Shelby Harris

Sleep Psychologist

Shelby Harris, Psy.D., C.BSM is Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Neurology as well as Psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. A graduate of Brown University, Dr. Harris received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University.

As a licensed psychologist, Dr. Harris specializes in behavioral sleep medicine and CBT for anxiety and depression. She has published and presented research on the neuropsychological effects of insomnia in older adults as well as behavioral treatments for insomnia, parasomnias, narcolepsy and excessive daytime sleepiness. Dr. Harris is also a consultant for the New York Times "Consults Blog."

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A Psychologist’s Review of “Inception”

Controlling other people’s dreams may be science fiction, but there are ways to control our own dreams, Harris says.

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1 min

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Shelby Harris

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The Science Behind Narcolepsy

For patients with narcolepsy, a loud noise or a strong emotion can trigger the body to fall asleep instantly.

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2 min

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Shelby Harris

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Why Some People Kill in Their Sleep

During REM sleep, the body is paralyzed so that the sleeper does not act out his dreams, but when this phenomenon malfunctions, bizarre sleep disorders like sleep paralysis and REM […]

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3 min

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Shelby Harris

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How to Tame Your Nightmares

Harris practices Imagery Rehearsal Therapy, which teaches patients to take control of nightmares by rehearsing them during the day and changing them into positive scenarios. 90% of Harris’s patients report […]

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6 min

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Shelby Harris

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Don’t Bother Interpreting Your Dreams

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung believed that dreams were windows into the unconscious, but many scientists now believe they may have no deeper meaning.

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2 min

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Shelby Harris

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Reprogramming Our Circadian Rhythms for the Modern World

In the pre-modern world, circadian rhythms were synched with the rising and setting of the sun, but modern life requires many to adjust their internal clocks to accommodate alternative sleeping […]

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3 min

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Shelby Harris

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This Brain Goes to 11—And Won’t Shut Up!

For many with insomnia, their minds are like stereos at maximum volume with no off switch.

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4 min

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Shelby Harris

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The Science of Sleep

Sleep is hardly a period of inactivity for the brain. During a normal night’s sleep, the brain cycles through various stages including REM sleep, during which the brain is just […]

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3 min

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Shelby Harris

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Big Think Interview with Shelby Harris

A conversation with the sleep psychologist.

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24 min

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Shelby Harris