Metaphysics & Psychology

Sleep paralysis and 'demon' sightings

By T.K. Randall
April 2, 2013 ·  47 comments

Image Credit: Johann Heinrich Füssli Most people will have experienced sleep paralysis at some point in their lives, the sensation tends to occur when waking up and is characterized by being mentally awake and aware but being unable to physically move. It happens when you gain consciousness but your muscles remain in an ultra-relaxed state. The experience can be somewhat unnerving, but to a few people it can also be accompanied by powerful auditory and visual hallucinations that can leave them absolutely terrified.

Once referred to as 'old hag', the phenomenon can sometimes manifest visions of an old woman or even demonic creatures, leading to stories of otherworldly creatures visiting people at night. Tales of the incubus and succubus also stem from such experiences, the sufferer often feeling the sensation of being crushed or restrained by the metaphysical intruder.[!gad]Most people will have experienced sleep paralysis at some point in their lives, the sensation tends to occur when waking up and is characterized by being mentally awake and aware but being unable to physically move. It happens when you gain consciousness but your muscles remain in an ultra-relaxed state. The experience can be somewhat unnerving, but to a few people it can also be accompanied by powerful auditory and visual hallucinations that can leave them absolutely terrified.

Once referred to as 'old hag', the phenomenon can sometimes manifest visions of an old woman or even demonic creatures, leading to stories of otherworldly creatures visiting people at night. Tales of the incubus and succubus also stem from such experiences, the sufferer often feeling the sensation of being crushed or restrained by the metaphysical intruder.

Source: Yahoo! News | Comments (47)

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