Mind Control Techniques to Help You Sleep

You’re tucked under the covers, hoping for sleep to come, but a persistent worry or lingering thought refuses to let your mind rest.

This discussion introduces tangible mental exercises and effective techniques for focusing on areas of the brain to help suppress random thoughts, distractions or worries in support of relaxation and sleep. It draws from universal mindfulness, body scanning and visualization practices.

Initial exercise

Close your eyes and imagine a small orb slowly circling your head in the clockwise direction, i.e., moving from left-to-right as its path crosses in front of your eyes.

Let the orb continuously circle your head for as many cycles as you wish until you feel you can control it easily.

Now, let the orb change direction and begin moving in the opposite, counterclockwise direction.

Does the orb move more freely in the clockwise direction than it does in the counterclockwise direction, or vice versa? If one direction feels smoother or more natural, have the orb continue in the direction where its movement is most effortless.

Do you feel any sensations in your brain or subtle shifts in your awareness as the orb passes by different parts of your head? If so, you are ready to move on to a focused technique to help you get to sleep.

Focused Technique for Promoting Sleep

With control of the orb, we’ll now focus it internally within the head and begin exploring sensations and effects when concentrating it on various portions of the brain. In doing so, now think of the orb as an amorphic “area of focus” rather than maintaining a specific shape.

While trying to go to sleep and wishing to block annoying thoughts or worries, concentrate the area of focus on the back of the brain at eye level. This takes practice and a little diligence.  If distractions arise, simply acknowledge them, then return to the area of focus. You may experience extraneous thoughts "bouncing" off pf the area of focus that you are controlling.

When you feel like you are successful enough in blocking distractions, begin trying to form and encourage any images, patterns or visual movements that may begin appearing in your mind’s eye. If the images dissolve or disappear, don’t worry. Just keep trying.

With practice, this technique will eventually bring your mind to the transitional state between wakefulness and sleep, known as the “cusp of sleep” or hypnagogia.

Brain Physiology

By focusing on the back of your mind, you are affecting several anatomical structures of the brain that are associated with vision and memory, either directly within or bordering the area of focus:  

Occipital lobe: The back part of the brain that is involved with vision.

Temporal lobe: The sides of the brain involved in short-term memory, speech, musical rhythm.

Hippocampus: The area that supports memory, learning, navigation and perception of space.

Conclusion

While there are countless online sources that hint at or suggest focusing attention to different areas of the brain, this discussion is intended to provide a simple approach that may be more effective for most individuals looking for tangible techniques for mind control.

You may also experiment with focusing on other areas of the brain to help you sleep or do wakeful concentration or other mental tasks. Focusing on the crown of the brain or the front of the brain may have similar or additive effects, as they are areas of focus used in meditation. 

If you have tried and had success or failure with the techniques provided and are inclined to - please feel free comment or provide feedback below.