American photographer Nicolas Bruno has been suffering from sleep paralysis (SP) since the age of six. In his waking life, he attempts to recreate his nightmares as a way to cope with his fears. His photographs show recurring scenes: water, fire, people tied up, stuck in suitcases, or falling through the floor. Faces are almost never visible; the characters stand with their backs to the camera, cover their faces with their hands, or (most often) are vague figures with sacks on their heads.
Sleep paralysis is one of the phase states, which also include lucid dreams, out-of-body experiences, etc. It occurs when one is falling asleep or waking up. The brain is awake but the body is asleep, unable to move or speak. Most people experience SP once or twice in their lives, but there are also those for whom it is a recurring problem. Often such experiences are accompanied by frightening hallucinations.
According to the photographer’s official website, he weaves together his experiences of sleep paralysis with surreal self-portraits in an attempt at therapy: he turns a nightmare into a concrete image. His worlds exist between waking and sleeping, while he is tormented, paralyzed in bed.
According to UNILAD, Bruno’s cure for SP is to “be as rational as possible” and to “break free from the dream.” “If you feed into the fear of a dream it lasts a lot longer, but if you make sense of the dream you can escape it,” said the photographer. This way, he gives his brain the ability to recognize nightmares and overcome them in order to escape the cycle of fear.
What would a photo of your experience of sleep paralysis look like? What is the main nightmare that haunts you during these hallucinations?
