I’ve discovered something that is one of the most powerful sources of healing and regeneration that I’ve ever experienced. It helps or resolves almost any problem. Infections, colds, stress, anxiety, injuries, surgery, heartbreak, anxiety, stress, insomnia, weight issues, aging, immune and brain issues, and many others. And it’s free and can be done at home!

I call it Healing Sleep. It’s not just any sleep. It’s an intentional long, long rest in darkness, resting while the sun and the earth rest.

It is my favorite way to heal myself. There has been no trouble in my life so far that can’t be helped by this remedy. It’s very easy, and the price is right.  Anyone can do it. All it takes is a little planning.

Here is the method:

1. Clear your schedule for one late afternoon and following morning. Whatever your evening plans always are, find a time to leave your late afternoon/ evening free, and have time to wake naturally in the morning.  This is extremely important, and often the root cause of the problem being addressed. You are embarking on an important healing treatment. Make plans like you are having a hospital stay, or a vacation, or a spa treatment for your soul, however you need to think about it. If you have children, find a way for someone else to care for them and respond to them while you rest this one long night (it can also be very good for them to have a Healing Sleep). The world will still go on, and everyone will still function without you for one evening. Allow yourself to let go and say no.
2. Make an early dinner, preferably something you love and digest well. Eat heartily. You can make yourself some relaxing tea (chamomile? Catnip?). Usually nothing caffeinated (although this depends. More on that later). Hot chocolate made with good milk or a cup of good broth can help, but nothing complicated. The most important thing is to be resting, so anything extra might hinder. Be done eating and cleaning up at least an hour before the sun sets.
3. Get ready for bed, your usual routine.  You can do something fancy, like an Epsom salts bath if you’d like, but that’s extra. Just the usual evening, done early, works too.
4. Turn off all TV, screens and wi-fi in your house. Unplug your router. Turn all devices off or on airplane mode (radiation from these devices is very dangerous, damaging, and disrupts sleep). Some devices also need wi-fi/data/bluetooth turned off in addition to airplane mode to be really turned off. Turn off all lights in your house, even ones you think are necessary. You can keep a flashlight by your bed if you really need to. Darkness is very important. Close curtains to keep out any outside artificial light (natural light from sun, moon, and stars is ok). If this is an issue, consider hanging blankets over your bedroom windows to get lots of darkness. The darkness is part of the healing experience.
5. Lay in bed as the sun slowly sets and the day fades into night. This often is the time when people with sleep issues crave a nap, so you might fall easily to sleep. You also might feel restless and melancholy. You can let your thoughts flow if you need to, as long as you don’t get up and act on them. This can be a time of much- needed sorting out and processing of thoughts and experiences.
6. Rest. Let yourself be held by the darkness. Even if you are not sleeping, allow your body to rest. You are looking to get 12-14 hours of pure rest in darkness. You will probably wake up in the long night and feel ready to go. Let yourself keep resting, even if you feel awake. If you have to pee, do it quickly with minimal lighting, and go right back to your rest. You will drift to sleep again after awhile in the darkness and the long night.
7. Let yourself wake up naturally, with no alarm. Rise and greet the sun! Go outside and let the morning light bathe your face.

You will feel your bones filled with strength and nourishment. Your spirit will feel steady, centered, and alive. You can handle what life gives you, rather than feel anxious about what might happen. Well- rested, you have the resources and are ready to face any difficulty that might arise. There is no medicine in the world that will give you the same feeling, because the Healing Sleep actually rebuilds you better and stronger, to be flexible in mind and body.

You might feel drowsy or tired still if you have been hard on yourself lately. You might look more tired at first! That is because the Healing Sleep resets you and allows you to feel how tired you really are.

Over the next few days, you will feel better, especially if you can catch early bed times or naps in the following days, even if you can’t manage a full Healing Sleep (12-14 hours of rest in natural darkness). Try for several nights of 10 hours instead if you struggle to find time to sleep because of work or responsibilities. The nice thing about Healing Sleep is that your problems are easier to deal with afterwards because your mind and emotions are more steady, and you can work harder and faster because your energy is replenished. It’s worth vacation time.

Sometimes a certain level of sleep deprivation will create a state of anxiety and overstimulation. So much anxiety is caused by being tired (and no one realizes!). This makes resting very difficult. Healing Sleep is the only very effective remedy I’ve found that works consistently to reset this condition. If I become so tired my feet and bones ache and I feel very amped up and anxious, I actually use coffee very carefully in small amounts to help induce a state of rest. The caffeine in this case temporarily overcomes the painful and upsetting symptoms of exhaustion so that your body can relax and rest.

Some people use melatonin for sleep. I’ve found it can interfere with Healing Sleep. If I find myself unable to sleep during a Healing Sleep, I let myself lay in the darkness just limp and resting while I am awake. I also supplement with iodine drops when I have trouble sleeping (this is a whole other healing treatment. I will refer to the work of Dr. Brownstein and his book Iodine: Why You Need It And Why You Can’t Live Without It).

The more you can do a Healing Sleep treatment in a row, the better you will rest.  It increases the power of each treatment if you can manage it for several nights in a row, until a certain point when you just feel great and amazing and you don’t need such a long sleep. I read once that 12-14 hours of rest uninterrupted rest changes your brain waves to states experienced by intense transcendental meditation.  It shifts how your brain works and resets your biochemistry. Three to four nights of Healing Sleep is an extremely powerful series of treatments, and you will see very noticeable results.

You will be filled with energy and joy. Your heart will sing because your body feels good. You will look better. You will look younger and healthier and more beautiful! This sleep allows your skin and muscles to rest and repair. I don’t care what the price tag is on a skin cream or makeup, a Healing Sleep is free and makes you glow and look more beautiful without any makeup!

(I have had people in their early thirties think I was younger than them in my late twenties following three nights of Healing Sleep. I am forty! And I never use makeup).

I have been under so much stress and distress this past year, and making time for Healing Sleep has been one of the most effective things to help me get through.

Wishing you long, peaceful sleep in the long nights of the New Year!