guest editorial Remembering REM: An Integrative Approach to Dreaming The sleep and dream specialist at the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrative Medicine explains why dreaming is best understood through a body, mind, and spirit approach. By Rubin Naiman, PhD T Rubin Naiman, PhD 30 • sleepreviewmag.com SR_30_31_GuestEd.indd 30 here is so much more happening than we are able, or perhaps willing, to see. Great philosophers have taught that we routinely mistake the limits of our personal perception for the limits of the universe. Nowhere is this pro- found error more evident than in our posture toward dreaming.* Historically, dreaming has been approached from three distinct perspectives. It has been exam- ined scientifically as the neurophysiology of REM sleep, explored psychologically as an expression of the unconscious mind, and viewed cross- culturally as a spiritual phenomenon. I believe dreaming is best understood through a triangula- tion of these three perspectives—through an inte- grative body, mind, and spirit approach. Because we live in a world where dreaming is commonly misconstrued and dismissed, we fail to appreciate its critical role in our health and wellness. Diminished dreaming is a hallmark of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. 1 Jung and his students theorized that dream loss was an NOVEMBER 2015 10/22/15 8:39 PM