Ok this experience is kinda ridiculous and in the "subjective" realm, but it is at least interesting.
At my old house, several times in the morning or evening when I was awake but hadn't moved yet, I would have the impression of a small black animal in the room. My impression was of a black cat. I don't think it was a black cat, but that's what my mind sort of interpreted it as.
One morning I heard it in the room, I sensed it as sitting on the ground to my left watching me. I tried to get up, but as soon as I would try to move a wave of fear would wash over me and I was unable to move. The strange thing about this fear is that it seemed to be a completely physically-based fear. It seemed like I was somehow separate from it, because at the same time as being afraid I was asking myself, "What reason do I have to be afraid of a cat?"
For whatever reason, it hadn't struck me as strange that there was a cat in the room. I don't own any pets.
After a minute or so I could still hear it moving, and for whatever reason the thought suddenly popped in my head "What the hell is a cat doing in my house?"
After this, the "fear paralyzation" disappeared and I sat up. For several seconds I could STILL hear it moving in what looked like empty space.
On another occasion, I was awake but hadn't moved, and I felt pressure like a small animal crawling on the bed to my left. Then I felt it move around the top of my head, and come down my right side.
Then it crawled on top of my chest. I could even feel what seemed like little cat feet! It was on my chest, and the same process occurred. I had the thought, "Why is a cat in my house?" and the paralyzation disappeared and the sensation of the animal faded away.
---
A little addendum for the self-appointed guardians of rationality:
People LOVE to throw around the term "sleep paralysis", but I hope those people realize that this term *doesn't actually mean anything*. No one has yet been able to explain how a sane person can be awake in the waking world, aware that they are awake in the waking world, and yet have totally believable hallucinations, complete with visuals, audio and sensation.
"Sleep paralysis" goes into the same category as "ball lightning", "dark matter", and other such things. All these terms mean essentially the same thing:
"We don't understand this, but it's not a mystery. And it certainly isn't anything supernatural. Materialistic science reigns supreme."
If my mind is able to hallucinate animals, why can't I do it right now?
I'm clearly in at least a slightly altered state in the morning because I don't find the presence of a cat strange. But how does this natural altered state allow me to insert fictional objects into the presumably non-fiction world?
If I'm only daydreaming an object which exists nowhere else but in my imagination, how can this object exist *coherently* for an extended period of time in the waking world for any longer than the fleeting moment when it pops into my head?
When I direct my attention toward something in the real world, if I don't REALLY see it, and I have no desire to see it, then what am I seeing?
I am not assuming that things like this animal are "real", what I'm saying is that I think there is a legitimate mystery here, and using handy catch-phrases like "sleep paralysis" won't make that mystery go away.
---
Anway, now that the addendum's out of the way, I'd love to hear other peoples' similar experiences.
I'd also honestly love to hear an explanation which actually means something when you strip away the terminology.
At my old house, several times in the morning or evening when I was awake but hadn't moved yet, I would have the impression of a small black animal in the room. My impression was of a black cat. I don't think it was a black cat, but that's what my mind sort of interpreted it as.
One morning I heard it in the room, I sensed it as sitting on the ground to my left watching me. I tried to get up, but as soon as I would try to move a wave of fear would wash over me and I was unable to move. The strange thing about this fear is that it seemed to be a completely physically-based fear. It seemed like I was somehow separate from it, because at the same time as being afraid I was asking myself, "What reason do I have to be afraid of a cat?"
For whatever reason, it hadn't struck me as strange that there was a cat in the room. I don't own any pets.
After a minute or so I could still hear it moving, and for whatever reason the thought suddenly popped in my head "What the hell is a cat doing in my house?"
After this, the "fear paralyzation" disappeared and I sat up. For several seconds I could STILL hear it moving in what looked like empty space.
On another occasion, I was awake but hadn't moved, and I felt pressure like a small animal crawling on the bed to my left. Then I felt it move around the top of my head, and come down my right side.
Then it crawled on top of my chest. I could even feel what seemed like little cat feet! It was on my chest, and the same process occurred. I had the thought, "Why is a cat in my house?" and the paralyzation disappeared and the sensation of the animal faded away.
---
A little addendum for the self-appointed guardians of rationality:
People LOVE to throw around the term "sleep paralysis", but I hope those people realize that this term *doesn't actually mean anything*. No one has yet been able to explain how a sane person can be awake in the waking world, aware that they are awake in the waking world, and yet have totally believable hallucinations, complete with visuals, audio and sensation.
"Sleep paralysis" goes into the same category as "ball lightning", "dark matter", and other such things. All these terms mean essentially the same thing:
"We don't understand this, but it's not a mystery. And it certainly isn't anything supernatural. Materialistic science reigns supreme."
If my mind is able to hallucinate animals, why can't I do it right now?
I'm clearly in at least a slightly altered state in the morning because I don't find the presence of a cat strange. But how does this natural altered state allow me to insert fictional objects into the presumably non-fiction world?
If I'm only daydreaming an object which exists nowhere else but in my imagination, how can this object exist *coherently* for an extended period of time in the waking world for any longer than the fleeting moment when it pops into my head?
When I direct my attention toward something in the real world, if I don't REALLY see it, and I have no desire to see it, then what am I seeing?
I am not assuming that things like this animal are "real", what I'm saying is that I think there is a legitimate mystery here, and using handy catch-phrases like "sleep paralysis" won't make that mystery go away.
---
Anway, now that the addendum's out of the way, I'd love to hear other peoples' similar experiences.
I'd also honestly love to hear an explanation which actually means something when you strip away the terminology.