Course Summary

Expiration Date: 08/25/2029

Sleep paralysis is a distressing parasomnia marked by transient inability to move or speak during sleep transitions, often with vivid hallucinations and intense fear. While physiologically benign, recurrent episodes can cause anxiety, fear of sleep, insomnia, and functional impairment. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an evidence-based psychotherapy for trauma-related conditions, is being explored for sleep paralysis maintained by trauma-linked fear networks, terrifying imagery, or hyperarousal. This continuing education activity reviews the neurophysiology, etiologies, EMDR principles, potential applications, clinician qualifications, risks, comparisons with other therapies, and prognosis for sleep paralysis treatment.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

  • Introduction
    • Overview of EMDR: What It Is and How It Works
    • Pathophysiology of Sleep Paralysis
    • Etiologies and Risk Factors for Sleep Paralysis
    • EMDR in Sleep Paralysis
    • Clinician Qualifications to Perform EMDR
    • Potential Side Effects and Risks of EMDR
    • Comparison With Other Treatment Modalities for Sleep Paralysis
    • Prognosis
  • Summary

Authors

Sarah Schulze, MSN, APRN, CPNP

Sarah Schulze is a board certified pediatric nurse practitioner and professional medical content writer. She earned her BSN from Indiana State University and her MSN from University of Illinois at Chicago. In clinical practice as an RN and NP, she has experience in a variety of settings; including critical care, PACU, pediatrics, mental health, and lactation support. She currently owns and operates a private practice providing outpatient mental health services to children and adolescents. As a writer, she has developed content for many CEU courses, medical apps, health education curricula, NCLEX study materials, health blogs, and more.

Susan Depasquale, MA, MSN, PMHNP-BC

Susan DePasquale is a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Her current practice is with families, youth and adults who have mental illnesses in both inpatient and outpatient settings, including telepsychiatry for Montana, Washington and Wisconsin communities. She completed her Masters of Art in Political Science at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Masters of Science in Nursing at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington with a focus in neurogastroenterology and the Post-Masters of Science in Nursing at the Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana with a focus in psychiatry. She has worked with small and rural healthcare teams in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada, and in teaching and research hospitals such as Providence Health and Virginia Mason Medical Center Digestive and Liver Disease Departments in Seattle. Since 2012, she has been actively involved in online continuing education program development for nurses and health teams.