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Other things where getting better and better. But now stuck in a loop of fear of not falling asleep or fear of waking up to early. Any advice?

Hey Karl, I know what this feels like. I have had several bad stretches of insomnia and fear associated with sleeping. In the nighttime world fears are amplified. The only thing I can say is that insomnia related to the looking is temporary. It may be several months but it seems to work itself out. There is perhaps a purging effect when we go through these periods of fear, I don't know. Perhaps this is repressed, long held psychological material finding its way out and leaving for good. This is how it feels to some folks. When I wake up at night in a panic I do the breathing exercises, in fact it's one of the only times I do them anymore. It seems to have an immediate, positive effect. These should probably be practiced by day so they are automatic when needed.

I would do do a search for insomnia and sleep issues on the forum for other comments, because I know it comes up for many. Carla talked about nightmares, I believe. Hang in there.

Peace.

A lot of times people who meditate a lot report the need for less sleep. You sleep more deeply and need less of it. I find the SDA practice is having this effect on me now - I am still getting used to it though. You could also try doing the SDA practice while your laying in bed trying to sleep. All the very best, Lex

Hi Karl, have you tried to intentionally look away from the fear and from the fact that you are feeling fear, over and over? I think this tactic of 'suffocating' has worked well for me when dealing with specific uncomfortable patterns and issues floating about. It's a little hard to say because the effect isn't normally immediate, so it can take a while before I come to realize that something which used to bother me has disappeared, and sometimes I looked away maybe twenty times before it stopped coming back, and at that point I don't even know what is fear and what is only an expectation of fear. No matter, focusing on the breath -as something of our own choosing- is time better spent in either case I think.

How good I am at this looking away business and declining to bad stuff, changes over time. It's just like any other skill in that when I practice it then I also do it well in normal daily life. So it has proven real useful to me after the looking, and it seems to have proven useful for many here, and therefore I think that working with attention is good advice in your situation. By the way, I've had nightmares too, oh boy, many awful nightmares, really really bad and terrifying ones. Like Jackx said it seems temporary and to work itself out over time, they have definitely become less of a problem for me lately. Hope it's not too disruptive in the meanwhile, and hope it will pass quickly! Hang in there!