Brian A. Sharpless - Sleep Paralysis: Historical, Psychological, and Medical Perspectives

Sleep specialists are well aware of the subject of sleep paralysis because it is a member of the so-called narcolepsy tetrad. However, the exact mechanism by which strong emotion precipitates sleep paralysis in victims of narcolepsy is still unclear.

Not well known by the general public is that sleep paralysis occurs as an isolated phenomenon in otherwise normal individuals. Because most individuals are unaware that this is a normal part of REM sleep, the inability to move is incredibly terrifying. Given that prior knowledge of this phenomenon would avoid a long period of fear and worry for some individuals, it is my fervent hope that Dr. Sharpless and Dr. Doghramjis book will be at the top of the best seller list.

William Dement, MD, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine

This book provides the most comprehensive coverage of sleep paralysis to date. In addition to presenting an excellent summary of what we currently know about this strange and fascinating phenomenon, Sharpless and Doghramji highlight areas where further investigation is required. This volume will be of great value to researchers and practitioners treating those who suffer from sleep paralysis, as well as to sufferers themselves.

Christopher French, PhD CPsychol FBPsS, Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit, Goldsmiths College, University of London

This is a very welcome and important contribution to the study of sleep paralysis. There is a growing literature on this fascinating phenomenon, and the volume does an admirable job of summarizing and synthesizing material.

Devon E. Hinton, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

The only current book discussing sleep paralysis from a clinical, psychological, and medical perspective, Dr. Sharpless and Dr. Doghramji take a balanced multifaceted approach to understanding complex sourcers of sleep paralysis and associated experiences. The book provides an accessible overview of cultural, historical, mythic, and psychological aspects of sleep paralysis phenomena before turning to a strong focus on clinical aspects. A thorough treatment of sleep paralysis, the book provides a very good introduction to the topic and a quick reference for researchers and clinicians.

James A. Cheyne, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo

One of the great mysteries of sleep is the paralysis associated with REM sleep. This volume does an outstanding job in demystifying this phenomenon. It puts sleep paralysis in a historic perspective and sleep physiology framework, as well as the perspective of sleep disorders. Both the general public and sleep clinician can appreciate it. This volume unravels one of the great mysteries of sleep and its disorders.

Thomas Roth, PhD, Director Sleep Disorders and Research Center, Henry Ford Hospital

In this fine collaboration, Sharpless and Doghramji explore the long history of a frightening intermittent sleep disorder we now recognize as one of the symptoms of the narcolepsy tetrad. The authors recognize a larger group who experience sleep paralysis as an isolated phenomenon. These present differently in different historical and cultural contexts from being possessed through witchcraft to being kidnapped by space invaders. Beyond the enjoyment of reading this book, the authors offer detailed treatment programs for those suffering from this disorder and extensive references to encourage further diagnostic recognition and treatment outcome research.

Rosalind Cartwright, PhD, FAASM Professor Emeritus, Rush University Medical Center

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sharpless, Brian A., author.

Sleep paralysis : historical, psychological, and medical perspectives / Brian A Sharpless,

Karl Doghramji.

p. ; cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 9780199313808

eISBN 9780199313822

I.Doghramji, Karl, author.II.Title.

[DNLM: 1. Sleep Paralysis. WL 108]

QP425

612.821dc23

2014043380

I dedicate this book to my parents, Linda and Gary, for their unwavering support over the years; to my mentors, Jacques Barber, Thomas Borkovec, James Martin, and Larry Michelson for their ongoing intellectual inspiration; and to Howard Allan Stern for teaching me to never shy away from exploring the unusual vicissitudes of human experience.

Brian A. Sharpless

I dedicate this book to my wife Laurel, son Mark, and daughter Leah, for their loving encouragement and support.

Karl Doghramji

Given the talents and acumen of Brian Sharpless and Karl Doghramji, two first-rate clinician scholars in psychology and psychiatry, respectively, it is not surprising that this volume on sleep paralysis should present a deep and broad array of historical, psychological, and medical perspectives on one of the most unusual vicissitudes of human experience, as Dr. Sharpless terms it in his dedicatory to the volume.

In the parlance of contemporary neuroscience, the field of sleep research and sleep disorders medicine understand sleep paralysis to be characterized by conscious awareness in conjunction with temporary muscle atonia, occurring during sleep onset (hypnogogic) or sleep offset (hypnopompic). These are the essential features of the clinical phenotype. It may represent the product of a dysregulation of the timing and consolidation of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, as the authors have put it. Sleep paralysis is typically accompanied by a feeling of suffocation, fear (sometimes unto death), and often by hallucinations (across multiple sensory modes), including an alien presence of something sitting on ones chest (incubus and succubus have been used in ancient medicine to describe this alien presence). Sleep paralysis provides both a remarkable window into the functioning of the central nervous system, especially during transitions between sleep and wakefulness, as well as an opportunity to understand how it has grasped the human imagination for centuries. Drs. Sharpless and Doghramji tell a fascinating story, weaving a panorama of science and art.