From a Bipolar diagnosis to medication FREE - Monica's journey (Talking insomnia
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- Опубликовано: 15 окт 2024
- In this edition of Talking insomnia we connect with BedTyme graduate Monica. Having gone through significant traumatic events in childhood, leaving her with a strong fear of rejection, Monica had to take a deep inner journey to find herself leaving the inner struggles.
Today she shares her path with us so that anyone in a similar situation can find the hope and inspiration to arrive where we want to be.
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Would you like a roadmap from Insomnia to immunity? Download using below link.
www.thesleepco...
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Would you like to work with one of our certified sleep coach? Awesome! Here are some great options:
The Insomnia Immunity Group Coaching Program.
BedTyme, a sleep coaching app for iOS and Android offering 1:1 text based coaching.
Zoom based 1:1 coaching with Coach Michelle or Coach Daniel.
The Insomnia Immunity program is perfect if you like learning through video and want to join a group on your journey towards sleeping well.
BedTyme is ideal if you like to learn via text and have a sleep coach in your pocket.
The 1:1 Zoom based program is for you if you like to connect one on one with someone who has been where you are now.
Find out more about these programs here:
www.thesleepco...
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Do you like learning by reading? If so, here are two books that offer breakthroughs!
Tales of Courage by Daniel Erichsen
www.amazon.com...
Set it & Forget it by Daniel Erichsen
www.amazon.com...
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Would you like to become a Sleep Hero by supporting the Natto movement on Patreon? If so, that’s incredibly nice of you 😊. And here’s the link to do just that:
/ thesleepcoachschool
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Not sure where to start on your path to sleeping well? Check out these playlists!
This is natto - the perfect place to start learning!
• This is Natto - Start ...
Success stories - if you need hope and inspiration, this is for you.
• Success stories
Insomnia insight - a list of every single episode.
• Playlist
Talking insomnia - guests with trouble sleeping or experts share their stories / tips.
• Talking insomnia
Hypnic jerks, hypnic awareness and other common issues.
• Hypnic jerks and more.
Fatal insomnia - for those concerned about ffi and sfi.
• Familial and sporadic ...
Speed bumps - when you think you had a setback or “relapse.”
• Talking insomnia #55: ...
Unrefreshing sleep - when you always feel tired or exhausted.
• Unrefreshing sleep
Momsomnia - if you’re a mom or becoming a mom.
• Momsomnia
Heard online - when you’ve worried about claims made about health problems and insomnia.
• Heard online
Best!
This content does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.
"God used the insomnia to slow me down, to look at other issues". Wow that js so profound. I have felt this so many times, that the insomnia is forcing me into my heart, into going deeper within. But this phrasing really hits me. Thank you!
Thanks for lifting this up Hugo, really struck me as well now that I see it in writing. And thanks for sharing, yesterday I had this “vision” of a compass. But instead of north south east west we have, courage, kindness, onwards and inwards. Somehow I thought of this again now that you mentioned going deeper within, this is where we went to go always isn’t it?
@@thesleepcoachschool8192 I love the compass ❤ Especially the fact that it contains the word 'onwards'. I think the willingness to keep moving forwards is essential. It nicely counteracts going inwards because only going inwards can also be a way of getting stuck, as I know from experience 😊
@hugotielen love this, so true imho…thanks much for adding depth here 😊!
She is so right about insomnia was a blessing as it allowed for desperate healing and inward inspection which I was not able to do. A lot of trapped trauma has come out
She is so right about insomnia was a blessing as it allowed for desperate healing and inward inspection which I was not able to do. A lot of trapped trauma has come out. One thing I’ve learned is patience in this channel the fear melts away and so everything else that is good follows. I allow my anxiety to stay. I don’t fight it. Just let it be sit there I sleep in to it now. Which never happened when I fought.
This is the way
I love listening to these. I can’t afford to take your class but I’m reading the book and I’m so depressed lately with this sleep issue it’s making me almost hate living. I really hope I can break through this
Hang in there Amy, so glad you’re finding value during these difficult times, I have no doubt thanks to your willingness to learn and do some heart work that you’ll arrive where you want to be
I also have a lot of autoimmune issues and I think I’m so scared to not sleep because I’m afraid my autoimmune will get worse without sleep. That seems to be my biggest fear with sleep. How do you reason with actual health and the need for sleep?
Mmmh this is about seeing that if we sleep less, we may feel some symptoms that are directly tied to less sleep regardless of how we think about it BUT what truly matters is the fear and other emotions… and when we are not afraid of our emotions, then we also won’t be afraid to have some discomfort, and then the pressure fades to sleep and we sleep easily
I thought insomnia ages people?! She is in her 50’s and looks like she is in her 30/40’s at best! You go girl!
So many things we hear that don’t have any basis in reality!
All the people at success stories in this channel they look young and pretty !!!!!! I was thinking that omg !!❤
Excellent interview and so encouraging to hear Monica’s healing journey.
So glad you saw this Edda, and thanks for being in touch 🙏
This is my exact story :( bipolar 1 diagnosis. relationship issues. throwing up every night from anxiety. I got put on lithium and zyprexa for what I’m experiencing is just insomnia. To be honest even though i may not be bipolar, these meds are helping everything. I’ve even been to a psych ward for my sleep. That’s the difference between me and her. my meds have been helping a lot. I just can’t seem to surrender however
Surrender takes practice. First we have to be willing. I also have Sjögren’s syndrome, so I couldn’t take any meds for long because of the intense dryness it would cause. I believe God allowed it so that I could go deeper and heal those core wounds/beliefs. It has not been easy, but worth it. Especially the emptiness that’s gone.
Great interview , she is brave to be so transparent. But as scripture teaches us to whom much is given, much is required.
I thought her description of how we react to little kids when they fall can influence how they internalize future falls was a perfect analogy.
As someone who have struggled with insomnia I too believe it was what brought my faith to a new level. I guess it could be viewed as delegating but it works for me.
So glad you found this and yes, I loved this analogy as well. And as for delegating, I only think that’s tricky when we have some conflict around it (I don’t want to sleep on a couch) or when we don’t understand (why did the couch stop working). But we all delegate, to the brain, the universe, something that is beyond our understanding.
Oh and what you said about finding another level of faith, wonderful to hear 😊
Wow this is a powerful interview!
Thank you Daniel & Monica
Thank you so much for the encouragement 🙏
Hey Daniel. Do you think some people need more sleep than others. When I sleep any less than 7-8 hours I feel terrible during the day. Like I can’t concentrate, I feel ill etc. when I sleep 8-10 hours I feel amazing during the day. This was before I had any trouble sleeping.
Hi Monica how did you get off the medications? Did you taper off? I am ambien for sleep and mirtazapine for anxiety ( which i developed after ambien)😢
I am on ambien as well and the last month, my insomnia has been so much worse and ambien doesn’t even help. I also have gone nights without sleep on ambien which cause more insomnia. It’s so horrible! I also want to throw them away but I’m so scared
@@Amyyp0518how are you doing now? Ambien actually gets me to sleep at the prescribed dose but I don’t want to be on it anymore either. I would like to know if she tapered or stopped cold turkey too?
Hey Daniel,
I’ve been following you for about 2.5 months and I’ve definitely been caring about sleep a lot less. The thing is, although im struggling much less with the sleeplessness itself, a lot of the time it feels like the sleep itself isn’t getting that much better over the last 2.5 months. This leads me to a lot of worry that something might actually be wrong with me. I go down rabbit holes of health anxiety and I know the answer is to keep living my life, but what can I do in that moment where I’m obsessing over whether I have some kind of disease ?
Hi Daniel,
So glad you found your way here and you know “Now what I’m struggling less with sleeplessness that should make me sleep/less anxious” - the reduction in struggle can become an effort in itself.
This can be helpful to see because then there’s less mystery, and when our brain suggests something is still wrong.. we can meet this with kindness, seeing it’s just trying to keep us safe 🙂
Hi Daniel! It’s great to have you back with new people to interview! I enjoyed watching this episode and it resonates with what you have been teaching us all this time! Thank you so much for what you are doing❤
@fiztesha so glad it resonated and, I’m so glad to be back 😊 thanks for the support!
Hi, I have been really struggling with the concept of befriending wakefulness and what that means in actual practice. Does this mean when I can't sleep that I'm picking some activity to do at night that makes me feel ok being awake, and the only way I ever get sleep is if I am somehow able to pass out accidentally while doing that activity, without at all trying to relax or even be in a position (e.g. in bed) conducive to sleep? And I just keep doing this nightly activity until I fall asleep accidentally during it, even if it takes days of being awake and doing activities at night? Or am I misunderstanding? I feel worried that is not possible for me because I am so anxious and in a state of hyperarousal that the only way I can get any sleep is if I try to meditate or relax or something, putting my brain and body in some state close to sleep. I guess I don't really understand how to actually implement befriending wakefulness and only understand it as a theoretical concept.
It’s doing something you enjoy without seeing it as a tool/effort to GET you the desired result to sleep. Like when I do yoga it is more to stretch, love myself, connect with myself, be still… when I read or watch you tube, it’s “learning and educating myself “ not to FIX anything. And when I read my Bible, it’s to know Him more and experience His love, rather than before looking for how He could heal me. But that’s what initially led me to Him, my desperation.
Monica said it so well, nothing to add. Hope you’ll find things get easier soon. Rooting for you
Thanks for sharing your experience. Would love to know how Monica made the transition to zero medication. Did she taper off a certain medication and just jumped right into trying to sleep without any meds after weaning off? I would love to get off the sleeping meds but with certain medications like ambien i've been told you must come off them slowly but find that so hard to do especially when the drug hardly helps you sleep in the first place?
Hi TE,
Monica I think is still checking in so she may reply. In the meantime, there’s a Talking insomnia episode with Nick where we talk about weaning off… take a look, I think it can really help
@thesleepcoachschool8192 Thank you so much Daniel! I'm definitely going to watch it 😊
@@TeslaEmperor Hi- I am also on ambien but afraid to get off of it. But I am not sleeping well with it too.
At what dose are you on and for how long and what's your taper plan?
@LouellaMagtajas Sorry to hear that friend. Let me just say this. Do not take it everyday. Limit to taking it 3-4 times a week and talk to your doctor to find something to supplement ambien with. Do not take more than your prescribed dose. If you are on 10mg I'd say start cutting it in half or 7.5mg and take 2.5mg later when you wake up. Amitriptyline worked very well with ambien and so did trazodone but I had to stop those medications because of my heart. I'm looking for a new medication. Try asking your doctor for a med called doxepin I hear it works very well. The tolerance snuck up on me I'm now taking 12.5mg a night I'm trying to get a prescription for the extended release version of ambien. Also you must try and find out why you started to need ambien in the first place. If it is anxiety start taking whatever psychiatrist gives you trust me.
@@TeslaEmperor Did you taper ambien?
I did not sleep for a few nights. I panicked and GP gave me ambien. And I developed daytime anxiety thereafter.
Now I could not sleep without ambien and my anxiety ramps up if I don't get sleep. I became stuck in a cycle.
Is it normal for hyper arousal to make you excessively sweat when you try to sleep? The last few nights the second I get in bed my heart starts to race and eventually I lose my sleepiness but I don’t want to get out of bed so my body will feel so stressed and I start to sweat a lot. Is that common?
Hi, it is very common to sweat a lot when we are stressed for sure. And when there are less things we worry about, sleep happens easier. Rooting for you
God bless you
Is it ok to drink alcohol if you have insomnia?
I don not recommend it. And it’s not quality rest either.
As Monica says, if we do that to sleep… that’s tricky because anything we do in order to sleep creates struggle. Thanks for asking
Would it be possible that Monica has BPD?
💯. BUT GOD! Also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder, characterized by intense, unstable , interpersonal relationships , distorted sense of self, and strong emotional reactions. I struggled with emptiness, fear of abandonment and disassociation. God healed so much and continues to do so.
It’s very possible. she could even be bipolar anyways. for someone with bipolar to be put on benzos is just outrageous and getting worse on antidepressants is very odd. depression and insomnia are brother and sister. Chronic insomnia is relatively rare and is thought to be genetic. Insomnia is almost always a cause of anxiety
@@monicathrasher3561I know someone who've been reccently diagonsed for BPD. And it is a diffcult thing to have. Your story is very inspiring to hear!
I’d say this, pretty much all of us would fit these diagnoses if we were really scared
@@thesleepcoachschool8192exactly!!
Has anyone use this prgram to help deal with PAWS ?
I can’t think of anyone but - I’d be surprised if nobody in our community hadn’t found our way helpful with this as well… let us know how things go for you
I have reached out and have not found anyone who is in the middle of PAWS , Dr not sure how much you know about PAWS but ones neurotransmitters are damaged, making sleep a real challenge Your methods definitly help post PAWS I am in PAWS and working on your methods
@garysimone4977 I hear, and I’m glad it’s been helpful. I’d say for sure many things can disrupt sleep, like PAWS, but insomnia is really only from the fear of disrupted sleep.. and thanks to your willingness to learn, that fear is fading 🙂
❤️❤️❤️
Thanks Daniel, I ask about This in Drop in !
Is this Joseph? If so, I’m so glad you found this! I was thinking about you when recording this 😊
Hi Daniel, I have a question about anticipation insomnia (sorry if it's a bit long). I have been dealing with sleep issues for about 3 years now, ever since the shelter-in-place lifestyle happened. I think after such a lifestyle change, when I did not have the pressure to wake up and go to school during that time, it messed up my perception of sleep in relation to having planned events the next day. After I returned back to school, I found that I could not sleep anymore, and was stressed about being too tired for class and the day every day for two years of school. However I found myself being able to sleep like a baby on my off-days when nothing was scheduled. I am still dealing with this now, where if I have anything scheduled for the next day, be it hanging out with friends or travelling somewhere, I have very disrupted, if any, sleep at all.
Now that I am going to college, I am worried that my sleep will disrupt my life as I will have to wake up to go to classes and events and such, and I don't feel confident in sleeping before those. I am actively trying CBTI, but it is not very compatible with my way of thinking.
So my question is, how can I stop obsessing over next-day event related sleep?
Hi. I went through that and it’s all fear based. The what if’s. I had to practice not caring what happened. I practiced and continue to, accept what sleep I get and surrendering it to God. It’s all neuroplasticity, and we have to retrain our brain that we are safe. We do this by being exposed to the fear, not running from it, not giving it any power, not caring, like before when we didn’t have issues and never thought about it. Just start by being willing to accept and surrender. It takes time. I’m still not where I wanna be, but I’m better than I was. I put so much pressure on myself, most of us do. Just be aware of that.
Hi! Again, so well said by Monica, nothing to add 🙂