Below are answers to frequently asked questions about my work, divided into three categories: questions about treatment in general, questions about my Sleep Easily method to resolve sleep difficulties, and questions about my method to relieve anxiety, depression, and pain. If you have a question that is not addressed below, feel free to contact me by email or by phone at 303-449-0778.

Answers to general questions about my treatment programs

What are these treatment procedures?
Sessions go far beyond just talking about the difficulty. You will learn simple steps that help shift the relationship between your mind and body from one of conflict to one of deep cooperation. This leads to improved sleep, reduced anxiety, and pain relief. The steps are easy to understand and do not involve hypnosis or meditation. The sleep procedure feels like finding the body and mind's natural pathway to sleepóit is a feeling of recognition. This creates the neurophysiology of safety and helps your mind feel at ease. Your mind then becomes quiet because it is resting, not through effort.

How many sessions does treatment involve and how long are the sessions?
Treatment usually involves three to four sessions, each one hour, spaced about one week apart. The sessions occur one-to-one, not in groups. My goal is for you to experience significant benefit from each session. We also schedule a follow-up session about two months later. By that time you will have had much experience using the healing methods in the midst of various conditions in your life. From this, we can further expand and deepen your experience of beneficial change.

What is the fee, and is it covered by insurance?
Treatment is covered by most insurance companies. If you are using insurance, your fee is whatever your share is according to your insurance plan. If you are not utilizing insurance, the fee is $130 per session. In cases of financial hardship, I will work with you on the fee structure. With the Sleep Easily treatment, you will receive two CDs and written materials. The fee for these is $32 and is not covered by insurance.

Where is your office located?
My office is in Boulder, Colorado. For directions, click on the "Directions" button in the left column of this website. I also work via phone with people nationwide. The treatment benefit is the same by phoneówe are just not looking at each other.

Answers to questions about my Sleep Easily treatment

Does it matter if I cannot initially fall asleep, or if I awaken too early and cannot fall back asleep?
No. The procedure gives you a way to fall asleep more quickly and easily, sleep more deeply and continuously, and fall back to sleep more quickly and easily if you do awaken too early.

What if my sleep difficulty is due to a physical or medical condition or menopause/hot flashes?
When there is a medical or physical condition underlying a sleep difficulty, people often exacerbate their body discomfort by struggling with it. Sleep Easily gives you a way to calm your reaction and thereby reduce discomfort, which eases the way to sleep.

What if I have been taking sleep medication?
It is important that you consult with your doctor before making any changes regarding medication. I generally suggest to clients taking prescribed sleep medication when they first see me, that they continue to do so as they begin to use the Sleep Easily method. The sleep method plus the medication often enables people to sleep better than when using solely medication. That can provide evidence that they are not merely being medicatedóthat Sleep Easily is helping them. Once they have this confidence, I work with them to gradually and comfortably reduce the dose of sleep medication.

How was this sleep procedure developed?
In the early 1990s, I developed serious insomnia, sleeping about three hours a night. Nothing delivered the relief I needed. The harder I tried to overcome my insomnia, the worse it became. Determined to resolve my sleep difficulties, I embarked on a fundamentally different approach to researching and understanding the nature of sleep. During the hours it typically would take me to fall asleep or back to sleep, I cultivated the ability to internally observe the process of falling asleep. From this half-asleep state in the middle of the night, I made unique discoveries about sleep that usually are inaccessible to the waking mindóthe physiological subtleties of the "sleep switch." I then clarified and systematized these discoveries during the day, creating a sleep procedure that reestablishes the body and mind's natural inner pathway into sleep.

What if my condition is particularly difficult or I have been dealing with it for a long time?
After gaining an understanding of your condition, I give you a small step to take. If you find that step easy and helpful, enjoy it, and we move onto the next step. If you find that step is not easy or helpful, please tell me. I then modify the step so it becomes easy and helpful. You do not need to figure out how to get this to succeed. That is my responsibility. Your role is just to give me honest feedback. Because the steps are guided by your feedback, the treatment becomes individually designed to meet your particular needs.

Is there a guarantee?
Because the treatment is precise, it should create noticeable change in the first session and the first few nights and days. If it does not, you have the option of canceling the other sessions, so there is very little risk of time or money.

What if I grind my teeth or have TMJ?
The Sleep Easily procedure includes a way of relaxing your jaw muscles that is likely very different from what you previously have done.

What if I have sleep apnea?
While Sleep Easily does not directly address the medical aspects of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), it does address the anxiety that often accompanies OSA, and it can help the CPAP mask feel more comfortable. A brief explanation: Two experiences people often have with their sleep masks: 1. Frustration or annoyance. That increases discomfort, which makes sleep more difficult. 2. Trying to avoid noticing the mask. People usually do this by thinking to distract themselves, and increased thinking makes sleep more difficult. Sleep Easily gives you a way to create a certain feeling of deep comfort in your breath and heart area. This becomes a "resting place" in which you can feel safe and comfortable. This can help diminish your mask frustration or discomfort. With Sleep Easily this breath-heart comfort helps your mind to become quiet without effortóin a way that is very different (and much easier) than other methods. With this, your body relaxes by itself in a way that is very different from other forms of relaxation. Sleep Easily gives OSA sufferers a way to calm, on a core physiological level, the anxiety that often surrounds sleep for them. This helps the mask feel more comfortable and easy to use.

What if my sleep difficulty is due to having to sleep at unusual hours (time zone shifts, shift work, etc.)?
You will learn simple steps that help your body and mind feel as they do when you are naturally easing into sleep. This allows you to sleep more easily at times when your body and mind do not initially feel ready for sleep.

Answers to questions about my treatments for stress, anxiety, and physical pain

What if my primary complaint is physical pain?
You will learn simple procedures that are specifically designed to reduce pain. For more information, click on the "Pain Relief" button in the left column of this website.

What if my primary complaint is anxiety or stress?
You will gain simple procedures that get to the root of anxiety and stress and relieve it in your body and mind. These procedures are easy to use in the midst of daily activities. For more information, click on the "Stress Relief" button in the left column of this website.

To schedule a session, click here.

To contact me, click here.