“Lying
With Lions and Lambs: Why Clergy Should Help Heal Sleeplessness”
By: Rubin
Naiman, Ph.D.
Source:
Huffington Post
The
article above, explains sleep in a spiritual perspective. It presents an idea,
stating that in the present day, sleep has become too much of a scientific
phenomenon. The idea of sleep is linked only to scientific understanding of the
brain and body, and sleeplessness is therefore, treated with medication. The
context of the article, however, states a different approach. It presents the
idea of the lion and the lamb (image seen below) lying down with one another.
The lion represents strength and aggression, while the lamb presents the idea
of innocence and compliance. It is stated that sleeplessness is due to a
“personal and cultural imbalance of lion and lamb” (Naiman, 1). The inability
to sleep has a strong connection to hyper arousal (a state of increased
physiological tension and/or anxiety) which represents an excess of “lion” in
the person. The inability to give in to sleep represents a lack of the “lamb”.
By viewing sleep as a spiritual aspect of life, one can approach sleeplessness
in such a way, where they allow their body to become submissive to sleep,
rather than “fire heavy rounds of sleep medications to stun the lion” (Naiman,
1), as the medical industry encourages. The article also connects the idea of
sleep to religion, stating that there is “a link between religious doubt and
poor sleep quality” (Naiman, 1). Therefore, by developing trust to a certain
entity that is above oneself, a feeling of safety is developed, and
submissiveness can occur with ease.
The
article above can pass on a great amount of knowledge to the reader, as well as
change their entire outlook on the human body, and life with its many
established institutions. In the present day, a majority of society is heavily
dependent on conventional medication. That, however, covers the problem rather
than fixing it from the root. Therefore, medical issues treated with Western
medicine often return. Many spend their lives living a certain way, which they
think is both normal and necessary, because that is what has been done for
years past. By reading such an article, where a completely different view is
presented on a health issue easily treated by medicine, one can understand that
what is common and regularly occurring all around is not all that exists. By
changing ones outlook on life in such a way, the article has the possibility of
improving both the knowledge of people, as well as their many conditions. Through
the information presented in the article, one can come to the conclusion that
life, as one knows it, is not the only life there is.
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