Sleep Paralysis: Night-mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-body ConnectionSleep Paralysis explores a distinctive form of nocturnal fright: the "night-mare," or incubus. In its original meaning a night-mare was the nocturnal visit of an evil being that threatened to press the life out of its victim. Today, it is known as sleep paralysis-a state of consciousness between sleep and wakefulness, when you are unable to move or speak and may experience vivid and often frightening hallucinations. Culture, history, and biology intersect to produce this terrifying sleep phenomenon. Although a relatively common experience across cultures, it is rarely recognized or understood in the contemporary United States. Shelley R. Adler's fifteen years of field and archival research focus on the ways in which night-mare attacks have been experienced and interpreted throughout history and across cultures and how, in a unique example of the effect of nocebo (placebo's evil twin), the combination of meaning and biology may result in sudden nocturnal death. |
Other editions - View all
Sleep Paralysis: Night-mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-Body Connection Shelley R Adler Limited preview - 2011 |
Sleep Paralysis: Night-mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-body Connection Shelley R. Adler No preview available - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
accounts Adler alien abduction American arrhythmias ASP-L associated awake awakened beliefs biological body breathing Brugada syndrome cardiac cause chest Cheyne Christian Hmong common context dab tsog attacks demon described disorder dreams emotional entity ephialtes episodes event evil spirits experienced explains fear feel ghost hallucinations Hmong culture Hmong immigrants Hmong refugees Hufford human hypnic incubus Internet posting interpretations Inuit kanashibari Khmu Laos Laotian Lilith mare memories narcolepsy near-death experiences Newby-Clark Newfoundland night night terrors night-mare attacks night-mare encounter night-mare experience night-mare spirit night-mare sufferers night-mare tradition night-mare’s nocebo NREM occur out-of-body experiences parasomnia Pathet Lao patients percent person phenomenon psychological stress religion religious REM sleep reported rituals role Rueffer scientific sensations sensed presence shaman sleep paralysis sleep research sleeper soul succubus sudden death sudden nocturnal deaths SUNDS supernatural supine position symptoms tarniq terrifying terror tion traditional Hmong tsog tsuam United uqumangirniq victims waking witch women