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What lies behind ghosts, demons and aliens – according to sleep researchers

Captblack76/Shutterstock.com Alice M Gregory, Goldsmiths, University of London If you believe in the paranormal you might not be surprised if you hear stories of deceased loved ones appearing during the night, huge explosions heard just as someone is drifting off with no obvious cause, and other peculiar occurrences. But what if you don’t? My interest in the paranormal started with an impromptu coffee with a colleague, Chris French, who researches reports of #paranormal experiences. He told me stories of countless people who had recounted such events. These experiences tended to start while lying in bed. Then something unusual would happen – perhaps a demon would appear or the environment would seem strange or there would be a sensed presence. The person having this experience might also report being glued to their mattress, tarmacked into the bed, totally unable to move. It’s unsurprising that people who experience such things might interpret them as paranormal. But certain phenomena such as sleep paralysis provide an alternative to paranormal explanations for such occurrences. Hence my interest in the subject, as a sleep researcher. Sleep paralysis When we sleep, we cycle through different stages. We start the night in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep – which gets progressively deeper. We then cycle back until we hit rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. During REM sleep we are most likely to have vivid dreams. At this stage, we are also paralyzed, perhaps as a safety mechanism to stop us acting out our dreams so that we don’t end up attempting to fly. But during #sleep paralysis, features of REM sleep continue into waking life. Those who experience it will feel awake yet might experience dream-like hallucinations and struggle to move. This experience is pretty common, occurring in around 8% of people (although estimates vary dramatically depending on who we are asking). It’s even possible to induce sleep paralysis in some people, by disrupting their sleep in specific ways. Certain researchers, French among them, believe that this explains a huge number of paranormal accounts. Information about sleep paralysis is finally seeping into public awareness, but we now need to understand more about this common complaint. Our preliminary work, which I recount in my new book Nodding Off: The science of sleep from cradle to grave, hints at possible genetic and environmental explanations for why some people are more likely than others to experience sleep paralysis. This now needs to be replicated using much larger samples. Reviewing the literature, we have also highlighted a host of other variables associated with this common experience, including stress, trauma, psychiatric difficulties and physical illnesses. The worst dreams.Creativa Images/Shutterstock.com Exploding head syndrome Sleep paralysis aside, how else are sleep researchers helping to explain paranormal experiences? People sometimes describe experiencing huge explosions during the night which simply can’t be explained. There is no sign that a shelf has fallen down or a car has backfired. There is no one playing the electric guitar next to their head. Again, this can be linked to our sleep – this time explained by “exploding head syndrome”, a term coined relatively recently by the neurologist JMS Pearce. When we fall asleep, the reticular formation of the brainstem (a part of our brain involved in consciousness) typically starts to inhibit our ability to move, see and hear things. When we experience a “bang” in our sleep this might be because of a delay in this process. Instead of the reticular formation shutting down the auditory neurons, they might fire at once. As with sleep paralysis, this phenomenon is also under-researched. For this very reason, in 2017 my colleagues and I joined forces with BBC Focus and Brian Sharpless, a leading expert on this phenomenon, to collect data on this topic. Imps and ghouls Finally, what might scientists make of precognitive dreams? We might dream of a friend we haven’t seen for years only to have them call us the very next day. French thinks science can provide an explanation for this too. Referencing work by John Allen Paulos that focuses on probabilities, he explains how such an occurrence may be surprising on any single day, but over time, quite likely to occur. Researching my book, I spoke to Mrs Sinclair, who is 70, and lives alone. She told me about what she had thought was a #ghost living in her house, an #imp throttling her during the night and other things that had left her petrified. Having scientific explanations provided her with immense comfort and she no longer believes in paranormal explanations for the things that she experienced. Our hope is that scientific explanations of paranormal experiences might help others by lowering anxiety. Decreasing anxiety has also been hypothesised as a potential method by which to reduce sleep paralysis. So, perhaps providing more information about these unusual experiences might even mean that things are less likely to go bump in the night. Alice M Gregory, Professor of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Pauly Jail Live Ghost Hunt and Professional Investigation 2018

Webb #Paranormal Group’s Pauly Jail Live #Ghost Hunt was held at the Pauly Jail aka #Bullock County Jail Museum is located in #Union Springs, AL. It is a Gothic Style Red Brick building with three stories. The women inmates were held on the first floor, while the second and third floor was reserved for men. The third floor was designated for the more hardened criminals such as murderers and rapists. The trapped door with the pulley with which the rope was attached too was the gallows where executions could be performed on the third floor. The jail’s inside walls and bars of the cells where all painted black. This just added to the gloominess that already existed. There was no air conditioning for the inmates during the hot #Alabama summers. Inmates were often stacked into the cells like sardines with 10-12 people in the cells that are approximately 8 ft. x 8 ft. Imagine the heat, sweat, and misery of being stuck in the cage painted black. The stench had to be horrific. The inmates could drink from the sink to help cool off a bit but most cells didn’t have a toilet or sink in it. The privilege of getting to go outside in the courtyard for some fresh air must have been exhilarating. Pauly Jail Live Ghost Hunt and Professional #Investigation Webb Paranormal Group hosted a public Ghost Hunt on the evening of Saturday, October 20, 2018, at Pauly Jail in Union Springs, Alabama. Our guest on the hunt started arriving around 5 P.M. and was anxious once seeing the looming Pauly Jail. Shortly afterward, Teresa Fikes gave them a tour of the infamous Pauly Jail and the Old City Cemetery along with a short stroll downtown. This gave the guest a little historical information to help aid in the investigation that was later to come. Once the tour was down, refreshments were offered by Webb Paranormal Group members while Stan Fikes, WPG Director/lead investigator went over the protocols of investigating. Shajuana Coleman, Team Training Manager, was set up with an equipment table for the guest to check out the piece of equipment they wanted to use during the investigation. When the guest was finished with their investigation they would return the equipment to Shajuana, who marked it as returned. Then armored with a new view of things, and some really awesome equipment, the actual ghost hunt began. Professional #Paranormal Investigators After the live Ghost Hunt was over with, the WPG team and guest enjoyed a Chili Dog supper. Each member contributed something to the feast. Vera Haney kept us supplied with Coffee, a much-welcomed drink in the business. This much-needed break gave the team time to rest and refresh body and mind. It also gave the Haints time to rest too. After all the public guest had left for the night; it was time to get down to some real investigating. Webb Paranormal Group along with RIP from Enterprise, Alabama and Blaine Rohan from Wetumpka, Alabama joined forces to discover the secrets of Pauly Jail aka Bullock County Jail Museum. Out came the DVR, Special Rigs with Cameras, meters, drones, and digital recorders. Even some old school tape recorders were brought out. A Jacob’s Ladder was there as well, just to add some flair to the scenes. #J.W. Mann’s Grandson Special Guests, James and Dona Brooks, joined everyone that night for some very informative #research of the old Haint. Mr. James Brooks was the grandson of J.W. Mann, a former inmate that died in the jail on the second floor. Mr. Mann was killed when a cigarette he lit caught the mattress in his cell on fire. He died of smoke inhalation on Christmas Eve 1960. He is just one of the ghost of Pauly Jail that we encountered. It is firmly believed he had a message for his grandson. There were quite a few #anomalies that were experienced that night, some explainable some not. Make sure to catch our next post to find out what the results of the investigation were.

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Paranormal Media

Explorations into the Unknown: Metro Atlanta Paranormal Society

Helps Those Seeking Answers Do you believe in the #paranormal? If you answered yes, you are not alone. A 2009 survey conducted by the Pew #Research Center found that 29% of Americans say they have had contact with the dead and 18% have been in the presence of a #ghost. And in #Atlanta, we certainly have our share of #paranormal activity. Our city’s rich and stormy history lends itself to the possibility of unsettled spirits and other beings. Metro Atlanta Paranormal Society (#MAPS) is dedicated to helping residents of the metro area who are seeking answers to any unexplained activity. The Mission This small, tight-knit group of professional investigators is passionate about helping others. They know that people may be reluctant to tell others about their experiences or to seek help. Therefore, MAPS number one priority is to provide caring, respectful, and confidential assistance to all their clients. All services are offered free of charge, ensuring everyone can get help regardless of income. MAPS defines their mission as: An Experienced Team Co-founders and lead investigators, Amy Farley and Zana Lowe lead a team of professional investigators. Together the team has over 15 years experience investigating the paranormal. All MAPS members continually seek opportunities to further their experience and education and are eager to use that expertise to help the metro-Atlanta community. In fact, Amy Farley co-hosts the online radio show Voices Carry which explores topics in the study of paranormal activity. Voices Carry broadcasts regularly on Speaker. Investigative History MAPS document their public investigations on their blog. Recent public investigations have included cabin #8 at Hales Bar Dam in Guild, TN And in Red Boiling Springs, TN at the Thomas House Hotel and Red Boiling Springs Bank. The #investigation at cabin 8 was a collaboration with Dark Raven Paranormal group. In this case, the team documented several happenings in the cabin including 6.5 hours of fascinating audio that included sounds of doors opening and closing. If you live in the Atlanta area and you are seeking answers to any unexplained phenomenon, MAPS wants to help. You can count on them to provide professional and caring support. Contact them today via their website. All inquiries are strictly confidential.

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