Many people who experience sleep paralysis are hesitant to share their experiences out of fear of being labeled as crazy or otherwise stigmatized. In her dissertation, British philosopher Sheila Pryce Brooks recounts her personal experiences with sleep paralysis, as well as the stories of 29 people from different countries. Interestingly, these episodes affect some people negatively, causing them to become withdrawn and gloomy, while they affect others positively, leading to a sense of chosenness and spiritual development.
The author emphasizes that this is not just paralysis during sleep but also involves a wide range of spiritual, paranormal, and metaphysical phenomena. As an alternative, the researcher suggests the term “Extraordinary Sleep Phenomena.” Incidentally, she draws parallels with other states we call phase states: lucid dreams, out-of-body experiences, and near-death experiences. Sleep paralysis is often accompanied by experiences that go beyond scientific understanding, such as encounters with entities, telepathic contacts, and a sense of presence. Science usually ignores such things, but the author believes they deserve attention.
In science, the medical view that sleep paralysis is a neurological disorder dominates. However, the author urges us to consider the spiritual side. She notes that the perception of this phenomenon is cyclical: people initially think mystically, then scientific interest prevails. And now the question arises again: is there something more to it that goes beyond the physical world?
For you, is the phase state a product of brain activity or a spiritual experience?
The dissertation was published in June 2025 in the White Rose eTheses Online database.
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