Sleep - Improving Patterns

Story from M.G, SA

On the afternoon of Monday 29th July 1996, I heard you being interviewed on ABC radio (by Phillip Satchel, I think). I was struck by your evident concern for the well-being of others, and the practical approach you took to the question of what can be done.

For months previously I had been suffering from insomnia, and had used a variety of prescribed medications in a desperate effort to get some sleep. Even so, it was 6 weeks before I became so desperate for restful sleep, that I borrowed  a copy of your book, “Switch On to Your Inner Strength.” For about a week, I read the book daily, and re-read it. Since I didn’t have any of your tapes, and felt uncomfortable asking someone else to read to me, I sat down and talked myself through the transcript that appears in the book.

In this way I established my Peaceful Place and meditated 3 or 4 times a day, every day. There was an immediate benefit, so much so that on the night of Wednesday September 11, I went to bed without taking my sleeping tablet. I didn’t go to sleep — well, not that I noticed — for the whole night, but I meditated. Using the version of a PP I had developed, plus your Induction (Page 68), I relaxed, and went out to meet the sleeplessness that had plagued me for the previous 6 months.

On the following night I again went to bed without taking my sleeping tablet. This time I slept to 01:40! Although I didn’t sleep for the remainder of that night, I did meditate, and ‘woke’ feeling fresher than I had done for ages.

In the subsequent months, sleep continued to be interrupted and turbulent. However, my PP and associated meditation withstood the onslaught and finally, on the night of Thursday, October 17, I SLEPT RIGHT THROUGH!

Throughout the months that followed, I continued to work on refining my understanding and application of PP and using it to set goals. I was greatly assisted in this by the warm and friendly support provided by CALM personnel in Sydney, attending a 2 day CALM Seminar in Adelaide and your own personal responses.

Thank you so much for the birthday card. It was the first one I received. My PP is going well. I still ‘porpoise’ 10-20 times a day (most days), a well as having two dedicated meditation/goal-setting sessions of 15-30 minutes. I never had much success with using the ‘coloured clouds’, induction process — though I probably haven’t given it much of a go. Lately I’ve noticed changes associated with my PP procedure. I often find it easier and more effective with my eyes open.

Indeed, the process has become so effective, that I can ‘porpoise’ with my eyes open, in most circumstances.

Currently I am working on optimising performance in day-to-day situations, through use of PP, Goal Setting, and Visualisation. I also continue to work on controlling waking times, making steady but unspectacular progress.