Rubin Naiman, PhD

Integrative Sleep & Dream
Health Coalition (ISDHC)

The Integrative Sleep and Dream Health Coalition is a newly forming organization dedicated to establishing a foundation for and furthering the development of the emerging field of integrative sleep and dream health.

Based on the general principles of integrative medicine, the Coalition is concerned with bringing together the best of conventional sleep medicine and empirically based complimentary and alternative approaches to healing sleep and dream disorders. The Coalition is especially interested in developing alternative models for understanding, treating and preventing insomnia, narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea.

Although current, conventional approaches to “sleep medicine” have significantly expanded our understanding and treatment options of sleep disorders, they fail to address these problems in a comprehensive and meaningful manner. Constrained by a mechanistic philosophy, pharmaceutical industry influences, and the failure to adequately acknowledge deep rooted cultural factors, the field of sleep medicine is limited in its scope and effectiveness.

Envisioned as an interdisciplinary organization, the Coalition is concerned with a wide range of sleep related issues including prevention, professional training, public education, and the support of meaningful research. It is especially interested in incorporating a broader and deeper perspective of dreaming into its approach.

CAM approaches to sleep and dream health include, but are not limited to, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, psychological dream work, energy medicine, and osteopathy and manipulative medicine.

We are currently gathering a list of persons who may be interested in joining our efforts. It is our hope that we might begin publishing a web-based newsletter over the coming months, organize as a non-profit institution and begin a small fundraising campaign. If you are interested in involvement in the Coalition, have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

“Dreaming provides a poetic cushion for our sharply literal lives.”

—Dr. Rubin Naiman