Sleep Coaching
End Insomnia
For Good
Exhausted by the endless routines you’ve built around your sleep that just don’t work? Work with a sleep coach who understands your struggle. You can rediscover restful sleep.
Sleep Coaching
End Insomnia
For Good
Exhausted by the endless routines you’ve built around your sleep that just don’t work? Work with a sleep coach who understands your struggle. You can rediscover restful sleep.
Learn to love sleep again
Welcome to The Hopeful Mind, my name is Michelle. I’m a certified sleep coach and a former insomniac. I offer one on one sleep coaching to help people all over the world learn to love sleep again.
I’m really glad you’re here because it means you no longer need to suffer with your insomnia. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been struggling for a few months or for many years, together we can end your sleep struggles for good.
I created The Hopeful Mind to help people get their lives back. During the 5 years I had insomnia, I slowly withdrew from my life more and more “to protect” what little sleep I had left. My world became smaller and I felt very alone. I did everything I could to try and make it stop, not realizing my approach was keeping me stuck.
Does any of the following feel familiar?
Most people with insomnia feel just like you. But there is a way out.
Why do I feel this way?
Insomnia’s physical symptoms can feel scary and confusing, I know. Panic attacks, twitching, and a racing heart are overwhelming. It’s beyond frustrating to feel so tired and still not sleep. These are common symptoms my clients experience. But where do they come from?
Your brain can’t tell the difference between real and perceived danger. When it thinks there’s danger, your body’s fight-or-flight response kicks in. Whether you’re being chased by a bear or worrying about sleep – your body can experience the same stress response.
Neuroscience research shows that our brains actually create what we experience in our bodies. When our brain associates insomnia with danger our body experiences its flight-or-flight response. That being said, these physical symptoms don’t need to be permanent.
Recovery lies in understanding this danger association and working with what medicine refers to as the mind-body connection. When perceived danger is the problem, safety is the solution. This is why so many “sleep aids” don’t provide lasting relief – you’re no closer to helping your mind and body feel safe.
Let's end your insomnia together
So you can get back to living your life
When most of my clients set out to end their insomnia, they are typically overwhelmed with a long list of “solutions” – sleep hygiene, supplements, sleep aids, CBT for insomnia, eye covers, ear plugs, essential oils, yoga, antidepressants – you know THAT list.
In my experience with insomnia these “solutions” were all too temporary.
This often leads to feeling abandoned by a system that is largely focused on just masking or coping with your symptoms. And you still don’t understand WHY you aren’t sleeping.
So how do we get out?
Understanding is the way out
Overcoming the fear-insomnia cycle with a sleep coach
When it comes to insomnia our brain has simply learned some bad lessons about sleep and is associating being awake at night with danger. Over time, our brains develop a conditioned fear response around not sleeping, which triggers hyper-arousal (your stress response) and keeps you awake at night.
Once we are in this fear-insomnia cycle the way we react to it is often the biggest thing that keeps the cycle going. I know my insomnia felt like one big never-ending fear response. We can break this cycle by changing this fear response so sleep returns naturally. Imagine your brain as a series of roads. With insomnia, your brain is in the habit of automatically traveling down the ‘Fear Highway’. Together we focus on building a new ‘Safety Highway’ for your brain to choose instead.
How do we work together to do this?
Let's break the cycle
Together we will
finally understand why
Having the right education is a vital part of your recovery process
harness neuroplasticity
Our thoughts, feelings, and actions change the structure and function of our brain
reinforce safety
Learn how to support your nervous system by reinforcing safety
learn recovery skills and tools
create new behaviours
navigate your setbacks
Become resilient and confident when speed bumps show up along the way
Join my waitlist!
My practice is presently full. I'd love to eventually work with you. Please join my waitlist and we'll contact you when spots open up.
Answers to your questions
How does it work?
Click the white arrows to read answers commonly asked by my clients.
What service do you offer?
I offer one-on-one video based coaching for people struggling with insomnia. We work together to overcome your insomnia. You can book your first session here.
How can a sleep coach help?
Overcoming insomnia starts with education – you need to learn why your insomnia is happening and what the road to recovery looks like. For many of us it can be hard to learn, grow, and change on our own – especially when we’re exhausted. Sometimes we need extra structure, guidance, and support. Especially when it comes to working with deeply ingrained things like our thoughts, feelings, habits, and beliefs. A sleep coach is someone who partners with you to provide support, education, and the tools to make recovery possible. You don’t have to go it alone. For more about how we work together click here.
I’ve already tried everything to sleep, how is this any different?
I understand your hesitancy – I felt this way too. Here’s a list of just some of the things I tried before I recovered –
- Sleeping pills & cannabis
- Every supplement under the sun
- Black-out curtains & ear plugs
- Yoga & meditation
- Acupuncture & acupressure mats
- Sleep hypnosis
- Epsom salt baths
- Essential oils
- EMDR therapy
- CBT for insomnia
Like you, I felt depleted and hopeless from endlessly trying things that didn’t work beyond a few nights.
The approach I use relies on understanding that insomnia isn’t happening TO you, it’s being generated from within you. My approach focuses on inner work so that you can recover on a physical, mental, and emotional level in a way that an external fix cannot provide.
Can this approach help if I’m currently taking sleep medication?
Yes. My approach does not involve medication but is ‘medication neutral’ – meaning it can be beneficial whether or not you are currently on medication. When it comes to medication of any kind – please do what is right for you in collaboration with your doctor. Since I am not a doctor, I cannot provide advice on medications nor supervise tapering.
I’ve gone to therapy, how is this different?
Working on your mind and its connection to your body (and vice versa) creates powerful outcomes. Both therapy and coaching are great ways to do this kind of work. However, sleep coaching has a different scope of practice.
We stay focused on helping you recover from your insomnia. You will not receive a clinical assessment or medical diagnosis. We are not going to examine the ‘spark’ of your insomnia, nor are we going to work on resolving trauma from your past. While doing this kind of past-focused work can be very helpful in many situations, focusing on past issues won’t help you resolve your insomnia.
For this reason, our work together will focus entirely on the present and on building skills and outcomes for the future.
I’m currently in therapy, can sleep coaching still help?
Yes it can! Several clients of mine work with me alongside their therapist or psychiatrist. The work we do together is different and complimentary to your current care. Together we focus on your insomnia recovery, while your therapist/psychiatrist may be supporting you more broadly or providing medication support. If working together feels right for you, I’m here to help.
How long will it take to sleep again?
There is no set timeline for insomnia recovery. I wish I could give you one. Some people may recover in weeks, and others may recover over the course of several months. Having a set timeline in mind can actually create expectations that if not met lead to feelings of failure – all of which we want to avoid. This is something I discuss with my clients, along with how they are measuring progress, to make sure they don’t (unintentionally) impede their recovery by adding unnecessary pressure. When it comes to insomnia recovery, it’s best to release time pressure and acknowledge yourself every step of the way.
Success Stories
Helping others feel well again is the reason I wake up in the morning. If we worked together and it helped, I’d love to hear from you!
Let's end your insomnia together
I’m here to help anyone struggling with insomnia. It’s a mission that means everything to me, and I’ve helped people all over the world rediscover restful sleep. If you’re ready to try help that finally works, I’d love to work with you.