The book I am using for my project is called Sleep Paralysis: Night-mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-Body Connection. The author is Shelley R. Adler, a professor in the department of family and community medicine. Adler has also studied medical anthropology. From the beginning, the author clarifies she will use the key term “night-mare” instead of sleep paralysis to indicate she is adapting a wider lens of viewing the phenomena instead of fully embracing a biomedical one. I liked the author's choice because for my research topic I would like to explore more of the supernatural and “unexplainable” side of sleep paralysis. The book then explores the many consistencies and similarities of sleep paralysis occurrences throughout different cultures. For instance, Adler mentions, “its key features are the same the world over; knowing that you are awake, perceiving your surroundings realistically, being unable to move, feeling overwhelmed by intense terror and anxiety, sensing an evil presence, feeling crushing pressure on your chest, trying desperately to breathe, and lying helplessly on your back” (Adler, 9). Furthermore, even the many names of sleep paralysis in different languages are related to a pressure pushing down one’s chest, and in other cultures, it has been believed to be a supernatural phenomenon. Thus, one can conclude that this phenomenon is a universal one.
I definitely found it fascinating how the book also emphasized the importance of cultural beliefs relating to sleep paralysis and how these beliefs can become so powerful they can manifest into visible and even biological conflicts. For example, Adler states, “The beliefs people hold and the ways in which men and women understand the world and their place in it can have profound consequences for their health” (Adler, 6). Moreover, the author also brings up an interesting and powerful concept of the “nocebo” which is a negative outcome that is produced predominantly from people’s own beliefs. Additionally, a very interesting case about SUNDS (Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome) killing off a large number of Hmong refugees residing in the United States in the late 1970s was mentioned. Apparently, medical scientists could not discern the exact reason behind their deaths, yet the symptoms the victims suffer from are closely related to those of sleep paralysis. It was very likely this SUNDS phenomenon among the Hmong refugees was due to the significant stress of adjusting to an extremely new cultural environment. For instance, Adler states, “The challenges of resettlement-psychological, social, and economic- form the backdrop against which the American night-mare appeared.” (Adler, 104) Additionally, it was also likely the deaths were also due to the adverse effects of a “nocebo”, the refugee’s strong cultural beliefs and fears that they were no longer protected by their ancestors from evil spirts because they were now in a foreign land. I found this conclusion very interesting because it just brings up that the human mind is so mysterious and has so much potential in even creating and manifesting unexplainable phenomena such as sleep paralysis. Thus, I think reading this book definitely helped me narrow down the area of what part of sleep paralysis I exactly want to further research (specifically the brain’s capabilities regarding sleep paralysis).
Adler, Shelley R. Sleep Paralysis : Night-Mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-Body Connection . Rutgers University Press, 2011.
This looks like a great book, and I am intrigued by the way different cultures perceive the phenomenon and name it. I also like the very organic way you address all of the items in the literature review. I think individual psychology can also play a big role in how the phenomenon is interpreted. You might want to read Freud's "The Uncanny" next.
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