Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia

In-person in Orlando & online across FL, NY & NJ.

Sleep More. Worry Less.

Is fatigue running your life?

Sleep has been a problem for awhile, but there always seems to be a reason why it isn’t a priority.

You think “It’s fine, I’ll sleep better when . . .”

  • I lose the weight.

  • Work dies down.

  • The holidays are over.

  • The kids go back to school.

  • I get some time off.

  • I start eating better.

How long have you been waiting for it to get better?

Insomnia disrupts more than just your sleep. It impacts your . . .

  • You feel foggy and irritable during the day, making your work life miserable because you get snippy with your co-workers and can’t think clearly enough to get anything done (at least not done to your standards). 

  • At home you feel unengaged with your partner, kids, parents, friends, and they feel your absence. You’re distant and you blame it on fatigue, but sometimes you’d just rather be in bed than be this angry, lazy, party-pooper version of yourself around them. 

  • You feel older. The internet sleep-shames you, saying you’re going to die sooner or lose your cognitive abilities if you aren’t getting that perfect, undisturbed, 8 hour night. You obsess over any physical symptom that could indicate your health is declining. Any headache or cold feels like a sign that the internet is right and you’re starting to believe it.

  • Your own mind is becoming a more painful place to be by the day. During the day you ridicule yourself for falling short of the quality you know you’re capable of, and you feel plagued by an undercurrent of anxiety and irritability. In the evening you start to feel anxious when it get’s dark because you know the struggle is coming. You dread going to bed and miss the days when your head hit the pillow and you didn’t think twice about if you’d sleep well.

Insomnia doesn’t have to last forever.

Sleep therapy can help you get deeper and more restful sleep. But it’s also so much more than that. You’ll learn flexibility, skills for thinking differently, and ways of responding to your body’s needs that will serve you in every other area of your life.

People who see me for sleep therapy say things like . . .

I’m not worried or fearful anymore and I have so much hope for the future.

I don’t feel stressed about my sleep anymore.

I feel confident in my body’s ability to get the rest it needs.

My family sees a night and day difference in my mood.

My partner loves that I’m more calm and present with them.

I’m getting so much more done during the day, and actually feel good doing it!

Our body and our brain know how to sleep.

They have biological mechanisms that regulate sleep without us having to do much other than let them do their job. Throughout our lives there are times when sleep gets off track and insomnia shows up. It tends to last a few weeks before your brain adapts and works through it. 

However, sometimes the way we respond to that temporary sleep loss prevents our brain from adapting. We get stuck in a cycle of trying harder and harder to control our sleep, yet feeling less and less in control, and that cycle cements into a new pattern.

Once this happens, our sleep needs more than just time to work itself out. We have to take active steps to rewire our brain and body’s sleep mechanisms, by identifying the thought and behavior patterns getting in the way of sleep and applying a hard reset. 

This is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).

Sleep Hygiene

vs.

Sleep Treatment

Think of it this way. If you have healthy gums, you don’t need to do much to keep them healthy other than brushing your teeth and flossing regularly. Basic stuff. But if you get gingevitis, brushing and flossing alone won’t cut it, you need a dental treatment. 

With sleep, we’re often told: just exercise, limit caffeine and alcohol, don’t use technology late at night and you should be good to go! That’s great for supporting continued healthy sleep in those who already sleep well. But if you have insomnia, basic sleep hygiene isn’t going to cut it, you need a sleep treatment.

According to the American Academy of Physicians . . .

CBT-I is the gold standard, first line treatment recommended for Insomnia. Research shows CBT-I has the same results as sedative/hypnotic medications, and even shows greater results than those sleep meds over time. 

CBT-I helps us set new sleep patterns that will continue to support better and better sleep over time. And the best part is that if sleep ever gets off track again in future, we don’t have to be afraid.

We know exactly what to do and we have confidence that it will work.

CBT for Insomnia can help you . . .

  • Fall asleep faster

  • Sleep more deeply

  • Wake less frequently

  • Improve daytime functioning

  • Decrease worry and anxiety

  • Increase emotional and behavioral flexibility

  • Feel confident and hopeful

Sleep better. Feel better. Live better.

FAQs

  • CBT-I is a behavioral treatment that falls under Behavioral Sleep Medicine. It involves tracking your sleep by answering daily sleep questions, changing the timing of your sleep, and using new skills to regulate your thoughts and emotions. It does not include or require a prescription medication.

  • You can absolutely do CBT-I and see results whether you are currently taking a sleep med, have recently come off a sleep med, or have never taken a sleep med. We’ll create your treatment plan collaboratively based on your goals. If you wish to decrease or discontinue a sleep med, we can make that a part of our work, but it isn’t required. What IS required is that we collaborate with your prescriber or primary care provider throughout the process.

  • Insomnia can be a symptom of SO many things. If you have a condition that also causes insomnia, CBT-I can be very effective for you. For many, they’ve treated these other conditions effectively, but the insomnia stuck around. CBT-I is the best next step. For others, they haven’t addressed those other conditions and are primarily concerned about their insomnia. CBT-I is a great place to start, and we’ll also discuss how treating that condition may optimize the long term benefit you get from CBT-I. Some of my other specialties that impact sleep include Anxiety, Trauma, and Nightmares, which you can read more about here.

  • I’ve seen people who had insomnia for decades see results in 6 - 8 sessions. Each person is different, but chronic insomnia IS treatable with CBT-I.

  • After a full evaluation session, CBT-I can last anywhere from 4 sessions to 12 sessions depending on a variety of factors. Most people are sleeping better in 6 - 8 sessions.

  • My fee is $285 per 45 minute session. 

    I am considered an Out of Network (OON) provider which means I don’t accept any insurance, however I can provide you with a superbill that you can use to request reimbursement from your insurance company if you have any Out of Network benefits. I encourage you to ask me for a sample superbill, then call your insurance provider to ask about your out of network benefits and if my services would be covered.

  • CBT-I will be most effective if we have 6 - 8 weeks where your work and home responsibilities can allow you to make changes to your sleep schedule and create consistency. If you have a brief trip coming up it may not impact our work very much, but if you’re about to travel between multiple time zones over an extended amount of weeks, we will want to schedule starting CBT-I either 6 - 8 weeks before it, or just after it. It can still be really helpful to start with the full evaluation before your trip, so we can strategize our plan for when you return. Schedule a free consultation to discuss your particular schedule/situation to see when the best time to start would be.