haunted midwest Archives

Amanda and Trevin of Live Laugh Larceny share their haunted experiences of sleep paralysis, growing up in a haunted house, and having the same strange number follow them both around.

Episode Summary

You wake up in a pool of your own sweat. You can’t move—something is sitting on your chest. And it’s a naked man. Or is it a demon? You try to scream, but all that comes out is a whimper. You’ve just entered the Haint Zone.

Something to this extent happens in this episode, where we speak with two very funny podcasters who have had some seriously sinister experiences in their past, including sleep paralysis and growing up in a haunted house.

AI-generated transcript of this episode available upon request.

What is Sleep Paralysis?

From a psychological perspective, sleep paralysis is when, after sleeping, your conscious mind wakes up before your body. People who experience this realize they are unable to move or speak because their body is still asleep; otherwise they feel like they are completely awake.

For centuries, however, people have reported seeing or feeling a “demon” or “incubus” while they are in the sleep paralysis state. The actual phenomenon is poorly studied by scientific communities. However, plenty of psychology articles will assure you it is nothing supernatural. When you see something in that strange state between waking and sleeping, it is nothing more than a hallucination. A hallucination that a whole lot of people from a whole lot of different cultures and worldviews all mysteriously see as a similar creature.

painting of The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli, thought to be a depiction of a sleep paralysis demon — A visual depiction of a sleep paralysis demon from 1781. *The Nightmare* by Henry Fuseli

Similarities between sleep paralysis demons that our guests have reported

Dark figure that appears that sits on sleep paralysis sufferer’s chest and pins them down
Figure is pure shadow
Figure paces back and forth along long side of the bed
Figure is wearing a hooded cloak, or nothing at all
Figure makes rustling noises, but does not speak
Sleep paralysis sufferer reports feelings of extreme dread and fear emanating from the figure
Figure does not immediately disappear when sleep paralysis episode is over, but does disappear in light

About Live Laugh Larceny

Live Laugh Larceny is the brainchild of co-hosts and long-time friends Amanda and Trevin, who are based out of Kansas City. The show hilariously dissects otherwise inconsequential petty crimes and elevates them into long form stories, complete with cheesy sound effects and dramatic music.