Complex trauma & struggles with sleep, rest, and nightmares
On struggles with sleep
If you are finding it a struggle to sleep or rest, you are not alone. During times of stress, crisis, and trauma, rest can be a coping tool and it can also feel quite out of reach. It can also feel unsafe and difficult to sleep for survivors who are navigating complex trauma. Insomnia, broken sleep, trouble waking easily in the morning and nightmares are all common.
If our nervous system is activated, we might find it hard to downregulate when it’s time for bed. If we are feeling unsafe and uncertain in the world and our environment, it might feel too unsafe to sleep. If big feelings and old wounds are re-emerging, these might come up when we are trying to fall asleep, once we aren’t distracted by the busy-ness of our day.
We cannot force ourselves into sleep but we can weave little rituals into our day to support us to prepare for sleep and allow rest to feel more accessible.
You know best which rituals and rhythms are soothing for...
