Insomnia

Insmonia can refer to difficulty in getting to sleep or in staying asleep, or both, which then sets up a pattern of performance anxiety when it comes to sleep time.

Simple insomnia is caused from an direct association between an event and poor sleep symptoms. For instance, a person I worked with went to India for a month and his sleep patterns were thrown out of balance. When he returned to the UK, he couldn't adjust for the first few days and that was enough to set up a pattern of worrying about whether he would sleep and be sufficiently rested for his demanding job. Usually one or two sessions are all that are needed for simple insomnia.

Complex insomnia is when there is an indirect association with poor sleep symptoms caused by other underlying psychological factors: unresolved emotional feelings which need to be processed; underlying self-esteem concerns; worry and self-doubt about upcoming events; or some other matter or unadressed concerns. The unconscious mind is clamouring for attention for overdue work, while the conscious mind just wants all the nagging to go away so it can sleep. A pattern of conflict and tension is set up between the two minds which maintains the habit of insomnia.

Recommended Therapy: psychological therapy, clinical hypnosis

© 2011 – Felix Economakis, The Heath