Struggling to Sleep? How Therapy Can Help You Finally Rest

If you’re reading this at 2am, unable to switch off or you’re exhausted but still can’t sleep — you’re not alone.

Sleep struggles aren’t just about feeling tired. They affect everything — your mood, your focus, your energy levels, even how you feel about yourself.

So many people tell me:

• “I just can’t switch my brain off at night.”

• “I used to be a great sleeper, but now I dread bedtime.”

• “I feel like I’ve lost control over my own body.”

And here’s the thing: sleep isn’t just physical — it’s deeply tied to emotions, identity and the nervous system. If you’ve been struggling with sleep for a while, you might have unknowingly absorbed beliefs like:
✔ "I'm a bad sleeper."
✔ "Sleep is impossible for me."
✔ "I'll never be able to rest properly again."

But what if sleep isn’t the problem? What if the issue is that your mind and body have been running on survival mode for too long and they’ve simply forgotten how to let go?

Why Can’t I Sleep?

Sleep isn’t something you can force. It’s something that happens when your mind and body trust that it’s safe to switch off.

But when life is overwhelming, stressful, or traumatic, your nervous system stays stuck in high alert—even when you’re exhausted.

You might notice:

• An overactive mind that won’t switch off

• Tension in your body—tossing, turning, unable to get comfortable

• A racing heart or tight chest when you try to drift off

• Waking up at 3am with thoughts spiraling

• Feeling like your body has forgotten how to sleep

For some, this starts after a stressful event—like burnout, grief, or trauma. For others, it’s something they’ve struggled with for years and can’t remember a time when sleep came easily.

And over time, this becomes part of your identity.

The Hidden Identity of Insomnia

If you’ve been battling sleep issues for a while, you may have started to believe:
❌ “I’m just someone who doesn’t sleep well.”
❌ “Sleep is something other people get, not me.”
❌ “I have to control everything to have any chance of rest.”

These beliefs sink deep into your identity, making it feel like insomnia is just who you are now. And when something becomes part of your identity, it’s much harder to shift.

Most clients I work with around sleep say:

• “I just want to stop feeling anxious about sleep.”

• “I want to wake up feeling refreshed, not exhausted.”

• “I want to trust that my body knows how to rest again.”

It’s not just about sleep. It’s about feeling safe, calm, and in control again.

How Therapy Can Help You Sleep Again

1. IEMT (Integral Eye Movement Therapy): Letting Go of Stuck Memories and Emotions

Sometimes, the reason we can't sleep is because our mind is holding on to things we haven’t fully processed — stressful memories, worries, or emotions that keep looping in our heads when we lie down to rest.

IEMT helps you release those negative emotions and memories . It works by using simple eye movements that help your brain reprocess and “file away” these emotional memories so they don’t keep replaying anymore.

IEMT can help you:
✅ Let go of negative memories and emotions that keep your mind racing at night
✅ Break free from the cycle of overthinking and worrying in bed
✅ Feel calmer, lighter and more at peace before sleep

Many people say that after IEMT, the memories or worries that used to keep them awake no longer have the same hold over them—making it much easier to relax and drift off naturally.

2. Hypnotherapy: Rewiring Your Subconscious for Rest

Hypnotherapy guides your mind into a deeply relaxed state, where we can:
✅ Teach your body how to let go and trust sleep again
✅ Reprogramme beliefs like “I’m a bad sleeper” into “My body knows how to rest”
✅ Reduce bedtime anxiety so you stop dreading sleep
✅ Create a strong mental association between bedtime and calmness

It’s like rewiring your brain so sleep feels natural again, rather than a battle.

3. Identity Work: Reclaiming Your Natural Sleep Patterns

One of the biggest blocks to overcoming sleep issues is when insomnia becomes part of your identity. If you see yourself as “someone who can’t sleep,” your brain will keep proving that belief true.

Using identity work, we can:
✅ Unpick the unconscious beliefs keeping you stuck
✅ Create a new, healthier identity—where rest and sleep feel safe
✅ Help you let go of control and trust that sleep will come naturally again

Shifting your identity from “I’m an insomniac” to “I’m someone who sleeps well” may sound simple, but it can be life-changing.

You Deserve Rest

If you’ve been struggling with sleep for months or even years, it’s easy to feel like this is just “how it is now.”

But your mind and body can learn to sleep again—easily and effortlessly, just like you used to.