A German online survey of people who have experienced sleep paralysis

Abstract

Summary We present some key findings from an online survey on isolated sleep paralysis. The aim of our study was to get a differentiated picture of the correlation between the frequency of sleep paralysis and several phenomena (symptoms, experiences) as well as factors correlated with these phenomena. We also investigated the role of gender in relation to the experience of sleep paralysis. We used a selected sample of subjects who had had at least one sleep paralysis experience, with a total of 380 subjects. On average, the participants experienced 10–20 sleep paralysis episodes. We found high and expected positive correlations between the frequency of sleep paralysis experiences and the amount of phenomena, emotions, and perceived shapes and forms experienced during sleep paralysis. An increased frequency of sleep paralysis also appears to lead to habituation and de‐dramatization in some affected individuals. Interestingly, significant correlations are missing where one would have suspected them based on the previous hypotheses. Neither self‐perceived general stress nor poor sleep hygiene appeared to influence the frequency of sleep paralysis. We found highly significant gender differences in some items. Women reported more experienced phenomena and emotions overall, had more frequent sleep paralysis experiences of the intruder and incubus type, and were significantly more likely to perceive concrete forms such as human figures or people they know. They were also more likely than men to report experiencing fearful emotions, especially the fear of going crazy. Most of these findings were based on exploratory questions; they require replication for validation.

Sleep Paralysis and Extraordinary Experiences

“…There was a significant difference between males and females in terms of the mean scores of Incubus, z = -4.67, p < .001 and Intruder, z = -3.89, p < .001. Females estimated the duration of SP episodes to be longer on average and reported more phenomena (for details see Mayer & Fuhrmann, 2021). In addition, the females of our sample had higher mean scores on the global PAGE scale and on all subscales, as well as on the TAS scale.…”

“…Many of the perceptions and sensations during an SP episode are part of the spectrum of ExEs recorded by the PAGE. A positive correlation between the frequency of SP episodes using seven options (see Mayer & Fuhrmann, 2021) and the global score of the PAGE was confirmed (Table 1). The categorization of Belz and Fach places SP into the quadrant built by the poles "external phenomena" and "dissociation phenomena."…”

“…We did this because neither questionnaire offered the exact combination of items we needed to investigate our questions. We translated the items of these two questionnaires into German using some slightly different item wording to make the questionnaire homogeneous (Mayer & Fuhrmann, 2021). Our questionnaire on SP consisted of 35 items.…”

“…In addition, we were interested in "classical" research questions on SP, i.e., phenomenological aspects in relation to frequency and gender, as well as comorbidities. The results of this first part of the evaluation, some of which are highly descriptive, are published in Mayer and Fuhrmann (2021). Furthermore, our interest was in coping strategies with these experiences.…”

The incubus phenomenon: Prevalence, frequency and risk factors in psychiatric inpatients and university undergraduates

“…These are exceptionally high rates, especially in the context of earlier findings that most instances of the incubus phenomenon are non-recurring [e.g., ( 30 )]. Since all respondents in the clinical group moreover rated their experiences as negative, there appears to be no habituation or spontaneous response extinction over time, while Mayer and Fuhrmann ( 31 ) propose that an increased frequency of sleep paralysis (not necessarily complicated by an incubus phenomenon) leads to “habituation and de-dramatization” in at least some of the people affected. Since negative attributions have been found to be predictors of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, especially in the context of voice hearing ( 32 )–where the risk of transition to psychosis over time tends to be smaller for people with positive thoughts about their auditory hallucinations than it is in those harboring negative thoughts–these traits may also play an important role in the mediation of incubus phenomena.…”