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Dr. Rubin Naiman
Articles
10 Ways We Manage Sleeplessness That Make it Worse
Posted December 2, 2011
Given the acute distress often associated with sleeplessness, it’s not surprising that so many of us respond to it with limited stop-gap, band-aid type solutions. In my practice I’ve found that so much of what we do to manage sleeplessness simply makes it worse.
One Night at a Time: Sleep, Alcohol and Recovery
A few years ago I accompanied a visiting friend, Rafael, to an AA meeting. Having occasionally sat in on 12-step meetings over the years, I generally knew what to expect. The only surprise this evening was that the smokers were now huddled outside, quickly getting their last fix of
A New Sleep Disorder: Bedtime Tail-Biting Behavior
I’d like to share a brief bedtime story — actually, it’s a story about a character in a bedtime story. It’s about one of Dr. Seuss’s enigmatic little creatures, the Chippendale Mupp, who is featured in his classic “Sleep Book.” The Mupp is a sharp-toothed furry fellow with…
Turn On, Tune In, Nod Out: A Mindful Approach to Sleep – Part 2
Posted August 10, 2011
Could it be that struggles with attaining deep sleep mirror struggles with connecting to our deeper selves? Read More
Ending The War Against Insomnia: A Non-Violent Approach To Sleep
Posted July 25, 2011
When it comes to conversations about insomnia, one might think we were at war. This isn’t all that surprising, since we generally approach health problems as adversaries. We fight disease, combat infections, kill germs and go to battle with our symptoms.
These kinds of fighting words are integral to…
Remembering REM: The Lost Art and Science of Dreaming
Posted July 14, 2011
I believe that dreaming is among the most critical misunderstood and overlooked factors in our health, well-being and spiritual development. In contrast to waking, which is typically about an intentional, concrete and active relationship with the world around us, dreaming is more about a receptive, expansive and ethereal relationship with…
Turn On, Tune In, Nod Out: A Mindful Approach to Sleep – Part 1
Posted July 13, 2011
Whether at the beginning or the middle of the night, epidemic insomnia leaves millions of us routinely struggling with that tricky transition from waking to sleep. Understanding the subtle shift in consciousness inherent in this nightly process is crucial to reclaiming our personal power to get to sleep. Read More
Post-Dramatic Stress Disorder: A Hidden Cause of Sleeplessness
Posted June 22, 2011
We live in a world where drama is so ubiquitous that we have largely habituated to its insidious impact on our lives. Beyond the personal dramas that may visit, so many of us are overexposed to a much broader range of dramatic experiences through the media -especially news reports, television dramas and print media. Read More
Insomniacs Anonymous: Do We Need a 12-Step Program for Sleep?
Posted June 21, 2011
Ask insomniacs why they can’t sleep and they’ll likely tell you its because they’re just not sleepy enough. But, how could this be? Given their chronic sleep loss and typical diligence about doing all the right things, surely they must be sleepy. But, they’re not. In fact, they are even…
We Don’t Get Sleep Because We Don’t ‘Get’ Sleep
Posted May 23, 2011
I believe the main reason we struggle with epidemic sleep disorders is our failure to examine fundamental misconceptions that inform our understanding of and approach to sleep. These misconceptions are rooted in a tendency to define sleep negatively — that is, in terms of what it’s not. Like our conception…
Circadian Rhythm and Blues: The Interface of Depression with Sleep and Dreams
Posted March 2, 2011
Depression is a disorder of waking life. At least, that’s our common presumption. Read More
How Cool Is Your Sleep?
Posted January 24, 2011
When I was a little boy and happened not to be feeling well, my mother would routinely ask me three questions. Having grown up in an old-world village, she clung to simpler, traditional views of health, including her folksy health assessment.
Her first question was always: “What did you eat?” Read More
Posted August 11, 2011