Scientific vs Spiritual Explanations for Sleep Paralysis
At the beginning of the 20th-century Sleep Paralysis was categorized as a psychological disorder. At this time psychoanalytical theories rejected the supernatural and mysticism and claimed that paranormal explanations were lies and should not be believed. Books were written to support this perspective and eminent academic professors and philosophers agreed with the claim that supernatural explanations should be rejected.
Historical texts show us that the supernatural claims were linked to ignorant and barbarous nations. Only ethnic cultures who were deemed as being uncivilized believed such lies, and those who were civilized would never agree with the supernatural argument, lest, they too were seen as barbarous and rejected by society.
In fact, the President of the International Psychoanalytical Association back in the 1920s and ’30s presented a very strong case for the psychoanalytic theory of sleep paralysis stating that the nightmare was a form of Angst (anxiety) attack. And that this Angst attack was due to intense mental conflict, centering around a repressed component of the psychosexual instinct.
Dr David Hufford who has written and spoken at length about experiences of sleep paralysis and other extraordinary spiritual experiences, explains that the suppression of the sleep paralysis experience, where people do not discuss them and are afraid to talk about them in public is due to this history of spiritual experiences in Europe and America, which was based on naive, nonrational misunderstandings, that unfortunately continues to permeate many societies today. Hufford states that when he asks a subject who has experienced sleep paralysis or another form of spiritual encounter why have they never told anyone about it before, the answer is generally that ‘I didn't want people to think I was crazy.’
The same answer comes in connection with other mystical experiences such as the near-death experience, visitations by deceased loved ones, hearing and seeing non-physical images and so on. This has led to a gross under‑reporting of sleep paralysis and other spiritual engagements. People will not discuss them due to the stigma and bias that continues today.
Today, sleep paralysis is often attributed to different psychosis states like schizophrenia, epilepsy, migraine, and other toxic conditions. Misdiagnosis takes place, and the condition is not being seen as spiritual in nature.
What we have now is confusion and continued efforts to reduce and dismiss the direct spiritual explanation of sleep paralysis which has impacted patient care.
In contrast to the spiritual view of these experiences, neurologists refer to the sleep paralysis experience as being hallucinatory, taking place within the Hypnopompic, and Hypnagogic sleep states. That is, just before you fall asleep and just when you're waking up. Neurologists suggest that it is due to these two sleep states that sleep paralysis exists.
We know that the body creates a self paralysis mechanism when you sleep, to stop you from acting out your dreams and with all of these features combined, neurologists insist that this creates the sleep paralysis experiences.
They go further by stating that the feeling of being crushed during sleep paralysis is part of the REM (Rapid Eye Movement ) sleep stage. REM sleep refers to the deep sleep state that we all experience. And that the images that one sees are whilst they are asleep are hallucinatory images conjured up by some kind of dream.
Neurologists suggest that these experiences are cognitive dysfunctions, that are determined by one's cultural experiences and beliefs.
The question that I would ask is:
Why does each person experience the same hallucination regardless of their cultural background or belief?
Millions of people from different cultures and backgrounds across the world are experiencing the same thing - seeing and feeling the same thing. Neurologists argue that the roots of sleep paralysis are neurological within the brain. It's also being referred to as an anomaly with one’s REM sleep.
The neurological argument does have some merit, in that we each experience specific physiological features such as bodily paralysis as we sleep, yet, the spiritual argument cannot be dismissed either, as we each experience the same images and sensations. This adds weight to the spiritual argument.
What is also interesting is that one scientist has conclusively demonstrated that meditation is a highly potent treatment for anyone who experiences sleep paralysis. And as we know meditation is one of the tools of the spiritual student. It will be interesting to see how this develops in future years.
Lots of food for thought.
May you have a wonderful week.
xSheila.
Don’t forget that I’m doing a Q and A at the end of the month, so post any questions that you may have as a comment or email me at info@sheilapryebrooks.com.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Great read I too have had this happen since I was younger and it freaked me out. Glad to hear that you and others believe it is something else.
Are you familiar with Rabbi Ariel Tzadok? He is a Kabbalistic Rabbi who traces these episodes back to Talmudic and Hebrew bible literature and is well worth talking to. His book, Aliens, Angels, and Demons touches on the subject and references Wayne LaPorte's work. You can find him at www.koshertorah.com I am a student of his and have my own conclusions I'm willing to share with you if you want them. I do believe that they are supernatural and not biological. As someone who has had sleep paralysis off and on and since a teenager (I'm 60 now and still get them), I am fortunately spared of the truly terrifying figures that appear to a lot of people and most seem to be more like astral projection these days.