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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''' can be described as the experience of perceiving patches of shadow in one's peripheral | '''Shadow people''' can be described 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>Burke, A. D., Yaari, R., Tariot, P. N., Dougherty, J., Fleisher, A. S., & Brand, H. (2012). The Shadow People: A Glimpse Into Dementia With Lewy Bodies. The Primary Care Companion to CNS Disorders, 14(3). https://dx.doi.org/10.4088%2FPCC.12alz01398</ref><ref>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. PHARMACIA, 64(1), 32-47. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Violina_Angelova2/publication/317528151_Pharmaco-toxicological_aspects_and_analysis_of_phenylalkylamine_and_indolylallkylamine_hallucinogens_Review/links/593d59f50f7e9b3317a45adf/Pharmaco-toxicological-aspects-and-analysis-of-phenylalkylamine-and-indolylallkylamine-hallucinogens-Review.pdf</ref><ref name="Linnemann2013">Linnemann, T., & Wall, T. (2013). ‘This is your face on meth’: The punitive spectacle of ‘white trash’in the rural war on drugs. Theoretical Criminology, 17(3), 315-334. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362480612468934</ref><ref>Smith, R. J. (2014). Forgetting Furman. Iowa L. Rev., 100, 1149. https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1P3-3736150051/forgetting-furman</ref><ref name="Boyd2015">Boyd, J. A. (2015). Battle elegies for peaceful people born into a modern world (Doctoral dissertation, San Francisco State University). http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/141341</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 as | Shadow people usually, but not always, begin to appear initially as fleeting images in a person's peripheral vision.<ref name="Boyd2015"/> 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. | ||
The bodies of these shadow people are usually perceived as being comprised of a type of blackness that has a sense of depth with few facial or bodily features.<ref name="Boyd2015"/> The blackness of their bodies often seem almost opaque, as if one is looking into a "black hole" in humanoid form. They may also appear in the shape of animals, uniform blobs, disembodied body parts, or a myriad of indescribable shapes. They sometimes appear to have faces, eyes, or mouths and are able to move or change shape. The movement exhibited can be normal human movement or it can be faster, slower, or more choppy than a normal person's gait. It is also possible for multiple shadow people to occupy one's field of vision simultaneously while acting autonomously from one another and even interacting with | The bodies of these shadow people are usually perceived as being comprised of a type of blackness that has a sense of depth with few facial or bodily features.<ref name="Boyd2015"/> The blackness of their bodies often seem almost opaque, as if one is looking into a "black hole" in humanoid form. They may also appear in the shape of animals, uniform blobs, disembodied body parts, or a myriad of other indescribable shapes. They sometimes appear to have faces, eyes, or mouths and are able to move or change shape. The movement exhibited can be normal human movement or it can be faster, slower, or more choppy than a normal person's gait. It is also possible for multiple shadow people to occupy one's field of vision simultaneously while acting autonomously from one another and even interacting with each other. | ||
Shadow people are often accompanied by other coinciding effects such as [[delirium]], [[paranoia]],<ref name="Boyd2015"/> [[anxiety]], and [[feelings of impending doom]].<ref name="Boyd2015"/> 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]],<ref name="Boyd2015"/><ref>Vila-Rodriguez, Fidel (September 2011). "Methamphetamine, Perceptual Disturbances, and the Peripheral Drift Illusion". American Journal on Addictions. doi:10.1111/j.1521-0391.2011.00161.x https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51568777_Methamphetamine_Perceptual_Disturbances_and_the_Peripheral_Drift_Illusion</ref> [[sleep deprivation]],<ref name="Linnemann2013"/><ref name="Boyd2015"/> and during [[sleep paralysis]].<ref>Shelley Adler (15 January 2011). Sleep Paralysis: Night-mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-Body Connection. Rutgers University Press. pp. 3–. ISBN 978-0-8135-5237-8.</ref> | Shadow people are often accompanied by other coinciding effects such as [[delirium]], [[paranoia]],<ref name="Boyd2015"/> [[anxiety]], and [[feelings of impending doom]].<ref name="Boyd2015"/> 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]],<ref name="Boyd2015"/><ref>Vila-Rodriguez, Fidel (September 2011). "Methamphetamine, Perceptual Disturbances, and the Peripheral Drift Illusion". American Journal on Addictions. doi:10.1111/j.1521-0391.2011.00161.x https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51568777_Methamphetamine_Perceptual_Disturbances_and_the_Peripheral_Drift_Illusion</ref> [[sleep deprivation]],<ref name="Linnemann2013"/><ref name="Boyd2015"/> and during [[sleep paralysis]].<ref>Shelley Adler (15 January 2011). Sleep Paralysis: Night-mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-Body Connection. Rutgers University Press. pp. 3–. ISBN 978-0-8135-5237-8.</ref> | ||
====Multisensory aspects==== | ====Multisensory aspects==== | ||
Although it is uncommon and not an intrinsic part of this hallucinatory effect | Although it is uncommon and not an intrinsic part of this hallucinatory effect shadow people can sometimes be accompanied by other sensory components alongside of the person's visual perception of them. This is typically infrequent and usually only occurs during very intense states of sleep deprivation, [[delirium]], or [[psychosis]]. For example, shadow people can potentially have an accompanying "voice", despite the lack of a visible mouth structure. This auditory communication follows an identical [[Autonomous_entities#Communication_styles|leveling system]] of progressively more detailed and coherent spoken word in the same manner as a generic [[Autonomous_entities|autonomous entity]]. Shadow people may converse with the person experiencing them or they may converse amongst each other, sometimes talking about the person going through the experience. | ||
Alongside of accompanying [[auditory hallucinations]], shadow people may also present [[tactile hallucinations|tactile]] and [[gustatory hallucinations]]. This is even rarer than their potential auditory effects and typically only occurs in particularly intense and advanced hallucinatory states. Their tactile effects can be indistinguishable from a real human touch and | Alongside of accompanying [[auditory hallucinations]], shadow people may also present [[tactile hallucinations|tactile]] and [[gustatory hallucinations]]. This is even rarer than their potential auditory effects and typically only occurs in particularly intense and advanced hallucinatory states. Their tactile effects can be indistinguishable from a real human touch and may vary in temperature. They can also even include physical actions such as pulling of clothing, hair, or the skin. | ||
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===Image examples=== | ===Image examples=== | ||
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'''Shadow people''' have been referenced throughout popular culture and time as 'demons' or 'omens',<ref>"4 Types of Shadow People" https://pararational.com/types-of-shadow-people/</ref> 'ghosts',<ref>"Types of Shadow People" Blog http://www.angelsghosts.com/types_of_shadow_people_shadow_ghosts</ref> or even 'inter-dimensional time travelers".<ref>Nonscientific Shadow Person Blog http://www.shadowpeople.org/</ref> 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<ref name="Boyd2015"/> or real interdimensional beings than simple [[external hallucinations|hallucinations]]. | '''Shadow people''' have been referenced throughout popular culture and time as 'demons' or 'omens',<ref>"4 Types of Shadow People" https://pararational.com/types-of-shadow-people/</ref> 'ghosts',<ref>"Types of Shadow People" Blog http://www.angelsghosts.com/types_of_shadow_people_shadow_ghosts</ref> or even 'inter-dimensional time travelers".<ref>Nonscientific Shadow Person Blog http://www.shadowpeople.org/</ref> 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<ref name="Boyd2015"/> 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, | 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 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, Baland; Romanelli, Andrea; Hinton, Devon E. (2015-12-01). "Cultural Explanations of Sleep Paralysis in Italy: The Pandafeche Attack and Associated Supernatural Beliefs". Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry. 39 (4): 651–664. doi:10.1007/s11013-015-9442-y. ISSN 0165-005X.</ref> | ||
Due to the cultural influence and the perception that shadow people may in fact be " | 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. | ||
===Psychoactive substances=== | ===Psychoactive substances=== | ||
Compounds within our [[psychoactive substance index]] which may cause this effect include: | Compounds within our [[psychoactive substance index]] which may cause this effect include: | ||