About one in three people have insomnia. It becomes more likely as we get older, making it one of the most common of all health disturbances. Women are twice as likely as men to have insomnia and ninety percent of those who are depressed also report trouble sleeping. In the US about ten million people use prescription drugs to help them sleep. Insomnia makes one almost a third more likely to become overweight. It negatively affects mood, relationships, work productivity and quality of life.
One of our students, Roslyn, who is studying to become an Integral Deep Listening (IDL) Practitioner, has had insomnia for over three to four years and only slept for three to six hours a night. She would end up having to sleep in until nine or ten in the morning. It started during a very stressful time in her life when her husband died of alzheimer’s and her son was battling a drug addiction. Here is her report:
“Often I stayed awake all night and slept only early in the morning. This caused a lot of changes in my daily routine, which often led to stress. I always felt sleepy during the day.I could not understand these sleep disturbances, although obviously they indicated there was something big that was out of balance in my life.”
“During our IDL Practitioner Training module in October, I worked with my sleep disorder. When I imagined what form my insomnia might take it became a fat carp! In response to the questions that are asked in the IDL Interviewing Protocol, this carp told me that not the night, but the day was the source of my insomnia! Honestly, I was surprised, because I had not considered that possibility. The fat carp recommended that I change my daily routine in specific ways: No time on the computer after 8 pm, to take a short yoga nidra break at noon, be in bed before 11 o’clock and to get up early in the morning.”
“I told my partner what changes I was making to get his support in my not going on the computer after I had done teaching my yoga classes each day. I have followed this plan since the seminar, except for doing the yoga nidra at noon…”
“The result is that since my return from the training I sleep like a baby and not just that … I dream again … every night!”
“In addition, a real “celebration feeling in the evening” has emerged, since I no longer have a feeling I have to get on the computer. I can have a cup of tea in peace before I go to sleep!”
“My husband said, “how nice that we can see each other in the evening, have a little cuddling in bed and have breakfast together in the morning!”
“I am really grateful and am again completely in balance! The method taught by IDL is really great!”
So to what can we ascribe these wonderful results? Are they duplicatable? Could you use IDL to help people you know that have insomnia? IDL is simple, fun, surprising and doesn’t have the side effects or expense connected with taking drugs for insomnia.
Essentially, it works by putting you in touch with perspectives, which IDL calls “emerging potentials” that possess objectivity that you lack. The forms that these perspectives may take may seem crazy, irrational or funny, like a fat carp, but whatever comes up has its own reasons and purposes for appearing as it does. You can simply ask the figure to find out why.
The most important part of the process is to trust and follow those recommendations that sound reasonable to you. These interviewed characters are imaginary; they are not God and their judgment is not perfect; if something does not sound smart or healthy, don’t do it! IDL generally encourages the interviewing of more than one character from a dream or life issue to see if there is agreement. Also, consider the advice and recommendations of trusted authorities as well as using your common sense.
Life changes, like stopping insomnia, usually do not happen over night and problem behaviors have a way of returning, so be prepared to follow through with recommendations for an extended period of time, like a month. Do follow-up interviews if nothing seems to be working or if you run into problems. Also, realize like Roslyn that you need support to change; enlist the help of a family member, friend or student of IDL.
You can find a copy of the IDL Interviewing Protocols here.
And by all means, let us know if you have questions. Good or bad, we want to know what results you have using IDL!