Thank you Netgalley, Tantor Audio and Jon Stock for the audio arc of The Sleep Room.

This is a true crime story surrounding The sleep Room that was set up by Dr William Sargant in The Royal Waterloo Hospital, London in the 1960s. With Sargents history, backing story and with accounts from Women, this story will sicken and grip you. I was truly saddened and maddened by what happened behind these closed walls but you can't stop listening/reading. It's compelling and gritty.

5 stars

DNF

I was expecting this book to cover Sargent and the sleep room experiments- which it does but also this book goes on long rambling tirades into useless stories about Sargents life. It also goes into detail about several other doctors, psychiatrist and their practices. For example we get a whole chapter just devoted to the doctor that came up with the lobotomy and the evolution of that horrible procedure. Which is interesting and fascinating, but if I wanted to learn about that I'd have read a book about that specifically (which I have.)

Like I said I thought this book was going to focus on the sleep room and some of the patients that went through this horrific experience, but most of the 60% of what I read wasn't about that at all, and to be quite frank, I was bored.

I saw another review somewhere that mentioned that the way Sargent is described is very much like a character- like a cartoonish villain, and I have to agree. While I think this was a very derranged doctor with a horrible god complex, I think some dramatic creative liberties were taken here.

I did find the chapters from the patients POV fascinating and engaging. I think they were the best part of this book. I wish there was more of this. There was no need for this book to be over 400 pages long.

The topic is fascinating and parts of it read like fiction because my brain can't wrap around the idea that this was real and happened to people. For me, there was just no good flow. It was a lot of information about people and their lives and medical stuff, but I felt like the sleep room was only mentioned in passing along with Dr. William Sargant whose name kept coming up but I feel like I never really got to know him. Maybe there was more in there and I just lost the interest to really listen.

Thank you Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the arc.

I honestly did not finish this book. It started out interesting when learning about one of the victims. It then switched to talking about the evil psychiatrists life and him in medical school. A lot of medical talk and I got a bit board. I might give it a try some other time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio/Abrams Press for providing a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.

Dr. William Sargant was a revered psychiatrist in post war London and ran Ward 5 at the Royal Waterloo Hospital. Knows as the Sleep Room, Sargant conducted experiments on women that became one of the most important and disturbing chapter in the field of psychiatry. He subjected his patients to chemically-induced comas, electroconvulsive therapies, as well as force fed them. Due to the chemically-induced sleep, these women often experienced memory loss and identity transformations. This book examines the motives behind Sargant's practices - were they based on science or based off of state-sanctioned motivations? This book includes chapters that are in the point of view of some of Sargant's prior patients that survived the Sleep Room in Ward 5.

This scared the living daylights out of me. This is a disturbing account of Dr. William Sargant and how he conditioned his patients using inhumane means. It was heart-wrenching to hear some of the women's experiences during their stay in the Sleep Room, but it was also empowering to hear how they survived, how their lives turned out, and where they are now. Many women died during their time under Sargant's "care." Some developed further health issues. Some of their families didn't even recognize them. It's terrifying to know that the field of psychiatry went through harrowing times in order to be where it is now. In all honesty, I was hesitant about this book because the thought of psychiatric hospitals terrifies me (no thanks to people like Sargant). And also hearing what conditions women were brought there for (anorexia, anxiety, depression, and even mania) is astounding. Sargant based all of his practices on the idea of brainwashing - he took Pavlov to another level and basically tried to brainwash his patients.

John Stock does a wonderful job outlining Sargant's history, societal events that coexisted with the times of the Sleep Room as well as evidence of Sargant's connection to the CIA, which opens up a whole other can of worms that I'm sure would be an interesting read (*ahem, John, ahem*)

If you like true crime and learning the history behind psychiatry and psychiatric practices from the time where mental illness wasn't really understood, this is definitely a read for you.

I listened to a bit of this when I got access to it but for some reason my app glitched and the audiobook completely disappeared and so I couldn't finish it. It was quite disappointing considering how much I was looking forward to this one!

Narrated by Richard Armitage, Celia Imrie, Antonia Beamish
Presented by Tantor Audio

This was interesting but the swerve into conspiracy theories threw me a bit.

An interesting account of Dr William Sargant, a psychiatrist who kept a bunch of 'troublesome' women drugged up and asleep so he could give them continuous bouts of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Now sure, it was a different time, but there is so much wrong with what this guy did. There are some interesting discussions of consent (or lack thereof) and how much was for the good of the patient versus how much the research would benefit the doc and his ego.

It does focus more on Sargant than the women, as most of the women have sparse memories of their time in the facility. So instead we learn more of Sargant's biography, and how he justified doing horrible things in the name of science.

I found the inserts from patients quite interesting, and at the start they blended well though by the end they began to feel out of place. This book seemed concerned with the women only up to a certain point, but they end up being reduced to something of a footnote to the rest of Sargant's scientific exploits. That didn't sit too well with me.

I listened to the audio and as much as I love Richard Armitage I did have to speed him up to x1.75 and then eventually x2. He spoke eloquently but left such long pauses I found myself getting impatient. Otherwise, though, his narration was perfectly serious and well suited to the job. The female narrators were okay, but I found them sounding too - for lack of a better word - sane. They spoke very well as they discussed all manor of struggles and it didn't quite fit for me. I know that seems like a weird complaint, but ultimately it comes down to the narrator not seeming to match the written voice.

I enjoyed it much more at the start but as it started to drift away from the sleep room I found my attention wandering. There were a few questionable inclusions and it seemed a little like the author had an agenda when it came to discussing spies and psychological warfare.

I think this will be fascinating to fans of psychology, though listening to what the women were put through does enrage. It's an interesting study of a sadistic man, but if you want to read it for the stories of the women involved, you may be disappointed.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦 by Jon Stock
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Narrated by Richard Armitage, Celia Imrie, & Antonia Beamish

This was my first time learning of the British medical scandal of Dr. Williams Sargant and The Sleep Rooms… and I was SHOCKED!! Even more shocking, he wasn’t the only doctor during that time period performing these sadistic ‘treatments’/experiments. In my desire to learn even more, I discovered another doctor in Australia and one in Canada who performed similar deep-sleep electroshock therapy.

As someone who lives with depression and other mental health conditions, it is difficult to wrap my head around the extreme measures taken on these women by Dr. Sargant.

This book is well researched, thorough, and extremely informative. It is horrifying to think that these male doctors had such power and were able to manipulate and abuse women like they did. This book was quite enlightening, and I’m so thankful we have come as far as we have with neuro/mental studies/treatment.

The narration of this audiobook was done exceptionally well. Many non-fiction books can seem like a lecture, but this one felt like a story… The narrators really painted the picture of Jon Stock’s story about this scandal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to receive, read, and review an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.


#thesleeproom #netgalley #bookreview #audiobook #audioarc #arc #audiobookreview #nonfiction #truecrime #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #ethics #scandal

It was an ok book. I felt at some times it was a little long, Very informative. Kind of reminded me of Nellie Bly a little bit.
The narration, was ok, but I caught myself more then once zoning out. He spoke in one tone, there was no rising and falling of his voice

When I read the description of this book it sounded very intriguing. The book started out that way but eventually slowly just drug on. There were times that pulled me back in but also times where I was just listening to listen and not really take it in. The true stories of the women who endured the sleep room were captivating and horrifying. What they went through was horrible and nobody should have had to endure that and the more I read about those times and how "mental health" facilities were used against women is just disgusting. It was those stories that kept me reading and parts here and there that were interesting and at times I even gasped and said umm what? because I could just not believe this is truly our history. I am not sure if this book was just not my style or what about it that made me give it only 2 stars but it just wasn't really for me.

A very necessary book — we need to remember where we came from to ensure we don't go there again.

The testimonies of the women who ended up in the Doctor's care were by far the most powerful part of the book. Hearing their stories was deeply moving and left a lasting impression.

The rest of the book was fine, though I found it veered too far into speculation at times. To be honest, it became a bit tedious toward the end. The Doctor committed enough horrifying acts without needing to be linked to secret services, the CIA, MI6, MKUltra, brainwashing, and so on. Those elements felt like they distracted from the real impact of the victims' experiences.

The narrators did an excellent job bringing the material to life.

I give this book three stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC.

I really enjoyed this one! The male narrator was excellent, and overall the entire production was great. I really enjoyed the unique take on a story I've heard of before, and it really had me thinking.

Having never heard of William Sargent before the premise of this book definitely seemed to be something I would enjoy and was looking forward to starting this.
I learnt a lot during my time with this book and found a lot of very interesting, prompting me to want to look into him and his treatments more.
Information wise this was great! I did get confused at several points and found myself having to relisten to certain chapters again, there is far to many different people/accounts popping in and out throughout the book making it hard to keep track of who is who and what happened to them.
i feel the narrators fell short though, which might just be down to my personal preferences. I also found that when the narrators were telling the stories of the survivors there was no emotional connection, which I normally have when listening to such stories/personal accounts, this maybe because it was an audiobook.
The chapters and timings also didn't align correctly for me which was frustrating.

Disturbing doesn’t even begin to cover it. The Sleep Room is a haunting deep dive into the real-life horrors that unfolded behind locked doors in London’s Royal Waterloo Hospital. Told through the voices of survivors, this nonfiction account pulls back the curtain on Dr. William Sargant’s unethical psychiatric “treatments,” including drug-induced comas, electroshock therapy, and total memory erasure. It’s baffling, infuriating, and impossible to look away from. Every chapter made me grateful these women had the courage to speak out and are finally being heard.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars — Rated R for disturbing medical content and emotional trauma.

Jon Stock’s "The Sleep Room" ultimately failed to engage me, despite an inherently disturbing subject (which is something I'm usually all about!).

The idea of exploring the dark practices of a controversial psychiatrist and the women who endured his care has real potential for a gripping nonfiction narrative. Unfortunately, the execution left a lot to be desired.

There were far too many people coming in and out of the story, and the narration (read in audio format) was less-than-engaging. It lacked energy and failed to create a sense of urgency or even empathy for the poor women in the story. It was incredibly difficult to stay invested, and even the shocking revelations felt muted and monotonous.

And as I mentioned already, there were far too many people introduced... patients, doctors, side characters, and more! The book was supposed to be primarily about one doctor, but for a book written about him, he appeared far less than I would have expected. Not to mention, the constant influx of names and anecdotes resulted in confusion, making it hard to follow who was involved in what.

Perhaps my biggest problem with the book, though, was that some portions came across as sensational or difficult to believe. I'm not saying they were outright lies or even misinformation, but they did stretch credulity.

For all these reasons, I struggled to become invested in the lives described; the narration did little to help me connect to the women or understand the nuances of their experiences.

Unfortunately, it felt scattered and slow, making a "shocking" true story almost forgettable. Clearer storytelling and a more engaging narrative style might have made this a far more compelling read. As it stands, I can’t recommend it to readers looking for impactful true crime or investigative nonfiction.

The Sleep Room is an expose of the women tortured by psychiatrist, Dr. William Sargant who ran a lucrative private practice in London, was a regular lecturer in the United States, a visiting professor at Duke University, had close connections with the CIA, and was the overseer of The Sleep Room in Ward 5 of the top floor of the Royal Waterloo Hospital in London.

In listening to this audiobook, I was learning about this part of medical history for the first time, and it was terrifying hearing what these women were forced to endure. My favorite portions were the ones there you heard the personal stories of the various women. In between those, we hear narration and history which was interesting, but became quite repetitive and redundant.

Overall, a really interesting listen with great narrators. Thank you to NetGalley and to RBMedia for allowing me the opportunity to have an early listen.

I was graced with the Audiobook from NetGalley- however this review is my own and was not influenced in anyway.

If you research my GoodReads you will see I read nothing but fiction works. However my bookclub did a recent bingo where one of the requirements was to read a non-fiction book. This was not a fun box for me but I went with the flow. I knew I would need something in the True Crime realm as I am a sucker for a good Netflix or Prime docuseries.

While this was completely out of my comfort zone, and the book seemed rushed sometimes I throughly enjoyed the book. It was very well researched and I learned something new, and something that needs to be talked about and the abuse/changes with mental health and the mental health system and practices and how these are progressing and changing. It was disturbing and shocking. Trying to treat all conditions in such a shocking manner was difficult to listen to at times. The narrator’s did an excellent job.

It was great to hear real life patient stories and not just about the doctor. However I would have liked a little more in-site in the doctors past- but maybe that was not available, or maybe the author just wanted to focus on the victims and their stories.

Overall- it was a good read and I am glad I chose it for my book club square!

Release: July 22, 2025
Author: Jon Stock
Publisher: Tantor Audio

Rating: 4 ★ 

this audiobook offers a compelling, unsettling portrait of a psychiatrist's controversial legacy, expertly narrated by Richard Armitage and Celia Imrie. It's a deep dive into medical ethics and a vindication of survivors who demand their stories be heard.

Synopsis Overview

* Focuses on Dr. William Sargant, a once-celebrated psychiatrist who treated patients at the Royal Waterloo Hospital.
* His most controversial method: the Sleep Room in Ward Five, where patients were sedated for over 21 hours per day for weeks and intermittently subjected to electroconvulsive therapy.
* The treatment allegedly erased trauma—but tragically also stripped away patients’ personal identities; at least four women died under his care between 1964 and 1972.
* Hundreds of women underwent this intensive procedure, and a few surviving patients—now elderly—have stepped forward to share their stories and push for accountability.

Who Was William Sargant?

* Born in 1907, Sargant became a prominent British psychiatrist after training at Cambridge, Harvard, the Maudsley, and St Thomas’ Hospital. He was known for embracing aggressive physical treatments—electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), insulin shock therapy, psychosurgery, and prolonged narcosis—over talk therapy.
* He rose to prominence through a high-profile private practice, media appearances (including the BBC), and bestselling books like Battle for the Mind. His connections included military, intelligence circles, and figures like Robert Graves and Walter Freeman.

The "Sleep Room" in Ward 5

* Located at the Royal Waterloo Hospital (connected to St Thomas’), Sargant's “Sleep Room” held up to six (primarily female) patients in drug-induced narcosis, often for weeks or months, under near-constant ECT.
* During treatment, patients were woken briefly for ECT sessions then sedated again. Consent was not properly obtained—and few patients or their families realized what was happening.

Patient Experiences and Consequences

* Survivors—such as actress Celia Imrie, model Linda Keith, and others—describe waking in a zombified state, with severe memory loss, cognitive impairment, emotional distress, and profound trauma.
* At least four patients died from complications; many suffered long-term effects like tremors, fatigue, loss of identity, and even sexual abuse in some cases .
* One survivor said waking "was as if my brain and personality were dead".

Ethics, Authority & Lack of Oversight

* Sargant was referred to by critics as "Bill the Brain Slicer" and even compared to menacing figures of authority.
* He destroyed clinical records and there was no formal investigation during or after his tenure. Lack of patient consent and oversight was typical of the era—until reforms like the Mental Health Act of 1983 .
* His methods were widely praised at the time, but have since raised serious ethical concerns.

Links to Intelligence & Mind-Control Experiments

* Influenced by WWII trauma treatment and by figures like Walter Freeman and Donald Cameron, Sargant developed narcosis and brainwashing techniques.
* Though some claim ties to MI5, MI6, and even CIA-funded MKUltra, definitive proof remains elusive. Yet some of these connections continue to fuel speculation.

Why It Matters Today

* Ethical Reckoning: Sargant’s case highlights extreme misuse of medical authority and the need for patient rights and consent.
* Impact on Survivors: Many victims remain psychologically devastated decades later and are pushing for acknowledgment and justice.
* Legacy in Psychiatry: His story serves as a warning against unchecked experimental treatments and institutional complicity.

In essence, Sargant was a towering, charismatic figure who wielded enormous influence—and through the Sleep Room, he inflicted deep and lasting trauma on vulnerable people. His case stands as a stark reminder of the importance of ethical safeguards and patient autonomy.


The Sleep Room is a chilling nonfiction exploration of a disturbing chapter in British psychiatric history. Author Jon Stock investigates the controversial practices of Dr. William Sargant, a once-celebrated psychiatrist known for his influential work and prestigious awards—but also for the deeply troubling methods he used in a special section of the Royal Waterloo Hospital known as Ward Five.
In this "Sleep Room," Sargant subjected mostly female patients to extreme treatments: sedating them into near-constant sleep for up to three weeks and waking them only for rounds of electroconvulsive therapy. While some believed this would erase traumatic memories, it often left patients with far more than just forgotten pain—they lost their identities, their pasts, and in some cases, their lives. At least four patients died during these treatments.
Between 1964 and 1972, hundreds of women passed through this secretive ward. Now, decades later, survivors have come forward to tell their stories, seeking justice and acknowledgment for the harm they endured. The Sleep Room exposes not only a little-known medical scandal but also raises urgent questions about power, ethics, and the limits of science.

Critical Praise & Themes

* Merits described as “beautifully researched,” “wildly unsettling,” and offering a “gripping medical biography” that blends psychiatry, trauma, intelligence operations, and scandal.
* Explores powerful questions about medical ethics, the limits of psychiatric experimentation, memory and identity, institutional abuse, and the long-term impact on patients.

This was an engrossing if painful listen. Detailing the true account of a sadistic doctor in England, who literally put young girls and women to sleep for months at a time, only awakening them to apply electro shock therapy. These women were hospitalized for a variety of reasons, anorexia, postpartum depression, or just being what was deemed rebellious in the 1960s. Readers are able to listen to the actual accounts of women who lived through this unbelievable torture. . Another example of how women have been tormented by the patriarchy.