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

Credit: herbsandarts.com

Grounding? Cleansing? Smudging? What are these words and why do they matter? You may have just visited our page on a whim…or maybe you’re an experienced paranormal investigator.  Either way the subject of clearing out the negative in your life is relevant to all of us. I’m going to give you a quick run down on exactly what a cleansing is and how important an understanding of the ritual is before an execution of the ceremony is made. Despite what you may read online or buy as a kit online…clearing out a home, an object, or an aura is not a one size fits all concoction.

Let’s put this in perspective. When you go to clean your clothes there are different types of filth. Some come right out with laundry detergent. Some may need a pre-treatment. Others require bleach….or baking soda. Sometimes you want to add softener. The same can be applied to the process of energy cleansing. There are negative energies constantly butting up against our aura, entering our homes, slithering into our lives. Some are entities of people past, some may not have been human ever, others are just mean and nasty thoughts while some were left in a place by people and events that came before. There are literally hundreds of different things that soil our personal space on a daily basis. Like we have to wash our clothes…we need to cleanse our space. Rolling with that train of thought, because there are so many things swirling around marking up our lives there are just as many solutions to eradication

Many websites and books will tell you to grab some sage from Whole Foods, light it up, and smoke out your house/car/ect. The truth is, is that unless you are just moving into a space or are looking for a light “dusting” of your space you might as well be trying to clean house in the middle of a child’s birthday party.  Conducting a thorough and effective cleansing takes time and research. Just like a regular spring cleaning can take all day….so does the preparation for a serious cleansing. Once you have your “problem” (or what is ailing your space) nailed down you need to take a series of steps to manufacture a proper solution. Compare it to a symphony….or an amazing recipe. All the materials involved need to come together “just so” and form the most desirable outcome.

Credit: howigrewtoday.com

You will have to take into consideration the God/Goddess/Angel/ etc. you will be addressing for the ritual. In accordance to your chosen accessory energy you will need to work out the preferred herb, stone/crystal, oils, incense, colors, moon phase, and possibly even day of the week the guardian requires. Cross reference that with your desired outcome. Work out the best way to implement all of them in a ceremony that will adhere to your intentions. Just like you would use a different solution for cleaning glass, wood, and tile you need to tailor your ceremony to your subject of cleansing as well. Unless you are dealing with the most casual of clearings or protections (just getting ‘rid” of negative energy) your ceremony should have more than one purpose and effect. Not just to “push” something out. But to protect. To neutralize the energy so it doesn’t wait at your door or head up the block. (Energy doesn’t just disappear. )To infuse love, hope, and peace within the space. Or even prosperity and patience. Maybe encouraging a better flow of energy in the space….and empower the resident/owner/person this is being done on. To “banish” is not necessarily good enough.

Worse than an ineffective cleansing is an improper one. Example….waving Holy Water in the face of a Native American from before the 1700’s will be nothing short of insulting and confusing for the Native American. He’d have no idea what it was and feel nothing if not threatened. Say that Native American was the energy causing you stress on your property. Walking around hollering and tossing water in an aggressive fashion will only sour the stressed entity/living relationship even more and amplify activity. You cannot use a Jewish method on a Hindu energy, a Buddhist cleansing on an old English gent trapped in time, or a Catholic ritual on a Native American. Again, Windex for glass, wood polish on Oak, and grout cleaner for grout. Not only will you have no difference in the house but your activity can become violent..or more so. Aggressive or thicker. It’s akin to leaving the spoon in the bowl and turning on the microwave.

When all is said and done….grounding is next. Grounding is a necessity after a cleansing. A stone with properties of certain metals such as iron carry high or “positive” vibrations…used as a barrier around something such as a property it creates a sort of force field making it exceedingly hard for lower or “negative” vibrations to break through and dirty up your space again. Such stones as hematite will nicely do the trick. Placed in the four corners of a property or space it can also have a very calming and balancing effect.

Now that you have a better idea of what goes into a proper cleansing go out and have fun with it! Cleans your car, your home, your aura, your workspace. It’s all necessary and all very much worth the time being put into it. Reconnect with yourself during the process. You deserve to live clean and productively. Research and educate yourself on what energies affect your life. Take back your power and understand how your world is working. Have some good “clean” fun!

Love and light……

I will be wrapping up interviews this week.  I have NINE more interviews coming up and I’m exciting to finally get the new team together and start having our meetings so that we can start to get to know one another and get out there and investigate.  I’m scouting different places right now around San Diego.  I’m impressed by the experiences of the team so far and I look forward to hearing more from the interviews later this weekend.

I received a great question on the Facebook page from Sara D., who asked,

From my own personal research, I have found many share the view that by actively participating in the paranormal (ie: investigating, ganzfeld experiment) or the occult (ie seances, ouija boards) you open yourself up more spiritually and make it easier for spirits to “notice” you. Others say that it doesn’t happen and you shouldn’t worry about it. So, what is it? Be concerned or not?

What is my answer to this?  Yes.  there should be a concern and a respect for these methods and devices because they have the potential to be powerful tools.  First I will address investigating.  Investigating the paranormal is entering into a new lifestyle in general.  Your awareness of the unknown is heightened.  Now are spirits really following you, or are you senses heightened to the point where anything that moves is a shadow/ghost/spirit?  You know it’s there, and I know for me, I seem to keep an extra eye open and I notice my surroundings in greater detail than I did before I began investigating.  I believe that when you start investigating, especially going against more malevolent beings, it is possible that they will notice you and know who you are.  When you approach an investigation and you ask for communication with spirits, they know who you are.  I know investigators (including myself) who do protection rituals and make it very clear that they cannot harm me or follow me.

Now the Ganzfeld Experiment…such a fascinating element of parapsychology.  Does the Ganzfeld Experiment open yourself up to experience things you couldn’t in your everyday life?  I believe so.  Does it permanently leave you vulnerable to psychic and spiritual phenomenon?  It has the potential.  Does participating in this leave a permanent bullseye for any spirit to notice you and possibly go after you?  I doubt it, but I would certainly love to talk to someone about it who knows more than I do

Now when it comes to things like seances and ouija boards, that is another ballgame.  Or is it?  When investigating, you are asking for communication.  And with seances and ouija boards you are requesting communication.  It’s a fine line, but I believe there is a difference.  Seances come in many forms.  Seance comes from the French term, “sitting” or “seat” and rose in popularity when Spiritualism broke out.  There is something to be said sitting in a circle with other people trying to communicate with spirits, especially through a medium.  And with ouija boards, I have a great respect for them but I would probably never use one.  I’ve heard and experienced too many negative things tied with a ouija board, especially when it comes to the disposal of one (always bury, never burn).  Ouija boards are typically associated with bringing in an inhuman spirit.  What else is funny is that ouija boards are sold in toy stores and made by Milton Bradley.  There are also ouija board necklaces being sold.  I was actually offended when I saw this.  Paranormal investigating or “ghost hunting” is already seen as a novelty as it is.  Technically you don’t even need to buy a ouija board, you can draw a board on a piece of paper or napkin and go from there.  It’s that simple.  Ouija boards are made by toy companies, what happened to the respect of the possibility that these things can do potential harm? Wearing a necklace with a ouija board shouldn’t be a fashion accessory or seen as cute.  That could open you up for potentially negative activity as well.

Is there a safe way to use a ouija board?  I’m sure.  But you need protection which leads me into my next point.  Protecting yourself is very important.  There is a fine line between not protecting yourself and building a wall so thick that you cut yourself off from any activity.  Where do we draw the line?  It’s hard to distinguish.

In closing, when you decide to investigate the paranormal, you need to make sure you do what you can to stay safe while still allowing yourself to experience activity (at least for me, for purposes of collecting evidence and documentation).  And protecting yourself not only during an investigation but during your normal everyday life.