Sleep Difficulties
You might be lying awake at night, exhausted but unable to switch off.
Your mind keeps going – racing thoughts, replaying the day, or getting caught in familiar loops of anxiety and overthinking. Even when you do fall asleep, you may wake in the night and struggle to get back to sleep, your mind already active again.
At other times, it can feel like the opposite. You’re so tired that getting out of bed feels overwhelming, and staying there feels like the only safe option.
As a psychotherapist and counsellor working online and in East London, I see how disordered sleeping often isn’t just about sleep. It’s usually connected to what’s happening underneath.
What’s happening in your system
Sleep difficulties are often linked to anxiety, emotional overwhelm, and a nervous system that’s on high alert.
If you’ve experienced trauma, childhood wounds, or attachment issues, your body may have learned to stay alert to potential threat. At night, when everything is quieter, that can become more noticeable. The mind can move into rumination – going over the past, worrying about the future, or trying to make sense of things that feel unresolved.
At the same time, there can be periods of feeling low or shut down, where getting up and engaging with the day feels like too much.
These patterns aren’t a failure on your part. They’re your system trying to manage something that hasn’t yet felt fully processed or safe.
How I work
In our work together, we look beyond just the sleep itself.
I integrate talk therapy with body based therapy and somatic therapy, because sleep is closely connected to the nervous system. Using Lifespan Integration, we can gently process earlier experiences so your body can begin to register that the past is over, supporting nervous system regulation.
I also draw on ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) to help you step out of destructive thought loops and relate differently to anxious thoughts, so they don’t keep you awake or pull you back in during the night.
We go at your pace, without pressure, creating a space where you can feel safe to explore what’s going on underneath.
What begins to change
As your system begins to settle, sleep often starts to shift.
You may find it easier to wind down, with less racing thoughts at night. Waking in the night can feel less overwhelming, and your mind may not grip in the same way. Over time, there can be more energy, more steadiness, and a sense of feeling more rested in yourself.
It’s not just about improving sleep – it’s about helping your whole system feel safer, so rest becomes possible again.