Finally, A Cure For Insomnia?

Being unable to fall asleep is one of the most annoying and disturbing things in life. Staying up and awake, turning from one side to another, eyeing the ceiling, one just wishes for an instantaneous formula to fall asleep. One such magic formula was offered by physician Andrew Weil, called the "4-7-8 Relaxing Breathing Technique". Whether it works is a personal question.  

But, what if nothing makes you fall asleep?

Simon Parkin, the author of this Guardian article, has been suffering from insomnia for many years. That means he has been after this "magic cure" for a long time now. According to Parkin, a London clinic has achieved "remarkable results" in curing insomnia. In Parkin's words:

Founded in 2009 by Hugh Selsick, a South African psychiatrist, the Insomnia Clinic in Bloomsbury has revolutionised treatment for sleeplessness in the UK. As Britain’s only dedicated insomnia facility, more than 1,000 patients have passed through the clinic at a rate that has quickened to, in 2018, 120 new cases a month. According to the clinic’s figures, 80% of patients report major improvements, while almost half claim to have been fully cured.

Selsick's thesis is as follows: insomnia can only be dealt with if it is treated as a psychiatric disorder that has degrees of severity that range from mild to chronic. Instead, insomnia has been treated as a symptom of another issue, and Selsick contends that insomnia is not merely a symptom, but a disorder on its own.

What Selsick initially tries to do is discipline the patient's relationship with sleep, such as establishing routine timing for sleep and also never entering the bedroom except for sleeping. This is for associating the bedroom with sleeping only, and also getting rid of dreading the bedroom, as many insomniacs do. Basically, Selsick works with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and aims to realign the patient's whole attitude towards sleeping — and also life: that's his "magic trick" cure.