There is a dark force that surrounds a narcissist—one that does not just haunt you in waking life but follows you into your sleep, paralyzing you in terror. Many survivors report being held down by an unseen presence, unable to move or scream while a shadowy entity looms over them. This is no ordinary nightmare; it’s a chilling experience that feels all too real. But why do survivors of narcissistic abuse experience sleep paralysis at such an alarming rate? Is this merely a psychological response to trauma, or could there be something far more sinister at play? Let’s find out.
From childhood, I was tormented by an entity that would approach me in the night, rendering me paralyzed in my own body. It never spoke, but its presence was suffocating, almost as if it fed off my fear. Want to know more? Stay tuned until the very end.
Let’s first touch on trauma. As a survivor of narcissistic abuse, you know what it feels like to live in a constant state of stress, don’t you? Your nervous system has been deeply affected. That’s why you struggle to regulate your body’s natural responses to threats. When you endure prolonged emotional, psychological, and even physical abuse, your nervous system becomes totally disregulated. Your body stays on high alert, even when no immediate danger is present. This chronic stress can manifest in many ways, including the terrifying experience of sleep paralysis that we’re discussing today.
Basically, your brain never sleeps. Narcissistic abuse keeps you in a constant state of hypervigilance. The unpredictable mood swings of the narcissist, their gaslighting, and emotional torment create an internal and external environment where safety is never guaranteed. Growing up in such an atmosphere meant that my body never truly rested; I was always on guard, subconsciously bracing myself for the next wave of chaos. Even when I fell asleep, my nervous system remained hyperaware, unable to fully surrender to restorative sleep.
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Sleep paralysis is linked to a disrupted sleep cycle, particularly an inability to transition smoothly between sleep stages. For those with extreme trauma, like yourself, the brain remains semi-alert even in REM sleep, making it more likely to experience sleep paralysis. The sensation of being watched, of a presence creeping toward you, may not be an external force at all but rather the brain’s way of processing unresolved fear. The body is paralyzed in sleep, but the mind remains stuck in a hypervigilant state, creating the illusion of that dark figure approaching you—possibly shaped by your past terror.
As a certified clinical trauma specialist, I can tell you that one of the most significant trauma responses that occurs during narcissistic abuse and even after is the freeze response. When escape is impossible and fighting back is dangerous, the body shuts down, dissociates, and enters a state of immobility, or in clinical terms, dorsal vagal activation. This is why, when faced with confrontation, you feel incapable of reacting; you struggle to form words or even move. Sleep paralysis mimics this exact response. It is a moment when the body is trapped, unable to move, just as it was once in waking life under the control of that narcissist. The helplessness experienced during sleep paralysis mirrors the helplessness of being trapped in an abusive environment, which is why many survivors of narcissistic abuse report frequent episodes of sleep paralysis. They say, “My body carries the imprint of past trauma, and it finds its expression in terrifying ways.”
There is a famous book called Your Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. It is an excellent resource if you want to understand how your body reacts to trauma.
Now, let’s come to the spiritual side, my favorite side. While science offers explanations for sleep paralysis rooted in psychology, many who have experienced it, including myself, believe there is something much darker involved. I have openly talked about the relationship between narcissists and demons in multiple episodes. I firmly believe that those shadowy figures, those entities—the oppressive presences encountered during episodes of sleep paralysis—are not just hallucinations, but rather evil entities surrounding the narcissist. These are not mere products of an overactive imagination; they are real.
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For me, the experience was always the same. From childhood, I would sense the presence before it even arrived—a shift in the atmosphere, an invisible weight pressing down on the room. Then the paralysis would set in. My body would be locked in place, and no matter how desperately I wanted to scream, no sound would come out. The entity would never speak, but its presence alone was enough to fill the room with suffocating dread. It would stand over me, sometimes lying next to me, moving closer, and I knew in my bones that it was feeding off my fear.
Many survivors describe their sleep paralysis figures as distorted versions of the narcissist looming over them, just as the narcissist did in waking life. Why would that be if these entities had no connection with the narcissist? Think about that. Narcissists are known for their parasitic nature, draining their victims of energy and feeding off their pain. The control they create and the submission they demand mirror the behavior of the demonic entities that inhabit them. This is spiritual abuse—spiritual warfare that I’m talking about. When this happens, you feel like your soul is being consumed by the narcissist’s demon, and once they’re done, you’re left feeling hollow and depleted.
Many survivors have reported that their sleep paralysis intensified when they were in close proximity to the narcissist or when they were undergoing extreme emotional distress. It’s as if these dark presences thrive in the same way narcissists do—through the siphoning of energy, through fear, through control. If sleep paralysis is both a trauma response and a potential encounter with malevolent entities, then how does one escape it? What do you do about it?
The first step is to heal your nervous system. This involves breaking out of the hypervigilant state and teaching the body that it is safe to rest. You must engage in deep nervous system regulation work. I cannot emphasize this enough. You can do somatic therapy to release stored trauma, practice breathwork and meditation to calm the fight-or-flight response, and use weighted blankets and grounding techniques to create a sense of safety before going to sleep. Avoid emotional triggers before bed to prevent heightened stress levels at night.
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The second thing is spiritual protection. If you believe in the presence of negative entities—basically demons—spiritual protection is crucial. Some methods that I personally use include cleansing rituals such as burning sage or using protective crystals, prayer or affirmations before sleep to set an energetic boundary, visualizing protective light surrounding your body while you are sleeping, and calling upon spiritual guides for protection.
Ultimately, the key to overcoming sleep paralysis induced by narcissistic abuse trauma and demonic entities is reclaiming your power. These entities thrive on fear. The moment you recognize your worth, you weaken their hold. You must take back control of your body, mind, and spirit to break free. For years, I lived in fear of the entity that visited me at night, but once I began healing from my childhood trauma, the encounters stopped. Suddenly, the suffocating dread lifted. My body learned that it was safe, and with that, the entity lost its grip. The most important step was full no contact—that is what helped me cut the energetic cord.
There is a deep, unsettling link between narcissistic abuse and sleep paralysis—one that blends psychology and the paranormal. But one thing is certain: you are not powerless. We hold the ability to heal, to fight back, and to reclaim our nights from the shadows.
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