Good sleep is good self-care

A hypnotist colleague asked about how to use hypnosis to help a client who is having difficulty with sleep. I love to help people with this issue. Here’s how I answered the question:

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I always ask if they know what’s keeping them awake—it might be that they need to clear the air with someone or look for a new job. I also want to know the pattern—if they have trouble going to sleep or if they go to sleep easily but then wake up during the night. Do they have nocturnal pets? What about allergies?

What are they eating, what time do they stop eating? Caffeine, alcohol, recreational or prescription drugs?

How are they doing physically? Sometimes they forget to tell me about chronic discomfort, so I learned to ask.

Was there a time when sleep was no problem, and if so, did something happen that coincided with their shift in sleep? All kinds of things might have influenced them: moving, job changes, divorce or parents’ divorce, marriage, etc. Clients typically don’t connect the initial sensitizing event with their shift in sleep.

Do they sometimes sleep well? When was the most recent time?

I coach them to have a nighttime routine with a regular bedtime and doing things in the same order: turn down the bed (which they straightened early in the day and has enough pillows and blankets that are perfect for them, and mattress in good condition), brush teeth, make the room as dark and quiet as possible. And no one needs to know what time it is should they awaken in the middle of the night!

No TV in the bedroom. The bedroom is for two things only, and one is sleep. No intense conversations or conflict in the BR; anchor peace and calm there.

Sometimes their sleeplessness is an old habit. For many, it began when their infant child was new in the house and they learned how to be vigilant during the night. For many others, there were nighttime concerns stemming from abuse or being a parental child.

If sleeplessness persists, there might be a physiological cause. For that reason, I sometimes suggest or request a medical exam or sleep study. Snoring can be a symptom of something that can be handled through medical or mechanical means.

I haven’t met a client who I couldn’t help with this issue. It generally comes down to them learning how to practice contentment and setting up the conditions for sleep. You can’t will it to happen—that’s why we call it “falling” or “drifting” to sleep.

I love sleep! I want to know if my client can love it, invite it, anticipate it, welcome it, celebrate it in the morning after a delicious night of restful sleep.

I know this seems like a lot but I can cover all of this in my 15-minute interview with the client, and during our conversation I include many suggestions and NLP techniques to influence them. After that, we go into trance. Sometimes they fall sleep right there in the comfy chair, and I allow that within the duration of the session. I record the session so they can listen to it any night before sleep.

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Sweet dreamzzz…

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