Insomnia and Nightmares

Insomnia

Do you lie awake at night, with your mind or heart racing, wishing for sleep that won't come, and anticipating feeling exhausted tomorrow? Living with persistent sleeplessness is frustrating and can increase insomnia anxiety – the worry about not being able to sleep, that often leads to more insomnia. It might feel like your body and mind are working against you. While sleep hygiene and lifestyle adjustments help, structured, evidence-based therapies often provide more effective paths to better sleep.

My approach to addressing insomnia is collaborative and tailored to your unique situation. We'll explore the factors contributing to your sleep challenges and develop a personalized plan incorporating evidence-based treatments, like Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, Relaxation Training, and Mindfulness-Based approaches. The goal is to move beyond temporary fixes and help you develop skills aimed at achieving more consistent, consolidated, and restorative sleep.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I): Recommended as a primary approach for chronic insomnia, CBT-I is a structured program focused on identifying and modifying thoughts and behaviors that may interfere with sleep. We work together to understand your specific sleep challenges, optimize your sleep environment, address worries about sleep, and establish helpful routines. This treatment aims to strengthen the association between your bed and rest, rather than worry and frustration – helping to create conditions more conducive to sleep.

Deep Relaxation Training: Difficulty sleeping is often linked to physical tension or a mind that struggles to quiet down. Therapy may incorporate evidence-based relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation, specific breathing exercises, or guided imagery. These tools are designed to help calm the nervous system, potentially reduce sleep anxiety and stress, and support your body and mind in preparing for rest.  

Mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches: These approaches teach individuals with insomnia to observe their sleep-related thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations with non-judgmental present-moment awareness, rather than struggling against them. By encouraging acceptance of wakefulness and associated discomfort without resistance, these approaches aim to reduce the mental and emotional battle that often perpetuates insomnia. This shift helps decrease cognitive arousal and sleep-related anxiety, creating conditions more conducive for sleep to naturally occur.  

Nightmares

Do stressful dreams leave you waking up scared, feeling unsettled long after, or even dreading falling asleep? Frequent nightmares can take a significant emotional toll, impacting your sleep, daytime mood, and well-being, and can be linked to stress, anxiety, or past experiences.

My approach to treating nightmares is compassionate, collaborative, and focused on creating a sense of safety. Together, we will explore the nature of your nightmares and develop a personalized treatment plan incorporating evidence-based strategies like Imagery Rehearsal (IRT) and Exposure, Relaxation, and Rescripting Therapies (ERRT). The aim is to work towards reducing nightmare-related distress and support you in feeling more secure and peaceful, both awake and asleep.

Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT): This technique helps you change your relationship with nightmares. While awake, you learn skills to recall a nightmare and consciously modify its story towards a less distressing or neutral outcome, then mentally rehearse this new version. The goal is to potentially lessen the nightmare's intensity and frequency during sleep.

Exposure, Relaxation, and Rescripting Therapy (ERRT): Often helpful when nightmares connect to trauma or intense anxiety, ERRT provides a structured approach. It combines carefully exploring nightmare themes in a supportive space, learning relaxation skills to manage distress, and systematically rescripting the nightmare content (like IRT) to process underlying issues and reduce their power to disturb sleep.

If you're ready to invest in understanding and addressing your sleep challenges, contact me to schedule a consultation. Let's discuss how therapy might support you in working towards the rest you need.