Hello my friend,
And welcome to this sleep story,
Finding Peace Together.
It's based on ideas from Internal Family Systems,
Which is a wonderful,
Rich,
Compassionate approach to healing.
But you don't need to understand IFS to enjoy this story.
Just lie back,
Close your eyes and let the story unfold within your mind,
Like a warm,
Soft blanket soothing you into deep,
Restful slumber.
This story will be helpful if you're struggling to sleep for any reason.
You may find that sleep does not come easy,
So need a little help drifting off.
Or your mind might be especially busy right now,
Wearing with thoughts and worries about the future,
Feeling too energised and activated to shift into a restful state.
So let's begin.
Start by making yourself as comfortable as possible.
Adjust your blanket or duvet so it settles over your body just right,
Keeping you warm and cosy.
Plump your pillows so they support your head and neck.
Adjust your bedclothes so they're smooth and comfortable on your skin.
Now turn your attention to your breathing,
Taking deep,
Slow,
Steady breaths,
In through your nose and out through your mouth.
Try counting to four seconds on the in-breath and four on the out-breath.
As you're breathing,
Let your belly rise and fall with each breath.
Feel it expand on the in-breath and fall away,
Softening and contracting on the out-breath.
Then continue breathing deeply for one minute.
Keep breathing slow,
Soft and steady.
Hopefully you're now feeling a bit calmer,
A little more peaceful and relaxed.
Snuggle into the mattress a tiny bit deeper,
Giving up the weight of your body to gravity.
No need to hold on tightly,
Nothing to do,
Nowhere to be,
Just relax.
Now in your mind's eye,
Imagine you're standing in a lush,
Green valley,
With fertile fields all around and a broad,
Slow-moving river curving off into the distance.
On every side are hills and mountains,
Their sides covered in thick green forests and,
On the peak of the taller mountains,
A gleaming pyramid of snow glistened in the sunlight.
Look around you and realise you're not alone.
A little gang of fellow travellers are at your feet,
Some playing in the long grass,
Others resting quietly.
Most are little kids,
With a few teenagers and some young adults,
But they're all younger than you.
They're all suffering in some way.
The young ones are sad,
Anxious or lonely.
Their memories are painful,
Of hard things from the past.
Some of the others are angry,
Wanting to fight everyone who might be a threat to the little ones.
Others are busy,
Rushing around all the time with no chance to rest.
And other members of your little gang are searching for distractions,
Picking up every shiny thing they find and offering it to you,
Hoping to catch your attention for a few precious moments.
And they're all waiting for your lead,
Looking up at you with expectation and hope that you'll be a strong,
Wise leader on the journey you'll undertake together.
They tell you they're searching for a peaceful place and that they have been on this search as long as they can remember.
They searched the steamiest,
Hottest jungles,
But it was not there.
Together they explored the deepest depths of the oceans,
But found no peace there.
They have been to the driest,
Most scorching deserts,
The busiest,
Most bustling cities and towns,
Forests full of soaring ancient redwoods and sequoias,
But they found no peace there either.
Now these young ones are tired of searching alone.
They have realised,
After a lifetime of searching,
That they need your help.
Some of them feel despairing and hopeless,
But others trust you and know you have the kindness,
Wisdom and strength they need to help them find this peaceful place.
Check in with your heart and see how you're feeling towards them all right now,
Knowing these young souls are all suffering,
Sad,
Hurt and world-weary.
If you find a little warmth in your heart,
Compassion or care,
Let them feel that from you and stay with that for a few moments.
Then,
Gathering your raggle-taggle band,
You set off through the long grass,
Walking along the banks of the river as it winds its way through the fields.
As you walk,
Let your senses take in the beauty of your surroundings.
See the verdant carpet of hedges,
Fields and ancient paths,
Stretching off to the distant horizon.
Looking down,
See the long,
Lush grass beneath your feet.
And gazing up,
Take in the piercing blue skies dotted with fluffy white clouds,
Drifting on a gentle breeze.
Feel the sun on your skin,
Life-giving and warm,
And the breeze ruffling your hair,
Soft and refreshing,
So your temperature stays just right while you walk.
Bend down and take a deep,
Quenching drink from the river,
Tasting the cold,
Clear water fresh from snowmelt on the mountains all around.
Smell the cool,
Clean alpine air as you take deep,
Nourishing breaths.
Then you start to climb,
Slowly at first but the gradient getting ever steeper as you and your companions trudge upwards,
Out of the valley and into a lovely,
Pristine forest of pine and fir trees.
As you reach the forest,
You stop for a breather,
Sitting in a small clearing between the trees.
Your little band gathers round you,
And you share sourdough bread and delicious creamy cheese from the farms all around,
As well as flasks of the cool,
Clear river water from the valley below.
As you all eat,
Drink and rest,
You can hear the melodic sound of birdsong from all around.
Robins,
Sparrows and finches chirrup and tweet as they flit about,
From branch to branch and into the brambles and bracken growing in tangles next to the clearing.
Allow the calm and quiet of this natural scene to drift over you as you rest,
Sinking ever deeper into the mattress,
Feeling ever cosier in your warm little night-time nest.
Then it's time to move on and so on you go,
You and your little group,
Deeper into the forest,
Following an ancient path made smooth by centuries of fellow travellers passing through before you.
You emerge from the forest into the sunlight and climb ever higher.
Up,
Up the path goes,
Winding its way towards the heavens.
You climb ever higher,
Above the treeline,
Into patches of snow and ice,
Your face warm in the alpine sunshine.
Are we there yet?
Ask the young ones,
Tired and bedraggled from the climb.
Not yet,
You tell them,
As you take the smallest one on your back and carry them upwards,
Older ones helping younger ones until they all have a strong,
Safe back to rest on and help with the arduous trek.
Eventually you reach the mountaintop and everyone rests,
Drinking more thirst-quenching water from your flasks and eating delicious chocolate,
Replenishing flagging energy levels.
Is this the place?
Ask the little ones.
Is this where we find peace?
Not yet,
You answer kindly,
Ruffling their hair and smiling.
But it's not far now,
Just over there,
You tell them,
Pointing down the far side of the mountain.
On you go,
Your little band of weary travellers trailing behind you,
Following narrow trails in the gorse,
Carved by the sheep and goats who dot the mountainside.
Eventually you come down off the wild,
Windy slopes into the treeline,
Passing through gnarled old spruce and pines,
Until you all emerge into a wide,
Flat,
Expansive meadow.
Everyone flops in the long grass,
Spent from the day's hiking.
See and feel yourself lying spread-eagled in the lush grass,
Gazing up at the depthless blue sky.
All around you are pretty little wildflowers,
Stretching off in every direction in vibrant shades of pink,
Olive,
Scarlet,
Lilac and purple.
Insects buzz and birds swoop as you lie there,
Tired but happy after your exertions.
Is this it?
Ask the little ones.
Are we there yet?
You look at them and smile,
Love and care shining from your eyes.
Come lie with me,
You say,
Gathering them all in as,
One by one,
They lie in your arms,
Forming a happy little pile of torsos,
Limbs and tired faces.
So,
Little ones,
This could be the peaceful place,
Or it could be anywhere,
You say gently,
As they gaze up at you,
Because your peaceful place is here with me,
In my arms and in my heart.
A look of realisation slowly spreads across their faces as they smile and nod,
Tears gently running down their cheeks.
This is home,
They say.
Here with you is our peaceful place and our home.
And as you lie in your bed,
Imagining this scene,
See if you can let them into your heart,
All those lost little parts of you who have searched and searched for peace,
Never finding it out there in the world,
But can now turn towards you and find loving shelter,
A place of stillness and warmth in your heart and mind.
Let your breath ebb and flow.
Sink deeper into your mattress,
Enjoying the cosiness and peacefulness of your little nest.
Know that this is your peaceful place.
Let that thought caress and nourish you as you drift off to sleep.
Sleep well,
My friend.
Thank you for being here with me,
And I wish you the sweetest dreams.
