My First Sleep Paralysis

As an African, we get a bit skeptical when we hear about things like therapy, sleep paralysis, and some other weird stuff that happens in the western world and this is because we don't believe in those stuff. Hardly will you see someone who's passing through some difficulties asking to see a therapist and if by chance anyone here experiences some sleep paralysis, I guarantee you that it will be labeled as some voodoo or black magic stuff.

This isn't because we're uneducated and don't know about these terms, but it's simply because this is Africa where the majority of us believe in the supernatural and are always quick to associate anything we can't fully understand to a higher power.

Anyways, for the first time in my life today, I had my first experience with sleep paralysis and trust me when I say that I don't blame anyone who may associate it with something demonic.

_{photo by Quin Stevenson}

You see, it had all started at the early hours of this morning, some time around 5am. I had woken up two hours earlier to finish up with some work and had stayed awake until 5am when I decided it was time for me to go back to bed.

Unfortunately for me, I always find it hard to go back to bed after staying up for hours unless I tricked my mind into shutting down, and the way I did this was to always think of something nice in my head with my eyes closed, and before I know it, I would be deep in sleep.

Well, I had tried that today, only that this time, instead of thinking of something nice, I had remembered a movie where a kid was afraid to go to bed because he felt there were monsters in his wardrobe, so he had called his dad to come stay with him in his room.

It was a weird thought to be thinking at that time but strangely it worked. I found myself sleeping in no time but few minutes into my sleep, I slowly opened my eyes to see a dark creature with red eyes slowing creeping on me. It felt so real that I got really scared and tried to move my body but I couldn't, I just laid there and watched as it slowly climbed on top of me.

I tried to scream too but nothing happened, it felt like I had lost total control of my body except for my eyes, so I did the only thing I could do, I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable. Few seconds after closing my eyes, I had opened it back to find the creature gone and I was slowly beginning the regain control of my body.

Immediately I noticed that I could move my hands again, the first thing I did was turn on my phone's torchlight.

I've always known about sleep paralysis and knew that was what was happening to me when it was happening but that didn't make it less scary. The whole thing felt real, like I was being possessed and who knows, maybe I was.

Now I have to go through some prayers and fasting and probably finish a bottle of anointing oil just to chase the demon away.