User:Perfectblue97/shadow1

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For other things named Shadowman, see Shadowman (disambiguation).
Shadow People
Artist's impression of shadow people
Creature
Name: Shadow People
AKA: Shadow Men,
Shadow Folk,
Shadow Beings
Classification
Grouping: Ghost/Specter
Data
First reported: Unknown
Last sighted: Present day
Country: Various
Region: Various
Habitat: Various, often reported
in bedrooms or common
areas in a house.
Mostly at night
Status: Modern Myth

Shadow people (also known as shadow men, shadow folk, or shadow beings) are shadow like creatures of a supernatural origin that are found in modern folklore [1][2][3] where they are said appear as dark forms in the peripheries of people's vision that disintegrate, or move between walls, when noticed. [1][2][3] They occupy a similar position in the popular consciousness to ghost.[1][2][3][4]

Contents

[edit] Description

Artist's impression of two types of shadow people
Artist's impression of two types of shadow people

Descriptions of Shadow people differ between different folklore and popular culture sources. [1][2][3] Though they are typically described as being featureless, with no discernible mouths, noses, or facial expressions. [1][2][3] The color of the eyes, if any, is typically given as red. [1][2][3] Some accounts describe them as being black humanoid shadows or silhouettes, and others describing them as being vaporous or distorted three-dimensional humanoids that look as if they are made out of smoke or steam. [1][2][3] Sometimes they are descried as being shapeless masses that change to a more human form. [1][2][3]

Examples can also be found in modern folklore which describe child sized shadow people and shadow people whose outlines suggest that they are wearing a cloak, and in some instances the outline of a 1930s style fedora hat.[1][2][3] This last type is referred as the "hat-man". [1][2][3] Various depictions and artists rendering have been posted on the Internet.[5][6]

Their movement is often described as being quick, disjointed, and unlike that of any real life creature, with sources describing them dancing from one wall to the next, or as moving around the room "as if they were on a specific track". [1][2][3]





are not reported as having human features, wearing modern/period clothing, or attempting to communicate. Witnesses also do not report the same feelings of being in the presence of something that 'was once human'. Some individuals have described being menaced, chased, or in some rare instance, attacked by shadow people. Witnesses report that encounters are typically accompanied by a feeling of dread.








[edit] Modern Folklore and Popular Culture

A number of paranormal beliefs for shadow people have been drawn from various religions, parapsychology, metaphysics, demonology, and the occult.




[edit] Specters

One proposal is 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, or which have been purposefully created through black magic or other occult practices.[3] They have also been claimed as being unattended shadow or shades, said in some cultures to be similar to that of a ghost: a flicker of a life unable to end for some reason.


Some variations on the Shadow People mythos draw on roots other than the supernatural. One example of this has been the creation on a branch of the myth that combines Shadow People with accounts of abductions by Grey aliens, or to the machinations of Reptilian humanoids found in extraterrestrial conspiracy beliefs such as those promoted by David Icke. [3][4] These variations describe Shadow People as carrying out abductions for aliens, or as being present during experiments carried out by aliens on abductees. [1][3][4] A another example of this is a second modern variation that present Shadow People as being creatures from another reality whose "dimension" occasionally overlaps with ours, allowing them to be partially visible, or as creatures that exist on a separate plane of existence which becomes visible for similar reasons. [1][4]



[edit] Scientific explanations

Several scientific hypotheses have been proposed to explain sightings of shadow people, including optical illusions or hallucinations brought on by the physiological/psychological circumstances of the witnesses, drug use, and the interaction of external agents on the human body.

[edit] Pareidolia

In most instances, witnesses report seeing shadow people in the peripheral areas of their vision. This area of vision is linked to the areas of the brain that recognizes patterns, however it provides less detail to the brain than macular (center-forward) vision. 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 forms.[7] 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.

[edit] Hypnogogia

Also known as waking-sleep, hypnogogia is a documented physiological condition in which a person is part-way between sleeping and waking.[8] During hypnogogia, 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 hypnogogia. Hypnogogia is sometimes known as 'the faces in the dark phenomenon' because those who experience this state commonly report seeing faces while experiencing waking-sleep.[9] Similar hypothesis have been put forward linking this condition to a number of other apparent paranormal experiences, including alien abductions and paranormal nocturnal visitations.

[edit] Chemical agents

The use of narcotics and psychotropic agents, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and LSD, can produce shadow human shaped hallucinations. Dopaminergic drugs such as pramipexole can sometimes cause these hallucinations.[10] Common over-the-counter medication can also have a similar effect if taken in sufficient quantity (see diphenhydramine and pseudoephedrine).

[edit] Electromagnetic fields

Under the right conditions, electromagnetic fields can interfere with the functions of the temporal lobe; creating altered states of perception in which auditory and visual hallucinations can occur.[11]

Using electromagnetic fields, researches have been able to recreate many of the experiences reported during paranormal encounters under laboratory conditions, including those of shadow people.[12][13] Researchers have also documented correlations between variances in naturally-occurring magnetic fields and areas where paranormal events have been reported.[14]

[edit] Neurological conditions

Certain neurological conditions, such as photosensitive complex partial seizures, have also been shown to cause sufferers to see shadow people.[15]

[edit] Popular culture

  • "The Shadow People" was the title of a 1953 episode of Hall of Fantasy, an American horror old time radio program that dealt with beings very similar to modern shadow people.[16]
  • Wes Craven's They explores the concept of shadow people; first as a psychological phenomena, then as paranormal event.
  • In the novel Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz, the protagonist sees malevolent, insubstantial shadowy entities that feed on the suffering of the dead and dying.
  • Shadow people are a frequent topic on the SOH Radio Network podcast Mysterious Universe.
  • The novel John Dies at the End, written by David Wong of Pointless Waste of Time, features shadow people as main villains.
  • Popular radio host Art Bell (Coast to Coast AM) has hosted many discussions on the topic of shadow people.
  • In the movie "Ghost", entities similar to shadow people are briefly shown, but they are not remotely visible to the living and arrive only to collect a "damned" ghost.


[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Guiley, Rosemary Ellen (2006-10-30) "Magic, Hauntings & Shadow People", Coast to Coast AM (Broadcast)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Jenkins, Greg (2007). Florida's Ghostly Legends and Haunted Folklore, Volume 3: The Gulf Coast and Pensacola. Pineapple Press, Inc., 215. ISBN 1561643998. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Hollis Heidi (2006) "Shadow Beings", Coast to Coast AM (Broadcast)
  4. ^ a b c d Wagner Stephen ": Shadow People", About: Paranormal Phenomena (2007-04-25)
  5. ^ Jim ) Witness's rendering of a Shadow Person", Coast to Coast AM )
  6. ^ Hollis Heidi, "Shadow Being Images" (Various artistic renderings of Shadow People)
  7. ^ Wiggins Arthur W. Wynn Charles M. (2001), "Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction : Where Real Science Ends...and Pseudoscience Begins," National Academies Press, ISBN 0-309-07309-X
  8. ^ Ohayon M M, Priest RG, Caulet M, Guilleminault C (1996), Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations: pathological phenomena?, The British Journal of Psychiatry (October 2006)
  9. ^ McKellar Peter (1957), "Imagination and thinking: A psychological analysis," ISBN B0007DES76
  10. ^ Falkowski, Carol L. "Methamphetamine Across America: Misconceptions, Realities and Solutions" (PDF), Hazelden Foundation. 
  11. ^ Becker Robert O (1990) "Cross Currents," Tarcher, ISBN 0-87477-609-0
  12. ^ Persinger Michael A (2001), "The Neuropsychiatry of Paranormal Experiences" (October 2006)
  13. ^ Arzy Shahar, Seeck Margitta, Ortigue Stephanie, Spinelli Laurent, Blanke Olaf (21st September 2006) "Induction of an illusory shadow person", Nature 443 (7109): 245 - 370 (p287)
  14. ^ Wiseman, R Watt C Stevens P Greening E O'Keeffe C (2003). "An investigation into alleged 'hauntings'", The British Journal of Psychology, 94, 195-211
  15. ^ Shuper, A; Vining EP. "Photosensitive complex partial seizures aggravated by phenytoin", Pubmed, 2005-04-23. Retrieved on 2006-10-01. (English) 
  16. ^ Time Radio Horror (available for free download; all episodes believed to be in the public domain)
This is a Wikipedia user page.

This is not an encyclopedia article. If you find this page on any site other than Wikipedia, you are viewing a mirror site. Be aware that the page may be outdated and that the user to whom this page belongs may have no personal affiliation with any site other than Wikipedia itself. The original page is located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Perfectblue97/shadow1.