One in five people experience sleep paralysis and 40% of those people report hallucinating during, believing they have seen a ghost. Locked in their body unable to move, seeing figures and hearing out of this world noises.
Jennifer, 28, a dog trainer from the south coast of the USA has suffered from what she believed to be sleep paralysis from the age of four that left her questioning her sanity and believing her life was in danger. “My most unforgettable moment was in my early twenties, I was having them non-stop at this point. My mum didn’t understand and said if I said in the name of God they would leave.” She recalled.
“In this episode I was able to say “God” and the five of them that were surrounding me laughed, and so clearly and loudly said “This god you speak of will not save you” One of them pushed on my chest and another choked me. I wasn’t able to breathe and I passed out. I woke up to my mother beside me yelling at me to stop screaming. I was blamed for these demonic entities coming to me.” She said.
Her encounters, feeling like Deja vu, were the same demonic creatures surrounding her bed every night with “otherworldly light” in their eyes feeding off her fear. She said: “They were blacker than black and the only thing white about them was their teeth and a little light reflecting their eyes. I couldn’t talk about it without fear, fear it would always come back.”
Science explains the shadows 9 out of 10 respondents to a sleeping habits survey said they had sleep paralysis and 78% of them believed it affected their ability to feel rested.
Psychologists suggest that during sleep paralysis, the brain remains partly in a dreaming state, projecting hallucinations into the waking world. That might explain the unreal forms – the creatures with twisted limbs and glowing eyes.
But why do so many people experience seeing the same terrifying shapes? The answers aren’t as simple and for many the experiences leaves scars deeper than a bad dream.
Jennifer continued; “It felt like my life was in constant danger, my mental health was shot and I was riddled with impending doom. No one around me understood, I was misdiagnosed with mental health issues, which led to being belittled by my family, doctors and myself. “I tried to kill myself three times because I believed it would be for the best I believed i
deserved to go to hell with those demons.”
Psychologists researched that experiencing sleep paralysis can cause anxiety disorders, a fear of sleep leading to insomnia and even symptoms linked to PTSD that can lead to intrusive memories that linger like ghosts in the daylight hours.
Neurologists, on the other hand, believe that hallucinations from sleep paralysis no matter how vivid or terrifying can stem from imbalances of serotonin in the brain, sleep deprivation and neurological disorders such as epilepsy or migraines. The brain’s ability to separate dreams from reality begins to blur – The result? A nightmare that scientists insist is all in your head.
When science meets the supernatural
However, hallucinations during sleep paralysis are often shaped by cultural and personal beliefs leaving many people believing what they are experiencing is a brush with the other side, spiritual encounters and even alien abductions.
Dr Sheila Pryce Brooks is a sleep paralysis expert, turning her own experiences into years of research. However, she is turning away from scientific belief to spirituality, believing those who are experiencing sleep paralysis are experiencing an extraordinary spiritual Phenomena.
When discussing her beliefs, she said: “I’ve been through so much with sleep paralysis, it is a significant part of my life and still continues to be but sleep paralysis does not happen to everyone.
“Only those with heightened spiritual acuity will experience sleep paralysis, but it is happening globally even to children and these are lived experiences. There is an incredible, euphoric and transcendent side to sleep paralysis where you feel you have touched something infinite.“
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Ancient nightmares and folklore roots
Across countries and centuries, countless cultures have tried to develop their own explanations for sleep paralysis, theories often cloaked in fear and the supernatural.
One of the most chilling and consistent apparitions to haunt a paralysed sleeper is the infamous visit from the “Old Hag”. In English and North American folklore it describes the entity as an older female. Victims of this report a feeling of her sitting on their chest robbing them of their breath and movement.
Then, the “Hat Man“ – A figure that has become a urban legend and catalogued across centuries, a very commonly reported figure in sleep paralysis hallucinations. Often described as a dark tall shadowy figure, wearing a cloak and a brimmed hat and people often saw him staring down at them, leaving them with a feeling of doom.
Dr Sheila continued: “There are several archetypes, in Brazil, Canada, Japan all dating back years having the same experiences where we are connecting with non human intelligence, and people debate this and ask what is going on in sleep paralysis are we interfacing with extraterrestrials. That is exactly what it is.
“It is intelligent, it can interact with you and sometimes it is a two way interaction, i know people that fight with entities that come and come out of their bodies to speak to it. Then you have the positive side, the benevolent ones, the loved ones, the guides who people communicate with. Yes it can be terrifying but it can also be extremely powerful and positive.”
Overcoming the nightmare and finding the dream
Now 24 years later since her first experience, Jennifer has now got her sleep paralysis under control and believes what she went through all had a scientific reasoning behind it.
She said: “I don’t believe as much that sleep paralysis is a connection to the paranormal but a more broken part of myself that I had to fix. But, I had some positive experiences with passed loved ones coming to visit me and give me messages about my spiritual growth. However, I finally realised I had to fight to get heard, so now I no longer have any symptoms.
“I am diagnosed with narcolepsy type one and being misdiagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at an early age caused medical trauma but now sharing my story is the goal to overcome the negative emotions. “I have much more peace now and finally have quality sleep.”
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