by Beth Anderle

Created on: February 19, 2009

As interest in the paranormal continues to grow explanations and theories on various supernatural phenomena blanket the media, the phenomenon of shadow people remains one of the least-understood. Shadow people appear in many cultures around the world with a multitude of explanations as to what they are. In some areas they are considered ghosts, in others they are considered demonic. They are also often called shades or wraiths.

It is not unusual for people seeing shadow people to initially believe there is something wrong with their eyes. They assume that the shadowy vision is caused by "floaters" outside the direct line of vision, or by tired, overworked eyes. Eventually, however, it becomes clear that there is more going on than just eyestrain. People who experience the presence of shadow people report seeing dark, shadowy figures that appear in peripheral vision but disappear when looked at face on. They also report feelings of being watched even though no one seems to be there. Many feel an atmosphere of menace, although in some cases there may be a sense of being protected.

Those who encounter shadow people generally say that they do not feel that the shadow people are human, nor do they seem to be a ghostly apparition of someone who once was human. They have a roughly humanoid form, but are frequently much taller and often oddly shaped. They seem to be aware of the presence of the people who see them and react to those people, either by getting out of the way or by advancing menacingly. Like ghosts, they do not appear to be limited by the laws of physics; they have been seen passing into walls, through doors, and sinking into floors.

There are some recent theories that lean towards the possibility that shadow people may be inter-dimensional beings. They theorize that shadow people appear where our dimension overlaps with another dimension, and that just as we see and are puzzled by the shadow people, they see and are puzzled by us. There are also possible non-paranormal explanations for seeing shadow people. These include disturbances within the neurological field, hypnogogia, visual disturbances, and some forms of mental illness.

Certainly this phenomenon warrants further research and discussion, but this may prove to be difficult given the seeming relative intelligence and reticence that shadow people display.

The Long Island Paranormal Investigators have a very good website discussing shadow people. For more information and an with an extensive list of their observed behaviors and characteristics go to http://www.liparanormalinvestigators.com/lipi_shadow s.shtml.

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