Sleep paralysis (SP) happens not only to adults—children are also susceptible. However, this experience is often accompanied by frightening hallucinations, which raises the problem of how to explain this phenomenon to a child clearly, using language they can understand. With this aim in mind, scientists from Indonesia—Ganis Resmisari and Ranti Intan Shalsabilla—presented an analysis of the children’s book Adventure in the World of Sleep with Molly and Fairy Lunalora.
According to the researchers, it is important to acquaint children with such conditions from an early age, to explain that they are neither mystical nor terrible. Fairy tales can be an excellent tool for doing so, since they present real problems in the form of a fictional story with pictures. This is how they teach children lessons about friendship, love, and other complex issues. So why not sleep paralysis?
The book was created for children aged 7–10 and consists mostly (80%) of three-dimensional drop-down pictures that help develop the imagination of young readers. It’s main color palette consists of evening shades: dark blues and purples. The other colors chosen are also calm to further emphasize the night atmosphere.
In the book, seven-year-old Molly wakes up and sees a huge black shadow. Frightened, the girl wants to call for help, but finds that she can’t. She then thinks about running away, but can’t move her body either. Finally, after a few minutes, she manages to get up and runs to the door. Behind the door she sees a very dark room and a flying figure who turns out to be the Fairy Lunalora. “Welcome to the world of sleep. You’re having a nightmare, aren’t you? Don’t be afraid,” she greets the girl and invites her to enter the star portal.
When Molly wakes up, she tells her mother about the dream, starting with the creepy black shadows and ending with the meeting with the Fairy Lunalora. The mother hugs her daughter, explaining that this is sleep paralysis, a natural phenomenon which has nothing to do with ghosts.
What fictional story about phase states (lucid dreams, sleep paralysis, etc.) do you like most?
The article was published in December 2022 in the journal Reka Makna: Jurnal Komunikasi Visual.
The book is presented in a video on YouTube.
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