Skip to product information
1 of 1

The Sleep Room: A Sadistic Psychiatrist and the Women Who Survived Him

Contributors:

Jon Stock (Author)

Contributors: Jon Stock (Author)

Regular price $28.50 USD
Regular price $30.00 USD Sale price $28.50 USD
Sale Sold out
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Format
Inventory
In stock

BISAC categories: True Crime -> Historical ->

BISAC categories: Biography & Autobiography -> Historical ->

BISAC categories: Biography & Autobiography -> Medical (Incl. Patients) ->

View full details

Product Description

A chilling true story of medical abuse, psychological manipulation, and the women who refused to be silenced.

In the heart of postwar London, Dr. William Sargant was a revered psychiatrist with a glittering résumé. He was also a regular lecturer in the United States, where he was a visiting professor at Duke University and had close connections with the CIA.

But behind the doors of Ward Five at the Royal Waterloo Hospital, he orchestrated one of the most disturbing chapters in modern psychiatric history.

Known as the Sleep Room, this ward became the site of relentless experimentation. Women--many young, vulnerable, and without consent--were subjected to months of chemically induced sleep, interrupted only for electroconvulsive therapy and forced feedings. Their identities blurred, their memories fractured, and their lives forever altered.

Now, decades later, the survivors are speaking out. In this gripping investigation, journalist and novelist Jon Stock uncovers the dark legacy of Sargant's methods, the institutional complicity that enabled them, and the haunting question: Were these women victims of rogue science--or pawns in a broader, state-sanctioned agenda?

The Sleep Room is a powerful blend of investigative journalism and survivor testimony, exposing the twisted intersection of medicine, power, and secrecy.
ISBN-10: 1419774476
ISBN-13: 9781419774478
Author: Stock, Jon
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781419774478

ISBN-10: 1419774476

Publish Date: July 22, 2025

On Sale Date: January 1, 0001

Language: English

Pages: 432

Dimensions: 9.12 × 6.35 × 1.42 in

Weight: 1.3 lbs

Product Reviews