It would be so nice if pain weren't part of being human. If you could just lie here tonight and breathe, feel the softness of your sheets, focus on your heart beating, on the rise and fall of your chest. But for some reason at night, when the darkness surrounds us and the world gets quiet, that's when pain demands our attention. That's when it gets loud. I'm not going to tell you to ignore it. If you could do that, you would have done it a long time ago. And I'm not going to tell you that it's not as bad as it seems right now. You'd probably want to throw your pillow at me if I said that. Maybe both pillows. What I am going to tell you is this. Pain sucks. Pain is exhausting.It's not just physical, it's emotionally draining. It robs us of sleep. And I also should be clear that I'm not a medical professional.If you're experiencing ongoing pain, please don't ignore it. Talk to a health care provider you trust. I'm simply here to help you relax. I'm good at that. And sometimes relaxation is enough to ease what you're feeling, long enough to help you sleep. Tonight we're going to use gentle hypnotherapy to guide your body into deep relaxation.When your body truly relaxes, when your muscles soften, your breathing deepens, and your nervous system finally downshifts, that's when your body's natural pain management systems can actually function better. The volume on pain signals gets turned down. Not off necessarily, but down.And sometimes that's enough. But first, as always, please make sure you're somewhere safe to fall asleep. This episode is designed to help you drift off completely.There's a full disclaimer in the show notes. And if this works for you, leave a review. It's not for me, but for the next person lying awake, searching for something that might help. It's one of the only ways other people can find this show. So now let's talk about why pain makes sleep so difficult and what we can actually do about it. When you're in pain, your body does something very naturally.It tenses up. It's a protective response. Your muscles tighten around the source of pain to protect it from further injury. But that tension actually makes the pain worse. Your muscles are tight, which restricts blood flow. Your breathing becomes shallow.Your nervous system stays on high alert. And all of this amplifies the pain signals traveling to your brain, making them feel louder, more intense. It creates a cycle. Pain causes tension. Tension increases pain. Breaking the cycle requires deep relaxation.When your body relaxes, it really relaxes. Several things happen. Your muscles soften and lengthen.Blood flow increases. Your breathing deepens, which calms your nervous system. The pain is still there. But your brain doesn't perceive it as intensely. Your body also has its own natural pain management system. Compounds like endorphins that ease discomfort. But this system works best when you're relaxed. So tonight we're going to guide you into the deepest relaxation possible. We'll try to break that pain tension cycle. But first, let's begin to release some of the tension you're holding right now. Take a moment to settle yourself into your bed. Maybe you need to shift your hips or to put a pillow under your knees.Pull that blanket up a little higher or let one foot peek out to stay cool. Move however you need to move. And if there's a position that takes pressure off of a painful area, find that position now.Take a slow breath in. And as you breathe in, imagine that breath traveling down into your lungs, bringing fresh oxygen to every corner of your body. And now let it go, imagining all that air flowing back out.One more time. Breathe in slowly, imagining that breath traveling down your throat, filling your chest, expanding your lungs. And exhale even more slowly. Feeling that breath leave your body. Notice how even those few conscious breaths have already started to shift something. In a moment, I'm going to guide you toward relaxation and toward sleep.All you need to do is listen to my voice and let your imagination follow along. If you hear other sounds around you, just notice them. And gently return your attention to my words.Let my voice be your anchor. Let it guide you deeper and deeper. Trust that every word is chosen to help you let go a little more. Now imagine you're standing at the edge of the Sahara Desert. As the sun begins to set, the sky is turning colors you've never seen before. Deep orange fading into pink. The heat of the day is finally easing and the air is cooling. Stretched out before you in every direction are sand dunes. Endless waves of orange sand sculpted by wind into smooth curves. The sand still holds warmth from the day's sun. And as the light fades, it seems to glow from within. As if it's giving back all that light.You can hear the desert wind. The soft whisper as it moves across the dunes. You can hear the sand itself.Millions of grains shifting and settling. Creating a sound like distant water. And there, among smooth rocks and a small grove of date palms, you see an oasis.You see steam rising from a pool of water. A hot spring here in the heart of the Sahara. You make your way toward it. Your feet sinking slightly into the warm sand with each step. And as you get closer, you can see four posts supporting a canopy of sheer fabric. The curtains move gently in the desert breeze. Pillowing and settling. Creating shifting shadows in the fading light. You step under the canopy and the temperature shifts.It's somehow cooler here. More comfortable. To one side, there's a small changing area. Soft towels are folded neatly on a low bench. A simple robe hangs from a wooden peg. On another low table, you find a clay pitcher beaded with condensation. And filled with cool, clean water. Next to it, a simple glass and a small bowl of dates. And somewhere nearby, in a small brass burner, something is releasing the most beautiful sandalwood scent into the air.The scent drifts on the breeze. Mixing with the mineral smell of the hot spring. The sweetness of the date palms.The clean smell of the desert. The pool is surrounded by stones. Worn by centuries of water and wind.The palms provide shelter. Their fronds moving gently in the breeze. And the water sparkles.Catching the last light of the sun. And the first light of emerging stars. This spring has been here for thousands of years. Long before modern times. There's something special about this water. Something that comes from deep within the earth. Minerals. Warmth. Some quality that eases pain. You reach the edge of the pool and sit down on a smooth, flat rock. The stone is still warm from the day's heat. You dangle your feet into the water.The temperature is perfect. Not scalding, but deeply. Thoroughly.Hot. The kind of heat that penetrates your skin. Reaching.Toward your muscles. Toward your bones. You can feel the tension in your feet and ankles beginning to melt away. You ease yourself down into the water. Slowly. The heat wraps around your legs. Your hips. Your lower back. You feel your muscles responding. Softening. Releasing. Tension.The pool has a natural seat carved into the rock. And you lower yourself onto it. The water rises to your shoulders.The heat is penetrating now. You can feel it working its way into sore muscles. Tight joints.Areas that have been hurting. Above you, the sky is deepening. The last pink light has faded. And now the sky is a deep, rich, blue-black. You've never seen so many stars. Thousands of them.Millions, maybe. Stretching from horizon to horizon. The air is cool now.Perfect against your face. While your body is immersed in the hot water. Cool air on your cheeks.Hot water on your neck. And shoulders. You hear the wind again.And the distant hiss of sand shifting. Settling. You hear the gentle murmur of water as it flows into the pool from somewhere deep underground.These are the only sounds. Everything else is a profound. Perfect.Silence. Lean your head back now. Let the water support you.You don't have to hold yourself up. The water is doing that. The earth is doing that.Close your eyes if they're not already closed. The minerals in this water are ancient. They've come from deep in the earth. Carried up by this hot spring. Whatever is in this water. Silica.Sulfur. Magnesium. It's beginning to work on your body now. Notice your fingers and toes. Can you feel a gentle tingling there? A warmth. That's the minerals beginning their work. And your fingertips. And the tips of your toes. You can feel the tension starting to dissolve. The small muscles there. So often tight and forgotten. Are beginning to soften.The sensation spreads slowly into your hands now. Your palms. Your wrists.The minerals are seeping through your skin. Finding those small joints. The tendons.The places that ache. Feel how your hands are becoming heavier. More relaxed.The sensation continues its slow journey inward. Into your forearms now. Your calves.The muscles there are softening. If you've been holding tightness in your calves. Feel it releasing.If your forearms have been tense. Feel them growing heavy and loose. Moving upward now into your upper arms. Your thighs. Those large muscles that do so much work. Feel how the heat is penetrating into those muscle fibers.Any knots. Any tight bands of muscle tissue are beginning to unwind. The minerals are working their way in. Carrying healing. Carrying relief. The healing water reaches your shoulders now.Your hips. Places where we carry too much tension. And so much of the day's stress. Into your back now. Your lower back. Your middle back. Your upper back. The heat is penetrating all the way to your spine. The small muscles along your spine which work so hard to hold you upright can now rest.Feel them releasing one by one. And now the healing reaches your core. Your chest.Your abdomen. Feel how your breathing is easier. How your chest can expand more fully.Any tightness in your belly is releasing. The warmth is reaching inward. Toward your very center. At the cellular level. Oxygen and nutrients are reaching cells that have been starved of them. Waste products and toxins are being carried away.Your cells are being bathed in healing minerals. In warmth. In exactly what they need.You are being renewed from the inside out. From your fingertips to your core. From your toes to the crown of your head.Every muscle is loose. Every cell refreshed and restored. Your body is receiving the message that you're safe.You can let go now. The stars overhead are so bright. So clear.You could watch them for hours. But your eyelids are growing heavy. Let them be heavy. Let them stay closed. The wind whispers across the sand. Your breathing is slow and deep.  You are completely alone here, but not lonely. You are held by the earth itself, by this ancient water, by this healing place that has offered comfort to travelers for thousands of years.The water is doing the work. Your body is doing the work. All you have to do is rest here, breathing slowly, feeling the warmth.. Notice how heavy your body has become. How relaxed. How tension has melted away. You could stay here all night if you wanted. But you're aware, dimly, that you're actually in your own bed. That the heat of the water is actually the warmth of your blankets. That the stars overhead are actually the quiet darkness of your own room.Your breathing continues, slow and natural. The wind whispers. The water holds you. The earth supports you. The stars shine overhead. Let yourself drift now. Like a grain of sand carried on that gentle wind. Like heat rising from the cooling desert. Having pain is hard. It's not fair. Sometimes our bodies feel like they're letting us down, and that's such a difficult feeling to carry. I hope this visualization has given you some respite. Some softening of what you've been feeling. Some relief from the constant presence of discomfort. You deserve that relief. You deserve rest. Sleep is coming now. Let it comes easily. While you wait for it, your soft bed brings you some comfort. The quiet darkness of your room brings you some peace. The weight of your blankets feels like a gentle embrace.  Be kind to your body tonight. It's doing the best it can. It's working hard, even now, to heal and restore itself. Speak to it gently. Treat it with compassion. It deserves that from you. All good things are coming to you now. Rest. Relief. Sleep. Tomorrow will be a new day, and you'll face it more rested. For now, just breathe. Just rest. I’m Suzanne. This is your ticket to snozeville. Sleep now. Sleep deeply. Sleep well,