Comments on: My Journey Into Skepticism http://www.jewelisms.com/2008/12/13/my-journey-into-skepticism/ life, the universe, and whatever else strikes me Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:17:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: jewel http://www.jewelisms.com/2008/12/13/my-journey-into-skepticism/comment-page-1/#comment-239 jewel Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:21:26 +0000 http://www.jewelisms.com/?p=401#comment-239 From what I've read, most people have probably experienced mild forms of it, usually with no outright hallucinations. I've had some pretty trippy ones, and thankfully, only the one had space aliens. The first one I can recall, was when I was about 4 years old. My parents had just tucked me in and before I could get to sleep (or so I thought at the time) I remember hearing something in my closet. My room wasn't completely dark, I remember moonlight or light from a street light or something coming in through the window. My closet had sliding doors and I heard something rattling in the closet. Then, the door slid open and out peered this creature ... I have no idea what it was, but it looked quite menacing. I got the impression it was tall, even though it was crouched down. It felt evil and it scared the everliving hell out of me. I couldn't move and I couldn't scream. At the time, and for many years, I thought something was really in my closet that night. Never mind I had no idea how it got there or where it went. From what I’ve read, most people have probably experienced mild forms of it, usually with no outright hallucinations. I’ve had some pretty trippy ones, and thankfully, only the one had space aliens.

The first one I can recall, was when I was about 4 years old. My parents had just tucked me in and before I could get to sleep (or so I thought at the time) I remember hearing something in my closet. My room wasn’t completely dark, I remember moonlight or light from a street light or something coming in through the window. My closet had sliding doors and I heard something rattling in the closet. Then, the door slid open and out peered this creature … I have no idea what it was, but it looked quite menacing. I got the impression it was tall, even though it was crouched down. It felt evil and it scared the everliving hell out of me. I couldn’t move and I couldn’t scream.

At the time, and for many years, I thought something was really in my closet that night. Never mind I had no idea how it got there or where it went.

]]> By: Alan in Upstate NY http://www.jewelisms.com/2008/12/13/my-journey-into-skepticism/comment-page-1/#comment-238 Alan in Upstate NY Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:05:54 +0000 http://www.jewelisms.com/?p=401#comment-238 Thinking back, I believe I did "suffer" sleep paralysis at least once. I think it was when I was home from college one summer. I woke up with no idea who I was or where I was. When I had figured that out, I couldn't sense or move my arms and legs. It seemed like a long journey back to having and moving appendages and it was quite frightening, but I suspect it happed quickly. No space aliens in view, however. Clear skies, Alan Thinking back, I believe I did “suffer” sleep paralysis at least once. I think it was when I was home from college one summer. I woke up with no idea who I was or where I was. When I had figured that out, I couldn’t sense or move my arms and legs. It seemed like a long journey back to having and moving appendages and it was quite frightening, but I suspect it happed quickly. No space aliens in view, however.

Clear skies, Alan

]]> By: jewel http://www.jewelisms.com/2008/12/13/my-journey-into-skepticism/comment-page-1/#comment-237 jewel Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:50:27 +0000 http://www.jewelisms.com/?p=401#comment-237 “The Demon-Haunted World” is one of my very favorite books. I've read it many times and I'm sure I will again. The sleep paralysis thing is a most interesting experience. Absolutely terrifying when I was a child and even into my teen years. It's been quite a long time since I've had one, thankfully. They don't make for restful nights. It's very interesting that you had incorporated a dream into memory. The brain is a terrible thing. “The Demon-Haunted World” is one of my very favorite books. I’ve read it many times and I’m sure I will again.

The sleep paralysis thing is a most interesting experience. Absolutely terrifying when I was a child and even into my teen years. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve had one, thankfully. They don’t make for restful nights.

It’s very interesting that you had incorporated a dream into memory. The brain is a terrible thing.

]]> By: Alan in Upstate NY http://www.jewelisms.com/2008/12/13/my-journey-into-skepticism/comment-page-1/#comment-234 Alan in Upstate NY Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:11:41 +0000 http://www.jewelisms.com/?p=401#comment-234 I've been rereading Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World" while we've been "enjoying" almost three and a half days off the grid courtesy of mother nature. A marvelous book and well worth the revisit. I certainly went a similar path regarding UFOs, although I think it predated the height of alien abductions so they were never on the table. With all the books, it seemed there must be something to the accounts. I read most of them back in the late 1960s. Somehow the real evidence kept escaping me, and I eventually concluded it simply wasn't there. It was nice when I eventually encountered some skeptical writing. Your account of the alien visitors was interesting. I've never experienced either sleep paralysis or hypnogogic/hypnopompic hallucinations, but I have had a couple of dreams that made temporary excursions into my memory of actual events. One was about owning a motorcycle when I lived in Massachusetts. I've never owned a motorcycle, but this dream was so real I often found myself wondering what I had done with the motorcycle when I moved back to New York. It would take a few minutes to convince myself the motorcycle had only been a dream. It made it quite easy to envision people adopting their dreams as reality. Clear skies, Alan I’ve been rereading Sagan’s “The Demon-Haunted World” while we’ve been “enjoying” almost three and a half days off the grid courtesy of mother nature. A marvelous book and well worth the revisit.

I certainly went a similar path regarding UFOs, although I think it predated the height of alien abductions so they were never on the table. With all the books, it seemed there must be something to the accounts. I read most of them back in the late 1960s. Somehow the real evidence kept escaping me, and I eventually concluded it simply wasn’t there. It was nice when I eventually encountered some skeptical writing.

Your account of the alien visitors was interesting. I’ve never experienced either sleep paralysis or hypnogogic/hypnopompic hallucinations, but I have had a couple of dreams that made temporary excursions into my memory of actual events. One was about owning a motorcycle when I lived in Massachusetts. I’ve never owned a motorcycle, but this dream was so real I often found myself wondering what I had done with the motorcycle when I moved back to New York. It would take a few minutes to convince myself the motorcycle had only been a dream. It made it quite easy to envision people adopting their dreams as reality.

Clear skies, Alan

]]>