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Shadow people: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Shadow-people zpsaa95af9a.jpg|thumb|right|300px|'''Untitled''' by '''[[Anonymous]]''' - An accurate representation of the experience of shadow people.]] | [[File:Shadow-people zpsaa95af9a.jpg|thumb|right|300px|'''Untitled''' by '''[[Anonymous]]''' - An accurate representation of the experience of shadow people.]] | ||
'''Shadow people''' | '''Shadow people''' are defined as the experience of perceiving patches of shadow in one's peripheral or direct line of sight that appear and behave as living, autonomous beings.<ref name="ObreshkovaKandilarov2017">Obreshkova, D., Kandilarov, I., Angelova, V. T., Iliev, Y., Atanasov, P., & Fotev, P. S. (2017). PHARMACO-TOXICOLOGICAL ASPECTS AND ANALYSIS OF PHENYLALKYLAMINE AND INDOLYLALKYLAMINE HALLUCINOGENS (REVIEW). PHARMACIA, 64(1), 41-42. http://bsphs.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Angelova.pdf</ref><ref name="BurkeYaari2012">{{cite journal|last1=Burke|first1=Anna D.|last2=Yaari|first2=Roy|last3=Tariot|first3=Pierre N.|last4=Dougherty|first4=Jan|last5=Fleisher|first5=Adam S.|last6=Brand|first6=Helle|title=The Shadow People|journal=The Primary Care Companion For CNS Disorders|year=2012|issn=2155-7780|doi=10.4088/PCC.12alz01398}}</ref><ref name="Vila-RodriguezMacEwan2011">{{cite journal|last1=Vila-Rodriguez|first1=Fidel|last2=MacEwan|first2=Gordon W.|last3=Honer|first3=William G.|title=Methamphetamine, Perceptual Disturbances, and the Peripheral Drift Illusion|journal=The American Journal on Addictions|volume=20|issue=5|year=2011|pages=490–490|issn=10550496|doi=10.1111/j.1521-0391.2011.00161.x}}</ref> Due to the unique behavior of these [[external hallucinations|hallucinations]] they can be considered as a distinct sub-type of [[autonomous entities|autonomous entity]]. | ||
Shadow people usually, but not always, begin to appear initially as fleeting images in a person's peripheral vision. However, at higher levels of intensity shadow people may begin to appear in full view in a manner which allows them to be directly looked at. At advanced mental states, it is even possible to look away from and look back at the shadow person without a change in the presence or appearance of the hallucination. | Shadow people usually, but not always, begin to appear initially as fleeting images in a person's peripheral vision. However, at higher levels of intensity shadow people may begin to appear in full view in a manner which allows them to be directly looked at. At advanced mental states, it is even possible to look away from and look back at the shadow person without a change in the presence or appearance of the hallucination. | ||
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It is worth noting that the style and general behaviour of a shadow person are often largely dependent on the emotional state of the person experiencing it. For example, a person who is emotionally stable and generally happy will usually be more prone to experiencing neutral, interesting, or friendly shadow people. In contrast, however, a person who is emotionally unstable and generally unhappy will usually be more prone to experiencing sinister and fear-inducing shadow people. | It is worth noting that the style and general behaviour of a shadow person are often largely dependent on the emotional state of the person experiencing it. For example, a person who is emotionally stable and generally happy will usually be more prone to experiencing neutral, interesting, or friendly shadow people. In contrast, however, a person who is emotionally unstable and generally unhappy will usually be more prone to experiencing sinister and fear-inducing shadow people. | ||
Shadow people are often accompanied by other coinciding effects such as [[delirium]], [[paranoia]], [[anxiety]], and [[feelings of impending doom]]. They are most commonly induced under the influence of [[dosage#heavy|heavy]] [[dosage|dosages]] of [[deliriant]] compounds, such as [[DPH]], [[datura]], and [[benzydamine]]. However, they can also occur under the influence of [[stimulant psychosis]], [[sleep deprivation]], and during [[sleep paralysis]].<ref> | Shadow people are often accompanied by other coinciding effects such as [[delirium]], [[paranoia]], [[anxiety]], and [[feelings of impending doom]]. They are most commonly induced under the influence of [[dosage#heavy|heavy]] [[dosage|dosages]] of [[deliriant]] compounds, such as [[DPH]], [[datura]], and [[benzydamine]]. However, they can also occur under the influence of [[stimulant psychosis]], [[sleep deprivation]], and during [[sleep paralysis]].<ref>{{cite book | vauthors=((Adler, S. R.)) | date= 2011 | title=Sleep paralysis: night-mares, nocebos, and the mind-body connection | publisher=Rutgers University Press | series=Studies in medical anthropology | isbn=9780813548852}}</ref> | ||
====Multisensory aspects==== | ====Multisensory aspects==== | ||
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===Image examples=== | ===Image examples=== | ||
{{Gallery|[[Effect::Shadow people]]}} | {{Gallery|[[Effect::Shadow people]][[Category:Replication]]}} | ||
===Analysis=== | ===Analysis=== | ||
'''Shadow people''' have been referenced throughout popular culture and time as 'demons' or 'omens', | '''Shadow people''' have been referenced throughout popular culture and time as 'demons' or 'omens', 'ghosts', or even 'inter-dimensional time travelers". This wide recognition of shadow people, combined with their representation in common culture and horror films may contribute to the prevalence of these [[external hallucinations]]. From the common internet consensus on shadow people, they are more often interpreted as ghosts or real interdimensional beings than simple [[external hallucinations|hallucinations]]. | ||
The shadow person as an image was portrayed in the 20th-century show "The Twilight Zone", in the appropriately titled episode "The Shadow Man"<ref>IMDB "Shadow Man" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734758/</ref> where a shadow person lives under the main characters' bed. This episode was broadcast nationwide and still remains available, further exposing people to shadow people through second-hand experiences and Hollywood-style manufactured images. | The shadow person as an image was portrayed in the 20th-century show "The Twilight Zone", in the appropriately titled episode "The Shadow Man"<ref>IMDB "Shadow Man" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734758/</ref> where a shadow person lives under the main characters' bed. This episode was broadcast nationwide and still remains available, further exposing people to shadow people through second-hand experiences and Hollywood-style manufactured images. | ||
The more an image is spread throughout a culture the more likely a person will manifest that image in a state such as [[sleep deprivation]], [[delirium]], and [[stimulant psychosis]]. The fear instilled by society and the negative connotation portrayed by mainstream culture may influence the [[anxiety]] and [[feelings of impending doom]] that people commonly report when seeing these [[autonomous entities]]. This has been investigated in relation to the common appearance of shadow people in [[sleep deprivation]] experiences.<ref>Jalal | The more an image is spread throughout a culture the more likely a person will manifest that image in a state such as [[sleep deprivation]], [[delirium]], and [[stimulant psychosis]]. The fear instilled by society and the negative connotation portrayed by mainstream culture may influence the [[anxiety]] and [[feelings of impending doom]] that people commonly report when seeing these [[autonomous entities]]. This has been investigated in relation to the common appearance of shadow people in [[sleep deprivation]] experiences.<ref name="JalalRomanelli2015">{{cite journal|last1=Jalal|first1=Baland|last2=Romanelli|first2=Andrea|last3=Hinton|first3=Devon E.|title=Cultural Explanations of Sleep Paralysis in Italy: The Pandafeche Attack and Associated Supernatural Beliefs|journal=Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry|volume=39|issue=4|year=2015|pages=651–664|issn=0165-005X|doi=10.1007/s11013-015-9442-y}}</ref> | ||
Due to the cultural influence and the perception that shadow people may in fact be "ghosts", people who experience this [[external hallucination]] may attribute it to the paranormal or other irrational causes rather than accepting that it is a natural effect of abnormal brain chemistry levels that may stem from a wide variety of mental states. The de-stigmatization of the shadow person experience and rational discussion of their true origin may grant many sufferers relief from the associated stigma of paranoia and mental illness. | Due to the cultural influence and the perception that shadow people may in fact be "ghosts", people who experience this [[external hallucination]] may attribute it to the paranormal or other irrational causes rather than accepting that it is a natural effect of abnormal brain chemistry levels that may stem from a wide variety of mental states. The de-stigmatization of the shadow person experience and rational discussion of their true origin may grant many sufferers relief from the associated stigma of paranoia and mental illness. | ||
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*[[Dissociatives#Subjective_effects|Dissociatives - Subjective effects]] | *[[Dissociatives#Subjective_effects|Dissociatives - Subjective effects]] | ||
*[[External hallucinations]] | *[[External hallucinations]] | ||
*[[Unspeakable horrors]] | |||
*[[Autonomous entities]] | *[[Autonomous entities]] | ||
*[[Amphetamines]] | *[[Amphetamines]] | ||
===External links=== | ===External links=== | ||
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_person Shadow person (Wikipedia)] | * [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_person Shadow person (Wikipedia)] | ||
===References=== | ===References=== | ||
<references/> | <references /> | ||
[[Category:Sensory]] [[Category:Visual]] [[Category:Hallucinatory]] [[Category:Effect]] | [[Category:Sensory]] | ||
[[Category:Visual]] | |||
[[Category:Hallucinatory]] | |||
[[Category:Effect]] | |||