Release date: November 10, 2010 | Series: Studies in Medical Anthropology
Sleep 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.
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"A fascinating and engaging book. Drawing upon multiple sources, including art, literature, work by other researches and her own fieldwork, Adler adroitly weaves a cogent narrative which provides insight into this pervasive yet under recognized affliction."
(Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine 20110819)
"Sleep Paralysis is a mind-bending exploration of how what you believe interacts with how your body works."
(Alexis Madrigal The Atlantic 20110914)
About the Author
SHELLEY R. ADLER is a professor in the department of family and community medicine and director of education at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
Product Details
Paperback: 168 pages
Publisher: Rutgers University Press (November 10, 2010)
I've been researching the subject of Nightmares and the shadow people for some time and I found this book to be the most complete work on the subject. Not only does the author fully explain the historical evidence for these paranormal sightings, but through strong scientific reasoning is able to theorize the cause of a current medical mystery known as "Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome." While other authors like to play off the spook and horror elements of this medical phenomenon, few actually attempt a concrete explanation beyond something as vague as "cultural stress". Dr. Adler has shown herself to be a world expert on the subject. She combines countless case studies and a thorough examination of ethnic beliefs with current theories on the mind-body relationship to propose a truly startling conclusion. A fast and informative read with great supporting research and solid science. If you are interested in this subject, this is the definitive work.
Shelley Adler's book fills a gap in the literature with this slim volume on sleep paralysis. It's a scholarly work but very readable. She not only neatly summarizes the research into the medical side of SP but also connects it with the anthropology of the "Night mare" and "old hag" traditions... basically starting where David Hufford left off with his 1980s classic the Terror that comes in the night.
It's impossible for me not to mention that I have written a self-help book on SP by the same name -- yet I would without hesitation recommend this book for readers looking for the most up-to-date scholarly book on the topic, including some top notch historical data on this phenomenon. In particular, Adler's case-study of the Hmong tragedy in the 1980s is a powerful contribution to integrative medicine, as it shows the intricate ways that culture, biology an-- in particular -- individual beliefs can co-create reality: for better or worse.
A great read; informative, accessible, thought-provoking and highly entertaining. If you've ever tried to make sense of nightmares, or wondered how others have managed to do so, then this book is for you!
