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Post by gregory on Oct 18, 2007 21:22:44 GMT -5
Sleep Paralysis is probably the most reasonable explanation for when people supposedly saw ghosts and spirits during the Salem Witch Trials. Sleep Paralysis is the temporary paralysis of one's body(ranging from a few seconds to a couple of minutes) before going to sleep, or after waking up. It is related to the paralysis one gets while in the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage of their sleep. The body does this during the REM state so the person does not move while dreaming. Sleep paralysis occurs when one wakes from the REM state but the paralysis persists. The person is completely conscious but unable to move. Hypnagogic hallucinations can accompany sleep paralysis . These hallucinations can be frightening because they are extremely life like. This is because they are included in one's regular vision. Imagine waking up, not being able to move any part of your body, and seeing a dancing monkey jumping around, and right when you can move again, it disappears. That would freak you out, right? This could possibly be what all of the people saw when they said they encountered the devil or other ghosts. The possible causes for sleep paralysis are stress, sleep deprivation, sudden environmental or life changes or sleeping face up. www.stanford.edu/~dement/paralysis.htmlen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysiswatarts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyne/S_P2.html (interesting graph on age of first sleep paralysis episode)
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Post by christinec02 on Oct 18, 2007 21:59:35 GMT -5
That is a very interesting comment, and it relates to the discussion that we had in class today (or at least period 2) of reasons why she was in a catatonic state, fright could have also played a part though, almost like the phrase "scared stiff" , she might have been so scared of what would happen to her if the people in her community found out what she was up to, her body may have gone into complete shock.
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ajl
New Member
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Post by ajl on Oct 29, 2007 21:42:11 GMT -5
We also discussed other possible scientific/biological reasons for the witch trials, and I think Mr. Cheddar said something along the lines of: The two years during the witch trials (1692ish) were very wet years, and since Salem was located in the bottom of a bowl-valley, the water contaminated the storages for wheat and grain, and caused mold to grow. This mold could potentially be a source of lysergic acid (LSD), which is grown from ergot fungus (a type of mold that grows on wheats and grasses). The effects of ergot fungus include: The common name for ergotism is "St. Anthony's fire", in reference to the symptoms, such as severe burning sensations in the limbs, due to vasoconstriction of blood vessels, sometimes leading to gangrene and loss of limbs due to severely restricted blood circulation. The neurotropic activities of the ergot alkaloids may also cause hallucinations and attendant irrational behaviour, convulsions, and even death. Other symptoms include strong uterine contractions, nausea, seizures, and unconsciousness. So basically, while Abigail and the other witch hysteria-mongerers were doing it to take advantage of a crisis, they also might have been tripping. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot
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