What do you think?
Rate this book
Studies in Medical Anthropology
Sleep Paralysis: Night-mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-Body Connection
You fall asleep, but are soon disturbed by a strange noise. When you try to sit up, you find you are paralyzed; with sickening dread, you sense an evil presence approaching....
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.
168 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 2010
19 people are currently reading
1154 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 18, 2018
An interesting topic. Sleep paralysis refers to the stage between being awake and being asleep where a person may feel paralysed, frightened, the presence of someone else in the room, and a pressure on their chest. It was misunderstood for many years, and people were reluctant to talk about it in case they were seen as crazy. Sleep paralysis has also been attributed as the cause of many alien abductions, repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse, and evidence of witchcraft. After a discussion of sleep paralysis, particularly focused on its history and cultural explanations, the book focuses on one group: Laotian Hmongs who immigrated to the United States.
In the 1980s, a number of healthy Hmong male immigrants in their 30s died suddenly in their sleep. Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS) was most likely to occur within two years of moving to the US. Research found that it may be linked to a genetic cardiac abnormality, where an instance of unusual electrical activity in the heart could cause cardiac arrest. However, the biomedical theory doesn't explain why it was so much more common in men than women, and happened shortly after immigrating. The author describes the cultural background and beliefs of the Hmong people to complement the biomedical theory and complete the puzzle.
After immigrating to the US, like many refugees, the Hmong were under a lot of stress. Stress affects sleep and releases cortisol, both of which can put extra strain on the heart. However, Hmong people (and other East Asian immigrants) experienced SUNDS while others did not due to their cultural beliefs. Most cultures have a way of explaining sleep paralysis, and to the Hmong, the explanation is an evil spirit called dab tsog. If the Hmong people do not carry out their cultural rituals properly (e.g. do not feed their ancestor spirits annually), the dab tsog may visit. Dab tsog is more likely to visit men because traditionally they are responsible for performing these rituals. The Hmong know that dab tsog doesn't kill on the first visit -- it's a warning to seek out a shaman and undertake rituals to bring back their protective ancestor spirits. If this isn't done, dab tsog may return.
In the US, these rituals were almost impossible to do -- because the immigrants were split up across the country, it was unlikely they'd be near a shaman, and they couldn't sacrifice animals to appease the ancestors. Since they were unable to perform the rituals, they experienced the nocebo effect. This is the opposite of placebo (a beneficial effect caused solely because the patient believes in the treatment), and they believed they were at an increased risk of the dab tsog returning to suffocate them to death.
Due to the high stress experienced by the Hmong immigrants (e.g. unable to practice rituals, dispersal of clans, threats to traditional gender and age hierarchies, difficulty with language and employment, survivor guilt and PTSD), they were more likely to experience sleep paralysis. Those with the underlying cardiac disorder were more likely to experience a heart attack. When the next incidence of sleep paralysis occurred, the men believed it was dab tsog coming to kill them. Their stress levels spiked and triggered the heart condition, causing death.
SUNDS became less common as Hmong immigrants moved to live closer to each other within the US, forged stronger and new support networks, and gained employment and English language skills. Those who experienced dab tsog were now in a cultural setting equipped to help, which removed the nocebo effect. Now if they experienced a second incidence of sleep paralysis/dab tsog, they did not experience the same spike in stress that triggered the cardiac arrhythmia.
This is quite a long review for me, which I guess proves that the content was interesting. I learnt a lot. It's fascinating that a typically harmless experience, sleep paralysis, could become deadly because of cultural differences.
In the 1980s, a number of healthy Hmong male immigrants in their 30s died suddenly in their sleep. Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS) was most likely to occur within two years of moving to the US. Research found that it may be linked to a genetic cardiac abnormality, where an instance of unusual electrical activity in the heart could cause cardiac arrest. However, the biomedical theory doesn't explain why it was so much more common in men than women, and happened shortly after immigrating. The author describes the cultural background and beliefs of the Hmong people to complement the biomedical theory and complete the puzzle.
After immigrating to the US, like many refugees, the Hmong were under a lot of stress. Stress affects sleep and releases cortisol, both of which can put extra strain on the heart. However, Hmong people (and other East Asian immigrants) experienced SUNDS while others did not due to their cultural beliefs. Most cultures have a way of explaining sleep paralysis, and to the Hmong, the explanation is an evil spirit called dab tsog. If the Hmong people do not carry out their cultural rituals properly (e.g. do not feed their ancestor spirits annually), the dab tsog may visit. Dab tsog is more likely to visit men because traditionally they are responsible for performing these rituals. The Hmong know that dab tsog doesn't kill on the first visit -- it's a warning to seek out a shaman and undertake rituals to bring back their protective ancestor spirits. If this isn't done, dab tsog may return.
In the US, these rituals were almost impossible to do -- because the immigrants were split up across the country, it was unlikely they'd be near a shaman, and they couldn't sacrifice animals to appease the ancestors. Since they were unable to perform the rituals, they experienced the nocebo effect. This is the opposite of placebo (a beneficial effect caused solely because the patient believes in the treatment), and they believed they were at an increased risk of the dab tsog returning to suffocate them to death.
Due to the high stress experienced by the Hmong immigrants (e.g. unable to practice rituals, dispersal of clans, threats to traditional gender and age hierarchies, difficulty with language and employment, survivor guilt and PTSD), they were more likely to experience sleep paralysis. Those with the underlying cardiac disorder were more likely to experience a heart attack. When the next incidence of sleep paralysis occurred, the men believed it was dab tsog coming to kill them. Their stress levels spiked and triggered the heart condition, causing death.
SUNDS became less common as Hmong immigrants moved to live closer to each other within the US, forged stronger and new support networks, and gained employment and English language skills. Those who experienced dab tsog were now in a cultural setting equipped to help, which removed the nocebo effect. Now if they experienced a second incidence of sleep paralysis/dab tsog, they did not experience the same spike in stress that triggered the cardiac arrhythmia.
This is quite a long review for me, which I guess proves that the content was interesting. I learnt a lot. It's fascinating that a typically harmless experience, sleep paralysis, could become deadly because of cultural differences.
February 28, 2013
For my Spanish review; click here: http://lunairereadings.blogspot.com/2...
This is a book that tries to disect the common phenomenom of the night-mare; with an hyphen; because it is in certain cultures believed to be the visit of a spirit (called the night-mare); who infuses terror and prevents the dreamer from being capable of any movement. Some recreational drugs such as PCP or Ketamine are also used for the same purposes; because of the overwhelming horror sensation that delivers a potent dosis of adrenalin in the sleeper's system. In any case; this books tries to cover all the possible viewpoints and explanation for the night-mares; and tries to be rigurous and serios. It is also well written; although it can be heavy and complicated in some places. I liked it in general; and would re-read some of the passages; because the depictions are really interesting and easy to identify with.
This is a book that tries to disect the common phenomenom of the night-mare; with an hyphen; because it is in certain cultures believed to be the visit of a spirit (called the night-mare); who infuses terror and prevents the dreamer from being capable of any movement. Some recreational drugs such as PCP or Ketamine are also used for the same purposes; because of the overwhelming horror sensation that delivers a potent dosis of adrenalin in the sleeper's system. In any case; this books tries to cover all the possible viewpoints and explanation for the night-mares; and tries to be rigurous and serios. It is also well written; although it can be heavy and complicated in some places. I liked it in general; and would re-read some of the passages; because the depictions are really interesting and easy to identify with.
August 20, 2015
If you are interested in understanding more about that feeling of helplessness when you wake up from a nap and cannot move, read this book.
i-put-down
March 14, 2012note: A next
http://theweek.com/article/index/2202...
"Adler makes the provocative claim that the Laotian immigrants of the 1980s were in some sense killed by their powerful cultural belief in night spirits ...
Her argument amounts to a stirring and chilling case for the power of the nocebo, the flip side to the placebo effect."
"The ethnic group fought a guerrilla war against the government of Laos with U.S. backing during the Vietnam War. When the Laotian communists won, many Hmong struck out for America to avoid reprisals. The U.S. government decided to scatter the Hmong randomly across the U.S. to 53 different cities, breaking up the immigration patterns we generally see. In short order, the Hmong organized and made a "secondary migration" to California, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Unemployment was obscenely high, and the sense of community that many had enjoyed in the old country was gone.
Some Hmong felt that they had not properly honored the memories of their ancestors, which was a known risk factor among the Hmong for being visited by the tsog tsuam."
Sleep paralysis is known to just about all cultures:
Among Hmong ppl: "tsog tsuam"
Among the Chinese: held by a ghost - "bei gui ya"
In Newfoundland: the Old Hag
...
http://theweek.com/article/index/2202...
"Adler makes the provocative claim that the Laotian immigrants of the 1980s were in some sense killed by their powerful cultural belief in night spirits ...
Her argument amounts to a stirring and chilling case for the power of the nocebo, the flip side to the placebo effect."
"The ethnic group fought a guerrilla war against the government of Laos with U.S. backing during the Vietnam War. When the Laotian communists won, many Hmong struck out for America to avoid reprisals. The U.S. government decided to scatter the Hmong randomly across the U.S. to 53 different cities, breaking up the immigration patterns we generally see. In short order, the Hmong organized and made a "secondary migration" to California, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Unemployment was obscenely high, and the sense of community that many had enjoyed in the old country was gone.
Some Hmong felt that they had not properly honored the memories of their ancestors, which was a known risk factor among the Hmong for being visited by the tsog tsuam."
Sleep paralysis is known to just about all cultures:
Among Hmong ppl: "tsog tsuam"
Among the Chinese: held by a ghost - "bei gui ya"
In Newfoundland: the Old Hag
...
June 11, 2015
Cool overview of the phenomenon of sleep paralysis considering both the scientific/physiological explanations and the folklore surrounding it. As the author points out, these two things often affect each other and people sometimes incorporate what they know of one into the other.
The author also talks about a rash of deaths of immigrants to the US that seem to be linked to it. Usually of course you don't die from this experience, but given the right psychological state, beliefs and the enough stress, this can result.
One of the most interesting things I learned in it was that the term "night-mare" probably originally referred to sleep paralysis and not the bad dreams we use it to refer to now. "Mar" was a demon that sat on the chest, probably coming from an ancient word relating to crushing. Lots of cultures have a name for this same demon or phenomenon that relates to that.
The author also talks about a rash of deaths of immigrants to the US that seem to be linked to it. Usually of course you don't die from this experience, but given the right psychological state, beliefs and the enough stress, this can result.
One of the most interesting things I learned in it was that the term "night-mare" probably originally referred to sleep paralysis and not the bad dreams we use it to refer to now. "Mar" was a demon that sat on the chest, probably coming from an ancient word relating to crushing. Lots of cultures have a name for this same demon or phenomenon that relates to that.
December 7, 2024
Perfectly competent history of sleep paralysis across the ages, from the spiritual and the gothic, to the mechanistic and the biopsychosocial.
Despite being short, it was repetitive. Verbatim quotes from multiple people describing their sleep paralysis episodes (they were awake, they couldn't breathe, they felt a malignant presence, that left when they regained control of their body). The cross cultural comparisons were really fun (alien abduction vs demonic possession vs home invasion), but the endless 'and here's another source that says the same thing' was not.
Despite being short, it was repetitive. Verbatim quotes from multiple people describing their sleep paralysis episodes (they were awake, they couldn't breathe, they felt a malignant presence, that left when they regained control of their body). The cross cultural comparisons were really fun (alien abduction vs demonic possession vs home invasion), but the endless 'and here's another source that says the same thing' was not.
November 2, 2019
Beginning with the deaths of two Laotian Hmong refugees, who died in their sleep Adler asks if one can die from sleep paralysis – does a night-mare have the ability to kill someone and what could a possible explanation be? The introducion ends with a good description of the content of this book:
„This book traces the trajectory of my own inquiry into the night-mare, from the experience’s remarkable cross-cultural consistency and historical continuity; to perspectives on the phenomenon from psychology, biomedicine, and sleep research; to an in-depth look at the Hmong night-mare; and ends with an illustration of the nocebo-linked interplay between meaning (mind) and biology (body).“
It's really interesting research of the above-mentioned topics, plus research, summary and a possible explanation of the Laotian Hmong refugee cases. Deeply interesting read!
I missed a study of the night-marish figures you see while experiencing sleep paralysis and maybe something about SP in pop culture. The guy with the hat is a good example – I never knew that plenty of people saw this creepy dude and even films relate to him (Nightmare on Elm Street), wo when I watched the Netflix doku I was pretty terrified at first. :')
I liked, that the book mentioned the people who manage to deal with sleep paralysis and even turn it to something interesting, even good.
Personally, I strongly believe in the scientific explanation of sleep paralysis and I am not religious or superstitious. Even though I had plenty „ecnounters“ with the shadow guys (hat guy included), one out-of-body-experience, one sexual experience and, for some time now, a „positive“ kind of „visitor“ who holds the shadow guys at bay with it's „presence“ (and kind of pushed me back into my body while I had that out-of-body-experience), so I don't feel creeped out by it anymore.
If you suffer from SP I can recommend reading this book, because you will find explanations that might calm and help you. The more you know about it, the better – before I googled it I was really horrified by my SP experiences, but knowing that it is something a lot of people suffer from, something that can't harm you, has a scientific explanation and that can get better was very helpful. Tip: Try to move your fingers or toes and if you don't want to see creepy things keep your eyes closed until you feel like you can move again – or until you fall asleep. SP is no supernatural thing that has to ruin your life, even if it can be super creepy.
„This book traces the trajectory of my own inquiry into the night-mare, from the experience’s remarkable cross-cultural consistency and historical continuity; to perspectives on the phenomenon from psychology, biomedicine, and sleep research; to an in-depth look at the Hmong night-mare; and ends with an illustration of the nocebo-linked interplay between meaning (mind) and biology (body).“
It's really interesting research of the above-mentioned topics, plus research, summary and a possible explanation of the Laotian Hmong refugee cases. Deeply interesting read!
I missed a study of the night-marish figures you see while experiencing sleep paralysis and maybe something about SP in pop culture. The guy with the hat is a good example – I never knew that plenty of people saw this creepy dude and even films relate to him (Nightmare on Elm Street), wo when I watched the Netflix doku I was pretty terrified at first. :')
I liked, that the book mentioned the people who manage to deal with sleep paralysis and even turn it to something interesting, even good.
Personally, I strongly believe in the scientific explanation of sleep paralysis and I am not religious or superstitious. Even though I had plenty „ecnounters“ with the shadow guys (hat guy included), one out-of-body-experience, one sexual experience and, for some time now, a „positive“ kind of „visitor“ who holds the shadow guys at bay with it's „presence“ (and kind of pushed me back into my body while I had that out-of-body-experience), so I don't feel creeped out by it anymore.
If you suffer from SP I can recommend reading this book, because you will find explanations that might calm and help you. The more you know about it, the better – before I googled it I was really horrified by my SP experiences, but knowing that it is something a lot of people suffer from, something that can't harm you, has a scientific explanation and that can get better was very helpful. Tip: Try to move your fingers or toes and if you don't want to see creepy things keep your eyes closed until you feel like you can move again – or until you fall asleep. SP is no supernatural thing that has to ruin your life, even if it can be super creepy.
December 19, 2014
mindblown phenomenon...absolutely fascinating reading on academic level without mystifying bullshit
November 29, 2021
sleep paralysis came into my life 3-4 years ago. i was ignorant to this experience. i woke up paralyzed and schizophrenic - i was broken. i reserve the details of the experience for only those interested,, but since that first episode, i have been visited every so often by this mystical force.
-
shelley r adler's non fiction work was a greatly illuminating resource that shined light on the anthropology of this strange ubiquitous experience. starting at first by taking you throughout many cultures around the world - what they call this experience, how they deal with it / try and cope with it or rid it. talks about the shamans getting called in to banish these demons from the sleep of the victims.
-
talks about how some cultures try to induce the experience, because they feel they can learn something from it. the shamans particular would induce paralysis and leave their bodies to float around the effigy of the natural world. one section speaks about how those not given an agenda by their culture will often form their own interpretation about the experiences, That is what I feel i've done.
-
One of the biggest points shelley makes is this - the paralytic nightmare state transcends all cultures, this isn't something you only begin to fear and induce because of your fear ,AKA a nocebo, no , this is something that can visit you at any time, anywhere, regardless of your predisposition.
-
it talks more science about the experience, but i don;t feel the need to include that in this review. it was interesting though and informative to see what stage of sleep induces the phenomenon.
-
it almost lost its power for me in the last 40-50 pages. It wasn't concise , it seemed to be repeating information to the point where the book itself was inducing narcolepsy that might lead to the nightmare state.
-
But for the first 100 pages, this thing was such an interesting reading experience. However , ignorance might be bliss with this particular subject ,,, my nightmares might increase in their explicit nature, the walls might cave in....
-
shelley r adler's non fiction work was a greatly illuminating resource that shined light on the anthropology of this strange ubiquitous experience. starting at first by taking you throughout many cultures around the world - what they call this experience, how they deal with it / try and cope with it or rid it. talks about the shamans getting called in to banish these demons from the sleep of the victims.
-
talks about how some cultures try to induce the experience, because they feel they can learn something from it. the shamans particular would induce paralysis and leave their bodies to float around the effigy of the natural world. one section speaks about how those not given an agenda by their culture will often form their own interpretation about the experiences, That is what I feel i've done.
-
One of the biggest points shelley makes is this - the paralytic nightmare state transcends all cultures, this isn't something you only begin to fear and induce because of your fear ,AKA a nocebo, no , this is something that can visit you at any time, anywhere, regardless of your predisposition.
-
it talks more science about the experience, but i don;t feel the need to include that in this review. it was interesting though and informative to see what stage of sleep induces the phenomenon.
-
it almost lost its power for me in the last 40-50 pages. It wasn't concise , it seemed to be repeating information to the point where the book itself was inducing narcolepsy that might lead to the nightmare state.
-
But for the first 100 pages, this thing was such an interesting reading experience. However , ignorance might be bliss with this particular subject ,,, my nightmares might increase in their explicit nature, the walls might cave in....
May 27, 2020
I cant help but to compare it with "the terror that comes in the night". I would say this is more niche, more dense in content. If you are trying to learn more about sleep paralysis specifically, then this is your best bet.
April 10, 2024
A well-researched and the author's personal passion project of self-inquiry, Sleep Paralysis does everything a medical anthropology book should do. It is saddening that so much of the book seems dedicated to the build-up of the Hmong SUNDS case study and the apparent biocultural nocebo effect connection, only for the concluding content to be wrapped up so quickly in the last few pages.
Adler does a good job connecting the Hmong's dab tsog with other nighttime phenomena across cultures that she dubs "night-mares," calling back the word's original meaning. Then, it shows that what Western science called "sleep paralysis" was nothing new and was a part of a continuing universal experience. Therefore, the book concludes that SUNDS was made possible by the genetic Burgada Syndrome and then initiated by acute sleep paralysis caused by extreme stress on male Hmong refugees to the United States. Adler argues that the vehicle in which a usually harmless sleep paralysis episode becomes stressful enough to cause SUNDS is a biocultural negative expectation that the dab tsog will kill the sleeper.
This final argument is the most open to further discussion and exploration of alternate explanations from dream psychology and the medical field.
Adler does a good job connecting the Hmong's dab tsog with other nighttime phenomena across cultures that she dubs "night-mares," calling back the word's original meaning. Then, it shows that what Western science called "sleep paralysis" was nothing new and was a part of a continuing universal experience. Therefore, the book concludes that SUNDS was made possible by the genetic Burgada Syndrome and then initiated by acute sleep paralysis caused by extreme stress on male Hmong refugees to the United States. Adler argues that the vehicle in which a usually harmless sleep paralysis episode becomes stressful enough to cause SUNDS is a biocultural negative expectation that the dab tsog will kill the sleeper.
This final argument is the most open to further discussion and exploration of alternate explanations from dream psychology and the medical field.
December 21, 2020
3.5 stars- very interesting concept to explore and done very well, but fell prey to the disjointed and repetitive style of dissertation/book-length research. Could have been more connected.
April 13, 2017
Most of the book deals with "sleep paralysis" across the cultures and it is very interesting to see the similarities in different cultures. Although I wished to read more about the neuroscience or the psychology of the experience, but most of the book was an anthropological study.
Overall, it is a good concise book.
Overall, it is a good concise book.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews