Healing Night

Book excerpt: In Healing Night, sleep and dream expert Rubin Naiman explores sleeping, dreaming, and awakening, going far beyond the science of sleep medicine to reflect on what he believes is the profoundly spiritual nature of night consciousness. Naiman reveals how the erosion of night by artificial light and the devaluation of sleep and dreaming have led to an epidemic of sleep disorders and consequent days of chronically dazed waking consciousness. Drawing on both clinical experience and personal explorations, Naiman offers a fresh look at sleep and dreams, and provides alternative healing practices for sleep disturbances. Moreover, he challenges us to acknowledge our spiritual night blindness and embrace the sacredness of night. This edition was revised in 2009.