The Sleep Paralysis Nightmare, Wrathful Deities, and the Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious
Psychological Perspectives January 2, 2020 Oreet Rees, Leanne Whitney 5 citations
The sleep paralysis nightmare, reported across cultures from antiquity to today, is typically experienced as terrifying encounters with dark entities. This article interprets the phenomenon as an archetypal psychic process, analogous to Jung's night sea journey and the wrathful deities of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Using Jungian depth psychology and Tibetan Buddhist psychology, the author analyzes artwork created by a sleep paralysis experiencer. The analysis suggests that this universally terrifying nightmare can also be approached as a dream of transformation, offering potential for psychological and spiritual growth. The article argues that archetypal imagery in such experiences reveals elements previously absent from conscious awareness.