[mttiger61]

Hi everyone,

I worked with Martin last fall after a period of time that was a few months, but seemed like an eternity. I was beyond hopeless, and truly never thought that I would sleep again. I was also on several medications for sleep, which ended up making things worse. Through Martin’s course I was able to wean completely off of my medication, which was a huge success. Yet, even after I proved to myself that I did not need medication, I still had sleep-related worry that was significantly hindering. I ended up seeing a psychologist that specializes in CBT to help me work through several subtle thought patterns playing a role in my difficulties. It only took two sessions with her to see tremendous improvement. However, it was an analogy that I came up with that finally led me to recovery. This is not to say that Martin’s program doesn’t work, because it absolutely does. I wouldn’t have gotten off of my meds had it not. Some people, like myself, just need more specialized assistance. However, Martin also speaks of the “epiphany” each of his clients have when they finally overcome their sleep-related worry. It took about 10 months to finally have this realization, but once I did, the results were instant. I now regularly get 7 ( and sometimes 8!) hours of deep restful sleep almost every night, and look forward to getting into bed, which is a feeling I thought would never return. So, here it is:

Imagine a beach. The ocean waves rolling in is our sleep. It is calm, yet immensely powerful. Next, imagine a sand bar near the beach. This is your anxiety (or sleep-related worry). When we allow ourselves to be more anxious the sand bar grows larger, impeding the waves from making it to shore. However, when we allow ourselves to calm down (using any preferred technique) the sand bar grows smaller, allowing the waves to calmly roll over and onto shore. The waves, like the real ocean, are steady, consistent, and out of our control; they will always roll in. All we have to do is get rid of the sand bar.

I hope this analogy helps others as much as it did me. If you’re here because you’re desperate, beyond all hope, and truly believe that you will never sleep again, I’m here to respectfully tell you that you are wrong. The thought that you will never sleep again or return to your previous sleep patterns is from your sub-conscience when it thinks you should worry about something. I was there for the better part of a year, and I came out alive. No matter how far gone you think you are, you can sleep again. I promise.

[Chee2308]

Hi and thanks for sharing your story. I guess everyone’s a bit different in the path to recovery. But whatever helps them to overcome their fear of sleeping poorly is going to be helpful. I really encourage everyone to be funny and creative about their circumstances. Make jokes and be light hearted about it. Dress up your fear/anxiety in different mascots and watch how funny they’ve become. For example, dress them up as a santa reindeer and going ho-ho-ho all the way for entertainment sake. Or as Mr. Bean taking an exam in an exam hall, that was really funny. And for those who like to do gym and martial arts, paste a piece of paper with “insomnia” written on it onto a punch bag, then have your fill of punching, kicking, knee-ing and head-butting it. Or if you enjoy shooting guns/rifles on a target, paste “insomnia” on it then shoot at it. Then when you go bed and your brain asks you “What happened to your insomnia/sleep anxiety?”, you could say “Well I shot it” or “I beat the crap out of it today, it’s probably too injured to bother me now”. Laugh at your own insomnia and start making it less scary! Because if anyone’s ever watched the film IT, it’s all really inside your head, only you can make it as scary or harmless as you want it to be. In the end, that fear is just made of air, it’s really nothingness!

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