So if insomnia is not “not sleeping,” what is it? It’s simple. It’s not liking your sleep. You are allowed to not like your sleep yet still be sleeping. You can dislike your job, yet still show up for work every day. I think it is okay for a doctor to help a patient understand that his insomnia is not stemming from an absence of sleep. The doctor is simply reframing and redefining the problem. This redefinition should never lead to dismissing the patient or the problem. This is so important, I’m going to say it again in a slightly different way:
