Welcome back to DEAD Time. I hope you left a light on because this month, I want to talk about shadow people. Have you ever sat alone in the dark and thought you saw something out of the corner of your eye? Did you tell yourself that you’re just tired or it’s just your mind playing tricks on you?
The concept of shadow figures can be traced back to various religious beliefs, legends, and folklore. Some people believe the dark, patchy, humanoid figures are the presence of ghosts, demons, or other creatures of the underworld. While some think shadowy creatures are spiritual or supernatural, reports of shadow people have been connected to certain medical conditions like dementia, schizophrenia, and sleep paralysis. These dark figures are often perceived as evil or threatening but can also be seen as friendly or impartial.
Whether you believe shadow people are real or imagined, and regardless of what you think their motives are, people have reported seeing them for decades.
In the first installment of DEAD Time, I described some of the paranormal or unexplained experiences that were regular occurrences in my family home when I was growing up and even into adulthood. As I said in that first column, I believe the activity in our home was somehow connected to my mother. Exactly how it was connected to her will probably always be a mystery, but everyone in my family experienced strange things to some extent.
One of the things all of us experienced was what we would describe as shadow people.
I’m the only member of my family with a sleep disorder, so I’ve always believed that the shadowy figures could be connected to the fact that even now, I rarely sleep well if I sleep at all. Studies have shown that people who suffer from insomnia, sleep paralysis, and narcolepsy have all reported seeing what they describe as dark, shadowy figures. I’ve struggled with sleep my entire life, but oddly, the only times I remember seeing shadow people during periods of sleep deprivation were when I was growing up or times when I would spend the night at my parents’ house. I still have raging insomnia, but as an adult I’ve never seen these figures in my own home. I suppose the reasons for that will be lost to time along with my family’s strange paranormal history.
Based on my personal experience, I’ve never perceived shadow people as good or bad—they were just there, lurking in the dark. Sleep paralysis is a brief loss of muscle control, known as atonia, which occurs right after falling asleep or just before waking up. Hallucinations are common and can cause intense fear.
People who suffer from sleep paralysis will tell you stories about shadowy creatures that lunged at them, sat on their chests, and tried to choke or smother them. Shadow people have been reported by people based on their religious beliefs and even folklore. Indigenous mythology features many stories about shadow beings. For example, the Choctaw people pass down the legend of the Nalusa Falaya, which translates to “long, tall being.” The Nalusa Falaya is a terrifying shadow creature that waits in the dense forest to claim victims, who are never seen or heard from again. Some religions, as well as paranormal researchers, believe shadow figures represent demons or ghosts, who want to harm us or simply wish to communicate with us.
Maybe you just need some sleep, dear reader. Or maybe it’s just a trick of the light and these shadows aren’t beings at all.
Your belief in the paranormal, and perception of shadow people in particular, is most likely tied to your religious or spiritual beliefs, culture, folklore, or even a medical condition. Whether these shadowy entities can be linked to disease, mental illness, or some sort of paranormal phenomena, people will most likely continue to report seeing them for decades to come. Please feel free to reach out with your own experiences with shadow people or share them in the comments.
Until the next DEAD Time, I hope you’ll leave a light on for me.
The post Shadows of Ourselves – The Unexplained Phenomena of Shadow People [DEAD Time] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.