Welcome,
Thank you for adding this guided relaxation practice into your bedtime routine As you get comfortable in your bed,
Adjust your sheets just right Relax your head onto your soft pillow,
Relax your weight into the support of your mattress shifting slightly as needed for the tension to come off your shoulders Take a nice slow deep breath in and exhale out The breath is such a beautiful way to mark our transition from one activity into another For us together here now,
We're marking the end of the day and the beginning of your rest time My name is Susan Guttridge,
I'm a Master Degree Counsellor,
EMDR Certified Therapist and the owner of Live Happy Counselling Services which is in the beautiful Okanagan Valley of British Columbia.
Thank you for being here tonight Today's practice incorporates the bilateral stimulation component of EMDR therapy I'll be using soft music with a rhythm that alternates back and forth from the right speaker to the left and so forth.
In today's practice we're using bilateral stimulation to harness your body's innate relaxation response.
To maximize the alternating sound you'll need to listen with earbuds.
No worries though if you don't have a set on hand,
You can also just tap alternating back and forth.
I'll explain how.
Reach your arms out and cross them so that each hand is gently touching the opposite shoulder.
Then tap with one hand on your right shoulder,
Then with the other on your left shoulder and keep repeating back and forth.
Tapping right shoulder,
Left shoulder,
Right shoulder,
Left shoulder,
Just like that.
Alright you can let your hands relax down now.
So as you listen tonight,
When you hear the music become a bit louder,
That will be your cue to start gently tapping on your shoulders back and forth.
When the music quiets back down,
You can also stop tapping.
All too often we crawl into bed and hope to fall asleep without having taken the steps to fully transition from the demands of waking life to that of sleep,
Our time off,
Our time of rest.
To be amazing at all those demands of life we need our rest.
We simply can't regulate emotion or be in our best analytical or creative mind when we are tired.
Like anything in life,
When we want to excel we need to put intention and effort and practice towards it.
And you being here tonight with me means you are doing just that and in so doing you are making you are making your rest,
Your time to sleep a priority.
So thank you.
I've used the word unwind in this guided sleep practice with intention.
A sense of being wound up is something I hear a lot.
We can feel wound up with the stressors of the day or with anxiety or health concerns.
We can feel wound up when we feel we aren't being heard or seen by those we love.
Being wound up is a term that I feel really represents feeling apprehensive,
On edge,
Nervous,
Anxious.
And being wound up brings a whole host of physiological sensations with it like muscle tension,
Tightness in your belly or shoulders,
Dizziness,
Even a sense that perhaps you just can't catch your breath or take a deep breath.
There's nothing about being wound up that promotes sleepfulness.
Instead when we're wound up we tend to drop into bed exhausted and then begin to ruminate because our nervous system is just too activated.
Together let's turn down the volume on that nervous system activation.
Let's create a healthier new habit of setting down the demands of the day to healthfully unwind.
Connecting now with the bed beneath you,
The bits of comfort you feel in your body where it meets the mattress.
Closing your eyes now if feels okay to do so.
Noticing now your breath.
Breathing through your nose,
Deeply allowing that breath to flow all the way into your abdomen and releasing out.
As you inhale focus on the air flowing into your abdomen.
You can even place a hand on your belly to notice it expand on your inhale and exhale out.
When you focus on your abdomen as you breathe it can really help with a deeper inhale.
This time as you breathe in say to yourself I am breathing in and as you exhale say to yourself I am breathing out.
Breathing in repeating to yourself I am breathing in,
Exhaling out so I am breathing out.
Repeat that for a few more breaths.
Now with your breath slow and deep think for a moment of something you find relaxing.
What image comes to your mind's eye?
The image you choose can be any relaxing imagery at all because we're all unique and you know best what's relaxing to you.
An image that when you picture it in your mind's eye your body relaxes as though you are there.
If you don't land on one straight away some suggestions might be suggestions might be a pleasant memory,
A peaceful place real or imagined,
A moment playing or snuggling with your pet,
A moment of mastery in whatever form that would be in your life.
Perhaps you'd like to use your imagination to focus on a protective figure,
A protective mama bear watching over you while you sleep or something that suits you.
Maybe an image of yourself flying free like an eagle in the sky,
Wings spread wide,
Soaring high and free.
Choose a relaxing image now.
Give it as much detail as possible.
All right now with that relaxing image in your mind's eye feel yourself letting go,
Expanding the imagery.
Just picturing yourself with that beautiful relaxing image now.
Drawing your breath in,
Exhaling out.
Can you add even more sensory detail into your relaxing image?
When you picture that image in your mind's eye what else would be around you?
How does it feel in your body when you connect with that relaxing image?
Drawing your breath in and exhaling out.
As you picture that relaxing image what positive words go with it?
Perhaps I can let go,
This is my time off for sleep,
I give myself permission to relax.
Whichever the positive words are that you choose,
Say them to yourself now as you connect with your relaxing image with all the peaceful details you've added in.
Drawing your breath in and exhaling out.
Know that if you wake in the night it's normal and if you do waken you can connect with this relaxing image.
It's yours,
It exists in your imagination,
In your mind's eye.
You can draw on it anytime,
Acknowledge it,
Acknowledge how it makes you feel and as you connect with that relaxing image you can put down any loud thoughts,
Repeating those positive words to yourself.
Try that now,
Picture the relaxing image and the positive words that go with it.
Drawing a deep breath in and exhaling out.
Your peaceful relaxing image is one you can replay when you awaken in the night,
And anytime you might have trouble disconnecting from sticky thoughts,
Those thoughts don't serve you in the middle of the night so you could jot them down so that your brain isn't trying to help you remember them by repeating them.
And once you've done that,
Turning your attention back towards sleep with this relaxing image,
You can draw on that relaxing image and the positive words that go with them.
Nothing else really serves you when it's time to just sleep.
It's a gift you give to yourself to connect with a relaxing image that comforts you,
To use it to quiet the mind,
To be fully present,
To feel relaxation in your body.
It's a form of emotion regulation,
Of mindfulness practice.
We aren't taught this in school when we learn mathematics and the nuances of language and yet it is such a crucial life skill.
Drawing your breath in all the way to your abdomen and exhaling out with that beautiful relaxing image tucked into your mind's eye.
Snuggle ever so deeper into the cozy comfort of your bed.
Thank you for listening tonight.
I wish you sweet dreams.
Good night.
