Valeri Bates, who grew up in Louisburg, is now an actor and filmmaker, and she has independently produced, written and directed a slow-burn psychological thriller called “Finding Joy.”The film explores repercussions of compartmentalized trauma in relation to sleep conditions, and it showcases firsthand counts of Bates’ personal struggles with sleep paralysis, according to a news release.The story follows Roni Gingrich (Bates, The Night Is Young, The Exorcist: Parabellum), a PTSD survivor and aspiring artist, as buried childhood trauma begins to resurface in the form of sleep paralysis and recurring dreams.She reluctantly enlists professional help from Sleep Psychologist, Dr.