Sleep Paralysis: Historical, Psychological, and Medical Perspectives

ISBN-13: 9780199313808 / Angielski / Miękka / 2015 / 304 str.

Brian A. Sharpless; Karl Doghramji

Opis

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.

Recenzje

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

O autorze

Brian 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.