Insomnia Support Group
Insomnia is a symptom, rather than a disease, and is characterized by inadequate quantity or quality of sleep. People with insomnia complain of difficulty falling or staying asleep, which results in significant impairment of daytime functioning. Insomnia is categorized as transient (shorter than one week), short-term (one to three weeks) or chronic (longer than three...
I've read so many of Hypnos' responses and they all sound so encouraging and reassuring. I have used CBT in the past and saw results, but it never lasted long. After a long battle of drug swapping I finally tapered off everything completely over 18 months but the 4 months without pills haven't really been the wonderful sleeping bliss I'd hoped for. I would like to know what CBT program you used and what specific components helped you the most. I purchased an online package for around $60 and still have the info. Currently I sleep for 4 1/2 hours at a time only two or three nights a week. Other nights I lay in bed wide awake. I get up and go to the couch for a while but eventually wind up back in bed. I have anxiety over sleeping and not underlying conditions. Not sleeping is what keeps me from sleeping ironically enough. I know this and I try my best to re-direct. Days I do sleep its much easier not to think about it.
There are a number of resources to learn about CBT adult sleep training methods. A search online will show many free and low cost, ranging from books to full online programs. However, these are all aimed at the self-help type. Many people aren't.
So another resource is your doc, who can probably suggest a counselor or sleep clinic or therapist that knows about CBT specifically designed for insomnia.
I can also say from over a decade of experience now that you have to keep using the methods for them to work. It's like brushing your teeth. You don't just do it a few times for a week or a month and then stop. You do it basically every day. You give thought to your lifestyle and how it supports or detracts from good sleep. You make an effort to catch and disregard negative sleep thoughts. It's much like any other aspect of personal hygiene. You make the effort to take care of your sleep and your sleep takes care of you.
What you don't want to do, as you've indicated, is try and force the issue. That doesn't work. Usually just increases tension and stress, which takes you in the opposite direction you want to go.
Good luck, I'd encourage you to revisit whatever resources you've got or continue researching other programs, maybe even see a counselor. Then work your plan and be confident you can make this better just as I and many others have done.