis Episode
Those were like translucent blue electric cords, what I saw. Like being plugged into the matrix
Awake And Conscious, But Unable To Move Or Speak
It happened to me a lot of times, and it is the most frightening experience that has ever occurred to me, but now I am getting enough sleep, and I tried following a sleep schedule
Drew This Piece Based On Stories That My Friend Who Had Sleep Paralysis Told Me
Sleeping in a supine position - lying flat on your back or stomach is a known instigator of sleep paralysis and hallucinations that follow it.
"Have You Been Sleepwalking Again? Don't Worry, Not Anymore"
Sleep Paralysis - A Self Portrait
If Anyone Else Has Been Through It Before, You Know The Horribly Terrifying Feeling. This Is My Take On It
When I was a child, I experienced sleep paralysis for the first time. Sleep paralysis may leave you feeling frightened, especially if you also see or hear things that aren't really there. Sleep paralysis may happen only once, or you may have it frequently - even several times a night
I Worked Pretty Hard On Creating What I Saw Staring At Me In My Room, And This Is It
For me, the first time it was on my ceiling staring at me, and the second time it was sitting at the end of my bed. Back when I had no idea what sleep paralysis was I told my brother about what happened (he is 25), let me just say that was a terrible idea... because he tried to convince me it was an alien and that I was abducted
A Drawing Of What I've Seen During Sleep Paralysis
A lot of times they are standing right next to my bed while I try to move or scream for help but can do neither. There's not much you can do besides try to wake yourself up somehow
Sleep Paralysis Is Utterly Horrifying. I Did A Quick Marker Drawing Of What I Hallucinated
I only had the sitting feeling, seeing things, and the stabbing feeling. The choking one, which some people also suffers during sleep paralysis, sounds pretty horrible
Once a month I had this dream where chuck e. cheese would try to steal I was always up stair but my fm would get mudred since they were down stairs so I would hide under my grandma's bed hoping that he would not find me and thank god he couldnt, but it still occurs
"Stop Trying To Scream, It Won’t Work. Your Throat Muscles Are Paralyzed Too. You Still Can’t Breathe"
You are staring at a blank ceiling, and you can’t stare anywhere else. Shadows flit across your vision, forming shapes you try not to think about. A clawed hand, a flash of jagged, shadowy teeth. All images from your subconscious. A face forming above yours, leering through black void eyes. You think you hear sibilant whispering. Angry hissing, like a snake that’s been disturbed
I learned to scream with my mouth closed , I hear myself and I know if there is someone who could hear me nearby so I scream louder...it works. I can’t move my body but I somehow always manage to move a finger or two even if it’s only a little bit, I have reassurance that I have control over myself it soon stops! I also suffered a lot as a child...scarey s**t..no doubt about it! Maybe sleeping on our backs has something to do with it? Maybe ..just a thought.
Sleep Paralysis: Succubus
A succubus is a demon in a female form that appears in dreams or hallucinations with intentions to seduce men for their own good.
My Try To Describe Sleep Paralysis
Though, as much as it scares me when it happens, I have to appreciate the creative motivation it provides! Something good has to come of it
This is exactly how I feel.. Like I'm being held down by my blanket and my mouth is being covered. I can't move my head, shoulders, legs or arms. Very scary all the while I'm awake. And..it can go on for hours. It started when I was a kid and it has followed me my whole life. I'm 48yrs old now.. I have insomnia and I've been on numerous types of medications and it seems to get worse depending on the medication..
Another Sleep Paralysis Experience
I'd like to say with this one, and I remember my TV woke me up...or what I thought was my TV, I mean I was in a dream state, so it wasn't actually even on. That snowy effect was going on when the cable goes out, and there was an all-encompassing and deep vibrating or buzzing that seemed to come from the TV. This buzzing typically accompanies sleep paralysis episodes and serves as a sort of warning for what may happen if I don't calm myself and think positive and loving thoughts
What I See When I Get Sleep Paralysis
Sometimes he comes over and picks me up, but I usually wake before we leave the room. Sometimes he just stands there waiting for me to go on my own. He's a very long, creepy looking dude with blotchy skin and wears a suit. Sometimes a table and two chairs are set up at the end of my room, and he's trying to get me to come to sit. I have a very long bedroom with not much in it. I guess he brought the table and chairs with him
What Does It Feel To Be In A Sleep Paralysis
Done For An Article On A Condition Known As Sleep Paralysis. It's Kind Of Like The Opposite Of Sleep Walking
Sleep Disorders For Years. Terrified Of Shadow Things. Here’s An Example I Drew Of What I Am Seeing When I Doze Off
This has caused me sleep deprivation and insomnia as I am anxious to sleep. I went through severe sleep deprivation to the point of hearing things and waking hallucinations when I got to 8 days without sleep I took myself to the emergency room where I ended up voluntarily committing myself. It was scary as hell
I'm sorry you went through this. I've only had 2 instances of sleep paralysis where a dark creature hung from a corner of my bedroom, watching me. It was 8 years ago, and it still scars the s**t out of me. I can't imagine suffering from this for years. I hope things get better for you.
Sleep Paralysis
Luckily, I don't have sleep paralysis issues anymore. Not often anyway. They were common experiences for most of my life though. Lots of ideas for artistic inspiration
Recently I Feel Like A Dark Figure Is Observing Me. When I Was Younger, It Used To Happen More Often, So I Guess I Managed To Master It
I have sleep paralysis too. This illustration is an expression of my feelings. It's no joke, and sometimes it’s hard to deal with it
How I See Sleep Paralysis
When I Was Little, I Always Had Some Sleep Paralysis So Here Is A Drawing Representing My Childhood
The fact is that your brain thinks you are sleeping so all your dreams, and your fears will be personified into the real world, and it'll give you hallucinations. I think it's the most terrific thing I've ever experienced cause it's impossible for you to understand that what you're seeing is not real, you know you are "not sleeping" so you are SURE it's real
My First Sleep Paralysis Episode Drawn From Memory. A Dark Figure Watching Over Me. This Happened 4 Years Ago, But The Memory Still Haunts Me
The scariest aspect of my experience was that though its face was pitch black and had no facial features, yet I could “feel” it intensely staring at me. It was that same feeling you get when you are alone and feel like you are being watched. I get chills thinking about it. But as creepy as this figure looked, the weirdest thing is that I didn’t feel like it was an evil presence. It was sitting so human-like... and seemed more curious in me rather than threatening. It sat there motionless for about 30 seconds by my feet at the edge of my bed, just watching me the whole time, then disappeared once I regained control of my body
My Drawing Of Sleep Paralysis
Hey guys, pro tip! Don't look at this article right before you go to sleep. I am terrified.
I had sleep paralyisis frequently when in 11th and 12th grade. It was terrifying. I had scary things happen during it, but never the presence over the bed that so many people suffer from (luckily). The artwork is just brilliant, in my uneducated opinion. Thank you for sharing this!
the buzzing, feeling the pressure of someone on your bed, knowing that you are slipping into it and trying so hard to move any part of my body just to get out of it. Started when I was 12. I would hear voices whispering. I hate them. There was a time when instead of sleep paralysis I had outer body experiences. Those were very interesting. But the terror of a presence during paralysis was/is sickening
If you suffer from sleep paralysis, try not to sleep on your back and not to eat right before sleeping. I have had episodes of sp throughout my life (one of the most horrifying experiences I had) and apparently sleeping position has an influence. Haven't had an episode for about two years now, I hope it has faded off or something. I would get paralysed, fight with all my power to wake up, just to fall asleep again and and re-dream the same episode multiple times, always wanting to scream, fighting for the tiniest bit of movement to "break the paralysis". Sometimes with my ex bf besides me, with no means of communicating my horrors to him, help so close but so far. I truly believe one can get traumatized from sleep paralysis. It is pure terror and you truly feel absolute horror.
For first 10 years or so, it would happen only when I slept on my back but now it has 'evolved' and I have experienced the sleep paralysis regardless of the sleeping position (sideways, on my belly..)
Load More Replies...I had 2 instances of sleep paralysis 8 years ago. A dark creature just hovered on the ceiling in the corner of the room, watching me. Couldn't move, and I felt like I was calling out for my husband for hours while he was in the other room, my lips eventually were barely able to move but I still couldn't produce a sound. Finally I was able to be heard and he rushed in. All I could do was sob. It was horrific and still the 2 scariest moments in my life other than a car wreck I was in.
This used to happen to me from childhood well into my 20's. I finally learned to stop panicking because I couldn't wake up and just give in the paralysis. I would then naturally go back into real sleep. After a couple of times Ignoring it, it never came back.
Yes, sleep paralysis is a b***h. I had this when I was a teenager, then it sort of faded out and finally disappeared. What I find strange that most of the artists in the article see and depict the phenomena as some evil being attacking them. I never perceived it this way, I was probably rationalising it, seeing it as some kind of illness or a curse. For me, it was more like the feeling that I am turning into a stone, often I could not also breathe properly and felt odd for a while even after I finally got up. When I would have to paint a picture, I would probably draw just me turning into something immobile and solid.
I’ve had sleep paralysis, but I dont remember anything scary associated with it. All I remember is not being able to move or talk.
That's how mine is. Had it today and I woke up completely exhausted from trying to just move.
Load More Replies...Is this common? Is it possible to gain this later in life? Im 14, is there some way to avoid it? does it happen with specific types of people or people with specific experienses?
Thank you for giving a name to something I experienced as a child. I never knew this was something others had experienced too. It continued into my 20's and I hope being reminedd of it doesn't allow it to start up again.
There's a reason people used to think it was caused by witches/demons/monsters coming and sitting on your chest. (Origin of the word "nightmare" - "mære" meant "incubus" in Old English. Also the origin of the phrase "looking hag-ridden": the idea was that a witch would come and sit on your chest and ride you like a horse, which yes, is as creepily sexual as incubi.) Hag-ridden: https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=hag-ridden Nightmare: https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=nightmare
I've been having these horrible episodes since I was 15-16.. there is a period when they occur almost every few days and then months can go by without experiencing a new one. When I'm "lucky", then the hallucinations feature a black creature sitting on my chest making it hard to breathe, or it stands below my bed and pulls my blanket very slowly.. I would sign up for a lobotomy if that would guarantee me that I'll never experience it again. The most terrifying thing, agh! :(
This has never happened to me, but I think I would be able to master it (as a gamer, i can control and master my dreams sometime). I really hope that it doesn't though. I dont need the experience...
I can control my dreams as a gamer too! I thought only I could do it! It's weird, usually at the end of the dream, you realize it's a dream and gain god-like powers. Sometimes if I can't control it and it's a nightmare, I get myself killed which wakes me up.
Load More Replies...I’ve had sleep paralysis a couple times. The first was when I was younger, I had my face in my pillow upon waking, but I couldn’t move or make a noise. In my peripheral vision, there were shadowy creatures crawling up..
I sometimes have sleep paralysis that I can feel myself sliding in and out of as I doze, but fortunately I've never experienced hallucinations like this. The only instance where anything like this happened was when I was asleep on my stomach and felt something move across my legs - and there was zero chance it was a cat or anything. Our brains are wild.
You can really see why many people around the world have come up with a lot of evil spirits to explain this phenomenon, including incubi and succubi. Saying that someone looks "hag-ridden" when they look really tired is because of the idea that a hag would come sit on your chest and "ride" you. In Germanic and Slavic folklore, instead of a hag, it's a spirit called a "mare": this is where the word "nightmare" comes from! I didn't realize until I saw these pictures how many people experience sleep paralysis demons as actually sitting on their chest.
I could only read until #9. Too scary. Too freaky. I've never had dream paralysis and I hope I never do.
Looking at many of these, I may have sleep paralysis. A lot of this has happened to me before. Guess I didn't know what it was called
Can I have sleep paralysis if it’s more like I sense a dark presence more than actually seeing one? Bc I know people can see like “the intruder” I think it’s called commonly but idk if me just feeling a a presence can count?
My sleep paralysis demon doesn’t show up very often, but when it does, it scares the s**t out of me. Imagine a formless shadow, with baleful, red, malevolent eyes. Then, imagine it slowly wrapping around your body, and you can feel it suffocating you, feel it squeezing your breath out of you, until you actually can’t breath. That’s one of the more common ones, and one of the more terrifying ones.
I had this thought that I can't get out of my head now, what if these things are all real? What if that's why cats always stare at random spots and look scared? I've never had sleep paralysis, and I hope I never do, but I'll sometimes see the outlines of strange creatures from my subconscious show up when I close my eyes to sleep. Always at night, creeps me out.
They can be real demon's can't they? We still don't know. Or is there a DEFINITE psychiatric evaluation of this
Sleep paralysis is considered a sleep disorder. There is no treatment aside from identifying the underlying causes. People who have narcolepsy, depression or mental disorders such as PTSD are more prone to it. When we dream, our bodies enter REM atonia, or sleep paralysis. People who suffer sleep paralysis wake up while still experiencing REM atonia -- half-awake but paralyzed and dreaming. It typically passes in a few minutes and they can move again. But it is scary while it is happening.
Load More Replies...Hey guys, pro tip! Don't look at this article right before you go to sleep. I am terrified.
I had sleep paralyisis frequently when in 11th and 12th grade. It was terrifying. I had scary things happen during it, but never the presence over the bed that so many people suffer from (luckily). The artwork is just brilliant, in my uneducated opinion. Thank you for sharing this!
the buzzing, feeling the pressure of someone on your bed, knowing that you are slipping into it and trying so hard to move any part of my body just to get out of it. Started when I was 12. I would hear voices whispering. I hate them. There was a time when instead of sleep paralysis I had outer body experiences. Those were very interesting. But the terror of a presence during paralysis was/is sickening
If you suffer from sleep paralysis, try not to sleep on your back and not to eat right before sleeping. I have had episodes of sp throughout my life (one of the most horrifying experiences I had) and apparently sleeping position has an influence. Haven't had an episode for about two years now, I hope it has faded off or something. I would get paralysed, fight with all my power to wake up, just to fall asleep again and and re-dream the same episode multiple times, always wanting to scream, fighting for the tiniest bit of movement to "break the paralysis". Sometimes with my ex bf besides me, with no means of communicating my horrors to him, help so close but so far. I truly believe one can get traumatized from sleep paralysis. It is pure terror and you truly feel absolute horror.
For first 10 years or so, it would happen only when I slept on my back but now it has 'evolved' and I have experienced the sleep paralysis regardless of the sleeping position (sideways, on my belly..)
Load More Replies...I had 2 instances of sleep paralysis 8 years ago. A dark creature just hovered on the ceiling in the corner of the room, watching me. Couldn't move, and I felt like I was calling out for my husband for hours while he was in the other room, my lips eventually were barely able to move but I still couldn't produce a sound. Finally I was able to be heard and he rushed in. All I could do was sob. It was horrific and still the 2 scariest moments in my life other than a car wreck I was in.
This used to happen to me from childhood well into my 20's. I finally learned to stop panicking because I couldn't wake up and just give in the paralysis. I would then naturally go back into real sleep. After a couple of times Ignoring it, it never came back.
Yes, sleep paralysis is a b***h. I had this when I was a teenager, then it sort of faded out and finally disappeared. What I find strange that most of the artists in the article see and depict the phenomena as some evil being attacking them. I never perceived it this way, I was probably rationalising it, seeing it as some kind of illness or a curse. For me, it was more like the feeling that I am turning into a stone, often I could not also breathe properly and felt odd for a while even after I finally got up. When I would have to paint a picture, I would probably draw just me turning into something immobile and solid.
I’ve had sleep paralysis, but I dont remember anything scary associated with it. All I remember is not being able to move or talk.
That's how mine is. Had it today and I woke up completely exhausted from trying to just move.
Load More Replies...Is this common? Is it possible to gain this later in life? Im 14, is there some way to avoid it? does it happen with specific types of people or people with specific experienses?
Thank you for giving a name to something I experienced as a child. I never knew this was something others had experienced too. It continued into my 20's and I hope being reminedd of it doesn't allow it to start up again.
There's a reason people used to think it was caused by witches/demons/monsters coming and sitting on your chest. (Origin of the word "nightmare" - "mære" meant "incubus" in Old English. Also the origin of the phrase "looking hag-ridden": the idea was that a witch would come and sit on your chest and ride you like a horse, which yes, is as creepily sexual as incubi.) Hag-ridden: https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=hag-ridden Nightmare: https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=nightmare
I've been having these horrible episodes since I was 15-16.. there is a period when they occur almost every few days and then months can go by without experiencing a new one. When I'm "lucky", then the hallucinations feature a black creature sitting on my chest making it hard to breathe, or it stands below my bed and pulls my blanket very slowly.. I would sign up for a lobotomy if that would guarantee me that I'll never experience it again. The most terrifying thing, agh! :(
This has never happened to me, but I think I would be able to master it (as a gamer, i can control and master my dreams sometime). I really hope that it doesn't though. I dont need the experience...
I can control my dreams as a gamer too! I thought only I could do it! It's weird, usually at the end of the dream, you realize it's a dream and gain god-like powers. Sometimes if I can't control it and it's a nightmare, I get myself killed which wakes me up.
Load More Replies...I’ve had sleep paralysis a couple times. The first was when I was younger, I had my face in my pillow upon waking, but I couldn’t move or make a noise. In my peripheral vision, there were shadowy creatures crawling up..
I sometimes have sleep paralysis that I can feel myself sliding in and out of as I doze, but fortunately I've never experienced hallucinations like this. The only instance where anything like this happened was when I was asleep on my stomach and felt something move across my legs - and there was zero chance it was a cat or anything. Our brains are wild.
You can really see why many people around the world have come up with a lot of evil spirits to explain this phenomenon, including incubi and succubi. Saying that someone looks "hag-ridden" when they look really tired is because of the idea that a hag would come sit on your chest and "ride" you. In Germanic and Slavic folklore, instead of a hag, it's a spirit called a "mare": this is where the word "nightmare" comes from! I didn't realize until I saw these pictures how many people experience sleep paralysis demons as actually sitting on their chest.
I could only read until #9. Too scary. Too freaky. I've never had dream paralysis and I hope I never do.
Looking at many of these, I may have sleep paralysis. A lot of this has happened to me before. Guess I didn't know what it was called
Can I have sleep paralysis if it’s more like I sense a dark presence more than actually seeing one? Bc I know people can see like “the intruder” I think it’s called commonly but idk if me just feeling a a presence can count?
My sleep paralysis demon doesn’t show up very often, but when it does, it scares the s**t out of me. Imagine a formless shadow, with baleful, red, malevolent eyes. Then, imagine it slowly wrapping around your body, and you can feel it suffocating you, feel it squeezing your breath out of you, until you actually can’t breath. That’s one of the more common ones, and one of the more terrifying ones.
I had this thought that I can't get out of my head now, what if these things are all real? What if that's why cats always stare at random spots and look scared? I've never had sleep paralysis, and I hope I never do, but I'll sometimes see the outlines of strange creatures from my subconscious show up when I close my eyes to sleep. Always at night, creeps me out.
They can be real demon's can't they? We still don't know. Or is there a DEFINITE psychiatric evaluation of this
Sleep paralysis is considered a sleep disorder. There is no treatment aside from identifying the underlying causes. People who have narcolepsy, depression or mental disorders such as PTSD are more prone to it. When we dream, our bodies enter REM atonia, or sleep paralysis. People who suffer sleep paralysis wake up while still experiencing REM atonia -- half-awake but paralyzed and dreaming. It typically passes in a few minutes and they can move again. But it is scary while it is happening.
Load More Replies...