navicular asked: I’m not saying that all sleep paralysis is caused by demons. And I know you’re just going to write me off as a Mr. I’m-Religious-So-I-Am-Obviously-Certified-To-Give-Advice-On-Every-Situation But it does happen to my soon to be sister in law and just because you have a degree in psychology doesn’t mean that you have the right to write of spiritual things either. You’re just being an atheist version of Mr. Religious but it’s okay for you because you went to school to have your opinion.

I just want to be clear here.

I don’t care about anyone’s personal beliefs. As long as it doesn’t harm others, do what you wanna do. However, when someone is telling a person who is suffering from a health concern that going to church will “fix” them, I have a problem. That person should go see a doctor, who has spent years learning about the human body and has been rigorously tested through every single one of those years. They should see someone who has dedicated their life to helping others based on scientific knowledge and empirical methods. Why? Because that means that there’s evidence that these methods have worked. There is no evidence that going to church will heal you of any health issue.

Telling someone to go to church instead of advising them to see a medical professional is DANGEROUS. What if that person was having seizures instead of sleep paralysis? They could end up with brain damage or DEATH because of antiquated religious beliefs. That’s unacceptable and inexcusable in my opinion. 

And I’m not saying the two are mutually exclusive. It’s not like you have to CHOOSE between going to church or going to a doctor. You can do both. I’m not denying the value of being a church member who has strong social support from their community. That’s excellent, and there’s definitely a mind-body connection that that can help with, but it’s a cure-all. Having a strong support system is not a replacement to modern medicine, but it is an excellent supplement. 

I don’t know anything about your soon-to-be sister-in-law, but I would advise her to see a neurologist as well. 

This case is slightly different, because as far as I know, there are no negative consequences to sleep paralysis aside from potential panic attacks and, obviously, the discomfort of not being able to move your body. But in terms of physical health, I don’t know of any, so if thinking it’s due to demons and going to church makes your sister feel better, fine. She should do what she’s comfortable with. She should not, however, encourage others to forego medical treatment.

And I’m really not being an atheistic version of Mr. Religious. Okay, yeah I wrote off the fact that going to church will help with this problem and that they should go see a doctor. I guess if that’s your version of being Mr. Religious, then I’m okay with that. Because at the end of the day, my advice isn’t going to hurt anyone, and that’s what matters to me.