I almost waited until this evening to do this practice, as it says it is intended for sleep. I have learned, however, that for me, one of the best measures of effectiveness of sleep practices is to listen to them during the day, particularly when I am engaged in mundane activities. I have a variation of narcolepsy and take medication to help me stay awake during the day. If a sleep practice works even slightly under those conditions, it's a keeper for me.
And WOW, did this ever work!
I awoke for the day about three hours ago and took my medication as usual. I was about to go to my bookmark list to pull one of my saved background affirmation tracks or music as I engaged in routine tasks, then saw this. I trusted my intuition and played it instead.
The task I was (am) doing is compiling a spreadsheet of US states and their pros/cons with respect to retirement (taxes, health care, housing costs, etc) and a host of other non-retirement-related factors. This has required some intense focus and concentration as I've been working on it for quite a while. This sleep practice - played while focusing hard on reading and analyzing and taking notes, plus with "stay awake" medication well in my system, AND having recently had a sound night of sleep - was STILL able to slow my mind and I literally felt and experienced my eyes closing and becoming sleepy. I did not fall asleep, but I did have a moment where I contemplated doing exactly that.
There was, as I recall (because I wasn't listening closely the entire time) a decent explanation at the start about what binaural beats are. They are used in this practice (which I love) and headphones are also specifically mentioned. I don't recall if the term "AMSR" is used or not, but it is employed throughout the practice to great effect. The method used there is a crackling sound plus the shift in auditory sides and some echoing, quieter vocalizing. I know I heard an example given at the start of the left and right ear switch, so more detail might have been provided and I just wasn't paying attention. It's an excellent technique though, one I've experienced in clinical settings (I am a mental health and disability services professional) and have been glad to see gradually increasing in presence on platforms such as Insight Timer. There were also some mild hypnotic induction elements present (again, something I am very familiar with both as patient as professional).
Overall, this practice passed my personal sleep practice efficiency threshold with flying colors. I would rate this seven stars if I could. Though the music does end, the audio does not, thus providing a better and more gradual transition if one has indeed fallen asleep - no jarring sudden silence. I've bookmarked AND downloaded this practice and cannot wait to use it once I am no longer able to follow my natural sleeping patterns (delayed sleep phase syndrome, and I am currently home recovering from a surgery).
Thank you to both instructor and production staff for this excellent practice and for gifting it to the Insight Timer community. I look forward to experiencing more of your work. I see the light in you all. 🤲🏻❤️🤲🏻
