Sleep Paralysis or Evil Spirits?


clbent04
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1/8/19 - My wife and I feel asleep in separate bedrooms so it was just me sleeping in our master bedroom. I woke up around 3:40am. I was alone in the room except that when I woke up I immediately sensed an evil spirit. It was a negative feeling, and it was as if I could feel its presence in the air. The air all around me felt disturbed with a buzzing, not an audible buzzing but more of a 6th-sense, spiritual buzzing.

I kept my eyes closed out of fear of seeing something I didn’t want to see. I had one of these encounters before and what I saw the first time was pretty freaky. This time I was laying down with my left arm behind my head and my body slightly positioned on its left side where I was mostly laying on my back but slightly on my side as well facing towards the edge of the bed. With my eyes still closed, a few seconds later I noticed I couldn’t move. The spirit was somehow holding me in that position. I wasn’t in any pain, but I did feel bound by some force. I was still too unnerved to open my eyes because I felt this presence strongest right in front of me at the edge of the bed between the bed and the closet.

I laid there immobile for maybe a minute, and I thought I could wait this out, but then the idea came to me to try and grab whatever was in front of me with my left hand that was behind my head. I attempted to do so but as much as I tried moving my arm the more I realized how much I was being held motionless by this presence. Even trying to lift my head slightly to remove my arm from behind me was impossible. I exerted every effort I had several times but found it to be futile.

I then thought I had had enough at that point and was going to cast this evil presence out in the name of Jesus Christ and by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood. I tried to speak, but I could barely utter anything. I was only able to utter fragmented words that probably wouldn’t have been intelligible to anyone listening. I then tried a second time but not with much more success. Finally the third time I was able to somewhat break free from this grasp over me. I managed to sit up in bed, raised my right hand to the square, and spoke, “In the name of Jesus Christ and by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, I command all evil spirits to depart and I place you under lock and key until after the Millennial Reign." As soon as I finished saying this a third time in a clear manner, I felt the presence completely leave, and I regained full control of my faculties.

Worried other evil presences might be in other parts of the house, I went to check on our 2-year old daughter, and then went to check on my wife. Our daughter was fine, and when I checked on my wife I actually nudged her awake to make sure she was okay. She was unintentionally startled more than I intended (she was having a bad dream), but when she came to she said she was fine after regaining some of her senses. I went back to bed wondering what would have invited such a spirit. I rededicated myself to God a week ago to live more closely to Him, so I was thinking maybe that was it. If anything this experience brings me closer to God as the very real spiritual battle between good and evil was unfolded so clearly before me (I was going to say before my eyes, but I had them shut the entire time lol).

All these events I described were so real I'm convinced it's not just a case a sleep paralysis unrelated to anything spiritual. I'm sure a lot of people would dismiss this encounter as nothing more than an event of sleep paralysis as explained by the medical community, but not me. It was much more real for me. I felt a palpable, negative force all around me. From the many other similar encounters I have read this morning, it seems Satan and his followers are still busy as they ever have been.  I believe these other encounters I'm reading when they attribute this negative presence to something more than just hallucinating upon waking up.

Edited by clbent04
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In the last year or two, I've had half a dozen instances of waking up from a dream darn near paralyzed by terror.  But I could tell it was just a plain old emotional state - nothing external to me and my own brain juices.  You are describing something different.

I've heard so many stories similar to yours, from folks like you (mostly reasonable, no shortage of brain power, able to tell the difference between emotion and reason), that obviously there is something going on.  What that something is, I do not know.  But the numerous accounts are undismissable. 

 

Edited by NeuroTypical
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I have felt this before, but I find if I am not afraid and immediately act that the spirit is driven out and a sense of peace fills the void. Stand up to these thugs and don't fear them. Fear is their only power and when we act with confidence they are driven away. Men and women of God will always be supported by the Spirit of God when we need it.

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14 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

In the last year or two, I've had half a dozen instances of waking up from a dream darn near paralyzed by terror.  But I could tell it was just a plain old emotional state - nothing external to me and my own brain juices.  You are describing something different.

It is unnerving to realize you're temporarily paralyzed, but what has me convinced my experience was something more than that was before I realized I was paralyzed I immediately sensed a negative presence upon waking up.  So I couldn't have been stimulated to imagine a negative presence from being in a state of paralysis since I didn't realize I was paralyzed until after.

Edited by clbent04
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I've heard a lot of stories like this and I find them troubling.  There's a documentary on Netflix called "Nightmares" IIRC which goes into this sort of phenomenon.  It looks at it from both the spiritual side as well as the side that tries to dismiss it all as some sort of psychological or physiological phenomenon.  Mind you, the documentary is done to be scary and let me tell you, as much as I love horror movies and rarely find them scary, this show really terrified me.

We know evil spirits exist.  That leaves a lot of uncomfortable possibilities open.  I'm not saying I believe every single story of ghosts, demons or evil spirits.  I'm saying that while a lot of such stories can be debunked, many can't.  Those need to be accounted for and we're not very good at that.  

My wife and I often joke that most movies about demonic possession or haunted houses would be only 5 minutes long if they just called a couple of the Missionaries over.  I honestly believe that.  I think Priesthood authority is the most potent weapon we have against supernatural evil.  I really do.  

To @clbent04's post... I don't know that we necessarily have to do anything to invite these things into our home.  I think sometimes they're sent.  All we can do is try to keep our homes as spiritual as possible and be vigilant.  I'm sorry that happened to you, but I'm glad you were able to combat it.

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Some of the stories I've gathered, have nothing to do with waking up.  Some folks tell of going into a room or a house or somewhere, and they and others who are with them all feel the same sort of negative force/presence.   Like the opposite of something more of us recognize, which is feeling the spirit in a group (at the temple, during a particularly moving fireside, etc).

I've felt the spirit with others.  I've never had the opposite/negative experience.  But people keep showing up with stories.

Edited by NeuroTypical
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3 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

Some of the stories I've gathered, have nothing to do with waking up.  Some folks tell of going into a room or a house or somewhere, and they and others who are with them all feel the same sort of negative force/presence.   Like the opposite of something more of us recognize, which is feeling the spirit in a group (at the temple, during a particularly moving fireside, etc).

I've felt the spirit with others.  I've never had the opposite/negative experience.  But people keep showing up with stories.

I have, and it's no fun.  It's like something tickles that primal, lizard brain that tells you there's danger even though the scope's clear on all of your other senses.  You can't put your finger on it, but you know something's not right and the fight or flight reflex starts to boot up.

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I suffer from sleep paralysis.  In fact, a couple of weeks ago I had the worst bout of it I've ever had.  In all the times I have experienced it, I have never felt a presence in the room, although I have visually imagined them from time to time and believed they were there (usually a shadowy human figure) until I was able to snap out of the paralysis.  I have never kept my eyes closed, except when physically unable to open them.  When experiencing sleep paralysis, I feel like everything is moving in slow motion, especially me.  Anyway, sleep paralysis sucks, but I'm not sure how I would classify your experience.  That said, have you ever experienced sleep paralysis before?  Could it possibly be sleep paralysis + something else combined?

In my personal situation, I don't think Satan will send an evil spirit to directly attack me in a way that I would easily recognize it as an evil spirit anyway.  Why?  Because the idea that God may not exist has always been the only thing I could imagine as a rational alternative to the truthfulness of the Restored Gospel.  If Satan were to attack me directly in such a way that I could see and/or recognize him or one of the evil spirits who follow him, then it would have a net positive effect on my testimony and would reinforce the reality of the existence of God and the Devil.  That said, Lucifer was 'dumb' enough to get himself kicked out of heaven, so who knows?

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10 minutes ago, person0 said:

In my personal situation, I don't think Satan will send an evil spirit to directly attack me in a way that I would easily recognize it as an evil spirit anyway.  Why?  Because the idea that God may not exist has always been the only thing I could imagine as a rational alternative to the truthfulness of the Restored Gospel.  If Satan were to attack me directly in such a way that I could see and/or recognize him or one of the evil spirits who follow him, then it would have a net positive effect on my testimony and would reinforce the reality of the existence of God and the Devil.  That said, Lucifer was 'dumb' enough to get himself kicked out of heaven, so who knows?

I've thought about that too, though I sometimes wonder if maybe certain people would be especially vulnerable to that attack vector.  Here's what I mean...  

When I was a relatively new member, I went to my stake center to participate in viewing a satellite transmitted live video of the dedication of a new Temple.  We had to have active temple recommends to go, so I was really looking forward to the experience.  Sadly, something was wrong with the broadcast equipment, and as far as I know none of the remote sites were able to see anything.  All we saw was images of temples and heard hymns for like an hour.  Eventually, they gave up and we went home disappointed.  At the time, that really hit me in the faith.  I couldn't understand... if indeed this was Christ's true Church then how could something as important as participating remotely a Temple dedication be  thwarted by something a stupid as a technology glitch?  

I got over it, of course... but it makes me wonder.  What other things do we sometimes assume can't go wrong because it's Christ's Church?  What if some of us assume we're immune to attack by any evil spirit or demon?  Assuming that, and then discovering that such isn't necessarily the case can be a hit to the faith.  It may not cause us to lose faith in God, but we might decide that all this Mormon stuff is for the birds since a demon can still attack one in their own home, which may have been dedicated by a priesthood blessing, while wearing their garments even.

Edited by unixknight
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24 minutes ago, person0 said:

In my personal situation, I don't think Satan will send an evil spirit to directly attack me in a way that I would easily recognize it as an evil spirit anyway.  Why?  Because the idea that God may not exist has always been the only thing I could imagine as a rational alternative to the truthfulness of the Restored Gospel.  

For what it's worth, I came within 2 credit hours of a minor in philosophy, and the only thing I have to show for it, is a notion just like you presented. 

Rene Descartes: 'I think therefore I am'.  Everything else, from the existence of God to our ability to accurately perceive reality, is just sort of based on a deep-thinker-egghead version of "but I want it to be that way Mommy!"

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1 hour ago, unixknight said:

We know evil spirits exist.  That leaves a lot of uncomfortable possibilities open.  I'm not saying I believe every single story of ghosts, demons or evil spirits.  I'm saying that while a lot of such stories can be debunked, many can't.  Those need to be accounted for and we're not very good at that.  

I've had my own skepticism when I've read other people's accounts similar to mine. There's a need to be cautious with what to believe. It's hard to understand what it's like without experiencing it yourself. It's good to know there are others out there like yourself who have also experienced encounters with both bad and good spirits. It really helps you comprehend even if just at a glimpse the kind of peril someone like Joseph Smith experienced while first attempting to pray in the Sacred Grove.

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26 minutes ago, unixknight said:

What other things do we sometimes assume can't go wrong because it's Christ's Church?

I clearly understand your point, and I think there are many people who have disillusioned experiences like the one you had with the temple dedication; however, in my case I was suggesting that such an experience would serve as further evidence of the truth of the gospel.  Just want to make sure It didn't sound like I think that such a thing could actually never happen to me.  That said, I think there are far too many members of the Church with unrealistic expectations about what can or can't and what should or shouldn't be.  As evidence, just look no further than the many dissenting perspectives to the newly revealed and implemented changes to Church practices.

11 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

For what it's worth, I came within 2 credit hours of a minor in philosophy, and the only thing I have to show for it, is a notion just like you presented. 

Rene Descartes: 'I think therefore I am'.

Interestingly, I was my college philosophy teacher's favorite student in the one class I had with her.  I think the Restored Gospel lends itself to allow for greater philosophical thought than most other prominent faiths.  That can be for good or bad depending on the individual and how much they are willing to follow the Spirit, but I think it is accurate based on my life experience thus far.

I find that Descartes statement can be taken in a way that is more profound than what is gained from a first glance.  Considered in the light of the gospel, if 'I think therefore I am', when did I begin thinking?  I must have always thought; if I have always thought, then I must always have been.

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2 minutes ago, person0 said:

I clearly understand your point, and I think there are many people who have disillusioned experiences like the one you had with the temple dedication; however, in my case I was suggesting that such an experience would serve as further evidence of the truth of the gospel.  Just want to make sure It didn't sound like I think that such a thing could actually never happen to me.  That said, I think there are far too many members of the Church with unrealistic expectations about what can or can't and what should or shouldn't be.  As evidence, just look no further than the many dissenting perspectives to the newly revealed and implemented changes to Church practices.

Don't worry, you didn't give the wrong impression.  I know what you mean about an experience like that being evidence of the supernatural; but as I see it, it really isn't evidence of the Gospel per se. One could experience something like that and conclude that sure, maybe God exists but 'obviously' this ain't the right Church.  Or, more severely even, take it as evidence that Christianity in general is wrong and the person thus seeks answers elsewhere. 

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1 hour ago, person0 said:

I suffer from sleep paralysis.  In fact, a couple of weeks ago I had the worst bout of it I've ever had.  In all the times I have experienced it, I have never felt a presence in the room, although I have visually imagined them from time to time and believed they were there (usually a shadowy human figure) until I was able to snap out of the paralysis.  I have never kept my eyes closed, except when physically unable to open them.  When experiencing sleep paralysis, I feel like everything is moving in slow motion, especially me.  Anyway, sleep paralysis sucks, but I'm not sure how I would classify your experience.  That said, have you ever experienced sleep paralysis before?  Could it possibly be sleep paralysis + something else combined?

I've had sleep paralysis one other time in my life. Many of the events in that first episode were similar to my episode last night. As you described, I saw a shadowy figure, but when I saw it, it moved in a non-human like way. I remember being in a state of shock upon seeing that figure move the way it did. And I remember the room having a similar ominous presence for the duration I was paralyzed and saw the shadowy figure moving about.  I do have sleep apnea which is said to contribute to sleep paralysis. On top of that, I had to get up multiple times last night because our 2-year old kept screaming and crying for no apparent reason throughout the night (she pretty much always sleeps like a rock 10-hours straight). Lack of sleep is also said to cause sleep paralysis. 

1 hour ago, person0 said:

In my personal situation, I don't think Satan will send an evil spirit to directly attack me in a way that I would easily recognize it as an evil spirit anyway.  Why?  Because the idea that God may not exist has always been the only thing I could imagine as a rational alternative to the truthfulness of the Restored Gospel.  If Satan were to attack me directly in such a way that I could see and/or recognize him or one of the evil spirits who follow him, then it would have a net positive effect on my testimony and would reinforce the reality of the existence of God and the Devil.  That said, Lucifer was 'dumb' enough to get himself kicked out of heaven, so who knows?

Satan's presence, or his followers' presence, does reinforce not only the existence of spiritual evil, but God's existence. I don't know when or how or why evil spirits choose to make their presence known to others, but usually it seems to center around attacking those with righteous desires or taking advantage of the more feeble of spirits among us (at least from what I've read from accounts from other members within the church).

Edited by clbent04
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13 minutes ago, unixknight said:

One could experience something like that and conclude that sure, maybe God exists but 'obviously' this ain't the right Church.

I see where you're coming from, and yeah, different people will interpret different things from a supernatural experience depending on their religious world view.

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There is sleep paralysis and then there is something different that gets mistaken for it.

I think that many times there are Evil Spirits that attack us and what was described in the Original Post is an apt description of it.  These often are categorized as sleep paralysis when in reality, they are attacks upon us.

One event (of several) that to me convinced me that these are Evil Spirits and NOT just some medical idea comes from a story I will relate below.  I do not want to go into too much detail, but will cover it briefly.

There was a young man that I knew that kept on getting attacked in the manner described above.  He asked for me and another to give him a priesthood blessing to ward off these things.  I did so.  The attacks stopped and thus far, as far as I know, he has not been attacked again.

So I think that it is absolutely dealing with a darker side but something that can be kept away by the Power and Authority of the Lord through the Priesthood.

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10 hours ago, unixknight said:

Mind you, the documentary is done to be scary and let me tell you, as much as I love horror movies and rarely find them scary, this show really terrified

Try falling asleep while watching it to be awoken by a child asking for a drink.

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Concerning "The Nightmare", I tend to place some events in the strange but purely physiological world of sleep paralysis and others as another darker experience altogether.

I would not know what to make of the OPs experience. Does Satan imitate quirks of physiology?

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8 hours ago, Backroads said:

Concerning "The Nightmare", I tend to place some events in the strange but purely physiological world of sleep paralysis and others as another darker experience altogether.

I would not know what to make of the OPs experience. Does Satan imitate quirks of physiology?

I think, if my goal were to confuse humanity and lead them astray, that's a  tactic I might use.  If you can convince people that these things are purely psychological, it not only discourages them from seeking spiritual solutions, it also erodes their faith in the wisdom of their spiritual leaders entirely.  

I'm not suggesting that every case must be supernatural, or that psychology is wrong.  I just think we need to remain aware that it isn't always one or the other, and use the right tool for the job.

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5 minutes ago, mirkwood said:

I've never had sleep paralysis, but I have had some other "encounters" and they are dark and scary.  The priesthood is the perfect tool.

I haven't either that I remember clearly, though I think I may have when I was a kid.  

What I do remember clearly is two separate occasions as a small child encountering the "shadow people" that are frequently described in cases of sleep paralysis, but in both cases I was able to move and even got out of bed.  Maybe that's one of the reasons the Nightmare documentary really hit home for me.

The first time didn't frighten me until I was looking back on it in retrospect, but the second one did.  It was the first time in my life I remember feeling like I was truly in danger, from a threat that my mom and dad wouldn't be able to keep me safe from.

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On 1/8/2019 at 10:44 AM, NeuroTypical said:

Some of the stories I've gathered, have nothing to do with waking up.  Some folks tell of going into a room or a house or somewhere, and they and others who are with them all feel the same sort of negative force/presence.   Like the opposite of something more of us recognize, which is feeling the spirit in a group (at the temple, during a particularly moving fireside, etc).

I experienced that on my mission. My comp and I opened a new area for sisters. There was a small branch there were one of the Elders was Branch President. Our are was.the small town. Weekly or bi-weekly p-day we had to go to a neighboring town to get money out of a bank.  My comp and I both felt a darkness of some sort LIFT when we left the small town, and we felt it come upon us again when we re-entered it....we felt this every time!

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@clbent04 I have experienced sleep paralysis - not much but only once or twice in my lifetime when I have awoken from sleep.  But I also had an experience, maybe similar to yours and not unlike the boy Joseph Smith.  I was 13 years old (about the same age as Joseph) in the attitude of prayer before retiring for the night when I sensed a presents enter my room that I immediately identified as evil or unclean.  At this point of my life I always prayed vocally out loud.   Not only was I bound unable to move but I was also unable to speak.   While I was so held I saw a "darkness" engulfing my room and creating a discernible boundary between the darkness and the light (from a lamp by my bed) as the lamp light was not able to penetrate the darkness.  The darkness was gathering in the room and gradually limiting the lamp light like a fog rolling in.  When the darkness reached me; I could feel it and it so terrified me that I as certain that I would die.

I determined to pray to G-d in the name of Jesus Christ for deliverance.  As I began to pray the darkness began to withdraw from touching me.  I am currently giving a very brief and incomplete account of what happened but obviously I was delivered.  It was my first ever encounter with unclean spirits but not by any means my last.

I cannot speak to anyone else's experiences but I can speak clearly and distinctly to my own and that evil and unclean spirits do indeed exist and influence or attempt to influence our lives in many different ways and to different degrees - sometimes so subtle that we may not realize it at first - and at other with brazen obvious acts that would be unmistakable.

 

The Traveler

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