Joanna Hogan is an experienced CBT therapist and insomnia specialist who runs a CBT clinic and runs workshops for employers on Sleep. She is based just outside London at Springbank Clinic, Sevenoaks, Kent and online.
Even the best of sleepers can struggle to have a good night’s sleep from time to time. This can be triggered by relationship difficulties, work or exam stress, anxiety, low mood, loss, shift work, hormonal change (particularly the menopause), pain or illness.
Most patches of poor sleep pass within a few days or weeks, but for some people a bad patch can turn into a longer-term problem of regularly struggling to fall asleep, stay asleep or waking up too early.
My sleep clients typically come to me when they feel like they have tried everything else. Unfortunately, unlike the other challenges we can be faced with, the harder we try to sleep well, the less well we are likely to sleep. This is known as sleep pressure, and is the opposite of what we need to fall asleep. In sessions we look at the daytime and nighttime habits that can promote good sleep. We also look at the behaviours, thoughts and emotions that get in the way of having a good night’s sleep, and work together to make changes to improve these. Even clients with sleep complicated by physical discomfort, hormonal imbalance or emotional circumstances can find that they are able to improve the quality and the quantity of their sleep.
Many of my clients will have already worked really hard to improve their sleep and sleep hygiene when they get in touch. They may have cut out blue light before bedtime, tried breathwork exercises, sprayed pillow mist, read many articles on sleep and have often received conflicting advice from friends and family. However, the harder they try and the more they talk about sleep, the worse their sleep seems to get.
What we do in sessions feels very different. We will look at their patterns of activity in the day and evening to review potential causes of stress, but we will also look at sleep schedules, i.e. the times they are getting into and out of bed, and what they are doing when they can’t sleep. Once someone starts their sessions with me they will then have me on their side, supporting and encouraging them as they make the changes they need to improve their sleep and overcome any difficulties along the way.
My NHS experience in sleep includes working within psychological services (IAPT) to train and supervise other therapists on sleep issues, run sleep groups and work
with clients to overcome their sleep problems. I have also worked for an NHS Insomnia Unit within UCLH, running sleep groups and working 1:1 with clients with complex sleep issues, including insomnia and nightmares. I use CBT for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques, because they have an excellent success rate - over 80% - but I enhance my sleep work with Compassion-Focused Schema Therapy, mindfulness, relaxation techniques, EMDR and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I work closely with Consultant Psychiatrist and Sleep Physician colleagues at Sleep London and Guys and St Thomas’s, and make clinical referrals where needed for sleep studies.
Do get in touch if you would like to find out more. joannahogancbt.co.uk