When I was a kid, I remember watching this Bugs Bunny cartoon, where Bugs hypnotizes Elmer Fudd into thinking he's a rabbit. Elmer starts hopping around, munching carrots. And I thought it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen.And that was my first exposure to hypnosis. And honestly, it seemed a little mysterious and maybe even a bit scary. Like, could someone really do that? Could they make you believe you're something you're not? Well, now as an adult, I'm here to tell you, it can't.I can't make you think you're a rabbit. I can't even make you go to sleep if you don't want to. But if you want to, hypnotherapy can be incredibly effective. It's an amazing tool. And tonight, I want to talk briefly about it. Shine a little light on why hypnotherapy can be so powerful for sleep. And use all the tools at my disposal to help you fall asleep before we get to the end. So what is hypnotherapy, really? It's not mind control. It's not magic. What it is actually is a way of guiding your attention so completely, so fully, that your conscious mind, that busy, chattering, problem-solving part of you, takes a back seat. And when that happens, your nervous system can finally do what it's been wanting to do all along. Shift into rest mode.Because your body already knows how to sleep. You've done it thousands of times. But sometimes, your mind gets in the way. Hypnotherapy is like giving your mind something else to focus on. And when your mind stops trying, your body remembers what to do. I'm not asking you to believe in anything mystical.I'm just asking you to listen. To let my voice be something your attention can rest on. And to trust that your body already has everything it needs to fall asleep.It just needs a little help getting out of its own way. But before we go any further, I need to remind you to make absolutely sure you're somewhere safe for sleep. If you're interested, there's a full disclaimer in the show notes.And this is also that moment where I ask you to follow the show, if you haven't already. And here's why it actually matters. The more familiar my voice becomes to you, the more effective these episodes will be.When you hear a voice you recognize, a voice that's been with you on other difficult nights. Your body already starts to relax. Before I've even said much of anything, you've built an association.Every time you come back, these episodes work a little better. And if you're new here, welcome. I'm glad you found me. So let's start by finding your most comfortable position. I want you to let your head sink into your pillow. It's okay to adjust your shoulders.You might want to shift your hips slightly until everything feels just right. There's no hurry. Take your time.And when you're ready, bring your attention to your breathing. Don't change it yet. Just notice how you're breathing right now.Is it shallow? Quick? Do you feel like you're holding some breath somewhere in your chest? That's very normal when you're stressed or when you can't sleep. So let's change that together. I want you now to take a slow breath in through your nose and then exhale through your mouth.But here's the important part. Make this exhale longer than your inhale. Let that exhale flow out slowly and steadily, like you're gently blowing on hot tea to cool it down.That longer exhale activates something called your vagus nerve. It's like a direct line from your breathing to your nervous system. And when you lengthen your exhale, you're essentially sending a signal.We're safe. We can rest. Your heart rate begins to slow.The tension you've been carrying starts to ease. Let's do this together a few more times. Breathe in slowly through your nose. Fill up your lungs completely and then exhale through your mouth, letting that breath flow out for as long as it feels comfortable. As you continue breathing this way, slow inhale, longer exhale. I want you to imagine something with each breath out.Imagine fresh oxygen flooding into different parts of your body with each inhale and all that tension, all the stress from your long day, leaving with each exhale. Feel that release move through your face, all those tiny muscles around your eyes and your forehead, your jaw. They've been working so hard all day.Let them soften now. Breathe in fresh, calming oxygen and exhale, letting your neck and shoulders release. Feel those muscles at the top of your shoulders, the ones that have been creeping up towards your ears all day.Feel them dropping, growing heavy. Another breath in and as you exhale, that wave of relaxation moves down through your chest and upper back. Your heart doesn't have to work so hard now because everything is slowing down.Breathe in and exhale, sending that release down through your arms, your upper arms grow heavy, your elbows soften, your forearms relax completely. Feel it moving all the way to your hands, your fingers uncurling naturally, becoming loose and still. Now feel that heaviness, that delicious relaxation moving down through your lower back and hips.All the muscles that have been holding you upright all day can finally let go. Feel your legs growing heavy, your knees soften, your calves release any lingering tension. And finally, feel that wave of relaxation reach all the way down to your feet, to your toes. Imagine all that stress, all that tension from your entire day flowing out through the soles of your feet and disappearing. Your whole body is heavy now, completely relaxed, supported, safe. As we begin this journey together, I want you to focus completely on the sound of my voice.Let it become the only thing that matters. If other sounds drift in from outside, just let them fade into the background. My voice is your anchor, your guide.You don't have to think about where we're going or what comes next. Trust that I'll guide you safely through this experience, all the way to sleep. Now I want you to imagine something peaceful.Picture yourself lying on an air mattress, floating on a lazy river. And this isn't just any air mattress, it's one of those larger ones. Wider and longer than standard.It has a raised pillow section that cradles your head perfectly. The surface is soft and substantial and it feels completely secure beneath you. The sun has been shining all day and you've spent hours outside, swimming, relaxing, feeling the warmth on your skin.You have that good kind of tired that comes from a perfect day in the fresh air. Your body feels pleasantly heavy, your skin still warm from the sun. This river is old, so old.It's been flowing in the same gentle path for thousands of years. Maybe longer. The smooth stones on the riverbed have been worn round by centuries of water moving over them.The water moves so slowly, so gently, that there's no sense of rushing or urgency. It's more like being rocked in the world's gentlest embrace. The water itself is wonderfully warm.It's such a pleasant temperature, neither hot nor cool, just perfectly comfortable. As you float, you can feel your heartbeat beginning to slow, finding a quieter, steadier rhythm. This gentle rocking motion of the river is like the rocking you might have felt as a child, that ancient soothing motion that tells your body you're safe.The sun is getting lower now and the light is turning golden. Soft clouds drift overhead, moving in the same unhurried direction as you. A thrush flies across your field of vision, its wings moving in slow, graceful beats.Soon it will settle onto a branch, tuck its head beneath its wing, fluff its feathers around itself like a soft blanket. The riverbanks on either side of you are lined with trees. Tall willows trail their long branches into the water, and you can hear the gentle whisper of leaves stirring in the evening breeze.Let one hand slip over the side and trail in the water. Feel how warm it is, how silky it feels against your fingers. The water slides smoothly past your hand as you drift.It's soothing, this sensation. You lift your hand back onto the mattress and let it rest there, droplets of water drying on your skin. The river rocks you gently with each small ripple, and your body responds, releasing tension with every soft movement.The air smells green and alive. There's a scent of the warm water, that mineral smell of river stones warmed by the sun, the earthy smell of the money banks, something sweet, maybe honeysuckle growing along the shore, and underneath it all, that clean smell of moving water and growing things. The light is changing now, getting dimmer.The golden hour is fading into that blue-gray time between day and night. The clouds above you are losing their pink edges, becoming softer, darker. A few early stars are beginning to appear, just the brightest ones at first, barely visible in the darkening blue.Your eyelids are growing heavier. That pleasant fatigue from your day in the sun is spreading through your entire body now. Your arms feel weighted, your legs completely relaxed.The river continues its gentle rocking, each small motion lulling you deeper into this peaceful state. The trees on riverbank are becoming silhouettes now, dark shapes against the sky. A robin makes its last call of the day, a gentle descending note.The river is getting narrower here, the banks closer, the trees overhead are beginning to form a canopy, their branches reaching toward each other from both sides. It feels more enclosed now, more protected, like the river is gently wrapping itself around you. Your muscles have released completely now, there's no tension anywhere in your body.The rocking of the water is synchronized with your breathing, a gentle rise and fall. Your nervous system recognizes this rhythm, this ancient pattern, and responds by letting go even more deeply. The current is slowing even more now, you're barely moving.The water has become very still, very quiet. The trees overhead have formed a complete canopy, and through the gaps between leaves you see stars, so many stars. A firefly blinks near the shore, then another.Their gentle lights pulse in the gathering dark, like tiny, peaceful heartbeats. Everything around you is settling into sleep, the water beneath you has become perfectly still, you can't feel any current at all anymore. You're simply floating in this warm, dark, and peaceful place.Your body feels so heavy, so relaxed. Each breath you take is slow and deep, and as you float here in this perfect stillness, in this perfect darkness, you begin to realize something. You're not on the river anymore, you're in your bed, you've been in your bed.The river has carried you exactly where you needed to go, into this deep and peaceful state of rest. The soft darkness around you is the darkness of your own room. The quiet you hear is the quiet of night.

The journey is complete. You're home. You're safe. And sleep is here now. Not somewhere in the distance, not something you have to chase or wait for. It's here, surrounding you like that warm water surrounded you. Like those dark trees sheltered you. Like the peaceful night embraced you.

You don't have to do anything at all. Sleep knows how to find you. Your body knows how to surrender to it. This is as natural as that river flowing, as old as the earth itself. You're simply allowing what wants to happen.

Your breathing continues, slow and steady. Like the gentle movement of water. You're part of this ancient pattern now. Part of the cycle of day and night, waking and sleep.

Let yourself sink now into your bed the way you sank into that warm water. Let the heaviness you feel become complete. Let your thoughts drift away. Nothing is important now except this moment, this rest, this peace.

Sleep is already beginning to wrap itself around you. You can feel it at the edges of your consciousness - soft, gentle, inevitable. Like twilight becoming night. Like the river finding its still, dark pool. Like coming home after a long journey.

There's nothing to worry about. Nothing to figure out. Nothing to control or manage or solve. The river carried you safely, and now sleep will carry you too. Trust it. Trust this process that's as old as life itself.

You're safe. You're warm. You're home. And sleep is here, wrapping around you like water, like darkness. I’m Suzanne. This is  Your Ticket to Snoozeville. Sleep now. Sleep deeply. Sleep well.