The Insomnia Phobia Connection

For anyone who has "Insomnia with a capital I," Saniya Warwaruk's TEDx Talk may be the answer they didn't know they were looking for. Even if you don't have "Insomnia with a capital I", there is much to be gained from the advice within. And as always, take it or leave it, the choice is yours.

Saniya's advice and subsequent healing was born of rebel sleep therapist Daniel Erichsen. The advice is sound, no matter if it veers from the mainstream, causing TEDx officials to unwisely censor the video. Which is a gentle reminder that history shows mainstream thinking as wrong whenever science discovers a new truth that doesn't fit the common - and often narrow - narrative. Today's version of rejecting good science, for example, can be seen and heard often with just one word: pseudoscience. Next time someone throws that label around, consider that truth is likely being rejected in favor of a very narrow and limited understanding, like those that rejected the idea that the Earth revolved around the sun, amongst thousands of other ideas that improved our knowledge toward truth. 
Fortunately, even though the video was censored, causing it to be unindexed, it's still available for viewing. Click on the image to be routed to YouTube, or use the direct link: https://youtu.be/X3hAOIAfD6c.

With that PSA aside, let us proceed to the key points of the video's narrative:
Insomnia with a capital "I" ...

• ... is when poor sleep and lack of sleep have gone on for months and years.
• ... is when you've tried every sleep remedy known to mankind and none of it works, or if it does, it doesn't work for long.
• ... is when you start searching for underlying health problems.
• ... is when this search becomes a looped fear response.
• ... is likely a symptom that evolved from anxiety.

Yes, your insomnia may be a symptom, not a disorder. Anxiety comes from many places, and there are ways of healing anxiety. However, here we will address how to end the Insomnia with a capital "I" cycle.

The 4 Steps to Insomnia Recovery

Step 1
Make yourself behave every day "as if" there was no insomnia problem. Just make it a long-term imagination game that just happens to have therapeutic value. Even if you got zero sleep the night before, behave throughout that day "as if" you got 8 hours sleep. By doing this, you remind yourself and your brain that you can and do function without sleep.

Step 2
Stop chasing insomnia cures. Don't take any herbs or pills or therapy or anything else. Behave "as if" there is no insomnia problem. If there is no problem then you need not take measures against it. There is one exception worth noting: Magnesium deficiency is known to play a significant role.

Step 3
No measuring sleep. No watching the clock. Stop caring about how much sleep you got, for how long, or the quality of the sleep.

Step 4
Enjoy your waking moments, no matter what time it is. Is your mind solving a problem in the middle of the night? Great! Sit up and document the solution! 

These steps, over time, re-teach you and your brain that there is nothing to be afraid of. When you are successful, you will also discover that you have a lot more power to heal yourself - aka save yourself - than you ever dreamed of. In fact, if you look closely, you'll may discover other areas in your life where you are "reaching outside yourself for a cure" instead of seeing what you could do for yourself by facing the issue head on. More issues than we might realize are fear-based. And the one, sure way to melt a fear is to face it, head on. Obviously, we're talking about things within our power to control, but it can be surprising to discover that we have a lot more control over our lives than many of us currently believe.

My Experience and Cool Stuff Learned

Fear-based addiction
​My Insomnia with a capital "I" dramatically changed the moment I decided to not give insomnia power over me or my life. In so doing, I began to see the fear pattern that became like an addiction.

I am a problem-solver (healer) by nature. We who love something as potentially dangerous as problem-solving tends to be, can get caught up in a neverending cycle that inadvertently becomes an addiction. It reminds me of how I handled what was an addiction to time.

I experimented with Eckhart Tolle's idea of time addiction by doing something similar to the 4 steps, above. I had to stop obsessing about being on time and getting done on time. I had to stop tracking time. So, the first thing I did was quit wearing a watch. I did very well with the experiment in every way except sleep - which should have been my clue that I had a similar problem where sleep was concerned. Instead, I let my obsession with quality sleep live on, and let go of time obsession everywhere else. It not only worked, but my experiments led me to fun insights about time: I was very successful to the point of being able to, in effect, slow down and speed up time, similar to how a watched pot never boils and time flies when having fun. Now, whenever I need to be somewhere, I relax, go with the flow, and remember, "I'll get where I need to be when I need to be there." That mindset works wonders. Now ... if I can just solve my going overtime with clients!

Faced fears evaporate.
Many times in my life I have faced fears for the purpose of evaporating them. Yet there have been things that I did not know I feared, just like the idea that my sleep problems were fear-based. The moment I read about sleep phobia, resonance kicked in. Whenever resonance is felt, it is wise to follow up. Resonance is your body talking to you, and the body never lies.

I followed up and now I no longer have Insomnia with a capital "I", whether or not I sleep, whether or not my sleep is poor or good. Regardless, I feel much better and can focus on the real problems assaulting my health, like magnesium deficiency, which is also related to insomnia.

The cycles of hidden fear are born of judgment.
When I judged the quality or length of my sleep, it led me down a very unhealthy rabbit hole. When I look anyplace in my life that upsets me or elates me, any extreme emotion, I find judgement has snuck in. Judgment is a sneaky devil at times, and worth rooting out. To find it, just look at any and all extreme emotions, good or bad. When there are strong negative emotions, you'll likely find judgment in the form of blame. When there are strong positive emotions, you'll likely find judgment in the form of idolization. Don't take my word for it. Observe for yourself, but be prepared to be honest with yourself if you want to see clearly.
Judgement is pathological attention. Neutral observation is healthy attention.

Beware the neverending chase.
Don't worry about where the fears came from or even what they are. Just notice what you are always chasing and never finding, and that's what needs to be addressed.

Accomplishment begets better sleep.
Lastly and just as importantly: A day loaded with feelings of accomplishment - whatever that means to you - is a night of more contented sleep.

Feelings of accomplishment arrive best when we choose to enjoy our waking moments, whether or not they are what we wish them to be. Enjoy our chores. Enjoy our work. Enjoy our family, friends, and neighbors. Enjoy the passage of time. If there is something you have tried your absolute best to find a way to enjoy and still can't enjoy it? Then seek help or delegate or do something to change the situation for the better.

When I was younger, I slept best after extensive physical activity during the day. Now that I am limited in physical activity due to disabilities, I find that it is absolutely true that the days I have enjoyed my non-physical daily tasks are the days I sleep easier. Which only tells me that I have been judging my daytime activity since becoming disabled - and that changes, today.

​Happy healing. You've got this. 

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Originally posted 4/25/23