From: ssutherl@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Scott A Sutherland)
Subject: Re: The Death Car and the Real Story
Organization: The Ohio State University
Distribution: alt.folklore.ghost-stories
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 14:40:54 GMT

Ken Banner writes:

> Although, I appreciate the information on the Death Car
> stories, I think Rob DeMillo is assuming too much:

> ...
>       2)  Even if one can trace a cultural origin for "all"
> of the stories does that mean that none of the stories have a
> basis in experience?  In Folklorist David Hufford's book, _The
> Terror that Comes in the Night:  An Experience-Centered Study
> of Supernatural Assault Traditions_  (Univ. of Penn Press,
> 1982) he examines a Newfoundland tradition called the "Old
> Hag".  The typical pattern of the story is that a person wakes
> up, has the perception of being clearly awake, but then feels
> as if she or he cannot move.  In addition, there is a feeling
> as if something is pressing down upon them.  The encounter
> usually ends when the person is eventually able to move some
> part of the body or call out.  There are a large variety of
> elments that accompany this experience from being "ridden by
> a Witch" to mysterious personages in the room, out of body
> experiences, etc.  As a part of Newfoundland's folklore
> tradition such stories have been repeated over and over. 
>      But Hufford has found hundreds of cases where people
> claim to have personally had the experience in Newfoundland,
> the United States  and other parts of the world.  In a
> significant percentage of cases individuals have had this
> happen to them who have no knowledge of the tradition.
> ...

> P.S.  O.K.  I can't resist this...Has anyone out there
> ever personally had the kind of experience Hufford
> describes?

Huh!  Yea, but I didn't know anyone else had!  It happened to me
several times about eight years ago. It is one of the *wierdest* things
I've ever experienced.  

I woke up in the dead of the night.  I am sure I was awake because
I was unable to go back to sleep for awhile afterward 8-|.  I had
no memory of having been in the middle of a dream, and I came awake 
like I would have if something startled me out of a deep sleep.
It felt like other times when some noise brought me immediately
from sleeping to *wide* awake, but this does not happen often
since I am normally a sound sleeper.

In every instance, I could not move except to open my eyes and 
perhaps turn my head a bit.  I also could not breath.  Once, I 
distinctly remember feeling like there was someone sitting on my
chest.  My eyes are somewhat different than normal, giving
me *very* good night vision, but no figure was visible.  I struggled 
(mostly internally) for what seemed like several seconds and then 
the pressure suddenly lifted and I could move.  

Another time, I felt I could see a distinct shadow several feet to 
my right.  I seem to remember that this was *after* I could move 
and breath again.  As I turned on the light, it disappeared.

Initially, I didn't think much of these occurances - I figured I 
was just imagining  or dreaming them or that they had a natural 
cause.  But after it happened several times in a week and I felt 
I had actually *seen* something, I was pretty freaked-out.  At the 
time, I was participating in a weekly bible study with a couple 
friends, so I mentioned it.  We took most of an evening talking 
about it and praying, and it never happened again. 

Because of the way I felt at the time and the fact that it stopped so
suddenly after praying about it, I consider it conceivable that 
my experiences were due to something supernatural.  Ultimately though, 
I recognize that there *are* other reasonable explanations.

Thanks Ken,  You gave me something to think about as I fall asleep 
tonight :-).

- Scott
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.ghost-stories