Cbt for insomnia

what is cbT-i?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is a highly effective, evidence-based treatment for individuals struggling with chronic insomnia. Unlike medications, CBT-I addresses the underlying causes of insomnia by changing the thoughts and behaviors that interfere with restful sleep. This structured program combines cognitive techniques to create distance from unhelpful beliefs about sleep with behavioral strategies to establish healthy sleep patterns.

Through education, sleep hygiene, and tailored interventions like stimulus control and sleep restriction, CBT-I helps you achieve lasting improvements in your sleep quality and overall well-being. Whether you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early,

CBT-I can provide the tools and support you need to build confidence in your ability to sleep and enjoy more restorative nights.

what is insomnia?

Not all sleep issues will be diagnosed as insomnia

but all sleep issues can still be addressed in treatment

Common insomnia symptoms include the following and can vary in intensity and frequency

(see list to the right)

  • Difficulty Initiating Sleep

    • Issues with laying in bed at the end of the night, not being able to fall asleep.

  • Waking After Sleep Onset

    Difficulty maintaining sleep, characterized by frequent awakenings or problems with returning to sleep after awakenings.

  • Waking up before your desired wake up time (alarm) with inability to return to sleep.

  • Some people experience issues with falling asleep, waking up multiple times in the night and/or waking up before they intend to in the morning.

    CBTi can support any combination of these sleep issues.

my unique approach to cbt-i puts your needs at the center of treatment. I strive to ensure that we are setting reasonable goals and implementing tools and techniques that are practical and tailored to your life.

while traditional cbt-i programs can take a “cookie-cutter” approach to treating sleep - our time together will personalized and comprehensive.

i want to help you build confidence in your ability to sleep and handle the stressors of daily life.

 Key components of CBT for insomnia include:

  • Initial Assessment:

    • Session talking about symptoms

    • Sleep Diary: Tracking sleep patterns, duration, and quality.

    • Questionnaires as needed: Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

    Sleep Education:

    • Sleep Basics: Sleep stages, sleep cycles, and the importance of sleep.

    • Myths about Sleep: Debunking common misconceptions.

  • Lean how to create an environment, routine and behaviors that support sleep.

    • Traditional CBT techniques will be used where applicable. I tend to utilize more Third Wave CBT approaches in my work with sleep

    • Cognitive defusion/flexibiliy: Learn how to identify and create distance from negative thoughts about sleep.

    • Mindfulness and Relaxation: Learn techniques to help reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.

    • Stimulus Control

    • Sleep Consolidation

    • Managing daytime and nighttime hyperarousal

  • In some circumstances, people with insomnia can present with symptoms similar to trauma (intrusive thoughts about not being able to sleep, avoidance of bed out of fear of not being able to sleep, negative mood and thoughts, and hyperarousal issues).

    I have had success treating acute and chronic sleep issues with EMDR.

  • Through evidence-based techniques and strategies, CBT-I addresses the underlying causes of insomnia, promoting sustainable and healthy sleep patterns without the need for pharmaceutical interventions.

    If you are already utilizing medication on a regular basis and want to reduce usage, we will work closely with your prescribing physician to support you titrating off medication.

  • You’ll learn skills that you can utilize to prevent and/or manage relapse.

  • Once treament has conclude and sleep has stabilized some people appreciating checking in on a monthly or quarterly to support sleep maintenance.

  • "I believe that the 16 waking hours spent outside the bedroom are equally influential as the 8 hours allocated for sleep. The skills and techniques you will learn to improve your sleep will also be instrumental in managing daily stress and hyperarousal. These strategies are designed to support not only your sleep quality but also your overall well-being throughout the day."

  • "If you need a pill to make you sleep then the implication is that you must be unable to sleep on your own. This means that when you take a sleeping pill, any success will be attributed to the medication. The result is that you come to trust more and more in the drug and less and less in yourself until, eventually, you have lost all belief and trust in your own ability to sleep.”

    Sasha Stephens, The Effortless Sleep Method:The Incredible New Cure for Insomnia and Chronic Sleep Problems

  • “sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day—Mother Nature’s best”

    Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams

Interested in working together?