Baland Jalal

researcher

Baland Jalal is a researcher and leading expert on sleep paralysis, who turned his personal experiences with the phenomenon into a scholarly pursuit. Having experienced terrifying episodes of sleep paralysis since his teenage years, Jalal earned a doctorate in psychiatry and now works in the psychology department at Harvard University. His research explores the causes and cultural interpretations of sleep paralysis, aiming to understand why certain individuals experience vivid and distressing hallucinations during these episodes. Jalal's work highlights the intersection of neuroscience and cultural perspectives in understanding sleep disorders.