insomnia

[Guest guest]

Dear

I just bought your book and it is excellent! I look forward to reading more.

Darla

[Guest guest]

Hi

Belated Happy New Year to you and all in the forum.

I currently have a patient who has had insomnia for 15 years, she is

an American living here in Adelaide. She has not slept for a very long

time. There are psychological issues involved here - mainly Australia

is not home for her, but she can't stand the US.

Her major problem is that she cannot even begin to sleep - she can on

good days nap in the afternoon, but at night she never sleeps.

As she has only ever Responded to anti-histamines in the past as

opposed to other medications, I just wondered if there was a

biochemical imbalance. Also is there a mantra to give her.

Cheers

Ray

p.s. she is Vata-Pitta prakruti

[Guest guest]

> Re: insomnia

> Posted by: "raynoronha" raynoronha raynoronha

> I currently have a patient who has had insomnia for 15 years, she is

> an American living here in Adelaide. She has not slept for a very long time. There are psychological issues involved here...

> As she has only ever Responded to anti-histamines in the past as

> opposed to other medications I just wondered if there was a

> biochemical imbalance. Also is there a mantra to give her...

> p.s. she is Vata-Pitta prakruti

 

hi ray

 

sleep comes like the sweetest of blessings, but its one we easily

take for granted

many people can be seen for years to avoid sleep by staying up late,

and when they get older find that a good sleep is more and more

difficult to experience

lack of sleep becomes a vicious cycle for insomnia, and with chronic

insomnia our nervous system becomes progressively more brittle,

affecting our mind and emotions and how we perceive reality

it is for a similar reason that insomnia can be a result of aging

 

it sounds to me like she needs a complete change in her lifestyle, in

addition to herbal and nutritional support

 

important issues to address include:

-regular meditation/yoga and/or qi gong/tai chi

-avoidance of common food allergens/sensitizers (e.g. wheat, milk,

sugar etc)

-addressing reactive hypoglycemia (e.g. eliminating refined carbs and

stimulants; possibly a high protein snack before bed)

-supplementing for possible nutrient deficiencies (e.g. EFAs, Mg, Cr,

tryptophan, vit B etc)

-avoidance of artificial light

 

i would suggest looking at the herb recommendations i made in a

previous post on insomnia to find the best herbs for her

energetically, but consider also rasayanas that have a moistening,

nourishing property to enhance tarpaka kapha - here i am thinking of

herbs like shatavari, somavalli, brahmi, amalaki, milky oat seed and

american ginseng - in chinese medicine all such herbs are orientated

to enhance the feminine "yin" essence of the body, and more

specifically nourish the yin of the heart (which like in Ayurveda, is

the seat of the mind)

 

you might try melatonin initially, to help get her cycles back to

normal, and then phase in herbs that have a relaxing, soporific property

 

all in all however, the insomnia should not be your target - it is

only a symptom of a deeper issue

try to improve her lifestyle and mental/physical health more

generally and then the insomnia should improve

if she has psychological issues as you suggest then these are

important component of the equation and need to be addressed (such as OCDs, anxiety etc)

 

as for a mantra, i am no guru and so do not feel competent to

recommend one also, i think there is cause to be wary of giving sanskrit mantras to

westerners that don't have the cultural context or linguistic

understanding

generally, i believe there is some benefit from chanting sacred

syllables (correctly), but my personal approach is for the person to

_understand_ what they are doing, which ultimately leads to the

empowerment in which a transformation can occur

 

there are some western masters of the the vedic tradition that have

adapted this knowledge to a western context

for e.g. swami sivanandaradha's "divine light invocation"

 

http://www.yasodhara.org/about_us_divine_light.html

 

but this exercise really isn't to be used before bed, but at the

beginning of the day, such as when one might do the surya namaskar

if she would like something to try at night, i might recommend a

meditation, using the mantra "om shanti"

 

***

 

Before bed, open the fresh clean page of a journal and write down the

basic details of your day, starting with opening the book and then

working backwards to the beginning of your day. Put all your

thoughts about this day on paper, but don't linger or fuss over it -

just write the basic details down until you have described your day.

 

Now put the book away, turn off the light, lie on your back in a

comfortable position and put your hands on your abdomen. Close your

eyes and relax. With each inhalation feel your abdomen rise, and

with each exhalation feel your abdomen fall. Continue this until the

movement of rising and falling underneath your hands is continuous,

flowing, not-exaggerated and gentle.

 

Now bring your hands to your chest, open your palms and if you are

right handed place it over the heart chakra region, and your left

hand over your right (if you are left handed, vice versa). As you

breathe in, imagine that a tiny drop of a golden liquid is floating

in the palm of the hand that covers your heart chakra, and when you

are ready, allow this light to drop into your heart. The effect of

this is to activate the sacred mantra "om" in your heart. Now as you

inhale, begin to hear this om resonating inside your head, and when

you exhale you hear "shanti". Om with inhalation, shanti with

exhalation. Om shanti - "I am divine peace".

 

With each inhalation this tiny drop of light in your heart becomes

brighter, and with each exhalation it grows and spreads into the rest

of your body, a thick heavy golden liquid. As it moves through your

body, it permeates each region, each muscle, sinew and bone, each

tissue and cell, bathing them in a heavy golden liquid, causing them

to gently open, swell and relax. As you breath in and out, feel this

golden shining liquid permeating your body, causing it to relax as it

spreads through you. As you breath in and out, this liquid golden

light permeates and your entire body until it is filled with this

divine golden liquid light. Feel the depth of this experience and

the heaviness of your body, how each cell, tissue, organ, sinew and

muscle is heavy, open and relaxed. Concentrate on how heavy it is,

and how your golden liquid light body begins to sink into the bed.

With each breathe allow this light to sink deeper into the bed, each

part of your body melting, becoming heavier and heavier. Feel your

golden liquid light body sink into the bed, and then down into the

floor, into the ground, and now deep into the earth, down-down-down

deep down towards the center of the earth. When you finally arrive

at the center of the earth, notice that the earth's core is vast ball

of golden liquid, the source of your energy and all energy on this

planet. Feel this globe of divine light calling to you, and when you

are ready, allow your liquid light body to drop down into the earth's

light body, and merge them, allowing them to become as one. As your

body merges with the earth's light body, feel yourself absolutely

protected, absolutely nourished, by the loving energy of the earth.

Here in the center of the earth you return to your mother as a child,

tenderly cradled by your mother's loving embrace. Allow yourself to

feel this love, and relax into the deep sense of safety it creates

within you. Enjoy this experience and relax. When you are ready,

bring your awareness back to your breath. Feel how joyfully and

sweetly relaxed you are. With each inhalation hear and feel the word

"om" resonating in your body, and with each inhalation hear and feel

the word "shanti". And when you are ready bring your hands back to

your abdomen, and feel your breath rise and fall. Rising (om) and

falling (shanti). After a few breaths allow the vision you

experienced to gently dissolve into your breath. Rising and falling,

om-shanti, returning to the breath. And when you are ready, give

thanks for this vision, and repeat this mantra om-shanti until your

consciousness dissolves into sleep.

 

om shanti

i am divine peace

 

***

Caldecott

todd (AT) toddcaldecott (DOT) com

www.toddcaldecott.com