Saturday, October 31, 2009

Paranormal Explained

Because today is Halloween, I felt it was only fitting that my topic be Halloween related.

Huz told me of a phenomenon where a person who is sleeping awakes to find themselves paralyzed. Huz says that he's experienced it before. Chinese people believe that, when that occurs, you have been possessed by a ghost or a ghost is sitting on your chest. Freaky, right? I had never experienced that before until a couple years ago. I was in bed alone, and Huz had already left for work. Then I saw a figure enter the room. I thought it was Huz and wanted to call his name, but I couldn't. The figure just stood there. I tried really hard to move but couldn't either. While this was happening, I realized that the figure couldn't have been Huz because he had already left for work. Later I woke up and was kinda freaked out. I totally forgot about it until I read this article.

The article provides medical explanations about certain purported paranormal experiences. What I experienced is called sleep paralysis, which occurs when there’s a disconnect between mind and body while people are going in or coming out of REM sleep. You can't move because you're really asleep. That doesn't seem very scary at all.

The article also explained this other weird thing that happened to Huz. We stayed at a cabin in the middle of nowhere one time. Don't ask me why. It was a terrible idea. Anyway, Huz wakes up in the middle of the night and really has to pee. The only bathroom is downstairs. He walks down and passes the living room. There he sees a little girl reading a book. (Mysterious little girls are always creepy!) He looks again, and the girl disappears. He of course thinks it must have been his imagination, so he continues to the bathroom. On his way back up the stairs, he hears voices. At this point, he bolts up the stairs and back to our room.

Huz actually kept that story quiet the entire trip. He knew I would probably want to leave immediately if he told me. Smart man. He told my friend and me the story right when we got into the car to go back home. However, my friend had a perfectly good explanation for the voices. She said that two other people on vacation with us had stayed up all night talking. Oooohhh! Haha!

But what about that little girl in the living room. According to the article, people who are tired are more susceptible to these visions. It’s a trick of the eye that may trigger a momentary welling up of a mental image. Makes sense, I suppose.

So really...there's nothing scary here. You're welcome.

5 comments:

Laura said...

Wait so the story about you seeing a figure is real!? LOL I thought you were going to start telling a crazy story then say jk!

Freaaakkyyy

Tara said...

It was freaky! I was paralyzed for what felt like a few minutes. The scary part was also when I realized Huz couldn't have been standing there.

While I was writing the post, I was freaking myself out, talking about ghosts and all. I'm such a baby!!

Vanessa said...

Ooo, I had some strange incidents like that and I would just brush it off, that it's related to the whole "sleep paralysis" phenomenon. But that doesn't explain why it only happens to me in certain houses. Hmm.. scary...

Anonymous said...

I've had the exact same thing happen, and it creeps me out so badly. Hence my need to have a light where I sleep. Poor Army Boy having to deal with me and my neuroses.

Tara said...

I'm lucky that was the only time I've experienced it. It was not fun.

I sometimes leave the light turned on too! When I am staying at hotels by myself.