Insomnia Coach® Podcast

How Kreuza dealt with insomnia and somniphobia by practicing more acceptance and less resistance (#56)

Insomnia Coach® Podcast

Show Notes

Kreuza shares her journey through the challenging landscape of insomnia and somniphobia, a fear of sleep. Initially, she found Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) techniques helpful. However, when sleep problems returned as somniphobia, the same techniques faltered. Feeling isolated in her struggle, Kreuza realized that implementing rules around sleep were not helping her.

A turning point came when she embraced a more flexible, compassionate approach to sleep. She began to practice accepting her thoughts and feelings without resistance. She practiced being kind to herself when things felt really difficult. And she engaged in activities that mattered to her, even after difficult nights.

Kreuza’s story is a testament to the possibility and power of patient and kind practice of acceptance as a way to deal with deep-seated fears. It also highlights that moving past sleep struggles is often a journey of ongoing action and practice — and setbacks — rather than quick fixes.

More from Insomnia Coach® Podcast

Sep 15, 2026

Morgan rarely thought about sleep until a concussion in 2023 changed everything. As she dealt with dizziness, nausea, ringing in her head, and disrupted sleep, she tried medication, supplements, detailed sleep tracking, and strict sleep rules.

Jul 30, 2026

After one sleepless night around his 17th birthday, Joey began to fear the next night. Soon, thoughts about sleep followed him through the day. He stopped going out, struggled to watch films, and sat inside with the curtains drawn.

Jun 11, 2026

Lu spent most of her life as a great sleeper. Then, six weeks after having her first baby, a painful mix of pressure, anxiety, and one sleepless night made sleep feel difficult for the first time.

May 18, 2026

Casaundra’s insomnia first showed up in college. From then on, it would come and go during periods of stress. After getting married, insomnia showed up and this time it didn’t go away. Before long, Casaundra would notice a feeling of anxiety as soon as her head hit the pillow. Nights started to feel like a battle.

Apr 6, 2026

Today, I’m talking with Farrukh — someone whose experience with insomnia slowly began to take over more and more of his life.

See all episodes →