Sleep paralysis and shadow people(evil spirits)

[Chesterton]

He thought they were real for the same reason the OP thinks his hallucinations were real. We trust our senses. We actually have a phrase for it..."seeing is believing". The OP and others here who believe what they saw aren't deluded or crazy, they just trust their senses in spite of what sounds logical/reasonable. What I don't understand though is why you wouldn't want to prove to everyone (and yourself) that what you're seeing is real and not hallucinatory.

I don't want to prove to myself or anyone else what's "real" or what isn't. All I know is what seems real to me seems real to me. The color red looks red to me, but then, epistemology sucks.

 

[Ana the Ist]

I don't want to prove to myself or anyone else what's "real" or what isn't. All I know is what seems real to me seems real to me. The color red looks red to me, but then, epistemology sucks.

The past about proving was directed at the OP. Sorry if it seemed otherwise.

 

[mindlight]

That's the really difficult thing about hallucinations. We spend our whole lives trusting that what we see/hear is real. You hear a story about someone who went crazy and thought that black helicopters were circling overhead...you tend to think "why couldn't he realize they weren't real?"

He thought they were real for the same reason the OP thinks his hallucinations were real. We trust our senses. We actually have a phrase for it..."seeing is believing". The OP and others here who believe what they saw aren't deluded or crazy, they just trust their senses in spite of what sounds logical/reasonable. What I don't understand though is why you wouldn't want to prove to everyone (and yourself) that what you're seeing is real and not hallucinatory.

There is extensive scientific literature on the phenomena of sleep paralysis so the events described are something real. Most cultures have eyewitness accounts of this phenomena written in their own terms.

The interpretation of the event requires looking a little deeper than science can go though, as it involves something that cannot be analysed with the senses alone. This is a realm where modern psychotherapy appears ill equipped to provide answers because of its essentially materialistic ways of reading evidence or flawed conceptual schemas.

 

[emilie mayer]

I have had a couple of instances were i wake up but cant move or open my eyes and the feeling of terror/fear was really intense. It did feel like evil was all around me. I started asking God to protect me and thanking Him for His protection (praying) it took a couple of min then i woke up with peace knowing I was protected. The second time didnt last that long because I automatically started praying and i felt a calm come apon me. I had never heard of this before so I went to a websit called gotquestions.com it is a web site that answers christian questions and it did say it could be a part of spiritual warfare. I do believe it was Spiritual warfare. It hasnt happened again but if it does i know the answer is Jesus is with me and will never leave me nor forsake me and will protect me from the enemy.

 

[Paradoxum]

I have had a couple of instances were i wake up but cant move or open my eyes and the feeling of terror/fear was really intense. It did feel like evil was all around me. I started asking God to protect me and thanking Him for His protection (praying) it took a couple of min then i woke up with peace knowing I was protected. The second time didnt last that long because I automatically started praying and i felt a calm come apon me. I had never heard of this before so I went to a websit called gotquestions.com it is a web site that answers christian questions and it did say it could be a part of spiritual warfare. I do believe it was Spiritual warfare. It hasnt happened again but if it does i know the answer is Jesus is with me and will never leave me nor forsake me and will protect me from the enemy.

It was probably 'sleep paralysis'. Saying it was 'spiritual warfare' is no better than saying Zeus causes lightning. The brain does strange things sometimes.

 

[emilie mayer]

I can see why one would be skeptical. I guess everyone has there own trials. I know my trial when growing in my relationship with the Lord is based on learning to trust the Lord. When the Lord works with us I do believe He gives us understanding on why we face certain situations. The feeling i had when facing this trial was fear. I knew deep down in my heart I needed to pray to the Lord and trust He was protecting me. Once I prayed and trusted the Lord the fear left. I do believe God is all powerful and can work in anyway He pleases. Im not about to say God cant work with us while we sleep because that would be me putting a limit on God. God protects us while we are awake or asleep I believe we can face trials asleep or awake. I understand someone not understanding some things other people go through if its not a lesson they need. I know i was facing a situation in my sleep that made me grow in my trust in the Lord . As long as I grew in the Lord i am thankful. God is in full control of our waking and sleeping time. There is not limit to the way God works. To everyone who is experiancing this sort of thing just know tge Lord is with you and protects you. Fear is just a feeling that God wants us not to have. He tells us 365 times in the bible NOT TO FEAR. I believe sometimes we face fear so God helps us overcome it by trusting Him. Its ok if others dont understand our trials. I dont blame them. A couple of years ago i would have thought the same way.

 

[Paradoxum]

I can see why one would be skeptical. I guess everyone has there own trials. I know my trial when growing in my relationship with the Lord is based on learning to trust the Lord.

Maybe the experience increased your trust, but that doesn't mean the experience wasn't just normal psychology/ biology. People might pray to God because they have a fear of the dark, but that doesn't mean there really are monsters under the bed. Fear can be real even if the danger isn't real.

When the Lord works with us I do believe He gives us understanding on why we face certain situations.

That sounds like an excuse to make stuff up. I'd think it would be a mistake to claim that our fallible opinions come from God. It can lead people to being overly sure of things they don't really understand.

The feeling i had when facing this trial was fear. I knew deep down in my heart I needed to pray to the Lord and trust He was protecting me. Once I prayed and trusted the Lord the fear left.

I don't doubt that you felt fear. A fear response would be normal if the experience was just the brain playing up. I'm not criticising you for praying for peace, I'm just saying that the experience was probably the physical phenomena, 'sleep paralysis'.

Also, 'knowing' something deep down in your heart doesn't make it true. I mean that in the nicest way.

I do believe God is all powerful and can work in anyway He pleases. Im not about to say God cant work with us while we sleep because that would be me putting a limit on God. God protects us while we are awake or asleep I believe we can face trials asleep or awake. I understand someone not understanding some things other people go through if its not a lesson they need. I know i was facing a situation in my sleep that made me grow in my trust in the Lord . As long as I grew in the Lord i am thankful. God is in full control of our waking and sleeping time. There is not limit to the way God works. To everyone who is experiancing this sort of thing just know tge Lord is with you and protects you. Fear is just a feeling that God wants us not to have. He tells us 365 times in the bible NOT TO FEAR. I believe sometimes we face fear so God helps us overcome it by trusting Him. Its ok if others dont understand our trials. I dont blame them. A couple of years ago i would have thought the same way.

It isn't that I don't understand what you experienced.

 

[mindlight]

I can see why one would be skeptical. I guess everyone has there own trials. I know my trial when growing in my relationship with the Lord is based on learning to trust the Lord. When the Lord works with us I do believe He gives us understanding on why we face certain situations. The feeling i had when facing this trial was fear. I knew deep down in my heart I needed to pray to the Lord and trust He was protecting me. Once I prayed and trusted the Lord the fear left. I do believe God is all powerful and can work in anyway He pleases. Im not about to say God cant work with us while we sleep because that would be me putting a limit on God. God protects us while we are awake or asleep I believe we can face trials asleep or awake. I understand someone not understanding some things other people go through if its not a lesson they need. I know i was facing a situation in my sleep that made me grow in my trust in the Lord . As long as I grew in the Lord i am thankful. God is in full control of our waking and sleeping time. There is not limit to the way God works. To everyone who is experiancing this sort of thing just know tge Lord is with you and protects you. Fear is just a feeling that God wants us not to have. He tells us 365 times in the bible NOT TO FEAR. I believe sometimes we face fear so God helps us overcome it by trusting Him. Its ok if others dont understand our trials. I dont blame them. A couple of years ago i would have thought the same way.

 

[emilie mayer]

God works with everyone differently.... there is no one alike. I dont expect anyone to understand the trial if they havent been through it. So your opinions are just that opinions. I do believe the Lord can work with people in there most vulnerable state and thats sleep. God knows what we face every second of every day. That being said if it is sleep paralysis then God alowed it to happen and He helps us through it. Nothing can happen to Gods children unless He allows it. If He allows it then its a trial. Please if your going to comment on this situation then dont put a limit on what God can do. Opinions like that are just for sake of argument and some of us are just to busy to argue. Im sure theres a debate forum you could enjoy on another topic that would accept the challenge.

 

[Paradoxum]

God works with everyone differently.... there is no one alike. I dont expect anyone to understand the trial if they havent been through it. So your opinions are just that opinions. I do believe the Lord can work with people in there most vulnerable state and thats sleep. God knows what we face every second of every day.

Sure, I'm not trying to argue against God at the moment.

That being said if it is sleep paralysis then God alowed it to happen and He helps us through it. Nothing can happen to Gods children unless He allows it. If He allows it then its a trial.

God allows everything... considering the suffering in the world. Does God purposefully give harder 'trials' to people in certain regions of the world? Why not just say that bad and pointless things happen sometimes, but God is there for you?

Just giving my opinion...

Please if your going to comment on this situation then dont put a limit on what God can do. Opinions like that are just for sake of argument and some of us are just to busy to argue. Im sure theres a debate forum you could enjoy on another topic that would accept the challenge.

I didn't put a limit on God. Also, you are in the philosophy section here, so I think it's fair if I say if I disagree.

If you don't want me to say why I disagree then that's fine...

 

[Ana the Ist]

There is extensive scientific literature on the phenomena of sleep paralysis so the events described are something real. Most cultures have eyewitness accounts of this phenomena written in their own terms.

The interpretation of the event requires looking a little deeper than science can go though, as it involves something that cannot be analysed with the senses alone. This is a realm where modern psychotherapy appears ill equipped to provide answers because of its essentially materialistic ways of reading evidence or flawed conceptual schemas.

"It involves something that cannot be analyzed with the senses alone."

Why not? Also, how would you know it involves something that cannot be analyzed by the senses? Obviously if it did, you wouldn't know about it because you'd be unable to sense it.

 

[Ana the Ist]

God works with everyone differently.... there is no one alike. I dont expect anyone to understand the trial if they havent been through it. So your opinions are just that opinions. I do believe the Lord can work with people in there most vulnerable state and thats sleep. God knows what we face every second of every day. That being said if it is sleep paralysis then God alowed it to happen and He helps us through it. Nothing can happen to Gods children unless He allows it. If He allows it then its a trial. Please if your going to comment on this situation then dont put a limit on what God can do. Opinions like that are just for sake of argument and some of us are just to busy to argue. Im sure theres a debate forum you could enjoy on another topic that would accept the challenge.

If you and I both experience "sleep paralysis" and you say that in both our cases it was a trial from god. I say in both our cases, it was a fairly normal biological event.

In your case, you pray to god when it happens...and you snap out of it.

In my case, I just wait for it to pass...and I snap out of it.

If you were correct, and it was indeed a trial from god, why did I (an atheist) achieve the same results as you by doing nothing? Some further explanation is necessary....

If I was correct, and it was indeed a normal biological event, then your prayers had no real effect other than possibly calming you down. You would've had the same results had you not prayed at all. No further explanation is needed.

Do.you see how my explanation relates to potentially every case of sleep paralysis....yours really only pertains to your own specific case? Considering this, don't you think your explanation has more to do with what you wanted the explanation to be, instead of what the explanation actually is?

 

[KarateCowboy]

See a doctor or psychologist or something. If it's some psycho ailment then the doctor can treat it. If not then it will become apparent that it is beyond the realm of the physical.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Forum Runner. Pardon my brevity and spelling.

 

[Eudaimonist]

See a doctor or psychologist or something. If it's some psycho ailment then the doctor can treat it. If not then it will become apparent that it is beyond the realm of the physical.

A "psycho ailment" isn't necessarily treatable.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[mindlight]

"It involves something that cannot be analyzed with the senses alone."

Why not? Also, how would you know it involves something that cannot be analyzed by the senses? Obviously if it did, you wouldn't know about it because you'd be unable to sense it.

Your idea of knowing is tied to the senses. Knowledge and knowing are in fact much more than that as most people know but do not always articulate. The proof of this is in the numbers of people who know there is much more than they can sense and who have experiences which cannot be explained in terms of sensual knowledge. The above is the application of a naturalistic principle to the task of analysing a phenomena which is not entirely quantifiable in those terms and the redefinition of knowledge in terms of that principle also.

 

[Cearbhall]

they say its called sleep paralysis and its educed by demonic spirits. mainly shadow people.

This is 2013. You have Google. We're way past the point where there is any excuse to say "I don't understand it so DEMONS."

Ok to the majority oqf ppl that say it aint spiritual and i was dreaming while not fully awake how do you explain the 1st 2 instances i wasnt asleep, i was awake and about. I saw the stick man thing while sitting on the back porch, no where near sleep. It looked at me and ran back. The second was on my job. I was loading goods on my trolleyam when i spun round i was directly behind my trolley just looking at me. It was maybe lil more than arms lenght away. If i'm busy working when would i get time to dream up such stuff.

There are other mental and medical problems that can cause hallucinations.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Your idea of knowing is tied to the senses. Knowledge and knowing are in fact much more than that as most people know but do not always articulate. The proof of this is in the numbers of people who know there is much more than they can sense and who have experiences which cannot be explained in terms of sensual knowledge. The above is the application of a naturalistic principle to the task of analysing a phenomena which is not entirely quantifiable in those terms and the redefinition of knowledge in terms of that principle also.

" The proof of this is in the numbers of people who know there is much more than they can sense and who have experiences which cannot be explained in terms of sensual knowledge."

The above statement should read...

The belief of this is in the numbers of people who think there is much more than they can sense and who have experiences which they cannot explain in terms of sensual knowledge.

Bolding mine.

It does not matter how many people believe something...sheer numbers don't make it true.

 

[mindlight]

" The proof of this is in the numbers of people who know there is much more than they can sense and who have experiences which cannot be explained in terms of sensual knowledge."

The above statement should read...

The belief of this is in the numbers of people who think there is much more than they can sense and who have experiences which they cannot explain in terms of sensual knowledge.

Bolding mine.

It does not matter how many people believe something...sheer numbers don't make it true.

There are things in everybodies life that would be better said with a poem or a song than a scientific analytical report and which the report would not be able to communicate. There are also things that cannot be communicated

 

[Ana the Ist]

There are things in everybodies life that would be better said with a poem or a song than a scientific analytical report and which the report would not be able to communicate. There are also things that cannot be communicated

"There are also things that cannot be communicated"

Then how do you know they exist?

Let alone that "everyone" has them...wouldn't they have to communicate that to you?

 

[mindlight]

"There are also things that cannot be communicated"

Then how do you know they exist?

Let alone that "everyone" has them...wouldn't they have to communicate that to you?

I know that I have these things and can think upon them and also that other people have the same capacity. Also since everyone is made in Gods image we share the same essential design.