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Re: Get some help with the thinking!

Posted by beth on February 27, 2004 at 14:00:41:

In Reply to: Re: Get some help with the thinking! posted by Carla on February 26, 2004 at 14:19:36:

Carla, I can't say if it's the only way, just that it really helped me. Good sleep hygiene and sleep restriction are accepted methods by all sleep specialists.

Because you've suffered for so long, I think you're on the right track to be looking for a cognitive/behavioral therapist. I read the two books a couple times while searching for a therapist and trying meds, acupuncture, herbs, several sleep specialists. I think I saw a total of 8 doctors about this in a two year period. The first two therapists I tried were actually affiliated with sleep MDs, but they weren't cognitive behavioral specialists and seemed to mostly just want to talk and recommend meds.

By the time I found a cognitive/behaioral therapist, I was doing much better because I was diligently following the advice in the books. I ended up going to see him only twice. I think he was pretty good, though. He was not a sleep specialist, rather someone who treated people with anxiety and phobias. I felt that my fear of insomnia had become a phobia. I found him because of an ad in the Chicago paper. I think the group was called anxiety treatment center or something like that.

My philosophy was and still is, it can't hurt to try sleep restriction and good sleep hygiene. It takes time and patience, but it's really worth it, even if you only see partial improvement. I would also reread the sections in Jacob's books on negative thinking (I think he calls them automatic negative thoughts). That info was very helpful and not told to me by any doctor/therapist. And keep looking for a therapist. You may have to try a couple. You can ask them over the phone what type of therapy they practice. I had one woman tell me she practiced all types of therapy but that she considered cognitive/behavioral just a band-aid approach. So I knew she wasn't what I was looking for. Perhaps years of discussing my childhood would help me eventually, but I felt I knew why I was an anxious person and I just wanted to get some sleep!

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