For some reason, many clients don’t mention their insomnia during our initial consultation. They list their medical problems in the paperwork, but they don’t list insomnia.
For these silent sufferers, I only find out after they’ve resolved their sleep issue. Have you ever seen the movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell? I sometimes feel like I’m reliving the same conversation over and over. But unlike the movie, I’ve been happy to have this same conversation many times over the past nine years. Here’s how it usually goes.
William: So Jane, what changes have you noticed since our last visit? What’s been happening?
Jane: (She describes the progress on the issue she came in with.) Oh, one more thing. My insomnia’s much better.
William: Insomnia?
Jane: Well, I didn’t tell you about it. But I’ve had insomnia for over 20 years. It used to take me over 30 minutes to fall asleep. But with that hypnosis technique you taught me, I’m asleep in two minutes.
You may be wondering, “What’s the hypnosis technique that Jane used?” Before I share it, let me say that it’s not the solution for everyone. Some people have an organic issue causing a sleep problem. This technique is only for those who think too much. If you have a sleep issue, please see a sleep specialist to run some tests. End of disclaimer…
The hypnosis technique is something I learned at a smoking cessation and insomnia workshop taught by British hypnotherapist, Charles Montagu. He helped rock legend, Eric Clapton to quit smoking through hypnotherapy. What’s below may be slightly modified from what Charles taught, as I often change techniques I’ve learned.
Here’s the technique. Practice for 30 nights to really absorb the technique more fully.
1. When you’re in bed, silently and slowly count down from ten to one.
2. Between each number, repeat the phrase: “It’s my time to rest.” For example, “Ten… It’s my time to rest (said at a relaxed pace)… Nine… It’s my time to rest…” Everything is said silently and at a relaxed pace, slowing down your mind as a result.
3. If you reach the number one, repeat the entire process again. For the first few nights, you may need to do several cycles of ten to one before you fall asleep.
Within 30 nights of practice, most people will learn to fall asleep within five minutes of their head hitting the pillow. You may wonder, “How does it even work? This sounds to simple.” That’s a valid comment, and I realize that it does seem too simple. What I can say is that based on my experience working with clients, it simply works.