322: Old Hag Syndrome, Bizarre Trail In The Woods & Multiple Demons

[00:00:00] It's late at night, when suddenly you're awoken by something unknown, and you quickly find that you can't move your body. Confusion then turns to terror as you come to the realization that you're not alone. Sleep paralysis is one of the most common paranormal experiences that people share with

[00:00:28] me, and although some of these reports can be scientifically explained away, there are others that seem to defy rational explanation, especially those that involve an entity known as the Old Hag. Tonight I'll be talking more about this unsettling phenomenon, as well as a strange report of

[00:00:47] a doppelganger, multiple encounters with demons, mysterious disembodied tapping, and a bizarre endless road that leads to the unknown. Thank you for joining me, and welcome once again. I'm your host, Nic Ryan. Before I start tonight's show, I'd like to recognize Scott for their contribution on Patreon.

[00:01:29] Thank you so much for your generosity. And as always, I appreciate all of my amazing listeners around the world, as well as your continued support. Our first experience of the night comes to us from Jay. And Jay says, Hey there, Nic.

[00:01:47] I found your podcast recently and I love the format. Not long ago, an author friend of mine asked a number of his credible friends about any mysterious stories that they had experienced, and that made me think of a few that I've had.

[00:02:03] As soon as I heard the podcast, I started chewing over those stories and decided that I would share. As a bit of context, I grew up in rural Virginia, where pretty much anyone you ask has had some sort of ghostly experience.

[00:02:17] I became a serious fan of the paranormal, occult, conspiracies, etc. from a single-digit age. And while I still enjoy the paranormal field, I'm a pretty diehard skeptic as an adult. That being said, I realize that consciousness and perception can be a complicated issue,

[00:02:36] and I try to be respectful of other people's stories. Now on to the spooky stuff. My first story is called, The Endless Road. This story begins when I was 13. At that point, my family lived in an antebellum farmhouse on the edge of the woods.

[00:02:54] Even though that large wooded area had a reputation for being haunted, and both my parents had ghostly encounters independently there, my friends and I were there all the time riding three-wheelers and pretending to be Rambo. I was very familiar with the area and all the trails.

[00:03:12] We were in the process of moving to the west coast, and one day I was watching my three-year-old brother and keeping him from being underfoot during the move. We decided to hit the trails to look for deer or raccoons and kill time.

[00:03:26] The first part of the walk was fine, and we had wandered quite a way before finding ourselves on a long, straight trail. There was no cute wildlife in sight, and we kept walking for what seemed like forever.

[00:03:40] My little brother then said that he was tired and wanted to head back. I looked back at the trail behind us, and we had gone a long way. I then looked back down the trail in the direction that we had been walking, and the trail continued

[00:03:53] in a straight line for as far as I could see. I realized at this point that the trail going that far was impossible. I knew which direction we were going, and I should have been able to see a particular road not far off.

[00:04:07] Something seemed horribly wrong, and I had cold chills and felt the color drain out of my face, and I then hustled my little brother back down the trail to get home as fast as we could.

[00:04:18] I knew at the time that with how far we had walked and how far I could see that we should have run into something in any direction. There were a couple of particular roads, some soybean fields, and even a couple of houses.

[00:04:32] Afterwards, I laid my hands on a map and confirmed my suspicions that we had walked into some sort of impossible location. In modern times, when I retold my story to my author friend, I was a little more diligent

[00:04:45] and brought up a Google Earth map, which showed that there was absolutely no way that the trail could have gone that far. My second story is called My Doppelganger. This story begins shortly after we moved to the west coast, and I started my freshman year in high school.

[00:05:05] Early on during health class, there was a presentation by a group of teens who had all faced drug problems and gotten through them. When it was over, one of the speakers came over and said, Hey Jay, how have you been?

[00:05:17] However, I had never seen her before in my life, and I politely told her so. She said, Don't you remember me? We were on the light rail. You were reading the weekly world news, and we had a long conversation about UFOs.

[00:05:32] I was perplexed because I hadn't been in the city very long, I had barely used public transportation, and I had definitely never used the light rail. I apologized again and said that she must have the wrong person. She seemed irritated, and she even knew my last name.

[00:05:49] However, that was the end of that, for now. Still in high school, I lived in a suburb, but hung out at a few places in the southeast part of the city. One of these was a record store, and I had started being friends with one of the clerks.

[00:06:04] After a while he said, Do you live on such and such street? That's right near my house, and I've seen you walking by a couple of times. The street he was referring to is in the northeast part of the city, and I had never been anywhere near there.

[00:06:18] Again, I said that it must have been someone else, but he was insistent, and even said that he recognized some of the band shirts that I wore. There have been a number of similar encounters, but this third one is probably the most disturbing.

[00:06:33] At this point, I was an adult and had a couple of kids. My best friend had gone to the beach one day, and as he was walking down the sand, he heard my voice. He was really excited and thinking that we had gone there coincidentally.

[00:06:47] As he got closer, he saw my kids and me with my back turned, and I was talking to the kids. He got closer and was about to say hi, but when he got close enough to see my face, it

[00:06:58] was another person who looked almost identical to me, but definitely wasn't me. The kids were the same. They looked very similar to mine, but weren't them. My friend just walked past them and didn't look back.

[00:07:12] He was highly disturbed by this, as he was 100% sure that it was my voice, and explained that he had felt a sort of uncanny valley reaction when he saw their faces. With this story, I have only one semi-serious theory.

[00:07:29] Before I was born, my mom was pregnant with twins, and very late in the pregnancy, I absorbed my twin. I used to joke that I ate him, but you might almost make the argument that if there is someone mysteriously appearing as me, it would be my twin's ghost.

[00:07:46] Again, I don't have good explanations for other paranormal things that I've experienced, but these two stories I have just not been able to debunk given the cartography of the first, and the involvement of other people in the second.

[00:08:03] Our next encounter of the night comes to us from Joshua, and Joshua's experience is called Rare Demonic Case Joshua says, I'm with PSI Paranormal, and I have had many paranormal experiences. I'm a psychic medium and a paranormal investigator, so some experiences are more profound than others.

[00:08:26] In 25 years of investigating, I've come across many unsavory spirits, but in that time, there's only one case that I truly believe was demonic. In 2003, in the area of Sacramento, California, I was called by a mutual friend to help a

[00:08:43] homeowner who was having a very traumatic experience in their home. I contacted the homeowner to do an initial interview of the claims of activity. I decided to take the case, and arrived a few days later.

[00:08:56] The homeowner said that when he left the house he would start to feel better, but something inside him was still off, almost like a constant nagging to return home. Upon entering the house, there was a decidedly heavy feeling, almost to the point of being uncomfortable.

[00:09:13] I kept with the investigation and did baseline readings with my equipment, and although I did have some EMF readings, it was mostly all flatline. I decided that I would do EVP sessions and replay them about every 30 seconds to see

[00:09:27] if anything was recorded that was out of the ordinary. After hours of investigation and the continued heavy feeling, I replayed the last EVP session to hear a sound that I can only describe as a growl and a deep scream that did not come

[00:09:42] from either of us in the home. I started to feel like I couldn't breathe, and I had a very tight chest. I would describe it as if someone were sitting on my chest. It became harder and harder to breathe, and after several minutes of this feeling, I decided

[00:09:56] that I needed to exit the home. Now if all that wasn't warning enough, what happened next was a deafening call to leave the home. As I started for the front door, with the homeowner walking in front of me, my head began to hurt, and it was instantly excruciating.

[00:10:14] The homeowner opened the door and started to walk out, with me very close behind. As I made it to the door's threshold, I felt two hands hit my back with a force so great

[00:10:24] that I was flung into the homeowner, and we both fell to the ground right outside the door. I fell face first on top of the homeowner. Moments later, I began to feel a sting on my back, and it grew to a deep and burning feeling.

[00:10:40] I asked the homeowner to lift my shirt and inspect my back, and between my shoulder blades I had a 3-4 inch scratch that had spots of blood. As if this wasn't bad enough, the homeowner described two handprints on each shoulder

[00:10:54] blade that looked like bony hands with long fingernails. At the time, I didn't have enough experience to continue this investigation, and was forced to retreat and find others that could help this man. The church was eventually consulted, and a minor rite of exorcism was done.

[00:11:13] I kept in touch with the homeowner for a while, and he reported for a time that the activity and feelings subsided, but months later they returned. I eventually lost touch with the homeowner, and last I heard, he had left the house and moved elsewhere.

[00:11:32] Every word of this is true. I wish it were just a story, but unfortunately, sometimes there are bad things in the paranormal. Before I continue tonight's episode, I hope you'll consider showing your support by subscribing, sharing, and giving Paranormal Mysteries a positive review.

[00:11:53] You can also support the show on Patreon, BuyMeACoffee, or Paypal by making a donation. Also bear in mind that moving forward I may place an ad in this portion of the show. In the past, I've always tried to keep the body of each episode as ad-free as possible.

[00:12:08] However, podcast ad revenue and advertisers have been making changes. This means that full-time podcasters that rely on ad revenue, such as myself, need to make changes as well. Remember though that every ad you listen to directly supports the show, and allows me to create future episodes.

[00:12:26] However, if you're like me and can't stand commercials, you can always enjoy ad-free episodes by joining my Patreon or BuyMeACoffee membership for as little as a dollar a month. All of my support information can be found in the show notes.

[00:12:42] Remember that no matter how you choose to show it, your support helps make the show possible. And with that being said, I'll be right back after this brief message. Our next experience comes to us from Emma, and Emma's report is called, She Showed Her Face. Emma says,

[00:13:05] Hello Nick, I have been listening to your podcast for about a year and I'm loving it. Thank you for what you do. I have an experience that took place about 4 or 5 years ago while I was living in a little house out in the countryside of North Carolina.

[00:13:20] The house was literally surrounded by crop fields and was extraordinarily quiet, which I loved. However, it had a subtly eerie vibe about the place. One Friday afternoon I was leaving work and heading home.

[00:13:35] I was in a great mood because I had a free weekend of no responsibilities and no plans, which did not happen very frequently. I was going to go home, shower, make dinner, and then watch a movie.

[00:13:48] On the drive home I noticed that there seemed to be a gray heaviness in the air. It was partly cloudy out, but it seemed to be more of a feeling rather than weather. I got home and started doing the things I had been planning for the evening.

[00:14:03] While home I noticed that it felt like something dark was in my space and moving around like an energy. I couldn't actually see anything, but I could feel it. I went on about my business making dinner, and then sat down to watch a movie.

[00:14:19] I felt this dark energy even more as the evening went along. I got to the point that I felt like I needed to call an ex-girlfriend slash friend who had delved into the dark arts in the past and was familiar with this sort of situation.

[00:14:34] She immediately drove over to my place armed with sage and semi-precious crystals. She instructed me to sit on the couch, close my eyes, and think of nothing but a bright light while she walked around smudging my space and casting protective chants. So I did just that.

[00:14:51] I sat on my couch and attempted to think of the bright light. However, when I closed my eyes, I saw the dark energy moving around in my living room. Then out of nowhere it showed its face.

[00:15:05] It was a female with very pale skin, straight black hair, and long sharp snarling teeth. She seemed like she was angry with me, but I didn't know who she was. It only lasted a few seconds, and then she was gone.

[00:15:20] Apparently my friend did her job and expelled this being out of my house. My friend left a protective crystal on the bar counter between my kitchen and living room. She then instructed me to not ever touch it or its protective qualities would dissipate.

[00:15:36] Right after this, I could tell the dark being was gone. However, I could still feel what seemed like a legion of demons surrounding my home, about 100 or so feet away. But they could not get in.

[00:15:50] I looked the female being up and from what I understand, her name is Lilith, which is an ancient demon queen. I have not seen her since that day, but I have felt her presence, and her name has come up in my life many times since.

[00:16:05] I now follow witchcraft and she is one of the entities I follow to the extent that I have two tattoos of her sigils on my wrists. I have several other paranormal incidents that I have experienced, but I will save those for another time.

[00:16:25] Our next experience comes to us from Carol, and Carol's story is called Tapping. Carol says, Hi Nick. In October of 2006, I took my 10 year old son to St. Augustine, Florida, which is a few hours drive north from where we live in South Florida.

[00:16:45] Thanks to our home being active, my son was no stranger to the paranormal. One night we participated in one of the city's famous ghost tours, which ended at the Huguenot Cemetery. The tour guide was very natural and gifted in his regaling of the local ghosts, including

[00:17:02] a story about one young boy who supposedly liked to hang out in the treetops in the cemetery. Of course we were all taking photos, and in the end it was just my son and I left, all alone on a dark and unusually empty street.

[00:17:18] It was very spooky, and we quickly returned to our hotel room. We had an upper floor room which was very spacious and had windows facing the main thoroughfare on Cordova Street. It was a very nice hotel. It was around 2am when a tapping sound awakened me.

[00:17:36] I listened closely to see if it was the air conditioning unit. It wasn't. I listened closely to see if there was a pattern to the tapping, but there wasn't. Eventually I realized that this tapping was coming from further in the room, toward the window.

[00:17:52] Again, we were on the second floor, and there were no trees scraping the window as I did take photos earlier during the visit from the clear and unobstructed view. I walked over to the window, which was covered by blackout drapes, but I quickly jumped back

[00:18:08] into bed when the tapping abruptly continued. All I could visualize that endless creepy night was the scene from Salem's Lot with the tapping on the window. I stayed wide awake, keeping a vigilant watch.

[00:18:24] When my son woke up the next morning, I told him I had a migraine and didn't get much sleep. He then asked me if it was because of the tapping. I then told him, pack up, we're out of here. I wanted to change rooms immediately.

[00:18:39] I went to the manager and I felt obligated to give him my resume before asking to change rooms. Very confidently, I advised him, I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I don't scare easily,

[00:18:52] I am not hysterical or crazy, and I was at the time a law enforcement captain with 21 years of service. Then I quietly added, but something or someone was tapping on my window all night long. I would like to change our room please. They did.

[00:19:11] They gave us an interior view of the pool on another floor. It seems that the child spirit was attracted to my son, the youngest one in the ghost tour group that night. Our next experience of the night comes to us from Angelina, and Angelina's experience

[00:19:31] is called Sleep Paralysis. Maybe, maybe not. Angelina says, Hi Nick, I have been listening for a while, but haven't quite had the time to write in. I have always been obsessed with the paranormal and the macabre, probably since early childhood.

[00:19:49] My interest in the paranormal seems to run in my family, and we're not religious people, so perhaps it's an innate trait among New Englanders, given our history. I would also like to preface that while I've always been deeply interested in the paranormal,

[00:20:04] I've never really had any traditional paranormal experiences involving ghosts, disembodied voices, or even shadow people. While the thought of this happening frightens me a bit, I am also excited about the possibility. I think the need to write to you stems from two of my immediate family members simultaneously

[00:20:23] being sick with the same illness. Both prognoses are terminal. While I am struggling immensely on the inside, you'd never know it because I am not an emotional person. So to make myself feel better about the situation, I had lightheartedly made a joke with my stepfather

[00:20:41] about not haunting the family after their passing. I begged him not to slam doors or open all the kitchen cabinets and scare the crap out of us. But then, I realized that this is a real possibility, and that my paranormal wishes may very well happen soon.

[00:20:58] While I've never had any real paranormal experiences, unlike many others in my family, I have had many bouts of sleep paralysis. I did quite a bit of research on this, and came to the conclusion that all occurrences were most likely stress-induced, and could easily be explained away.

[00:21:16] That made sense to me because immense stress corroborated with the happenings in my life for those few years. That was until February of 2017. I had a wild sleep paralysis experience that didn't make too much sense to me.

[00:21:33] In the middle of the night, between 3 and 4 AM, yes, the witching hour, I suddenly woke up from a sound sleep. I felt pressure on my chest, and paralysis immediately followed. I quickly realized what was happening, and tried to keep my eyes closed until I no longer could.

[00:21:53] Upon hesitantly opening my eyes, I found out what was causing the pressure on my chest. I wish that it was just an untimely but not totally unexpected occurrence of anxiety. But it wasn't. It was the old hag.

[00:22:08] She was on top of me, violently gripping and shaking my body. Kind of like how someone would grab your shoulders as if to tell you to snap out of it. Except this was much more aggressive and angry.

[00:22:20] This lasted for maybe 30 seconds before I closed my eyes and willed her away. This was the only experience I've ever had with the old hag, and ironically, it was also the last sleep paralysis I have experienced.

[00:22:37] The old hag is said to be a malevolent spirit that torments you in your sleep. It is said that she comes to you during times in your life when you're undergoing immense stress, depression, or perhaps even emotional trauma. Something which affects your mental well-being in the worst way.

[00:22:55] I remember even watching documentaries about her prior to this experience, and it's almost as if she feeds off your pain and exploits it, making you feel crazy and haunted. Because I was already aware of her existence, she was easily recognizable to me.

[00:23:12] However, in my case, I wasn't experiencing the kind of inner stress that would have warranted her presence at the time. Prior to and since this experience, I've been in much darker places, and yet, this was my

[00:23:24] only experience with her, so it didn't quite add up in my opinion. Anywho, once I fell back asleep, I woke up the next morning to really terrible news. My ex-boyfriend, whom I was already broken up with for seven years at that point, had

[00:23:41] called me to tell me that his mother had passed in her sleep the night prior. This may seem weird to some, but we had a very close relationship well after the breakup. I had even spent some holidays with his family post-breakup, as I lived far away from my

[00:23:56] family and wasn't able to go back home for a visit. I always have and even still consider them family, despite being 12 years post-breakup today. His mother had a profound impact on who I became as a person. From her, I learned empathy, respect, and grace.

[00:24:16] She was a near-perfect person in my eyes, and although I know our relationship wasn't always perfect, we went through a lot as a family that brought us closer together. I admired her so much, and her death hit me really hard.

[00:24:32] However insensitive, I couldn't help but ask my ex if they knew what time this may have happened, as I was still reeling from the whole experience. He said that they didn't know, and that they weren't going to find out either.

[00:24:45] In my heart though, I already knew the answer. I couldn't help but feel like maybe that wasn't the old hag syndrome. Maybe this was the embodiment of a spirit who wanted to relieve years of sadness and

[00:24:58] pent-up anger, and the result of no longer having to keep it together. There's obviously a backstory there, but for the sake of respect and privacy, I cannot and will not get into it.

[00:25:11] But I think this experience was the manifestation of someone that held it together for so long, until they didn't have to anymore. However frightening this experience may have been for me, I realized that she just needed

[00:25:25] to vent, and given all that we went through together, it made sense for her to put it on me, rather than burdening a family member with such a traumatic memory of her. And I am okay with that.

[00:25:37] Although I feel like I can dismiss the old hag experience for me, I still suggest you do your research, as the psychological analyses and data pertaining to her existence are fascinating, and not necessarily paranormal.

[00:25:53] I know that this was a very long and dynamic story, so I hope it was easy to follow. I just really needed to type this out for my own closure on the matter, and I hope that in some way my story resonates with our like-minded community.

[00:26:08] Even if just one person. As I bring tonight's episode to an end, I'd like to thank Jay, Joshua, Emma, Carol, and Angelina for sharing their experiences. And if you've had a paranormal experience, you can share it with me through email or voice message at sharemyevp.com.

[00:26:32] You can also find more show information by visiting paranormalmysteriespodcast.com and joining the forum. Also be sure to follow me on social media for show updates, and subscribe to my YouTube channel for future content. All of my contact and support information can be found in the show notes.

[00:26:52] Until next time, thank you again for listening, and I look forward to having you back here for my next episode, as we continue our journey into the unexplained, right here on Paranormal Mysteries.