British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953)
November 1, 2023
Betul Rauf, Rotem Perach, Juan J Madrid-Valero et al.
5 citations
Night-time is a period of great significance for many people who report paranormal experiences. However, there is limited understanding of the associations between sleep variables and seemingly paranormal experiences and/or beliefs. The aim of this review is to improve our understanding of these associations while unifying a currently fragmented literature-base into a structured, practical...
Journal of Sleep Research
August 1, 2023
Betul Rauf, Rotem Perach, Juan J Madrid-Valero et al.
8 citations
Previous studies have found significant associations between paranormal beliefs and sleep variables. However, these have been conducted on a small scale and are limited in the number of sleep variables investigated. This study aims to fill a gap in the literature by investigating paranormal beliefs in relation to a wide range of sleep variables in a large sample. Participants (N = 8853)...
Sleep Medicine
April 1, 2023
Betul Rauf, Brian A Sharpless, Dan Denis et al.
Isolated sleep paralysis is a benign but frightening condition characterised by a temporary inability to move at sleep onset or upon awakening. Despite the prevalence of this condition, little is known concerning its clinical features, associated demographic characteristics, and prevention as well as disruption strategies. An online cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample comprised 3523...
Journal of Sleep Research
June 1, 2021
Monika Kliková, Brian A Sharpless, Jitka Bušková
17 citations
Sleep paralysis is an inability to move at sleep onset or upon awakening. It is often a distressing experience that can be associated with significant clinical consequences. Few studies have focussed on pleasant sleep paralysis episodes. The present study aimed to determine the relative prevalence of pleasant episodes of sleep paralysis as well as variables that may make them more likely to...
Sleep Medicine
June 1, 2019
Brian A Sharpless, Monika Kliková
OBJECTIVE Isolated sleep paralysis (ISP) is a relatively common parasomnia often accompanied by fear and distress. However, little is known about the range and relative severities of typical ISP symptoms and accompanying hallucinations. Furthermore, there have been inconsistent findings with regard to demographic differences in ISP. PATIENTS/METHOD In sum, 185 individuals with ISP (and 322...
Unusual and Rare Psychological Disorders
November 1, 2016
Brian A Sharpless, Dan Denis
Isolated sleep paralysis involves the juxtaposition of certain aspects of REM sleep (e.g., muscle atonia, dream activity) with waking consciousness. It is a terrifying phenomenon that has played an important role in many supernatural and folkloric beliefs. Isolated sleep paralysis is also a surprisingly common phenomenon in the general population, with higher rates found among students and...
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
July 19, 2016
Brian A Sharpless
This review summarizes the empirical and clinical literature on sleep paralysis most relevant to practitioners. During episodes of sleep paralysis, the sufferer awakens to rapid eye movement sleep-based atonia combined with conscious awareness. This is usually a frightening event often accompanied by vivid, waking dreams (ie, hallucinations). When sleep paralysis occurs independently of...
Sleep Medicine Reviews
May 14, 2011
Brian A Sharpless, Jacques P. Barber
Objective To determine lifetime prevalence rates of sleep paralysis. Data Sources Keyword term searches using “sleep paralysis”, “isolated sleep paralysis”, or “parasomnia not otherwise specified” were conducted using MEDLINE (1950-present) and PsychINFO (1872-present). English and Spanish language abstracts were reviewed, as were reference lists of identified articles. Study Selection Thirty...
Journal of Clinical Psychology
December 1, 2010
Brian A Sharpless, Kevin S. McCarthy, Dianne L. Chambless et al.
AbstractIsolated sleep paralysis (ISP) has received scant attention in clinical populations, and there has been little empirical consideration of the role of fear in ISP episodes. To facilitate research and clinical work in this area, the authors developed a reliable semistructured interview (the Fearful Isolated Sleep Paralysis Interview) to assess ISP and their proposed fearful ISP (FISP)...