Mental imagery has been used for hundreds of years to change beliefs
and behavior patterns. Today it is used for various medical
conditions, to help a professional athlete maximize his performance,
to enhance creativity, assist a writer to conjure up ideas and for
compulsive disorders such as overeating and smoking.
A simple imagery exercise will frequently help a person overcome
insomnia. Once a person has established normal sleeping patterns it
can occasionally reinforce falling asleep under unusual
circumstances, such as traveling or when noise is interfering with
sleep.
Practice the imagery until you find that you are sleeping better or
can now fall asleep quickly. Make no assumption about how long you
need to practice the imagery so disappointment does not enter the
picture. Do not practice the imagery lying in bed or within three
hours of bedtime. You must not connect the imagery with any expectant
results, such as using it and anticipating you will then fall asleep.
On the other hand, you must always maintain the belief that it will
work. It's a matter of conditioning and that takes time.
Imagery for those who have difficulty in falling asleep.
Sit in a chair. Close your eyes and see yourself as a rag
doll. Then slowly inhale, hold your breath a few seconds. Then as you
exhale imagine pouring yourself into your rag doll self. Take a
second breath and repeat the above. You are now in a state of
relaxation.
Visualize getting ready for sleep. See yourself walk over to
the bed, lie down, place your head on the pillow and immediately fall
asleep. Repeat up to ten times in any one exercise period.
That is all that is needed. I suggest that you do the
exercises 6 to 20 times a day. If some outside noise interferes
that you can't control then add the following to the imagery. Say
to
yourself that you will not be disturbed by external noise of any kind
now or when asleep. Repeat the phrase each time you do the imagery.
Remember that if you do these exercises six times a day then you are
repeating the visualization at least sixty times a day. Each
visualization takes about ten seconds. Thus the total time for the
imagery exercises is about ten minutes a day.
Do not practice this imagery to induce sleep at bedtime. The
imagery exercises should be done during regular daytime activities.
You are changing a belief system that affects your sleep that is
present in your unconscious mind. When the belief you can not sleep
is changed then you should be able to sleep. It is most important
that you practice this simple exercise for as long as necessary. Do
it as many times a day as possible. But never while driving a car.
Imagery for those who awaken in the middle of the night and can't
fall back to sleep.
Sit in a chair. Follow the above relaxation technique.
Visualize yourself lying asleep in bed, and then awakening at
whatever time you tend to awaken during the night. You imagine
getting out of bed, going to the bathroom or whatever activity you
initially do when you arise in the middle of the night. As soon as
the activity is completed see yourself lie down to resume sleep, but
now you immediately fall asleep.
Insomniacs, who awaken in the middle of the night but do not get out
of bed, should visualize awakening, realize that it is in the middle
of the night and immediately go back to sleep.
Repeat up to ten times in any one exercise period.
Do the exercise 6 to 20 times a day or more.
Imagery requires a strong emotional belief to make it work. If you do
not invest the imagery with positive feelings and a strong desire to
change, plus having the expectations that you will change, the
process is much less apt to work.
If you are using sleep aids, such as sleeping pills, I suggest that
you do not break your normal method of sleeping without consulting
your physician and certainly not before you have practiced the
imagery exercises for at least several weeks. Then with medical
supervision you can reduce or stop your medication. If you find you
can not sleep at that time resume the imagery for another two or more
weeks. Some of my patients changed their mindset within several
weeks. Some have taken more than two months to do so. Continue until
it works. Fight any tendency to diminish your doubts in the imagery.
I have found that some of my patients have incorporated additional
imagery in the above exercise. They see themselves floating on a
cloud or on a lily pad on a quiet pond or floating on water. While in
their newly visualized environment they do the above simple
exercises. In the case of imagery, more is better. And adding other
forms of relaxation can be helpful to some.
Most important is patience. This simple technique has worked for
hundreds of people. It can work for you.
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Dr. Marvin Berenson, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences at the USC School of Medicine, offers a free 31 page e-book
Self Growth and the Power of Mental Imagery , from his website
www.marvinberenson.com . He has written several books about mental
imagery, including The Five Keys to Permanent Weight Control and The
Stranger in My Bed.