If you’re stuck in a frustrating cycle of poor sleep, you’re not alone – and you’re not broken.
Sleep difficulties are more common than ever and often go deeper than just “bad habits.” For many of us, sleep problems mean deeper emotional patterns. These include unresolved stress or trauma stored in the body. It also is a nervous system that hasn’t learned how to downshift into rest.
In my work as a holistic psychologist, I combine evidence-based strategies with somatic awareness. I also use emotional healing. This helps clients reconnect with their natural ability to sleep—and heal—deeply.
Since becoming certified in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), I’ve been guiding clients through a process. This process not only restores their sleep but also brings them into deeper alignment with their body and mind. And it’s working. Many of my clients, some who’ve struggled with sleep for years, are now experiencing real and lasting change.
What is CBT-I?
CBT-I is the gold-standard psychological treatment for insomnia, with decades of research behind it. Unlike medications, which often mask the problem, medications can also lose effect over time. CBT-I focuses on the root causes of sleep disturbances. It does this by changing the thoughts and behaviours that unknowingly disrupt healthy sleep.
We see sleep differently when we apply a holistic lens to this work. It’s not just about what you do at night. It’s also shaped by how safe and connected you feel in your body. Your sense of connection in your life also plays a role.
How I Integrate CBT-I with Holistic Psychology
Here’s how I weave traditional CBT-I techniques with a broader, body-mind-spirit approach:
🕯 1. Sleep Scheduling & Rhythm
I work with your natural circadian rhythm—not against it. Together, we adjust your sleep and wake times to promote healthy sleep pressure (your body’s natural need to sleep).
Holistic Add-On: We also explore your daily energy rhythms, emotional fluctuations, and lifestyle patterns that support or disrupt your internal balance.
💭 2. Reframing Anxious Thoughts
CBT-I helps challenge the thought spirals like, “What if I can’t sleep again tonight?” that feed insomnia.
Holistic Add-On: We explore the emotional roots of these thoughts—like past experiences with fear, perfectionism, or over-responsibility—and use tools like journaling, breathwork, and self-compassion practices to support deep internal change.
🔄 3. Sleep-Efficiency Training
This technique strengthens the connection between your bed and actual sleep by limiting time spent awake in bed.
Holistic Add-On: We bring in gentle body scans, grounding practices, and sensory rituals (like essential oils or calming music) to re-pattern your nervous system for rest.
🌀 4. Emotional Processing
Unprocessed grief, stress, or trauma often comes knocking the moment we lie down to rest.
I help you hold space for these emotions—whether through talk therapy, somatic practices, creative expression, or Attachment-Focused EMDR. This integrative EMDR approach supports the nervous system in safely processing past experiences. It is especially effective for those rooted in early attachment patterns. Your body no longer has to carry that tension into the night.
By gently working through what’s held beneath the surface, sleep becomes less of a battle and more of a return to rest.
A Few Tips You Can Start with Today
Here are a few small but impactful changes you can try using the CBT-I framework:
- 🕒 Wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends—this helps regulate your internal clock.
- 📵 Avoid screen time an hour before bed—blue light confuses your brain’s sleep signals.
- 🛏️ Only use your bed for sleep (and intimacy)—rebuild that sacred association.
- 🌞 Get 10–15 minutes of morning light to reset your circadian rhythm.
- ✍️ Try a brain dump journal before bed—clear your mind of thoughts so they don’t swirl at 2 a.m.
- 🧘 Use grounding techniques like deep belly breathing, hand-over-heart, or slow stretches to help your body feel safe and ready to rest.
You Deserve to Feel Rested Again
If your nervous system is stuck in overdrive, your body won’t feel safe enough to let go—no matter how tired you are. That’s why we need more than just sleep tips. We need a compassionate, integrated approach that honours the full picture of your life.
Whether your sleep struggles stem from anxiety, menopause, burnout, childhood patterns, or simply a mind that won’t switch off—there is a way forward. And you don’t have to do it alone.
If you’re curious about how CBT-I and holistic therapy could help you reclaim rest, let’s talk. We can integrate this into your existing sessions or begin a focused plan tailored just for you.
Here’s to peaceful nights and brighter days,
Popi Iatrou
Holistic Psychologist | Certified CBT-I Practitioner
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