"This is a journal and a process definitely worth the investment of time and practice for those seeking to live with more peace, awareness, creativity and ease.”—Emma Rae Rhead, M.D., hyphnotherapist and coach

“Sleep thinking is a subtle practice, and the journal makes space for meaningful questions to take root. Though I am early in my sleep thinking journey, I already appreciate the shift in how I think about sleep and problem-solving. I sense something meaningful unfolding beneath the surface. The sleep thinking journal has helped me approach my nights with more intention and trust—it’s a simple practice that feels rich with possibility.”—Kelly Gammon, healthcare and higher education IT Specalist 

“I’ve been using for about fifteen days now and I love it!  This has been so helpful in giving me a greater understanding of the process—not just an intellectual understanding, but actual practice with the process. The journal makes it so easy! It reminds me that I can tap into this unexplored resource and rich and expansive process. It’s all about participating with something already going on inside me in new and rewarding ways. That’s been so helpful!”—Elle Garfield, awareness couselor 

“After sleep thinking for a couple of nights, an entire flow of ideas started to come through. These ideas were much lighter and more colorful than my conscious, trying-hard brain typically produces. I’m a big proponent of ‘sleeping on it’ and often delay a decision that is not clear to me.  However, I hadn’t previously considered making sleep thinking a more consistent practice. Now I will. I think this will help nagging problems no longer nag!”—Kirsten Johansen, executive coach 

“The adage ‘sleep on it’ takes on a whole new meaning with Eric Maisel’s sleep thinking journal. When I followed Maisel’s encouraging prompts and practiced my own pre-sleep questions, I felt permission to trust my sleep thinking. The strategy to wonder and tap into my ‘committee of sleep’ helped me relax; and upon waking, I was able to approach my regular daytime worries with more ease. This practice has even helped me access creative alternatives to challenges and negative self-talk during my waking hours!”—Muireann O'Callaghan, writing coach and mentor 

“After just one week of use, I received great insights and made great progress in my chosen areas. I’m excited about the possibilities that sleep thinking holds!”—Mark Ridout, international touring jazz musician 

“After just a few days of using the sleep thinking program, I started to notice that I was getting answers to my questions. I'm not sure how that happened, but I’m sure enough receiving answers, downloads, and direction!”—Pamela Wright, certified life coach 

“Sleep thinking—what a wonderful tool! I’ve gotten answers in my sleep before but never added prompts with journaling. I found by practicing, I was much clearer on my projects and how to approach things in my waking hours. I would wake up excited to have answers to my questions and often had a clear vision of what needed to be done. This results in less stress for me. Thank you for sharing this tool with me!!!”—Pat House, visual artist 

“In his sleep thinking journal, Eric Maisel helps us explore the idea that the sleeping brain isn’t just for random dreaming. Through questions and prompts, Maisel helps us prepare our brains to solve problems and answer questions while we sleep. With patience and persistence, we can train our brains to focus on a question, and then be ready for the answer. This process can even help in dealing with anxieties and sleep issues, by turning them consciously over to the brain to work on while we sleep. A guide for seekers, creatives, and anyone who wants to better utilize their brain’s potential, this is a valuable addition to any journaling or meditation practice.”—Jana Van der Veer, book coach

“Eric Maisel offers a revolutionary yet elegantly simple method: harnessing “sleep thinking” to work through challenges you might otherwise wrestle with for days or weeks. The approach is refreshingly uncomplicated and accessible: Each chapter provides a straightforward question to ponder and journal about, along with a single prompt before bedtime. You then allow your brain to work while you sleep, and welcome the insights in the morning through journaling. What sets this guide apart is its combination of inspiring insight and real-world usability. Maisel invites readers not just to dream, but to think purposefully while asleep and then make room to receive and act on the answers that emerge. It's a fresh way to tap into your subconscious mind, all while gaining rest!”—Juliana Bruno, author of Reasons to Live 

Eric Maisel is an internationally-recognized diplomat coach, the author of 60+ books in the areas of coaching, creativity, life purpose, meaning, and mental health, and President of the International Association of Creative and Performing Artists.

A retired family therapist and active master coach, Dr. Maisel is the lead editor for the Ethics International Press Critical Psychology and Critical Psychiatry series, which takes a critical look at the current “mental disorder” paradigm and the influence of psychiatry on society’s institutions. 

His popular Psychology Today blog “Rethinking Mental Health” has more than 3.5 million views, and, in conjunction with Noble-Manhattan Coaching, he has developed three training programs, a Creativity Coach Certificate Program, an Existential Wellness Coach Certificate Program, and a Relationship Coach Certificate Program.

Among his 60+ titles are Brave New Mind (December, 2025), Choose Your Life Purposes, Parents Who Bully, Redesign Your Mind, Rethinking Depression, Coaching the Artist Within, Why Smart People Hurt, The Coach’s Way, Fearless Creating, The Future of Mental Health, The Power of Daily Practice and The Van Gogh Blues.  

Please visit Dr. Maisel at https://www.ericmaisel.com or contact him at ericmaisel@hotmail.com

Introduction 

1. The Mother of Thoughts 

2. Let Me Sleep On It 

3. Waking Necessities 

4. The Beauty of Oblivion 

5. Much Too Economical 

6. The Quiet Classroom 

7. More Than Ourselves 

8. Our Richly Colored Night 

9. The Better Half of Life 

10. Oh, Thoughtful Night! 

11. Wider Than the Sky 

12. Confident Sleep 

13. Free-Rein Sleep 

14. Thinking Harder 

15. We Are Not Hypocrites 

16. A World of Our Own 

17. Sleep Thinking Responsibility 

18. Day Work 

19. Collaborations with the Universe 

20. Where to Start? 

21. Conscious Exploration 

22. Vague Days, Logical Conclusions 

23. Your Thoughts and Affections 

24. What You Choose to Focus On 

25. Anxious Bedtime 

26. Background Anxiety 

27. Bedtime Routines 

28. Careful Prompting 

29. Inviting Change 

30. Begin in Wonder 

31. I’ll Take Care of That 

32. When Things Come Alive 

33. The Pact 

34. The Right Question 

35. Morning Is Best 

36. Hello, Solution 

37. Interpretations 

38. Connecting the Dots 

39. Applying Knowledge 

40. Practicalities 

41. Obey the Night 

42. Not Swift, Not Easy 

43. The Conviction to Repeat 

44. The Loom of Life Never Stops 

45. Longing for Ways 

46. What Temptation Resisted? 

47. Who You Are in the Dark 

48. Recency 

49. The Best Meditation 

50. Our Access to Other Worlds 

51. Poems Fully Written 

52. The Toughest Problems 

53. What We Wish for Waking 

54. At Ease with Not Yet Knowing 

55. How Long Should It Take? 

56. Decision Is a Risk 

57. By Seeking and Blundering 

58. A Form of Not Being Sure 

59. From Problem to Question 

60. When the Answer Is Maturity 

61. Paralysis by Analysis 

62. The Song Won’t Let You 

63. Dare to Visualize 

64. To Understand the Immeasurable 

65. A Big Shadow 

66. On Napping 

67. A Mental Simmer 

68. On Not Waiting for the Right Mood 

69. On Not Waiting for the Muse 

70. You Will Never Live 

71. The Privilege of a Lifetime 

72. Having a Why 

73. A Hope That’s Waiting 

74. The Noon of Thought 

75. A New Way to Think 

Epilogue