Do you really want to know the Truth?
Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. I was lying in my bed on my back, paralysed, and I wasn’t alone. There was an unseen presence in the room, a presence with malevolent intent, an intent made clear when it rendered me immobile, constricting my chest, slowly suffocating me with its oppressive force. I couldn’t even scream, though I dearly wanted to. I have no idea how long it was there, silently watching me, squeezing the life out of me, but eventually I gained enough strength to let out a fearful plea for help. After that display of defiance I was able to muster the determination to overpower its control, wrenching myself onto my side. At that moment the presence vanished, gone as swiftly as it came, leaving only a lingering sense of terror.
That was a summary of many similar experiences that I’ve had over the years since I was a teenager. The details change, sometimes the presence is more clearly defined as an alien or a demon, sometimes there’s pressure on my chest, sometimes not. But the persistent elements are the fear, the paralysis, the sense of a presence, and the gradual recovery of control.
I’m not alone in having this type of experience. These days there are numerous accounts of “alien abduction” but in the past it was much the same though the presence wore a different face, magical creatures, witches, demons, succubi.
It’s easy to take those experiences at face value, seeing the answer to the question of what happened in the mask the presence happens to wear. It can certainly be comforting to have a personal experience of the existence of something greater, something not human, something special, no matter how frightening. If these beings are interested in us enough to go to all this trouble, that means we’re important, right?
But you have to ask yourself, as I did, can I accept an answer because of the comfort it provides, or do I want the truth? But perhaps a better question to ask is, why can’t I have both? Thankfully the answer to that last question is a resounding, “Of course you can!”
If it’s the truth you want then it’s important to know the many ways in which personal experience can distort reality. Subjective validation is what happens when we allow our beliefs to convince us of the validity of an explanation which agrees with those beliefs, even if there’s very good reason to be skeptical. Those beliefs, if we’re unaware of their affect on our reasoning, will prevent us from giving those reasons for skepticism the attention they’re due.
I previously mentioned confirmation bias, in which we pay more attention to evidence which backs our theories/beliefs, while ignoring or dismissing evidence which disagrees.
Both subjective validation and confirmation bias (as well as many other biases) can be countered by a controlled process of independent, repeated, objective evaluation. And yes, that’s possible even for something as personal as alien or evil spirit visitations. That’s the process science provides us.
If it’s comfort you want, consider what the processes of confirmation bias and subjective validation tell us. Once you’ve got as close to the truth as you possibly can, even if the journey is painful and the goal is one you don’t even want to touch, don’t you think you can find ways to turn your new-found knowledge to your advantage? Of course you can!
Take visitations by aliens of evil spirits as an example. My search for answers about my experiences led me to Sleep Paralysis, which accounts for many of the similar stories told today, and for a long time stretching into our past. It might seem that an understanding and acceptance of sleep paralysis removes some of the mystery and importance of the experience. It makes it, well, normal. But as Michael pointed out:
Contrary to being an ode to ignorance, the appreciation of mystery involves the realization [of] just how much a person could discover. Mystery is a catalyst of action, inviting investigation and analysis, not a passive reception of the unknown. A good mystery novel is not a discussion about ignorance; it’s an adventure detailing how a person acquires knowledge.
Sleep paralysis tells us so much about the way our body and brain works, and since it doesn’t deny the existence of evil spirits or aliens, simply their involvement in those particular experiences, it leaves us to devote our time and energy to searching for aliens or evil spirits elsewhere, if that’s what we want. And of course sleep paralysis is still poorly understood. There are hypotheses on why some aspects of it occur, and studies which provide further support, but in the end there are still many questions to be answered. Which is great news for me, and for you too if you truly want to understand the realities of this universe.
So ask yourself, do you really want to discover the truth? If so, how far are you willing to go, and how many beliefs are you willing to challenge to get there?
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August 3rd, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Who is to say what causes sleep paralysis, though, couldn’t it be an evil spirit? Even if it’s a physical thing, why couldn’t it have a spiritual cause? And I’m not necessarily saying I believe this, just asking why it couldn’t be the case.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Absolutely brilliant post Mark. Funny enough your ending questions are some of the very ones I’ve been asking myself over the last couple of days.
As your example with sleep paralysis points out two people could have the exact same experience - that of waking up unable to move with the overwhelming sense of an evil presence seeking to harm them and ultimately come to completely different conclusions as to cause (one an alien abduction and the other identifying the phenomena as sleep paralysis). Neither of them would be wrong from a purely psychological or subjective perspective. Not so from a logical one.
It seems as though the reason they come to such different conclusions is because only one of them was willing to deeply examine and question their underlying assumptions about the experience and through this questioning realize that there are many other possibilities. So this person takes their experience and tests it, examines it and explores it in relation to what is known about other people’s similar experiences and what is known from a scientific perspective and finds a way to transcend their personal experience - to give it new meaning. Only through a willingness to examine and compare the known facts of the experience and seek out answers can they reach a logical or objective conclusion. (I guess as I write this, this is exactly what you are saying you personally did but I’ve never quite articulated this difference before.)
It seems the more responsibility we (read I) are willing to take in questioning our experiences and beliefs the larger our point of view can become. Maybe this requires some letting go of the need to believe the things that happen to us are what makes us special (I was visited by aliens) or maybe it is just a general laziness that keeps us from looking deeper. I don’t know but it appears the answer lies in approaching life and all its experiences with an open mind and willing heart.
Without fail you I leave your site questioning and my thinking challenged. Thank you for that.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Jason: I think the aliens would have something to say about that. Or the succubi, or the demons, or the fey creatures of the mist.
So yes, it could have a spiritual cause, but the lack of consistency (or at least the consistency with cultural influences and personal knowledge/experience) points away from any specific cause, including evil spirits.
But more tellingly, the ways the experience is brought on, and the ways it is ended, point towards physical causes. Those causes can be removed by leading a healthy lifestyle because it encourages good sleep habits, and thus may prevent sleep paralysis.
Yet for some a healthy lifestyle *is* a spiritual endeavour. It all depends on your perspective.
But that’s partly the point of the post. To prompt you to keep questioning. Yes, there could be a spiritual cause for all those physical interactions. Do you simply accept that, or do you attempt to find out for sure?
Jenny: Thank you, and well said, your response sums up exactly what I was trying to say!
August 4th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
My point was mostly that you can’t really find out for sure, you can just find an answer that satisfies you. For instance, there is a man who lives on sunlight and water. He’s been filmed for months, 24 hours a day, by NASA scientists, as well as others. He stares at the sun for an hour each day, and doesn’t eat. Explain THAT scientifically.
What I mean is that science is one way of looking at the world, but it’s no more necessarily correct than any other. If it satisfies you, and you believe that you haven’t found the truth until you find a scientific answer, then that’s your way of looking at the world (and I’m not saying there is anything wrong with it… I like science, and find it a wonderful and amazing thing). However, I see no reason to say that your ending acceptance of your experience being sleep paralysis is more correct than your initial impression of it being an outside force. You may accept that it is the case, and it may be, but it may be your acceptance of it is what makes it the case.
There is a lot of scientific evidence that the mind can do things to reality that science can’t explain. I have had a few personal experiences in that area, and while I don’t think they mean that all science is invalid (a silly overreaction), it does mean that I don’t automatically accept what seems like the “proper” scientific explanation of some situations.
August 4th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Perhaps you can’t be 100% certain, but when you’re looking for the truth, you must keep searching for one which most thoroughly explains all the evidence. I don’t think I was clear that the explanation of sleep paralysis was *not* the end. It is an acceptance, yes, but it doesn’t rule out other possibilities unless those possibilities don’t agree with what actually happens. There are unanswered questions and it may be that one of the answers to one of the questions is that there are conscious beings behind these experiences.
That famous breatharian (well, relatively famous) illustrates the point. Some people want to know *how* it works, not just that it does. This is particularly important when not doing it right could kill you.
August 5th, 2007 at 9:51 am
I am glad to have found your blog. I rather enjoy articles about belief, especially from the perspective of cognitive perception. Having some fairly significant neurological issues, I am trying very hard to work out the nature and motivation of my own beliefs. It is an interesting journey, to say the least. Made more interesting by reading people who do not take the base assumption that faith is simply foolish or crazy.
August 5th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Before you decide whether or not you wish to know “the truth,” it would be helpful to pinpoint what you mean. This concept can have many different influences. Ask yourself what you seek underneath the familiar feelings or impressions. What are you really hoping to find and why might you be preventing yourself from doing so?
August 7th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Thanks DuWayne, I’m glad you stopped by.
That’s right Liara, you make a very good point.
September 11th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
I’m a 16 year old girl and I’ve been having the so called ’sleep paralysis’ for the last month on a regular basis. I was sleeping laying flat on my bed, I felt a huge force pushing me down, i tried to call out for my mum but nothing would come out. It’s really starting to freak me out as i can’t find a logic answer to my experience. I know that alot of other people have been experiencing the sleep paralysis but i want to know if it’s at all supernatural or if it has a logical explanation. If anyone can comment back if you have a straight answer for it, or you know what the most logical explanation for it would be it would be greatly appreciated, thanks
September 11th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Hey Elena,
When I was around your age I had a couple of episodes of sleep paralysis although from what I read/hear of other people’s experiences mine were quite mild (only lasting perhaps 15 seconds or so). That said they were very scary! Mark has a lot of great links in the post itself it you want to find out more. I really and truly don’t believe sleep paralysis is due to anything supernatural. Give his links a read as there’s a lot of useful info in them and they are a great starting point to finding out more.
Take care!
September 11th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
Thanks for commenting Elena, and let me say your experience sounds very familiar. No it’s not at all supernatural, it’s simply one or more of your body’s natural functions going a little wrong. Like hiccups. Nothing supernatural about hiccups. One suggestion for what happens during sleep paralysis is that it is the normal paralysis which occurs during REM sleep which stops you from acting out your dreams, except for some reason you’re almost awake before the paralysis wears off.
The wiki page and this other one are good places to start for more info.
Some advice to help stop it includes; sleeping on your side, making sure you get enough sleep (but not too much), and reducing stress. Do you know if anything changed in your life soon before you started getting sleep paralysis?
Finally if you’re at all unsure it wouldn’t hurt to talk to your doctor if you’ve got a good one you could go to, if for nothing more than to give you a professional opinion that nothing’s wrong
September 11th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Ok cool, thanks for your help Mark
September 12th, 2007 at 12:47 am
Also, whether you feel it’s supernatural or not, facing your fears during the day can help you to not panic if you awaken in that state. Taking a few moments to sit quietly by yourself and deal with whatever issues come up in your mind can make a big difference in the amount of fear (and other negative emotions) you feel in your life.
I have found some things, some past experiences in my life, that don’t seem to be able to be explained by anything scientific. I have also found that any time there is something of that type that seems negative, or bad, that if I face it with confidence, and without fear, that thing will depart, mostly never to return. I have even done this for other people, and they have told me later that those “things” never came back, in spite of the fact that they had been bothering the people for years before that.
Others, whether human or supernatural, only have the power over you that you give them.
September 26th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
that presence was probely your own evil ttrying to get out i mean if you think abount it your find creates good and evil in you and a social part of you obvilsily(sorry for the bad spelling) of your soul trying to get out cause you have forgot it so it wants you to rember it by the only way it can thuro this way because that when yoou go thro your memroy trying to find out how to get a way
September 26th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Thanks for your comment schwarzwald. You’ve actually illustrated what I was saying. You’ve assumed that souls exist, and that good and evil exist. Those are constructs which, if you accept them at face value actually prevent you from increasing your understanding of the world.
September 27th, 2007 at 5:30 am
What do you mean by “accept them at face value”?
September 27th, 2007 at 6:34 am
Hmm, that’s not very clear is it? I mean that it doesn’t help you to use ‘good’ as a label for all things good, or ‘evil’ as a label for all things bad, without attempting to understand what it is that makes the thing either good or bad. And further, to understand the sources of your values and therefore the reasons for your judgement, and even further, to understand that others may have different values, and thus different judgement.
September 27th, 2007 at 6:49 am
Well, in that case, I agree with you