Neuro-Linguistic Programming For Reversing The Downward Spiral Of Insomnia

The Daily Battle Against Insomnia

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

While this guide provides information on insomnia and sleep strategies, it is not a substitute for appropriate medical diagnosis or treatment. If you are having a persistent problem, you should consult your physician.  The author of this guide is not a licensed practitioner of medicine.  All of the information, suggestions, and techniques in this guide are, therefore, meant for informational purposes only. The readers are encouraged to verify for themselves all of the information within this website before making any decisions based upon the advices in this guide. The author shall not be held liable for any decisions resulting from the usage of this guide. Before making any changes in prescribed health-care regimes, consult a licensed practitioner.

By now, you should know that insomnia takes your sleep away from you by causing you to feel negatively about sleep all day long. The cycle of being tired and noticing it (focusing on it) causes you to feel more tired, causing sleep to seem more important, causing less sleep and more tiredness, over and over again in a downward spiral…

How do we stop this cycle? You use your only main weapon: Not giving in, doing the opposite of what you feel like doing – causing you to depend on YOURSELF, not on getting sleep. Rely on YOURSELF for energy, and sleep will seem less important, stopping the downward spiral of insomnia. Here is your weapon, the opposing, upward spiral (upwardly spiraling because the more you do it, the more you build the habit.):

The most important thing to remember is the physical affects of sleep on the body are marginal: It’s what you focus on that truly drains or energizes you.

But remember, this weapon is not as effective without the neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) that arms it. If this weapon is like your Hoover dam, then the following NLP is like the water it uses to generate power (the important part to understand about NLP is that everyone uses it… and most people don’t realize it. When it comes to sleep, you’re more familiar with using negative NLP. When you participate in the daily downward spiral, it’s like taking all the water out of your Hoover dam.)

The key to using this strategy effectively is to really enjoy the energetic activies you do during the day, which can be achieved by continually reminding yourself why it’s so important (because we enjoy what we value.) For this reason, you should keep the following NLP “mind lines” around with you during the day so that you can:

• Change negative thoughts and feelings about sleep or because of sleep as they happen.

• Boost your energetic activities by enjoying them more, filling the “Hoover dam” with water, boosting the upward spiral of energy forward.

Neuro-linguistic Programming Ammunition For Fighting Off Tired Feelings

The following NLP is given in the four most commonly used phrases, but make sure to adjust the statements to express any negative feeling, thought, image, or belief that comes up for you.

1. “I’m aching and feel exhausted because I slept poorly last night.”

2. “I’m miserable and I know that today will be less enjoyable because of my sleep.”

3. “I’m worried about what will happen (or what others will think of me) because of my poor sleep.”

4. “I don’t want to do this (or anything) because of my poor sleep.”

Reflexive: Seeing The EFFECT Of The Thought / Feeling / Image / Belief:

1. What a painful and exhausting statement! Doesn’t saying that make you more aware of how achy and exhausted you are?

2. What a depressing, miserable way of looking at your day! Doesn’t saying this cause you to focus on your misery instead of causing you to get the most out of the energy you have?

3. What is scary and provoking statement! Doesn’t saying this make it more likely to happen? Wouldn’t it be better to focus, and demonstrate your ability instead of demonstrating how tired you are? (Note that others notice your energy much more than they notice the little things that come with being tired)

4. What a restricting statement! You think saying this and doing nothing will make you happier today, or would make you feel better if you did it anyway?

Counter-Example: Do you remember a time when you felt energetic and enjoyed your day even though you were tired?

Positive Prior Cause: Seeing WHY You Even Said This (What Positive Thing Are You Really Trying To Achieve By Saying This?):

1. Aren’t you saying this – over and over – because you really just want to feel energetic and good? Is saying is helping or hurting towards that goal?

2. Are you saying this because you want to be as happy as possible and wish to enjoy your life fully? Is saying is helping or hurting towards that goal?

3. Aren’t you saying this because you don’t want that to happen? Is saying is helping or hurting towards that goal? Are you really just blowing this out of proportion?

4. Aren’t you saying this because you really DO want to do this? Remember, being active will help cure your tiredness, and so if you don’t do it, you’re really just making your insomnia worse.

Thinking Ahead: How Will This Belief Serve You?
[The following applies to all statements...]

How do you feel immediately after saying this? What would happen if you keep saying this? Ultimately, where will this lead if you continue to do this for years to come?

Being Specific: What Are You Actually Referring To?

I find this to be generally less effective for insomnia, but for the right feeling, thought, or belief, this can be incredibly effective…

[The following applies to all statements...]

What are you actually referring to? Can you be specific? Is this really as important when you figure out what you’re really thinking about?

Thinking Objectively: MUST You Think This Way?

What Stops You From Doing The Opposite?

• What’s more important?

1. Do you think that pumping yourself up or doing something energetic is more important than spending that time feeling tired? How would your exhaustion weaken if you always used it as a signal to gain energy and feel alive?

2. Is it more important to feel miserable or to figure out how you can really enjoy your day? How would you feel if you always used that miserable feeling as a signal to think about how you could really enjoy your day?

3. Is worrying about this that important right now, or have you already thought this through? What would it be like if you could catch yourself every time you were over worrying, stopped yourself, and focused on something else that will get you passed this?

4. What’s more important: letting your tiredness get the best of you or forcing yourself to be active? How would your resolve strengthen if you always used this laziness it as a signal to push forward?

   [The following applies to all statements...]

• Do you always feel this way after lost sleep? Does everyone?

• What forces you to think this way? What would happen if you always thought this way? Is this just a bad habit? Do you have to think this way?

• Does this thinking or feeling serve you? How does it enhance your life? (This is a great one to boost the energetic cycle and your positive feelings. You can also ask yourself: Do you value this feeling?)

• To what extent is this actually true or real? What makes it so? Where is the middle ground? What else causes you to feel exhausted?

• How real is your exhaustion? What if you found it vanishing in your mind? What would it be like if this wasn’t so?

• What you want to feel like, or how do you want to think about this? If you were experiencing that right now, what would you be feeling or thinking?

• Is this what you have decided to believe? What would you like to decide?

Using Analogies: How does this compare to…

• The concept used in some of the most rigorous military training in the world, “Body over mind”, or the U.S. Marine saying, “Pain is weakness leaving the body” (think about how this applies to the HABIT of pushing yourself forward, and how exhausting, misery, worrying, or laziness feelings can be signals to improve your perspective.)

• Other times in your life when you gave into a way of thinking, but found that it wasn’t mature enough for the situation.

• Other times your life when you found a change in your perspective changed everything.

• Can you think of any other analogies to help yourself to better deal with this situation whenever it arises?

Review And Practice To Hone Your Skills

Using this NLP is a skill called “Slight of Mouth” by neuro-linguistic programmers. Just like a magician uses “slight of hand” to create illusions, such as a certain card magically appearing in his hand, so too can these lines cause a sudden shift in your perspective and the way you feel. Like any skill, it’s very important you practice so you can better recognize negative thoughts and change them on the spot.

Try changing the following negative ways of looking at sleeplessness, using your new mental skills, to positive, more powerful ways of looking at sleeplessness. Pretend the following thoughts or feelings just happened:

• “I hardly got any sleep last night”

• “I need 8 hours of sleep to feel well rested”

• “My insomnia is going to result in other health problems”

• “I’m distressed about bedtime”

• “Why is sleep so much easier for everyone else?”

• “I feel horrible because I didn’t get good sleep”

• “How will I operate after such a bad night of sleep?”

• “I can’t fall asleep without a sleeping pill”

• “I don’t think I can fall back to sleep”

• “Oh no, I’m awake!”

• “This is going to be another night of insomnia”

• “My insomnia is getting worse”

• “I need more sleep”

Once you’ve changed the above into more positive statements, try replacing them with these positive statements about sleep.

• “I always fall back to sleep sooner or later”

• “I need less sleep than I thought”

• “My sleep is getting better and better”

• “My sleep will be improving as I learn these techniques”

• “If I get my core sleep, I’ll be able the function during the day.” (The first two sleep cycles [about the first 3 hours of sleep] have been shown to make up 90% of the sleep your body needs.)

What other positive statements about sleep can you create to start thinking more positively and confidently about sleep? By replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts about sleep you’ll gain more control over your sleep and soon start sleeping better as a result. You will also see that you can control negative thoughts, think more positively, and realize the powerful beneficial effect your thoughts can have on your emotions, health, and well-being.

Revisiting the Sleep Beliefs Questionnaire:

Now that you know how to reverse the downward spiral of insomnia, try digging deep into your unconsciousness and change the most powerful attitudes and beliefs you may have about sleep by reviewing the sleep beliefs questionnaire that you took earlier:

1. I need eight hours of sleep every night to feel refreshed.

2. When I do not get the amount of sleep I need at night, I have to catch up the next day by napping.

3. I am concerned that if I go for two or three nights without sleep I may have a nervous breakdown.

4. By staying in bed longer, I can usually get more sleep and feel better the next day.

5. When I have trouble sleeping, the best thing is to stay in bed and try harder to sleep.

6. If I don’t sleep well at night, I know I cannot possibly function well on the following day.

7. When I feel irritable, depressed, or anxious during the day, I know it is because I slept poorly the night before.

8. There is no way I can manage the negative consequences of disturbed sleep.

9. I get overwhelmed by my thoughts at night, and there is no way to control my racing mind.

10. Unless I can cure insomnia, there is no way I can enjoy life and be productive.

© 2009 Red Roars: Cures For Insomnia