When the nights feel frightening
Sleep paralysis, voices in the dark, and where Spirit Release Therapy (SRT) or SG-RSR fits.
I’ve sat with people who tell me they dread bedtime. Not because they’re busy or wired from coffee, but because they’re afraid of what might happen once the lights go out.
Some wake up unable to move or speak, with a heavy feeling on their chest and a sense that someone is standing in the room. Some wake at 3 am every night. Some hear a voice, sometimes a cruel one, and a few have heard it tell them to hurt themselves.
If that’s you, I’m glad you’re reading this. You’re not weak and you’re not mad. You deserve to be listened to properly.
First, what sleep paralysis is
During sleep paralysis, your mind wakes up a little before your body does. Your muscles stay switched off, the way they normally are in dream sleep, so you’re aware but can’t move. The UK's NHS (National Health System) describes it as frightening but harmless, and says it’s linked to things like disrupted sleep, stress, anxiety, PTSD and shift work.
Knowing this doesn’t make the experience any less real while it’s happening. But many people tell me the fear eased once they understood there was a physical explanation. Often the worst part isn’t the episode itself, it’s the dread of the next one.
If you get it often, or you’ve become scared to sleep, please see your GP. That’s not me handing you off. It’s what I’d want for my own family.
Where spirit release therapy comes in
I trained with the Spirit Release Academy, which was founded by Andy Porter and Jonno Webster. Their work builds on that of the late Dr Terence Palmer, who wrote The Science of Spirit Possession and developed remote spirit release methods.
The belief behind this work is that people can sometimes be affected by outside spiritual influence, and that this can show up as heaviness, broken sleep, or thoughts that don’t feel like their own. Practitioners work remotely, with the help of spirit guides, to release that influence.
If you’ve sought help from doctors, psychiatrists, exorcists, or other practitioners, and tried prescribed medication or other support, but your
symptoms still persist; it may be worth exploring additional possibilities.
If the voices tell you to hurt yourself
I want to be very clear here, because this is the part that matters most.
If you’re hearing a voice that tells you to cut yourself or to harm yourself in any way, please get help from a doctor or mental health service first.
Voices can come from many places: trauma, severe stress, lack of sleep, medication, or a mental health condition that can be treated. Within spirit release work, some practitioners do explore whether a voice may have a spiritual source. But nobody can tell from the outside, and the safe response doesn’t depend on the answer. A voice urging you towards harm needs a proper assessment.
If you’re in Singapore, you can call the Samaritans of Singapore on 1767 at any hour. The IMH Mental Health Helpline is 6389 2222. If you or someone near you is in immediate danger, call 995. You don’t have to wait until it feels bad enough.
If you find spiritual practice meaningful, it can sit alongside medical care. It shouldn’t replace it.
Not everything comes from outside you
I also want to say this, because it gets missed. Not every bad night, dark thought or strange feeling has an outside cause. When we’re exhausted, anxious or grieving, our minds can say frightening things to us. Telling the difference takes discernment, and sometimes it takes a doctor, a therapist and a good friend as well as a spiritual practitioner.
Small things that help
None of this is clever, but it works for many people. Keep regular sleep and wake times. Avoid caffeine and alcohol late in the day. Put your phone down before bed. Try sleeping on your side. Breathe slowly when you feel panic rising. Tell someone you trust what’s been happening, even if it feels awkward.
Sovereignty
The word I come back to most in my work is sovereignty. To me it means that your thoughts, your body and your choices are yours, and that you get to decide what support you accept. That includes saying yes to a doctor, yes to a friend, or yes to a spiritual session if it feels right to you.
If you’re curious about Spirit-Guided Remote Spirit Release and want to know what a session is actually like, you’re welcome to message me and ask. No pressure, and no fear.
With care,
Agata Sim
Spirit release therapy is a spiritual practice and does not replace medical or mental health care.
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