Bridging dentistry and psychotherapy: dream analysis in sleep bruxism treatment

Abstract

Objective: This case study evaluates interdisciplinary collaboration between dentists and psychotherapists, using dream analysis to treat sleep bruxism, a prevalent psychosomatic disorder driven by anxiety.

Method: Nastović’s three-dimensional dream analysis, integrating personal, collective, and familial unconscious contents, was applied in a case study to explore sleep bruxism’s psychosomatic etiology.

Results: In a 40-year-old female patient, dream analysis uncovered unconscious conflicts contributing to anxiety and bruxism, achieving symptom relief without dental interventions.

Conclusions: Integrative therapy, particularly dream analysis, is vital for addressing sleep bruxism’s psychosomatic roots, requiring enhanced dentist-psychotherapist collaboration and psychotherapeutic training for dentists.