Some days ago I had a really strange experiences about my soul being pulled out of my body by a dark shadow/being.

I woke up early in the morning but I did not really woke up. It felt like trance-like state. (I am sure that I was not dreaming!)

I could see through my eyes (but everything was kind of blurred) and I couldn´t move my body. I noticed a dark shadow or being sitting or flying over me. (couldn´t really figure it out)

Anyway. It felt like that this "dark shadow" or being was pulling me out of my body. I really was shocked and frightened about this and had a fear of death. It felt like I would die if I allow it.

I instantly repeated "no! ...no! ....no!" in my mind but it didn´t work.... I got even more frightened and tried to say "NO" very loud and strictly. Somehow this worked and I was pushed back to my body. The shadow/being disappeared and I was really relaxed and fell to sleep again. I didn´t even wondered what it was in that trance-like state. It was really really strange... but I am sure that it was not a dream... everything that happened was so clear in my eyes and it seemed so real.

Has someone here experienced similar things or heard of something analogical? This experience still freaks me out. :/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

Seriously, don't they have Die Wikipedia where you live in Germany? ;)

I had very similar experiences many times. It's called "lucid dream". The "sleep paralysis" is a common occurrence during a lucid dream.

Ha, of course we have Wikipedia but the german article about sleep paralysis is quite different as I can see now.^^ The english one is way more extensive and better. It really sounds similar to my experience there...so...thank you!

Found a interesting quote there:
"In Old English the name for these beings was mare or mære (from a proto-Germanic*marōn, cf. Old Norsemara), hence comes the mare part in nightmare. The word might be etymologically cognate to GreekMarōn (in the Odyssey) and SanskritMāra."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_hag

... looks like Mara visited me at night.^^ But seriously... I kind of doubt the scientifical explanation. (also as a spiritual person) It felt really really real. It was definitely not a dream (they are different in my experience) or just imagination. Hm....

You should check this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream

Lucid dream can feel very real.

Hi Fabian,
I have had a couple of experiences similar to yours. Have a listen to this interview with Tom Campbell - he addresses your experience around minute 30. He has a youtube channel with lots of related material - Check for example his talks given at the Monroe Institute - this is a place dedicated to exploring the out of body experience. I have been there - they do good work.

If you're ever stuck in sleep paralysis again and feel you absolutely must wake up, remember to do this: wiggle your big toes. That will pull you back into your body faster than anything else (in my experience).

However, if you find yourself in sleep paralysis and don't detect any frightening beings, it can be a great opportunity to explore some interesting states, for instance, see if you can expand your awareness to the walls of the room, then maybe the room next to where you're sleeping, then maybe farther than that. You could also try focusing on the place in your consciousness where it seems dreams are conceived (thus entering a dream with the resolve to stay aware), or where it is that peacefulness is fabricated, or where it is that the life force itself abides. You also might detect non-threatening beings; try talking to them, ask them quetions. That world is much more chaotic than ours, so try not to be alarmed if their reactions seem disproportionate. If you get comfortable with that state, then potentially frightening beings might not hold so much weight in terms of fear as much as of curiosity. Remember, in that world your fear has the capability of projecting much more strongly. Whatever being you encountered was probably simply feeding on that energy.

In any case, remember: big toes

HT for that etymology lesson. Interesting stuff.

I was being a bit cheeky earlier, but I haven't had night terrors like this, either in your description of soul suck or a demon sitting on my chest. What I have experienced was a lot of energetics within the body, waking me up at odd hours of the night. Sometimes it would feel incredibly pleasurable (might be how myths about succubi evolved?), and at other times, it was very annoying, with lots of sensory distortions (higher pitched whining noises than my usual tinnitus, vertigo, etc). It left me sleeping only 2-4 hours a night at some point. Thankfully, it all seemed to resolve itself over time. Also metta, I think I started doing a lot of metta to acknowledge the sleep deprivation and that I should take extra care with self and others.

As others have said, you described a very common sleep paralysis type event.  Sometimes it's called old hag syndrome because it can feel like some kind of evil thing is sitting on your chest and making it hard to breath.  I've had some of these experiences.  IME and from what I've heard from others, the 'demon' or 'evil' appears to be basically your own personal fears sort of projected into your dream state as thought forms.  IME, if you can get a grip on your fear (which admittedly is difficult), then the whole experience will alter quickly, the evil thing will be gone etc.  There's much to be learned and gained by seeing your own fears projected out in front of you so you could consider it a learning opportunity to explore your own inner self.  
-Eva 

howdy,
some people have this regularly.  i've had it twice in my life,  while brain hacking via binaural beats.  the phenomena has occurred in virtually every culture from the sumarians to our own.  old hag is the irish / english version.  there are the succubus and incubbus sexualized versions of it.  the character 'merlin' of the king arthur tales was the result of a union between a male incubbus and his physical mother in the mythology.

they can be terrifying or pleasant and do have a connection to lucid dreaming.  some people "use" the recognition of the start of the experience as a "portal" to lucid dreaming.

what helped me from allowing it to be a frightful experience was to try to face the "demon" fearlessly and with curiosity.  the experience can be extremly real, and whos to say it aint?  the "demon" in my experience matched those of so many accounts (including horns and sharp chinned pixieish face) that a random coincidence was immediately eliminated from my list of possibilities.

check out youtube.  there are so many accounts of it you will soon be an expert.

I've had this happen many times. The most drastic ones where when I began practicing Buddhism. One was when I was preparing for my first vipassana retreat (it was in Goenka tradition). At night in bed I felt myself pulled out of the body and then saw Goenka asking me quite seriously: do you REALLY want liberation? I felt terrified. One interpretation is that perhaps some shadow material was feeling threatened by the prospect of doing a practice that brings one deep inside oneself.

Most times I've felt an evil presence in those experiences, but that was years ago. Lately, I get an experience during what I would call lucid sleep (I can't more, sleep but know I am sleeping) and get very fast and furious vibrations in my body, and I've learned to surrender to it despite it being "scary."


For many of these experiences I noticed I would get them when I was really tired. I have no clue what they are but one can learn to be with these experiences.

If you want to avoid another event like that, please:

-Sleep on your side, never facing the roof (otherwise your chest may be higher than your head, and that could block the energy going down the torso/abdomen).
-Don't do energetic stuff before going to bed. 
-Doing some Metta practice in bed won't hurt

If it happens again:

-watch any detail of the sleep paralysis and try to connect to any event in your past, ugly or not.
-be aware of any energetic stuff running through your back, so you can link it to the psychological event connected to.

I have had this my entire life started in 5th grade I'm almost forty. Sleeping on side doesn't help at all. As time has gone on I can notice if they are around well before bedime.  Sleeping with lights on won't help.  We agree that there is a spiritual war or at least aspect right I say simply call it evil. You can look into it some ppl say just go with it it's obe others say don't because once your out your fair game.  The best I've heard is think of yourself as a 10 year old retard in south Compton those demons want your fresh energy and you will not be able to fend them off alone.  So call on Jesus right.. yes but only as much as you know him.  Like if you accept the whole man can control this future through his 3rd eye type stuff then you dont know Jesus and how can you be mad at evil for being evil.   Seriously rather you realize it or not everytime you are not careful with your spirit entities can an will attach, they are like leeches and very hard to remove.  There's a lot to it  but another wrote they love your fear very true learn how to wake yourself and try to remain calm they may come right back as soon as you start to drift off just wake yourself again.   Xoxo they are scarey but greater is he in me then in the world.    

I've had similar experiences. 3-4 times I've sensed something dark and nebulous sitting on my face or chest, suffocating me; 2 times I've seen some apparently non-malevolent alien beings tinkering with my body or brain. I've always reacted in anger and moved my hands to intercept, and every time those things immediately disappeared. Maybe anger wasn't the most skillful reaction in some or any of these events, maybe the beings or my subconscious was trying to teach me something, but regardless, that's how it went.

By far the scariest (sleep paralysis) event was when I was sleeping in the woods, and at night heard a mountain lion growling close by. Mountain lions did live in the area, and I was aware of that. Anyway, I tried to move to attack it, but could move either almost imperceptively slowly, or not at all. What a helpless feeling. This experience felt like it lasted a long time. I don't remember how it ended.

What is real?  In all of the above cases, the environment looked the same as it had been before I had gone to sleep: My dark bedroom, or the tent and nearby terrain of the woods. This is in contrast to my usual dreams, where the environments don't seem to have much to do with my daytime world. But maybe the beings and the animal were still imagined, just superimposed on the usual visual field. Who knows?

Similarly to what Pablo said, I've also noticed that all of these events, as well as almost all other energetic/weird phenomena that I've had while sleeping, have occurred while laying on my back.

Apropos ... In a traditional mythic story, told by a guy (forget name) who was a main student of Joseph Campbell:

Sir (forget his name too) -- one of the Knights of the Round Table -- was underway on a quest to find the "Lady of the Lake"; came up to fork in the road, where stood a huge fearsome dragon, threateningly huffing and puffing fire, etc. So, the knight goes right up to the dragon and simply asks him for directions -- which fork to take to get to the Lady of the Lake. The dragon calms down and gives him directions, and they both go their merry ways.

in that case, I hope to be referred to as Sir Thomas from now on.

Hello, everyone !

I know this is kind of an old thread but I just woke up from this very same experience. Yes, it is very related to sleep paralisys or lucid dream, but still I felt it was something else at the same time.

Most of your answers refere to the state in which you feel a heavy object/presence on your chest/legs which wont let you breath or move. As OP described, the feeling was not like that. Well, maybe in his case it was, but let me add at least my own experience as well.
Ok, here it goes!

To begin with, I've had tons of sleep paralisys in my life, so I can instantly recognize the episode as soon as it starts. Also, althou I have little control over my dreams, in most cases I'm aware of dreams being dreams, I just flow with them and let events unfold as I enjoy or suffer (nightmares) them. So, in this case it had a little of lucid dream to begin with, I was at an elevator and I felt like touching this buttons to move it, and a moment later I noticed these other buttons, which I knew I should not press, and the feeling of lucid dream started right there.

I pressed the new buttons on the elevator, and a few moments laters, a feeling of extreme joy filled my legs, and went up through my body! Up to my stomach, and completely filled me. This was joy, or bliss. It was very spiritual energy! I kind of regain conciuosness completly by this moment, and got into sleep paralisys by then, and what had began as bliss, rapidly turned into a wind like force which was pulling me out of my body, kindly first, energecticly later, until it was even violent. The force would pull from my stomach (sacral chackra) and from my hands.

I never had this experience before, my sleep paralisys were always very dull, sad and opressing. To feel this force trying to take me out of my body, and the extreme joy. It was not the same as always! Ofc, I got scared and used my own method for waking up (which consist in simply strengthen the flow of air in my breathing), and after a little battle with this force, I regained control and everything finished. It felt like if I allowed this force to take me, I would have ended up being unable to return ! Well, I would have like to allow it but I'm too much of a coward xD.

Well, just wanted to share! Althou it has elements of lucid dream and sleep paralisys, I feel this situation envolves something else which must have another chapter for it self..

thank you for reading

Just my opinion but I feel there is no spiritual war going on except in the minds of folks that believe in it. Way back in the day when I was first meditating, in my teens I found that with practice I could easily get into a state where I felt just about out of body and really floating around. It took initially 20 minutes of hard focus. With practice I could get there in a minute or 3. I also had incidences of seeing the room I was meditating in, with closed eyes. Never had any problems with dark shadows or spirits though. Then again I was a regular practitioner of the Lesser Banishing of the Pentagram (LBRP) and Middle Pillar excercise. Unfortunately I don't seem to have access to that kind of intense focus anymore (age 58). I wish you much luck.

Thank you so much for your reply.
I had this particular early morning, the succubus try about 4 times, i knew it was in direct corrolation to allowing a psychopathic sadistic narccist ex back into my life for one visit.the entitly was male. I was terrified the first time and have never been a Christian.  But found myself reciting the lords prayer over and over. Everytime i got the words wrong the further it pulled me out the top window of our town house. 
I was sleeping on my right side. But was fully awaken and concious throught these attempts due to my highly sensitive n spiritual nature. And it was dawn and i could see my physicsl body laying in bed from above clear as fay and could tell which neighbours cars were still parked in drivways. It let me go after i said it correctly 3 times. I realized i had some power or contol of the situation upon third recital when i said it with determination and certainty. When i held no fear. This made me bolder and i decided not to move upon return to my body.
It returned more hesitantly the next time and i immediately felt it try embrace me from behind i realized i had some power over it and allowed my higher consciousness to take over. I too experimented with fear its power was strong and it could start to remove my spiritual body/soul quite quickly. Without fear i felt it hestiate and i would be released. I no longer said the prayer. The sun was starting to rise. I then felt an image being implanted of a very graphic n sexual nature using my said ex partner. It scared me again as i was afraid of yet loved this man. It quickly took advantage of my fear n lust. And i realized it was infact a succubus. And asked my higher power n guardians to surround me and i imagined white light bursting from within...... it vanished and slowly regained movement in my limbs and managed to roll onto my tummy in bed. I saw the sun had fully risen. I got out of bed to double check the cars left in driveways. I had remained concious though this event.
The same cars were still there as i had noted upon being outside my bedroom yet tethered still to my body. I felt great burning pain in my wrists throught and for about 5 mins after this. Where it had 'hooked into me'. Is the best way to describe it. I knew i needed answers, as to why it had returned. After i had it completely banished by being taken to be baptised and at age of 21 due yo frequent nightly terror visits.... and was young and very confused spiritually..... however it did work.  They were completely gone from my life... so why it returned now im 38 yr old. I could ONLY attribute to seeing my ex for a 5 min discussion. He is dangerous and my gut n instincts told me to get away n stay away from him. The following dawn this event occured. I just wanted to share this experience with you only. As i felt relieved to be understood by some one. That im not crazy. Thanks for enlightening me truly. 

What I think  happens is that a person experiences certain sensations and then interprets them according to their belief systems.  But IMO, what we assume is often just that, assumptions.  For instance, I've had experiences where I felt like I popped out of my body (OBE type thing) but it could also be interpreted as being thrown out, not being able to get back in, someone forced me out, etc.  Some interpretations seem more scary than others obviously.  But OBErs have been playing with it for a long time and there is no statistics of them strangely dieing in their sleep or anything so seems like it all works out in the end.  IME, thoughts and emotions rule in the dream and astral worlds, there is no stable physical form, so to operate more successfully, the trick is to gain some measure of control over thoughts and emotions.  But even if you don't and it's a wild ride, in the end you wake up here again anyway.  ;-P 

I went through such a terrifying and taumatisig experience a few days ago, it felt as thought my soul was being dragged out of my body, this was the second time this has happened to me in my life and for the two times that i have felt it, the experience happened twice in a row.

the one that recently occured scared me the most, i remember feeling my soul leaving my body and when it happened i immediately tried to wake myself up by trying to open my eyes, as i was really tired i feel back to sleep and it happened to me again, this time when it happened it felt more forced, after the pulling stopped i swear i saw myself walking out of my bedroom door guided by an unidentifiable figure that had its hand on my shoulder, i tried to scream for myself to come back but nothing would come out and the figure holding me was already out the door. i woke up feeling so frightened as the experience felt so real.

what does this mean? is there anything i should be afraid of? 

Hej Fabian,
I recently had the exact same thing and its was very terifying.
In my case i was not asleep, i had just relax in bed thinking who am i?

But then i realised that no one can take away souls unless they gave it to you. I have a feeling that that must have been the creator, the giver of soul talking to you.

There is something you have been seeking, or a question you have been asking or maybe you had forgotten something and you were being reminded.. look within you and you will find why they had come to you that night.

Be blessed

Hey fabian,
I had something similar happen to me and the experience never left me since. Just under a year ago, i done what I usual do in my nightly routine, my daywas as normal as any other, I hadnt one hair of stress on my head, as I lay down to go sleep i drifted in to deep sleep almost instantly, and as soon as i did it was almost like i was being overwhelmed my a dark feeling caving into me quick. I cannot explain more clearly, moving on. I'd have to wake myself up immediatly or I felt death would or something worse believe it or not something freaky would happen to me. this kept happening to me for a good 2 hours this toxic kinda feeling, I was so tired, but afraid to fall asleep. It happened everytime and just right before I'd fall asleep,maybe a second after I'd be awake scared I looked at my partner asleep next to me i grabbed his hand and tried goin asleep, id lay in his arms to try and feel safe but somehow it felt like nothing on this earth could save me if I fell asleep. As it got later and later I'd said another prayer and put my bible under my bed right under me and then fell straight to sleep woke up the next day and was freaked and curious to know what the heck that was. I still can't find an aqurate explanation fascinated by other similar story's. If anyone has had this experience I too we'd be twinning. Lol.