Best CCSH Podcasts (2025)

1
How Abbie went from being ruled by insomnia to getting her life back by stepping out of the struggle (#76) 51:12

Play Pause

1d ago51:12

51:12

Before insomnia entered Abbie’s life, sleep was effortless. She’d never had to think about it. She fell asleep quickly, stayed asleep, and moved through her days without giving sleep much attention at all. It was simply there — reliable and unremarkable. That changed in the fall of 2021 after a short illness. One sleepless night turned into another…

1
How Natasha went from structuring her days around insomnia to letting sleep come naturally again by putting life before sleep (#75) 56:16

1M ago56:16

56:16

Natasha’s insomnia journey began during the long grind of the pandemic. Life was full, intense, and stretched thin. She and her husband were working and their young son needed to take school classes online. When their nanny suddenly stopped coming, Natasha brushed it off at first. But that first sleepless night turned into another… and then another…

1
How Dan went from feeling broken to regaining confidence in his natural ability to sleep by changing his response to insomnia (#74) 52:13

2M ago52:13

52:13

Dan had never struggled with sleep — until a stressful period in late 2023 turned his nights upside down. After a panic attack and a couple of sleepless nights, he found himself pacing the house at 2:00 AM, clock-watching, and convinced he was broken. Even after medication gave him one long night of sleep, the struggle came roaring back the very ne…

1
How Kelly reclaimed her life from insomnia by stopping the fight with sleep and dropping the struggle with her thoughts (#73) 1:00:38

3M ago1:00:38

1:00:38

Kelly’s struggle with insomnia began after the birth of her first child. What started as one sleepless night quickly grew into panic-filled evenings and anxious days. The harder she tried to make sleep happen — through medication, supplements, holistic remedies, and strict routines — the more elusive it became. Sleep turned into an obsession, and e…

1
How Stephanie got her life back from insomnia by letting go of the fight she thought she had to win (#72) 56:55

5M ago56:55

56:55

During a trip to Switzerland, Stephanie had a night of no sleep and spent the next day battling panic attacks. Her sleep soon recovered, but that experience planted a seed of fear — a fear of going through another day like that if sleep didn’t show up. Months later, when a medical diagnosis and abrupt medication changes disrupted her sleep, that ol…

1
How Laura found freedom from insomnia by accepting her thoughts — not just her sleepless nights (#71) 46:04

6M ago46:04

46:04

Laura never expected insomnia to arrive during one of the happiest times in her life. She had just gotten engaged. She was heading out on vacation. But one sleepless night quietly snowballed into many — and nights quickly became something she feared. She tried everything: supplements, routines, medication, strict sleep hygiene. But nothing seemed t…

1
How Rebecca went from doing everything right and still struggling with sleep to letting go and achieving insomnia freedom (#70) 57:56

7M ago57:56

57:56

Rebecca never struggled with sleep — until she began working 24-hour shifts as a hospital-based midwife. She cared deeply about her patients, and she made a quiet promise to herself: nothing would go wrong on her watch. That meant staying awake through every shift. Over time, that vigilance seeped into her nights at home. Sleep became something she…

1
How Rupsa ended her insomnia struggle by being more open to experiencing insomnia and all the thoughts and feelings that come with it (#69) 47:42

8M ago47:42

47:42

Rupsa never had issues with sleep until a big change in her professional life led her to move to a new city. As sleep became difficult, she experienced a lot of anxiety. Her heart would race. She started to develop a fear of going to bed at night. She’d spend four or five hours awake in bed, hoping to fall asleep. Working with a psychologist provid…

1
How Tim broke the cycle of sleep anxiety and insomnia by relinquishing control, embracing self-kindness, and building skill in acceptance (#68) 58:39

9M ago58:39

58:39

Tim’s insomnia began during a stressful time in his life. At first, it was just a few bad nights but the more he worried about it, the worse it got. The harder he tried to fix his sleep, the more he struggled. Things started to change when Tim learned a new way to deal with insomnia. He realized that trying to control sleep was actually keeping him…

1
How Sophie recovered from postpartum insomnia by moving away from trying to control her sleep so she could regain control over her life (#67) 58:09

10M ago58:09

58:09

Although Sophie never considered herself to be a good sleeper, things got really difficult after the birth of her son. As a new mom, she knew there would be some short-term sleep disruption — but when she was no longer able to compensate for lost sleep after her parents left and her partner returned to work, things got really difficult. Sophie’s do…

1
How Danny overcame the insomnia struggle by abandoning sleep rituals, embracing acceptance, and moving toward the life he wanted to live (#66) 1:12:05

11M ago1:12:05

1:12:05

In 2019 Danny was going through a stressful period in his life while also being on a big health and fitness kick. When his sleep started to become a problem, Danny became very concerned and his doctor offered medication. When Danny started to make some lifestyle changes to reduce stress, reduce the intensity of his training, and ensure he was eatin…

1
How Esther starved insomnia of its power and influence in the presence of generalized anxiety disorder (#65) 56:24

1y ago56:24

56:24

When Esther tried moving away from a medication she was taking for generalized anxiety disorder, she found herself struggling with sleep. She would often wake with a jolt and experience panic and anxiety. Even when new medications helped with other issues, sleep continued to be a challenge and created a lot of ongoing anxiety. Esther did a lot to t…

1
How Irina went from feeling enraged at the idea of accepting insomnia to embracing it and ending her struggle with sleep (#64) 1:26:17

1y ago1:26:17

1:26:17

Irina’s struggle with insomnia began when she experienced a night of no sleep. This created fear and confusion and Irina worried that something serious was going on — that something might be broken in her brain. The more she tried to make sleep happen, the more pressure she put on herself to make sleep happen, the more elusive it became. Irina trie…

1
How Dulce gained freedom from insomnia by giving up her attempts to control sleep and reducing her resistance to the difficult thoughts and feelings that came with it (#63) 1:03:31

1y ago1:03:31

1:03:31

Dulce’s insomnia began when she left Mexico to study abroad in Canada. The stress of midterms and the change of climate led to sleep disruption. However, even after returning home, sleep continued to create a struggle and insomnia became a part of her life. Even when she felt sleepy, Dulce struggled to rest. Anxious thoughts regularly interrupted a…

1
How Neseret ended her dependence on medication and transformed her life through education, committed action, and self-compassion (#62) 1:04:14

1+ y ago1:04:14

1:04:14

Neseret’s experience with insomnia began when she tried tapering off an antidepressant she had been taking for 13 years. Every time she tried to get off the medication she found herself unable to sleep. Although a move from shift work to regular daytime hours and being more active during the day helped to improve Neseret’s energy levels, she still …

1
How Bryan recovered from insomnia by putting less effort into sleep and more effort into living his life (#61) 1:00:22

1+ y ago1:00:22

1:00:22

When Bryan got sick he experienced an entire night of no sleep for the first time in his life. He didn’t sleep the next night, either. When his sleep didn’t get back on track, Bryan started to believe that he had lost the ability to sleep and that belief generated a lot of anxiety. As sleep consumed more and more of his energy and attention, Bryan …

1
How Emily transformed her sleep by accepting insomnia and committing to meaningful daily actions (#60) 1:09:14

1+ y ago1:09:14

1:09:14

Emily’s insomnia struggle began around four months after the birth of her baby. Even though her daughter was sleeping well, Emily was finding it really difficult to fall asleep. She started to get nervous and anxious as her level of exhaustion intensified. When the medication prescribed by her doctor didn’t work, Emily started to get really concern…

1
How Kirstin rediscovered her natural ability to sleep after feeling completely dependent on sleeping pills (#59) 1:10:01

1+ y ago1:10:01

1:10:01

Kirstin began using medication every now and then to help her sleep on Sunday nights. When she faced a big personal challenge that made sleep more difficult, she started to use it more often. The plan was to take a small dose to get her through that difficult period and then stop the medication because she didn’t want to be reliant on something to …

1
How Summer let go of trying to control her sleep, her thoughts, and her feelings — and regained control over her life (#58) 1:08:41

1+ y ago1:08:41

1:08:41

When Summer experienced consecutive nights of insomnia, sleep started to consume her life. She started taking time off work and she began endlessly researching sleep. Summer felt that if she could get rid of anxiety and stress things would improve — but this led to even more of a struggle as Summer went to war with her mind. Sleep became an obsessi…

1
How Nina overcame insomnia by embracing wakefulness and dropping the struggle (#57) 1:03:48

2y ago1:03:48

1:03:48

Nina typically dealt with occasional periods of sleep disruption by taking some form of over-the-counter medication. When she fell pregnant this was no longer an option. Work stress seemed to make sleep more difficult and so Nina stopped taking on work. Her sleep would improve but every time she started working again, she struggled with sleep all o…

1
How Kreuza dealt with insomnia and somniphobia by practicing more acceptance and less resistance (#56) 1:07:06

2y ago1:07:06

1:07:06

In this episode, 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 t…

1
How Rachel got out of the insomnia struggle by being more flexible, more accepting, and more present (#55) 53:58

2y ago53:58

53:58

Rachel’s struggle with insomnia started in grad school. She tried everything from sleep aids to strict bedtime rules and routines to improve her sleep, but nothing worked. The harder she tried to fix her sleep and get rid of sleep-related anxiety, the more difficult things became. The turning point came when Rachel changed her approach. She stopped…

1
How Jessica broke free from insomnia by letting go and accepting it without judgement (#54) 1:02:16

2y ago1:02:16

1:02:16

Jessica’s journey with insomnia began on a family vacation when she suddenly found it really hard to sleep. When she got home, her sleep recovered — until it was time to travel again. This pattern repeated itself, with sleep getting more difficult each time she traveled until insomnia stuck around even after she returned home. In response, Jessica …

1
How Eric got his life back from insomnia by focusing on what he could control (#53) 1:06:19

2y ago1:06:19

1:06:19

Eric’s insomnia journey began after he woke in the middle of the night and experienced a huge panic attack. From then on, sleep became very difficult. As he tried to fix things, Eric stopped watching TV in bed with his wife — something they both enjoyed. He tried napping, even though he never used to nap in the past. He tried sleeping on the couch.…

1
How Gerry used mindfulness and self-kindness to move away from an endless struggle with insomnia (#52) 59:30

2y ago59:30

59:30

Gerry struggled with sleep for decades. The more he struggled, the more effort he put into sleep and the more effort he put into sleep, the more he struggled. Eventually, Gerry realized that trying to make sleep happen was only making things even more difficult. With this realization, Gerry changed his approach. Instead of trying to force sleep, he…

1
How Anne-Claire moved away from the insomnia struggle by practicing new habits and being more willing to experience insomnia (#51) 1:07:00

2+ y ago1:07:00

1:07:00

As a business owner, Anne-Claire began overextending herself and her sleep started to suffer. She reduced her workload and experimented with supplements and medication but her sleep seemed to get even worse. After deciding that she didn’t want to continue using medication, Anne-Claire began to explore whether changing her approach to sleep and her …

1
How Jessy separated herself from her thoughts, moved away from medication, and transformed her relationship with sleep (#50) 1:07:37

2+ y ago1:07:37

1:07:37

The stress of COVID and the breakup of Jessy’s community created a period of sleep disruption that she couldn’t shake off, no matter how hard she tried. At first, she found it really hard to fall asleep and soon after that she started to wake during the night and found it hard to fall back to sleep, too. Difficult nights became more frequent — at f…

1
How Maria faced the fear of insomnia by allowing it to exist and discovered that all its power came from how she responded to it (#49) 1:03:00

2+ y ago1:03:00

1:03:00

A couple of years ago, Maria experienced anxiety and panic attacks. When she didn’t sleep for over 72 hours, she felt that something was wrong with her. She feared that the chemistry of her brain had changed and her days became dominated by sleep-related thoughts and worries. Medication didn’t seem to help. Maria felt lonely, confused, and afraid. …

1
How Leah freed herself from the insomnia struggle by abandoning her efforts to control sleep (#48) 1:05:37

2+ y ago1:05:37

1:05:37

Leah’s insomnia showed up around puberty and was a consistent presence throughout her teenage years. As an adult, Leah found that insomnia would often come and go in response to the stress and anxiety that comes with being a human being — until it showed up and stuck around for several weeks. What that happened, Leah found it harder to be the perso…

1
How Amanda reclaimed her life from insomnia and abandoned all the rules and rituals that were making things more difficult (#47) 1:12:43

2+ y ago1:12:43

1:12:43

Amanda slept well through high school, college, and her early professional life. Her experience with insomnia began when a number of different stressors all showed up around the same time. She had a baby. She relocated. She had to get a new job. She had to deal with a toxic parent. Even when things settled down, Amanda found herself struggling to f…

1
How Eddie got through the ups and downs of insomnia by implementing a plan that stopped it from controlling his life (#46) 1:05:00

3y ago1:05:00

1:05:00

Eddie struggled with sleep for over 10 years. During that time he would experience a lot of ups and downs — whenever he thought his sleep was back on track, things would get difficult again. The more difficult sleep proved to be, the more he would struggle. And, when he struggled, he found himself doing less of the things that mattered to him. Eddi…

1
How Jeannette got back on track after an insomnia relapse and how ongoing practice helped her move away from ongoing struggle (#45) 1:04:40

3y ago1:04:40

1:04:40

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) Jeannette thought of herself as a great sleeper until 13 years ago when she moved and her work schedule become less consistent. She started to stay up later and sleep in later and this led to some sleep disruption. When Jeannette tried to fix this, she ended up going down the insomnia rabbit hole and start…

1
How Eric changed the way he responded to insomnia, stopped battling with his mind, and improved his sleep for the long term (#44) 51:02

3y ago51:02

51:02

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) Like many people with chronic insomnia, Eric found that the more he tried to make sleep happen, the more difficult it became. Although he didn’t have any real issues falling asleep, he would regularly wake during the night and find it hard to fall back to sleep. His mind would start racing and he would exp…

1
How Vicky changed her approach to insomnia when sleeping pills stopped working after 20 years (#43) 59:06

3y ago59:06

59:06

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) Vicky dealt with her insomnia by taking sleeping pills and this seemed to work well until one night, after 20 years of regular use, the medication didn’t help her sleep. This led Vicky to think that something was wrong with her. She felt alone. She felt that without getting the amount of sleep she wanted t…

1
How Jim stopped chasing after sleep and put over 10 years of insomnia behind him (#42) 54:59

3+ y ago54:59

54:59

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) Jim struggled with insomnia for over 10 years. At first, he thought it was a symptom of heavy drinking, a poor diet, working late, and experiencing a lot of stress. However, the insomnia stuck around even after Jim addressed these issues. This led to many years of ongoing sleep disruption, fear, frustratio…

1
How Nick stopped his mind (and sleep) from controlling his life by letting go of the struggle with his mind (and sleep) (#41) 1:09:02

3+ y ago1:09:02

1:09:02

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) Nick’s insomnia journey began in 2000 when he relocated and started a new job. Stress, uncertainty, and anxiety took over his life as he found that the more he tried to fight or avoid his thoughts the more powerful they became. Nick felt helpless. He didn’t know how to deal with the difficult thoughts and …

1
How Adam released himself from the prison cell he had built to protect him from insomnia (#40) 1:04:27

3+ y ago1:04:27

1:04:27

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) Adam’s insomnia began the night before an important work presentation. After a really difficult night, Adam ended up calling in sick — and this planted a seed in his mind that told him that difficult nights would mean he couldn’t go through with important plans. Safety behaviors such as canceling plans or …

1
How Juergen improved his sleep by becoming more willing to experience wakefulness and difficult thoughts, feelings, and emotions (#39) 1:01:09

3+ y ago1:01:09

1:01:09

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) As Juergen got older, his sleep began to change. Although this is normal, Juergen didn’t know that at the time! And, just as he began to pay more attention to sleep, COVID hit, work stress increased, and all the places he used to enjoy going to got shut down. Juergen felt as though insomnia and all the dif…

1
How Kristina dealt with anxiety, worry, and stress as her insomnia shifted from difficulty staying asleep to difficulty falling asleep (#38) 1:06:44

3+ y ago1:06:44

1:06:44

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) Kristina had a very stressful job. One night, her husband woke her suddenly after experiencing a really bad nightmare. This event seemed to trigger the release of a lot of anxiety that had been building for some time and Kristina was unable to fall back to sleep. Unfortunately, sleep proved to be difficult…

1
How Deeandra reclaimed her life from insomnia and got her sleep back on track without medication (#37) 1:06:48

3+ y ago1:06:48

1:06:48

Deeandra always slept well but a stressful period in her life led to 48 hours of no sleep whatsoever and this generated a lot of anxiety. Deeandra started to panic and thought that she had lost the ability to sleep. Doctors gave her different medications that didn’t always seem to be helpful and came with their own set of side effects. For three ye…

1
How Wayne improved his sleep by thinking of sleep as a friend that doesn’t need to be controlled (#36) 1:01:47

4y ago1:01:47

1:01:47

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) Wayne’s experience with insomnia began when he was preparing for his board exams. Because he needed to get up earlier than usual, he started going to bed earlier than usual. Unfortunately, this made it harder for Wayne to fall asleep — and, as a result, nights started to become stressful and he began to ex…

1
How Felicity transformed her relationship with sleep by practicing new sleep habits, being kinder to herself, and living life independently of sleep (#35) 1:10:38

4y ago1:10:38

1:10:38

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) Felicity had struggled with sleep, on and off, for her entire life. Usually, her sleep would get back on track after a few months of sleep disruption — however, when sleep issues returned due to some big life changes, Felicity’s sleep didn’t recover. In an attempt to make sleep happen, Felicity started to …

1
How Amy went from an intense fear of insomnia and feeling her situation was hopeless to averaging over seven hours of sleep each night (#34) 59:06

4y ago59:06

59:06

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) Night after night of wakefulness led Amy to a dark place where she saw no way out. She felt helpless and doomed to a life of insomnia. Ironically, Amy became friends with someone else who was struggling with insomnia. This friend ended up enrolling as a client of mine and started to experience improvements…

1
How Jennifer moved past 18 years of insomnia by exploring her sleep-related beliefs and recognizing her own insomnia in the stories of others (#33) 50:15

4y ago50:15

50:15

Jennifer’s issues with sleep began 18 years ago when she started to wean her firstborn from breastfeeding. When Jennifer fell pregnant again, things got better — until it was time to wean her second child. As the mother of five children, Jennifer went through this cycle for a long time — and when she decided that she was done having children, she s…

1
How Jovana put insomnia behind her by recognizing that her insomnia wasn’t unique and that sleep is a natural process that cannot be controlled (#32) 1:07:29

4y ago1:07:29

1:07:29

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) In 2019, Jovana experienced a night of no sleep whatsoever but she was confident that she would get some sleep the following night. However, the next night was just the same — Jovana didn’t get one minute of sleep. At this point, she started to panic, and her anxiety was further compounded by the fact she …

1
How Cindy tackled the insomnia that appeared after her baby was born by accepting nighttime wakefulness and eliminating safety behaviors (#31) 59:01

4+ y ago59:01

59:01

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) Cindy developed postpartum depression shortly after her daughter was born and was prescribed medication to help her sleep. The medication seemed to work at first but Cindy soon found that it wasn’t helping and this led to more anxiety and more sleep difficulties. Cindy thought that her brain was broken and…

1
How Jake got his sleep back on track by changing his nighttime behaviors and his daytime behaviors (#30) 1:07:29

4+ y ago1:07:29

1:07:29

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) When COVID led to Jake having to work from home he found himself working way beyond the usual nine to five. Jake found himself answering calls and texts at all hours of the day and even started to take his computer to bed. Work soon encroached into his weekends and before long, Jake found that he no longer…

1
How Celia improved her sleep by abandoning all attempts to control her sleep and accepting and acknowledging anxious thoughts rather than trying to fight or avoid them (#29) 1:08:57

4+ y ago1:08:57

1:08:57

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) From a very young age, Celia would often try to control her sleep and often used medication to get her through her frequent bouts of insomnia. After the birth of her son and the emergence of the COVID pandemic, Celia became even more fixated on sleep. All of her old sleep crutches seemed to stop working an…

1
How Chad improved his sleep by undoing all the changes he had made in response to his insomnia (#28) 57:03

4+ y ago57:03

57:03

Listen to the podcast episode (audio only) Chad experienced some sleepless nights during a stressful period at work but his sleep started to get back on track — until one completely sleepless night created an avalanche of anxiety and insomnia. This led Chad to develop an obsession with sleep. He would go to bed earlier to try to catch up on sleep, …

1
How Pat got rid of her insomnia by embracing a philosophy of “fake it until you make it” and accepting anxious thoughts (#27) 1:04:27

4+ y ago1:04:27

1:04:27

Like everyone else, Pat experienced some difficult nights every now and then — but her sleep would always get back on track. However last summer, her neighbors starting throwing loud parties and this made sleep increasingly difficult. Before long, Pat found herself starting to fear falling asleep because she knew she would end up being woken by her…