The Mysterious Phenomenon of 'Shadow People'

“The Mysterious Phenomenon of ‘Shadow People’”

“One
of the most interesting and intriguing phenomena in the world of
paranormal activity is that of the “Shadow People.” Each and every week
there seems to be more and more stories and reports involving these
mysterious beings, and they certainly have become a hot topic and a
subject of growing interest of research by investigators. Stories about
these strange entities and their natures vary from harmless, quiet and
shy observers to malevolent and downright nasty creatures of mal-intent.
As with most things in the paranormal field, no one can say with any
degree of certainty what these shadow beings are, but we will explore a
few of the prevalent theories.

Shadow people have
gained their nickname because they are most commonly observed or
reported as having a human-like form. Unlike the typical descriptions of
ghosts who are usually described as having human form with discernible
characteristics such as physical features, clothing and accessories,
shadow people are said to be feature-less. Generally, they are described
as appearing to have mass, though their natures seem to vary from
simple two-dimensional shadows, to distorted three-dimensional forms.
Their movements are sometimes described as “unnatural” seeming to be
very quick and disjointed. Sometimes they are said to move in slow
motion, as if they were submerged in liquid, and then to suddenly move
rapidly from one place to another within the room.

Again,
some accounts differ even more widely and describe a completely black
being with red eyes, a cloak, and a hat. This variation has become known
as “the hat man”. Many witnesses describe feeling a strong presence or a
sense of being watched, many times they will get a glimpse of
‘something dark’ out of the corner of their eye, they turn to look in
the direction of the presence only to see it disappear into thin air, or
flee right through a wall. Sometimes they are reported as being
childlike and playing games with witnesses. These seem to be curious and
are also almost always seen through peripheral vision, when the witness
turns to see them, rather than disappear through a wall or into thin
air; they usually flee in a particular direction. Once while visiting my
house, my sister reported chasing a small child around from room to
room. Many times people interpret the presence of shadow people as being
ominous and equate experiences with shadow beings with feelings of
dread, ill intent and pure evil. Sometimes these shadow beings seem to
be curious about the people who are seeing them.

Theories
surrounding the nature and origin of shadow people abound. Some believe
that they are inter-dimensional beings which exist in a universe
parallel to our own. Others suggest that they are demonic entities, or
are observers from another place, some even suggest that they may be
thought forms unconsciously created by negative psychic energy and
related to a place or event in which extreme emotional or physical
stress/trauma has taken place.

It is extremely hard not
to notice the subconscious symbolism implied by these manifestations.
In Jungian Psychology and Philosophy the shadow is associated with the
hidden aspects of the conscious mind; it is an archetype of the secret,
repressed area of human nature and behavior, perhaps that is why
feelings of fear and malevolence often accompany interaction with these
beings. Possible Scientific Explanations:

Hypnogogia:
Some of the conditions reported in shadow people experiences are
similar to occurrences in episodes of sleep paralysis. Often times
witnesses to shadow people have reported that the experiences occur just
before falling asleep, or just after waking. Many times victims are in
bed and report being ‘held down’ during visitations. Physiologically,
this could be the result of a condition called hypnagogic paralysis. The
body naturally goes through a state of paralysis during REM sleep in
order to keep us from acting out our dreams physically. A temporary and
unsettling paralysis can occur when we are suddenly awakened from an REM
state into an awake state, but the bodily paralysis is still occurring.
This causes the person to be fully aware, but unable to move. In
addition, in this state the person is able to consciously perceive
images from their subconscious mind. These hallucinations can be very
real and can include some, or all sensory perceptions; the individual
can experience taste, smell, auditory, tactile, and/or visual phenomena.
Hypnogogia is sometimes known as ‘the faces in the dark phenomenon’
because sufferers commonly report seeing faces while experiencing
waking-sleep. Similar hypotheses have been put forward linking this
condition to a number of other apparent paranormal experiences,
including alien abductions.

Pareidolia: In
most instances, witnesses report seeing shadow people through their
peripheral vision. This area of vision is linked to the area of the
brain that is hard-wired to find familiar patterns, while providing less
detail to the brain than center-forward vision does. This can lead to a
condition known as pareidolia, in which the brain incorrectly
interprets random patterns of light/shadow or texture as being familiar
patterns such as faces and human/animal forms such as seeing familiar
forms in clouds. This pheonomenon is known as ‘matrixing’ by many
paranormal investigators.

Electromagnetic Fields: Recently,
it has been found that electro-magnetic fields can interfere with the
functions of the temporal lobe; creating altered states of perception in
which auditory and visual hallucinations can occur. In recent studies
researches have been able to recreate many of the experiences reported
during paranormal encounters or hauntings under controlled conditions.
Researchers have also documented correlations between
naturally-occurring magnetic fields and areas where paranormal events
have been reported.

As I said in the opening of this
article, there is no way to definitively explain any reported
occurrences in the paranormal field- yet. However, if we are ever to
get to the root of these matters, and be able to one day discover what
the nature of these experiences are, it is important for us to keep
records of personal experiences and for those who are experiencing these
things to come forward, so that we can have these stories to contrast
against findings in the field. As for the shadow people, maybe they are a
figment of our imaginations, maybe they are something more… maybe
they are the Gatekeepers, at The Crossroads.”

Bernard
Powell is a local author and independent publisher; a devout student of
religion, mysticism and the language of occult symbolism. He has had a
life-long interest in all branches of the paranormal; and is also the
founding member of a Salem-based paranormal research society called
OPHIR (Occult & Paranormal House of Investigational Research).
You can contact him directly at: [email protected], or visit their
site at http://www.Team-OPHIR.com