Sleep Paralysis: Historical, Psychological, and Medical Perspectives - Tapa blanda

This is a unique, superb, and enlightening book on sleep paralysis, a very common phenomenon but rarely written about from a scientific, historical, and social point of view. Anyone interested in how this common experience has affected human thought should read this book. This is a wonderful addition to the psychiatric literature. (Michael Joel Schrift, DO, MA (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine), Doody's Notes)

The recently published Sleep Paralysis. . . represents a concise summary of the current state of research in medical and neuro-psychology; leaving little to be desired. Particularly remarkable, is that even the humanities and cultural aspects are taken into account, so that we indeed find a "magnificent integration of humanistic and scientific medicine", as Charles F. Reynolds so aptly writes in the preface. (Dr. Gerhard Mayer, Institut für Grenzgebiete der Psychologie und Psychohygiene, Zeitschrift für Anomalistik (translated from the German))

This well-written, comprehensive, and easily readable book is destined to become the definitive resource for anyone-professional or lay-wishing to learn about any aspect of sleep paralysis. The authors have done an excellent job in demystifying this fascinating and common condition, proposing the first systematic approach to the evaluation and treatment of this mysterious condition." - Mark W. Mahowald, MD, Professor, Dept. of Neurology, University of MN Medical School (Retired); Adjunct Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University

Dr. Sharpless and Dr. Doghramji have produced an easy-to-read book which provides the most comprehensive and advanced knowledge of sleep paralysis in literature today. The authors have nicely documented sleep paralysis, a phenomenon noted throughout human history and across all cultures. Many folk myths remain entrenched in different cultures, and knowledge of these beliefs is critical to providing culturally sensitive care. This book will be of practical value to clinicians and appeal to people interested in philosophy, anthropology, religion, and the creative arts." - Thomas W. Uhde, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Director, Sleep and Anxiety Disorders Treatment and Research Unit, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

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.