insomnia insomnia


Insomnia







Larry Dossey, M.D.

As someone who personally has had insomnia for years, I offer the following description of my own treatment, which involves a series of images and inner dialogue.

First, I refuse to think of insomnia as a disease. I have an abiding faith that my body will sleep if the need for sleep is sufficiently great. That's the most important step: to de-pathologize the problem to refuse to classify it as a true problem at all.

Second, I plan ahead. When I awaken at three A.M., I realize I may be awake for another three or four hours. Therefore, I always have something ready at my bedside to read--either something pleasurable and light or perhaps some research material or professional journals. As I begin to read, I give myself the assurance that I will fall asleep sooner or later; it's only a matter of time. I remind myself once again of the dependability of my body and its ability to take care of itself, to sleep when needed. Thus assured, I read without any sense of despair or disappointment about the insomnia. I never tell myself that I'll be tired in the morning. And as I go back to sleep, as I almost always do sooner or later, I express thanks to the approaching sleepiness for returning and looking after me. When I awaken in the morning, I am usually refreshed, with a bonus: I've managed to have a good read or have caught up on things I needed to peruse. I can look back on the insomnia not as wasted time but as a productive interlude.

insomnia When I awaken in the night, I don't think about being the only one awake. I consider all the other people who are up at this hour-some working, some who have insomnia like me. I sometimes recall a patient I once had who, all her life, needed only one hour of sleep each night. I also think of all the nocturnal creatures who love the night who are out there now, awake with me-the owls, bats, raccoons, spiders, coyotes, moths, fireflies. I think about sharks who never sleep and who get along O.K. And I sometimes think of famous people who were classic insomniacs-great poets, scientists, writers- who did their best work during the wee hours. This creates a feeling of brotherhood and neutralizes the sense of isolation and aloneness that can accompany insomnia.

I never try to fall asleep. For me, that is extremely counterproductive. Sleep is much like breathing: it works best if left alone. When we try to interfere, we obstruct the process. So I acknowledge and honor the natural sleep/wake flow in me, even if insomnia seems occasionally to be a part of the pattern.

I remind myself that perfect sleep is probably a myth. What natural cycle doesn't have a few bumps in it? Every physiological cycle I know has some sort of alternation or rhythm. Why should sleep patterns be constant?

The ancient Taoists had a phrase for all this. They called it "going with the flow."


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