Eskimo Sleep Paralysis

Abstract

Sleep paralysis is an essentially rare condition of unknown aetiology associated with both the narcolepsy-cataplexy syndrome and with psychological dissociative experiences. This supposedly rare condition seems to be well known to Alaska Eskimos, having Eskimo names, a traditional cause, and a method for treatment. Pertinent literature is reviewed on sleep paralysis, Eskimo personality dynamics, in particular the use of hysterical mechanisms, and traditional explanations for phenomena of this type including literature on shamanism. Suggestions are made for the clinical approach to patients in the cross-cultural setting.