{SUBLIMINAL}
(Yawns)
You deserve to relax
You are already dreaming
Drift… Off… To… Sleep
And stay asleep

Hello there, restless one

I know falling asleep can be a difficult task
The more you think about it, the more you’ll get yourself worked up about it
The more you will stress and worry
And the harder it will be… To drift… Off… To sleep
So right now, just listen to me
Before we begin, I want you to make sure you are as comfortable as you can be
Make sure all of your limbs are well-supported… And not bent at any unnatural angles that will become uncomfortable
Make sure nothing will disturb you – reduce as many distractions as you can… Put your phone on silent, and don’t look at it
Focus on my voice
Let me distract you from the stress and worry, and anything else, that’s keeping you from a restful sleep
Let me talk you down
Let me keep you company
Let me occupy your mind
Let me sing you a sweet lullaby
Let me guide you… To the relaxing slumber you deserve

…
…

Just listen
Focus on my voice
Focus on what I say
I may instruct you to do or imagine a few things
It is important for you to follow these instructions to the best of your ability
Even if it doesn’t make sense at first
There is no right or wrong way to feel or react
Just do your best
Let me take the lead now
Let me guide you
Your thoughts and your actions
And with time, your mind will naturally slip… Drift… First, into a realm of guided imagination, and then into a compliant state of naturally following every word I say without thought, and finally… To sleep
Just like watching a movie, or reading a book, or simply staring off into space, deep in thought
Allowing yourself to become pleasantly enveloped in another world
Hyperfocusing your mind on one thing and nothing else
Just my voice
Focus on my voice
But while your mind has already begun to wind down, I want you to focus on your body

First, your breathing
Listen closely, as I am going to give you some very specific instructions
I am going to cycle through three specific commands
First I will ask you to breathe in through your nose, filling up your lungs with fresh, clean air, and I will count to 4
That is the amount of time you will have to inhale before the next command, which will be to hold that air in
Holding your breath, and I will count to 7
You will need to hold that breath until I reach 7, at which point you can slowly let it all out through your mouth, and I will count to 8
All you need to do is follow along and Obey
I will guide you every step of the way
To recap: breathing in through your nose for 4 seconds, holding it for 7 seconds, and then exhaling for 8 seconds
4… 7… 8
I will count it all out for you
All you need to do is follow along and Obey
I will guide you every step of the way
Ready?
…
Breathe in through your nose – 1, 2, 3, 4
Hold it – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
And let it out of your mouth now – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Again
Inhale through your nose – 1, 2, 3, 4
Hold it – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
And let it all out through your mouth now – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
It’s ok if you fall off of the tempo, or if you can’t make it through the full counts, or if your breathing gets interrupted by a yawn
Just do your best
Breathing in through your nose for 4 seconds, holding it for 7 seconds, and then exhaling for 8 seconds
4… 7… 8
(Inhale) 1, 2, 3, 4
(Hold it all in) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
(Exhale) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
(Inhale) 1, 2, 3, 4
(Hold it) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
(Exhale, Let it all go) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
(Inhale) 1, 2, 3, 4
(Hold it) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
(Exhale, Sinking into your bed) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
(Inhale) 1, 2, 3, 4
(Hold it) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
(Exhale, Release all of your worries) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Very good
Relax

Next, your eyes
In a moment, I’m going to count to 5, and while I count, I want you to hold your eyes open
You can pick something to focus your eyes on while you hold them open, or if it is too dark to see anything, you can just stare into the darkness
It doesn’t matter
I just want you to hold your eyes open when I count to 5
And when I reach five, you can finally blink
And I will count to 5 again
Starting at 1 – Keep your eyes wide open now
2 – Holding them open, not blinking even once
3 – Staring straight ahead, at an object or nothing at all
4 – Just following my directions
And, 5 – Slowly close your eyes now
1 – Open your eyes
2 – Keep them open
3 – Until I tell you to close them again
4 – Open…
And… 5 – Close your eyes
1 – Open your eyes
2 – Repeating this repetitive pattern
3 – Nothing exciting, but consuming your attention
4 – Your focus and energy
5 – Let your eyes close
1 – Open them again, and don’t let them close until I say so
2 – Hold them open as wide as you can
3 – As if you are trying so very hard to stay awake
4 – Even though you are exhausted
5 – Let those eyes close
1 – Open your eyes
2 – Every time you close them, it’s a little bit harder to open them again
3 – To keep them wide open
4 – It is ok if you can’t open them as wide as time goes on
5 – Close those eyes
Listen closely, restless one
I am going to count one last time
This time, to 10
I want you to keep your eyes open for the entire duration of this count, if you can
It is ok if you cannot keep them open the full time
Just do your best to Obey
Just know, that this is the final countdown for your eyes
Once you open your eyes again, when I begin the next count, that will be the last time you will open them before you drift off to sleep
And once you close them, at the end or any point in the countdown, that will be the final time they close before you drift off to sleep
At some point, soon, you are going to open and close your eyes for the last time before you drift off to sleep
When I begin my count, you are going to open your eyes one last time, and you will keep them open, for as long as you can, until I reach 10, or even at some point before that, and they will not open again until after you get some nice, restful sleep
Now
1 – Open your eyes
2 – Even just a little
3 – It may feel very tempting to blink
4 – But if you do, your eyes must stay closed
5 – In my previous counts, I told you to close them at this point, but keep them open
6 – If you can
7 – Hold them open, even if they are feeling heavy and fatigued
8 – Until the end of the countdown, or even now, if you must
9 – Almost there… Almost there… Almost… There
And… 10
And now that your eyes are closed, they are going to stay closed
And you can focus completely on my voice
And my words
And my instructions
Which will feel so easy to Obey, now that your eyes are closed
For good this time

Now, with your eyelids relaxed, I want you to focus on your eyebrows
Mhm~
What I want you to do now is simple
With your eyes closed, just raise your eyebrows as high as you can
Higher… Higher…
Now, with your eyes glued shut, and your eyebrows high up on your forehead, furrow them together
As if they are trying to kiss each other
Hold them up and pushed together
This should feel uncomfortable
If it doesn’t, raise them higher and scrunch them even closer together
Hold them in that unnatural position
And while you are doing that, I also want you to open your mouth as wide as you can while pressing the tip of your tongue to the inside of your top lip
Yes, it’s a lot at once
Just do your best
Raising your eyebrows, scrunching them together, holding your mouth wide open, and lifting your tongue up to your lip
All at once
It may feel uncomfortable, distorted, unnatural, and stretched out
But you must hold it
If you notice your eyebrows sinking lower, or your mouth slacking, make sure to correct yourself, and contort your face into the most extreme position you possibly can without hurting yourself
Just hold it until I count to 5
Hold your eyebrows as high and as scrunched into the middle of your forehead as you can
Hold your mouth as wide open and your tongue as high and pressed into your top lip as you can
Do all of this at once
Really push the limits of the muscles in your face
1 – Just a little while longer
2 – Hold it
3 – Push yourself, don’t hurt yourself
4 – Almost there
5 – Finally… Relax your face
Let your eyebrows sink into their natural position
Nice and neutral and comfortable… A position that takes no effort at all to maintain
Let your mouth and your tongue and your jaw relax
Closed or hanging loosely open
Whichever feels the most comfortable and natural
Let your face relax completely
It deserves to relax
You deserve to relax

Next, I want you to draw all of your attention down to your arms
They carry so much
Listen closely and follow my instructions
First, I want you to raise and tense your shoulders
And while your shoulders remain tensed and raised, I want you to slightly, just slightly, raise your arms into the air
Just a little bit, if you can
It’s ok if you can’t bring yourself to raise them
Just do you best
To hold them just an inch above their resting place
And while your shoulders are tensed and raised, and your arms are slightly lifted, if at all, I want you to form your hands into fists and clench them as hard as you can
It’s ok if you don’t have the strength to do it very hard, just do what your body is able to do
Push yourself, don’t hurt yourself
Raised, tensed shoulders, slightly lifted arms, if you can, and clenched fists
Hold it all
It should feel uncomfortable
But you can do it
Hold it
Until I count to 5
Starting at 1 – Hold your shoulders, arms, and fists in this uncomfortable, unnatural position
2 – Just… A little… While… Longer~
3 – Push yourself, and then you won’t have to lift a finger again
4- Burning and aching to rest
And… 5 – Let it all go
The tenseness in your shoulders
Everything they carry
The strain in your arms
Everything they hold up
The firmness of your fists
Everything they grip
Let it all go
Let them relax now
It feels so good to finally let them relax
Sinking down
So limp
So natural
So restful
They deserve to relax
You deserve to relax

Now that your face and your arms are relaxed, focus on your legs
You’re going to do basically the same thing here that you did with your arms
Slightly raise your legs into the air, just an inch above their natural resting place, if you can
It’s ok if you struggle to hold the position, or even lift your legs in the first place
No stress
Just do your best to Obey
And while you do your best to hold your legs slightly up in the air, I also want you to curl your toes
As if you are forming fists with your feet
Curl and squeeze them as much as you can
It should feel uncomfortable
Push yourself, but don’t hurt yourself
Lifting your legs ever so slightly while you curl your toes
Holding that uncomfortable, unnatural position
Until I count to 5
Start at 1 – You can do this
2 – Just a little longer
3 – Getting so tired
4 – Burning and aching to rest
5 – Let them rest
Finally
Your legs can rest
You can rest
Weak, jelly legs
Weak, jelly body
Weak, jelly, you

Your face, your arms, and your legs
So comfortable and restful
They deserve to relax
You deserve to relax

And now… The only part of your body left… That you can still move at will… Is your torso
Your core
The center of you
It contains the majority of your vital organs
They do so much for you
And they deserve to rest
You deserve to rest
Your beating heart deserves to slow to a calm, leisurely rhythm
Your lungs deserve a few hours of calm, steady breaths
Let’s do some more of those deep breaths before we move on
You remember, 4 seconds in through your nose, 7 seconds to hold it in, and 8 seconds out through your mouth
4, 7, 8
I’ll count them out for you
Ready?
In (Inhale) 1, 2, 3, 4
(Hold it) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
(Out) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Good
Again
(Expanding your chest) 1, 2, 3, 4
(Hold it) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
(And let it all out) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

And bringing your attention down a little, to your abs, I want you to do your best to tense them for me
It may be very hard to bring yourself to do it
Just do your best
You can tuck the bottom of your pelvis forward and brace your abs
Or you can simply imagine you are doing it, if that is all you can do
Do as much as you are able
Push yourself, but don’t hurt yourself
Hold a tensed position in your core
Hold it until I count to 5
Starting at 1 – Keeping your abdominal muscles as firm as you can
2 – Straining, not too much, but just enough to fatigue your body
3 – So in need of letting go and resting
4 – Burning and aching to rest
Hold it… Hold it… You can do it…
And…
Finally…
5 – Let your muscles rest
No more straining
No more pushing yourself
Just letting your torso, your core, your center, your hard-working organs, relax
Letting your entire body relax now
It deserves to relax
You deserve to relax

Take a deep breath in through your nose
1, 2, 3, 4
(Hold it in) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
(And let it all out) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
(Breathe) 1, 2, 3, 4
(Deep) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
(Out through your mouth) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
(Breathe in) 1, 2, 3, 4
(Letting go of your conscious awareness) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
(As if) 1, 2, 3, 4
(You are) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
(Asleep) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

You look so restful
And limp
And heavy
And peaceful
As though… You are… Asleep
Your body is relaxed and unmoving
And your mind has slowly, but surely, been winding down
And down
And down

Listen closely, restful one
I am going to stick around for a while
I am going to keep you company
Until you drift.. Off… To sleep
Let my voice guide you down
Let it soothe you
Let it comfort you
My voice is so soft
You could sleep on it
All
Night
Long
My voice is so soft and heavy
Like a plushy, weighted blanket
You could sleep with it wrapped around you
All
Night
Long
I’m not going anywhere
I will be right here
Until you
Drift… Off… To sleep
Without even thinking about it
Without even realize
One moment you will be here, listening
And the next, you will be fast asleep
No need to rush it
Just listen
Focus on my voice
And before you can even think about it again, you will be pleasantly, blissfully, relaxing in dreamland
But for now, listen closely
Starting right now, I want you to count for me, backwards, from 100, in multiples of 4
I will not be walking you through this one
Just count backwards from 100 in multiples of 4 as I speak
As I relax here with you
Take your time, you don’t want to mess up any of the numbers
Count slowly
And correctly
With your eyes gently closed, your mouth relaxed, your shoulders soft, your arms sunken, your hands loose, your legs limp, your feet almost unnoticeable, your torso completely relaxed
Your heart slowing, your lungs heaving rhythmically and steadily
Your body is completely relaxed
And as you count down, backwards, from 100, in multiples of 4, each number lifts something away from you
As if you are slowly, but surely, evaporating, with each number you count
Backwards, from 100, in multiples of 4
Slowly, but surely
With each number you count, backwards, in multiples of 4, your body feels less and less present
More and more numb
As if each number lifts a piece of you away
Keep counting
Slowly, and carefully
Slowly, and surely, forgetting about everything but the numbers
Forgetting about your physical form, and focusing on the numbers in your head
Focus on the numbers
Count them very carefully
As you fade
Into numbness
And a layer of darkness encroaches your vision
Seeping into your eyelids
Becoming blacker and blacker
Counting the numbers in your head
As you fade
Into darkness
No longer fully conscious
No longer aware of your body
And if your count approaches zero, keep counting down
In multiples of 4
Into the negatives
Counting
Counting
Fading
Becoming numb
Unaware
Unconscious
As if… You are… Asleep
Dreaming of these numbers
Sinking down in multiples of 4
Down and down
Into the negatives
Until you can’t keep track of them anymore
There will be a point when you simply won’t be able to count anymore
Either because you get distracted by something I say, or because you fall asleep
Those are the only two options
Just keep counting
Until you get too tired
Until you drift… Off… To sleep

Until something else fully occupies your mind~
And lulls you to sleep
Singing softly into your ears
Pleasantly humming inside of your brain
A soothing melody
Blissfully stuck in your head
Sleepily harmonizing
Clashing against the thoughts that keep you away from the rest you deserve

You are so tired
Too tired to have any thoughts
You can barely keep track of the numbers as time goes on
As my sweet lullaby invades your head
Like the passive numbness
Like the invasive darkness
Like the sleepy peace that washes over you as these numbers lift your consciousness away
The more you count, the more tired you feel
The less you are aware of your physical form
You must keep counting
Down, in multiples of 4, into the negatives
You started at 100
Think about how far you’ve come, and keep counting
Unless my lullaby fills your mind
Swirling
Like a dream
A very nice dream
Comforting… Soothing… Like drifting off… In my warm, soft arms
My calming embrace
As my sleepy little lullaby fills your head
Swirling
Filling your head with pleasant images
Drowning out the numbers that are so hard to focus on
Your own thoughts are harder to focus on than mine
And you don’t mind it
So listen to me, restful one
Let my voice guide you
Let it fill you
Let it lull you
Let it soothe you
Let it hold you
Shhhh….
Listen…

…

…

Picture yourself… At your favorite restaurant, eating your favorite dish they offer
Is it rich? Is it sweet? Or savory?
How does it smell?
How many textures can you feel inside of your mouth?
This is a pleasant experience for you
Perhaps it brings you a lot of comfort and joy
Just sitting here, alone with my voice, giving your full attention to this delicious meal
You can’t hear anything but my voice
No venue music… No scattered chatter
You can’t even make out anyone’s faces
Just like in a dream
So vivid, but not quite right
Not that you would notice if I hadn’t pointed it out~
You wouldn’t be able to notice anything right now, or process any stimuli, without my help
You are letting me guide you
You are letting yourself relax
You are already dreaming
You can taste this food
You can smell it
You can vaguely feel it in your mouth
But you can’t hear anything other than my voice
And as you enjoy your food, you don’t feel yourself getting any fuller
That is because this is just a dream
The more you look around, the less anything makes any sense
But you wouldn’t have noticed if I didn’t point it out to you~
That this restaurant looks the same as it always does
Except it is completely under water
The world around you is distorted and doused in a mildly blue tint
No one is walking… They are swimming
And you feel completely weightless
Weak and buoyant
It doesn’t make sense, but it doesn’t matter
No need to think about it
Our brains process stimuli in mysterious ways
It doesn’t always mean something
Sometimes your head just swims~
Floating… Sinking… Drifting… Swirling… Dreaming~

…

Floating

…

Sinking

…

Drifting

…

Swirling

…

Dreaming

…

And you’re going to stay asleep as long as you need to
Until you’ve had a proper rest
Until your mind and body have gotten to relax, like they deserve
Like you deserve
…
Sleeping
…
Restfully
…
Heavy
…
Weightless
…
Sore
…
Tired
…
Exhausted
…
Fast asleep