INTRODUCTION: THE TERRIFYING EFFECTS OF SLEEP PARALYSIS


“I never knew that this had a name or that others experienced it. Mine began at twenty; like so many others I couldn’t move, speak, or open my eyes (which felt heavy beyond description) and the first time it happened I felt as though something was in the room with me…”—Anonymous fan letter excerpt written by a sufferer of Sleep Paralysis to the alternative rock band Dredg, (<---Click there for information about the band) in the CD-slipcase for their album “El Cielo.”

Fuseli%20-%201802.jpgAll over the world, and for centuries, descriptions and explanations for the mysterious sensation of sleep paralysis have existed. This phenomenon has resonated within people who have experienced it throughout time and different places. I intend to examine how and why the experience of sleep paralysis resonates within people. Scientists have studied it and different cultures have deeply rooted oral and written traditions regarding it. The common thread that brings together the scientific studies and cross-cultural accounts of this phenomenon is the compelling feeling of terror that it evokes. Anyone who has experienced this sensation—including myself—can attest to this terrifying feeling. The sensation of sleep paralysis evokes feelings of intense fear and hallucinations because of the state of helplessness that is experienced upon awakening. Most people who have experienced this sensation have experienced an otherworldly presence that has been explained as being supernatural and even extraterrestrial in origin by numerous cultures.

The feeling of helplessness associated with sleep paralysis has been explained as being a “false awakening” because of the hazy state between wakefulness and dreaming that is experienced, and is implied by the aforementioned non-traditional explanations given for the subject. (See image above: The Nightmare, painting by Henry Fuseli, 1802 - Frankfurter Goethe-Museum, Frankfurt) It is this hazy state of consciousness which contributes significantly to the literary and artistic representations of this phenomenon as well. CLICK HERE for more information on this fascinating phenomenon.

The question I will address is in regards to the contrast in approaches between science and literature and art. Science seeks to quantify the unquantifiable at times, creating categories and even subcategories where none ever existed so as to justify the scientific method which mandates that everything must be understood physiologically first, in order for it to be justified as a legitimate human sensation or emotion. Literature and art, on the other hand, through the use of narrative, have exhibited a greater depth of understanding and resonance on this amorphous subject that stands in stark opposition to the scientific method that is used to quantify and categorize this phenomenon. I will examine what exactly makes people question what they think it means to be conscious through its representation in different world cultures, literature, personal accounts, and visual art, and contrast it with the scientific approach taken by others who have studied this phenomenon.


Read more:

  • INTRODUCTION: THE TERRIFYING EFFECTS OF SLEEP PARALYSIS
  • PART I: ORIGIN OF THE WORD NIGHTMARE
  • PART II: SCIENTIFIC DEFINTION OF SLEEP PARALYSIS
  • PART III: PERSONAL ACCOUNTS OF SLEEP PARALYSIS
  • PART IV: CULTURAL ACCOUNTS OF SLEEP PARALYSIS
  • PART V: THE "OLD HAG" TRADITION
  • PART VI: ALIEN ABDUCTIONS OR OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCES?
  • PART VII: LITERATURE & ART ASSOCIATED WITH SLEEP PARALYSIS
  • PART VIII: SUMMARY, LINKS, & SUGESTED READINGS
  • PART IX: ABOUT ME