This chapter explains two essential elements form Sleep Therapy, which are based on sleep science and psychology principles. Many people find this background intriguing. What’s more, it is always easier to carry out techniques when one understands how they work. The elements of Sleep Therapy are: uncovering one’s natural sleep processes and associating one’s bed with sleep. By understanding how sleep comes and goes in the natural state one can see more clearly how to restore healthy sleep. Good sleep comes when our biological sleep processes can operate without interference. Associating one’s bed with sleep element of Sleep Therapy is based on something called “conditioning” or “learned associations”. These are connections one make in their mind (automatically) between two things that occur together on several occasions.

This chapter discusses case of a 41-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at 20 years of age. A cranial CT scan and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis were done with normal results and large spectrum antibiotic treatment was started. A diagnosis of central pontine, mainly extrapontine myelinolysis (EPM) was established, and the patient was moved to neurologic unit to complete the study and rehabilitation. Neuropsychological examination detected mild frontosubcortical alterations. A gradual spontaneous improvement of her parkinsonism was paralleled by a gradual worsening of disinhibition with repetitive language and potomanic behavior. At her next visit in September 1997, potomania persisted, parkinsonism almost subsided, psychological deficits showed a discrete worsening, and a control MRI showed a noticeable vanishing of the hyperintensities. Adams et al. described central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) as a unique clinical entity in 1958 in patients who suffered from alcoholism or malnutrition.

Psychologically, individuals must learn to cope with a sudden and often unexpected change in physical function that frequently results in at least an initial dependence on others for most of the basic needs. This chapter reviews frequently experienced psychosocial factors post-spinal cord injury (SCI), such as psychopathology, issues related to sexuality and social relationships, as well as positive factors. It is critically important to recognize that these issues must be examined within the context of each individual person with SCI and may or may not be applicable based on that individual's premorbid history, cultural identity, coping skills, and degree of social support. The chapter covers four mental health disorders as well as pain, a common secondary condition of SCI. The four mental health disorders are depression, anxiety, and trauma- and stressor-related disorders. The chapter highlights various psychosocial issues that are important to consider throughout inpatient SCI rehabilitation and outpatient follow-up.