Anxiety Control Center

As I was working on my online course for people suffering with sleep problems, I found something that was really disturbing.  I decided to look over some of the popular self-help books about curing sleep problems, and see if there was any new books I would like to recommend to my clients.

As I read through a number of books, what disturbed me was that left the reader with the impression, that if the person reading the book wasn’t getting relief, it was because they weren’t trying hard enough.  One book I won’t mention here actually came right out and said, “if you aren’t falling asleep after reading their book and doing the exercises  it is because you aren’t doing it right.”  Wow, talk about putting the blame in the wrong place, saying that somehow it was the readers’ fault, and couldn’t possibly be the fault of the information in the book or some other reason.   Well that just burned me up.

After over 25 years helping people with insomnia, panic, anxiety and even Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Migraines, I have found most people will do almost anything to get a good night sleep.  So I’m going to believe that a person who buys a book to get help, is going to do the exercises and be reading in a hopeful and open-minded state.  If this has ever happened to you, where you truly were trying to make a change, but not getting the results you hoped for,  it may be possible that the problem isn’t that your doing things incorrectly.   It might be that either the book isn’t right for you or that there are underlying issues that need to be resolved before the exercises will work for you.

There is a simple skill that you can learn that has helped countless people to sleep anywhere, anytime they want.   It is called the “5,4,3,2,1 Exercise” and I have used  it to sleep easily, where ever I go.  I’ve even found it worked for me while I was on a tour bus.  My friends were amazed that I could go to sleep at will.  And  I loved being refreshed and ready to enjoy each stop on the tour.

There are a few things that are needed to do this exercise.  The ability to visualize, and to pretend to be in a place that you are visualizing.  Of course we use a memory of some place that was enjoyable for you.

Here is a “thumb nail” sketch of how to use this exercise:  Start with a memory of someplace that you enjoy being.  It can be a vacation spot, or even a room in your home that feels comfortable for you.  As you visualize this place you will say to yourself  5 things that you “see.” In your own mind, you state the things you are seeing “as if” you are actually there.  For example you might say, “I see the blue sky.”

The next step is to do the same for 5 things you are hearing in this remembered place.

And the next step is to say to yourself 5 things you feel, as you are in this place.

Note: When people are first learning this exercise
they might use feeling words like “happy or relaxed,”
for this exercise I would like you to use a physical feeling,
such as “I feel the warmth of the sun on my body” instead of
an emotion of happy.

To complete the exercise: Just count down from 5, To 4, To 3, To 2 To 1 thing that you SEE, HEAR AND FEEL.  Do this with your eyes still closed.

After finishing with 5 things you see, hear and feel, you then say 4 things you see, hear and feel. They can be a repeat of the same ones you said in the first part (5 things you see, hear and feel).

Each time you finish you move down one level (number) until you get to one thing you see, one thing you hear, and one thing you feel.  All of the thing you are seeing, hearing and feeling are from the memory or visualization, acting “as if” you are actually in the memory.

There are more detailed directions for doing this exercise, but try it out and see how it works for you. For many using this simple exercise makes falling asleep easy any where and any time desired.

If you find that you still are having problems you might benefit from the full directions, or it may be that there are underlying issues that need to be worked out.  Many have found that after releasing some old stuffed emotions they are then able to quickly re-program their sleep habits.

If you have been procrastinating about doing something about these or other issues keeping you from the calm you desire, please accept our gift to you of:

2 MIND CALMING Exercises
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Audrey Sussman PhD began her quest to find a way to get relief from anxiety and panic after suffering with panic for many years ago. Now she is a nationally recognized seminar leader and author. Years of study and practice lead to her creating the Transformation System for the relief of panic, phobias, migraines and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Audrey’s books include ” Calm & Comfort… Yours for the Asking”, “The Power of Thought…Untold Secrets of the Unconscious”, “Stress Relief in 10 Minutes”(Co-authored with Tish Schuman). In her active private practice, clients have achieved lasting transformations.

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Sign in at the box at the top right of this page
and claim your gift of 2 powerful mind calming exercises.

This week as I was working on my online course to help people who are suffering with sleep problems, I came across some information that was really distressing.  While doing some research, I came across a popular self-help book about curing sleep problems and it said in essence, if the exercises (they gave) did not work it’s because the reader was not doing them correctly.    Seems to me like that was putting more stress on people who were trying to get help.  So many people who can’t sleep are already blaming themselves, they don’t need something else to feel bad about.

I want to dispute this disturbing information, I felt like calling the author and saying how dare you say that if the person reading the book wasn’t getting relief, it was because they weren’t doing it right. Wow, talk about putting the blame in the wrong place, saying that somehow it was the readers fault, and couldn’t possibly be the fault of the information in the book or some other reason.   That just burned me up.

Although I do agree that sometimes, what an author is writing and what the reader is “hearing” may not match, but blaming the reader is hardly fair.

After over 25 years helping people with insomnia, panic, anxiety and even Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Migraines, I have found most people will do almost anything to  get rid of the problem they are facing.   So I’m going to believe that a person who buys a book to get help with getting a good night sleep is going to do the exercises and will read in an open-minded state.

I hope that this type of blame has not happened in your life.  If you have been beating yourself up, or if you have been feeling like you’ve done your best without results, it may be possible that the problem isn’t that you’re doing things incorrectly.  It might be that either the book isn’t right for you or that there are underlying issues that need to be resolved before the exercises will work for you.

I have seen this happen in my own practice.  I just finished 10 sessions of therapy with a client who came in to see me after suffering with 15 years of sleep problems. He had tried just about everything and still, as soon as his head hit the pillow, no matter how tired he was, it seemed like his eyes would just pop open and he wouldn’t be able to sleep until the wee hours of the morning.  We started with some of the “sleep” exercises that have worked for many of my clients, but in addition we began to look for underlying roots of this problem.  I can assure you I didn’t blame him, we searched for, and the found the underlying issues.  And low-and-behold, after releasing some old stuffed emotions we were able to quickly re-program his sleep habits.  He felt his entire life changed, in just 10 sessions.  Although it was his sleep issues that caused him to seek my help,he also got major benefits from taking care of the issues lying at the root  of the problem.  The benefits of new found confidence extended  out into other areas of his life as well.

Everyone works in their own optimal time frame, what can take one person 10 sessions might take another person only 4, or another 20 sessions.  The number of sessions it takes is determined by not only how deeply rooted the problem is but also by each person nature.  It’s not a competition, when the change happen it can feels like it took place in an instant.   The fact that lasting relief is possible should give you new hope. So if you are still having a problem with sleep, it just might be that are other issues keeping you from succeeding in your quest.

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Sleep Disturbances

Tossing, turning, watching the clock for hours – is this how you sleep? The harder you try to sleep, the more elusive it becomes. You’ve tried everything and are still awake. You are frustrated because you really want a restful night’s sleep. Worse yet, during the day you are tired.

There is hope!

Help for Sleeping

10. “Tips For a More Relaxed Sleep”- will give you real strategies to use tonight for falling asleep.

11. The “Wonderful 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 All-Purpose Relaxer” – is one of the simplest skills to learn. It uses a three-layer approach to create a profound sense of total relaxation. This technique provides an excellent way to help you fall asleep. Use it again if you wake up during the night.

12. The “Soothing White Light” – is used to promote healing and calm through visualization using all the bodies’ senses.

13. “Passive Progressive Relaxation” – is a great mental exercise that, among other things, sharpens problem solving and creative thinking skills by using the mind to relax the body physically.

“When I began therapy, the main reason was panic attacks. I had all sorts of health problems that I never knew were related. Thanks to the techniques I learned, the health problems are gone. I’m still amazed that Audrey was somehow able to teach me to end the debilitating cramps and naseau associated with my menstrual cycle. As far as the attacks are concerned, I’m no longer fearful that I may have one. I know that I am in control of my mind, not the other way around.” TD

Want to begin your journey to calm now ?
Sign in at the box at the top right of this page
and claim your gift of 2 powerful mind calming exercises.

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