Technique 3 : Keep your socks on ! ( in Winters or cold places :) )
If the room is too dark ( and darkness is very good for sleep !), then have your client go straight to imagining what they might see if the light was on .
Next I had Tom direct his attention to what he could hear :
1 . " I can hear the sound of my own slow breathing ." 2 . " I can hear a train going past in the distance ." 3 . " I can hear the gentle patter of rain on the glass of the window ."
Then he was to direct his focus to what he could feel :
1 . " I can feel the duvet on my skin ." 2 . " I can feel the air on my skin ." 3 . " I can feel the pillow on the back of my head ."
Once he had gone through this once real things he could see , hear , and feel he was to close his eyes and experience three things he could imagine seeing . ( A kitten curled up asleep , a blue circle , a sunset merging with the sea ' s horizon . Whatever his mind conjured up .)
Then Tom was to fleetingly focus on three things he could imagine hearing . ( The sound of a bath running , birdsong in the trees , the sound of the sea on a summer ' s night .)
Finally , he would come up with three things he could imagine feeling . ( Swimming in a pool of water , having a wonderful massage , walking in the garden with the sensations of the soles of his feet over springy ground . It was completely up to him what he imagined .)
Because this exercise reflects what happens when we start to drift into sleep , it naturally brings us closer to true sleep . But I wasn ' t about to tell him that ! By telling him it was a ' relaxation exercise ', not a ' sleeping aid ', I made sure his expectations weren ' t going to get in the way .
This last technique may be a little out there , but you might be surprised how effective it can be .
Technique 3 : Keep your socks on ! ( in Winters or cold places :) )