The answers can be chalked up to the idea that there’s more history on the east coast than the west coast. But in order to validate that assumption, we have to account for the history and the timeline of both coasts. And of course, that would require extensive research based on demographics. However, I’m fairly certain that there is probably equal amount of paranormal activity on both sides of the country. Both sides have seen war, settlements, sickness, disasters…so what is the difference?

Since I have moved here, I’ve noticed that there is a different perception of the paranormal on the east coast. It’s more accepted and embraced out here. There are more people who acknowledge their experiences and want to get it investigated. There are more haunted locations that are being capitalized by the locals. The paranormal mindset is very different out here. I’ve met more people than I can shake a stick at who openly admit that they believe in the paranormal or they’ve had experiences that they couldn’t explain. It’s rather interesting.

There is also more accessibility to history on the east coast. It seems that no matter where I turn in Raleigh or in my travels up and down this side of the country, I can visit  historical locations that have been well preserved as opposed to a site where history happened. Of course when it comes to American history like the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, there is more on the east coast. But when it comes to the birthplace of America and culture, the west coast has the upper-hand.

I don’t want this post to be a “which coast is better” sort of thing, but I am curious to know: Do you feel that one side of North America is more haunted than the other?

It should come as a relief for many that there is actually a logical explanation for this phenomenon. It’s very important to know the difference between sleep paralysis and a paranormal occurrence in this area. Of course, there are always exceptions and variables to this, but generally, this frightening experience can be explained using some logic and science.

When we sleep, our body goes through a series of different stages of sleep that involve REM (rapid eye movement) and Non-rapid eye movement (NREM). Our body cycles in and out of REM and NREM and progress through about four stages of sleep, appropriately called Stage 1-5. Our bodies typically spend the most time in the state of NREM and a shorter time in REM, which is where our dreams occur. Studies have shown that the REM stage starts about 90 minutes into sleep.

Here are the different stages of sleep

• Stage 1: Starts about 5-10 minutes into sleep, and the eyes are closed. It’s not hard to wake up from this stage, however, you won’t feel like you got any rest. Have you ever had a dream early on in your sleeping time where you trip and fall and your body jolts you awake? That’s called hypnic myoclonia. Also at this stage, the brain begins to produce theta waves, which are slow brain waves.
• Stage 2: This is a period of light sleep while the muscles relax that help you transition into a deeper sleep. This lasts about 20 minutes.
• Stage 3: This is officially the stage between light sleep and deep sleep and deeper, slow brain waves occur.
• Stage 4: This is a deep sleep that lasts about 30 minutes, and also known as delta sleep due to the delta brain waves that are occurring.
• Stage 5: The body enters into REM sleep and this is where dreaming occurs.

Now, keep in mind that the body cycles through stages of sleep, and sometimes it is out-of-order. This is all fine and dandy, but what does this have to do with sleep paralysis?

Well, when we enter the stage of REM sleep, our brain emit a chemical that paralyzes our body. This is so that we don’t physically act out our dreams. During the REM stage, our minds are very vivid with intense dreams, and it can be dangerous for our bodies to physically act out what’s going on in our minds. This chemical paralyzes everything from legs to arms, to fingers and toes.

When our body is awakened, for whatever reason, sometimes our body is still under this paralyzing chemical. Our eyes are open and we’re awake, but our body is still asleep, which can bring on the effect of feeling like you’re being pinned down. In some cases, our brains are still dreaming, which can cause hallucinations or literally seeing our dreams before our eyes.

Of course, there are always variables and exceptions. But knowing the possible explanations for this scary occurrence is very important before immediately resorting to a paranormal explanation. If you are experiencing sleep paralysis regularly, you may want to see your doctor and look into possible being tested for a sleep disorder. For me personally, I was able to stop my own sleep paralysis incidents by stopping my consumption of caffeine by noon and not watching TV immediately before bed.

But if you’re experiencing the effect of being pinned down, and seeing things before you’re even asleep, then perhaps there’s something more going on, and it would be worth it to contact a local paranormal team to ask some questions. Most importantly, rule out logical explanation before moving on to the next step. Below are some reference links with much more in-depth information, and I encourage you all to read them with a fine-toothed comb and look into more books and websites with information if this interests you.

References:

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/sleep-101

http://www.livescience.com/21653-brain-chemicals-sleep-paralysis.html

http://psychology.about.com/od/statesofconsciousness/a/SleepStages.htm

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout….not because Santa Claus will put you on the naughty list, but because you’ll get a swat from a scary incubus with claws, known as Krampus, and possibly dragged into hell in a basket.  Depending on where you live, the holidays may not be all about holiday cheer and positivity, but instead, a rather terrifying one if you weren’t a good boy or girl this year!

If you’re from Germany or Bavaria, or any Alpine region, the legend of Krampus may be a familiar one.  In fact, December 6th marks a day known as Krampusnacht (Night of Krampus), also regarded as the “night before St. Nicholas”.  To celebrate, people will have parties featuring men dressed as the holiday devil himself.  Costumes include sheepskin, claws, horns, and switches so that they can swat unsuspecting children and maybe a few ladies.   Other costumes will also include witches, devils, wild-men, and other scary get-ups while bearing torches and copious amounts of alcohol and an event called Krampuslauf (Krampus Run).  In fact, these men are encouraged to terrorize the children.  Interestingly enough, the Pennsylvania Dutch culture has a figure very similar to Krampus called, Pelsnickel or Belznickel.  So some traditions stayed after the migration from Germany to North America.

Krampus means, “claw”, and he is the darker counterpart of Saint Nicholas.  While Santa Claus will reward nice children, Krampus will swat naughty children, terrify them with his cloven hooves and monstrous tongue that would make Gene Simmons blush, and tying them to baskets with chains and taken down to hell.  If that’s not motivation to behave, I don’t know what is!

The belief and lore of Krampus is actually older than Jesus.  Krampus was born from an Alpine Pagan tradition during winter solstice that dates back to pre-Christian times.  In fact, the origin of Krampus has a performance element to it due to villagers dressing up as mythic creatures, animals, wild-men, and devils and performing in parades and plays (known as mummery).  It is believed that this was one of the early inspirations for Halloween.  And here’s another fun fact, the common figures in these rituals was Old Man Winter and a horned Goat-Man.  Sound familiar?  Santa actually has more pagan roots associated with winter solstice than our traditional Christian-themed Christmas holiday.

It’s not only the men who get to have “fun” during this season, women can also have their share as well.  Many women will wear masks and dress up as the Nordic goddess Perchta, otherwise known as Frau Perchta.

It would have been a sin to deprive you of this image of Krampus and Santa riding it SOA style.

One of my favorite parts about the Krampus tradition is the Krampus cards, holiday greeting cards with a humorous and dark twist featuring our favorite holiday devil.  These booomed in the mid-1800’s as Christmas cards became popular in Europe.  Of course there needed to be balance between the good and evil, light and dark, grim and cheerful…right?

In the last 10 years, Krampus has been featured on the series, Supernatural, and has even paid a visit to The Colbert Report.  Monte Beauchamp has played a large role in resurrecting Krampus in American culture by reintroducing the figure in his books and shedding light on the vintage art.

Here’s a video of a Krampusleuf from 2010:

If you want to learn more about Krampus, take a gander at these websites:

Krampus.com

Krampus: Devil of Christmas

10 Fun Facts About Krampus

What does APS believe in? Everything.  My goal for this group is to respect all religions, beliefs and views of the paranormal.  We won’t only take cases from Christians or shun those who don’t believe in Hell.  We will take on cases regardless of your religious belief and my goal is to have my entire team come from different backgrounds and beliefs.

As I told a potential member, we are an investigative team whose mission is to help people with the paranormal experiences.  We come in, interview the clients, take a tour of the house, spend the night while recording evidence and attempt communication and try to find the best solution for the client.  If we run into a case where we need outside help, we will get it, whether it’s bringing in a psychic, a priest, counselor, etc.  We all come from different backgrounds.  We’re not thrill seekers, we want to help people.  We don’t charge money to investigate and this is a volunteer based position.  We would like to have meetings once a week but we’re currently interviewing people and we’ll see how it all goes from there.  It may be bi-monthly…who knows.  I won’t know the group dynamic until we are all formed and assembled.  Now, we will go on group field trips once in a while just for fun and for team bonding.  I’m already looking into a few places.

Now, who exactly am I?  What makes me qualified to investigate?  I’ll give you the answer.  I’ve had brushes with the paranormal my whole life.  While my family accepted the reality of the paranormal, it didn’t go far from there.  After I survived a near-death experience, I became even more interested and proactive in investigating the paranormal.  I tagged along on investigations with groups I found online, attended conferences and I have a wonderful para-family who are there for support and advice as I need it.  I recently took some classes on the paranormal and technology this summer.  And I will be taking a course on demonology starting soon.  Investigating alone isn’t enough to arm yourself with the knowledge to face the unknown.  The field is always changing and the field is dense, and therefore, you have

to read, listen and contribute your own ideas and collaborate with your para-family.  Along with the classes, I started to expand my personal library on the paranormal.  Since I’m taking the demonology course, I finished reading Hostage to the Devil by Malachi Martin.  I’m currently working on The Demonologist by Gerald Brittle.  As time goes on, I’ll continue to post what I’m reading in hopes that my team will follow suit as well as those who are watching us on the internet.

By Gerald Daniel Brittle

By Malachi Martin

If you are in the San Diego area and are interested in joining Association of Paranormal Study, then please send an email to assocofparanormalstudy@gmail.com

If I’m interviewing you this week, I look forward to meeting you!

-Alex