Insomnia Therapy

CBT‑I has two main components: behavioural and cognitive. The behavioural side helps gently shift any habits that may be unintentionally keeping your insomnia going. The cognitive side focuses on reducing the worry, pressure and unhelpful thoughts that often develop when sleep becomes a nightly struggle.

• CBT‑I is a structured, evidence-based approach to treating insomnia; it's not the same as ‘sleep hygiene’. It includes tailored sleep education, techniques to retrain your brain to associate bed with sleep, gently strengthening your sleep drive, learning how to wind down effectively, and tackling the racing thoughts or worries that can keep you awake.

• CBT‑I is a time-limited therapy - typically delivered across 6 sessions. It’s focused on equipping you with tools to restore healthy sleep patterns and maintain them independently into the long-term.

• Using CBTI, we help you get refreshing sleep naturally, without having to rely on sleeping tablet prescriptions or over-the-counter medication.

• Many people might worry that CBT-I is harsh or overly rigid, especially when they hear about 'sleep restriction'. In reality, our approach is always personalised and collaborative. We tailor your sleep window carefully to your individual sleep pattern, health, and lifestyle - and we adjust it gently but effectively over time. The goal is never to deprive you of sleep, but to rebuild your natural sleep drive in a way that feels safe, sustainable, and empowering.

• Our approach is always bespoke and personalised — we go at a pace that feels manageable to you. Some people worry they'll be told to get out of bed in the middle of the night no matter what - but in practice, we work collaboratively to find strategies that are both effective and realistic for your situation.

• The benefits of CBTI persist in the long-term, long beyond when the therapy finishes. It has been proven to help those with even very long-term (decades) poor sleep.

• It works with all ages and has been used successfully in those with physical and mental health conditions e.g., those with depression and anxiety disorders and those with cancer, heart disease and chronic pain. 

• Most clients begin to notice meaningful improvements within around 4 weeks of starting CBT‑I, but everyone’s journey is different. Some experience faster change; others take more time. Your bespoke programme is tailored around your lifestyle, health, and circumstances - we guide the process carefully to help you feel supported, stay motivated and on-track.

• CBTI tackles insomnia head-on, by addressing the underlying causes of insomnia, rather than just relieving symptoms.

• While CBT‑I is our primary therapeutic approach, we also draw selectively from newer models such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Insomnia (ACT‑I), particularly when clients are coping with sleep‑related anxiety or excessive attempts to ‘fix’ their sleep.

• Article: Can Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia help me sleep better?

Nightmares cause significant disruption to sleep alongside daytime symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, lower mood, greater anxiety, and depression.

Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) is an evidence-based technique used to reduce the frequency of nightmares as well as their intensity.

We can see you either face-to-face at our clinic space in central Cambridge, or online through Zoom, Teams, or Skype, meaning we can see you for insomnia therapy wherever you are. This means that you can get help for your sleep in the comfort of your own home with the sessions causing minimal disruption to your schedule. 

Article: 5 things that might surprise you about insomnia therapy