Shadow People
Welcome to the first installment of the Dark Concepts: Archive. I am your host, Brian J Cummings, and in this series, I delve into some of the creepiest topics from the research I’ve done for my horror stories and give you a little commentary from some of my personal experiences with the paranormal.
Today’s topic is the infamous shadow people.
First off, what are they and where do they come from?
From what I have experienced myself, and what I could dig up, no one truly has a definitive answer what these things truly are.
Their description can vary from person to person. They can lurk in the corner of the eye as translucent ambiguous masses of darkness or loom directly in front of someone as a full-on solid humanoid being comprised of a shadow that is darker than the darkness of a room.
As to where they come from, your guess is as good as mine. Are they formerly living souls trapped in between this life and the next, entities imprinted on our surroundings by pure conscious energy, curious beings visiting from a neighboring dimension, or bonafide demons here to harvest your soul and drag you kicking and screaming straight to hell?
As with anything paranormal, there’s no concrete answer.
But are they really evil or just good at scaring people?
As far as shadow people go, all my experiences (except one) have been benign. Most of the time, they just hang out and watch what is going on, which makes me believe that some of them could potentially be remnants of human consciousness left over after death. But they could also be inhuman and just simply curious. One thing I’ve discovered is that most of the time, after you notice them, they go away, but every once in a while, they seem to flit away only to come back, and when they do, they come closer.
And closer…
And closer…
Until they are practically in your face.
I had that exact experience one once on a job site during my lunch break and had to tell it politely to shove off, as it was being quite rude. And you know what, it left me alone when I ate lunch every day afterward.
It’s weird enough when the living stare at you when you eat, let alone the dead.
There are instances, however, of these entities being malevolent, and sometimes downright sinister. I’ve had one encounter with something malevolent and I was certain the entity was trying to end me. I had the impression that this being, whatever it was, wasn’t simply a shadow person, but something else entirely.
I’ll cover that experience on an upcoming true ghost stories episode.
Sleep paralysis is often accompanied with the sightings of these beings. Most of the time they just stand in the doorway or in a corner of the room, but sometimes they move about and get closer to the subject, and are accompanied with sounds of whispering, buzzing, or sometimes even screaming.
Who the hell is this Hat Man Guy?
Some of the most common and sinister experiences during sleep paralysis is that of the Hat Man. Personally, I’ve never seen this entity, and nor do I want to, because that shit sounds terrifying. I've only had sleep paralysis once, in a haunted house in the state of Maine. I never saw anything, but the supernatural experience was certainly worth writing home about. I detail that one at the end of one of my short story episodes from Season One called Lilacs, for those of you who are curious.
Sometimes this being has glowing red eyes and looms in doorways, but also features like facial hair can be distinguished. Most people who experience this entity often get the notion that the Hat Man is basically the leader of all shadow people. Most folks say he’s wearing a kind of top hat, some instances a fedora, so he’s creepy as well as classy…
And this Hat Man, whoever he is, gets around, as the phenomenon is reported worldwide.
So, what does the scientific community have to say about it?
Dun, dun, DUN…
Psychologists often chalk these experiences up to lack of sleep, causing the mind to kind of glitch out and start hallucinating. Things from heightened emotions, the onset of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, to methamphetamine use are common among those who see these entities.
BUT! Infrasound, or subaudible soundwaves can sometimes really screw with the mind and even the eyes themselves, causing hallucinations. These unusual sound waves can be emitted from small motors and all kinds of random equipment, and it can really fuck with our senses from time to time. So can unusually high levels of electromagnetic fields or EMFs which can be emitted through improper or damaged wiring or electrical equipment.
What if it's all just infrasound or EMFs?
Oh yeah, I went there.
The skeptical side of me loves this, to be honest, because it could be plausible and could very well explain the multiple encounters I’ve had with shadow figures. Buuut do I buy the explanation of infrasound/EMFs? Eh, kinda, though not entirely. Many of my instances could very well be explained by this, even those where I felt someone coming up near me. Infrasound and high EMF’s (electromagnetic fields) could have been prevalent there, as these instances happened in a building that happened to be right next to a substation.
Or… those factors could facilitate in the manifestation of these entities, depending on how you look at it.
I just know I’ve had these experiences with and without those factors.
What’s the best method for protection from and getting rid of these things?
Disclaimer: If you’re having serious issues with sleep or mental health, I want to say up front, seek a medical professional. Cover those health bases first, especially if you have a history of trauma or mental health issues in your family.
One thing that stuck out while perusing ways to banish shadow people was that they aren’t too fond of clean and happy spaces. That goes for tons of other nasty critters too, not to mention keeping a clean and tidy space will do wonders for the mood.
Cleansing rituals are often good, but it’s imperative that you know what you’re doing. You don’t want shit to backfire. Intention is key when it comes to that sort of thing and if you have doubts, call in someone with that kind of expertise.
Or the Ghostbusters.
What some people have done in the past that has worked is evoked the name of Jesus. It sounds cliché, but it has absolutely worked for some people. If that’s where your beliefs align, man go for it.
But Jesus isn’t everyone’s bag and the key here is faith. You have to believe that what you are evoking will actually help you. So, for those of you don’t vibe with that, another option that has helped me in the very few instances where I’ve felt attacked is grounding myself.
Grounding is something that anyone can do, regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs. You can start by feeling your body on the earth - whether it’s your feet on the ground or your back on the mattress - and focus on your breath. Sometimes I make it a point to press my hands to the ground too. And I don’t mean just flit your attention to your feet and breath, I mean really fucking focus on it. All of your attention. This is easier said than done, which is why I am a firm believer in a regular meditation practice. Not only is it incredibly beneficial for your well-being, but it is an excellent tool, in case you ever need it. There are many cultures worldwide that say we draw power from the Earth, and man, I believe it. It’s our foundation to everything and sometimes our feet look like they’re firmly planted on the ground, but our minds and spirit we are untethered from reality and we are bobbing around on the ceiling like a loose balloon.
Grounding is an all-around good thing to do anyway.
So, there you have it, a short explanation on the shadow people phenomenon. Along with the sources I have listed below, two documentaries I found very interesting were The Nightmare and The Hat Man. I found both on Amazon Prime.
If you like this style of podcast, let me know! I’d be happy to hear from you! The next Archive episode is currently set to drop on Monday, March 10th and we will be discussing the lore of the Woman in White, where I have a few strange occurrences of my own to contribute, of course.
Oh, and before I forget, if you’ve had any experiences with any of the entities I’ve spoken about today and want to share them, let me know. I’m currently looking for ghost stories to tell on my upcoming True Ghost Stories episodes.
Reach out to me as well if you have any suggestions for upcoming shows. You can get a hold of me directly though my website, brianjcummings.com, and I’m also on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook where I release two sentence horror stories on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. My book of short stories from the first season of Dark Concepts is available on Kindle and will soon to be on other distributors as well as in good old paperback form (my favorite).
I will be back next Monday with a short story channeled from the darkness of the witching hour. So, keep a candle nearby, because you never know when the lights will go out.
Sources:
https://www.ranker.com/list/how-to-get-rid-of-shadow-people/joesph-langdon
https://otherworldlyoracle.com/how-to-get-rid-of-shadow-people-in-4-essential-steps/