creepypiss: Sleep Paralysis // The Nightmare by John Henry Fuseli In 1781, John Henry Fuseli painted
creepypiss: Sleep Paralysis // The Nightmare by John Henry Fuseli In 1781, John Henry Fuseli painted The Nightmare; a dark and dreamlike oil painting that depicts an erotically-posed sleeping woman, an Incubus perched upon her chest. An unsettling, white eyed horse looks in from the curtains behind them. Although interpretations vary, it is hard to deny that the artist created this impactful piece with bad dreams somewhere in mind. During those times, common folklore told of demons visiting people in their sleep, or at least those who slept alone. Men were visited by horses or hags, while women were believe to have intercourse with the devil himself. In more current times, the image brings the immediate thought of Sleep Paralysis, a condition in which a person begins to come up to consciousness from sleep before their body catches up, leaving the individual temporarily physically paralyzed in their bed. Those who experience this often describe it feeling as if something is holding them down or sitting on their chest. It is common to hallucinate during these episodes and, often due to the panic, these can be incredibly frightening. Sleep Paralysis episodes last less than minutes and only about 5% of the population experience them regularly. Despite this, much paranormal speculation continues around the subject and there are many people that claim to have had genuine experiences with the unknown written off as Sleep Paralysis. -- source link