Episode Details

What if your insomnia isn’t “just stress” or bad habits at bedtime—but unprocessed trauma, a fried nervous system, and a body that never got to stand down from the war?

In this episode of Sleep Is My Waking Passion, I sit down with holistic psychotherapist Anthony Fontana, MA, AMFT, APCC to unpack the therapies most insomniacs have never been offered: DBT, ACT, narrative therapy, emotionally focused therapy, EMDR, TRE, somatic experiencing, tapping, and more. We go straight into the witching hour (2–4 a.m. wakeups), physician burnout, COVID vicarious trauma, people-pleasing, and why Type A high achievers struggle to slow down—even when life finally lets them.

If you’ve tried CBT-I, sleep hygiene, or “just relaxing” and still wake up wired, this episode is your permission slip to heal on a deeper level, get back into your body, and finally let your nervous system rest.