‘I’m flying, not falling’: Sensory Sleep Events Following a Fall from Height
Ruth Parkes
Illness Crisis & Loss October 8, 2026 DOI: 10.1177/10541373261491918 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study (Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | A female survivor of a fall from height, plus the author's own reflections as a survivor of a similar fall |
| Key findings | The authors report that unusual sleep events, including hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences and sensory dreams, were part of the process of sense-making during recovery from a traumatic accident. They discuss dwelling in liminal states, physically and mentally, at different points in recovery, and differences in physicality between dream and waking states after serious injury. |
Abstract
Hypnagogic and hypnopompic (H&H) events are sleep phenomena which occur at the borders of consciousness between falling asleep and beginning to wake. There is limited qualitative exploration of the nature of these experiences, and no studies have yet been conducted specifically with accident survivors who go on to experience H&H events. The current paper uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to examine the unusual sleep events and sensory dreams experienced by a female survivor of a fall from height, alongside reflections on the H&H experiences of the author, who survived a similar fall. Unusual sleep events were found to be part of the process of sense-making when recovering from a traumatic accident. The experience of dwelling in liminal states – both physically and mentally – at different points in the recovery journey, and the differences in physicality between dream and waking states following serious injury are also discussed.