transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:11] Hi, I'm Jessica Porter, and welcome back to Sleep Magic, a podcast where I help you find the magic of your own mind, helping you to sleep better and live better. Tonight, Sleep Hypnosis for Anxious Nights.

Speaker 2:
[00:29] I know when I feel anxious, that becomes my whole world. I'm sort of taken over by it, and I can't see beyond it. My brain gets hijacked, my heart shuts down, and my gut tightens up, and does its own weird freaked out dance.

Speaker 1:
[00:49] And with all that drama going on in my body, I lose perspective. I forget that I'm simply experiencing a wave of anxiety, and that this too shall pass. So the issue is not about getting rid of anxiety, but rising above it. Seeing that it's not the whole picture, that it's not all of who I am.

Speaker 2:
[01:16] So detaching from it.

Speaker 1:
[01:19] So for tonight, I've designed a hypnosis that will help you rise above any anxiety you may be feeling.

Speaker 2:
[01:27] And if you're not feeling anxiety, great, great. Well, then it will just feel good.

Speaker 1:
[01:35] I hope you like it.

Speaker 2:
[01:37] Now, get yourself into a safe and comfortable position.

Speaker 1:
[01:42] And let's begin. Allow your eyes to close easily and gently. Now, bring your awareness just for a moment to the breath. It's amazing that our breath is always here, and yet we pay so little attention to it. So when you bring your awareness to the breath, your awareness begins to settle down. It's coming home, back to your body, back to this lovely metronome inside of you. And you don't need to do anything fancy with your breath. Just allow the awareness to ride the wave of it. Good. Now let's bring your awareness up to your eyelids and allow your eyelids to get nice and heavy.

Speaker 2:
[03:21] Imagine that heaviness in your eyes.

Speaker 1:
[03:25] And as you imagine it, they become heavier, even if just a little. And as you allow your eyelids to relax, I'd like you to accept the suggestion that your eyelids are so relaxed, they will not open. And that's an absurd suggestion.

Speaker 2:
[03:50] But I want you to pretend.

Speaker 1:
[03:54] So pretending that your eyelids will not open, I'd like you to test them now by wiggling your eyebrows. Just give them a little tug while your eyes remain closed. Good. Now this lovely, heavy, relaxed feeling that you have around your eyes is the same quality of relaxation that you will soon have throughout your entire body. So let's imagine that warm, relaxed feeling is moving back now into your head. Just imagine it like a wave spilling back into your head, into your brain, taking over every single cell of your brain. As your mind begins its letting go, as you imagine warm waves of relaxation lapping up against the beach of your mind, just allow those warm waves of relaxation to lap up against the beach of your mind, as all mental tension disappears. And your head is feeling so heavy on the pillow. The muscles of your face are becoming soft and relaxed. As this lovely, warm, relaxed feeling spills down now into your neck and throat, warming your neck muscles, moving down now into your shoulders, you allow that lovely, warm, relaxed feeling to move down into your shoulders so that they are melting, melting into the bed. and to the future. They've all dropped to the floor. And even responsibilities you feel to the past have fallen away as well. And you can pick any or all of them up in the morning. But for right now, your only responsibility is to yourself. As you go deeper and deeper, you're allowed to let go. This is the time when everyone is allowed to let go of everything. As we drift into the night. I'm experiencing a very special type of freedom. so heavy, they could be made of marble. And as the relaxation moves down into your fingers, every single finger is feeling warm, heavy, and relaxed. And it feels so nice to let go. And as you go deeper and deeper tonight, you may be aware of sounds going on around you in your environment. But from this moment on, no sound that you hear will bother or disturb you in any way. In fact, from this moment on, any sound that you hear because you are so relaxed will take you deeper and even deeper. So bring your awareness now to any sound that may be going on around you. And let them take you deeper. The only sound you're paying any real attention to is my voice. And perhaps, that's already happening. As you go deeper and deeper. So, let's imagine that warm, lovely, relaxed feeling moving down into your chest. Imagine that wave sort of spilling into your rib cage, into your chest cavity. And let's imagine that it's swirling there like a gentle whirlpool. And this is softening you from the inside. Relaxing you. From the inside. And as that whirlpool surrounds and softens your heart, any emotional tension that may have built up in the last little while in or around your heart has disappeared, gone with the tide. And that feels so nice to be at peace. That wonderful warm wave moves down now, deeper into your belly, your lower body. Did you feel your pelvis sitting heavy on the bed? Allow your pelvis to feel heavy in all of the muscles around it, connected to it, or letting go. And as that warm, relaxed feeling moves even deeper inside of you, it too is swirling like a whirlpool in your belly. When your belly picks up tension, it thinks in its own way, it feels, it senses. So as you let it be bathed now, in this relaxation, any tension that may have built up in your belly over the last little while. And you feel soft inside, connected to your inner world, your inner being. Relaxed feeling to move down now. Down into your legs, through your knees, down your calves, into your feet. every toe is feeling full, heavy, and relaxed. As you go deeper, and even deeper, imagine now that you're standing on open ground. The grass beneath your feet feels cool, and you feel supported by the earth. You look up now into the wide sky, stretching above you, and it's filled with clouds. Some are moving quickly, shifting and reshaping, while others are gathering more densely, layering over one another, full of movement and energy. You watch them for a while. You notice that their motion is constant, as they continue changing. There are currents around and within the clouds, forming and then dissolving, and then forming again. Some currents are passing swiftly, while others linger. Imagine these clouds are your thoughts. They too have energy and movement. And their activity fills the sky of your mind. And as you're standing here on the grass, you feel how close the clouds are. And your attention is drawn upward into their motion, following their patterns, their shifts, their speed. The clouds are dominating your mind and have a life of their own. Something begins to change. Towards the Clouds. And you are surrounded by a soft, silvery light. It is very quiet here, although there is movement taking place. Wide. You allow your inner being to expand. You look down now, and you see the clouds stretching over the land like a soft landscape. They're rolling gently across the sky. You see their shapes more clearly now. Their movements appear slower, more defined. You see patterns emerging. Where before there was only motion. You notice how the clouds move together. How they gather into larger formations. You watch entire systems forming. And moving on. There's a rhythm. Some areas are dense with clouds and others are more open. Everything feels different. You're watching the same clouds and the same movement. But you're seeing them from a different perspective. Seeing how everything moves. How everything changes.

Speaker 2:
[30:33] Why?

Speaker 1:
[31:15] It's always here, always has been, and always will be. Patient. Observe it. And your gentle awareness. And your body is responding to this peaceful stillness. Your breath is slowing down. Your chest is softening. Your shoulders are settling. And a sense of ease is spreading through you. As this openness is moving into you. Filling the space inside your body. As your inner being expands. Now, very gently. Easily. The clouds below you are drawing closer, but they're soft and familiar now. The closer you get to them, the more relaxed you're becoming. The clouds once again, feel their texture soft against your skin. But this time, they feel more spacious. You notice the openings between them. You notice the flow. As you drift down through one layer and then down into another. Carry gently and easily toward the earth. And as you move down through the cloud. You notice that the wide, open sky remains within you. You carry it in you. your feet meet the grass once more. And you stand here again, beneath the sky. And you notice that the clouds have shifted. There's more space between them. Soft, light passing through them. Their movement is gentler. And slower. They're peaceful. As you feel the vast, open sky. Sinking deeper into the mattress. Your breath feels nice and slow.