Shadow People – The dark figures after waking from a dream

I first heard this term a month ago, after talking to some friends about my odd experiences after waking up from dreams in a paralyzed state (this is known as Sleep paralysis). Over time the experiences have got more real and more intense. Here are my experiences:

1) When I was about 22, I stayed at a house where I felt very unconformable. I woke up in a paralyzed state, feeling the presence of two figures all over me. I felt they are abusing me.

2) When I was about 26 and 27 (when I started to get into inducing lucid dreams, and as a consequence started having many lucid dreams). I woke up in a paralyzed state about 5 different times over a year period, to see a tall humanoid dark figure standing at a door way (sometimes it was my bed room door, other times it was a doorway that was not really there). I knew I was awake and in bed and couldn’t help my self from yelling at this figure. However I didn’t feel threated. My girlfriend also woke up to my yelling, some of these nights.

3) When I was 29 I had my most threating and scary experience (I’ve never felt so scared). That night I was dreaming about M-theory (string theory). In this dream I got the feeling I was on to something big (maybe the answer to universe/multi-verse?). Anyway, during the dream I was showing a friend these invisible strings. We were following these invisible strings (I could see them, as it bent the light), when the invisible strings started to wrap around me and constrict me (like a snake). It was then I woke up to a short (about 1 meter tall) humanoid figure right next to my bed (only half a meter from my face), it appear to be wearing a hood and was looking right at me (and I was looking straight back at it). My heart was racing and my breathing was extremely heavy (I’ve never been so scared or felt so threated). The figure then started to move towards me, and I saw, what appeared to be an arm/hand moving in a stabbing motion at my chest. I was trying to yell at it but was too scared, I know I was also trying to wake up my girlfriend (via yelling). When I snapped out of my paralyzed state, I woke up my girlfriend to tell her about the dream and the figure (which I now know to be a “Shadow Person”). While I was telling her the story, I could still feel/see a moving shadow (no clear figure) back and forth in the corner of my ceiling, and was asking her if she could see that – she couldn’t see anything. Another odd thing, was as I was telling the story, my father was in the spare room and woke up and started walking about the house. When I told him in the morning about what happened, I asked “why did you get up?”. He said he didn’t feel right and just felt he needed to get up and walk around. How bloody strange!

Experience (3), was so strange and scary it made me re-think my experimenting with lucid dreams. I don’t know what I’m dealing with, and that small shadow person made me feel like I was tapping into something I shouldn’t. Who knows, but the last thing I would want, is to learn something my human mind can’t handle, and as a consequence, my mind crashes (like a computer, like “Snow Crash”).

So this begs the questions: “What are Shadow People?”, “If they are real, why do they exist? why during sleep paralysis? why a humanoid figure?”, “Can I be hurt?”. Since learning the name of these phenomena, and realizing they have been witness by other people, and recorded for centuries.

I’m not religious, but I’m very opened minded. And through my research of robots, the human mind and the universe/multi-verse. I know there is more to this multi-verse, than meets the eye. Hopefully one day science will understand more on this phenomena, but until then I have the following theories:

1) A very good mind trick (from a dream like state appearing in my awaken state, aka Hypnagogic hallucination).
2) A being from another dimension (or parallel universe), and when they cross into our dimension (or universe), they appear as dark shadow’s. Steven Hawking has talked about this and its connection to dark matter – watch the youtube video.

While theory (1) is well documented, the feeling I got and how it happened, makes me think there is more to this than “hallucination”. It felt so real, not like a figure in my dreams at all. So: Why did I feel threated? Why was it looking at me? Why did it come at me? Why did it happen during a dream about M-theory?, and why did my father wake up?

Anyway, I may never know why these figures exist or not. But I do know it was the most strangest experience I’ve never had. The mind and the multi-verse is one amazing place and the more I practice and learn about lucid dreaming and our multi-verse, the more I feel connected to the reasons why this world exists, and what we maybe required to understand, in order to develop a human-like robot/brain.

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75 Responses to Shadow People – The dark figures after waking from a dream

  1. Macia Dreams says:

    It’s common to see a “shadow figure” during sleep paralysis.

    There’s a theory that this is related to tonic immobility in prey animals – when a prey animal appears to be dead after it is grabbed by a predator.

    Sleep paralysis usually happens when you are lying from your back, just as a prey animal would be held down on its back if it had been grabbed by a predator.

    The “evil presence” is your mind’s image of a large predator that wants to eat you.

    During sleep paralysis, people often dream that someone is crushing them and keeping them from breathing. Your breathing does slow down during REM sleep, and during sleep paralysis, you can interpret this as someone/something suffocating you. Once again, this relates to the idea of being attacked by a predator.

    Sleep paralysis can be brought on by stress/lack of sleep.

    Does any of your work/studies have to do with string theory?

    Since you dreamed of M-theory, and even that the strings were turning into snakes, maybe you are taking work home with you too often.

    • Jason James says:

      At last!!! I am not the only. My experience happened when i was alot younger. I am 30 years of age but the dark figures i had seen were so much clearer. But the strange thing is i could not see anything else other than black. but the outline was so clear. Always 2 i could see. But the 3rd stood by the door. This always happened when i stayed at my grandparents. The two would be really close to me making rapid breathing sounds. I have had no explanation then it being just a dream. But how can this be when i am so awake with fear!!! which is why it can be explained as sleep paralysis……..I do not think so! its because i was petrified. Hence the explanation of predator over prey. I need an explanation!!! i need an answer!!! Please if anyone else has seen these figures please get back to me. jason.james80@live.co.uk Many thanks

    • Corvu says:

      Ok , YOU ALL NEED TO UINDERSTAND THAT SHADOW PEOPLE FEED ON YOUR FEAR, ONLY WAY 2 WIN IS BEAT THE WITH COURAGE, USE UR INNER LIGHT.

  2. Luke Cole says:

    Very good logical explanation. I love your prey tonic immobility idea, very interesting connection. Every time I’ve had sleep paralysis, I’ve woken up on my back (interesting). FYI, the strings didn’t turn into snakes, I was just using that as an example of our these invisible strings were constricting me. I’ve updated the post to try and reflect this.

    My work (see http://www.lukecole.name) is robotics based (and yes I work to much, but in all my interest areas – not just robotics). But I love learning about the universe, so I often read/watch info on it – but when I had that dream, I have not read/watched anything on M-theory in a month or two.

    I’m rather sure I was not stressed that night, nor in lack of sleep. But subconsciously I may have been.

    Any ideas, why these shadow figures are a human figure. Maybe for humans, our biggest predator are humans?

    I did feel like someone/something was suffocating me.

    Assuming it was a prey reaction. Shouldn’t the mind snap me out of sleep paralysis asap, so I can defend myself?

  3. Amanda says:

    That’s an interesting idea put forward there, Macia. Very much from the roots of evolutionary psychology.

    Could you provide a link or reference to some material on the topic please?

  4. Ron says:

    Phil Imbrogno has written a couple of books in this area (ufos, shadow people, the “djinn”, et al). There are others.

    Have fun.

    Interdimensional Universe: The New Science of UFOs, Paranormal Phenomena and Otherdimensional Beings
    http://www.amazon.com/Interdimensional-Universe-Paranormal-Phenomena-Otherdimensional/dp/0738713473/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279653821&sr=1-1

    Ultraterrestrial Contact: A Paranormal Investigator’s Explorations into the Hidden Abduction Epidemic
    http://www.amazon.com/Ultraterrestrial-Contact-Paranormal-Investigators-Explorations/dp/0738719595/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3TX57JVVFEMWK&colid=38V5Z63AS4B01

  5. Ron says:

    I should have mentioned Imbrognos’s co-author on a book about the Djinn, Rosemary Ellen Guiley. Her web site is:

    http://www.visionaryliving.com/

  6. Luke Cole says:

    Marcia said (via email), after a request for a reference on the Prey idea:

    “Here is some more information from our website:
    http://www.meaningofdreams.org/lucid_dreaming/sleepparalysis.htm
    You can scroll down to the section on “Sleep Paralysis and Paralysis in Prey Animals”.”

    However that pages still doesn’t have any primary source references, so at this point I’ll have to take the benefit of the doubt.

  7. Michelle says:

    Some people pretend that they are hallucinations due to sleep paralysis. That is not true. There are reports of people who have seen Shadow People when they were awake and there are witnesses. Google it and do research. They are real, evil and they want us dead. I’ve been attacked countless times by Shadow People who sucked the lifeforce out of me, tried to steal my soul or tried to force me to go to the other world with them. I fought them with my mind and I’m lucky to be alive. Hallucinations can’t drain your lifeforce and try to take you to the other world. They’re evil spirits…

    • Jason James says:

      Quick question. Ever had the feeling of been dragged half way down your bed and suddenly woken stiff as a board. Ive posted my first experience so take a look. Your help would be gratefulshampu and.

    • Luke Cole says:

      Not true, where’s your proof??

      Why do you say they are evil and want us dead, where is your proof?

      Evil Spirits? Spirits are not even a known substance. If you are looking for an out of this world explanation, try looking into Quantum Physics. Maybe you are seeing something from another parallel universe, or yourself in a future or past time. Maybe it’s dark matter? And just maybe evil spirits live in dark matter. But there is no proof of this yet, but don’t just blindly say they are “evil spirits”.

  8. Jordan says:

    I stumbled upon this page because I had a pretty similar experience yesterday. I’ve experienced various forms of sleep paralysis throughout my life. Typically when it happens I hear people repeatedly entering and exiting my home and I’m unable to confront them or even identify them. It’s slightly startling, but it’s not very threatening. However, yesterday I was frozen and there was a large black figure lingering RIGHT above me. The only way to describe it was “shadow person,” which led me here. That alone wouldn’t be enough to terrify me except that the shadow person was telling me over and over he was going to “fucking kill me.” The only way to describe the feeling that followed was that every single inch of me was trying to pull away from this terrible terrible thing! I should also clarify that I’m not religious, and I’ve never had any kind of problems with mental health or anything. I’m just a little freaked out. Just thinking about the encounter right now is causing my hands to clam up and get all sweaty. I just thought I would share my experience here and see if anyone could relate or offer advice. Thanks.

  9. Linda says:

    I just woke from a dream last night. I was on my back and I hardly can ever sleep on my back for some reason. When I woke I was looking at what I thought was my daughter in the doorway looking at me I was thinking maybe I was making noise cuz of my dream. So I called out her name and no respond so I called out her dads name the then the dark shawdow walked down the hall. I grabbed my phone and ran after it and everyone was asleep in the house. I laid back down to see if maybe I was seeing some shawdow from another room cuz the computer room is right next door so the hall way has a little light but the same dark and kinda tall shawdow never came back.

  10. ellen says:

    Wow, I googled because I had a dream at least I think it was last night. A dark figure over my bed and it touched me. I wasnt scare until I became unable to move on my bedroom floor unable to speak and call for my boyfriend who i saw laying in the bed. i was finally able to move my arm a little and reached for the phone to try and throw it to make noise to get his attention and i woke up in my bed with his arms around me. I know it was a dream as he never woke up but to dream being in my room exactly as it is and in the very pjs i slept in was alarming. It seemed so real. If I lived alone I would have slept the rest of the night with the lights on. The only other time something simular happened was when I was pre-teen maybe and I fell asleep w headphones on and there was a dark shadow man starring at me at the end of my bed and the wires kept tangling around me and i couldt move. i knew i was dreaming and eventually was able to thrash around to wake myself up. never connected until the dream last night. FREAKY!

  11. Linda says:

    I have never had a dream of being in the same room that is really weird and scary. But I have once had the feeling of trying to move but couldnt and trying to scream but couldnt. I also felt like I was falling off the bed but when I woke up I was in the same spot on my bed. I didn’t see anyone but I don’t know why I couldn’t wake yell and felt like I was falling. Other then the dark shawdow that I saw in my room the other day I have never seen anything that scared me. When I was 17 I live in WY for a while and heard someone outside asking me for something but no1 was out their. But seeing this dark shadow in the doorway and then walking down the hall way was scary. I wish I could understand why.

  12. Luke Cole says:

    I often have the feeling of falling and/or floating when “awake” on my bed. I often try this when practicing my lucid dreaming. To my knowledge that is quite normal and explainable. Basically its a form of Sleep paralysis and semi-lucid dreaming – you sense your (lucid) are in the room, but you can feel anything, instead you float, fall or rise (sleep paralysis). It’s happened my whole life every 3-6 months. Sometimes every night for a week or so. I’ve found, it happens more when I don’t have to get up by an alarm clock. I love the floating/falling/rising feeling as its basically lucid dreaming (but I’m in my room). But still these shadow people have got me at a loss – a very strange (and threating) phenomena.

  13. Dawn says:

    Ive had paralyzing dreams also…Its has happened to me maybe four or five times and the last time was about six years ago, but I remember it like it happened yesterday. I was asleep on my back and woke up not being able to move but my eyes were open. I then saw a black figure walk slowly into my room and walk over to my side of the bed. It then stabbed me in the chest..and to this day I swear I felt something when it happened..the scariest time was when my son was sleeping in bed with me and I woke up not being able to move and a black shadow floated over me with an evil face and as it was looking at me it turned and looked at my sleeping son…every time I have a paralyzing dream I wake up trying to scream with my heart racing.

  14. Zuri Malenga says:

    I’ve been having these “shadow people” appear to me every since I was a small child, at 29 years old, they still attack me often in my sleep or just as I am falling to sleep. As a result of these attacks I have developed severe insomnia over the years and have to take sleep meds to fall asleep. I find it odd that these figures appear during certain times in my life, kind of like a stimulus effect. #1 if I do not medicate myself to sleep and my mind is fully functioning, I see them. #2 when I do see them, something terrible happens in my life. Always some sort of confrontation from someone close to me. I feel and sense that same energy coursing through whomever it is during that time of turmoil. I can recall being dragged out of my bed when I was four and the only thing that saved me was my grandmother pulling me back into the bed. I cannot lie, I still fear these figures because they just will not go away. I don’t know what they want or why they will not leave me alone. I find that they get weaker when I attempt to quote bible scripture to them and trust me, I am not a religious person. I wish I knew how to make them go away for good. The last one was hovering in my bedroom just over my wall and my entire body went numb and I was so cold. I just get so tired of them. Any ideas on how to get them to leave?

    • bala says:

      Hi there
      sorry to hear about your troubles with the so called shadow people
      just do this:
      Dont beieve in their existence
      the more u think abt them and give them importance, the more u r making them powerful
      Just dont beilive in them , say to urself that it was just ur wild imagination
      Mediate and imagine pure white energy surrounding you and protecting you always.

      believe that this pure white energy field is there for u always.
      mediate on it as much as u can, imagine it as u meditate
      when u go to bed
      say to urself that
      You are fine and that you are going to have a good sleep and that u r always protected by the white energy.

      all the best to u
      only ur believe will heal u

      • Luke Cole says:

        Ok, now I’m getting angry. This post is not saying shadow people are bad or good. Bad or good is just made up by humans Do you know ferrets bread? The adult male goes into a nest of baby ferrets and rapes all the baby females. That is nature for them. So what is bad?. Look at the universe, the universe was created through chaos and destruction. Before there was light in the universe, there was darkness for eons. So based on that, you could say bad is the real good! In my mind, good and bad are one in the same. There is no bad/dark or good/light, just grey!

        This post is to make sense of the phenomena via analysis known theories and studies via the science!

        So I say to you, believe in them, its a real phenomena and it will be understood one day. Maybe that is the real reality and humans are just toys! I can live with them just fine, its the way the universe was designed! Take a chill pill and read a book to learn something!

  15. Makayla says:

    Hey Jason, i’m Makayla. Wow.. this also happens to me! I’m only 13 years of age, but i have experianced this, ALOT. i would either wake up randomly or after a dream, paralyzed, and then i would see a black figure. One of my most frightening experiances was when i was over at my friends house, and i was sleeping right in the middle of the room on a stretcher, and i woke up around 3 times, paralyzed, only each awakening moment , the black figure was in a different place. the first time, it was in the hall way, and i could see it as the bed room door was wide open. the second time, it was at the door way.. and lastly… – the most frightening part-… the third time , it was right behind the stretcher i was sleeping on, leaning right over my head. i looked up at it, frightened as ever, and it came to my face but i fell strait back asleep before it could even touch me.. but i didn’t fall asleep, it felt more like it was forcing me.. somehow.. and i have experianced similar situations to this a number of other times… although a few of the times i woke up , its not there, i’m just just paralyzed. but because i can’t move, it could be somewhere in the room that i can’t see because i can still feel it’s presence. all the questions that you want answered are also what i would like to know, because what is the purpose of this \black figure\ to do this particular type of thing to human beings? you would think that they would just move on to the after life rather then disturbing human beings, right? sometimes i wake up to the feeling of something breathing on my chest.. and also, there is nothing wrong with my house, so why does it happen ? it dosn’t only happen at my house though… it dosn’t really matter where i am, it’s still there.

  16. Ryan says:

    From what I understand, the shadow figures are frequently humanoid. However, I’ve read about shadow figures in the form of animals like dogs or spiders.

    Personally, I had my first episode of sleep paralysis yesterday, and I was utterly confused by and interested in the experience (I learned what sleep paralysis is today).

    The figure I saw was the shape of a demon with bat-like wings and a square head (for some reason). When I woke up I thought I was on my back and I thought I saw the figure on the ceiling looking down at me. After a few seconds (of trying to scream, then trying to swear at it) I snapped out of paralysis and found myself on my side looking at the wall on the opposite side of the room.

    Interestingly enough, I couldn’t make out a definit face until the last moment before I snapped out of it. For the majority of the experience I felt like I knew it was looking at me, then at the last moment It’s face changed and occupied a lower quadrant of the its head (square remember?) Its face was distorted and appeared to be smiling. I couldn’t tell if it was a malicious smile or not, as I don’t really recall what the face actually looked like, and I only got to see it for an instant.

  17. Ezequiel says:

    Lately I don`t have this experiencies so often (Im 30 years old now) but when I was about 20 I did a lot of experimenting with lucid dreams: I even got to control flight in my dreams and utra fast traveling to places I selected before falling asleep.
    But unfortunately I also met this “shadow people”…The worst encounter I had was one night when I was just falling asleep, laying on my back…this three figures started to sorround me, they where like floating over me. They kept just comming closer and moving away until one of them kneeled over me and grabbed me from mi head. Then he or she started tu pull up and it was like he/she was lifting me from my head…but my terrenal body just kept in the bed…It was like he/she was splitting my soul from my body…I woke up terribly scared and agitated. It wasn`t the last time i`d meet them, but it was a very scary one…The strangest thing was that in that ocassion I could actually see their faces, not only a black silhouette…they looked like mummificated or something similar

  18. Lara says:

    Uhm, I’m sorry for bumping this topic, but none of my friends offline will even listen when I try to talk about this. All my life my dreams have been a huge factor for me, I have a disorder called Nightmare Disorder which means I have a higher number of nightmares than the average person, and they are always horribly realistic and horrific. I always thought that this was what was happening to me.

    I have always been curious about the idea of lucid dreaming, who wouldn’t be right? The ability to have total control over a dream, only I was never able to achieve it. Then one night I was dreaming and realised I was, but the moment I became aware of it I sensed a feminine figure on the edge of the dream, she was turning towards me and I was absolutely petrified, I did not want to see her face, somehow I managed to force myself to wake up. It happened again a few weeks later, only this time the moment I became aware I was dreaming, I felt her presence behind me, and she was whispering. Again, I freaked and evacuated the dream. Then came the third time, and this is the reason I am writing this now.

    I was having a nightmare, as I often do, when I became aware that I was dreaming, I was excited because I couldn’t feel her presence this time. I tried dream spinning (a method said to change/prolong a dream) and as I was spinning I was suddenly in my room looking down at myself asleep. Crouched in front of me was the woman, she was peering into my face and she kept repeating “Tell me who is trying to contact me” over and over. I tried to scream but no sound came out and I was back in the dream, I forced myself to wake up but it made me really uneasy for days afterwards.

    Since then whenever I lucid dream, I feel her presence, it is as though she is waiting for me to realise I am dreaming so she can contact me, which has led to some really bizarre dreams where I have had to pretend I am not aware and just go with the flow of the dream, considering the nightmares I have, this hasn’t been pleasant.

    I have never suffered from sleep paralysis, so I can’t comment on the feeling of being held down etc, but I have my own experiences with these shadowy figures that affect me just as much.

    Of course it is entirely possible that she is just another part of the nightmares, but sometimes when I am falling asleep, or just waking up, I feel her there still, it is like she is closest to me during sleep and those grey areas around it. It worries me because each time she appears, she is stronger and more substancial.

    Sorry for the essay, and maybe you reading this will think I am nuts too, like my friends. I just needed to get this out of my head.

    • Amanda says:

      Hey Lara, thanks for your post.

      It sounds as though your dreams are quite traumatic and distressing. When approaching nightmares, have you heard of cognitive defusion (as opposed to cognitive fusion)? In cognitive fusion we give images our attention and react to them as if they were actually happening. Whilst with defuion we recognise these images as pictures and attend to them only if they are helpful.

      Importantly, you set aside fear and anxiety. As people we evolve over time through our experiences and fear can prevent this evolution – we become stuck and unable to challenge/change/grow in our perspective. Nightmares by their nature elicit fear. But you manifest this environment, so no need to feel you are prey to it. You are already succeeding in your lucid dream states.

      If this female presence is a being in contact with you, rather than an aspect of your archetypal mind, then you still do not need to fear. It may help to practice relaxation and meditate. There is never anything wrong in responding with kindness to ourselves and to others. But be mindful of your intuition and your boundaries. What is, already is.

  19. Sleepless says:

    @Lara

    Sorry to hear about your troubles sleeping… What are you doing to try and cope or counter the bad dreams? What exactly is lucid dreaming?

    These dreams happened a lot to me after I chased peepeing toms off of our back porch at an apartment complex me and my girlfriend lived at about 4 or 5 years ago. For the first 6 months I couldn’t sleep at all, getting up every 30 mom checking all doors and windows. Finally I started sleeping longer but I was waking up, at least I thought I was, to a tall shadow person standing in my bedroom doorway. I always felt threatened by this figure. I would wake up laying in various positions but always breathing heavy and fast. My girlfriend has even woken me up because I was breathing funny.

    So we moved to an upstairs apt in another complex and everything was fine. I wasn’t worried about checking doors and windows throughout the night. Then the shadow people came back. Still felt very threatened and always standing in my bedroom doorway.

    Only twice was there a time when the figure moved towards me or was standing above
    me. Once was when I was very young… Prolly 9 or 10. You can ask how I can remember something like that after 21 years or so but if you were as scared as I was it’s not hard. The other was at the last apt complex right before we moved out.

    Now, just about 30 min ago I woke up from a nightmare of me fighting a shadow figure. It was at the bottom of a set of stairs that seemed to lead to a basement. I was throwing things down at it. I then pushed a small love seat down the stairs and hit it. As soon as the couch hit it I woke up laying on my side breathing very deep and fast. Could watching court TV style shows while falling asleep and sleeping be playing a role?

    • Luke Cole says:

      Dear “Sleepless”:

      Lucid dreaming is when you know you are in a dream and can then start to control it. Its awesome, with practice you can even feel, smell and taste everything in your dream and can transform into anything (e.g. a bird, dog, what ever) or go anywhere (e.g. Mars). And being a robotics research, I find it a very interesting way to understand humans, so I can build a robot like them.

      Re bad dreams: While I understand some people may have issues sleeping and may need treatment. This post outlines that this phenomenon is not a issue with people, but a well-documented phenomenon among humans (I don’t know of any animal studies so I can’t comment there).

      FYI: Science first showed that we only dream during REM sleep, however studies are now showing we also dream during non-REM sleep. And we generally have bad dreams during REM sleep and good dreams during non-REM sleep. This could be related to a primitive subconscious that is preparing for day to day things (eating and avoiding being eaten). Generally if you wake up during REM sleep you have a bad day, and may remember having a bad dream.

      So bad dreams are normal and can be a reflection of you way of life. So when you say “Could watching court TV style shows while falling asleep and sleeping be playing a role?”. So my answer to yes, because:

      1) its well know (and I’ve also experienced it) that you can dream about things that are really happening around you. e.g. you mates are about to jump on you while your sleeping and while you are asleep you dream of a big rock about to fall on you!

      2) if the TV show had bad things in it, then there is a good chance your brain will process bad things that night, since its processing and preparing your brain for bad experiences (e.g. being eaten by a tiger).

      So I suggest watching the Matrix or something on repeat while you go to sleep and then you may experience lucid dreaming…

  20. Bala says:

    Firstly, no point get in getting angry dear
    Well if u read “sleepless” request, she wanted to know how to get rid of the so called shawdows
    I used to have sleepless night having nightmares abt such things.
    Then i decided not to think or give importance to such beliefs. It worked, now i sleep peacfully.
    I dont need to believe in something that is not good for me, whats the point..
    So whether this things exist or not is not the matter. How does one have peace of mind when going to bed.
    I hope u get my point of view.
    Cheers
    Bala

    • Luke Cole says:

      Fair enough, I assume you mean “Zuri Malenga” request, as that is who you replied to. I understand your just trying to help people get a good night sleep – but that is kinda off-topic – anyway, fair comment. I just was trying to point out some obvious things for people, so they may re-think how them think of this stuff, which may indirectly help with sleeping I guess.

      • Bala says:

        Thank you for your understanding
        I am very interested in the paranomal
        I have experienced lucid dreaming and astral travels
        One has to learn how to protect or saveguard from any unpleasant incidences. I was afraid of the dark and would imagine shadows moving around and the wispering voices. Now all that is past.
        My way of handling it was strengthen my belief that my guardian angels are always with me and that i only have good experiences. The reason being that i dont want to encounter any unpleasant entities and if i do, knowing how to deal with it.
        The journey should be pleasant experience.
        Thanks for the site, it is interesting read
        Cheers!!
        bala

        • zuri Malenga says:

          Thank you both Bala and Luke for your replies. I do value both points as I have been trying to figure out all of the shadows occurrences in my life and why they happen and how I can stop them. I experience a mixture of feelings during these encounters and some of them can be simply explained and some cannot. The nagging question would be why I also experience the paralysis and why can’t I simply communicate with them to ask what they want and why they appear. It’s like searching for answers in a dark room : (

          • Luke Cole says:

            Hi Zuri,

            Well from my experiences I only see them during (or just after) Sleep paralysis. And I only get sleep paralysis when I wake up on my back. So from that, I guess if I could ensure I didn’t sleep on my back, I wouldn’t get sleep paralysis nor see them. Maybe you could try that also.

            I also have never been able to talk to them. I always yell at them for some reason. However I’m trying to train myself to calm down during it, so I can speak with them, or at least not yell at them. So I can try to understand/study them.

  21. Luke Cole says:

    Seen another one last night, one of the tall ones. My partner got woken up by me trying to yell at it (as I commonly do for some reason). I tried to get out of bed to get closer to it – but again I was paralyzed. When my partner woke up she looked at me but blocked my view to it. I kept trying to say to my partner “turn around”, but it was very hard to move my tongue. She worked out what I was mumbling and turned around, but she said she could not see anything. By the time I could move again (1-2min later), I couldn’t see it anymore. Interesting stuff…

  22. Luke Cole says:

    I just read that the dreammachine can bring on “Hypnagogia”. So if dark shadows are an artifact of Hypnagogia I would love to test it out. So I plan to make one as suggested here:

    http://www.noah.org/science/dreamachine/

    I’ll let you know my experiences with these dream machine. Sounds like a cool experiment……

  23. john bennett says:

    i saw 1 of these dark shadows when i was about 19 at my grans house,i remember reading my nans bible, it was the 1st few chapters i read i remember saying goodnight to my nan and going to bed,i was awoken by a presence i opened my eyes and saw a tall dark shadow next to my bed,i tryed to yell out but i was paralyzed it then seemed to go backwards and shrink into the bedroom door.I have never been so scared in my life i am now 38 and never had another experience like that .I would love some sort of explanation,i did ask a jevoh’s witness he seemed scared he told me it was imps playing me up.

    • Luke Cole says:

      Well at this point the best explanation I can give can be found in my original post, i.e. Hypnagogic or dark matter

      I highly doubt a Jehovah Witness or any religious figure is going to help. They don’t even believe in Dinosaurs. When there is so much proof they existed 65 million years BC. Or evolution, when you can watch evolution take place in our life time on islands.

      While there maybe some truth to the bible, how can anyone believe a secondary source of information. To say “So God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27), is like thinking the world is flat. The universe is huge and to say we are made in the image of the so-called creator, is so selfish it makes me sad to think how stupid the human race is, to still believe in such things. Clearly they have no education or are simply brainwashed.

      Don’t get me wrong, I’m spiritual, and believe there is more to this world. But currently all religious are just a marketing tool to control the masses.

  24. Aaron says:

    Hello Luke Cole,
    All of this sounds very similar to my experiences with what you all are calling Shadow People. However, mine do have a couple differences that I haven’t yet read about or heard anyone explain. Iam 23 years old and my my very first experience with shadow people was when I was approximately 6 or 7 years old…Ill explain the best I can.

    (1) I would wake up in my bed, sit up nice and calm and look at my bedroom door to see a red glowing figure (about 6 feet tall) standing and watching me. It never moved, it never made a noise, it only stood in my door frame staring at me. I did not feel threatened, though it did scare me. The first night it happened I thought it was only a nightmare. However after that night, it began happening every single night to follow. After maybe a week of this re-occuring, I began sleeping in between my parents in their bedroom…but that did not cease the experience. In fact, it stayed exactly the same. The only difference now was I was waking up in my parents bed, sitting up nice and calm in between them, looking to my left and seeing my dad sleeping, looking to my right and seeing my mom sleeping and looking at their door way and seeing the red glowing figure staring directly at me. All I could do is lay back down, pull the covers over my face and drift back to sleep. To this day, I have the image scarred in my memory and I can draw it out exactly as I saw it. My parents dismissed it as night terrors, though I feel like they may believe I was truly awake when this was happening because they had our house blessed with holy water. To me it felt as real as anything else. It finally stopped after about 3-4 months.

    (2) I hadnt experienced anything like that again until I was about 19 years old and luckily it was only a single night. I fell asleep next to my girlfriend while watching a movie in my bedroom. This time I couldnt recall how everything looked to me, but I do remember feeling like something was after me. I began thrashing in the bed and moaning like something was hurting me. My girlfriend then was able to awaken me and as I opened my eyes the first and only thing I remember seeing was a dark shadow move quickly up to the corner of the bedroom wall, I looked away in fear and when I looked back, it was gone. My girlfriend said before I began thrashing, I was asking for a Doctor. My heart was racing and I had a thin layer of sweat on my forehead.

    (3) My third experence, last night, 3/27/11. I recall everything. Im laying on my back (as I was with my previous experiences), I opened my eyes and got out of bed to the left side. My girlfriend was still sleeping to my right. I stood up next to my bed and took 3 steps towards the dresser to get my phone (I thought it was time to get up and get ready for work), I suddenly got extremely dizzy and turned around and fell on my knees next to the bed. Once my knees met the carpet, the dizziness went away and my eyes focused, and as they did a black shadowy figure about 3 feet tall was staring directly in my face, about 5 inches away. It moved its head quicky towards me and I fell backwards, all I could hear was a loud ruffling/growling noise as I fell back and I began yelling. Thats when my girlfriend shook me and I was laying back in bed breathing very heavily. I scared the sh*t out of her. I couldnt get back to sleep because I felt very uncomfortable and had a feeling like something was watching me.

    Ive had my share of nightmares and when I do, I can tell they are nightmares. However, these 3 experiences felt extremely real to me and each and every time, they occur in the same location I indeed fell asleep, wearing the same clothes, next to the same people I fell asleep next to, and they leave me with a very bad feeling. I dont know what it is. I dont know if its my imagination. I dont know how to deal with it. I do believe in God, but I do not practice any religion, my family however is mainly Catholic. I am open to all opinions…scientific or religious. I am also very glad to know other people have experienced something like this.

  25. Aaron says:

    So I read the wikipedia articles on Hypnagogia and Shadow People…and it does explain a lot of what I have experienced. I haven’t found anything relating to the red glowing figure I used to see, only the dark/black figures. And from what I read and from what Ive googled, I havent found that to certainly be a symptom of Hypnagogia or Sleep Paralysis though I guess it could be. Has anyone else witnessed a red glowing figure of any kind?

  26. Ebte A says:

    I’m sorry I have to tell you that these figures that I have seen wasn’t even when I woke up …it was everywhere…suddenly when I walk around the house I see them!
    but they have never shown in my dreams or even when I woke up!
    it’s really weird and strange!

  27. Sumar says:

    It’s exciting to know other people have seen a black shadow figure. Slight differences. The first time it appeared to me I was awake. I had seen it several times throughout my life. I never told anyone because I am not a believer in ghots, etc and I didnt want my friends to think I was weird. However, two people had also encountered it while awake.

    I am not religious and I have always had a skeptical mind, always thinking of rational possibilities. I am unclear if the feeling of aprehension or fear is related to the fact that the shadow is not familiar (meaning you dont see this everyday), or if it did incite fear cause of some malice, or just a reaction from primitive instinct.

    The shadow would tell me things, force me to answer questions both in my dreams and in my sleep. I never remembered what it would say or even ask. My defense against this scary event was my rational mind. I would tell myself to ignore it, it does not exist if I do not believe. My will is stronger than the shadow and it can not harm me. Dont show fear, be ambivalent. It is a dream, hallucination. Things like that (I was 14yrs old). I was thankful that my brother had witnessed it and so did a close friend. Both had no knowledge of my own encounters.

    First, my brother had seen it in his room while I was in there. We were going to watch tv, he had followed me in. He switched on the light but no light came on. We assumed the light bulb had burned out. As he flicked it a couple of times he said he saw a shadow climbing in the window behind me. Finally the light went back on and the shadow disappeared.
    The second, a friend had a similar experience. I was in his room listening to music. He came in to check on me. He began to say something to me and then cut himself off and then ordered me out of his room. I was startled and ran out. He had never spoke to me in that form. He stayed in the room for a bit then came out. I asked him why he was upset and yelled at me. At first he didnt want to tell me then he said, I dont ever want you to be in that room alone again. When I pressed for answers, he relented and stated that he had seen a black shadow attempting to climb in the window behind me. When he ordered me out and turned he said it was still standing there, outside. He said it was looking at him and it appeared to be laughing with an”evil grin.” Even then I didnt tell him about the dreams, etc. All these years later I never spoke of it again. I thought he had forgotten. Strangely yesterday I spoke to him (fast forward 20yrs later) and he brought it up. I was stunned. It prompted me to google. and brought me here.

    I dont really care too much about it, but if you find a scientific, rational answer, I want to know! I read a lot about noetic science, quantum physics, and things of that nature. I dont think it was a “demon” or anything like that. I am a grad student studying neuropsych. I am a huge fan of the brain and all of its mysteries. So everything in me states that there has to be a rational answer and I would like to know what that is…. I hope you find it and share!

  28. cow says:

    i told all my friends about this problem i have seeing black shadow person so they call it. i Think our minds are to weak to deal with the real world so the people that post here and actually believe what they r saying are the world 1% population’s schzophrenic people, and make these images up. i think they are absolutely real, and i keep telling all my friends hoping that they will tell me its not real and im going crazy, so i can get help for schzophrenia.

  29. Mikael says:

    I had my first experience with shadow “person” tonight, in my case only one person standing to the left of my bed. However I had a very different experience than most of you that seems to have had a scary experience.

    My experience was somewhat different. I didnt feel scared, but assured and “strong in conviction” like I was being pumped by my trainer ahead of a game I needed to perform very well in. But ofcourse I was a bit annoyed and currious of why I could not move. The person standing to my left stood out to be very short, he/she/it was holding on to my left leg with the left hand and held the right hand above my head slightly away from my body. There was no heavy breathing that some of you others are talking about, but I heard what I can only interpret as a chant or at least a spoken language/sound I did not understand. Not whispering but rather mumbeling.

    I Remeber that I dreamt before the shadow person but I dont remember what. When I woke up I knew instantly what it was, because I watched a documentary about this phenomenon more than 10-15 years back (Sleep paralysis + shadow men). Only thing differing is the fact that I never felt threatened or afraid but rather fullfilled.

    When I “woke up” my first instinct was to ask he/she/it to talk to me, for some wierd reason in both languages I speak without thinking about it. I just reacted to it after having said out loud “talk to me” in english and then saying “prata med mig” which is the same in swedish my native language.

    When I fell asleep again I went straight into a dream where I could jump in great leaps and bounds without hurting. Jumping around between mountain tops I met a woman who I never had met before/didnt recognice. But I instantly understood her to be my soulmate and I felt that she knew the same about me, I even think she kind of told me and that without opening her mouth. I guess we both opened our minds.

    It was all toghether very weird and beautifull.
    I really hope that this will come back and that it will be an as positive event following times. Obviously I would want it to be more than a evolutionary pray thing aka Tonic immobility and rather it to be some kind of “contact” over different realms.

    Another possible point of interest is that I fairly often (perhaps 1 out of 5) figure out during a dream that it actually is a dream. I then usually start jumping really high or strat flying and then wake up what feels like 20-30 seconds after the reveletion.

  30. Ryan says:

    I’m looking if someone can help me…..is it a dream or something else?…….A few weeks ago it started but every now an again i dream the same dream. There is this tall dark figure standing at the edge of my bed. I cannot see its face, only its long hair and its outline, but i just know its a man for some odd reason?……this thing is huge at least 9ft and its pretty well built. He doesn’t harm me or do anything, he just stands over my bed. The weird thing is, i know its looking straight at me and it knows I’m looking straight at him… although he doesn’t have eyes (because i cant see any features, just the outline of its body) the gaze it gives me is horrible i have a knot in my stomach when it gazes upon me. I have told my girlfriend and my friend and they think its pretty weird……..Ive been searching on the net for answers so any reply would be appreciated. If there’s anyway i could upload a picture of this thing i have drawn it on a piece of paper so that could be use to someone!? Thanks for your time. Ryan x

    • Cameron says:

      Yea same with me! The thing was at the end of my bed mine was about 8-9 feet tall and I could only see the out line about 2 feet wide at the middle sections and just a big tall narrow shadow starring down at me not making a sound. My light switch didnt work either , I finally opened my eyes after closing them while staring at this thing and sat up found that the shadown wasnt at the foot of my bed anymore. and I also found my light switch already up. but the light wasnt on.

  31. charles says:

    So I just woke up about 30mins ago and saw a figure walk towards my bed from the shadows. I immediately sat up and said confidently, “you know I ca see you right. I can see you!” Then I stood and had a sort of staring competition ethnic the figure. It was about two feet away but it was dark in the room so I still couldn’t see it. I could just feel its prescience. After around ten seconds of me impatiently waiting for it to leaves I just graved my phone and shined the light at it. .. there was nothing there.
    It was strange because I could move, I wasn’t scared (in fact I sort of mocked the being, I laughed at it for being so bad at hiding then challenged it to leave),

  32. Ultra says:

    This is my first post, i had many experiences with black shadows/black spiders…
    Today i will tell you of a experience i had with one of these Black figures when i was between 10 – 14 (Sry my exact age escapes me)

    Me and my family were kinda homeless, we would travel from hotel to hotel, my dad was on unemployment, me and my brother use to steal food for the family so we can eat..

    after a while of being homeless we were put in these apartments, the apartment was full of other peoples clothes,etc.. we went to sleep at night like usual (we all were sleeping in the living room together) i woke up to see everyone sleeping on the floor
    (exactly where they were before i went to sleep) then i saw this black shadow… although i didn’t feel any anger or intent from this thing, i was suddenly being choke by it..i fought for my life i believe, it then suddenly disappeared.. i woke up terrified.

    But now for some reason after a few other experiences,these things can’t harm me, i don’t fear them at all and if they tried i’ll always fight back..i even seen a Black shadow spider last night climbing on the blinds of the window when i woke up last night, that suddenly disappeared.. i smiled and went back to sleep.

    I can draw a few c0onclusions of what i believe these things to be.

    1. Evil figures trying to steal your soul or Lost souls that wanna exist.

    2. Guardians or Fear inducers, maybe were venturing into a dangerous state… maybe too far mean death. (We see them when we awake while sleeping)

    3. There seem to be different types, although they appear all to be Shadows, they always stare directly at us.. maybe not to scare us but to make sure nothing gets to our bodies while we leave them.

    Sadly it’s unknown what type thats there with you.. but w/e they are the courage is based on yours, don’t fear them..

    • Byron says:

      My advice to everyone here is in the form of a quote. Just remember there is nothing to fear but fear itself, no amount of darkness can diminish the light that exists inside of us all.

      “Any amount of darkness can be dispelled with a small amount of light, where no amount of darkness can dispel the smallest amount of light.”

      Try using Love to understand, instead of Fear to run away. It’s amazing the things you can learn from your own ‘Shadows’.

  33. Kristen says:

    Growing up, I’ve always dealt with very vivid dreams, lucid dreaming, horrible nightmares that felt real….but I never thought much about it as it was normal to me. I’ve always just dealt with it and I never researched anything on dreams. One night I had a scary experience when I was a teen, and the next day I told my mom about it. She told me that it sounded like I had astral projected, which was the first time I had heard the term. I realized, after learning some about it, that I had done it before. During these times, and sometimes during a nightmare, I’m joined by a dark firgure that scares me. It feels evil, and I get the feeling like it wants to \get me\. It doesn’t ever have any features, it’s just a dark human like figure that seems very tall. During the times that I’ve astral projected, it is chasing me and I feel like I need to get back to my body. It feels menacing in a way, like it can get me if it wants, but it doesn’t. I’ve always wondered what or who it is and why it shows up. All I know is that it terrifies me.

    When I’d have a nightmare, it would feel very real. I’d wake up screaming and crying and in a panic. It would freak my husband out every time. It used to happen almost every other night, but as soon as I got pregnant it completely stopped. For years since then, I hardly dream, and when I do, I don’t remember them. Just recently, I’ve started to have more vived dreams that I remember, which has prompted me to read up on dreaming. I’m curious about my dreaming patterns….why they would start and stop. I also wonder if it’s normal to have such vivid dreams and nightmares on a regular basis? I’ve had a different dream every night for about two weeks now, and they are strange and don’t make any sense to me. I’ve also started to wake up at 2:44 AM every night. What is that about?

  34. lorrie carpenter says:

    I have seen these shadow people since i was 5 . I am now 45 , it doesn’t matter if i am happy or sad when i go to sleep , they can come at any time . Growing up my friends after awhile would not spend the night or have me over because they were afraid . My moms church friends had her convinced that I was plagued by demons , they all had very small minds for I knew in my waking time they were not present . I have so many experiences with them you’d think by now id be used to them , not terrified of them but I am . my Husband and my kids are used to it my oldest daughter has seen them sometimes when she has awoke . One day I hope to understand them not fear them . I have scared them also on occasion with my screams, I have seen them shrink back or run away . I know they were afraid of me , I could sense it it them they too can be frightened . This only happens when they touch me or hover over me , which is not to often they usually stand near me or at the foot of the bed . In a strange way I think I would be sad if they went away , they have been in my life so long . I am not a believer in the bible ,I believe in higher powers not just one god . I know the paranormal exists and so do other beings . I have always known that I wonder if other people feel the same way ? Maybe you have to have a open mind for them to come , I think they want to be known but they cant figure how to get all the way here . Maybe the shadow people are really trying to figure us out also hopefully one day all of us who see them will know . Lorrie

  35. lorrie carpenter says:

    please if you can reply back.

  36. Veronica says:

    I’ve had a few similar experiences, paralyzed, unable to yell, or blink, however, I couldn’t SEE the presences I felt. Yes, it felt like a group of beings were behind me. It was horrifying.

    The one time I saw a figure, which was a bright yellow, I, for some reason thought it was my father, however, it wasn’t. It just stood there, outside my door, staring right at me. I fell asleep, then woke again to feeling its presence behind me. I could move, however, I chose not to. I was scared, but felt no real danger. Instead, I felt more intruded then anything. I didn’t want to interact with it. Figured, if I ignore it, it will go away. It did. The door, I noticed, was also open a bit further than before, when it was just simply looking in.

    People seem to be talking a lot about shadow figures, but, what about the ones that have color to them? That seem to be made of pure energy? Not red, or black, but yellow? And, is there a difference between them all..?

  37. Martin Bryan says:

    I’ve had the same experience so many times.
    And each time they get more horrible.

    At first I believed in ghosts, I’ve been through a couple of experiences which would lead me to believe that they’re real. But the explanation of sleep paralysis and being prey makes a lot of sense.

    I have these experiences about maybe 2-3 times a year. I’ve been living with my partner now for 3 years and I’ve been getting these dreams when I was a lot younger before I met him.

    My first real significant one was when I was going to college and i felt like my apartment was haunted. My roomates and I have had experiences where we see a glimpse of something on the corner of our eye, hear our names being called, etc. One night I had a bath and felt completely numb. As if all of my energy was drained, feeling nothing of it I went to be. That night I woke up to a dark figure at the end of my bed and i couldn’t move or even scream for help. It was the worst nightmare I ever had, if it was so. I felt completely threatened and it was horrible. This same instance happened to me at least 5 other times that year. I was stressed from school and had bad roomates so it makes sense to have them so often.

    Now the reason I found this was because a couple nights ago I had the absolute WORST nightmare. My boyfriend is currently away in Germany to visit his family. I’m completely used to being alone, and i haven’t been super stressed at all. This night i go to sleep and wake up to a black figured dragging me BY THE ARMS and i feel like im crying and i tell it to stop. I then wake up and tell myself to chill out and go back to sleep. This time on my side (was on my back the first time). As soon as I can remember the same thing happens and it drags me all the way to my living room!! This continues about maybe 2 more times until I run for the lightswitch. I really couldn’t take it anymore. WORST NIGHTMARE EVER!! The place I’m in now I feel no paranormal ghosty stuff so it doesn’t make sense other than the psychological explanation of getting dragged because in life I feel like someone wants me to do somryhing I don’t want to do. However, this gives a face to someone. this thing was just a black figure. It was honestly horrible!!

    These dreams are gonna make me go crazy lol. Is there any way of malign itself snap out of them?

  38. lorrie carpenter says:

    just part of my story , so much more.

  39. Chelsey says:

    I had my fourth experience with these dark figures early this morning. Although my experiences are a bit different. I wonder if mine sounds like anyone elses?
    Firstly I do not feel at all paralyzed and the whole experience only lasts a few seconds. What seems to happen is that for some reason I wake up from a dead sleep to see a figure right next to my bed, staring at me. I then scream a blood curdling scream and yell at it. Next i’ve kicked at it or have thrown my pillow at it and when I look again it’s gone. I then get out of bed, turn on the lights and check my room. This has happened in two different apartments. I always feel extremely horrified afterwards and can’t sleep again that night. My heart is racing and my whole body shakes with adrenaline. It’s almost as if the feeling stays with me. I don’t really feel like i’m dreaming because I know i’m waking up to see this thing and then staying awake afterwards.
    Also something that is different for me is that all four of my figures have been different. The first one wasn’t dark, more like a very pale young man with white hair and white clothes and he actually had some details to his face. The second one was a dark figure of a man, he was hunched over with his arms in the air and fingers spread apart looking as if he was about to pounce on me (this one was the most threatening). The third one was just a dark figure of a man standing and staring at me. This last one however really threw me off… I feel like this one was a dark figure of a woman, I couldn’t see her face but the shape of her seemed more like a woman and she was wearing a dark dress with dark flowers on it.
    Thank you Luke for creating this blog. I’m sure a small percentage of us experience these phenomenon whatever it might be and it’s nice to know that I’m not alone in this experience. Any more insite over these phenomena would be much appreciated.

  40. David hammond says:

    I had a crazy experience last night, about one hour into my sleep i was awoken by this 7feet tall dark figure with a skull shaped head staring at me at the side of the bed, i could hear screams and fast whispering too, i was trying to move but i was paralized i managed to shout at my wife who then woke up and shook me, my body then woke up! But the strangist thing was the figure was still there for about 3secs after my body woke up, she said she didnt see a thing, ive had this happen to me many times before, on one occasion there was a figure of an old man walking around one side of my bed to the other really fast, and then he just dissapered….very strange!!!!

  41. Diana says:

    Hi, I came across your site while doing random research on shadow people. I see them during the night when I wake up randomly, it really depends on my location. My friend has a house on Native American tribal burial grounds and most often I see them there when I visit. They are mostly observed, from my experience, in basements as these are the lowest point in the house. I have never felt threatened to the point of screaming in fear by them. Perhaps not all shadow people are the same, just like not all people are the same. Maybe some are visiting spirits and others are from other dimensions.

    I have never experienced sleep paralysis with shadow people, as you have. My one experience with sleep paralysis, I woke up and couldn’t move and I heard laughing in the room. No TVs/radios were on and everyone in the house was asleep.

    I don’t want to sound crazy but I think there are parts of our brains that could be attuned to this but that we don’t know about or aren’t developed enough in everybody. But I like your blog. I love string theory, can’t wait till they prove it haha. I am able to lucid dream naturally, I always know when I am dreaming and I can control whatever I like in the dream if I want.

  42. j a sanchez says:

    Michelle yes they are very evil demons.

    • Luke Cole says:

      “Evil demons” – come on, how can you say something is evil. Human’s are evil to the planet – so are we evil? Humans have no idea of what is truly good or bad (I personally think they are the same thing) – the universe (and us) was created via huge destructive/evil forces – so given that, you could say evil is really the best thing in the universe…

  43. dakota collins says:

    About two days ago i was staying at my grandmothers house and i could not get to sleep. When i finally fell asleep i had a dream that i was being dragged around the room, but there was nothing dragging me, just some unknown force, i kept trying to yell but i couldnt. Then i started yelling, but barely, more like a groan. I woke as i was trying to yell and there was this dark figure sitting on my chest holding my arms down and i could not move. Next thing i knew the figure was sitting on the edge of the bed staring at me, then it was just gone. My skin was just crawling all over, it was very scarey. i could not explain it, so i decided to do some research which led me here. im glad to know im not the only one. Yet, now that i think about it thats not the first time its happened. Very creepy, i need to know what this means.

  44. Ivan says:

    I have also had experiences of sleep paralysis…but I am often see scorpions or roaches trying to harm me…but that is ok..what I am worried about is on two occasions I have seen black dark shadowy figures…on one ocassion i saw the figure staring at me…the second time..it just ran across the door while i was under the shower..any answers on why this could have happened?

  45. Chris says:

    Had my first ‘shadow people’ experience (i think i’d remember any other experiences) last night, and it enticed me to do some research. I woke up three different times to a shadowy silhouette standing over me in various spots of my room. The first time it was a tall manish figure standing near the window in my room, essentially the foot of my bed (this was the most distinct figure), which I managed to yell some mumbled nonsense at before i was finally able to move. The second time as well but closer to the door to my room (which was closed). I yelled out this time as well. The third time it seemed a softer, more womanly silhouette but it was standing directly over me next to my bed. Each time i woke up on my back, and each time i actually felt less threatened (the first tall shadow, startled me more than anything, and wasn’t actually threatening), even though the third one was directly over me (coincidentally this one was directly in line with my walk in closet, which i leave open). I had felt paralyzed or partially paralyzed in dreams before, but never, or very rarely, upon waking. Which i think contributed to me being less frightened each time. I’m a rational person, and i assumed i was dreaming it, or that i had overlapped conciousness with a dream, or some subconcious vibration. Each time, except the first because I lay there thinking for a minute, i was able to fall right back to sleep once i got my bearings and my ability to move. Each time i went back to sleep i rolled over to my side or stomach, but still managed to wake up on my back. I rarely move in my sleep, often waking up exactly how i passed out, so i thought that was interesting.

    I admittedly have had very terrible sleeping habits of late, and some stress. This all seemed par for the course when matched with the extraordinarily realistic dreams i’ve had of late. The mind is a mysterious and powerful device, and i’m satisfied with the answers i’ve found in my research today. This is an interesting phenomenon and I’m curious if it will happen again. If it does i’ll be sure to chime in.

    Nothing is true; Everything is permitted.

  46. Cameron says:

    EMAIL ME IF U HAVE HAD A SIMILAR Experience PLEASE!
    I had a encounter with a “shadow person/ figure last night” I woke up from a dream where in the last part of a ok/ pleaseant dream I got a uneasy feeling.
    I woke up and at the foot of my bed I saw a black narrow figure about 8 to 9 feet tall just staring at me. I couldnt see any body detail or face detail just a black
    figure staring at me. It didnt make a single sound i could only hear me saying ooo shitt o shitt …..uh how are you doing?!? I could only move my left arm and
    for some reason my light switch (which is in arms reach) wouldnt turn on I flipped it atleast 4 times while i was staring at the figure. I couldnt move anything else.
    I was stuck on my back while it stared at me. it lasted for about 5-10 seconds I think and I openned my eyes again and sat up, and the figure was gone everything
    in my room is the same i have a very dirty room so if someone came in something would be moved but nothing was. I checked my light switch, it was flipped up
    on the “on” setting, so i flipped it down then back up, and it the light went on when the switch was up again. weird that I found it up already but no light on right?

    -this is my second time I’ve seen a shadow figure , but my first time outside of a dream. Ive had them in my dreams but they usaully stay to the edges of my dream/
    out of sight for the most part.

  47. ASia says:

    I too have had experiences with these “Shadow figures shaped as humans” only when i am Sp. I will be aware that i am sleeping while my eyes are rolling trying to fight the sleep and wake myself up. I have tried screaming as well and feel paralyzed, unable to move but consinence of whats going on around me. I have had more than one experience one time it could have been very coincidental how this “shadow figure” appeared at the end of my bed the same night my best friend was murdered ( i found out about her death around 10 am ) the shadow figure appeared around 7 am the time they figured her death happened. The shadow figure did not speak to me but i felt threatened and scared. Maybe bc it was something of the unknown and just the appearance of it could be threateninng. Maybe it was there to warn me idk but it was very strange. Another time i was asleep in my bed as usual and had the same thing happen It started with the Sp and as i look up there was a “shadow figure” floating above my bed. There was another time i was asleep in the spare bedroom of my house and one sat at the end of my bed. These figures appear only when i Sp. not to mention during these times i am not stressed in any way or depressed or taking any medications. And how strange is it tthat other ppl have this same experience. I dont think it is subconsious or bc we r dreaming. There is something more i believe. Its too many ppl with the same experience bc y dont some ppl in this state of Sp see other objects or have other things happen its always the same thing “Shadow people”.

  48. ASia says:

    I forgot to add now that i thought about it i havent had one in years and it seems as though it hasent happened since i put a rosary above my bed. try it .. Funny thing is im not a full believer in God or religious. but honestly i have not had ne sleep paralysis since this rosary has been hanging here. maybe it has something to do with it and maybe not idk but i used to get them all the time now i dont and nothing major changed in my life. btw its a rosary given to me by my best friends mother from my bffs funeral.

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