The Gift of the Night
Author: Philip Carr-Gomm
Foreword by Dr Kristen LaMarca
Publisher: Inner Traditions • Bear & Company
Imprint: Findhorn Books in e-book and paperback editions
Audiobook with Simon & Schuster
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“Sleep as a daily embodied spiritual practice!
This workbook is a rare marriage of science and soul.”
David Peters, Professor Emeritus, Westminster Centre for Resilience, College of Liberal Arts and Science, University of Westminster
More than one third of adults suffer from insomnia or some other kind of sleep disorder. Left unaddressed, lack of sleep can lead to debilitated health, lowered resilience, and decreased performance in all aspects of life. Restoring hope to the sleepless, psychotherapist Philip Carr-Gomm reveals how we each have the ability to unlock better sleep naturally.
Combining his knowledge of sleep science and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with techniques drawn from spiritual traditions and insights from the emerging field of psychedelic therapy, Carr-Gomm presents a fast and easy-to-follow six-step program to help you sleep better. He explores a multitude of approaches to sleep, as well as sleep difficulties and how to overcome them. He looks at the potential of a whole range of influences and substances to improve sleep, including psychedelics and microdosing, applying elements of the psychedelic therapy model as a way of optimising the conditions for sleep. He recommends thirteen natural ways we can drift into a deep and restorative sleep, including hypnotherapy, Yoga Nidra, sophrology, progressive muscle relaxation, and white, pink, and grey noise, and provides scripts for five of these techniques. His successful sleep clinic provides online support in the form of short videos and audio meditations as well as exercises.
In addition to the six-step program, the author guides you in discovering the factors inhibiting a good night’s sleep and explores the difficulties of sleep phobia, sleep-talking, sleep-walking, and “Exploding Head Syndrome.” He also answers questions about the links between sleep and depression, sleep and obesity, and the value of sleep hacking and lucid dreaming.
Helping you get a better night’s sleep, this concise and simple guide shows you how to benefit from everything the night offers to body and soul.
Advance praise:
“A brilliant, important and inspiring book that will be so helpful to so many people.”
Dr Rosalind Watts, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Lead for Imperial College London’s psilocybin trial
“Written so gracefully that even the most scientific or arcane information is accessible. I learned so much about sleep itself as well as methods for getting there.”
Suzanne Braun Levine, first editor of Ms. Magazine and author of five books, including ‘Inventing the Rest of Our Lives: Women in Second Adulthood.’
“An excellent short guide to sleep from a very welcome integral perspective with a wonderfully varied selection of approaches to try. My new go-to recommendation for clients and colleagues suffering with sleep difficulties.”
Stephen Decker, Chartered Psychologist
“Sleep is one of the great unsolved mysteries of neuroscience.
We understand very little of either what it is or why we, or indeed almost every animal that has a central nervous system, do it. With so little hard science as to its nature, those of us who suffer from sleep disturbances must fall back on empirical methodologies that have been shown to work. Philip Carr-Gomm’s book is a practical guide to finding the peace that comes from returning to the patterns of sleep that energise our waking lives.
I strongly commend it to you as a very practical and helpful guide”
Peter Mobbs, Professor Emeritus and former Dean of Life Sciences and Pre-clinical Medicine at University College London
“A beautifully constructed, easy to follow guide, full of inspiring ideas. I love how Philip combines science with spirituality to provide a wide range of tools to help with sleep difficulties.”
Dr Alexandra Dent, Clinical Psychologist, author of ‘Using Spirituality in Psychotherapy: The Heart Led Approach to Clinical Practice’
“A must-read for all those who find good sleep elusive. Soundly based in contemporary sleep science, but also a deeply practical approach.”
Dr Vivianne Crowley, author and psychologist
“Philip Carr-Gomm presents a succinct but authoritative look at ways to help us sleep. Science and spirituality are drawn upon equally, with inspiration and techniques coming via sophrology, yoga nidra and the latest sleep research. The author even taps into the potential of psychedelic-assisted therapy, applying elements of the model as a way of optimising the conditions for sleep. Accessible, practical and endlessly thought-provoking, reading The Gift of the Night certainly won’t send you to sleep, but the rich content contained within should provide even the greatest insomniacs with plenty of new ways to finally drift off.” Ian Rouillier, author & mental health advocate
“Philip Carr-Gomm has drawn on his own earlier sleeping difficulties to create an integrative approach to tackling sleep issues which many have found highly effective. Although the problem is a simple one – we have difficulty sleeping well – the roots of it can be complex and multi-layered. Philip draws on his training as a psychologist to help tackle these issues, combining the best of current scientific understanding with transpersonal approaches that help address wider holistic aspects of sleep disorder. Philip is highly trained in multiple disciplines (many of which contribute to the wide range of helpful suggestions in this book), but wears his learning lightly. The book is written in a relaxed and conversational style: the reader will feel as though they are being taken by the hand by a wise and helpful friend who can guide them towards a satisfying night’s sleep. I can’t recommend this book too highly for anyone troubled by sleep problems, with its wealth of invaluable techniques to enhance our experience of sleep.” Dr Martin Treacy, Chartered Psychologist, Co-founder British Psychological Society Transpersonal Section