Relax to Sleep

Like most therapists, I'm always on the lookout for recordings of guided relaxation for clients to use at home to reinforce and deepen what they learn in their sessions. There are many such recordings out there, and while many of them are adequate, not many are ones I find truly excellent. It's hard to find ones that have the combination of a good script, a good delivery, good music and good recording quality. Some voices appeal to some people; few appeal to most of my clients.

Several years ago, William Barton, Ph.D., put out "Relax to Sleep". It immediately became my new favorite and has stayed one of my favorites. Almost all clients respond positively to it. I give it not just for sleep, but for general relaxation and stress reduction training.

The combination of Dr. Barton's voice, the guided imagery used, the inclusion of breathing phrases, and the music background that comprise Track 1 are ideal for me. In addition to the script, Relax to Sleep has a background of beautiful guitar music by Teja Bell. Bell is a Zen priest whose "New Age" background music on this CD creates a meditative, deeply calming effect that supports the script very well. Track 2 is the sound of ocean waves and an occasional sea bird, without voice or music.

Track 1 of "Relax to Sleep" begins with what I believe is the single most important thing for people with problems in sleeping to learn to do: focusing on the moment and letting go of other concerns. Dr. Barton guides this by first directing attention to restful breathing and to releasing all tensions on the exhalation. Then a suggestion of an image of a metal box with a heavy lid is given, into which all concerns can be placed for the night. (When I first re-read this sentence, I discovered that I'd written "mental" box! I doubt that this unconscious association will be mine alone and makes the phrase even more evocative than I thought.)

After this are autogenic phrases for muscle heaviness and comfort; calm and regular heart beat, warm and relaxed solar plexus, effortless breathing, mind quiet and serene, and whole body relaxed and warm. An image of tension streaming down the body and out the toes is occasionally given. This is always accompanied by a descending glissando of the guitar. A musical vocabulary is thus established. Later, when this glissando occurs without the spoken script, we know just what to do, without thinking . After the autogenic phrases, and about 12 and half minutes into the CD, the words end and the soothing guitar music continues for ten minutes. Then the sound of ocean waves joins the music. By the end, the music fades and only the ocean waves are heard for the final four minutes. In total, the CD is 27½ minutes long. Listeners are likely to be sound asleep by this time or at least, deeply relaxed.

There are several things I especially like about this CD in addition to the script itself. First, is the voice. It is calm, steady, reassuring, with just the right pacing and phrasing. Too fast, and listeners have a hard time relaxing. Too slow, and the listener's mind can start to wander. Second, Teja Bell's music is ideal for relaxing, letting go of stress and drifting into sleep. The guitar uses just enough of an echo effect for a sustained flow of the melody that facilitates sustained letting go in the listener. Behind the solo guitar is a background of even more sustained harmonics that blend into one another. This creates a continuous surrounding cocoon for the melody -and the listener -to float on. This "drone" background with its trance-inducing quality is typically used in Indian classical music but much less often in Western music. The listener is almost unaware of it, and it is ideal for a sleep tape.

The only element of the recording that doesn't work as well for me as all the rest is the ocean surf sound. Track 1 ends with this and Track 2 consists only of this. This is an entirely individual response, I know. For me, the incoming surf "crashes" onto shore and has a stimulating rather than restful effect. Many people will find the surf sounds peaceful and relaxing. Dr. Barton is an avid sailor, so of course, this would be one of the most relaxing sounds in all nature for him. The sound isn't too loud and since I'm usually asleep before this portion begins, it's not really a problem for me.

Overall, the combination of the voice, the autogenic phrases, the music and the technical quality of the CD, create an excellent program for anyone to use for sleep and for general relaxation and stress reduction.