Love the art in this article, sleep paralysis is something that has deeply fascinated me for a long time. I have suffered from "hallucinatory" sleep paralysis sporatically... Normal sleep paralysis, may be a medical issue.. But what they call "hypnagogic" or "hallucinatory" sleep paralysis is something else entirely... the paralysis is induced by something malevolent and external. Even the medical field admits it seems to occur geographically and chronologically... to many people in a short period of time in one location. There are hotspots where it occurs more frequently, like the ring of fire and Mexico City... tends to be places with geothermal activity. Shared experiences are even documented by the medical field. Yet still they will tell you this cannot harm you, you are just imagining this very heavy presence choking the life out of you...Well it is easy for them to say, and I have no doubt that many people suffering from these attacks will try with all their might to believe it is only a hallucination in hopes they may find a way out of the very hard to accept reality behind this phenomena. Once the attacks begin there is a tendency for things to escalate, before you know it you are hearing things while wide awake...doorknobs jiggling, scratching on the walls, hisses in your hear, whispered mumblings... then things start coming up missing and displaced, you walk out of an empty room and shut the door only to hear a plate smash against the wall. The air seems to crackle and becomes dense, heavy and imposing...a presence that the mind seems to have a built in instinct to recognize, something that leaves absolutely zero doubt it is there bearing down on your very existence..but you think "ok it cant really hurt me though" until wind starts whipping around the living room and something you cant see beats the hell out of you with what seems like several sets of hands slapping and scratching you..

try tellin someone about it ; they just give you that look....and its like dont just give me that look, tell me im nuts PLEASE convince me im crazy.. that would be so much better than the alternative.

the article says ;

"You are aware of your surroundings but are unable to cry out. You may have visual or audible hallucinations. You could feel presence of an imagined malign intruder."

unfortunately i know it is not always imagined...

This has been going on since written language was new, in ancient babylon they believed the hag to be Lilith.. women never laid their children on their backs because the hag comes at night to feed on children who lay on their back (sleep paralysis usually occurs when lying on your back) Even today there is controversy on whether to lay your child on their back or stomach to prevent SIDS . No known cause for SIDS... but there are theories like fans making the air move too fast, or blankets too close to the face. In ancient times they had different theories... . They believed she would also mount men in their sleep, seduce and drain or even kill them (succubi) ..this is where the expression "you look hagridden" comes from.

In every culture, it exists...sure some would say its a deeply embedded component of our psyche or subconcious and thats why we see it in every culture. Sure, could be.

But this can kill you... and I believe it does kill people.

Take the Dab Tsog or Batibat for instance... and the rash of SUDS (Sudden unexpected death syndrome) among Cambodian refugees in the 60s or 70s... many of them c...