Scores of seemingly healthy Hmong immigrants have died mysteriously and without warning from what has come to be known as Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS). To date medical research has provided no adequate explanation for these sudden deaths. This study is an investigation into the role of powerful traditional beliefs in illness causation. In Stockton, California, 118 Hmong men and women were interviewed regarding their awareness of and personal experience with a traditional nocturnal spirit encounter. An analysis of this data reveals that the supranormal encounter acts as a trigger for Hmong SUNDS. © 1994 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

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cultural anthropology refugee Magic psychological aspect Laos Dreams human Refugees sudden death ethnology sleep disorder Asian Americans male case report dream Asian American Review Death, Sudden adult migration Emigration and Immigration Sleep Disorders Middle Age