Sleep Paralysis: Historical, Psychological, and Medical Perspectives

Humans throughout history have described a peculiar state between wakefulness and sleep during which they are consciously aware of their surroundings, but physically paralyzed. Sleep paralysis is also commonly accompanied by high levels of fear, feelings of suffocation, and hallucinations (i.e.,
waking dreams). Early interpretations of this event were that it was an actual attack by malevolent and supernatural entities such as demons, ghosts, or witches. Some of these beliefs persist to the present day in the form of nocturnal visitations by extraterrestrials and shadow people.

Sleep Paralysis: Historical, Psychological, and Medical Perspectives offers the first comprehensive examination of sleep paralysis from scientific and cultural perspectives. Drs. Brian Sharpless and Karl Doghramji synthesize the many literatures while providing practical guidance for the diagnosis
and treatment of sleep paralysis. Included are medication suggestions and a new psychotherapy manual for mental health professionals. The result is a volume that illuminates the cultural, medical, and intellectual importance of this understudied phenomenon.

Author: Brian A. Sharpless, Karl Doghramji
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 07/22/2015
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.10w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780199313808

About the Author

Brian A. Sharpless, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of the Psychology Clinic at Washington State University

Karl Doghramji, MD is a Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University; a Medical Director at Jefferson Sleep Disorders Center; and Program Director at Fellowship in Sleep Medicine.

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