Shadow people (also known as shadow men, shadow folk, or shadow beings) are supernatural shadow-like creatures of both modern folklore and paranormal popular culture that believers claim appear as dark forms seen mostly in peripheral vision. Anecdotal reports of shadow people occupy a similar role in popular culture to ghost sightings.
Authors such as Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Jason Offutt and Heidi Hollis have helped popularize the concept through books, articles and appearances on radio talk shows devoted to paranormal subjects such as Coast to Coast AM where listeners are invited to call in to relate stories and “sightings”. Shadow people are typically described as black humanoid silhouettes with no discernible mouths, noses, or facial expressions, child-sized humanoids, or shapeless masses that sometimes change to human like form and featuring eyes that are either glowing or not discernable. Movement is said to be quick and disjointed, and some stories describe the visible outline of a cloak, or a 1930s style fedora hat.
Various authors and paranormal-themed web sites have drawn beliefs and speculation regarding shadow people from religion, parapsychology, metaphysics, cryptozoology, demonology, and the occult, proposing that shadow people represent a Thoughtform (egregore), ghost or demon that was created by events in which extreme physical/emotional stress/trauma has taken place, have been purposefully summoned through black magic or other occult practices, or are creatures who exist on a separate plane of existence that occasionally overlaps with ours. Others believe shadow people are two-dimensional beings, are related to Grey aliens, or to the Reptilian humanoids found in conspiracy beliefs such as those promoted by David Icke.
Several principles based in science can be used to explain reports of shadow people, including optical illusions or hallucinations brought on by physiological/psychological circumstances, drug use, and the interaction of external agents on the human body.
Images seen in peripheral areas of vision can be caused by pareidolia, a condition in which the brain incorrectly interprets random patterns of light/shadow or texture as being familiar patterns such as faces and human forms. The same condition can also be observed in macular vision in low light conditions, or when viewing a complex but random image. A common example would be perceiving a shadow, thrown by an item of furniture in a darkened room, as being a person.
Hypnagogia, also known as “waking-sleep”, a physiological condition in which a person is part-way between sleeping and waking, can also account for such perceptions. During hypnagogia, a person can be conscious and aware of their environment, but also in a dream-like state where they can perceive images from their subconscious. People experiencing waking-sleep commonly report the sensation of lights or shadows moving around them, as well as other visual hallucinations. A feeling of dread is also a sensation that occurs when experiencing hypnagogia. Hypnagogia is sometimes known as ‘the faces in the dark phenomenon’ because those who experience this state 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, paranormal nocturnal visitations, and religious experiences such as contact with angels or demons.
These guys are interdimensional menaces. People on drugs and during sleep paralysis see them because during these states we’re spiritually open and our mind is opened to worlds that our 5 senses alone could not perceive. To get rid of them, you must conquer fear and tell them that you are STRONGER than them. The reason they usually leave as soon as the name of Jesus is invoked is because people who do this believe in Christ as their savior, and so invoking his name gets rid of their fear and comforts them. It’s not the name of Jesus, it’s the fact that you’re conquering your own fear. If you abandon fear and stand up to them, stay calm, declare them weak and yourself strong, they will eventually give up and leave to go prey on less strong victims. They prey on fear, hate, and negative energy. If you panic and become overwhelmed with fear, you’ll notice that their attacks escalate, like it excites them. Like the rapist who prefers a struggling victim to the one who just closes their eyes, makes like a fish, and prays silently. Same principle. They can hear your thoughts and feel your feelings, and once you learn to conquer your fear of them they will move on.
Good day! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I truly enjoy reading through your blog posts.