Mindful Sleep Therapy

“I have been a poor sleeper since my first child was born 30 years ago but in the past 10 years this has got worse, often getting very little sleep. I discovered the London Insomnia Clinic through the internet and attended Guy’s weekend workshop which was most enjoyable, worthwhile and informative. The techniques used - the positive approach to life, living in the present moment and using Guy’s Mindful Sleep Therapy have really made a difference. I found this approach to be very helpful in dealing with sleep problems and also very useful in everyday life. I am now enjoying much better sleep and a better quality of life.
Thank you Guy” Siobhan (Feb 2010 Workshop)

Ray Strange (London)

“My insomnia was a product of my stress and anxiety and reached a pinnacle after the birth of our 3^rd child. I went from the occasionally bad night’s sleep to not sleeping at all. This gradually got worse, until I was getting about 10-15 hours sleep a week and many consecutive nights of not sleeping at all.  My doctor prescribed anti-depressants as well as a course of sleeping pills. After a couple of months the only way I was sleeping was pills combined with alcohol. I went on to try acupuncture and herbal remedies, but realised that nothing was giving me a long term solution.

One morning I decided to throw all the pills away and try a different approach. I discovered the London Insomnia Clinic through Google and put myself on the 6 week plan. Although before attending I would have been the biggest cynic regarding this sort of therapy I was prepared to try anything that could help with my insomnia which by this stage was impacting me physically as well as my family & work life.

Guys methods had an immediate effect and after about 6 weeks I was sleeping better than ever. I don’t necessarily feel cured of insomnia, it may return in future stressful situations, but I do feel equipped through Guys teachings to handle it and be in control of the situation. It is also reassuring to know Guy is always available to talk to in the future if necessary.

I am no longer a cynic and have actually applied his methods to improve other areas of my life as well. I would recommend Guy to anyone suffering from insomnia” Jason (London)

Dear All,

I recently did a TV interview for Conscious TV about the London Insomnia Clinic and Insomnia Prevention Plans that I run. If you would like to watch the interview please click on the link and go to ‘Ways to Heal’.

At the end of the interview I also do a 5 minute mindfulness meditation for you to enjoy!

Wishing you the best of sleep,

Guy

Another good sleeper from the London Insomnia Clinic

I just wanted to say thank you for your help in sorting out my sleep! As you know I suddenly stopped sleeping when previously had no problem. This had been going on for 5 long months and very often I just did not sleep at all. All my GP could do was give me 2 weeks of sleeping tablets and then suggested antidepressants which I knew I did not need! The situation completely took over my life as I was so utterly exhausted! However I saw you for one and half hours and went away feeling positive! I immediately put the programme into practice and within a week was sleeping without props! No tablets, warm milk or hours of relaxation tapes! It is now 2 weeks since I saw you and I am back to leading a normal life!!, sleeping.. drinking and socialising! It is not easy at times to be disciplined and  focused but so woth the effort! I know the skills learnt will be helpful in day to day life. so thank you! it was the best money I have spent in a long time. Kathy Woods (UK)

If you would like to learn more about Mindful Sleep Therapy and how it could potentially help you with your insomnia please visit the London Insomnia Clinic Website. Alternatively if you have a specific enquiry or would like to book a session please email me at guy@londoninsommiaclinic.co.uk.

Wishing you the best of sleep,

Dr. Guy Meadows (PhD)

Dear All,

Mindful Sleep Therapy has recently been mentioned in the ‘Style’ section of the Sunday Times. To read the article please click here.

What is Mindful Sleep Therapy?…If you ask an insomniac what they do to try and sleep, they will give you a long list of almost ritualistic practices they must perform before bed. In my experience such behaviours only act to promote further sleep anxiety, planting seeds of doubt about our ability to sleep and making natural sleep even more difficult to achieve. Ironically it can be our modern ‘fix it’ approach to sleep that makes insomnia worse. Mindful Sleep Therapy teaches people to accept their insomnia, the theory being that the harder you try to fight it the more you fuel it, and the longer it will persist. It’s learning how to let go that allows individuals to sleep naturally again and get on with their lives.
Mindfulness is not a new approach, having been practiced by Buddhist monks for almost 2500 years. The basic principle is to observe what is going on in the present moment, instead of worrying about the past or imagining the future. And to say that its application to sleep is new is not exactly true either, because if you ask a good sleeper what they do to go to sleep they will tell you ‘nothing’. Mindfulness involves little more than learning to be aware of your thoughts, feeling and physical sensations moment by moment, with a non-judgemental attitude. It is this ‘non-doing’ that allows individuals to observe their reactions to poor sleep without trying to fight against it. Overcoming the desire to want to control and fix your sleep problem is the biggest challenge for anyone who has insomnia. But once an individual realises that he cannot stop his mind from coming up with unhelpful thoughts such as: “If I don’t sleep tonight, I will not be able to cope tomorrow”, he therefore no longer needs to abolish them, and instead simply allows them to be there. The result is that he learns to stop fearing his insomnia, and will soon find that he is cured.

If you would like to learn more about ‘Mindful Sleep’ and how it could potentially help you with your insomnia please visit the London Insomnia Clinic Website. Alternatively if you have a specific enquiry or would like to book a session please email me at guy@londoninsommiaclinic.co.uk.

Wishing you the best of sleep,

Dr. Guy Meadows (PhD)