An Insomniac sleeps again.

NICHOLAS D. POLLAK
Clinical Hypnotherapist
Certified Master Hypnotist
Handwriting Analyst
310.204.3321
nickpollak@hypnotherapy4you.net
www.hypnotherapy4you.net

A lady called me out of the blue the other day asking if hypnotherapy could assist her with her insomnia.

She claimed that she had not had a good nights sleep in over 2 months and that she was desperate for some help. I assured her that hypnotherapy would help her, as; from past experience I have helped clients with similar problems with great success.

She listened with interest and said she would call back later with more questions.

She did call back about 3 hours later and asked some questions, which I answered for her.

She told me that she was trying acupuncture, Chinese herbs and teas, massage therapy and psychiatry, and nothing was working.

She also told me that she had just been speaking to her psychiatrist who said, and I quote "I don't think it’s a good idea to have someone messing with your mind!"

I asked her, aside from that obviously uneducated and ignorant response, what he proposed as her "cure". She said his answer was an anti-psychotic medication.

It was clear to me that her psychiatrist had zero understanding of the amazing benefits of Hypnotherapy, and, rather than accepting Hypnotherapy as an excellent tool to assist his client as an addition to the work he had been doing with her, dismissed Hypnotherapy because he was more concerned in keeping his patient rather than seeing her get better with a proven and effective alternative treatment.

We all have our view of the world we live in, and approach the world based on our upbringing and sub-conscious habit patterns, and, in the helping professions our view is affected by our training.

A medical doctor usually suggests some medication or surgery as a fix. A chiropractor will say the problems stem from spinal decompression and manipulation, massage and physical therapy will solve the issue.

A psychiatrist or psychologist will spend six months or so determining how a patient became the way they are, put a diagnostic systems manual label to it and announces what your problem is, and then will spend another six months trying to have you conform to a new diagnostic manual label rather than you becoming what you want to be.

Don't get me wrong, I admire and respect everyone in the helping professions as, all we really want to do is help people to be well.

As a Hypnotherapist I too have my own view as to how to help clients with their presenting problems and have had great success helping my clients with a whole range of issues.

My main focus is not how a client became the way they are, but to guide them to where they want to be, and, as I have already expressed have done so with great success.

Insomnia is not fun. We perceive that we are really not sleeping, that we are tossing and turning all night, our mind is racing and will not shut down to consciously allow sleep to occur, and, waking up every morning feeling as tired as we were when we went to bed.

In fact, those people who claim they can't sleep actually sleep more than they realize, it is just that they think they are not. I generally ask clients complaining of this problem to write down what the time is each time they believe they are awakened from their "sleep".Much to their surprise they find that they actually sleep more than they thought. In general "insomniacs" will sleep about an hour, awaken for a few minutes then fall asleep again for another hour. In general it is more like a series of "cat naps" which often adds up to 5 to 7 hours of sleep a night. So it appears that they actually get more sleep than they think they do, and it is their perception that creates the thought that they are not sleeping.

Here are some useful tips to help those insomnia sufferers that may help.

Drink a glass of warm milk to help to relax you.
Take a long hot bath.
Read a light and entertaining book, or watch non-drama or non-news related TV.
Create a new pre sleep routine.
Use a mantra to slow the mind.
Eat a protein-based diet to even out your sugar levels.

I am sure that I am not really offering anything new, but if possible try to eat less carbs and eat more protein. This is probably the most important thing that you could do to improve your sleeping.

With a high carb diet , carbs break down to sugar really quickly. The result is that you end up with huge sugar level swings leading to high highs and low lows in a very short space of time. As a result the brain often finds itself needing sugar in ever increasing amounts to function. If the brain doesn't get what it needs it will do something to create an adrenaline burst, which, gives the brain the sugar it needs. As a result of these wild sugar level swings the brain cannot operate from it higher functioning levels leaving you in a state of constantly changing moods, scared, shaky and hypersensitive. In this condition, sleep is hard to get, as the brain stays hyper vigilant to get its sugar.

By eating a diet higher in protein and by eating small protein based meals every 2 hours or so, the sugar levels stabilize, the brain loses it's hyper vigilant state as it is getting all the sugar it needs in a more stable fashion. Protein breaks down to sugar more slowly than carbs giving a more even "flow" of sugar to the brain.

As a result, the brain now functions from a higher level eliminating the "primitive" survival states, which in turn allows the mind to function more effectively and in a more relaxed fashion, which in turn allows the mind to let you sleep.

Here is a suggestion for you. Every night for the next 21 nights, when you think you are ready to sleep, write this:

Each and every night, when I choose to sleep, I sleep quickly, soundly and deeply, and my physical body relaxes completely. When I awaken I am as refreshed and as relaxed as if I have slept 8 hours of deep restful, relaxing and energizing sleep. Accepting all the challenges of this new day with a happy, prosperous and successful attitude .

Then go to bed, close your eyes, take a deep breath, (breathing in relaxation , exhaling tension) and try to focus on each part of your body starting from the tips of the toes, to your heels, your ankles, your calf muscles, your thighs, your hips, your abdomen and back, your chest, to your shoulders, arms, wrists, knuckles, fingers, all the way to the top of your head, down to your forehead, cheeks, ears, eyebrows, eyelids, nose upper and lower lips to your chin and jaw, then say to yourself, the suggestion you wrote out just before you went to bed.

Each and every night, when I choose to sleep, I sleep quickly, soundly and deeply, and my physical body relaxes completely. When I awaken I am as refreshed and as relaxed as if I have slept 8 hours of deep restful, relaxing and energizing sleep. Accepting all the challenges of the day with a happy, prosperous and successful attitude .

Try this for 21 nights.

If you are suffering from insomnia fell free to call me for help.

Sleep well.