Sleep paralysis is a condition characterized by paralysis of the body shortly after waking up (known as hypnopompic paralysis) or, less often, shortly before falling asleep (known as hypnagogic paralysis). Physiologically, it is closely related to the normal paralysis that occurs during REM sleep, also known as REM atonia. Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain is awakened from a REM state into essentially a normal fully awake state, but the bodily paralysis is still occurring. This causes the person to be fully aware, but unabl ...

Including:

• Sleep paralysis - Accompanying hallucinations
• Sleep paralysis - Possible causes
• Sleep paralysis - Cultural references
• Sleep paralysis - Treatment in literature

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Sleep Paralysis:

An often frightening state of seeming to being awake but unable to move.

(See also: Sleep Paralysis, Psychic, Psychic Dictionary, Parapsychology, Parapsychology Dictionary)

In India, there are two thoughts. One of the signs of approaching enlightenment is "witnessing sleep," that is to say, being seemingly lucid in sleep — such as with sleep paralysis. It was also believed within the movement that rakshasas (Hindu demons) may assail those making strides towards their own enlightenment and the good of all mankind. The other thought is a female entity, called Mohini (a demoness from the underworld), comes into the night-time world by means of ascending through a deep well. She is enchantingly beautiful, yet sim ...

See also:

Sleep paralysis, Sleep paralysis - Accompanying hallucinations, Sleep paralysis - Possible causes, Sleep paralysis - Cultural references, Sleep paralysis - Treatment in literature

Read more here: » Sleep paralysis: Encyclopedia II - Sleep paralysis - Cultural references

An out-of-body experience (OBE) typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, seeing one's physical body from outside oneself (autoscopy). Approximately one in ten people claim to have had an out-of-body experience at some time in their lives. For some, the phenomenon occurs spontaneously, while for others it is linked to dangerous circumstances, a near-death experience, a dream-like state or use of alcohol or street drugs. Relatively little is known about OBEs.[1] Out-of-body exper ...

Including:

• Out-of-body experience - Other types of projection
• Out-of-body experience - Astral projection
• Out-of-body experience - Virtual reality projection
• Out-of-body experience - Remote viewing
• Out-of-body experience - Spontaneous OBEs
• Out-of-body experience - Initiated during/after sleep Sleep Paralysis
• Out-of-body experience - Other types of spontaneous OBEs
• Out-of-body experience - Non-spontaneous or induced OBEs
• Out-of-body experience - External verification of OBEs
• Out-of-body experience - Other observations of OBEs
• Out-of-body experience - Possible explanations
• Out-of-body experience - Skepticism

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Hypnagogia (also spelled hypnogogia) and hypnopompia are experiences a person can go through when falling asleep in the case of hypnagogia, or waking up, in the case of hypnopompia. When in a hypnagogic or hypnopompic state a person can have lifelike auditory, visual, or tactile hallucinations (known as hypnagogic hallucinations), perhaps even accompanied by full body paralysis. The individual is aware that these are hallucinations; the frightening part, in many cases, is the inability to react to them, even being ...

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Paralysis is the complete loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups. Major causes are stroke, trauma, poliomyelitis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), botulism, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Paralysis may be localized, or generalized, or it may follow a certain pattern. For example, localized paralysis occurs in Bell's palsy where one side of the face may be paralysed due to inflammation of the facial nerve on that side. Patients with stroke may be weak throughout their body (glo ...

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In common current usage, the term nightmare refers to dreams of particular intensity, with content that the sleeper finds disturbing, related either to physiological causes, such as a high fever, or to psychological ones, such as unusual trauma or stress in the sleeper's life. The occasional body movements seen in nightmares may have a use in awakening the sleeper, thus helping to avoid the frightening dream-situation. Occasional nightmares are commonplace, but recurrent nightmares can interfere with sleep and may cause people ...

Including:

• Nightmare - Historic use of term
• Nightmare - Notes

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A hag (or crone) is a kind of malevolent, wizened old woman often found in folklore and children's tales such as Hansel and Gretel. The term appears in Middle English, and might be short for hægtesse, an Old English term for witch. [1]. Hag - Hag in folkore. More specifically, a hag or "the Old Hag" was a nightmare spirit in British and also Anglophone North American folklore which is essentially identical to the Anglo-Saxon mæra – a being with roots in ancient Germanic super ...

Including:

• Hag - Hag in folkore
• Hag - In neurobiology
• Hag - In popular culture
• Hag - External link

Read more here: » Hag: Encyclopedia - Hag

In Norse mythology, the svartálfar ("black elves") or dökkálfar ("dark elves") are supernatural beings (Old Norse "vættir," wights) that are said to reside in the underground world of Svartálfheim. They, like the trolls, are often corollated with the dvergar ("dwarves") and their home is often considered to be the same as Nidavellir, the underground of Midgard, though not as far down as Helheim. Svartálfar - Dwarves as Black Elves. According to Kevin Crossley-Holland: "No valid distinction thou ...

Including:

• Svartálfar - Dwarves as Black Elves
• Svartálfar - Later Influences
• Svartálfar - The Dualism of Light and Dark

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Activation Synthesis Theory is a neurobiological theory of dreams, put forward by Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley in 1977, which states that dreams are a random event caused by firing of neurons in the brain. This random firing sends signals to the body's motor systems, but because of a paralysis that occurs during REM sleep, the brain is faced with a paradox. It synthesizes a narrative by drawing on memo ...

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Subtle bodies Causal plane: Causal body Mental plane: Mental body Astral plane: body, projection Etheric plane: Etheric body Physical plane: Physical body The 7 Worlds & the 7 Cosmic Planes The Seven-fold constitution of Man The Ten-fold constitution of Man Cosmology Sufi cosmology Tanazzulut Ray of Creation The Laws Three Centres Five ...

Including:

• Astral projection - Schools of Thought
• Astral projection - Mystical Model
• Astral projection - Phasing Model
• Astral projection - Other kinds of projection
• Astral projection - Real time projection
• Astral projection - Virtual reality projection
• Astral projection - Remote viewing
• Astral projection - Research
• Astral projection - Astral projection and the Bible
• Astral projection - Major proponents

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The vrykolakas (Greek βρυκόλακας pronounced "vree-KO-la-kahss", IPA [vri'kolakas]) is a monster from modern Greek folklore. It has similarities to many different legendary creatures. For example, it is like a ghost, in that it is a haunting spirit of the dead. Legends also say it crushes or suffocates the sleeping by sitting on them, much like a mara or incubus (cf. sleep paralysis). It also has many affinities with the werewolf (see below). But the legendary cre ...

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Narcolepsy is a neurological condition characterized by severe fatigue, irresistible episodes of sleep and general sleep disorder. It is a kind of dyssomnia. Narcolepsy - Symptoms of narcolepsy. The main characteristic of narcolepsy is overwhelming excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), even after adequate nighttime sleep. A person with narcolepsy is likely to become drowsy or to fall asleep, often at inappropriate times and places. Daytime naps may occur with or without warning and may be irresistible. These ...

Including:

• Narcolepsy - Symptoms of narcolepsy
• Narcolepsy - What happens in narcolepsy
• Narcolepsy - Causes of narcolepsy
• Narcolepsy - Prevalence of narcolepsy
• Narcolepsy - Diagnosis
• Narcolepsy - Treatment
• Narcolepsy - Research
• Narcolepsy - Coping with narcolepsy

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Dr Abdul Sattar Edhi, or Maulana Edhi, as he is often known, is one of the most active philanthropists in Pakistan. He is head of the Edhi Foundation. His wife Bilquis Edhi, heads the Bilquis Edhi Foundation. They both received 1986 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service. He is also the recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize. Maulana Edhi, as he is often referred to, is of the Memon community. Edhi was born in 1928 in Bantva in the Gujarat state of India. His father was a textile trader and earned a modest income fo ...

Including:

• Abdul Sattar Edhi - Starting Up
• Abdul Sattar Edhi - Growth of Edhi Foundation
• Abdul Sattar Edhi - Modern Legacy

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Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS) or altitude illness is a pathological condition that is caused by lack of adaptation to high altitudes. It commonly occurs above 2,500 metres (approximately 8,000 feet). If untreated, the condition can result in death. Altitude sickness - Introduction. Different people have different susceptibilities to altitude sickness. For some otherwise healthy people symptoms can begin to appear at around 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) above ...

Including:

• Altitude sickness - Introduction
• Altitude sickness - Signs and symptoms
• Altitude sickness - Severe cases
• Altitude sickness - Altitude acclimatization

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Cerebral palsy or CP is a group of permanent disorders associated with developmental brain injuries that occur during fetal development, birth, or shortly after birth. It is characterized by a disruption of motor skills, with symptoms such as spasticity, paralysis, or seizures. Cerebral palsy is a form of static encephalopathy. The incidence is about 1.5 to 4 per 1000 live births. One form of it, spastic diplegia, is sometimes known as Little's disease in the United Kingdom. Properly speaking, the fact that CP doe ...

Including:

• Cerebral palsy - History
• Cerebral palsy - Cause
• Cerebral palsy - Incidence and prevalence
• Cerebral palsy - Types
• Cerebral palsy - Classified by group of muscles involved
• Cerebral palsy - Classified by presentation
• Cerebral palsy - Presentation signs and symptoms
• Cerebral palsy - Imaging Findings
• Cerebral palsy - Soft Tissue
• Cerebral palsy - Bones
• Cerebral palsy - Prognosis
• Cerebral palsy - Treatment
• Cerebral palsy - Usage of the term spastic

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For other uses of related terms, see abduction The abduction phenomenon is an umbrella term used to describe a number of hypotheses, claims or assertions stating that non-human creatures kidnap individuals—sometimes called "abductees"—usually for medical testing or for sexual reproduction procedures. Many such encounters are described as terrifying or humiliating, but others describe them as transformative or even pleasant. Reports of the abduction phenomenon have been made from around the world, but have p ...

Including:

• Abduction phenomenon - Overview
• Abduction phenomenon - Profile
• Abduction phenomenon - History
• Abduction phenomenon - John Mack
• Abduction phenomenon - Interpretations analyses and proposed explanations
• Abduction phenomenon - Alien Abduction Research Organizations
• Abduction phenomenon - Notable abduction claims
• Abduction phenomenon - Notable figures
• Abduction phenomenon - Sources

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Many report hallucinations during episodes of sleep paralysis. The features of these hallucinations generally vary by individual, but some are more common to the experience than others: Most common Vividness Fear Common Sensing a "presence" (often malevolent) Pressure/weight on body (especially the chest). See for example the painting in the begining of this article, which is due to this phenomenon. A sensation of not bein ...

See also:

Sleep paralysis, Sleep paralysis - Accompanying hallucinations, Sleep paralysis - Possible causes, Sleep paralysis - Cultural references, Sleep paralysis - Treatment in literature

Read more here: » Sleep paralysis: Encyclopedia II - Sleep paralysis - Accompanying hallucinations

Little is known about the physiology of sleep paralysis. However, some have suggested that it may be linked to post-synaptic inhibition of motor neurons in the pons region of the brain. In particular, low levels of melatonin may stop the depolarisation current in the nerves, which prevents the stimulation of the muscles. There is also a significant positive correlation between those experiencing this disorder frequently and those suffering from narcolepsy. However, various studies suggest that many or most people will experience sle ...

See also:

Sleep paralysis, Sleep paralysis - Accompanying hallucinations, Sleep paralysis - Possible causes, Sleep paralysis - Cultural references, Sleep paralysis - Treatment in literature

Read more here: » Sleep paralysis: Encyclopedia II - Sleep paralysis - Possible causes

Nightmare was the original term for the state later known as waking dream (cf Mary Shelley and Frankenstein's Genesis), and more currently as sleep paralysis, associated with rapid eye movement (REM) periods of sleep. The original definition was codified by Dr Johnson in his Dictionary and was thus understood, among others by Erasmus Darwin and Henry Fuseli, to include a "morbid oppression in the night, resem ...

See also:

Nightmare, Nightmare - Historic use of term, Nightmare - Notes

Read more here: » Nightmare: Encyclopedia II - Nightmare - Historic use of term