Finding a Path to Sleep

Common to many with illness is the inability to fall asleep. Many would rather not add one more prescription to the medicines taken. I think we are fighting a lot but it still might help. Self hypnosis may be a way to relax and get some rest, and perhaps sleep. I am not a hypnotist or psychologist. Check in with yours for some good ideas. Meanwhile, here's one approach to it that I've used before.

First follow these two steps  to calm your mind. The first idea is to stimulate both sides of the brain and stop the brain from focusing on stress. To do so, try tossing a ball or bean bag gently back and forth from hand to hand for several minutes. As you do so, your stress should drop down. Toss a few minutes until your stress drops low.

For the second step, lie down comfortably in bed and do the following  visual exercise. Stare at a spot on the ceiling, focusing, then widen your gaze out in all directions while still staring. This gets you to focus outside yourself.||

Relax. Close your eyes and breathe gently, slowly deepening your breath as you relax. Slowly focus on your toes and let the muscles in them relax. Then, relax your feet, your ankles, and so on, from your feet to the top of your head. Now, visualize yourself floating on soft, gentle cloud, floating above a mountain. The cloud is comfortable. You are safe. You float down the mountain on the cloud, hearing the sound of birds. You hear the sound of a waterfall and follow the rippling stream bed as you float down the mountain. Your breathing is deep and slow, as you float on the cozy cloud. Slowly down the mountain and along the stream bed you float, listening to birds and flowing water until you come to the stream flowing into the sea. You drift off to sleep, cradled by the soft, fluffy cloud.