Hey pips. Listen to this, I was asleep n suddenly this thing ( i dunno what it is) comes n stays on toppa me n it refuses to go. i can't talk, cant call for help and, jeez!!! the experience was horrible. Does any1 has any idea what causes this? How can it be stopped. IDEAS ANYONE Could it be the famous incubus/succubus?

You were sleeping, and when you sleep you often engage in a human subconscious action called "dreaming", which sometimes are not sweet, ie nightmares. And because you're asleep, you feel helpless. Often when you wake up you feel just fine. If you don't go freaking out like some people do over bad dreams. And that's also why no one ever wakes up to confront the "thing" that was threatening them when they were sound asleep.

Your mind is playing tricks on you. You are only fully alert once you wake up and your dream obviously stops. All the struggle and the "thing" keeping you from waking are part of the plot in your bad dream. People often dream about winning a lottery and never wake up to whine, but once they dream about some weired stuff they're quick to freak out.

BlackMamba:

You were sleeping, and when you sleep you often engage in a human subconscious action called "dreaming", which sometimes are not sweet, ie nightmares. And because you're asleep, you feel helpless. Often when you wake up you feel just fine. If you don't go freaking out like some people do over bad dreams. And that's also why no one ever wakes up to confront the "thing" that was threatening them when they were sound asleep.

I understand your situation. My people say: he who feels it knows it. You talk about dreaming, I can tell you that there's a big difference between dreaming and what freezy is talking about. My friend, there are a lot of things about the supernatural (whether you believe or not) that we do not know. I could remember, a few years back, I used to experience what Freezy's talking about. Mine was so bad that it used to happen in the afternoon also. I didn't need to take a nap but just lying down on the bed. I used to sub-consciously call : THE BLOOD OF JESUS! before I could get a temporary relief. I know that some supermen would laugh and make jest of it, but just experience it to know how it is,
Freezy, please go to your pastor for deliverance or attend the deliverance service of any good church around.  Good luck.

Naijacutee, hands down, you got that right. I have always maintained that some of the spritual problems we have in Africa is tied down to ancestral worship. Look at the rites involved in a trado marriage back home, like in my culture. Even today, certain parts of my tribe still insist on the sacrifice of an animal to an idol, to appease it, because of the belief that girls, prior to being born were 'married' to them in the spirit world. Nna, when my sisters get married, I know, those condemnable practises wont be holding. And that's final! I once attended a wedding in the Church, and during the reception, one of the elders poured libation. For what reason? In the same vein, I have observed that African Americans, most especially, some of them are so desperate to get intouch with their lost heritage, that they take some of their practises to the extremes. While some of us have gradually disassociated ourselves from those traditions, some AA have fervently adopted the practise of pouring libation, etc, etc. Maybe, the problems of witchcraft, once secluded (for the most part) in Africa might make its way to another land. As for me, no association with any fetish beliefs!

its real, only too real for you to be imagining it,

ur best bet out is to pray before bedtime and make sure your bible is the last thing u read before u sleep, its a spiritual thing, a metaphysical manifestation of wicked entities just out to take advantage of your helpless and prone human spirit, pray and cover your urself with the blood of Jesus,

me., i was raised an african boyz and have seen stuff you couldn't even imagine, you deny it? what about pple devoted to the cult of lilith and co.

wise up man

These are simply the experiences that go with sleep paralysis. No need to look for a supernatural explanation, there's a convincing natural explanation (emphasismine):

In a typical sleep-paralysis episode, a person wakes up paralyzed, senses a presence in the room, feels fear or even terror, and may hear buzzing and humming noises or see strange lights. A visible or invisible entity may even sit on their chest, shaking, strangling, or prodding them. Attempts to fight the paralysis are usually unsuccessful. It is reputedly more effective to relax or try to move just the eyes or a single finger or toe. Descriptions of sleep paralysis are given in many of the references already cited and in Hufford's (1982) classic work on the "Old Hag." I and a colleague are building up a case collection and have reported our preliminary findings (Blackmore and Rose 1996).

Sleep paralysis occurs in 30% of the general population. In it you wake up in bed, feel paralyzed, and tend to sense a terrifying presence in your room. Sometimes you see something; sometimes you hear noises or even feel electrical shocks throughout your body. I have personally seen a small humanoid during one occasion of sleep paralysis; during another, more recent one, I saw what looked like a dog in my room. Others see ghosts, vampires--whatever they have in their minds or are particularly afraid of. Deceased relatives and loved ones are particularly good candidates for showing up during bouts of sleep paralysis.

Similar feelings were also common to persons in the Middle Ages who reported nighttime visitations of an incubus (a male demon who lay with women) or succubus (which took female form and lay with men). In Newfoundland the visitor was called the "Old Hag" (Ellis 1988). In the infamous West Pittston, Pennsylvania, "haunted house" case of 1986, tenant Jack Smurl claimed he was attacked by a succubus. As "demonologist" Ed Warren (1989) describes it: "He was asleep in bed one night and he was awakened by this haglike woman who paralyzed him. He wanted to scream out, of course -- he was horrified by what he saw, the woman had scales on her skin and white, scraggly hair, and some of her teeth were missing -- but she paralyzed him in some manner. Then she mounted him and rode him to her sexual climax."

sources:
http://www.csicop.org/si/9805/abduction.html
http://www.csicop.org/doubtandabout/sleep/
http://www.csicop.org/sb/9512/i-files.html
http://skepdic.com/sleepparalysis.html
http://skepdic.com/satan.html#incubus
http://watarts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyne/S_P2.html

It's not enuff that u think u know wat it is: "sleep paralysis" and that it's natural.

Wat causes it? - that's the question u didn't answer.
It's not about giving instances of who has had b/4.

@ BlackMamba

Guy, even the westerners know about these things. The fact that they don't fret over it like we do abround here does not mean they don't know such stuff exists.
Once upon a time, they were as superstitious as we are now, or even much more. 2day, majority of them are not, but these things are real - even in their land - regardless of who believes in them and who doesn't.

Freezy,
l could imagine and understand what u went 2ru.
I know many persons and authurs may want to define and explain it scientifically but the fact still remains the same that it is satanic and l think the only way out is to draw nearer to GOD and make prayers be the last thing u do b4 u sleep because so many things go on at night.we realy dont know the battle that goes on while we sleep.

Freezy,
l could imagine and understand what u went 2ru.
I know many persons and authurs may want to define and explain it scientifically but the fact still remains the same that it is satanic and l think the only way out is to draw nearer to GOD and make prayers be the last thing u do b4 u sleep because so many things go on at night.we realy dont know the battle that goes on while we sleep.

nanaboi:

It's not enough that u think u know what it is: "sleep paralysis" and that it's natural

What causes it? - that's the question u didn't answer.
It's not about giving instances of who has had b/4.

What's your point?

marvostica:

Freezy,
l could imagine and understand what u went 2ru.
I know many persons and authurs may want to define and explain it scientifically but the fact still remains the same that it is satanic

Is it now? And how would you know?

marvostica:

and l think the only way out is to draw nearer to GOD and make prayers be the last thing u do before u sleep because so many things go on at night.we realy don't know the battle that goes on while we sleep.

If anything, those prayers are going to increase the chance of going through these dreadful experiences. They strongly correlate with belief in the supernatural

It used to happen to me when I was younger, very scary. some people say it's demonic attack but I don't believe it at the sametime there's no scientific explanation for it.

rossy4life:

It used to happen to me when I was younger, very scary. some people say it's demonic attack but I don't believe it at the sametime there's no scientific explanation for it.

Yes there is a scientific explanation, the question is why don't you accept it?

nferyn
what are u trying to point out? That its normal or it has scientific explanation? For what l know is that something that can hypnotise u and make u feel powerless even with ur eyes open, u cant help urself but to strugle to come to out is something from the supernatural.

freezy is going through something which is not normal and prefer solutions or suggestions as to how to get the situation under control.
All u could do is keep qouting other persons suggestion and make contradiction.what is ur own explanation and what is ur own prefer solution? Since it is like normal to u with scientific reasons

nferyn:

Yes there is a scientific explanation, the question is why don't you accept it?

Sorry but your "scientific explanation" - according to your previous post especially - only tells us how it 'normally' happens, cites a few examples of those it happened to, advises one to move a finger/the eye or wateva; it fails completely to tell us why it happens - u get my point now?

It also fails to note that people are different and that one person's research could be jibberish as far as a different person's encounter is involved. U got that?

nanaboi:

Sorry but your "scientific explanation" - according to your previous post especially - only tells us how it 'normally' happens, cites a few examples of those it happened to, advises one to move a finger/the eye or whatever; it fails completely to tell us why it happens - u get my point now?

No I don't get your point. The sleep paralysis model is perfectly capable of explaining all the data thus far. Sleep paralysis is a specific kind of waking dream where you are in a state of semi-consciousness and incapable of moving your body.
As to why it happens, that's an open question that is definitely not going to be answered by postulating supernatural forces that don't have a shred of evidence in their favor.

nanaboi:

It also fails to note that people are different and that one person's research could be jibberish as far as a different person's encounter is involved. You got that?

1. How does it fail to note that people are different?
2. There are no encounters, except in the imagination of the person experiencing it. Those experiences can even be induced through direct neurological stimulation
3. The research is open to falsification, why don't you try to falsify it properly instead of glibly dismissing it out of hand

marvostica:

nferyn
what are u trying to point out? That its normal or it has scientific explanation? For what l know is that something that can hypnotise u and make u feel powerless even with your eyes open, u can't help yourself but to strugle to come to out is something from the supernatural.

No it isn't supernatural at all, it's a specific kind of dream that has a natural explanation.

marvostica:

freezy is going through something which is not normal and prefer solutions or suggestions as to how to get the situation under control.

1. It is normal, albeit only few people do experience it.
2. There is no solution for this problem (yet) only an explanation
3. He shouldn't be afraid of the experience, it's only a very vivid dream

marvostica:

All u could do is keep qouting other persons suggestion and make contradiction.what is your own explanation and what is your own prefer solution? Since it is like normal to u with scientific reasons

My suggestion is to take the experience for what it is, an extremely vivid waking dream, nothing more. No need to worry about anything.

Why do people insist on wallowing in superstition? It is a perfectly natural phenomena

All these explanation probably wont convince the minds of people set in associating sciences with every spiritual problems encountered by people. Truth is the devil is real, but fortunately, he was Defeated by Jesus Christ on the Cross. Always invoke the Name of Jesus Christ when you are being attacked, and the spirit, no matter how 'powerful' it is, would yield to the Name Above All Names, Jesus Christ.

yes there exist in the spirit world being that are called principalities ,powers spiritual wickedness in high plces ,demonic spirits this are heirling and messingers to satan itself they seek to kil stealand destroy whatever they are commanded to do by dia master .
do not be decieved they truly exist and have being known to revel in our ignorance that they are not in exixstence

I used to have those experiences. We Africans like to jump to the conclusion of "It's spiritual" without taking our time to study the phenonmenon.

I have taken a little time to observe mine. I noticed it happened more frequently while I was serving (NYSC) in Kebbi during the Hot season. Kebbi state can be extreamly hot. The sleep paralysis didnt occur through out the Rainy season and Harmattan. But I observed that the very second day when heat began to creep back to Kebbi in february, it happened again.

That was after my P.O.P. I just happened to be chillin around a while. But because of the sleep paralysis reoccurence, I packed all my stuff and left kebbi state two days later because I hate the experince.

Now, since I got back to Abuja, it has never happened to me again. The weather is much different from Kebbi here. Its much cooler.

Now I'm not trying to say, "Hey! Its caused by heat". But  this was my my own experience and observation.  It could be that the heat dehydrated my body  and it had some temporary body motor coordination issues as a result.

I believe you should be able to get more professional explanation or point of view on sleep Paralysis on the net.

At the same time this occurence could be tied to some paranormal activities in some peoples cases. I don't know about yours.

Though, We would naturally enter a state of fear/shock during and after such an experince even if it was merely a natural occurence, Dont just jump to the conclusion of spiritual attack. Try to do some research and also observe yourself. You could even observe other people who have it regularly (find a Guinea pig).

The same way we are jumping at the simplest explanation of "IT IS SPIRITUAL ATTACK", that is how our fore-fathers jumped to the conclusion then that twins were evil. "OF COUSE THEY WERE", they must have said, "HOW CAN TWO BABYS COME OUT OF ON PREGNANCY". The birth of a Superstition (An irrational Belief).

You have a convulsion, they say its spiritual attack.

You have a Migraine, they say its the evil spirits are at work.

You have a cold, they say its spiritual attack.

You sleep for long, they say its spiritual attack.

you go to poo, they say its spiritual attack.


I'm not denying that the devil and his cohorts are not at work causing havok, fear and confussion. They could as well have a hand in almost all mishaps.

But ask yourself, WHY DONT You THINK OF A CONVULSION AS A SPIRITUAL ATTACK? (How can a sain person just start jerking and stiffening and bringing out foam from their mouths with eyes almost poped out)

Cause we are aware of proven medical conditions and hereditary issues that cause it

[size=16pt]SLEEP PARALYSIS[/size]

Sleep paralysis is a condition characterized by temporary paralysis of the body shortly after waking up (known as hypnopompic paralysis) or, less often, shortly before falling asleep (known as hypnagogic paralysis).[1]

Physiologically, it is closely related to the paralysis that occurs as a natural part of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is known as REM atonia. Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain awakes from a REM state, but the bodily paralysis persists. This leaves the person fully aware, but unable to move. In addition, the state may be accompanied by hypnagogic hallucinations.

More often than not, sleep paralysis is believed by the person affected by it to be no more than a dream. This explains many dream recountings which describe the person lying frozen and unable to move. The hallucinatory element to sleep paralysis makes it even more likely that someone will interpret the experience as a dream, since completely fanciful, or dream-like, objects may appear in the room alongside one's normal vision.


Possible causes
Sleep paralysis occurs during REM sleep in order to prevent the body from manifesting movements made in the subject's dreams. Very little is known about the physiology of sleep paralysis. However, some have suggested that it may be linked to post-synaptic inhibition of motor neurons in the pons region of the brain. In particular, low levels of melatonin may stop the depolarization current in the nerves, which prevents the stimulation of the muscles, to prevent the body from enacting the dreamt activity (e.g. preventing a sleeper from flailing his legs when dreaming about running).

Many people who commonly enter sleep paralysis also suffer from narcolepsy. However, various studies suggest that many or most people will experience sleep paralysis at least once or twice in their lives.

Some reports read that various factors increase the likelihood of both paralysis and hallucinations. These include: [4]

Sleeping in a supine position (facing upwards)
Irregular sleeping schedules; naps, sleeping in, sleep deprivation
Increased stress
Sudden environmental/lifestyle changes
A lucid dream that immediately precedes the episode. Also conscious induction of sleep paralysis is a common technique to enter a state of lucid dreams, also known as WILD[1] .
Artificial sleeping aids, ADD medications and/or antihistamines
Recent use of hallucinogenic drugs

[size=16pt]Treatment[/size]
During paralysis episodes, patients may be advised to try moving the facial muscles and moving eyes from one side to the other. This may hasten the termination of the attack.



Copied from Wikipedia (Article: Sleep Paralysis)

I've never experienced that thing and i hope i never experience it.
I have dreams, but whether it is bad or good, i've never had to struggle to wake up.

I never intended 2 dismiss ur "sleep paralysis"
My intention is that u do not dismiss the mystery people associate it with on the basis of "superstition" simply because it does not fit into the confinement of ur "sleep paralysis" completely. Certain things happen that cannot wholly be classified as natural/physical/scientific phenomena

It can be induced
Hypnosis can be induced

But does that rule out the possibility of something mysterious being responsible 4 some cases of hyphonsis?
Unless u're of the opinion that there is no such thing as supernatural then I'll understand you better.

@nanaboi

If u read my first post u would see that I mentioned the fact that I'm not denying that spiritual influences cannot be involved in some people's sleep paralysis. The term sleep paralysis is not "SCIENTIFIC" in that sense. Its just the term used for that phenonmenon cos u feel paralized while half awake.

Read my first post well to get me right. My problem is that people are too fast to conclude "ITS SPIRITUAL!, ITS SPIRITUAL!!!! " without objectively putting in an effort to try to observe it or find out more

Crystal clear
Thanx a mill

Wham, at least, lets thank the white man for bringing us Christianity to destroy the traditional bondage that had oppressed us for so many years. Like the killing of twins, which was eradicated by Mary Slessor. Tell me, why would we still fault the white man for bringing in colonialism when we were in perpetual bondage?

@ topic

It is very real and let anybody explain it away, it is real o. Try this simple thing, when it happens the first time hold something either on your hand or against your chest. Just let something foreign have a contact with your body. That is the way it works for me. It wont repeat itself again. But more importantly pray TO GOD ALMIGHTY (if you believe Him), he has power over all.

@ scientific proofs
What do you say of someone who had this experience, struggled with someone who was cutting him and woke up to find deep cuts on his legs and arms. Science abi and sleep paralysis made the marks Or maybe he forgot blade and knife on his bed that made deep marks on specific areas of his body. Answer ooooo, scientifically