According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 50-70 million adults in the United States experience chronic sleep deprivation. The average American sleeps for only 5.7 hours a night, 2 hours less than the recommended minimum. With Dr. Maisel's help, readers can learn how to snooze sooner and spend their hours in bed productively!
An expert on the effect of stress on sleep, Dr. Eric Maisel has innovated a way to manage anxiety and stress using the power of your own mind. A fresh and unexpected approach to problem-solving, Maisel participated in leading a study on various aspects of sleep. A positive and surprising discovery from this study, people can "assign" themselves a problem to solve during sleep and awaken with potential solutions. Night Brilliance is not only a guide to this practice for readers, but also a space to record your feelings and findings. It also provides ways to sleep more, more deeply, and relax sooner.
Why does this work so well?
According to Dr. Maisel and his colleagues' study, when you're asleep, you're not simultaneously working, scrolling, or multitasking in any way. You have your full mind dedicated to solving issues that arise during the day.
Table of Contents:
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
About the Author :
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
Review :
"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.
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
