Hello, this is the admin. Did you know that in the abyss of the Japanese internet, in its quiet corners, there are stories secretly whispered?
Behind the deep darkness of anonymity, numerous strange incidents are still passed down. Here, we have carefully selected those mysterious stories – stories of unknown origin, yet strangely vivid – that might send shivers down your spine, make your heart ache, or even overturn common sense.
You're sure to find stories you've never known. So, are you prepared to read…?
[No] Sleep paralysis isn’t the work of ghosts, but a sleep disorder called “Sleep Paralysis.” Explaining the causes and coping methods for sleep paralysis. ・The term “Kanashibari” (sleep paralysis) originates from the Buddhist term “Kanashibari-hō,” and was thought to be a supernatural phenomenon caused by spirits. ・Recent scientific research suggests it’s a type of sleep disorder known as “sleep paralysis.” ・Poor sleep quality or lack of sleep can make one more prone to experiencing sleep paralysis.
Kanashibari-hō: A Buddhist practice in Japan involving rituals to immobilize a specific target.
[5] Yeah, I’ve heard something like that. But, you know, I still think they (ghosts) exist. Why? Because I once had sleep paralysis and there was someone right in front of my eyes. That was the only time I had it, though.
[10] >>5 When you get sleep paralysis, you feel some kind of presence, right?
[14] Happened to me a lot during puberty. Still get it occasionally now, but I just break free and go right back to sleep. Sometimes I definitely feel a presence, but it’s harmless, so I just sleep.
[15] With sleep paralysis, you can kinda tell, “Oh, here it comes, here it comes,” beforehand. It feels the same as when you think, “Oh, my leg’s about to cramp,” and then it does.
[20] >>10 It wasn’t just a presence, it was there. Standing right in front of me, just staring. A pitch-black shadow or something pitch black. Did you just feel a presence? It must have come close to you then.
[21] >>1 That might be part of it. But there’s no proof that’s all it is.
[22] I had sleep paralysis in a dream, and I was trying with all my might to move my hand, thinking “Move!”, then I woke up because I punched the wall.
[25] >>20 That was a dream. Even if your brain is awake, it’s still half-asleep. It disappears once you break free.
[29] Sleep paralysis and out-of-body experiences have been said to be sleep disorders for about 20 years now.
[30] >>22 Been there! Woke myself up startled by my own determined voice.
[31] >>25 Was it a dream? Maybe it was, maybe it was a dream. I tried so hard to move, though. I remember it so vividly.
[34] Your body is asleep, but your head is half-awake.
[36] Your eyes open but your body won’t move?
[37] >>29 Yeah, but with out-of-body experiences, you’re aware of your surroundings. In my case, I knew what was happening outside the house. Maybe the sense of hearing is awake and virtually visualizing the sounds?
[39] It’s really tiring when you have those dreams where you want to wake up but can’t.
[41] >>31 You went back to sleep without any trouble after that, right? It’s like lucid dreaming; you can control it to some extent. Scared → Must be a ghost → Ghost appears. Scared → Must be a high school girl → High school girl appears.
[42] I used to get sleep paralysis frequently when I was a teenager. Had some ghost-like experiences too, but I guess those were like dreams since I was half-asleep. Even though I felt conscious and awake.
[46] Not just recently, haven’t they been saying this for like 30 years?
[51] Are you telling me those groaning sounds and the weight pressing down on my body (felt like limbs) are just a sleep disorder?
[56] The company housing I used to live in was a ghost path. I was sitting up watching TV with the lights on, and suddenly it got dim, I was forced onto my back, and someone strangled me. The face of the thing strangling me was like an oni (demon), but several times scarier. It was the room my older sister used before me; she said she was forced to swallow a skeleton. That room alone was unusually damp, and the spray-painted ceiling was covered in black mold.
[57] During sleep paralysis, you feel another presence, and sometimes have auditory hallucinations like Buddhist sutras. I realized it’s easy to mistake this for something spiritual.
Okyō: Buddhist scriptures or teachings, or the chanting of them.
[58] Happened when I was young. I was lying still, but felt like I was falling straight down, or like I slipped and fell, then startled to find myself just lying still.
[60] I was really surprised when I learned that your eyes aren’t actually open during sleep paralysis.
[63] Haven’t had it since I turned 30. It’s probably an imbalance between the body and the brain, right? People have been saying for ages that most of it isn’t spiritual.
[66] You had that hallucination of a woman in white sitting on you, right? That’s just a heavier blanket you’re not used to.
[68] Once while sleeping, I felt like I was being pressed down from above, completely unable to move. Something like a purple haze was floating above me. I’m sure it wasn’t a dream, but what was that…?
[69] I can induce sleep paralysis myself, and I can break out of it too. Start with the fingertips. Then the voice. Move whatever parts of your body you can while chanting rhythmically (or just imagine it in your head if you can’t make sound). Ideally, play an upbeat, silly song in your head. Once you fully wake up, the fear disappears, and you can enjoy dispelling it.
[72] It happens right on the edge of waking up or falling asleep. Your brain is awake, but your body won’t move and feels heavy. If it’s just the heavy feeling, I can stay calm and kind of enjoy it like, “Ah, sleep paralysis is here.” But if a blanket or something covers my mouth, I feel suffocated and end up groaning.
[77] >>69 You can induce sleep paralysis yourself? Breaking out, sure, but you can make your brain half-asleep on command? You’re amazing.
[78] You can consciously create that state. As you fall asleep, use autosuggestion that each part of your body is relaxing and losing strength. Your body goes to sleep, but your consciousness stays awake. From there, you can enter a lucid dream or have an out-of-body experience.
[79] There was a time I got sleep paralysis easily, and I could tell when it was coming. Like when I couldn’t fall asleep properly. Since I could sleep after it broke, I’d just let myself fall into it quickly.
[80] It’s scary even when you know what it is, right?
[81] Once while sleeping, someone clapped twice (like a kashiwade clap) right in front of my face. I jolted awake. What was that?
Kashiwade: A Shinto ritualistic clap performed during prayer, involving striking the hands together to make a sound.
[83] Science doesn’t even understand dreams properly yet, so saying the visions (?) during sleep paralysis are the same as dreams doesn’t really mean much, does it?
[85] It’s not that I can’t move at all, but I often can’t get out of bed. On cold mornings, that spell is powerful. My brain rejects it with all its might.
[94] Lately, right as I’m falling asleep, I hear the doorbell ring. I get up multiple times, go to the door, and answer, sometimes in the middle of the night. Please help.
[97] >>94 Add new locks, install security cameras. Put cameras on windows and other entrances too. Talk to the police and ask for increased patrols. If you have money, consult a private detective agency and have them watch.
[98] I really love this feeling, how things that used to be thought of as divine power or magic are being explained by science.
[100] Lately, my snoring has gotten worse, and I get something like sleep paralysis and wake up in the middle of the night. Probably sleep apnea. I feel breathless when I wake up.
[103] >>97 No, it’s not actually ringing. No one else in the family hears it. But the sound is so real that I always jolt awake and go to the door without doubting it, only to realize then.
[106] They covered this on 200X (※ specific TV show name?) back in the day.
[107] Used to happen almost every day, but now it never does. I used to get it like 10 times a night.
[109] >>103 That’s definitely auditory hallucination. You must be tired.
[110] I’m a pro at sleep paralysis, and the feeling of relaxation at the moment it hits is too good. It used to be scary when I opened my eyes, but lately, I open them on purpose and try to hit on the black-haired woman in a white coat who’s right in front of me, or rather, on top of me.
[111] >>103 I’ve had that happen several times too. Not a doorbell, but a loud bang.
[112] When your ears start buzzing, you know “It’s coming!”, right?
[113] You feel a human presence during sleep paralysis, and it’s somehow scary.
[118] You know right before sleep paralysis hits, right? I hear lots of laughter.
[122] >>1 95% of the time, yes.
[129] I knew about it beforehand, so I just thought, “Ah, so this is it.” You definitely feel a presence, so it’s interesting.
[135] It’s the gateway to lucid dreaming.
[136] What’s that thing where, if I happen to wake up while sleeping and look at my room door, some unidentifiable thing is always coming into the room? It’s scary, so lately I try not to look at the door.
[138] >>5 I get sleep paralysis twice a week, and to make things worse, something takes advantage of me being unable to move and tickles my sides. I’ve gotten used to it enough to break free on my own, but it still takes a lot of effort, so I end up being tickled for a while, which really pisses me off. Whether it’s a ghost or a living spirit, I don’t know, but I really want to make the culprit suffer.
[143] I once woke up unable to move my body and thought, “Sleep paralysis finally got me!” Turns out I had just fallen into the gap between the bed and the wall and gotten stuck.
[150] Occasionally I get sleep paralysis as I’m drifting off, but if I focus with the feeling “Wake up, body, not just the head!”, I can break free.
[158] I’ve had experiences where I try to wake up in a dream but my body won’t move, so I thrash around violently, think I’ve woken up, only to find I’m still asleep and paralyzed again, repeating this cycle.
[159] >>30 Sometimes I manage a “…n…DAAAH!” shout, and other times my abs have no strength at all and it comes out like “Ngh… heaaah…”
[160] Happened a lot back in the day, but ultimately, I think it’s just that you can’t tell dream from reality. When the paralysis eased a bit, I used to consciously try to roll off the bed, but even when I thought I’d fallen, I’d realize I was still on the bed.
[161] Thinking about Ju-On (The Grudge) or Sadako (The Ring) during sleep paralysis multiplies the fear.
[162] For the past few years, whenever I take a nap at work, I almost always get sleep paralysis… Never used to happen. It starts with an exploding sound as a precursor, which gradually gets faster, then the paralysis hits. What should I do?
[164] You see ghosts because you’re scared. Like [41] said, try thinking about something you want to see.
[165] >>159 Hmm, it’s instantaneous, but I think you woke up with a slight delay. You probably weren’t making any sound during the paralysis itself, but actually heard your own voice after waking up, I think.
[166] >>162 Naps and situations like that make you more prone to it.
[167] By the way, my method for breaking sleep paralysis is to concentrate solely on moving my right pinky finger. Once the pinky moves even slightly, the paralysis breaks.
[169] >>162 What is that exploding sound? It’s really loud, isn’t it?
[170] No, the house I lived in before, I got sleep paralysis an abnormal amount, but as soon as I moved out, it completely stopped.
[173] >>169 Isn’t that Exploding Head Syndrome?
[179] I used to dismiss sleep paralysis, but as an adult, it happens maybe twice a year, right?
[181] Happened a lot when I was active in school clubs. It’s physical exhaustion, isn’t it?
