[jewlzminn]

I had taken CBT-i to deal with insomnia triggered by an amagdala response (fight or flight) to having jet lag on a trip. Because I’d experienced severe insomnia in post partum this new sleepless night triggered an agressive response of anxiety that led to insomnia and microsleep. I took CBT-i at first and stuck with it for six months. My perfectionist self couldn’t accept that this method was making it sooo much worse. My life and sleep descended into a pit. Instead of six weeks, at six months cbti wasn’t helping much. In desperation I looked online and discovered I wasn’t alone! In fact, here was Martin saying that was I was experiencing was a known issue and that doing the opposite of CBT-i could help. Queue the start of a journey I’m still on to learn to let go of control, to accept what I can’t control, and to allow anxiety and uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. Once I learned a new way to think about these things and practiced them I slowly, slowly, slowly saw progress. I held on to the small glimmers I saw and all of the videos I’d watched from previous participants who said it took time.
At the same time I also pursued further testing and discovered hormone imbalances were at play. Whether they were the cart or the horse I can’t say, but treating this piece put in place the ability to finally sleep well again.

After having kids I eventually slept well again, but it was very rare that I wouldn’t wake and go back to sleep. Now that I’m six months out from this course it’s rare for me to wake at all! It also led me on a journey of self discovery, untangling lots of traits, seeing them for what they are, and learning more about how I think and why.

If you are somewhere in a journey with insomnia hang in there. Be patient and kind to yourself. As perfectionists these are not things that are easy to do, but keep practicing and allow your progress to not be linear. Small steps forward over time add up!

[Martin Reed]

You are a fantastic self-advocate and your growth mindset meant that you didn’t give up when you realized CBT-I wasn’t an approach that clicked for you!

Your commitment to a new approach based on acceptance and your conscious effort to notice and acknowledge the glimmers and the presence of good stuff (no matter how small) motivated you to keep moving forward.

I would agree that this really is a journey of self-discovery. Your willingness to explore it as such and to take everything as a learning experience no doubt contributed to the progress you are sharing with us.

I wish you all the best for the future and thank you for sharing your transformation!

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If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

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