Sleep Paralysis: Liv’s Night of Nightmares

Is sleep paralysis a dream or real? People have asked this question throughout human history. Science calls it a dream; the soul knows it to be real. I’m Soline — also known as the Bride of Shadows — and the story I’m about to tell happened right on that thin line between the two… until Liv’s silent scream tore that line apart.

This piece is not medical advice; it is a personal, real-life account. It tells Liv’s own experience of sleep paralysis, interpreted through the lens of Anatolian spirituality and Islamic faith.

Liv’s Terrifying Night

It was 12:50 a.m. Liv had finally lost her battle with insomnia. Nicole and I had fallen into a deep conversation; we hadn’t seen each other in years.

But something was wrong with Liv. Her body was rigid, her face frozen in fear. I tried to wake her, but she wouldn’t respond at all. There was a shadow figure on top of her.

“Nicole, do you see this shadow too?” I asked.

“No, Soline, I don’t see it,” Nicole said.

I ran to Ali in a panic. He was sitting in the garden.

“Ali, run, run! Come quick, something’s happening to Liv!” I said.

Ali didn’t even stop for his slippers — he bolted straight over.

“What happened, Soline? What’s wrong?” he said.

“Look, Ali, look at Liv. She’s not moving at all. There’s fear on her face, and something’s on top of her,” I said.

“Step back, get behind me,” said Ali.

Then he began reciting a prayer. After that, he said to the shadow figure, “Get out of here.”

Suddenly Liv drew a deep breath. She jumped up in fear and threw herself into Ali’s arms. There was terror in her eyes, her whole body was shaking. She was holding on to Ali so tightly that we couldn’t pull her away from him. The fear was so overwhelming that she was crying.

“Soline, bring me a glass of fresh water,” said Ali.

I got a glass of water and handed it to him. But Liv was so frightened that she wouldn’t let go of Ali — her arms were locked around his neck in a vice-like grip.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m here, Liv. I’m right beside you, you’re not alone. I won’t leave you alone. Come on, relax,” Ali said, soothing her.

Liv finally loosened her arms from around Ali’s neck. Ali began reciting something over the glass of water, then breathed onto it — saying “hu” as he did. Liv, Nicole, and I were all Christians; we had no idea what “hu” meant. But Ali was Muslim — he knew.

“Liv, say *bismillahirrahmanirrahim* and drink,” said Ali.

“But I’m Christian, you know that. How is that going to work?” said Liv.

“Don’t worry about it, just drink,” said Ali.

Liv drank the water.

Twenty minutes later, she had finally pulled herself together. She began telling us what had happened:

“It was terrifying. I had just fallen asleep. Suddenly something came up from my feet and sat on my chest. I couldn’t breathe. I could hear Soline and Nicole talking. I was screaming, but no sound came out. I wanted to move my arms, but I couldn’t — it was like my whole body had been taken hostage. I could see Soline and Nicole talking, but I couldn’t call out to them for help.”

“But Liv, honey, your eyes never opened. They stayed closed the whole time — you never actually woke up,” I said.

“I don’t know, Soline, I don’t know. But somehow I could see you both,” said Liv.

I looked at Ali; he was listening quietly. Liv went on:

“Then I saw Soline coming toward me. She was calling my name, but I couldn’t answer. It’s so strange — you see everything, you hear everything, but you’re asleep. You want to scream, you want help, but no sound comes out. Then, while I was like that, I saw Ali arrive. He sat down next to me. As soon as he started reciting the prayer, my body began to relax, and I started breathing again. It was only when Ali finished the prayer that I was finally able to wake up,” said Liv.

“Ugh, Liv, sleep paralysis is such a horrifying thing. I get it sometimes too. And that shadow that comes and sits right on your chest — it’s terrifying. Just remembering it gives me chills,” said Nicole.

“Soline, you used to get it too, back in college. Do you still get it?” Liv asked me.

“Oh, that’s true — I used to get it back then, but I never get it anymore,” I said.

“Actually, has either of you ever gone to a doctor about it?” I asked Liv and Nicole.

“I did, sweetie. The doctor gave a whole explanation,” said Nicole.

“Tell us,” said Liv.

“The doctor explained it as a transition disorder within the REM sleep cycle. That’s about all I remember,” said Nicole.

Why Does Sleep Paralysis Happen? What Does Science Say?

Ali stayed silent, as he always does. Sometimes I really wonder what’s going on in that man’s head.

“Hey, Ali, where’d you drift off to? What do you think about all this?” I asked.

Ali smiled, then started talking:

“Modern medicine says the body is put into a protective state during REM sleep. All the muscles enter a state of paralysis — it’s the body’s own defense mechanism. In sleep paralysis, the brain wakes up early — meaning consciousness returns, but the muscles don’t respond. You perceive the outside world, you hear everything, but your body can’t react, and panic sets in. That’s the medical explanation,” said Ali.

“Doctors’ explanations never quite convince me,” I said.

“That’s completely normal. Science gives doctors whatever it has discovered so far. Science keeps advancing, keeps discovering — it just hasn’t uncovered the soul’s abilities yet. But one day it certainly will. That’s why doctors look at sleep paralysis through the lens of REM sleep, muscle paralysis, and neurology — basically, they look at what the body’s signals tell them. In short, they look at the hard evidence in front of them, and they’re right to.”

Is Sleep Paralysis Real or a Dream?

“But… but there’s another side to sleep paralysis: the spiritual perspective. Looked at through the lens of spiritual experience and belief, the picture changes completely. The soul has its own mind, independent of the body. The soul knows secrets; during sleep, it senses the shadow beings wandering around. What comes during sleep paralysis is also a shadow entity, but of a different kind. It approaches a person from the feet, then settles right onto the chest. Because it’s an energy being, it locks up the entire nervous system. You want to scream, but you can’t; you want to wake up, but you can’t. Even with your eyes closed, you can see your surroundings, you can hear conversations. As the pressure on the chest builds, the shadow entity’s urgency grows, and the feeling of suffocation begins,” said Ali.

“Of course, none of this has scientific proof — it’s spiritual experience, ancient knowledge,” he added.

“Not these shadow entities again! I’m so sick of them, they show up everywhere,” Liv protested.

Ali laughed first, then explained: “‘Shadow entities’ is just a name the West gave it. Every culture, for instance, has its own name for whatever comes during sleep paralysis.”

What Does Karabasan Mean in Different Cultures?

– In Anatolian culture: karabasan

– In the Arab world: jinn

– In England: old hag

– In Japan: kanashibari

– In America: sleep demon / shadow people

– In Scandinavian countries: dokkalfar

“So basically, every culture has a different name for it,” said Ali.

“But Ali, is sleep paralysis real or just a dream?” Nicole asked.

He turned to me, laughing: “Soline, what do you think — is sleep paralysis real, or just a dream?”

“I respect science and doctors, but I believe what I see. And I saw a shadow entity sitting on Liv’s chest,” I said.

“Wait, do you see these shadow entities all the time?” Nicole asked, stunned.

Laughing, I said: “Don’t even get me started, Nicole. I’ve been seeing all of them ever since a shadow being fell in love with me and then attacked me when I turned it down. That’s actually why my nickname is Bride of Shadows,” I said, laughing. “Science can be offended all it wants, but I believe what I see. During sleep paralysis, everything is real — it’s not a dream,” I added.

“Ali, what does it want? Is it dangerous?” Liv asked.

“In ancient times it was very dangerous. The shadow entity that comes during sleep paralysis used to be able to kill people. But around the 600s CE, when the Prophet Muhammad prayed to Allah/God, everything changed — they lost their ability to kill. Now they can only frighten, not harm,” said Ali.

“So sleep paralysis could actually kill people back in ancient times? Ali, I’ve never come across this anywhere online,” said Liv.

“You can’t find everything on the internet. There are countless handwritten historical texts that never made it online — knowledge passed down through thousands of years of experience. These are the accounts of past civilizations, their beliefs and spiritual experiences. The truth is, their nature is malicious — and on top of that, they feed on human energy. At its core, it’s simple evil intent, nothing more,” said Ali.

“But it was so terrifying. The pressure on your chest, not being able to scream, not being able to speak. Ugh, I still get chills just remembering it,” said Liv.

Who Does Sleep Paralysis Come To, and Why?

“Ali, so why do they come? You never told me,” said Liv.

“Liv, honey, there are a lot of reasons, but let me list a few for you,” said Ali:

– Sleeping on your back

– Having food or crumbs around where you sleep

– Sleeping without covering yourself, or sleeping fully uncovered

– A mistake made during the day

– Falling straight asleep after sex

“Those are the main reasons. But it doesn’t mean it happens to everyone who does these things — it depends on whether the shadow entity catches your frequency in that moment,” said Ali.

“I don’t get it — why don’t doctors explain any of this?” said Nicole.

Ali answered with a smile: “Nicole, can you tell a patient something you can’t prove? Could a doctor even present this as an actual diagnosis for sleep paralysis? A doctor looks at findings, at what science can prove. Science hasn’t yet developed the technology to detect the soul’s secrets or what shadow entities do — but science keeps advancing, and one day it will prove these things too. Until then, though, a doctor works from hard evidence, not from personal accounts — to science, those are just claims, and doctors have no business dealing in claims. The doctor is doing the right thing, honey.”

“Soline, what did the shadow entity you saw actually look like?” Liv asked.

“Honey, first a shadow figure came up from your feet, then it sat right on your chest. I panicked the moment I saw the fear on your face. It was a strange creature, about four and a half feet tall, wearing a pointed cap, with pointed ears,” I said.

The Secret of the Cap: The Legend of Gold

“Ugh, what a missed chance,” said Ali.

“What do you mean, Ali?” I asked.

“Girl, if you’d stolen that cap, you could have made it do anything you wanted. That cap is what lets it travel between dimensions — if you’d taken it, it couldn’t have gone back to its own dimension. And in exchange for the cap, it would grant you anything you wished for — anything at all,” said Ali.

“Anything I wished for? Even gold?” I said.

Ali just laughed, then answered: “Gold included!!!“

“No way 😀 — ugh, I missed my chance ☹️,” I said.

“You’re joking, right?” Liv asked.

“No, I’m not joking at all. There are plenty of stories about this — there’s even a case people claim actually happened. Someone got gold in exchange for that cap,” said Ali.

“No way!” the three of us said at once the moment we heard “gold” 😀.

Our eyes were practically glowing with gold — gold, gold, gold! 😂

“Ali, I was so scared because of the sleep paralysis, but your explanations are so wild I forgot to be scared. Now I’m just sitting here drooling over gold instead,” said Liv 😆.

“Some sleep paralysis story this turned into! Ali, have you forgotten the three of us are archaeologists? You shouldn’t have brought up gold — huge mistake. Now we’re going to be after that shadow being’s cap,” said Nicole 😂.

“Liv, honey, go back to sleep now. Look, I’ll even put a piece of bread by your bed. Come on, please lie down and sleep,” I said.

“Soline, for Allah/God’s sake, why should I sleep? And why would you even put bread crumbs there?” Liv asked me.

“Honey, just sleep. I’m putting the bread there so you’ll have another sleep paralysis episode. I’ll be standing by with a stick — when that shadow entity shows up, I’ll whack it on the head and take its cap. Then it’ll have no choice but to give us gold,” I said.

Nicole rubbed her palms together and said: “Here comes the gold, gold, gold!!!”

We all burst out laughing at that.

“Are you two out of your minds? And you’re using me as bait, on top of it. But… there is gold on the line, so maybe we should do it?” Liv said, laughing 😂.

“So how would you like your gold? I mean, all three of you are archaeologists — historical gold, or modern gold? Ugh, I don’t even have that shadow entity’s phone number to ask,” I said.

“No, no — best case, I’ll just find you three whole gold-mine islands,” Ali joked.

We all cracked up at that.

“Ali, I’m curious — who was it that stole the shadow entity’s cap and asked for gold in return? And how much gold did they even ask for?” I asked.

Ali smiled, then answered calmly: “Some guy from Kayseri, I think. But he asked for gold until the day he died.”

Completely intrigued, I asked Ali: “So did the shadow entity actually keep giving him gold until he died?”

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