Managing insomnia with Sleep Hypnotherapy and CBT.
I use sleep hypnotherapy alongside Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness to help people experiencing insomnia and other persistent sleep difficulties.
Insomnia may involve difficulty getting to sleep, staying asleep, or achieving sufficient restful sleep. Many different factors can contribute, including physical discomfort as well as anxiety, stress and persistent worry.
Whatever its cause, ongoing sleep difficulty can be extremely distressing. Poor sleep can affect energy, concentration, mood and your ability to function normally during the day.
Where psychological or behavioural factors are contributing to the problem, hypnotherapy and CBT may provide useful ways of changing some of the thoughts, habits and responses that are helping to maintain it.
How insomnia or other sleep difficulties may be affecting you.
I meet many people whose inability to sleep properly has become a significant problem in everyday life. Although everyone experiences insomnia differently, several effects occur regularly.
- Impaired quality of life is one of the most obvious. Persistent lack of sleep can leave you exhausted and affect your energy, mood, relationships and general ability to enjoy everyday life.
- Reduced ability to concentrate is also common. Poor sleep can affect your ability to work and think clearly, and can be particularly concerning when driving or operating machinery.
- Anxiety about sleep itself can also become part of the problem. After repeated difficult nights, you may begin approaching bedtime already expecting not to sleep, creating another cycle of worry and frustration.
After years of struggling with chronic insomnia and having tried different approaches and medications, I was willing to try Hypnotherapy one more time. Paul says that there is no magic in what he does but to me, it felt just like that. I’m now able to shut the noise in my head and fall asleep naturally for the first time in many, many years.
My approach to insomnia and sleep difficulties.
As with other problems I work with, every person’s experience of sleep difficulty is different. The most appropriate approach becomes clearer once we have discussed what is happening for you and what may be contributing to it.
Sleep Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy can help you develop a state of relaxation and work with some of the thoughts and responses associated with difficulty sleeping.
I may also teach self-hypnosis and relaxation techniques that you can use independently, particularly where an overactive mind or anxiety is making it difficult to settle at night.
CBT for Insomnia
CBT can be particularly useful in addressing thoughts and behaviours that have developed around sleep.
For example, repeated thoughts such as “I know I won’t be able to sleep tonight” can themselves increase anxiety at bedtime. CBT gives us practical ways of examining those patterns and developing different responses to them.
Mindfulness for Insomnia
Mindfulness can provide another useful way of dealing with the frustration and worry that often accompany sleeplessness.
Rather than becoming increasingly caught up in thoughts about how much sleep you are losing or how tired you will feel tomorrow, mindfulness can help you notice those thoughts without automatically following them.
Paul Levrant. Sleep Hypnotherapy, CBT and Mindfulness for insomnia and other sleep difficulties.
I came to train as a therapist in mid-life following a long and often stressful career in business. I practise Hypnotherapy and CBT and also make use of Mindfulness, drawing on these approaches where they may be useful alongside appropriate medical care. I encounter sleep difficulty frequently in my work, and have been helping clients manage it for many years.
Help with insomnia and sleep difficulties
I see clients at my consulting rooms in Highgate, North London and Radlett, Hertfordshire, and can also work online where appropriate. If persistent sleep problems are affecting your daily life, we can discuss what you are experiencing and whether my approach may be helpful.
Book a FREE Initial Consultation
I’d be pleased to arrange an initial telephone consultation with you. This will help me to understand your particular situation, and will help you to decide if you’d like to see me for therapy.
This initial consultation is completely free of charge, and without any obligation to proceed.