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Question Title Posted By Question Date
strange experience in sleep Joseph Monday, November 19, 2012

Question:

Dear brother,
I had a strange experience last night. While I was sleeping,at around 2 .00 clock in the morning, suddenly I got up and saw two eyes looking at me in the darkness.Suddenly I realized in my inner conscious that its some form of devil. And I realized that I am not able to move my hands or legs.. my hands , legs and even the body were tied by some unseen rope that I couldnt even move and I was tryin to get rid of that.. but couldnt..and I started praying hail mary continuously and took my rosary and kept the cross on my forehead..then I could see that dark devil slowly moving away from me and i became free and was able to move my hands.. I had this kind of experiences before also, around 5 years ago. I am scared.. was that a devil? and why is he coming to me like this.. he dint speak anything to me.but i was scared from my inner sense.. Can you please pray for me and tell me why do I see such things..



Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r)

Dear Joseph:

What you are describing may be a natural phenomenon called cataleptic somnambulism. This is when one "wakes" up before the body is ready to wake up during REM sleep. Our bodies are in a partial paralysis during REM sleep. That is why if we wake up while in REM sleep we cannot move. This is rather frightening if you do not know what is happening. Actually, it is rather frightening even if you do know what is happening.

In addition, this cataleptic somnambulism may be accompanied by what is called hypnagogic hallucinations. These hallucinations are often terrifying and demonic looking.

Having said all of that, is it possible that this is a demonic attack? Yes, it is possible. Demons can cause these types of experiences which can easily be indistinguishable from the natural phenomena of cataleptic somnambulism and hypnagogic hallucinations. This is because the twilight stage between sleep and consciousness can be a vulnerable time that the devil may seek to exploit. 

In dealing with this we do not necessarily need to know which is occurring — the natural or the supernatural. While it is wise to check out any medical causes, especially if one is frequently experiencing this on a reoccurring basis, we can approach this with prayer in any case. The Prayer will hopefully get rid of any demonic presence if there is one, and if not, the prayer still confers a grace and asks God for protection and a peaceful sleep.

I suggest our Bedtime Protection Prayer and any other prayers that are needed from our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog, linked below.

You are in our prayers.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary


For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.