Why I won’t use CBTi with my clients…

Another week has passed, which brings us one week closer to Christmas/Hannukah/New Year/Etc. Can you believe it? Time to start buying gifts again. 

Anyway, I’m curious if you have tried CBTi or thought about trying it. In case you didn’t know what it is, it’s Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia.  It’s supposed to be the gold standard & #1 way to treat insomnia.   

I’ve personally done two rounds of it.

There are some positive aspects to it as well as some negative in my opinion. Things have certainly changed since it was put into use for insomnia. 

It reminds me of when I was diagnosed with depression. That was super scary for me, and I felt like I had no control over my mind and my body.

I reluctantly took my prescription for depression pills home, and they sat on a shelf.

I looked at them multiple times that day, scared to take them, and felt like there has to be a better way.

My doctor told me that with the severity of my depression (it wasn’t severe, but it wasn’t mild either), I would need pills on top of therapy. That was the #1 way to treat my depression at the time.

I just couldn’t get myself to do it and instead started exercising, getting fresh air/sunlight, eating healthier, and reading self-help books. I never took a single depression pill, and you wouldn’t even know I have depression.

Many years later, I questioned if I really had it.

***Time for a medical disclaimer… If you have depression, please don’t just go off your pills and live healthier because I did. Talk to your doctor and make your own informed decision.

The reason I tell you this story is that just because something is considered the #1 treatment, it doesn’t mean it’s what’s best for you or that there aren’t better options out there.

Things change, and new studies come out showing much better ways of treating various medical conditions.

There have been a couple of new treatment options that have come out since CBTi that I think work much better for insomnia, and yes, I know I am biased, but I happened to think the method I teach is the best one.

It also happens to be the one that cured my insomnia.

If you are thinking about CBTi or wondering why I don’t recommend it, then I highly recommend watching the video above.