Ra. Powell et Ta. Nielsen, WAS ANNA-O. BLACK SNAKE HALLUCINATION A SLEEP PARALYSIS NIGHTMARE - DREAMS, MEMORIES, AND TRAUMA, Psychiatry, 61(3), 1998, pp. 239-248
THE FINAL traumatic event recalled by Anna O. during her treatment wit
h Josef Breuer was a terrifying hallucination she once had of a black
snake attacking her ailing father. This event has been variously inter
preted as indicating an underlying psychodynamic conflict, as a tempor
al lobe seizure, and as an hypnotic confabulation. We argue, however,
that the hallucination-during which Anna O.'s arm was reportedly ''asl
eep'' due to nerve blockage-was probably a sleep paralysis nightmare.
Sleep paralysis nightmares continue to be overlooked or misdiagnosed i
n clinical practice, and, in recent years, have been implicated in the
controversy surrounding memories of trauma and sexual abuse.