Written by: Sheila Pryce Brooks, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The mysteries of sleep have eluded us for many centuries, with the ancient Mesopotamians and other cultures giving us clues into what lays beyond the other side of sleep. For many of us, we sleep without giving it a second thought. We simply go to bed one day and wake up fresh and rejuvenated the next. For others, there is an array of nocturnal activities and sleep disorders that plague us during those hours from one night to the next.
Sleep Paralysis has existed without exploration of its spiritual context for thousands of years. It has been called many things including The Old Hag, Witch Riding or the Hat Man, but what remains consistent is the fear and terror that it brings to sleepers.
This series of article shines a light on the phenomenon of sleep paralysis as a spiritually transformative experience whilst illuminating the delicate balance between the scientific and the spiritual perspective.
What is sleep Paralysis?
(Henry Fuseli, painted The Nightmare, 1781, (Detroit Institute of Arts)
This scenario aptly captures the sleep paralysis experience.
Imagine feeling very tired, going to bed and quickly falling asleep. Your rest is soon disturbed though, by some sort of rustling noise. You open your eyes and recognize the normal features of your bedroom in the shadowy darkness, but, when you try to sit up, you realize that you are paralyzed; you are unable to move your arms or legs or even turn your head.
With sudden, sickening dread and overwhelming terror, you sense an evil presence approaching. You struggle and try to scream for help, but you still cannot move or make a sound. A sinister being looms over you for a moment, then climbs onto your bed and settles heavily on your chest, crushing the breath out of you.
Research has shown that the Sleep Paralysis experience is consistent regardless of age, gender, geographical location, or culture. To understand the physical symptoms of sleep paralysis here is another example.
I am 52 years old. My [night-mares] started in my mid-20s. I remember the first time it happened. I had a new baby and was napping in the afternoon because I also worked in the evenings. Suddenly, I was wide awake except for the fact that my eyes were still closed and I was completely paralyzed. I have never been so terrified in my life. I KNEW someone else was in the room. I could hear them moving around. I felt like I was in grave danger.
Then I KNOW I felt someone sit down on the bed right next to me! I tried to scream... I was struggling and struggling but I couldn’t even move a finger. Finally, the episode passed and I woke up perfectly fine. I thought I was going crazy and never mentioned it to anyone. I still don’t bring it up much because I get THAT LOOK from people who don’t know what you’re talking about. I have had several episodes since then... I have never opened my eyes .. and that is a blessing because if I ever did and saw something looking back at me I would probably die in my sleep.
According to Dr. David Hufford an estimated 1 in 20 people experiences sleep paralysis globally. The medical community does not know what causes sleep paralysis and there are no conclusive treatments to stop the episodes. The experience can be extremely distressing for
experiences.
Look out for the next in this series of articles that examines the sleep paralysis phenomena. More can be found here, where sleep paralysis and other related topics are discussed.
Sheila Pryce Brooks, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sheila Pryce Brooks is an expert in sleep paralysis and extraordinary spiritual experiences. After secretly living with chronic sleep paralysis for over 30 years, she decided to break her silence about her struggle with the phenomenon and the impact that it has on her life and created tools to transcend sleep paralysis and enhance her spiritual and psychic connection. She is passionate about illuminating the overlap between sleep paralysis, spirituality and science through research and education and she has since dedicated her life to helping others manage and transcend sleep paralysis and other extraordinary spiritual experiences.
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