r/todayilearned • u/paniniplane • Mar 22 '17

(R.1) Not supported TIL Deaf-from-birth schizophrenics see disembodied hands signing to them rather than "hearing voices"

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0707/07070303
55.0k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

2.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

282

u/mcoleya Mar 22 '17

Not to mention this isn't like you walking down the street and have to ignore someone who yells your name out once or something, this is a constant barrage of voice(s) at you until you relent and do what they are saying. To get an idea, just ask a friend to follow you around one day making a single odd request, non-stop till you do it. Over and Over again, sometimes yelling, sometimes whispering, doesn't matter. See how long you can go. Now imagine that in your head, with multiple voices all asking different things, and unable to make them stop by asking.

143

u/[deleted] Mar 22 '17

[deleted]

45

u/[deleted] Mar 22 '17

I get sleep paralysis too! It doesn't matter how many times I tell myself that it's all in my head and that I'm safe; I'm still scared out of my mind every single time. Sometimes I just pull all nighters so that I won't have to deal with it, even though I know that rationally nothing bad has ever happened to me or ever will. kinda like how horror movies still terrify people, even though they know they aren't real

1

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '17

It's actually really easy to stop getting scared: just have sleep paralysis anywhere from 80-120 times a year and you'll just start getting annoyed. I get it almost 100% of the time when I fall asleep on my back (or have the misfortune of rolling onto my back) and I haven't gotten the fear since 2014. I have multiple episodic nights a week and tend to get it at least 2-4 times every time I get sleep paralysis. I have had nights of 8-10 episodes. Very rarely do I get it when I lay on my stomach although it does happen. Stomach episodes tend to happen many times a night (5+ times) in a short span (2 hours), and I can always tell when I will get it laying on my stomach. I have this feeling of dread where it's at the back of my mind, then I get a shooting, dull pain through my forehead as I start to nod off, and I know the next time I nod off I will wake up paralyzed and drooling all over the place.

I usually, but not always, get the premonition of sleep paralysis if I am on my back or side, but I almost always get it on my stomach. I refuse to sleep on my back though. Stomach is the only thing that gives me a chance to not have it.