Therapy for Insomnia

If you’re struggling with sleep, you’ll know how draining it can be. The exhaustion, the racing thoughts, the long hours of darkness, they can leave you feeling anxious, irritable, or disconnected from yourself and others. You might dread bedtime, or wake in the early hours unable to switch off your mind.

Working with an insomnia therapist offers a space to talk about what’s happening beneath the surface. Sometimes sleeplessness is linked to stress or anxiety, sometimes it’s connected to loss, trauma or a sense of being overwhelmed. Often, it’s a mix of many things. Therapy isn’t about offering quick fixes, but about getting to know your relationship with rest, safety and control, and finding what might help you soften into sleep again.

What is Therapy for Insomnia?

Therapy for insomnia looks beyond simple sleep routines or habits - though those can play a part. It’s an opportunity to explore the deeper emotional and psychological patterns that may keep your body and mind in a state of alertness.

As an insomnia therapist, I help clients make sense of their sleeplessness in the context of their wider life. Together, we might look at how stress, perfectionism, unresolved grief or past experiences contribute to the difficulty of letting go into rest. Over time, this process can help you understand what your insomnia is trying to communicate and how to meet those underlying needs with more care and awareness.

Therapy may not send you straight to sleep, but it can create the inner conditions where rest becomes more possible.

Signs You Might Benefit from Therapy

You might be considering therapy for insomnia if sleeplessness has become a persistent part of your life - something that no longer feels within your control. Perhaps you’ve tried every sleep app, routine and supplement, yet still find yourself wide awake at 3am, mind spinning, body restless.

You may notice that you:

• Struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep

• Wake in the early hours and can’t get back to rest

• Feel constantly tense, tired or irritable during the day

• Rely on alcohol, caffeine or distraction to cope

• Experience anxiety or racing thoughts at bedtime

• Feel trapped in a cycle of exhaustion and worry

An insomnia therapist can help you begin to understand what’s keeping you awake, not only on a physical level, but emotionally and psychologically too. Sometimes insomnia can be a sign that part of you feels unsafe, unheard, or overburdened. Therapy offers a way to listen to that part of you with gentleness and curiosity.

How Therapy for Insomnia Works

In our sessions, we’ll begin by getting to know your experience of sleeplessness, how it feels, when it began, and what meaning it might hold for you. I’ll listen carefully, without judgement, and together we’ll explore what might be driving the patterns that keep you awake.

Therapy for insomnia may include learning to slow the mind and body, but it also goes deeper into the emotions and memories that make rest difficult. We might look at how perfectionism, anxiety, loss or unresolved stress shape your relationship with control, stillness or vulnerability.

The work happens at your pace. As we build a sense of safety in the sessions, you may begin to notice moments of calm emerging - not only at night, but in your waking life too.

My Expertise and Approach

I trained at the Minster Centre, one of the UK’s leading psychotherapy training. My approach is integrative, meaning I draw from different therapeutic traditions depending on what feels most helpful for you.

As an insomnia therapist, I’ve worked with clients whose sleeplessness was linked to anxiety, grief, trauma and burnout. My focus is not on techniques alone, but on understanding how your mind and body are trying to protect you, even when that protection comes at a cost.

Therapy can help you learn to listen to yourself differently. Over time, this may bring a greater sense of balance, ease and rest, not just at night, but in the way you move through life.

The Benefits of Therapy for Insomnia

Many people who begin therapy for insomnia find that as they understand more about what’s keeping them awake, their relationship with sleep starts to shift. Rest begins not with techniques, but with understanding and learning to meet your own restlessness kindly.

Over time, therapy may help you to:

• Feel less anxious at bedtime

• Recognise and soften unhelpful thought patterns

• Understand emotional factors contributing to sleeplessness

• Develop self-compassion and patience with yourself

• Experience moments of calm and ease, both day and night

Working with an insomnia therapist isn’t about chasing perfect sleep. It’s about creating space in your mind, your body and your life, where rest can begin to find its way back in.

Why Contact Me?

✓ Trained at the Minster Centre, one of the UK’s leading psychotherapy institutions

✓ Experienced in supporting people with anxiety, depression, grief, stress and burnout

✓ Over two years working in a bereavement service, alongside specialist work

✓ An integrative therapist, drawing from different traditions to tailor therapy to each person

✓ A background in working with activists, changemakers, leaders and ex-boarders

✓ Committed to creating a safe, empathic and collaborative therapeutic space

Start Your Therapy Journey Today

If you'd like an introductory session, please email me or message me using the details below. Alternatively, please schedule a call using calendly.

Phone

+44 7356 082880

Email

andrew.tobert@gmail.com

Location

231 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6PJ or Online

FAQs About Therapy for Insomnia

What is therapy for insomnia?

Therapy for insomnia is a space to explore what might be keeping you awake emotionally, mentally, or physically. It’s not about enforcing a rigid sleep routine, but about understanding the patterns, thoughts and feelings that lie beneath sleeplessness. Together, we look at your relationship with rest, and what may help it to feel more possible again.

How can an insomnia therapist help?

An insomnia therapist can offer a compassionate space to talk about your experience of wakefulness and the worries that surround it. Many people find that when they understand their sleeplessness more deeply, rather than fighting it, some of the tension begins to ease. Therapy can also support you in noticing how stress, anxiety, or self-criticism may play a part in how you rest.

Will therapy cure my insomnia?

Therapy isn’t a quick fix or a guaranteed cure. It’s a process that may help you relate differently to your thoughts, your body, and the experience of not sleeping. Many clients find that as they become gentler with themselves and address what’s beneath the surface, their sleep improves, sometimes subtly, sometimes significantly.

How long does therapy for insomnia take?

There’s no set timeline. Some people choose short-term work focused on sleep-related stress or anxiety, while others find ongoing therapy more helpful, especially when sleeplessness is linked to deeper emotional patterns. We can explore what feels right for you during our initial sessions.

Can therapy for insomnia help if I’ve tried everything else?

Yes, it may. Many clients come to therapy after trying medication, mindfulness, or strict routines. Therapy offers a space to explore the emotional and psychological roots of sleeplessness, rather than only its symptoms. You don’t need to come with solutions, just curiosity and honesty about your experience.

Do you offer online sessions?

Yes. If it’s easier for you to meet from home, online therapy is available. Many people find that talking about insomnia from their own environment can be particularly grounding and relevant.