New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-17
eVrGGFsT70N THE ST. GEORGE TO INSOMNIA DRAGO
Nearly All Cases Can p.
red by Methods
Some OF Which Are
Here Outlined.

his patient IN low voice, assuring her NJ -.
certainty that she would fall asleep. and Of r..
ability to sleep we'll at night in the future
Within ten minutes she actually was i,
deep sleep. and she remained sleeping for han
an hour. When she at last swoke, it was IA
sit up in the chair, with the astonishei cry:
Why, have been asleep ms is ii. r,o,,
remarkable thing that ever happened to nj.
really thought that / could never sleep aga;r.
"On the contrary" DR.. McComb told b,,
You are going to enjoy regular sleep rom
now on and without any effort TO gain it. On,
trouble with you is that you have been twin,
to sleep too hard and without knowledge n
the requisite conditions But all TIA, will },
changed nov
Returning the next day, the young woman
Informed Dr. McComb that she had had her
first nights rest since her insomnia began.
After one or two additional treatments BY SUP.
gestion, with explanation Of the nature and
laws OF sleep. she ceased coming to him. Be.
cause. Is she stated when he CHANGED to m.-
her. six months later, she was completely
cured
Again and again, by the use Of tn. sam.
method. varied only by indicating TO each in.
somniac the special defect in his or her way
of thinking and living that had initiated
against sleep DR.. McComb has guided men and
women out of the dread valley Of sleepess-
ness. Small wonder that, in discussing III. sub
iect with me recently, he said emphatically:
Il am convinced that 90 TO 9S per cent Of
L
psychological means alone, or by psychological
means plus dietetic and hygienc notifications
of the daily life | am convinced also, that
the immediate cause OF every cause OF insom-
ni is tension of some sort. II the tension re.
subs from organic disease then the insomnia
cannot be cured until the organic disease is
and the patient should at once go under the
care of some medical specialist. But II, as is
nearly always the case, the tension causing in.
somnia is due to some wholly functional
troublesome erroneous mode OF or attitude
toward life-then the insomnia is durable BY
suggestion, and by auxiliary measures designed
to relieve the tension giving rise to it Just
what these auxiliary measures shall be depends
of course. on the special needs indicated by the
individual patients history
THE VALUE OF ACTUAL SLEEP AS A
NTER-SUGGESTION
In one case the formation of new habits OF
work man be needed; in another the lorna
ton of an anti-worry habit; in yet another the
making OF certain changes in the diet, such as
abstinence from tea or coffee. Always how
20 |
recommend the subjecting Of the patient TO
those conditions which experiment has shown
to be provocative Of sleep, and which OBTAIN
through the use of the metronome while the
patient, with closed eyes, is resting quietly IN
the chair. The sleep thus brought about Is
itself forceful countersuggestion to the hxed
idea of sleeplessness, for IT is thereby con-
cretely demonstrated to the patient that ne
or she can sleep.
For the same reason. and because prevention
is always better than cure, the use OF devices
based on the fundamental conditions OF sleep
limitation OF voluntary movement, Limitation
Of consciousness and monotony OF impression
is to be recommended to every one troubled
with those occasional attacks OF waketulnesS
out o, which the insomnia habit so readily
grows.
Anybody can apply these conditions tor nm
self, by lying passively i'll bed paying no neeu
to tbe thoughts that come fitting through ue
mino. and listening to the monotonouS oes' o.
A netronome or OF low-tickng clock d.
fore long, if passvity OF mind and body
maintained the "tic- tac. tic-tac' OF the eio0A
remote, and soon will no longer be heard %
the experimental will be asleep.
Or a visual instead OF an auditory mono'o
nous stimulus may be employed. The iorne'
is the methoc l myself prefer, and make US
of it whenever l am troubled with waKeiu'
ness. In using it, all one has to do is TO as
surne a comfortable position in bed, remain P'''
fectly motionless, and, selecting some spo' ."
the bedroom wal-any fragmentary iHdSe
however family visible in the light OF the I'0O"
or other outside illuminant-gaze at IT, nv
intently or with any straining OF the atte"00'
hut with the eyes half open, m Suen wy
that the spot appears to be remote anu W
distinct.
Observing these conditions faithfully sho a.
lowing the mind to think only OF the spo' .
which one is looking, the eyes VIII soon 3
heavy and close. The effort should then "
made to open them and gaze at the sso'
the wall as before Presently they VIII As'.n
close by themselves, and in short time W.,
be found impossible to open them tor one W"
be asleep.
Try this tie next time you are waKeiuh
am sure you will find that it works h"s