Hypnagogia

[Arthur Dietrich]

This might've been better suited for a different forum, but after reading a little bit about this I thought I'd try it out here.

More than a few times in my life I've woken up and, while I knew I was awake and could feel my bed beneath me and the room and could even see it, sort of, I was still seeing my dream. I remember I couldn't move and was very frightened.

I found a site on Hypnogogia while searching for something else and was amazed to find out it described exactly what had happened to me and that it wasn't uncommon.

Is anyone else familiar with this? Personally?

I'm trying to find more information on it out of personal interest, really.

 

[Pete Harcoff]

Yes, actually, I have experienced similar things. Most recently (and I have described this in a few other threads), I was dreaming I was trapped in a medieval-style cage, and that there were things outside the cage, but I couldn't see what there are. I woke up, but was still partially dreaming as I could see the cage (it was extremely vivid). I was scared and feeling trapped, so I crawled to my window (which is by my bed) and sat there trying to get it open while crying out for help.

It took a few moments before I came to my senses and flipped on the light.

I've had a few other experiences like this that resulted in me stumbling around my room being in this partially dreamlike state. It's very weird.

 

[Arikay]

Im not quite sure but this might be whats called sleep paralysis.

Ive had it happen to me before, and its also thought to be responsible for many "alien abduction" experiences.

 

[LadyShea]

Oooh...one of my favorite topics! As a skeptic, I have found this one natural phenomena explains many many "supernatural" occurances.

I have experienced it myself, and in fact can reporduce it; I experience it anytime I take hydrocodone (Lortab or Vicodin). It can be distressing, so I asked for a different family of painkillers last time I needed them prescribed.

Here is the best site I have found on the subject
Sleep Paralysis and Associated Hypnagogic and Hypnopompic Experiences

 

[Pete Harcoff]

Oooh...one of my favorite topics! As a skeptic, I have found this one natural phenomena explains many many "supernatural" occurances.

I've noticed that testimonies about so-called demonic encounters almost always seem to be sleep-paralysis related.

But I can see why, without a natural explanation, why people would chock these up to demons and so forth (especially if they believe in God, Satan, etc; it's nice to have something to confirm your faith).

 

[David Gould]

I have had sleep paralysis a fair bit. As a child, I used to have the sensation of being awake but absolutely unable to move and with a huge, hooded executioner figure with an axe standing over me. THis happened often enough that I invented the fact that he was actually my protector. While this did not prevent the occurences ( I guess I had about 1 every few weeks or so) it did reduce the stress of them. They faded away as a got older.

I have had a few instances of sleep paralysis when older, the most recent involving the sensation of hearing my friends talk in the room with me and seeing them through lidded eyes but being unable to move. When I could move, my friends faded away even as a reached out to touch them. Weird stuff - and if any of those friends had died that night, I might have been inclined to believe in ghosts.

 

[OldBadfish]

Its demons!! Well it could be.

Check it out, when me and my wife first got together, we slept together for the first time (yes we were fornicating out of wedlock ) Anyway she woke me up in the middle of the night and her body was being pulled off the bed, I saw it, and there was nothing there!

After I turned on all the lights and she quit screaming it stopped, it was the weirdest thing.

 

[Arikay]

So, it obviously wasnt demons, since they would want you to fornicate.

 

[wblastyn]

I have had sleep paralysis a fair bit. As a child, I used to have the sensation of being awake but absolutely unable to move and with a huge, hooded executioner figure with an axe standing over me. THis happened often enough that I invented the fact that he was actually my protector. While this did not prevent the occurences ( I guess I had about 1 every few weeks or so) it did reduce the stress of them. They faded away as a got older.

I have had a few instances of sleep paralysis when older, the most recent involving the sensation of hearing my friends talk in the room with me and seeing them through lidded eyes but being unable to move. When I could move, my friends faded away even as a reached out to touch them. Weird stuff - and if any of those friends had died that night, I might have been inclined to believe in ghosts.

Alien abductees claim their abductions have went back to early childhood (small grey aliens appear in their room at night and they couldn't move, etc). So I think sleep paralysis is a pretty good explaination for aliens and demons (incubi/succubi).

I think poeple who want to believe in alien abductors will continue to delude themselves even if the face of evidence against it when they want to. I suppose aliens make the world more interesting.

 

[wblastyn]

Its demons!! Well it could be.

Why would demons want to paralyse you or lift you off the bed for a second, that seems kind of pointless. They should appear and pretend to be buddah or something and tell them Christianity is false, etc (ie things demons are supposed to do).

 

[JohnR7]

I have times when I am half awake and half asleep. I am sort of half way in a dream world and half way in this world.

We learn how to use the Blood of Jesus so the demons do not mess with us when we are sleeping. Usually God works with us in our sleep to show us things and to give us pleasent dreams.

It is nice to be able to wake up in the morning rested, refreshed and ready to go for the day. Of course the thing to do is if God wants us to get up in the middle of the night and pray or read our Bible, then we need to do just that. If I don't and I just go back to sleep, then I will feel like I got to much sleep. I will not be as alert as I would have been.

 

[LadyShea]

Seems to me every "demon attack" I have heard of sounds exactly like sleep paralysis. If these creatures are so powerful, why do they attack by merely annoying people?

 

[wblastyn]

Seems to me every "demon attack" I have heard of sounds exactly like sleep paralysis. If these creatures are so powerful, why do they attack by merely annoying people?

LOL true.

 

[Jet Black]

Seems to me every "demon attack" I have heard of sounds exactly like sleep paralysis. If these creatures are so powerful, why do they attack by merely annoying people?

well it is natural that there would be an association between one's fears and something perfectly explainable but unpleasant, and the opposite is of course true. the thing I don't get is the logic behind the association... why would satan and associated demons try to scare someone, since that is likely to push them in the opposite direction? (i.e. towards God) If I was a demon, I would offer them delights and nice things to get them to come to me... it would be far more sensible.

 

[T.R.D.]

I have never experienced sleep paralysis or any parasomnias.

Sleep paralysis can explain away most "alien" or "demon" experiences.

 

[wblastyn]

well it is natural that there would be an association between one's fears and something perfectly explainable but unpleasant, and the opposite is of course true. the thing I don't get is the logic behind the association... why would satan and associated demons try to scare someone, since that is likely to push them in the opposite direction? (i.e. towards God) If I was a demon, I would offer them delights and nice things to get them to come to me... it would be far more sensible.

Exactly.

 

[ReUsAbLePhEoNiX]

Ive mentioned before when I was 10 years old, I used too sleep walk and my pastor cast the Evil Demon of Sleepwalking out of me, I dont think I have mentioned during that time I was also haveing out-of-body type experiences ( I never knew the term existed until my 20's) which was frightening. I would "wake up" ( lucid dreaming) and find myself floating over the bed, or down the hallway, or in bed unable too move. I would also be chased or surrounded by scary things I never got a good look at. As a 10 year old kid, these experiences were frightening, and I think I emotionaly overreacted to it, not knowing if these lucid episodes were real or not.
Thinking back now, I realize this happened all during sleep, and probably caused me to sleep walk. My demonphobic parents interpreted this as real demonic possession.......by the way by brother in law claims alien abduction, he too has a history of sleepwalking.

 

[Jet Black]

interesting...

here's a question to anyone in the know: is there some hereditary link to things like lucid dreaming/sleep disorders etc?

 

[JohnR7]

My demonphobic parents interpreted this as real demonic possession.......

What do you think? Do you think that this was God's will for you to experience these things? That is why we try to show people how to use the Blood of Jesus. The Blood of Jesus can vaporize or destroy anything that is not a part of God will and plan for us and our lives.

Before I got saved I would have a dream every now and then that I would be someplace like in a park. There would be a gang there that was chasing me wanting to do me harm. Of course now as a Christian, we learn to use the Blood of Jesus against that sort of stuff before we go to sleep, then we have pleasent dreams.

I would just lay hands on my pillow every night before I went to sleep and pray the blood, the blood, the precious blood of Jesus.

 

[ReUsAbLePhEoNiX]

What do you think? Do you think that this was God's will for you to experience these things? That is why we try to show people how to use the Blood of Jesus. The Blood of Jesus can vaporize or destroy anything that is not a part of God will and plan for us and our lives.

Before I got saved I would have a dream every now and then that I would be someplace like in a park. There would be a gang there that was chasing me wanting to do me harm. Of course now as a Christian, we learn to use the Blood of Jesus against that sort of stuff before we go to sleep, then we have pleasent dreams.

I would just lay hands on my pillow every night before I went to sleep and pray the blood, the blood, the precious blood of Jesus.

So these night mares of yours, being chased by gangs, were these gang people evil scientists? If they were chasing you, because they were trying to give you some books to read, then I would consider it a dream from God. My lucid night mares stopped when I decided to stop trying to run away from it. I turned around to face what it was that was frightening me, and after a few times of doing this, my night mares stopped. It had nothing to do with the Blood of Jesus. Probably something to do with overcoming Fear of the Unknown