Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Decide!

For discussion of secret combinations (political, economic, spiritual, religious, etc.) (Ether 8:18-25.)
Christopher Voss
Hi, I'm new.
Posts: 1

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Deci

Post by Christopher Voss »

I've had my fair share of experiences, but before I get into that I want to acknowledge the importance of closing certain doors and leaving other doors open. I will always leave bathroom doors open and always close any door to a room with a mirror in it. I will also refuse to sleep in a room with any mirror in it. I have my own reasons for this.

I had fallen away from the church and its principles during my teenage years. I lived in a situation where I was abused verbally and emotionally and not as frequently physically on a regular basis. I also felt as though I was ostracized in church during this time. I got involved in substance abuse during this time. It was a very dark time in my life and I was full of hate. The experience happened when I was cleaning up and dropping friends.

I was a couple weeks away from going to the MTC. I was dreaming but I thought I was awake. I turned over in bed and normally where there was a wall I saw this girl next to me in bed. She had been trying to talk me out of serving a mission and marrying her. In the dream the whole room was dark blue. I reach out my hand to touch her and as soon as I felt her skin immediately this overwhelming power seized me. I woke up and it felt like a giant hand was holding my entire body. As I tried to scream it immediately started to squeeze me. As I tried to struggle it only got stronger. I felt like I was going to be physically crushed and immediately started praying. After about 15 seconds or so of doing this I felt the grip release. I woke up my parents and asked for a blessing. After that I moved the bed out of my room and slept on the floor until I left.

Post mission I had an overwhelming amount of dreams where I would cast demons out of other people who were possessed. Many of those dreams involved casting them out of homes as well. I would always put my arm to the square. I would do this sometimes too while I was awake and getting ready to go to sleep if I felt a bad presence. I would have these dreams on almost a nightly basis for weeks on end and then for a few weeks or months, nothing of the sort. It would always come back. At first I was alarmed but I think I got pretty desensitized to it. Sometimes I would bring it up in conversations and others would tell me to get a priesthood blessing but I think my own pride stood in the way.

My strongest and most vivid experience happened earlier this year. I had been called to serve in the EQ presidency. I had been serving for two months or so. I remember waking up one night (I am a light sleeper and wake up at least 4-5 times a night) and immediately being spooked because someone was laying next to me in bed. I could feel them there. I closed my eyes and did my best to calm myself down because these things feed and grow stronger off of fear. I pretended that I was sleeping in hopes it would just pass and go away. That is when I physically felt a set of hands under my right side. I felt each finger. I could feel the pressure. I was wide awake. They lifted me up onto my left shoulder, like I was being rolled over. Then is when I felt a second set of hands grab my left shoulder and start pushing in the opposite direction. I again repeat that I physically felt the fingers and the pressure and part of the arms. It was like they were trying to push my shoulders together in front of me and my body was contorting. I kept cool and calm and would not feed into the fear. This all took place over the course of 20 seconds or so and was painful. They left and my body slumped down. I think they figure out I was awake. I don't know why exactly. I stayed calm and prayed and wouldn't let it bother me and went back to sleep without a problem. It the morning my back was very sore and I remembered what had happened. There wasn't a great fear or malicious evil involved. I don't quite know how to mark that one up. I told my presidency and received a blessing. I think I've only had one or maybe two dreams with possession and evil spirits involved since then.

Anyhow, I bought in to the whole sleep paralysis thing after my older sister who is anti-mormon told me about it when I shared my first experience. After that strong one though I know for a fact that was not SP. I have never felt myself being physically moved by an unseen force. I felt the fingers and the hands and the force and the pressure. It was real and I was awake.

I actually came across this site while doing some research on Alden Neil Barrett. Glad I did. I want to hand around and read up on some dream topics.

JohnGalt
Hi, I'm new.
Posts: 1

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Deci

Post by JohnGalt »

I have had this encounter probably a dozen times or so. I have had the opportunity to discuss these types of experiences with 2-3 other individuals that have had the same thing happen. Every person that has had this type of experience shares it with respect, because often times its the most dramatic thing that can happen to a person. At the time that I had these conversations, these individuals did not know what it was that happened to them, they believed they were attacked spiritually as far as they could tell. Over the years I have spent much time analyzing my experiences with this "sleep paralysis" and have come to a basic theory:

1. I don't believe its purely scientific nor do I believe it solely spiritual. There has to be a bridge somewhere for both of them to meet.
2. Sleep paralysis is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this experience; however, it does not explain everything.
3. I don't pretend to fully understand where science and religion bridge the gap.
4. I believe science is an eternal principle, heavenly father created science to begin with. Just because we can explain something, it doesn't make it any less spiritual or a miracle.

When I go into sleep paralysis I am awake, or so I think. It gets sticky here because it's difficult to fully discern where the subconscious takes over. When it comes over me, which is the only way to describe it with the language we are given, I feel a feeling like I have never felt before. Many describe it as a buzzing noise, but not for me. I experience vibrations to an abnormal level. I honestly can't compare it to anything earthly I have ever experienced. There is no way for me to properly describe the immensity of the feelings and sensations that are delivered through this experience. When I watch Star Trek and see people get warped from one place to the next, that is the sensation as I could accurately describe it from my limited scope. This is where the brilliance and magic ends.

When I go through the physical sensations I feel like I am sucked out of my body (very similar to many NDE's). The next thing I know I am being thrown evil impressions, images, thoughts one after the other. Picture some thing out of "Minority Report" or some other stupid Sci-fi where you are standing there and images are being thrown at you one after another like they are being shot out of a Machine gun. I know this sounds really cheesy but this is how it is. The impressions are so horrifying that I have to rely on the savior Jesus Christ to get me out of the dreams. I pray over and over again for him to deliver me because I feel like I am going to be damned. I don't have any type of redeeming moment here where I have this amazing spiritual expereince, I wish I could say that I have. At some point I usually am released from this torture. Every time I have this experience I have the evil impression assault, its terrifying. And of course its correlated with the paralyzed limbs and every thing else.

I don't known why I am attacked by these terrible impressions each time this happens. I am an active member of the church who keeps his covenants. When I think of my experience, I can't help but think of Josephs Smiths experience in the grove, Almas experience with his vision. Now understand that I feel very uncomfortable with the comparison because I am not a special person. All I am saying is that I believe that though there is a scientific explanation for this, I also believe that this is some type of spitirual portal. Some how both of these make sense, but not in a logical way. When I say spiritual portal, I am simply stating that those from the non physical world have access to us from this portal. That is my theory.

User avatar
AussieMac
captain of 10
Posts: 34

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Deci

Post by AussieMac »

One evening on my mission I awoke from my sleep I found that I could not move or speak. I was defiantly awake. I tried to fight what I could only describe as a dark weight over me. My mind was all over the place and it took all a lot of concentration to command this darkness to leave. As soon as I had said what I needed to the darkness left, I felt peace and feel back to sleep. The next thing I knew it was morning.

I could of discounted this experience as a weird dream or a chemical in balance in my head, but as I woke up I looked over to my companion at the time he looked at me and said "Did something happen to you last night?" He then recounted exact same experience that I had except that the darkness left all of the sudden. This must of been when I had commanded it to leave.

I have never had a experience like this since. If this experience did anything it strengthened my testimony. It taught me that there is a evil power out there, but the power of the priesthood can overcome it all.

User avatar
SkyBird
captain of 100
Posts: 975
Location: Utah County

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Deci

Post by SkyBird »

I have had three experiences with this... it is late and I will share them tomorrow.

User avatar
Aradel
captain of 50
Posts: 52

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Deci

Post by Aradel »

I have similar kind of experiences where I will wake up after having been asleep and see things coming through the wall, also have seen things flying towards me. I have woken to see a grey shadow in the shape of a man in a cloak over the top of me. I end up screaming and my heart is pounding. I generally end up sitting up with my husband reassuring me. It's certainly not a pleasant experience. :-\

User avatar
notjamesbond003.5
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1840
Location: Cary NC
Contact:

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Deci

Post by notjamesbond003.5 »

SkyBird wrote:I have had three experiences with this... it is late and I will share them tomorrow.
Hey now.
Tomorrow came and went.
Where art thou, Skybird ?
Somebody ping her.

Thank you,

njb

User avatar
Leejae
captain of 100
Posts: 135

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Deci

Post by Leejae »

lol.

User avatar
Etana
captain of 10
Posts: 28

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Deci

Post by Etana »

About 15 years ago, I woke up in the night to a hooded figure (a spirit but had the face of my husband) wearing all black, kneeling over me as he was choking me. I really thought it was my husband, and I was trying to scream, which woke my husband up-he was next to me in bed and could see me thrashing/fighting but couldn't see the hooded figure. The figure disappeared as my husband woke up and was trying to figure out what in the hell was going on. It hasn't happened since, but it always freaked me out even more that the spirit took on my husband's appearance.

User avatar
SkyBird
captain of 100
Posts: 975
Location: Utah County

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Deci

Post by SkyBird »

My Dreams and experiences of the Adversary

I was away from the earth looking down on it as a sphere and noticed a dark cloud covering the whole earth. I noticed mortals on the earth praying to God and I saw that all prayers had to penetrate this dark veil if they could. The prayers were as little shafts of light shooting upward hitting the dark cloud... the only ones I saw penetrating the dark cloud were the intense sincere prayers of a few (compared to the masses of people).

Those prayers that were penetrating the dark cloud were noticed by all those who were part of the 1/3 who choose not to follow Fathers Plan... they then organized in their efforts to cause fear to the ones seeking intense sincere pray and answers or directions in their lives. Their efforts to cause fear were successful in many cases and I wondered why prayers failed to penetrate the cloud of darkness and reach our Father in Heaven.

I saw that the prayers that penetrated the dark cloud exercised unconditional love to the adversary and his angles of darkness. I first thought this was weird to love the adversary unconditionally but I realized that when we do, he and his dark angles leave us immediately... they have no power over those filled with unconditional love... conditional love was another story. Satan does not care if we have conditional love... he know this will keep us from our greatest potential.

During this part of the dream, the words of the Savior came to me "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you." Ever since this experience I have never feared the Adversary.


My 1st experience with the adversary was when I was called on a mission (age 19) and had left my home and family in American Samoa to go to the Cardston Temple to take out my endowments for the first time. I was with my uncle in Utah, traveling to the Cardston Temple and we were staying in a motel waiting for the next day to attend the temple. I had mixed feelings that night about going to the temple and committing to wearing the garment (back then it was a one piece type). Most of my time in Samoa was with no shirt and a swim suit. The thought of wearing the garment all the time was a difficult commitment. That night before I went to bed, I wrote a letter to my mom and dad, sharing my feelings with them and the decision I was now making to not go to the temple and commit to the garment. When I look back I realize I probably could not have gone on a mission without going to the temple first. Anyway… I said good night to my uncle, knelt at my bed, said my prayers, sharing my feelings with my Father in Heaven and the decision I had made.

As I drifted off to sleep I dreamt I was back home in my bed and saw a dark figure in a hooded robe pass by the window of my bedroom. The next thing I remember; I was being choked and my physical body was held down to the bed. I could not move and tried to call my uncle for help, who was in another bed next to mine… I tried several time but my mouth was unable to speak… my tongue was tied down as well. I was terrified and afraid I was going to die. And then I got this thought, and I realized my brain was not tied down in any way. So I started to pray intently inside my brain to my Father in Heaven and to the Lord Jesus Christ. As soon as I mentioned the name of Jesus Christ, the dark spirit who had power over my physical body and mouth was released from my body. At this point I continued to pray and pray and pray until I fell peacefully asleep. There were many things I was told in my prayers that night that I will never forget.

Upon awaking in the morning I asked my uncle if he heard me calling out to him last night. He said he heard me mumbling something out but could not understand what I was saying. I did not tell him what had happened but I told him I was ready to go to the temple and take out my endowments. I told him that mom and dad had told me before I left that the garment would be a protection from the adversary… and I wanted that protection... especially after having that experience.

I learned there is a difference between being “held down” by the adversary and being “possessed.”

While living in Samoa, we had a Branch President’s wife who lived next to us that was possessed with an evil spirit for three days, and as a teenager I remember it taking several priesthood blessing and a community fast and prayer and another priesthood group blessing to finally cast the evil spirits away. I remember asking my mother what a person can do to “not” have that experience… I was told that the lips on her face would curl back like a mad dog and she would foam at the mouth. My mother told me that it is the “thoughts that we think” that allow the devil to possess our bodies. If we think thoughts of “doubt,” “fear,” “anger,” “hate,” “can’t do it thoughts” or any “negative thinking” we are preparing a foundation for the devil to take control.

She told me that the other side of this equation was to "think" thoughts of kindness and love for all of God's creatures great and small and if we did that we would have the Spirit of God with us. It is our thoughts that put us under one influence or the other... it is that simple.

It's late and I will share another couple of experiences later... sorry it took so long to get this out. By the way... I am a "he." lol

JohnnyL
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 9830

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Deci

Post by JohnnyL »

Charity overcometh all things, including dark spiritual encounters.

Lincoln Wolffe
Hi, I'm new.
Posts: 1

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Deci

Post by Lincoln Wolffe »

Yes, as you described, I also have experienced Sleep Paralysis. It is the forces of evil which we deal with on a daily basis. There is no reason to fear, for we must fight them even now, as we fought them before we arrived. Best wishes my friend.

zpedroza10
Hi, I'm new.
Posts: 1

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Decide!

Post by zpedroza10 »

Crazy!
Last edited by zpedroza10 on October 16th, 2017, 6:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Magus
captain of 100
Posts: 409

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Decide!

Post by Magus »

Librium wrote:***Disclaimer*** Im going to re-post this post with this statement... My intent and purpose for this post is to ask a question about a particular type of experience that I and many others have encountered. I dont pretend to be all knowledgeable about these types of things, and I dont fear discussing them on the basis of coming to a simple conclusion as to what it might be, or the meaning behind them. If these types of things make you uncomfortable, please back out of this thread and dont participate in it.

I was exhausted from a previous night of parties and late night fun. Not always being an active church member, I treated my body fairly poor. I decided to rest on the casting couch at the small locally run TV station I was working at at the time. I fell fast asleep....my exhausted mind quickly plunging deep into REM. It began as a typical dream. I was walking through the store watching people as they walked by. Suddenly 2 men looked at me and their eyes got very dark. One of them shoved his hand over my mouth so forcefully that it brought me to the ground. They both looked over me with their dark eyes as panic rushed through my body....and then I woke up. But the nightmare...had only begun. As I lay on the couch at the TV station (I was the only one there at the time), I felt a presence. Its dark and damning presence was strong and sure. It pressed on my chest and i was unable to move. My mind felt as if it were being scrambled as I fumbled for the words to rebuke a spirit. I felt my heart racing as a mix of panic and claustrophobia surged through me. And then the voices...I could not believe how audible they were. Whispering and even speaking near my ears. I was unable to look up at them because of the invisible restraint that had surrounded me. I would say, 2 or 3 distinct voices. They sounded as though they were in constant movement. One of them even said my name loudly in my ear. Some of it was just ramblings that I didnt understand. And much of it I understood clearly, but will not repeat it to this day as I felt it was meant to be a psychological attack on me. For what felt like longer, but I estimate to be about 1 to 1.5 minutes I received this barrage of vocal and physical torment. It was so mind numbingly terrifying, that I forgot to pray. Panic mode does that to a person. When my mind finally was able to make sense of the possibility that I was being attacked by something...not mortal....then I was able to pray for this thing to stop. Slowly I felt the pressure leave my chest, I could breath freely again. The voices stopped. It was quiet again and I was physically drained from the experience. Laying there on the couch, wanting to get up and leave that place before it returned. I finally felt I had enough strength to get up off the couch and moved my legs to the floor. However, when I looked at my legs they did not move. I sat there stunned, as looked at my legs resting up on the couch, yet I felt as if I were sitting up. Then, in what felt like a split second, I was moving into different areas of the TV station with a mere thought. I was momentarily aware of everything around me in 356 degrees. Not limited by mortal vision, but completely aware of what was behind me as if I was looking right at it. Yet I was also aware of what was in front at the same time. As fast as thought, my eyes would focus on anything in any direction. I again felt a feeling of panic come over me as this was not a normal feeling. I thought of my body that I saw lying on the couch in the studio, suddenly I was there, sitting as I was before. I instinctively laid back down and waited, I am guessing another 30 seconds to a minute. Its difficult to describe, but a slight tingling sensation filled my body. I finally wiggled my foot, and to my relief, my foot moved. I moved my legs from off the couch, stood up, and got out of there as fast as I could...forever pondering those brief moments of time.

NOW HERE"S THE QUESTION... Was this what my mind perceived it to be? A spiritual attack by some unknown, unseen force? OR, was it something that the medical and science world calls "Sleep Paralysis"? I have had other encounters that were similar, but none as terrifying as this one. And this was the only time I experienced the "out of body" experience. For years I believed that I was attacked. After all, I was not going to church, I was drinking and partying and abusing my body and mind, so it would seem perfectly logical that I would leave myself susceptible to attacks from the dark side. And further, since I have become strong in the church again, for many years...I have never had another experience since.

As time went on, I sort of lost the belief that I had been attacked by some sort of demon. I heard of many similar experiences like it, and they all had similar symptoms of this "Sleep Paralysis" episode. Even Wikipedia gives a very close description of what I felt. Check it out here...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. It made sense that I had sleep deprived myself to the point of triggering these hallucinations, and now that my life is in order and I sleep a more regular schedule...it doesn't happen anymore. Or is that really what it is? Before they stopped altogether, I had a blessing. And I have not always trusted the explanations of science. We hear of things like Alien abductions. Are people really being abducted by aliens? Or is this just sleep paralysis? Only the dreamers subconscious has attached an alien to their experience instead of a demon or ghost? That would make sense to for a non believer in religion or spirits to put something else of belief, like an extraterrestrial being, in place of that component that they don't believe. There are many of the same symptoms, and many experiences that I have read are very similar. Poking and prodding, dark scary eyes, feelings of being restrained, out of body experiences, missing time... its all there.

If you have had an experience like this, I would like to hear about it and your opinion as to what YOU think it is.
A certain level of sleep paralysis is part of the steps to achieving astral projection, which it seems you had. Astral projection can open you up to psychic entities or energies, good or bad. So it doesn't have to be an either/or question of sleep paralysis vs. demonic encounter. It can be both. Sleep paralysis, as a gateway toward astral projection, can theoretically leave you open to that kind of assault if you are unprepared.

User avatar
Hopefull
captain of 50
Posts: 84

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Decide!

Post by Hopefull »

Not sleep paralysis but I had an experience once when I know I was under attack by Satan. I was dreaming that I had come out of a mall and a man had asked for what I had. I shared some with him but he became angry, turned into something evil and attacked me. He wanted all of what I had. He hit me in the arm so forcefully that I felt it and it woke me instantly. I physically felt pain like I had been shocked on my arm. My first thought was remembering that I had cracked my kids windows open earlier, so I ran as fast as I could to shut them so that nothing could get in. As soon as I did that though I knew it was too late and they were already in my home. I ran back to my bed as evil spirits filled my room. I raised my hand to the square and commanded that they leave. I did it again in the name of Jesus Christ a little more forcefully and I watched as Stripling type warriors came into my home and forced them out of my house. They actually fought. They pushed the evil spirits out of my house and continued to fight in the back yard for a few moments until they were all gone. The next morning I could still feel the sore spot on my arm and asked my bishop for a blessing at church.

I hesitated to even read all of the posts on this thread, not wanting to encourage any more experiences in my own life. But as I thought of my experience, I realized that had someone not told me about raising my arm and casting satan out, I would never have known and possibly suffered more. I also realized that I am loved so much by my Father In Heaven that He would send an army to save me. That's a good thing. Satan can only win if we allow him to.

kennyhs
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1537

Re: Sleep Paralysis or Dark Spiritual Encounter.....You Deci

Post by kennyhs »

shadow wrote:
SmallFarm wrote: My dad had a similar experience when he was young except instead of a man made out of smoke he saw a man that looked kinda like bigfoot but covered in hair made out of silver tinsel.
That sure describes Mark, the tinsel gives it away :lol:
:)) :))

Image

Post Reply