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Khyron

11.21.07

:: Sleep Paralysis ::

Yes! Finally! After a solid two years of commenting on paranormal current events, something out of the normal has finally happened to me. I can now officially say that I have experienced the phenomenon of sleep paralysis.

Sleep paralysis may not be the most serious of paranormal events--nor is it even really 'paranormal' in the true sense of the word--but damn if I'm not going to talk about it anyway. You know all of those stories about people waking up suddenly only to find that they are unable to move? Well I can tell you now from experience that it is by no means a pleasant experience.

I didn't see any little grey men or old hags, but it was frightening nonetheless. And the more I think of it, the more I feel this may just have been something supernatural...

First things first, I think it's best I describe what it was that happened to me. To do this, I'm going to put it in the format I'm most comfortable with: Coast to Coast AM open lines call.

George Noory: First-time caller line, you're on the air.

I'm Khyron from Minnesota. Love the show.

GN: Thank you. What's on your mind?

Well, the other night I had a sleep paralysis experience.

GN: Go on.

*Clears throat* Ok, here goes...

I woke up abruptly in the early morning hours. Can't be certain, but considering I feel asleep around 5 AM, I'd say it would have been shortly after that. But anyway, it wasn't like a normal awakening. No, this one was more violent--like a sudden realization of consciousness. Suffice it to say, I was a little confused. I knew I was awake, but was left wondering the why and how. Rather groggy, I blinked rapidly in a futile attempt to shake the sleep from my eyes. It was then that my heart nearly jumped. After an unsuccessful attempt to roll over into a more comfortable position, I was horrified to find that I was unable to move. Total sleep paralysis. As a response, my heart began to beat so fast that I felt I was going to have a heart attack.

But that's when things got even weirder. I can only describe it as some kind of hallucination, but it felt like someone was climbing up onto the foot of my bed. The mattress was depressed in so much that it felt like I was starting to roll towards the indent. I knew this was impossible--as the foot of my bed is blocked by a computer desk--but I could nonetheless feel the presence of something there. But then, without any warning or conscious effort on my part, I fell instantly back to sleep. I woke up the next morning with the memory of the night prior immediately dominating my thoughts. Obviously I was more than a little perplexed.

GN: Fascinating...

In all seriousness now, I was at first at a loss at what to call my little experience. The first thing that popped into my head was night terrors, as the ordeal was nothing less than terrifying. But after loading up the ever useful Wikipedia, I'm thinking now that it was most likely an episode of sleep paralysis. Here's the difference:

Night terrors are described as the state of being unable to fully regain consciousness after waking up. It's typically characterized by screaming, moaning, or gasping as you awake. Doesn't quite sound like what I experienced. Sleep paralysis, on the other hand, involves total body paralysis after awakening shortly after falling asleep and may often times be accompanied by some form of hypnagogic hallucination. Hm...I'd say that nails it pretty much dead-on.

Now that I was confident that it was indeed sleep paralysis that I went through, my attention turned to why it happened. I've never had any other sleeping disorders in the past (as far as I know, at least), so was concerned that this may be the sign of something more serious. According to Wikipedia, these are the most common causes of sleep paralysis:

~Irregular sleeping schedules. Well, let's see...I usually fall asleep anywhere between 4 AM and 6, then awake any time after 2 PM so long as I don't have work. I'd reckon that would qualify as 'irregular'.

~Increased stress. I have been shouting, "Serenity now!" a lot more lately.

~Sleeping in an upwards supine position. Oddly enough, I was in fact sleeping supine style that night. I rarely if ever do, but for some reason it just felt good that night.

Considering these causes, I can't say that I'm all that shocked that I had some sleep paralysis. Though of course the paranormal researcher in me started to point towards a more ethereal explanation. Often times sleep paralysis is reported in conjunction with two paranormal phenomena: alien abduction and sightings of the mysterious Old Hag. I'm nowhere near lucky enough to have been abducted by aliens, but the prospect of possibly being visited by the Old Hag had me freaked right the frak out. Not only is she often times noted as a harbinger of death and disease, but the thought of an old crone standing over me as I sleep is unsettling to say the least.

Also worth noting, though probably just coincidental, is that before going to sleep, I gave myself a little scare related to daemons. You see, after I was returning to my bedroom after getting a sip of water, the thought just randomly popped into my head that it would be really freaky if I were to open my door to find a daemon sitting in my computer chair. I'm not quite sure why the thought popped in like that, but even after I made sure my chair was indeed empty, I couldn't shake the sense of fright and dread that I unnecessarily put upon myself.

So is Khyron being haunted by a daemonic spirit? Maybe. I'd say the scientific explanation of sleep paralysis brought on by irregular sleeping habits and an overactive imagination is the most logical one, but still the thought lingers in the back of my mind that what I experienced was the work of the paranormal. In any case, I've developed a newfound appreciation for a good night's sleep.


:: Dead End ::

Well, that's all for this week. I trust you enjoyed your trip into this shadowy nether-realm known only as the K-Files.

For the latest updates on the world of Khyron, bookmark http://www.khyron.net/. With content updated regularly, you're sure to find your fix for all things entertaining and paranormal. As always, feel free to send any questions/comments/suggestions to KFiles@khyron.net.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next  K-Files, arriving sometime next week. Later.

~Khyron, 2007.


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