Demonic Possession, Attacks and Sleep Paralysis

Can Someone Be Possessed By A Demon?

True reports about Old Hag Syndrome, ghosts, ghouls, and spirits are a recurring theme in day-to-day correspondence generated by my media exposure. From the incoming mail, it is clear that a surprising number of people claim to have had paranormal experiences, and many ask for help in dealing with malevolent spiritual forces. One widespread problem seems to be spirit attacks while people sleep. The sinister entity may grab the sleeper by the throat, sit on their chest, and in some instances sexually abuse them.

Could it be that a large sector of the population is under attack by demons? Certainly, some of the letters I have received show that this is happening: “I awoke one morning and realized that my body was completely paralyzed,” writes one reader. “I couldn’t move a muscle. Something was in the room and walked across the bed. I tried to scream but only a slight noise came from my throat. Whoever or whatever was in my room then disappeared. Unfortunately, I have been getting this horrible paralysis for about two months now. The last time it happened I managed to open my eyes but still could not move my body.”

Sleep Paralysis / Old Hag Syndrome

This person is probably suffering from what psychologists call “sleep paralysis.” Recent surveys suggest that it affects between 25 to 30 percent of the population. People also often report feeling a “presence” that is often described as malevolent, threatening, or evil. An intense sense of dread and terror is very common. Sometimes the “entity” may attack by strangling the sleeper and exerting crushing pressure on the chest. It is caused when the back of the brain comes to consciousness before the rest of the body “wakes up.” This is more likely to happen if you are over-tired. Doctors also recommend that it is best to sleep on your side and not on your back, as this can trigger the condition.

If you find yourself in the midst of a sleep-paralysis episode, you might try a traditional method for overcoming the paralysis by attempting to move your fingers or toes, or even your tongue. A number of people have suggested rapidly moving one’s eyes back and forth as a way of bringing a bout of SP to an end. As it is possible to have multiple episodes in a single night, it may help to get up briefly and move around after any such episode before trying to sleep again.

Surprisingly, though, is the consistency of such reports made by societies and cultures with no previous knowledge of each other or their lore. The main details remain constant.

A man or woman is attacked during the night, usually lying on their back, when an evil entity sits upon their body, causes paralysis, and even sometimes chokes or smothers it’s victim. Though their motivation may differ, (possession, revenge, or just wanting to upset the living) the attack remains strikingly similar.

And these stories are not limited to Western cultures, in fact, quite the contrary. In Thailand people refer to being Phi um (ghost covered) and phi kau (ghost possessed), and these experiences include a feeling of pressure, paralysis, and something black covering the body. In Japan, kanashibara (“to tie with an iron rope”) is a common known and accepted experience. In the Far North one speaks of agumangia (Inupik) or ukomiarik (Yupik) in which “a soul” tries to take possession of the paralyzed victim. In Laos, da chor is described as follows: “You want to listen, you can’t hear; you want to speak, you are dumb; you want to call out, you cannot; you feel you are dying, dying; you want to run away. You piss with fear in your sleep”

Scientific Studies

Recent theories claim that these sexual attacks are also the result of sleep paralysis. As we know from Freud, a great deal of dream content is of a sexual nature. Some psychologists claim that penile and clitoral erections in REM (dreaming) sleep demonstrates the validity of Freud’s insights about the primacy of sex. Also the asphyxiation that accompanies this syndrome may also cause sexual excitement. It is conceivable that many of the sexual attacks these people describe may be simply a vivid waking nightmare with a sexual undertone that occurs during a bout of sleep paralysis. Similarly, psychologists have explained that sleep paralysis may be at the root of cases of people who believe that they have been abducted by aliens. Often such claims begin with a report of someone waking up, terrified, feeling a presence, unable to move, may include sexual “experiments,” and often include waking-dream type hallucinations.

A good night’s sleep is essential for a healthy body, mind, and soul. Many of our troubles arise because of over-tiredness that in turn creates emotional vulnerability and intellectual weakness.  The most common cause of a bad night’s sleep and nightmares is mental over-stimulation before bedtime.

Real Attacks and Demonic Possession

There are cases in my files of people who appear to have undergone paranormal attacks as they slept. A prison inmate, for example, wrote, “The last time it happened, I was tossing and turning and trying to get to sleep when a strange dark power pulled me off the bed and pushed me against the wall. My cellmate screamed when he saw what was happening.” Similarly, an old woman relayed, “I am terrified at night as I believe that I am being menaced by a ghost or spirit. If I awake during the night, I see what I would call “smoke” in my room. One night my husband and I saw the harrowing sight of my bedclothes being slowly pulled off the bed. But the last straw was when I felt “it” move to the side of the bed and poke me hard in the arm. I prayed out loud but it wouldn’t go away.”

Real Demon Stories

Other case files are reports of people who have been attacked by these malevolent spirits and display mild to severe bruises and bite marks, many of them in places where they could not be self-inflicted. Some researchers have noted that women occasionally have torn vaginal tissue after an alleged attack by an incubus. And how can science explain the many cases of spirit attack that are witnessed by others or happen to two people simultaneously? Clearly science has not completely explained these phenomenon.

My advice to you, should you experience an attack by a malevolent spirit, is to first consult your doctor and ask about treatment for the common complaint of sleep paralysis.