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January 5, 2006, 3:22 pm PST
Not possesssed... sleep paralysis
The woman who believes she is battling good and evil in her sleep, speaking in toungues and barking like a dog is experiencing a neurological phenomenon called "sleep paralysis." This is a peculiar brain state where the mind is partially conscious but the body is paralysed. There are stages within the normal sleep cycle when the bodied is immobilised. We are not aware of this since we are asleep, of course. However, some people partially awaken into a semi-conscious state and become aware of their lack of ability to move. In this state the mind is only partially conscious, and the confabulatory mechanisms of the dream state are still in force. So the paralysis may be recast as a physical struggle in the mind of the half-awake person. The specific form that the experience takes is dependant upon the imagery and conscepts available through that person's belief system.
I know this because I experienced this frequently during a period of my life when I was drinking heavily. (Alcohol interferes with sleep patterns--in particular surpressing REM sleep, when we dream and are paralysed.) I would partially awaken to perceive that my arms and legs were being manipulated by malevolent forces and that I was helpless to stop them. Or I would experience sharp, sting pains like wasp bites all over my scalp. When I fully awoke I could clearly understand that all of this had been a strange kind of waking dream and that no malevolent spirits had been at work.
There is another odd semi-conscious state in which one can learn to exert some control over events in a dream. This is known as "lucid dreaming", since you are aware that you are dreaming, but remain dreaming and asleep. In this state, I was able to turn dream events in what I thought a more favorable direction, but never was able to gain full control. Apparently others have had better success than I.
I eventually deduced that my sleep paralysis was due to the disruption in my normal sleep cycles from alcohol, and from sleeping on my back! That's all it was. It appeared that for some unknown reason, pressure on the back of my head and/or neck would often induce sleep paralysis. I learned to avoid sleeping on my back (and stopped drinking) and have had no more episodes. I kind of miss them, oddly enough.
I feel strongly that both Dr. Phil and Dr. Lawless missed the boat on this one. As an experiencer of sleep paralysis, I knew about thirty seconds into the segment what the problem was. Please tell this woman (and her husband) that she is not possessed or cursed, but is experiencing an unusual but well-understood neurological phenomenon. She should consult a neurologist to discuss this, and see what in her daily/nightly routine may be causing her to fall into this state. And she should also approach this from a psychological point of view. It wasn't true in my case--I don't think--but it may be that emotional problems can disrupt normal sleep rhythms and cause sleep paralysis. A good neurologist would know.
James M Shook
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