The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine has been in existence for two and a half centuries. It specializes in treating complex and chronic diseases. It is also the largest center for addressing sleep issues and has recently expanded its services to include a treatment course for sleep paralysis (SP). Two of the hospital’s staff, Susan Cross and Hugh Selsick, presented the initial results of a study in a scientific article.
According to the authors, about eight percent of people experience SP at least once in their lives. Episodes occur immediately after falling asleep or upon awakening. Suddenly, a person becomes unable to move, experiences a sense of suffocation, and has terrifying hallucinations. The goal of therapy is to alleviate fear and make these episodes less frequent, shorter, and less distressing.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the hospital has shifted from in-person meetings to online sessions. Doctors follow a treatment plan proposed by doctors of medical sciences and dedicated researchers of SP, Brian Sharpless and Karl Doghramji. The therapy course consists of four-hour sessions that cover the causes of SP and methods to combat it: sleep hygiene, breathing exercises, and hallucination management strategies. The groups are small, with only four people in each. Each session concludes with “homework” (i.e., daily practices that can be done independently).
It should be noted that SP is one of the phase states, and individuals can transition from it to lucid dreaming. However, many people are frightened by SP episodes. Doctors emphasize that patients are grateful to discuss their experiences with people who understand their struggles. Currently, medical professionals are discussing the possibility of reintroducing in-person sessions to provide more comprehensive treatment for those suffering from SP.
What would you add to such a program?
The article was published in October 2023 in BMJ Open Respiratory Research.
Get all the latest news about lucid dreams via our channels on Telegram, Facebook, Twitter
