Sleep hypnotism is a type of hypnotism that generally seeks to help patients overcome sleep disorders like insomnia, bed wetting, somnambulism, and nightmares. Sleep hypnotism is considered an effective therapy for sleep disorders, though it may often be used in conjunction with other therapies, like improving sleep hygiene or using medication to help induce sleep. This type of treatment uses many of the same techniques as regular hypnotism. It can be performed under the supervision of a hypnotherapist, in order to help the patient address emotional or psychological problems that may be disturbing sleep. Patients can learn to perform sleep hypnotism themselves at home, in order to fall asleep faster, and sleep better.
Problems with sleep, including insomnia, nightmares, somnambulism, and bed wetting, are considered fairly common. Often, sleep disorders have their roots in psychological or emotional problems. Patients suffering from sleep disorders may turn to hypnotism to help resolve these underlying problems and get better sleep. Hypnosis is the process by which a hypnotherapist can help a patient access his subconscious mind, to make changes in that person's fundamental beliefs and feelings. Changes in the subconscious mind, where behavioral patterns often have their roots, are often easier to maintain than changes to conscious thought, which can be easily overridden by patterns stored in the subconscious.
Accessing the subconscious mind through sleep hypnotism often allows patients to explore thoughts, feelings, experiences, and memories that they may be incapable of accessing through conscious thought. Hypnotism generally allows the patient to remain alert, aware of his surroundings, and in control of himself. A hypnotherapist can put a patient into a hypnotic trance, and help that person explore the feelings, experiences, memories, and thoughts that may be uncovered in the subconscious. Psychological and emotional disturbances that may be influencing sleep are generally more apparent to the patient while he is under hypnosis.
Patients can also used sleep hypnotism at home to help themselves fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly at night. Self-hypnosis for sleep allows the patient to release muscle tension and relax deeply. Deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and mental visualization techniques are often employed to help usher in a state of deep relaxation. Patients who use hypnosis for sleep are not generally required to come out of the hypnotic trance, but may instead drift directly into sleep.