Sex and the paranormal are two of the most explosive subjects we can discuss.

As a society we always attempt to separate sex and religion, and when they come in contact sparks tend to fly.

Spiritual teachers either seem to rail against the sins of the flesh or cannot control their desire for it.

Deane examines this subject from an objective and rational perspective. He does not deny the possibility of spiritual experiences but looks to science and psychology first. His approach in this work is twofold, scientific and sociological.

His scientific research is impressive. He has collected a wide range of cases, well documented from literature and news reports.

Deane notes that many of the so called nocturnal intrusions, incubus, succubus and sexual ghost stories have very similar structures. These various characteristics he then uses to offer an explanation based on sleep paralysis and hypnopompic hallucinations.

His explanation is credible and the scientific documentation for hypnopompic hallucinations in relation to night terrors is solid. When this is coupled with the social/ideological nature of a given culture then we start to see how such experiences may be interpreted in different environments.

For example, in a culture which is primarily scientific, hypnopompic hallucinations may take a more science fiction turn and become alien abductions with sexual imagery of examinations in spaceships and extra terrestrial breeders. In a strongly Christian culture, the experiences will have powerful religious overtones and be interpreted as demons and ravishing creatures of the night.

This combination of scientific and sociological study is impressive, and it does offer a possible explanation for many of the cases discussed.

His exploration of the way in which the concept of night intruders changes in response to the developing ideology of Catholicism, for example, is especially insightful.

He charts the transformation of the sexual attack from the early stages where the victim is innocent and needs the protection of the Church, through the Church’s accelerating suppression of sex and the demonisation of the victim, until the climax of the Inquisition where anyone reported to have had sexual congress with a succubus is seen as complicit and burnt as a witch or heretic.

While Deane’s explanations are persuasive and his use of both historical accounts and individual cases informative, there is always the danger of reductionism. Just because you can explain certain events by a theory doesn’t mean it is correct.

Even if we could explain 99 percent of night intruder episodes as hypnopompic hallucinations coupled with sleep paralysis, there are still 2 percent unexplained, and in my mind that 2 percent are the most significant.

My personal opinion is we need to keep an open mind and not attempt to explain away all experiences with a general theory. We should treat each case on a one to one basis.

Certainly a large percentage of cases are easily explained by Deane’s theory. But it is too easy to simply use a pat explanation and write off all experiences – so suddenly all UFO abductions and sexual ghost encounters are only sleep problems. This doesn’t offer a balanced view of the subject.

That being said, Sex and the Paranormal is a very good book. It is a joy to read, offering a great overview of the history of sexuality and spirituality. Many interesting cases are recounted and the book discusses a wide range of related subjects.

His exploration of the scientific basis of many of the cases is clear and credible. His sociological explanation of the way in which these experiences are imprinted by the culture milieu is most insightful.

My only misgiving is that he overstates the case and reduces all experiences to a common explanation. With this in mind, however, Sex and the Paranormal is still a very worthwhile read and you will certainly learn a lot along the way.

– Reviewed by Robert Burns in New Dawn No. 87