Professor Emeritus in Neurophysiology James H. Thornton discusses his friendship with Kane and Claire D’Ebano, around whose strange emotional and professional relationship revolve the facts in “The Sleep of Reason”. Prof. Thornton had known Claire since her University years and witnessed her initial attempts at regressive hypnosis. He was also the first one to encourage her to use the utmost caution in employing such an innovative, yet inherently dangerous psychoanalytical technique. Most of Prof. Thornton’s calls to caution remained largely unattended to.