Book a sessionWhy the brain will not switch off
Sleep is not an action but a letting go. It cannot be "done" by effort. Yet that is exactly what a person with insomnia does: tries to fall asleep, monitors the process, gets angry that it is not working, and thereby keeps the nervous system aroused.
Over time a conditioned reflex forms: bed = the place where I do not sleep and get anxious. The brain starts worrying in the evening already: "what if I can't sleep again". This is called psychophysiological insomnia, and it is exactly what hypnotherapy works with best.
What the research shows
How the work goes
Trouble falling asleep, waking at night or waking too early? What goes on in your head at those moments? What have you tried? This determines the strategy.
In the very first session you move into a state close to the edge of sleep. The nervous system "remembers" what letting go feels like.
In trance we rewrite the association: bed becomes a place of safety and rest, not struggle.
If anxiety, an unresolved conflict, grief or chronic stress lies behind the insomnia, we work with it directly.
You get an audio recording or a short self-hypnosis technique for falling asleep. Most clients use it for the first 2–3 weeks, after which the need fades.
How many sessions are needed
Psychophysiological insomnia usually takes 2–4 sessions. The first changes, easier sleep onset and fewer night wakings, are noticed by most people after the first one. If insomnia is part of depression or an anxiety disorder, there is more work: 4–6 meetings.
FAQ
Can I combine this with sleeping pills?+
Yes. Hypnotherapy does not conflict with medication. Many clients eventually stop sleeping pills, but that decision is made with the doctor who prescribed them.
I wake at 3–4 a.m. and cannot get back to sleep. Is that insomnia too?+
Yes, that is sleep-maintenance insomnia. It is often linked to anxiety or a depressive background. Hypnosis works with it the same way as with sleep-onset problems.
Will it help if I have had insomnia for many years?+
Yes. Duration affects the number of sessions, but the "bed = anxiety" reflex can be rewritten regardless of how old it is.
What if I fall asleep during the session?+
No problem. It happens, and it is even a good sign. But trance is usually not sleep; you hear my voice and stay in contact.
Does it work online?+
For insomnia, online is actually more convenient: you are in your own bed, in the very conditions where you need to fall asleep.
References
- Chamine I., Atchley R., Oken B.S. (2018). Hypnosis intervention effects on sleep outcomes: a systematic review. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
- Cordi M.J., Schlarb A.A., Rasch B. (2014). Deepening sleep by hypnotic suggestion. Sleep.
- Riemann D. et al. (2017). European guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia. Journal of Sleep Research.