Good sleep is not a luxury. It affects your mood, your memory, your immune system, your relationships, and your long-term health. Living with chronic insomnia can feel like living in a constant state of depletion, exhausted but still wired, needing rest and never quite reaching it.
If this has been going on for a while, you probably know the feeling well. Lying awake watching the clock, doing the mental math on how many hours are left if you fall asleep right now. Dreading bedtime instead of looking forward to it. Getting through the next day running on empty, only to face the same night again and again.
You have tried everything-sleep apps, supplements, medication’s, breathing exercises and the changes never stick. What most people don’t realize is that these routines are designed to support sleep, not address the underlying cause of what’s disrupting it. They never get to the root of the problem.
The Relief from Insomnia Therapy Group is designed for people who are ready for a treatment that works at the root. If that is where you are, keep reading.
RELIEF FROM INSOMNIA STARTS HERE
CBT-I Group Therapy That Works at the Root
Most sleep solutions are designed for people with poor sleep, habits. CBT, however, is designed for individuals whose nervous system have lost the ability to fully rest.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is more than a collection of relaxation techniques or sleep tips. It is a structured, evidence-based treatment that addresses the thought patterns and behaviors that perpetuate chronic insomnia. As an EMDR therapist, I will also support you in getting to the root of where your insomnia began.
The gold standard for chronic insomnia
CBT-I is the recommended first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults, endorsed by the American College of Physicians, the American Psychological Association, and the National Institutes of Health.
It addresses what medication cannot
Sleeping pills manage symptoms. They do not change the sleep thoughts and behaviors causing the insomnia. When medication stops, the insomnia returns. CBT-I changes the underlying pattern so the results stick.
CBT-I is effective for people managing anxiety, depression, and PTSD alongside insomnia. Research shows it reduces or eliminates reliance on sleep medication in approximately 90% of patients. It can be used with any medical or mental health treatment you are already receiving.
It works alongside other treatment
WHY THIS GROUP WORKS
A Deeper Approach to Chronic Insomnia
Most CBT-I programs stop at sleep habits. This group goes further.
This framework targets the patterns around sleep directly. The trauma-informed lens opens up a deeper understanding of what may have started the insomnia and what has kept it going.
What Anita has observed in clinical practice is something CBT-I techniques alone don't always reach. For many people, the nervous system is still holding onto unresolved stress or past experiences that grow louder at night when everything else goes quiet. That underlying activation is often part of what keeps sleep out of reach.
This is not something you will find in an app, a book, or a standard sleep program. It is the reason clients who have struggled for three decades have started sleeping again.
This group is led by Anita Kaplan, whose background combines two things rarely found in the same clinician:
Certified CBT-I clinician
Advanced training through the program developed and tested at Harvard Medical School by Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs — the gold standard certification for CBT-I practice.
24 years as a trauma therapist
EMDR Certified with deep clinical experience in trauma. Brings a trauma-informed lens to the patterns that CBT-I techniques alone don't always reach.
Why the combination matters
CBT-I restructures the behaviors and thoughts maintaining insomnia. EMDR and trauma-informed techniques address the underlying nervous system activation that often precedes it. Together they treat the full picture — not just the surface pattern.
THE PROGRAM
Five sessions. One clear direction.
Across five 90-minute sessions, the program is structured, practical and designed to build progressively from one week to the next. The goal is not simply to achieve a few better nights of sleep, but to help you develop a deeper understanding of your insomnia and respond to it with a clearer, more effective approach.
Identify what's actually driving your sleep disruption — not just the symptoms, but the pattern that has kept it going.
Understanding your insomnia
Sleep restriction and stimulus control — the core behavioral shifts that begin to break the cycle your nervous system has been stuck in.
Rebuilding the relationship with sleep
Address the beliefs and mental patterns that keep you alert and anxious at bedtime, and replace them with responses that stop reinforcing insomnia.
Working with your thoughts about sleep
Explore what may be keeping your nervous system activated at night — the part of insomnia that CBT-I techniques alone don't always reach.
What's keeping your nervous system awake
Leave with a personal workbook, a clear framework for continuing the work, and guidance on medication tapering if that is one of your goals.
Your Plan Going Forward
THE DETAILS
Schedule and Investment
FORMAT
Virtual, for adults throughout California
SESSIONS
5 sessions, 90 minutes each
DATES
August 25, September 1, September 8, September 15, and September 22
MEETING TIMES
8:30 – 10:00 AM · 4:00 – 5:30 PM
Choose one time slot at registration
GROUP SIZE
8 to 10 participants maximum
PAYMENT
Private pay only · Insurance not accepted
FOR THE PERSON WHO IS READY
Insomnia does not have to be your normal
This group is for adults across California who have been living with chronic insomnia for months, years, or even decades and are ready for structured treatment, not another round of tips. A formal diagnosis is not required. What matters is that you are done managing it and ready to actually address it.
If you suspect your insomnia may be connected to anxiety, stress, or past experiences — or if you want to reduce or stop sleep medication — this group was built with you in mind.
Not sure if it is the right fit? That is exactly what the screening call is for. It is short, free, and there is no pressure to commit.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Everything you need to know before the screening call
Still have questions? Check out our FAQ or contact us.