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Strange Sleep Disorder Makes People See 'Demons'
livescience ^ | 31 March 2013 Time: 10:20 PM ET

Posted on 04/02/2013 6:51:25 PM PDT by BenLurkin

Sleep paralysis happens when people become conscious while their muscles remain in the ultra-relaxed state that prevents them from acting out their dreams. The experience can be quite terrifying, with many people hallucinating a malevolent presence nearby, or even an attacker suffocating them. Surveys put the number of sleep paralysis sufferers between about 5 percent and 60 percent of the population. [Say what?]

One man told her about his frequent sleep paralysis episodes, during which he'd experience extremely realistic hallucinations of a young child, skipping around the bed and singing nursery rhymes. Sometimes, the child would sit on his pillow and talk to him. One night, the tot asked the man a personal question. When he refused to answer, the child transformed into a "horrendous demon," MacKinnon said.

For another man, who had the sleep disorder narcolepsy (which can make sleep paralysis more common), his dream world clashed with the real world in a horrifying way. His sleep paralysis episodes typically included hallucinations that someone else was in his house or his room — he'd hear voices or banging around. One night, he awoke in a paralyzed state and saw a figure in his room as usual.

"He suddenly realizes something is different," MacKinnon said. "He suddenly realizes that he is in sleep paralysis, and his eyes are open, but the person who is in the room is in his room in real life."

(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...


TOPICS: Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: cantscream; disorders; sleep; sleepparalysis; testifying; theentity
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1 posted on 04/02/2013 6:51:25 PM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

How very interesting.


2 posted on 04/02/2013 6:54:07 PM PDT by SatinDoll (NATURAL BORN CITZEN: BORN IN THE USA OF CITIZEN PARENTS.)
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To: BenLurkin

The son of one of my schoolmates stabbed his mother to death a couple months ago. He said demons were coming after him in his bedroom at night.


3 posted on 04/02/2013 6:54:21 PM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: BenLurkin

Isn’t that a nightmare?


4 posted on 04/02/2013 6:54:46 PM PDT by stuartcr ("I have habits that are older than the people telling me they're bad for me.")
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To: BenLurkin

I’ve experienced occasional sleep paralysis, but never hallucinated, or had visions of demons. and it wasn’t really terrifying, well maybe the first time when I was still young but I learned about it and it was kind of cool.


5 posted on 04/02/2013 6:56:15 PM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: BenLurkin

People should never watch MSNBC before going to bed.


6 posted on 04/02/2013 6:56:21 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Dude! Where's my Bill of Rights?)
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To: FlingWingFlyer
People should never watch MSNBC before going to bed.
7 posted on 04/02/2013 6:57:08 PM PDT by nascarnation (Baraq's economic policy: trickle up poverty)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

8 posted on 04/02/2013 7:00:54 PM PDT by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: BenLurkin

Isn’t the essence of a bad dream watching something bad unfold but being powerless to stop, or escape from it?


9 posted on 04/02/2013 7:01:14 PM PDT by fso301
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To: BenLurkin

I had episodes of this as a kid, not demons or anything that specific, but thinking I was awake and some weight was on my chest, just as they describe. I figured it was a dream but very terrifying at the time,


10 posted on 04/02/2013 7:01:24 PM PDT by Williams (No Obama)
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To: CharlesWayneCT

I’ve had sleep paralysis a few times, as well. A couple of times I saw a figure in a white robe sitting at the foot of my bed, as if we were having a conversation. I wasn’t afraid but I was definitely unable to move. It felt like it lasted two or three minutes and then I fell asleep, I think. But I’ve had that same scenario happen twice and I definitely thought I was awake. Kinda weird.


11 posted on 04/02/2013 7:05:42 PM PDT by rabidralph (http://www.cafepress.com/westernwis)
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To: BenLurkin

Several people I know have mentioned that they have had visions of demons after sitting through His Arrogance’s SOTU or other speeches.


12 posted on 04/02/2013 7:05:59 PM PDT by RetiredTexasVet (Leveling the playing field for a Progressive is dragging everyone down to their level.)
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To: Williams

I had episodes like that when I was a kid as well, and strangely enough, I called them “demon dreams” because they were terrifying. Mostly, it was knowing I was asleep but unable to wake up, even though in the dream I would be trashing around, screaming, etc.

Later, I learned that the only muscle that is not paralyzed when you have those episode is your tongue and jaws so I whenever I had them, I would manage to bite my tongue hard enough for the pain to intrude and wake me up. Haven’t had one in 20 years or so.

Still spooky.


13 posted on 04/02/2013 7:06:33 PM PDT by Ronin (Dumb, dependent and Democrat is no way to go through life - Rep. L. Gohmert, Tex)
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To: BenLurkin

Google night terrors.


14 posted on 04/02/2013 7:06:51 PM PDT by umgud (2A can't survive dem majorities)
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To: BenLurkin

Not sure about the demons thing but I’ve experienced not able to wake up, like I was paralyzed. Scary.


15 posted on 04/02/2013 7:07:26 PM PDT by SkyDancer (Live your life in such a way that the Westboro church will want to picket your funeral.)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

hahahaha! I admit, I’ve not read the entire article yet, but that’s what I thought at first skim, considering what demons bo, pelosi, reid, et al are!


16 posted on 04/02/2013 7:09:03 PM PDT by cyn (Benghazi.)
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To: CharlesWayneCT
’ve experienced occasional sleep paralysis, but never hallucinated, or had visions of demons. and it wasn’t really terrifying, well maybe the first time when I was still young but I learned about it and it was kind of cool.

Me too, had it quite often as a kid but not for several years. Never saw any demons or any other beings. I was always worried I would see a demon though. Full body paralysis is not a pleasant feeling, but the way out of it is to relax and not panic. It took a while to learn that.

17 posted on 04/02/2013 7:11:46 PM PDT by HerrBlucher (Praise to the Lord the Almighty the King of Creation)
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To: umgud

Google incubii and succubii.


18 posted on 04/02/2013 7:12:51 PM PDT by txhurl
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To: BenLurkin

I frequently have dreams of people in my bedroom standing over me, and jump out of bed ready to fight while still half asleep and disoriented.


19 posted on 04/02/2013 7:13:27 PM PDT by SoCal Pubbie
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To: BenLurkin

I’ve experienced this off and on since childhood. “Something” bad in the bedroom with you, you can feel it very powerfully but can’t really make it out, and can’t move. The can’t move can get morphed into shouldn’t move in the confused, semi-awake semi-asleep state you’re in. Another variety would be a group of them outside the bedroom window, the shouldn’t move is much more likely with that, can’t explain it other than something bad will happen, they’ll know I’m there, like I said it’s a confused state. An actual loud sound or other movement, like my dog jumping up onto the bed, will break it. Or, dawn will. One or the other. They’re not pleasant thing to experience, thankfully haven’t had one in several years.


20 posted on 04/02/2013 7:14:18 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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