An Interview with Robert Goerman
by: Brent Raynes
Noted author and long-time UFO investigator Robert Goerman of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, the author of “It’s NOT Sleep Paralysis! The Global Nightmare of Nonhuman Intruders,” talks with us about people who have often described nocturnal alien and ghostly encounters in their homes – in their bedrooms. These are people who often describe being stricken with paralysis during such episodes. Psychologists often dismiss all such stories as “sleep paralysis,” but Robert says no! Find out why.
Brent Raynes: Psychologists and skeptics have for years dismissed "alien abduction" reports and ghostly bedroom visitation episodes, wherein the experiencers describe temporary "paralysis," as evidence that such accounts are the product of something called "sleep paralysis." You've studied such reports quite extensively yourself - even had an experience with it personally at age 11 - and you've reached the conclusion that the "sleep paralysis" explanation does not address all such incidents. You've even prepared an ebook available on Amazon that goes into detail on all of this.
Robert Goerman: I think that almost everything sold today in the Amazon Kindle store is classified as an “ebook.” My latest research has resulted in the exclusive release of “It's NOT Sleep Paralysis! The Global Nightmare of Nonhuman Intruders.” To prevent confusion and possible reader disappointment, let me state at the outset that this is not an ebook. It is an 8,000 word (33 pages) article that compares the classic symptoms of Awareness during Sleep Paralysis or ASP with eighty worldwide cases of home invasion by paranormal prowlers. These eyewitness accounts are evenly divided between domestic (USA) and foreign locations to compare the possible impact of cultural differences. Encounters span the years 1914 to 2011 to explore parallels and variations.
Brent Raynes: Basically, what are your counterpoints to the "sleep paralysis" scenario? What facts do the skeptics need to take into account?
Robert Goerman: That’s an easy one! Awareness during Sleep Paralysis occurs when the brain is in the transition state between dreaming sleep and waking up. Imagine awakening to discover that you cannot move a muscle! With the exception of perhaps your eyes and your breathing, you find yourself virtually frozen in bed. Some people may also feel heavy pressure on the chest or a sense of choking. Mortal terror sets in as you suddenly realize that you are not alone. Some ASP experiences are accompanied by a sensed presence or even wild hallucinations projected on actual physical surroundings. There are very few things more terrifying than being completely unable to move or scream for help while unspeakable horrors stalk you in the night. Five classic symptoms of Awareness during Sleep Paralysis negate ASP as a blanket explanation for these paranormal home invasions: First… The essential symptom of Awareness during Sleep Paralysis or ASP is waking up unable to move a muscle or speak. This paralysis lasts from several seconds to several minutes. If you do not awaken paralyzed, then you are not experiencing Awareness during Sleep Paralysis. The primary witnesses report paralysis in less than twenty-five percent of the eighty cases that I examined. That means that over three-fourths of the total or sixty-two cases have absolutely no connection whatsoever to Awareness during Sleep Paralysis.
In any case, even encounters involving paralysis should not be dismissed out of hand. A Miami Lakes, Florida, USA married couple in 1990 suffered simultaneous paralysis when they awoke to the sound of their back door opening and closing and footsteps leading to their bedroom. The husband then saw three tall, heavyset figures appear at the bedroom door. The wife was faced down and could not see them. The figures were humanoid and dressed in glittery black coveralls and some type of headgear that covered their faces. True to form in so many of these incidents, both witnesses just went back to sleep.
Second… One of the more commonly reported symptoms associated with Awareness during Sleep Paralysis is that of the "sensed" presence. Nothing at all is ever seen! In some cases, the presence may be described as "invisible." Most often, it is simply "unseen" and described as quite real. This unseen or "just out of sight" presence is at odds with our reports of visible nonhuman intruders. Genuine encounters deal with eyewitness sightings, not intuition.
Third… Terror is not just a consequence of Awareness during Sleep Paralysis, but an integral part of it. Even chronic sufferers who are knowledgeable about sleep paralysis still experience intense fear unlike anything they experience in waking life. Roughly twenty percent of the folks that encountered legitimate nonhuman intruders kept very calm and composed. Maybe too calm, given the circumstances. Their unruffled responses to the events at hand were, perhaps, more unnerving than any natural fight-or-flight reactions. Something else might be at work.
Fourth… Many people have a sense of suffocating or breathlessness while suffering through Awareness during Sleep Paralysis, which likely relates to the limited muscles that are active to help you breathe during REM sleep. Some people experience this as a chest pressure as if someone is standing or sitting on their chest. Practically none of our witnesses to home invasion by these nonhuman intruders report this frightening signature folklore symptom of chest pressure.
If a witness reports waking paralyzed, accompanied by the sensation of weight on his or her body, and difficulty breathing, there is a very strong possibility that they are dealing with simple Awareness during Sleep Paralysis.
Fifth… In a distinct minority of cases, the mental fusion of normal wakeful awareness and dream overlap can result in wacky and often scary hallucinations projected upon actual physical surroundings. Some ASP sufferers have reported "watching" common items transform into nightmarish objects. For example, clothes lying on the floor may become corpses or a ceiling fan might turn into a "fairy" with the blades as wings and the central bulb as an animate, speaking face. In most cases, the visions are vague, described only as being blurry or shimmering.
Just remember that this dream overlap almost always manifests itself in negative or frightening forms. It sometimes seems as absurd and ridiculous as it does real. The environment tends to feel like holographic theater, the experience climaxes rapidly, and then the "visual" hallucinations evaporate when the sufferer regains control of his or her body. ASP is so easily distinguished from genuine paranormal home invasions.
Brent Raynes: How can anyone acquire your report on Amazon to further study this matter?
Robert Goerman: Visit http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FAYT73W. You don't need to own a Kindle device to enjoy Kindle books and articles. Visit Amazon and download one of their free Kindle apps to start reading Kindle ebooks on all your devices. The Kindle app is available for every major smartphone, tablet, and computer.
Brent Raynes: You perceive a genuine non-human interactive intelligence as being responsible for quite a number of these events worldwide. From your studies and your own experiences, what conclusions have you reached? What theories do you hold as being seemingly the most valid?
Robert Goerman: Have you ever awakened to sounds or sights in your home that made you decide "I have to check this out!" and the next thing you know it is morning? You distinctly recall exactly what it was that aroused your curiosity. You can kick yourself for falling asleep. The fact that you fell asleep is most often the weirdest aspect of the entire situation.
These paranormal prowlers seem quite surprised when one of us awakens during a home invasion. When nonhuman intruders are discovered in your home, the encounter will probably end in one of two ways:
1.) The nonhuman exits through walls or vanishes.
2.) You will be compelled to sleep! In most cases, the primary witness inexplicably falls asleep, is told to sleep or is forced to sleep. This is “the knockout.”
My first observation is that some entities have the ability to manipulate human consciousness.
My second observation is that some entities can, occasionally and momentarily, be caught off-guard and surprised.
My third observation is that some entities can be substantial one moment and insubstantial the next. This substantiality appears to be controlled, yet accidents happen.
My fourth observation is that some entities can appear and disappear, apparently at will. Whether the entities control their visibility or actually leave the residence remains to be seen or unseen.
These encounters are fleeting and unpredictable. The first question that I needed to answer was whether external anomalous phenomena were invading people’s homes. The answer to that question is a resounding “yes!” It is too early to determine any origins and motives. I do wonder how often folks sleep peacefully in their cozy beds (myself included) while these beings carry out their secret agenda.
Brent Raynes: I recall recently reading how you are engaging in further investigative studies of people's experiences with these nonhuman intelligences. What sort of results or goals do you hope to achieve?
Robert Goerman: Valuable information is lost when genuine encounters are dismissed as ASP-induced hallucinations by eyewitnesses who are comforted by this advice, whether this counsel originates with the medical community or comes from a book or website on sleep paralysis. It is less upsetting to believe that it was all just a dream, rather than confront the fact that these entities can violate our homes with impunity.
I created the Nonhuman Intruder Project to deal exclusively with the intrusion of light phenomena and entities inside the home. People will have a safe place, even anonymously, to confide their experiences. The witnesses must come first!
UFOlogists, ghost hunters, and cryptozoologists seem to show little or no interest in these encounters. Let’s just take this day by day and see what happens. This is unexplored territory.
Brent Raynes: What have been some of your most memorable past investigative and research adventures, and how can our readers learn more about them?
Robert Goerman: Your readers can check out the following links:
Carlos Allende and his Philadelphia Experiment
Pittsburgh B-25 Monongahela River Mystery
MY LAST Mothman INTERVIEW (A Work in Progress)
The Little Green Man Who Got Away
