Have you ever heard of an Incubus? I have been dealing with one for the past few years. Not constantly, but about once every three months. This of course is way too much. For those that don't know, an Incubus is a demonic presence that only bothers women when they sleep. There is a different name for the ones that bother men. They make you feel completely paralyzed. You can't move a muscle or scream out. It is a terrifying situation.
Being a JW I can't imagine why all of my spiritual literature doesn't provide me some kind of protection. (yeah right!!) There have been times when I have screamed out Jehovah's name after an attack, only to fall asleep and be attacked again within minutes. I'm seriously wondering why this thing is not fleeing at the sound of Jehovah's name!! Because aren't we told to call out Jehovah's name??
I spoke with an elder about it once and he was the one that told me it is an Incubus. He told me that he knew of other Witnesses that had experienced the same thing and that they lived in the same apartment complex that I did. So, I thought the buildings were demonic. Anyway, I've moved twice since then and it's still happening. He suggested that I make sure that I have no questionable objects or literature that might atttact a demonic presence. But, I don't have anything like that in my house!! Has anyone else ever heard of this?
INCUBUS
by sistaintheback 26 Replies latest jw experiences
-
sistaintheback
-
Big Tex
It actually sounds like you are experiencing night terrors. This is an often misdiagnosed problem that can occur in children or adults. Here are some symptoms:
Night Terrors Symptoms: Sudden awakening from sleep, persistent fear or terror that occurs at night, screaming, sweating, confusion, rapid heart rate, inability to explain what happened, usually no recall of "bad dreams" or nightmares, may have a vague sense of frightening images. Many people see spiders, snakes, animals or people in the room, are unable to fully awake, difficult to comfort, with no memory of the event on awakening the next day.
Check out this site and see what you think:
Edited to add:
Upon re-reading your post, I noticed you said you had difficulty speaking sometimes. This could be a sign of sleep paralysis. The symptoms of sleep paralysis are:
Sleep Paralysis
The characteristics of sleep paralysis are as follows:- Inability to move or speak for 30 seconds - 3 minutes
- Speech is difficult or almost impossible
- Happens before falling asleep or just after waking up
- Can be hereditary
- Can be brought on by stress
Either way though, and with all due respect, I do not think you are being attacked by an incubus.
-
sistaintheback
I've read this information before. But, I'm still not convinced that it's not something more sinister. Because it usually only happens when I'm alone. When my husband has to work an all night shift or something. It has happened before when he was home, but mostly when he is gone.
Also, I have felt things like: someone sitting on my bed, then opening my eyes and no one is there. Once my entire bed shook as if someone ran into the side of it.
My husband always told me I was dreaming, but then one night it happened to him and he freaked out. Now he believes me, but it has never happened to him again. -
Midget-Sasquatch
Sista
I hope this info will help relieve some of your anxiety. If this happens to you much too frequently then a check up by someone whose familiar with temporal lobe function may be helpful. Take care.
http://skepdic.com/sleepparalysis.html
Edit:If you read Big Tex's new link then you can skip mine
-
bebu
I had something even like what you described only once, about 20 years ago in Japan. It really felt evil as opposed to merely frightening or distressing. I could not move at that point, let alone speak.
I had never planned for any such thing. In frozen shock, my head reflexively prayed "Jesus save me!" And there was such an immediate, dramatic change... I can't find words to explain or express it. Like near-whiplash into peace.
So... as an experiment... try that.
bebu
-
wednesday
I have had sleep paralysis and it can for sure seem like the demons are attacking u. No matter how many times u call out God's name it will not help b/c it is not the demons, it is a medical condition and u need to see a doc, not be talking to an elder who is not qualifed to diagnose a medical condition. My husband had this once too, his "mind" he said would wake up before his body, he would be paralized and try to move , feel like he was being attacked and call out for God and nothing helped , until he just woke up.
Go see a doctor and describe what is happening to u . Stress can be an underlying cause of this, and so can sleep apnea. I'd avoid telling the doc u really thought it was a demon, he'll refer u to a psychiatrist.
-
Wallflower
I've checked the 2001 CD and there is no mention of a demon type called an Incubus, or the type that attacks men, a succubus. So the elders infomation was not from the FDS, but based on hearsay and ignorance.
They are not even mentioned in the Catholic Encyclopedia.
It's all ancient fokelore, see here :
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/i/incubus.html
IMO ancient explaintions for Night Terrors and Sleep Paralysis before medical science came along. -
dh
Sleep Paralysis The characteristics of sleep paralysis are as follows:
- Inability to move or speak for 30 seconds - 3 minutes
- Speech is difficult or almost impossible
- Happens before falling asleep or just after waking up
- Can be hereditary
- Can be brought on by stress
I've had all of this all of my life, since being a little kid and even now, I can even induce it (make it happen). Growing up I always thought it was something weird, even demonic, it definitely felt like something conscious was attacking me, even now when it happens it feels like something conscious is attacking me, but around a year ago I first read about sleep paralysis, and the shoe fitted. I'd made my peace with it long before I found out what it was, so even thought it still happens, it really doesn't bother me.
Edited to add:
Night Terrors Symptoms: Sudden awakening from sleep, persistent fear or terror that occurs at night, screaming, sweating, confusion, rapid heart rate, inability to explain what happened, usually no recall of "bad dreams" or nightmares, may have a vague sense of frightening images. Many people see spiders, snakes, animals or people in the room, are unable to fully awake, difficult to comfort, with no memory of the event on awakening the next day.
I also have this, a lot, being woken up from deep sleep as if by some shock, but the only thing I can think that triggers it is a sound that I sometimes hear in my head when I am sleeping, sometimes like a whisper, sometimes like a scream. When this happens I wake straight up in shock, is usually accompanied by my shouting or lashing out at the darkness. Never heard of 'Night Terror' before, but I think I have that too. LOL
muuuhahahha
Edited to add further stuff:
They make you feel completely paralyzed. You can't move a muscle or scream out. It is a terrifying situation.
This happens to me, almost every night if I sleep in a certain position. If I lay on my back with my head rolled back, it happens. Always, I can wait and monitor myself, and then feel it happen. It's a freak out and really used to terrify me, I wrote my experiences down so many times just as a personal record, because though paralysed, the mind is still conscious of its surroundings and you can still think, because even though you are frozen, you are not sleeping. When this happens I also hear screaming, but it only ever happens when I sleep on my back (when I am most open & relaxed), so most of the time I don't.
-
dh
In frozen shock, my head reflexively prayed "Jesus save me!" And there was such an immediate, dramatic change... I can't find words to explain or express it.
Not to say that didn't work for you, just voicing another experience. With me, nothing ever stops it, it's just a thing, it runs its course and then it's done, over, until next time.
No matter how many times u call out God's name it will not help b/c it is not the demons, it is a medical condition and u need to see a doc
This is my view also. From my life of experience. When I was a JW I would say Jehovah's name (as you are taught that it will scare demons away), but it made no difference, Jehovah didn't even register.
-
I can also testify to it feeling evil and conscious, like it knows what it's doing, I can testify to waking up and thinking I see dark figures in the darkness, to feeling as though I am being touched on my face, the weight of something on top of me touching my head, on my chest etc.
I make light of it, both because it is normal for me, and because the rational explanation is more sensible than mystifying it. The dark figures are just my eyes adjusting to the room. The thing on my head is my pillow, and the thing on my chest is my sheets. The mind translates your senses into your sleep in interesting ways. That is why you sometimes hear your phone ring in your dream right before it rings in real life.
-
undercover
In frozen shock, my head reflexively prayed "Jesus save me!" And there was such an immediate, dramatic change... I can't find words to explain or express it.
Not to say that didn't work for you, just voicing another experience. With me, nothing ever stops it, it's just a thing, it runs its course and then it's done, over, until next time.I've had it happen 4 or 5 times over my life. All happened when I was still a JW. I woke up paralyzed, couldn't move, couldn't speak. There was like a heavy pressure pushing my down into the bed, like a force or something. Having heard all the demon stories my whole life I assumed that it was demons. Each time I tried to call out "Jehovah" but my voice wouldn't work. Noise came out but it was incomprehensible. After a minute or so the pressure let up, I could breath easier and speak again. It wasn't until after I became inactive that I heard about Night Terrors and Sleep Paralysis. I knew then it wasn't demons but a physical condition.
It hasn't happened since I left the JWs.