Korean Job Discussion Forums

[LL Moonmanhead]

Does anyone on the forum suffer from this at all?

The feeling of being fully awake but unable to move or even speak, it can happen when about to wake up.

Has anyone had the feeling they are being dragged out of their bed or being held down during this too?

Experienced this again this morning (it's the second time) and it's pretty terrifying to be honest.

[mishlert]

Sleep paralysis is normal

Paralysis while asleep is the normal condition. The body secretes hormones which relax certain muscles and prevent you from acting out your dreams. If it didn�t you would be in quite some danger every time you went to sleep.

The process of waking up might seem quite simple to you. But it�s actually a complex process involving many physiological changes. One of these is the reversal of the paralysis. People experience sleep paralysis when the hormone doesn�t wear off fast enough as they wake up. They remain paralysed though conscious. Because they have little sensation from their body, if they are lying on their backs, it can feel like someone is sitting on their chest. Eventually the paralysis departs and normal functions can be resumed.

There is an opposite disorder where people don�t get paralysed enough as they go to sleep. In a minor case this results in twitching and kicking while dreaming, but in a major case they can get up and walk around.

A side effect of this paralysis is that your bed feels a lot more comfortable in the morning when you wake up than it did when you first got into it. It hasn�t changed, your body is just less sensitive.

None of this should be considered evidence of anything paranormal.
http://www.aufora.org/discuss/messages/6465.html

If you feel you have a problem with sleep paralysis, check out:
http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/paralysis.html

[Tiger Beer]

There was a lively 4-page thread just on this subject earlier this summer..

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=60721&start=0

[own_king]

[billybrobby]

I remember some Korean I knew believed in evil spirits that visit you just as you fall asleep or wake up. That's probably what it is.

[own_king]

I don't know - if I was a boogeyman or evil spirit, I'd like to think that I could find better things to do than visit people while they sleep or sit on people's chests. Oh and watch out for the red mask ghost and fan death as well.

[brento1138]

I had sleep paralysis a few years ago when I was in university, and it has stopped since. There are three times I remember best, which I'll quickly summarize here.

The first one I felt a presence in my room but I could not open my eyes. I thought I could hear two people in my room, and one of them was an old woman who came towards me and held me down on my bed, pushing me against the bed. I realised a few months later this was actually a common condition called "The Old Hag" which has existed in several cultures (including our current one with alien abductions & so forth). Before they thought they were demons. But I clearly remember (even though not sure if I saw her) an old scraggily woman, very ugly, repeatedly saying "Nay! Nay!" Later, when I came to Korea, I was surprised that "Nay" meant "yes" and wondered if that had to do with anything. Read about it here: http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa112000a.htm

The second time I, again, could not move. It suddenly felt as if someone grabbed a hold of me and started shaking me. I opened my eyes and saw a bright "orb" of light floating away from me. Apparently, the scientific explanation of this is that my brain was still dreaming when my body was still asleep. The spiritual (less fun one) is that a demon was trying to possess me.

The third, very strange one, was again sensing an "evil presence" and I woke up, unable to move, with a pushing down on my chest. This time I didn't see or hear anything holding me down, but I fought against it and got control of my body, "pushing" whatever it was off of me.

I think the sleep paralysis happened to me a couple more times after, but they didn't last long and I wasn't "scared" of it... now it's gone away completely. But definitely not a pleasant thing to have happen to you in the middle of the night!!!

[kermo]

[Mowie]

I experienced sleep paralysis at least three times over a decade ago. The first time was amost exactly as you described. I kept it to myself and was greatly relieved when I read that it was not uncommon.

[skinhead]

Sleep Paralysis & Night Hag Experience

[own_king]

[peach]

I don't think we need two threads on this topic. As was stated, please respond here:
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=60721&start=0