Berkeley Sleep Therapist | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
Have sleep problems taken over your life—lying awake, waking too early, or watching the clock at night? In the hours before bed, do you feel a familiar knot in your chest: oh no, here we go again. And even when you sleep, do you sometimes wake up feeling hollow—dragging through the day?
Insomnia can feel like being trapped in a loop you didn’t choose: you’re exhausted, you want rest, and somehow the very moment you finally have the chance to sleep, your body won’t let you. When sleep problems drag on, it’s not just about being tired—it’s the way insomnia infiltrates everything. The irritability you can’t quite hide, the fog that makes small tasks feel oddly heavy, and the nervous anticipation that starts hours before bed.
Underneath all that frustration, there’s often a small, private wish: what if sleep stopped running your life—and instead you woke up feeling refreshed, motivated, and more like yourself again.
Together, we’ll calm what’s been keeping your nervous system revved up at night and create a clear, caring plan that supports deeper, steadier sleep.
CBT-I Therapy: A Science of Sleeping Better
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the most well-researched, first-line treatment for chronic insomnia, with strong evidence that it helps people fall asleep more easily, stay asleep longer, and feel more rested.
CBT-I is practical, structured, and focused on real change. We look at the thoughts and habits that keep insomnia going—like clock-watching, “I’ll be wrecked tomorrow” spirals, or long stretches awake in bed—and we replace them with strategies that support deeper rest. Many people see meaningful change in about 6–8 sessions.
After a while, insomnia isn’t just about sleep—it’s about the tension that builds around sleep. CBT-I helps reduce that tension by gently changing the cues and routines that keep your mind and body on guard.
My style is warm, patient, and encouraging, and I tailor our work to your unique needs and background. I’m confident CBT-I can help you get your nights back.
CBT-I can help whether you take medication or not—and it can be used alongside medication or on its own. Medication is genuinely helpful for many people. And if it hasn’t been enough for you—or it comes with side effects you don’t want—CBT-I offers another path forward.
Common Goals for CBT-I Sleep Therapy
Fall asleep more predictably—often within a target window of ≤ 20–30 minutes.
Calm the mental noise at night by lowering sleep-related anxiety, rumination, and “what if tomorrow…” spirals.
Reduce middle-of-the-night wake-ups and shorten the time it takes to return to sleep when they happen.
Strengthen your sleep drive and rhythm with routines that support steadier, more consolidated sleep.
Improve how restorative sleep feels so you wake up more refreshed and less depleted.
Assess and address secondary factors that can disrupt sleep—such as anxiety, depression, chronic illness, pain, or medication effects.
Spot early warning signs and use a brief, personalized “reset protocol” to prevent a rough week from becoming a rough month.
Make room for your real life by using some session time to unpack stressful events that are weighing on you.
Online/ Virtual Options (California)
I offer online sleep therapy for adults throughout California. These virtual sessions are available statewide, including for clients in Berkeley. Because I’m based in Berkeley, I can occasionally meet in person when clinically appropriate and logistically feasible. You can read more here: online therapy in California.
Free Phone Consultation
It’s important for you to choose a therapist with whom you feel comfortable talking with, so I invite you to book a free, 20-minute phone consultation here.
Or, contact me directly to schedule a time:
tim@windingriverpsychotherapyservices.com
(510) 761-9818
You can ask any questions you have about sleep therapy, CBT-I, and my other Berkeley therapy services.
When Insomnia Isn’t Just “About Sleep”
Insomnia is sometimes a stand-alone pattern. Other times, it’s a sign that something else has unbalanced within you. Part of our work is sorting out all factors affecting your sleep.
Some sleep problems are primarily medical and deserve a medical lens. Examples include sleep apnea, restless legs, thyroid imbalance, GERD/reflux, or medication side effects. If anything points that direction, we’ll talk about the right next step for evaluation.
And sometimes the bigger drivers are indirect. Anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, chronic stress, chronic pain, and illnesses like autoimmune conditions, long COVID, or fibromyalgia can all keep the stress response activated long after you want to be off-duty.
I’m familiar with the many ways these pieces overlap. In our sessions, we’ll explore what’s in the mix, build skills for what’s changeable, and make space for the hard realities you’re living with—so sleep has a chance to become less of a battleground.
