Link between chronic insomnia and hypnosis: Read this guide

 

Here's a story about a woman who suffered from chronic insomnia and turned to hypnosis as a last resort.

 

Hypnosis was my last option for treating chronic insomnia. This is what happened- Anonymous 
 

I've had chronic and sometimes debilitating insomnia since having my first child fifteen months ago. It's something I've written a lot about because, to be honest, it's become a bit of an obsession for me.

 

When my baby was about two months old and I suddenly couldn't sleep, I chalked it up to hormones. I assumed that once I stopped breastfeeding, my regular sleeping patterns would return.

 

Despite this, I began obsessively researching how to overcome insomnia. As a typical Type A personality, I was confident that I could plan my way out of the funk I'd gotten myself into.

 

It all began with "sleep hygiene."

 

I purchased lavender essential oils, a diffuser, magnesium bath salts, and a weighted blanket. After dinner, I turned off my phone and kept my room clean, cool, and dark. I went to bed at the same time every night and awoke at the same time every morning.

 

It didn’t work.

 

In order to break the code, I drank red wine and warm milk (not together), avoided caffeine in the afternoon, sipped ‘sleeptea,' and increased my fish consumption. Nada.

 

When I finished breastfeeding, I went on to more desperate measures. I begged my doctor for prescriptions, only to discover that Temazepam made me drowsy the next day and that low-dose melatonin did nothing but deplete my bank account.

 

In the months since, I've tried just about everything.

 

Meditation, yoga, audio books, and journaling are all options. No way, no how, no how, no how, no how, no how, no how, no how, no how, no how, no

 

I even scheduled a few sessions with a psychologist a few months ago. She was warm, professional, and supportive, which helped me unload some of my concerns, but it didn't result in any significant change in my sleep patterns.

 

I'd always been a good sleeper, and I had no idea how much I'd taken it for granted. At one point, I told my partner that I'd give up all of our life savings (which, full disclosure, aren't much) to defeat the night beast, as I'd begun to refer to it. It was exhausting to feel foggy every day while trying to run a business and raise a child.

 

I was understandably skeptical when a friend suggested hypnotherapy. As a journalist, I was intrigued as well.

 

I contacted a well-known Sydney clinic run by hypnotherapist Paul Thomas.

 

Over the phone I filled in the basic details: Full-time working, new mother, chronic insomnia, at my wits end.' Paul was composed, kind, and empathetic right away. He suggested I come in the following weekend for a session.

 

I sat on a comfortable couch in his consultation room a few days later, feeling strangely at ease. I told Paul about my experience thus far, including my anxieties, the pressure I was feeling, and my overarching fear that I would never be able to sleep normally again. I revealed things I had no idea I was thinking or feeling. It was extremely cathartic.

 

He sat quietly listening and taking notes. He asked if I was ready to begin hypnosis after about forty minutes. I nodded, a little nervous (but still a little sceptical).

 

It was a completely relaxing experience. Paul's voice guided me through a visualisation that left me exhausted, content, and at peace.

 

While I didn't go completely into a trance, I was also never fully aware of space and time. Paul asked me at the end of the session how long I thought the process had taken, and I replied, "about ten minutes." It had been more than 30 minutes.

 

When I left, Paul advised me to listen to the recording to myself while lying in bed at night. I tossed and turned the first night, my eyes wide open to the ceiling above. I put on the recording and fell into a deep and restful sleep within minutes.

 

He took me through two new visualizations at my next session a fortnight later. The first was another guided sleep meditation, and the second was to help me overcome the anxiety associated with my insomnia. Both were extremely helpful.

 

I've only had three bad nights' sleep in the five weeks since my first hypnotherapy session. As someone who has had several bad nights in a row, this is truly remarkable.

 

Hypnotherapy has assisted my brain in repelling negative thoughts that have plagued me for months. When I think about sleep now, I'm filled with calm assurance rather than overwhelming dread.

 

I'm pretty sure I'll be an insomniac for the rest of my life. I'm sure I'll go through phases where sleep is beneficial, and sleep is detrimental. However, hypnotherapy provided my brain with subconscious strategies to break free from a vicious cycle that was wreaking havoc on all aspects of my life.

 

A good night’s sleep is no longer an unattainable dream.