Robert Todd Carroll
SkepDic.com
Click to order from Amazon
Sleeping with the Light On - the paranormal in Iceland |
 |
sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis is a condition that occurs in the state just before dropping off to sleep (the hypnagogic state) or just before fully
awakening from sleep (the
hypnopompic state). The condition is characterized by being unable to
move or speak. It is often associated with a feeling that there is some
sort of presence, a feeling which often arouses fear but is also
accompanied by an inability to cry out. The paralysis may last only a few
seconds. The experience may involve visual, auditory, or tactile
hallucinations. The description of the symptoms of sleep paralysis is similar to the description many alien abductees give
in recounting their abduction experiences. Sleep paralysis is thought by some to account for
not only many alien abduction delusions, but also
ghost sightings and delusions
involving paranormal or supernatural experiences
(e.g., incubus and succubus).
Sleep paralysis is something many people experience once or twice in a
lifetime but it is a frequent occurrence of those suffering from
narcolepsy.
further reading
reader comments
Dement, William C. The Promise of Sleep: A Pioneer in Sleep Medicine
Explores the Vital Connection Between Health, Happiness, and a Good Night's
Sleep (Dell Books, 2000).
Hufford, David J. The Terror That Comes in the Night: An
Experience-Centered Study of Supernatural Assault Traditions (University
of Pennsylvania Press, 1989).
|
|
philosophical skepticism