Why People Often See a Shadowy Man With a Wide Brimmed Hat During Sleep Paralysis Episodes
Dr. Emily Zarkaof thePBSseriesMonstrum looks at the phenomenon of seeing a shadowy man wearing a wide brim hat appearing during terrifying episodes of sleep paralysis. This so called Hat Man" is so prevalent that restless sleepers have seen this or other frightening images just before they fall asleep. Zarka also examines the physiology behind these frightening episodes
Countless people claim to have seen the Hat Man-a shadowy figure in a wide-brimmed hat-while experiencing sleep paralysis, bringing on an overwhelming sense of dread. Why do so many people, throughout time and across different cultures, report the same eerie encounter? Is it a neurological glitch or something more?
She also notes that some may people feel like there is a presence sitting on their chest or holding them down and/or restricting breathing. This comes from the body's own defenses to keep us from acting out our dreams.
In typical deep REM sleep, the muscles of the body relax into temporary paralysis.This is a good thing. It's our bodies' attempt to ensure we don't physically act out our dreams.But during sleep paralysis, the person is conscious enough to be aware that they can't move.
And this phenomenon is known universally.
People with sleep paralysis report difficulty breathing and pressure ontheir chest. The sensations of fear and anxiety are almost universal. ...
Similar stories of a presence sitting on someone's chest while sleeping can be foundin accounts of ghost oppression" in China, the sebeteledi" of Botswana, and the bakhtak jinn" of Iran. And these are just a few of the numerous examples from around the world. The entities inspire the word we associate with sleep and fear-the nightmare.
Some pics I made based on the dream I shared 5 day ago
byu/Stormsong-Elder inHatMan
Dream Theater - The Shadow Man Incident
byu/ProgRockGooner inHatMan
I just had my first encounter with the hat man last night
byu/Beneficial-Pattern-9 inHatMan