Collaborative Study Examines More Effective Treatments of Sleep Paralysis

Cheryl Paradis '79, Psy.D. Photo by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Sleep paralysis is a condition lasting from a few seconds to several minutes when a person, while falling asleep or upon waking, experiences full-body paralysis, often accompanied by vivid, frightening auditory or visual hallucinations. 

Cheryl Paradis ’79, Psy.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, collaborated with Linda Z. Solomon, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, and Kelly A. Lyons ’07 on the study, designed to advance the cross-cultural study of the condition. 

“[The study] is most helpful in working with people with anxiety disorders. They often have difficulty sleeping well which exacerbates their sleep paralysis,” said Paradis. “Often, by treating the underlying anxiety symptoms and insomnia, the sleep paralysis will lessen in severity or frequency.” 

Paradis and her MMC colleagues joined Steven Friedman, Ph.D, chief of SUNY Downstate Phobia and Anxiety Disorders Division, Harvard Medical School professor of psychology Richard J. McNally and Harvard University associate professor of psychology Devon E. Hinton on the study. 

Entitled “The Assessment of the Phenomenology of Sleep Paralysis: The Unusual Sleep Experiences Questionnaire,” the researchers developed a 43-part questionnaire discovering participants’ symptoms, fears and feelings about the condition. 

Answers to the questionnaire provided detailed information of victims’ perceptions and interpretations of the SP experience based on their cultural backgrounds and life experiences. The researchers hope the results can assist medical professionals in developing more effective treatments of sleep paralysis. 

In the study, the team of researchers examined perceived and actual sleep paralysis to determine its frequency and ascertain its causes in a variety of demographics. 

Past research has found varying levels of prevalence of the condition among people of different countries and ethnic backgrounds. The researchers in previous studies found a high occurrence of SP among anxiety-disordered members of certain ethnic minority and refugee groups. They also noted that victims of SP often reported significantly more stressful life experiences than people without the condition. Among women, SP occurs more in victims of sexual abuse than in non-victims. Researchers also noted differences in the interpretation of SP based on varying ethnic backgrounds. 

Marymount Manhattan College is an urban, independent, liberal arts college. The mission of the College is to educate a socially and economically diverse student body by fostering intellectual achievement and personal growth and by providing opportunities for career development.

Published: January 05, 2010