Sleep paralysis can be defined in several ways. In terms of the experiencer, it can be described as “a visitation by a malevolent creature which attacked its victims as they slept” (Cox). More clinically, sleep paralysis is understood as “a transient,conscious state of involuntary immobility occurring when falling asleep or upon wakening” (Cheyne, 2002). Research into sleep paralysis has produced compelling evidence that the phenomenon can be explained by brain chemistry and physiology in conjunction with REM sleep. But is that all there is to it?
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Hi all,
I NEVER believed in any of this kind of stuff. I came out of a Reformed background. I’ve been born again since I was 16 years old. Again, never believed this kind of stuff…until I was in my 2nd year of Bible College. (In fact, I had never even heard of this phenomenon until much later.) So, in my 2nd year of College, one Saturday evening, I was getting ready for bed. I was in the girls’ bathroom and wasn’t thinking about anything in particular when a heaviness fell over me. I felt suddenly completely exhausted AND deeply depressed. I felt compelled to go back to my room and lie down next to the window ON TOP OF MY ROOMMATE’S BED! That in itself is completely odd, but even stranger was feeling compelled to lie on my back. I never sleep on my back! I’m a stomach sleeper or side sleeper. So anyway, I did what I felt compelled to do. When I tried to lie on my side, I wasn’t allowed…my body seemed to self correct itself causing me to lie on my back. I quickly (another very odd thing) fell asleep.
When I semi-awoke, feeling drugged, I sensed my roommate enter the room. She was very quiet but I could sense her moving and the closer she got to me the more malevolence I sensed – and I wondered why. (I’ve never seen Kathleen angry; though, I thought maybe she’d had a bad evening only to come home early to see me on top of her bed.) I even said “Kathleen, I’m sorry I’m……” and I was out again. I never thought or felt I was in danger because I simply thought Kathleen had come home early. Suddenly, however, something was on top of me ( I felt the heaviness) and strangling me and I couldn’t move! I could feel something squeezing my throat closed. At that moment, I panicked and could only barely squeak out “Je sus, elp!” And at that split moment I sensed a zealous benevolent being enter the room with force chasing the malevolent being out the window. And here’s the thing, I saw a great flash of light blinding me momentarily, and the shade ruffled violently as if blown out by a wind storm suddenly rushing up. At that very moment I had peace and was fully awake. No more feeling drugged. I then checked the weather outside looking and putting my hand out, but there was no wind and it was a quiet peaceful night.
Realizing I was on Kathleen’s bed, I jumped off and straightened it up, and immediately went back to my routine in the girls’ bathroom. I thought maybe it was all just a dream and didn’t think about any more. Later I asked Kathleen if she had come home earlier, and she simply said, “No.” It wasn’t until 10-15 years later did I hear of this thing called Sleep Paralysis and I realized that was what I must have had. Though, I wouldn’t ever say it was simply a scientific experience. I mean, what caused me to feel suddenly exhausted and deeply depressed in the girls’ room? What caused me to sleep on top of my roommate’s bed (something I would never do)? What caused my body to self-correct itself to sleeping on my back? What caused the feeling of the benevolent being entering my room and chasing the malevolent being? What caused the bright light to blind me momentarily? What caused the shade to ruffle wildly? To this day,I absolutely believe this was a spiritual experience. Also, because of this experience, I realized how real the spiritual battle is and how close to us it is. Not knowing anything about spiritual dimensions at that time, I was suddenly made very aware of them and have no problems learning about them today.
Oh, and I’ve never experienced this before or since that day. Instead, my sharing of the gospel has been increased knowing that the time is short and this supernatural stuff is REALLY real!
It’s pretty unusual that the chain of events you describe were initiated before you fell asleep (or maybe you were and dreamed the beginning?).
At any rate, thanks for sharing your story!
Thanks for writing reading and writing back. No, I definitely wasn’t sleeping or dreaming. I must not have mentioned having gone back to the girls’ bathroom to finish getting ready for the evening and to collect the items I’d left behind — blow dryer, hair curler (still hot), and my bathroom caddy filled with my shampoo & conditioner, soap, lotions, etc. I’m not the kind of person to leave my personal belongings behind like that. To this day, I know this this was a real experience between the old hag syndrome and a UFO abduction. Since I also believe these two entities derive from the same place, I know this was a spiritual experience. perhaps, and I now believe this was what was happening, this was a test from that side to see how weak or strong I was in my faith in Jesus Christ. As dir thinking it could have been a dream, I only thought that briefly in regard to the whole attack. As to the reality, going back to the restroom indicated positively that that part was absolutely real as the curling iron was still hot (it did not have an auto shut off as today’s irons do). The curling iron was from the ’70s and this was the ’80s when it happened.
It’s happened to me twice. Best description of both memories would be “haunting”.
meh.
A couple times a year I like a good nightmare. Like going to a really great movie and not getting jacked-up for $15 popcorn.
Best.
Hey. Just stumbled upon this podcast earlier in the week and worked my way to this episode. I wanted to share my experience for what it’s worth.
I had sleep paralysis regularly since childhood, but it definitely became more prominent around the time I was saved at seventeen. Admittedly, I was having an extremely difficult time sleeping in general (four people I had directly or indirectly known committed suicide and a recent acquaintance was killed in a car accident, amongst other things). If I wasn’t having nightmares, I was having sleep paralysis, or a sleep that was not restful.
Along with typical sleep paralysis (being unable to move/breath, feeling evil/doom), I also had a couple of instances that were out of normal. In particular, I was floating and something was trying to pull me through the ceiling of my bedroom except, comically, it couldn’t. I remember my full body knocking on the ceiling several times as it attempted this before the episode ended. I also recall times of being able to break from the paralysis to run through my bedroom until I reached the door handle, and yet another when I was able to reach the stairs (my bedroom was in the basement) before being cornered by what can only be described as “greys”.
I eventually described some of my experiences to some of the people who led me to the Lord. They told me to “plead the blood of Jesus” the next time this happened. When it did the entities grabbed me and pushed me up against the wall in my bedroom so that my feet were not touching the floor. I say “entities”, because there were many. Each had a different amount of power or ability to apply pressure to my body and induce fear. One after the other hit me with the strongest at the end. Each time I would begin to speak as the previous poster stated, very slowly and with much effort, “the blood of Jesus”, “the blood”. After the final one hit me I woke up and have not had an experience like that again. It’s been eleven years.
I strongly believe it was demonic attack. I was very oppressed at the time, but have gained much freedom in Jesus. If you are experiencing this I strongly recommend calling on the Lord during these experiences.