81 replies to this topic

[Simbi Laveau]

When I was a kid,there were no such things as shadow people,or the hatman .
I knew all the lore ,and these are relatively new ,in the total scheme of things .
So they do not register for me. No one I know has ever seen either .

[Jackofalltrades]

Simbi Laveau, on 17 October 2012 - 12:25 AM, said:

When I was a kid,there were no such things as shadow people,or the hatman .
I knew all the lore ,and these are relatively new ,in the total scheme of things .
So they do not register for me. No one I know has ever seen either .

I am 37 yrs old and I used to read up on ghost's etc when I was younger,  I never heard of them either before my experience, until after I had my experience and tried to get answer's and found a site like this with info on them, so I would say You could be right in the way they (Shadow people) are relatively new

No one I know has ever seen a shadow person either (as far as I am aware) unless they have and just have not talked about their experience, due to them not wanting people to think they are crazy or whatever, as some skeptic's/people like to fling that about a bit...

[Rafterman]

71Barracuda, on 16 October 2012 - 05:02 PM, said:

"hallucinations and/or overactive imagination, add a dash of gullibility, and there ya have it - shadow people. "


Nope, that’s not it.
It’s too simplified to say all these individuals are having; hallucinations and/or overactive imagination, and that they add a dash of gullibility.

Under the Stories & Experiences section, there’s a thread titled “Those who’ve seen the Hatman/Shadowman,” has 75 pages (mostly) of individuals relaying their experiences.  People from various locations throughout the world and of different ages, gender, and most importantly, different life experiences growing up.

Aside from this site, I’ve found quite a few other sites where individuals report seeing the same entities. Most of the responses start with; I thought I was the only one that was seeing these shadow/hatman. Too many reports from individuals that don’t each other for the phenomenon to be purely hallucinations and/or overactive imaginations.

And, no, I have never seen one.

Did you listen to/read the info I posted?  The reason the phenomenon is so common is that it's how our brains/eyes work.

Why do so many people have anxiety dreams about school or work where we've forgotten an assignment or forgotten to go to class.  Why do so many people have dreams about being naked or in your underwear in front of a crowd.

Again, it's how our brain is wired.

[XingWi]

Jackofalltrades, on 17 October 2012 - 01:19 AM, said:

I am 37 yrs old and I used to read up on ghost's etc when I was younger,  I never heard of them either before my experience, until after I had my experience and tried to get answer's and found a site like this with info on them, so I would say You could be right in the way they (Shadow people) are relatively new

No one I know has ever seen a shadow person either (as far as I am aware) unless they have and just have not talked about their experience, due to them not wanting people to think they are crazy or whatever, as some skeptic's/people like to fling that about a bit...

hello jackofalltrades, the term shadow people is new but the phenomenon must be as old as human race itself.

shadow people were already popular in different cultures under names like shades,astral spirits, djinns, demons. The demons that most holy scriptures speak of are these entities. The astral spirits of the lower planes that astral travellers speak of are these entities.

A radio host made this misleading term "shadow people" popular most probably to dupe western audience into thinking that something new was discovered in the paranormal field. Media plays such tricks all the time for marketing.

[Seeker79]

Simbi Laveau, on 17 October 2012 - 12:25 AM, said:

When I was a kid,there were no such things as shadow people,or the hatman .
I knew all the lore ,and these are relatively new ,in the total scheme of things .
So they do not register for me. No one I know has ever seen either .

They are just a new manifestation of an older phenomenon. Obviously if they were real creatures from the deep places of the spirit world, they would not care to keep up with fashion and project top hats. Nor would they be interested in poking and messing with people while they sleep. You would think a "demon" or "lower dimentional entity" would have better things to do then to mess with humans in very petty ways.

[71Barracuda]

“Did you listen to/read the info I posted?  “

Yes I read the article (see link http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4175).
He offered two explanations: hypnogogia and sleep paralysis. Both are based upon being asleep or right before or after sleep.

But, as Jack of All Trades experience, the reports come from individuals wide awake, not anywhere near their bed.

And a personal statement, I don’t believe the author bothered to do proper research against the reported sightings.  His mind made up and hypnogogia and sleep paralysis are the answers. His condescending attitude towards Heidi Hollis makes it very apparent.

So, I read your article, did you read the 75 pages of “Those who’ve seen the Hatman/Shadowman”?
Most of the reports are rather interesting.  It’s actually worth the read

[DancingCorpse]

There's a lot of argument in this thread, nobody is right or wrong (until evidence - such a funny word! - proves otherwise) but I just believe that every single reported case cannot be a hallucination/dream/trick of the mind etc just as every reported 'paranormal' incident cannot be legitimate, it works both ways and there has to be ground given on both sides sometimes I have never come across a shadow figure but certainly do believe they exist and also think sightings can be mistaken, each case has to be taken on its own unique conditions.

[71Barracuda]

Dancing Corpse,
Good morning.

I totally agree with your statement on not all reports are misinterpretations as well as not all reports are actual sightings.

Oh, my apologies if our conversations come across as arguing.  We’ve all been very civil to one another.  I’d rather have these conversations at a bar than here, having to write everything out.  Although this is a great way to communicate, the human factor of body language and speech pitch, hesitation, etc, is lost.  Anyway, I don’t think anyone here is intentionally being mean/rude.

[Rafterman]

71Barracuda, on 17 October 2012 - 07:53 PM, said:

“Did you listen to/read the info I posted?  “

Yes I read the article (see link http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4175).
He offered two explanations: hypnogogia and sleep paralysis. Both are based upon being asleep or right before or after sleep.

But, as Jack of All Trades experience, the reports come from individuals wide awake, not anywhere near their bed.

And a personal statement, I don’t believe the author bothered to do proper research against the reported sightings.  His mind made up and hypnogogia and sleep paralysis are the answers. His condescending attitude towards Heidi Hollis makes it very apparent.

So, I read your article, did you read the 75 pages of “Those who’ve seen the Hatman/Shadowman”?
Most of the reports are rather interesting.  It’s actually worth the read

The vast majority of reports are in and around periods of sleep.  Anything around here that starts with "i was sleeping" or "i was lying in bed" is instantly attributable to hypnogogia or sleep paralysis in my opinion.  And as Mr. Dunning related in his Sesame Street experience, he firmly believed he was fully awake and even took notes of what he was seeing.  But yet, he was sound asleep.

Many of the other reports talk about seeing something out of the 'corner of my eye" or to my "side" - again, perfectly explainable.  That's simply how our eyes/mind works.

And frankly, anything else that is presented without evidence is simply a "cool story bro" as far as I'm concerned.

I watched the most recent episode of Ghost Hunters last night on the investigation in the old (and beautiful) theater in Joliet, IL.  Those guys were chasing shadows until they were blue in the face.  Every time one of them looked up they were saying "did you see that".  Coincidentally, most of the experiences were in the grand foyer which was dark and floor to ceiling highly reflective marble.  Or course their eyes would play tricks on them in that environment.

As an aside, I continue to be amused around here how when someone doesn't agree with someone they are being condescending, mean, and/or rude.  Contrary to your opinion, I found nothing of the sort in Mr. Dunning's comments toward Ms Hollis.  He simply disagreed with her and offered a more plausible and scientific explanation.

Edited by Rafterman, 19 October 2012 - 05:09 PM.

[skrapiron]

Speaking of shows like "Ghost Hunters": I love watching "Ghost Adventures" on the travel channel, and they seem to come up with some great evidence. I've heard some outstanding EVPs on that show and some great visuals of what could be "Shadow People". That brings us to what was being talked about earlier; how even though there are photographs, video, and audio, these findings still can't prove to the majority of people, the existence of the "paranormal". Even though these "EVPs" and "Shadow People" are being professionally captured by experts, people who are skeptic to paranormal activity seem to just brush it off and say, "It's just a television show."  In my opinion, these "paranormal" findings should be on front pages of newspapers from time to time and talked about frequently in the national media.

What do yo think about the evidence being provided by the television show, "Ghost Adventures"?

[DancingCorpse]

I like Ghost Hunters, they tend to focus on more 'casual' hauntings rather than famous places with well known haunts and evidence etc They also concentrate on the scientific and physical evidence and extensive site scrutiny for practical reasons that the owner feels uneasy (cold drafts/electromagnetic emittances/tricks of light) whilst many TV 'entertainment' based shows disregard these factors and have spiritual mediums (who usually clearly act).

Now, it's on television so in my opinion, at least a few instances of coming across evidence will probably be exaggerated/fabricated if nothing has come to light during the investigation (the show needs to have some intrigue to it for the casual viewer or ratings will fall etc) so whilst there is that factor, it does seem to hold a lot of interesting evidence, especially evp-wise.

[Bling]

Shadow people sound scary, I hope I don't meet one - I'd probably poop my pants

[Spky777]

They are attracted to negative things, for exame divorce, fighting, abuse...  I guess that environment makes them comfortable.  I don't think it makes all of them attracted whats strange is the ones that are attracted.
Everything from an empty house, maybe a place where a crime has occured or a place of extreme misery.  Personally I have seen one and during the day too...in one of my posts I describe it.  There's a few vids on tube that look convincing.

[DancingCorpse]

Do you think they have some kinda intelligence or sentience or are reactions and powered by energy in the same way that 'replay' hauntings seem to work in the right conditions?

[Spky777]

If they try to interact or they peek behind a wall or they go across a hall then there has to be some intelligence.  If the shadow figure is doing the noises I don't know, but what I know is that a haunting enviroment is what makes them manifest more.