Dick Sutphen - Restorative Sleep & Paul McKenna - Sleep Like a Log

Sleep Like A Log contains the most effective techniques of hypnotherapy to give you nights of deep, refreshing sleep. The powerful hypnotic section can automatically install suggestions that work when you need them most, ensuring a good night's sleep, all night, every night.

Just Great. It works., 1 Jul 2004
By A Customer at Amazon
First and foremost the thing you need to know is that this tape/cd really does work. Paul McKenna knows what he is doing. As a life long insomniac (with atrocious sleep patterns due to ill health) I could count on one hand the number of nights where I: 1)got to sleep quickly 2)stayed asleep without waking up more than very lightly 3)slept 7 or 8 hours 4)the sleep was of reasonable quality. Since listening to this tape every day for two weeks this wonderful pattern of sleep has become the norm. I used to fear going to bed (hours of miserable tossing and turning and worrying - if you're reading this review then I'm sure you're familiar with all the miseries of being unable to sleep). Now I virtually look forward to it. Bottom line, if if can work for me then it stands a fair chance of working for anyone however great their issues.

All other considerations are secondary to whether the techniques and process works but still worth looking at. The tape is a pleasure to use. Part one (I only listened to it a handful of times) clearly and gently describes good "sleep hygeine". Stuff like only using your bed for sleep, only going to bed when actually sleepy, always getting up at the same time each day regardless of whether you got enough hours. McKenna described these as the six golden rules. They're useful and well reasearche cognitive behaviour techniques.

The real gem though is the second track which is the Hypnotic Trance. Very very pleasant. Nothing funny or spooky in the least. His voice is very warm and reassuring and lots of hyptotic suggestions that make you feel good in general about yourself and the world are mixed in with those that relate directly to sleep. I do drift when listening to this second track - which I still do most days as I've only been on the programme a couple of months. But its a gently drifting and I wake up "refreshed and alert" just as instructed! It has really taught my subconscious mind to let go of the all the chatter and allow sleep to happen. But a really useful tip here. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE TAPE WITH YOUR CONSCIOUS MIND. Years ago I tried a similar tape and it did not work. I am sure that this is in part because I really listened to it - like you would the radio story. Instead, with this I let me conscious mind gently drift over boring unimportant thoughts and let the tape get to work on my unconscious where it can really do its good. Nice music, nice voice. Good safe pair of hands. Clever Ericksonian hynotherapy.

Summary: A really good hypnotherapist doing a great job of reassuring the uncsonsious mind that you really can go to sleep and sleep well. This tape does what it says on the packet. Nuff said!