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Whether you have difficulty falling asleep (sleep onset insomnia), or suffer from disturbed sleep, or the inability to sleep long enough to wake refreshed in the morning, insomnia can cause tiredness, irritability and difficulty in concentrating. Nearly everyone experiences difficulty in sleeping at some time in their lives which can be caused by anxiety and worry, disrupted sleep patterns (such as a new baby or noisy neighbours) or an underlying physical condition (such as hot flushes in menopause, pain, coughing, heartburn, sleep apnoea). We can usually cope with this for a few days but when this becomes chronic(long term) it can affect all parts of our lives.
Insomnia
Regression Therapy for insomnia would usually focus on the thoughts and self-talk that can be a part of your problem. These can be many and varied: ‘Everything is messed up’ ‘Now I have to suffer not being able to sleep as well as everything else’ or sometimes fears that something will happen while you are asleep – fire, death etc. There are sometimes dreams and nightmares attached to these thoughts and your subconscious will work hard at keeping you awake to prevent you from experiencing these.
As we focus on these repeated thoughts and dreams we can find their source and change the way your subconscious reacts to them, so that, over time, these personal ‘mantras’ are transformed.
Regression Therapy & Insomnia
Since the deepening trance states of hypnosis represent a stage between alert consciousness and sleep, it is easy to see how hypnosis can help to train the mind for the smooth transition from waking to sleep.
Sleep onset insomnia is almost always attended by thoughts, and as one disappears another has taken it’s place., and all the while you worry that if you don’t get to sleep you will be tired again tomorrow. Hypnotherapy can encourage a different and positive view of the thoughts that run around in your head, encouraging you to put away worries until a more suitable time, stop worrying about time and how long you may have laid there, and look forward to good things that will happen when you awake.
As Insomnia is often associated with other problems, such as anxiety and depression, we can also work with those deeper issues helping you towards a more positive outlook on life.
Hypnotherapy will usually start to improve your sleep from the first session, however if you have suffered for a long time it may take a few sessions to peel away all the layers of issues that you will have added to the problem. You will also be given a self-hypnosis recording that you can play at night to help you re-experience those relaxed feelings that you get under hypnosis. You will also be given a self-hypnosis recording that you can play at night to help you re-experience those relaxed feelings that you get under hypnosis.
Hypnotherapy & Insomnia
There are certain areas which may need to be addressed to improve your environment and physical state which include:
- Check up for medical causes
- Reducing stimulants (coffee, tea, soft drinks)
- Making sure your bed is not associated with activity (phones, computers, television etc.) – sexual activity is, of course, the exception.
- Giving yourself relaxing downtime before bed
- Look at ways of removing or reducing noise disturbance (if noise from outside affects you then gentle music or whale sounds may reduce the effect)
- Try not to have daytime naps - it will get easier as your sleep gets back to normal (unless a new baby is your issue – then sleep when he/she does!)
Insomnia is a gross feeder. It will nourish itself on any kind of thinking, including thinking about not thinking.
Clifton Fadiman