I became fascinated with sleep and sleeplessness about 10 years ago, when I suddenly started having trouble, not just falling asleep, but staying asleep. Something I'd always taken for granted was now mysteriously eluding me, and being who I am, I dove headfirst into research, buying every book and reading every study I could find. And what I learned terrified me. If the experts were right, my sleep deprivation meant I was doomed. I pictured myself wandering around in mismatched shoes, unable to remember my own name. While my organs gradually shut down one by one. Dramatic, absolutely, but that's where my mind went. The result? I became so anxious about not sleeping that I couldn't sleep. I developed incredibly rigid ideas about what good sleep had to look like. It needed to be exactly 8 hours, on a perfect schedule, hitting all the right sleep cycles. And looking back, it's clear, I was getting in my own way. It took changing my entire approach to sleep before I started sleeping normally again. And if you've been suffering from sleeplessness for a while, you might be standing in your own way too. Tonight we're going to explore how you might be blocking your own path to sleep. We'll engage in some gentle relaxation techniques, and then use guided hypnotherapy to help you move past those barriers. But first, a gentle reminder, please make sure you're somewhere safe and comfortable, where you can actually fall asleep. You can find our full disclaimer in the show notes. And hey, if our episodes have been helping, even just keeping you company, would you consider following the podcast? It helps others discover us. And selfishly, it makes me feel like all those hours I spend talking softly into a microphone are not completely wasted. And to everyone who has already hit that follow button, thank you. There are three common ways we tend to stand in our own way when it comes to sleep. The first way we block our path is through self-sabotaging sleep behaviors. These are the little things we do that seem harmless, but they actually keep our minds activated. Maybe you check the time repeatedly. You calculate how many hours of sleep you might still get. And maybe you reach for your phone when sleep doesn't come. 20 minutes later, an hour later, you're still scrolling. Your brain is now fully awake from the blue light and stimulation. The second barrier is perfectionism about sleep. And this happens when we develop rigid ideas about what our sleep should look like. You might have specific expectations. Exactly how many hours of sleep you need. What time you should fall asleep. How quickly you should drift off. When reality doesn't match those expectations, which it often won't. Anxiety follows. Sleep naturally varies from night to night. Some nights we fall asleep quickly. Other nights it takes longer. When we hold tightly to perfect sleep standards, we create pressure. And this pressure makes natural sleep more difficult to achieve. The third obstacle is the inner critic at bedtime. This is the voice that begins to judge and criticize as the night wears on. I should be asleep by now. I'm going to be so tired tomorrow. Why can't I do this simple thing that everyone else does naturally? This voice creates feelings of frustration and anxiety. Sometimes it even brings shame around sleep. These emotions are incompatible with the sense of safety and peace that sleep requires. These three barriers can keep us trapped in wakefulness. But tonight we're going to practice gently stepping aside. We'll create space for sleep to find us. Now let's prepare your body and mind for rest. Find a comfortable position where you can remain still. Let's begin with some deep breathing. Take a slow breath in through your nose, hold it briefly, and then exhale through your mouth. Feel your body growing heavier. Let's do that once more. Breathe in deeply, hold, and release. Notice how your body relaxes with each exhale. And now we'll move through a gentle tension and release exercise. Start with your feet. Curl your toes and tighten all the muscles in your feet. Hold and release. Feel the difference as those muscles let go. Move to your legs. Tighten the muscles in your calves and thighs. Hold and release. Notice the pleasant heaviness that remains. Bring your attention to your abdomen and chest. Tighten those muscles. Hold and release. Feel your breathing becoming deeper and more natural. Now your hands and arms. Make fists and tighten your arms. Hold and release. Feel warmth flowing into your fingers. Your shoulders are next. Raise them toward your ears and hold and then release, letting them drop completely. Finally, your face. Scrunch up all the muscles in your face and hold. Hold and then release. Feel your expression becoming peaceful. Take a moment to scan your body. If you notice any tension anywhere, breathe into those places and let them soften. Your entire body is now relaxed. Each breath continues to deepen this peaceful state. Now I'll guide you through a gentle visualization. Before we begin, settle yourself comfortably. Allow your body to relax and close your eyes if they're not already closed. Notice the darkness behind your eyelids. At first, all you see is blackness. An empty canvas. But as you continue to breathe deeply, that darkness begins to take shape in your imagination. Slowly an image starts to form. The blackness transforms into a long, long hallway stretching out before you. It's so vast that you cannot see the end of it. On both sides are doors. So many doors, it would be impossible to count them all. Each door represents a different belief, a habit, or an assumption that belongs to you. This entire place is your consciousness. The inner landscape of your mind. Tonight, you'll be visiting three specific rooms, each containing one of those obstacles that might be standing in your way. Walk slowly down the corridor, and soon you'll come to the first door that calls to you. As you turn the handle and step inside, you find yourself in what appears to be a vault room, just like you'd find in a bank. The room has marble floors and high ceilings. One entire wall is the door to a massive steel safe. With a heavy door and an intricate locking mechanism, you look down at your hand and see your own phone there. Glowing and active, pulling at your attention. You know that checking your phone during the night only makes sleeplessness worse. Each notification, each scroll through social media, each glance at the time, only activates your brain further when it should be winding down. But when you can't sleep, reaching for your phone can feel almost automatic. Walk toward the imposing safe and pull open its heavy door. It moves smoothly despite its weight. Gently place your phone inside the vault. As you close the heavy door, it shuts with a satisfying thud. Hear the gears whirring and clicking into place as the lock engages. Your phone is now safely stored away where it should be when you wake in the night and feel tempted to pick it up. Maybe not in a safe, but in a drawer or somewhere less accessible. Your hands are now empty. Your mind a little clearer. Exit this room and return to the corridor. Continue walking until you reach another door. As you open it, you enter a room that resembles an office or study. The walls are lined with schedules. In the center of the room hangs a large calendar. With your name on it. You see that each night is filled with rigid sleep rules and expectations that someone's added in black felt marker. Must sleep 8 hours. Must fall asleep by 10.30. Must wake at 6.30 exactly. Notice the large window on the far wall of the room. As you approach the calendar, the window suddenly flies open. A powerful wind rushes in. Wild and liberating. Watch as this wind catches the calendar, making the pages flutter. The pages begin to tear away. First one and then another and then faster and faster. Each page with its rigid rules and expectations rips free and is carried away. See the pages tumbling and spinning as they disappear into the vast night sky. There's something profoundly liberating in this moment. As if you've given yourself permission to exist in harmony with your natural rhythms. Leave this room and continue your journey until you come to a third door. Open the door and enter a room that feels like a cozy living room. In the center of the room sits an old-fashioned radio cabinet. It's made of rich, polished wood with an illuminated dial that casts a soft glow. As you approach, you notice it's turned on. And the voice coming from it is your own voice. Saying all those critical things you tell yourself when sleep won't come. I should be asleep by now. I'm going to be so tired tomorrow. Why can't I do a simple thing? Everyone else can sleep normally. Notice the volume dial on the radio. Reach out and place your fingers on it. Slowly. Deliberately. Begin to turn the dial counterclockwise. With each click, the critical voice becomes a little quieter. Click. I should be asleep. Click. I'm going to be... Click. Why can't I... Click. Until finally, with one last turn, the voice falls silent. The absence of that critical voice creates a profound sense of peace in this room. This peaceful silence is what remains when you set aside self-criticism. As you return to the corridor one last time, you notice that the corridor begins to fade around you, gradually dissolving. You've silenced the critical voice that creates anxiety around sleep, and you've freed yourself from rigid expectations. Science has shown that when we imagine ourselves doing something, our minds begin to believe it's possible. Notice how much lighter and more peaceful you feel. Your mind is quieter now. Your body feels increasingly heavy and comfortable. With each breath, feel that delicious heaviness spreading through your limbs. There's a wonderful drowsiness washing over you, like gentle waves on a shore. Your eyelids are becoming heavier. Your breathing has found its natural, sleep-ready rhythm. Experience how pleasant it is to simply lie here, free from distraction, free from rigid expectations, free from self-criticism. Your muscles have softened, and your jaw has unclenched. Every part of you is being gently cradled in comfort. Your natural ability to sleep can now emerge without interference. Your body knows how to sleep. It's been doing it your entire life. Feel yourself becoming sleepier. With each breath, notice the comfortable warmth spreading throughout your body. The transition into sleep feels effortless now. A gentle glide, rather than a struggle. Remember, you don't need to do anything to fall asleep. You've already done the most important thing. You've gotten out of your own way. Let yourself drift, carried on waves of comfort and peace, knowing that your mind and body are perfectly prepared for deep, restful sleep. I'm Suzanne. This is your ticket to Snoozeville. Sleep now. Sleep deeply. Sleep well.