Quieting an overactive mind when bedtime arrives and sleep will not.
In brief
The TCM × PSYCH Insomnia programme pairs physician-led acupuncture and herbal care with optional Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) from a PULSE Allied Health psychologist. TCM may help calm Shen, ease tension, and settle patterns that disrupt sleep; CBT-I rebuilds sleep skills. Visits are separate. Care complements, rather than replaces, psychiatry or prescribed medication.
- MOH-registered TCM
- CBT-I first-line framing
- 15 TCM clinics
The programme
When stress and sleep quality stop working together
Enough restorative sleep underpins how we work, care for others, and enjoy life. High stress often triggers insomnia, and poor sleep then makes stress harder to carry. Short spells after life events are common. When disruption lasts for weeks, causes distress, or blunts daytime function, a structured plan helps.
Insomnia means dissatisfaction with the amount or quality of sleep. It may show as difficulty falling asleep even when tired, waking in the night and struggling to return, or waking too early. In TCM, sleep often reflects Heart, Liver, and Spleen balance and the calm of Shen (spirit). Liver qi stagnation may sit with stress, irritability, and night-waking. Heart and Spleen deficiency may sit with overthinking, restless dreaming, and difficulty settling. At PULSE, MOH-registered physicians name the pattern in plain language, then may add acupuncture and safety-regulated herbs. When sleep anxiety, habits, or behavioural loops keep nights unsettled, PULSE Allied Health psychotherapy (CBT-I) can sit beside TCM for a more whole picture. For TCM-only stress, tension, and burnout without a psych focus, see our Sleep & Stress programme.
How care unfolds
TCM care coordinated with PULSE Allied Health psychotherapy. Explore integrative care
Looking for TCM-only sleep or stress care?
Sleep & Stress may fit better
Sleep & Stress is physician-led TCM for sleep, tension, and burnout without a psychotherapy arm. This programme adds optional Allied Health psychology when behavioural or thought patterns need structured work.
Explore Sleep & StressHow visits are organised
Separate TCM and psychology visits
You may use TCM alone, psychotherapy alone, or both. Diaries stay separate so each clinician can do their work without rushing a combined appointment.
TCM visits
Physician consultation with acupuncture or herbal prescription as agreed.
- About 45 to 60 minutes at PULSE TCM clinics islandwide
- Pattern care for sleep, mood, and body signs
- Complements, rather than replaces, psychiatry or prescribed medication
Allied Health psychotherapy
Structured psychology with a PULSE Allied Health clinical psychologist.
- About 60 minutes per session at Allied Health
- CBT, behavioural work, or CBT-I depending on the programme
- Booked as its own visit, not the same chair as TCM
This programme is not crisis care. Seek urgent mental-health help for severe mood change, panic, or thoughts of self-harm.
Care pathways
Support for falling asleep, staying asleep, and sleep skills
Three common entry points drawn from how insomnia shows up in clinic. Your assessment may name a different mix of TCM patterns and behavioural goals.
Settling night-waking and stress patterns that break sleep into fragments.
Stay asleep through the night
Book this pathway
CBT-I strategies spanning cognitive restructuring, sleep hygiene, reconditioning, and relaxation when habits keep insomnia going.
Rebuild sleep skills
Book this pathway* Mental-health chips describe complementary support. This programme is not a substitute for psychiatry or crisis care. Seek urgent help for severe mood change, panic, or thoughts of self-harm.
Approach to healing
Therapies used in insomnia plans
Your clinicians recommend a combination based on assessment. Not every visit uses every modality, and TCM and psychotherapy are booked as separate visits.
Clinical acupuncture
Acupuncture may help resolve qi blockages, address imbalances, and restore functioning to organs involved in your pattern. Needling is also used to ease the body’s stress response by regulating the nervous system, and may support signalling linked to relaxation and calm when that fits your presentation. Many patients find sessions calming; suitability is confirmed after consultation.
Acupuncture treatment
Customised Chinese herbal medication
Safety-regulated herbal formulas are tailored to your constitution. Prescribed blends may carry gentle settling properties to help the mind and body prepare for sleep, support regulation of the stress response, and calm Shen when overactivity or anxiety sits behind restless nights. Used alone or with acupuncture, under physician oversight.
Chinese herbal medicine
Psychotherapy (CBT-I, Allied Health)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia helps you identify underlying drivers of insomnia and change thoughts and behaviours that hinder sleep. Work often includes cognitive restructuring (challenging unhelpful worries about sleep), sleep hygiene (daily habits such as caffeine and screens), sleep reconditioning and restriction (rebuilding the bed-sleep association), and relaxation training (for example progressive muscle relaxation or deep breathing). Sessions are with a PULSE Allied Health clinical psychologist (including Lead Clinical Psychologist Dr Jaswyn Chin, Doctor of Psychology Clinical, SRP-registered, with training across CBT, MBCT, ACT, and EMDR). Fees sit with Allied Health; enquire when booking.
Meet Dr Jaswyn ChinOn the TCM side, care aims to calm the mind and spirit (Shen), reduce tension, and support physiological patterns that affect sleep. CBT-I is widely recommended as a first-line behavioural treatment with lasting skills. Allied Health psychotherapy joins when behavioural sleep patterns need structured work.
What to expect
A journey from assessment to steadier nights
Your insomnia picture is unique, and your care should be too. The phases below are a general guide. Session count, frequency, and whether you use TCM, psychotherapy, or both are customised after assessment. TCM and psychology visits are scheduled separately.
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Assess
A TCM consultation names Heart, Liver, and Spleen patterns in plain language. When psychotherapy is part of the plan, a separate Allied Health intake maps sleep behaviours, worry loops, and goals. Focus: clear diagnosis across both lenses before treatment intensifies.
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Stabilise
Acupuncture and, when indicated, herbal medication settle acute stress and sleep disturbance at PULSE TCM clinics. CBT-I sessions build skills for sleep timing, stimulus control, and nighttime rumination at Allied Health. Focus: quieter nights and usable tools between visits.
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Sustain
Review spacing, reinforce what works, and decide whether TCM-only maintenance on the Sleep & Stress pathway fits once behavioural skills are steadier. Focus: durable habits and a realistic long-term plan.
Why patients choose this programme
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East meets West on purpose
TCM pattern care and CBT-I skills sit in one programme story, with clear hand-offs between physician and psychologist.
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Calm the body, rebuild sleep skills
Acupuncture and herbs work on qi, Shen, and stress response; CBT-I covers cognitive restructuring, sleep hygiene, reconditioning, and relaxation training.
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Honest visit logistics
TCM islandwide; psychotherapy at PULSE Allied Health. Same-day dual visits may be arranged at different locations when diaries allow.
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Complementary, not replacement
We never ask you to stop prescribed sleep or psychiatric medication without your prescribing doctor’s guidance.
Care team
Physicians and Allied Health for insomnia
MOH-registered TCM physicians work with sleep, fatigue, and related patterns islandwide. CBT-I sessions are with PULSE Allied Health, booked separately from TCM visits.
Dr Jaswyn Chin
Clinical Psychologist
CBT-I · Sleep skills · Mood & stress
Dr Sim Beng Joo
Advisor / Consultant Physician
Gastrointestinal Syndromes · Pain Management · Sleep / Fatigue
Dr Kevin Tang
Consultant Physician
TCM Oncology · Pain Management · Gynecology
Physician Fang Ying
TCM Physician
Pain Management · Sports Injuries · Gynaecology
Physician Ji Hui Jun
TCM Physician
Gynaecological Issues · Women’s Health · Digestive Issues
Physician Yumi Yen
TCM Physician
Pain & Injury · Dry eye · Internal Medicine
Physician Patricia Wang
TCM Physician
Eye Conditions · Internal Medicine · Pain Management
Physician Judy Zhu
TCM Physician
Facial Beauty Acupuncture · Facial Nerve · Cosmetology
From the clinic
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When sleep anxiety and habits sit beside a TCM pattern, acupuncture alone may settle the body while nights still feel unsafe. Naming both layers early keeps the plan honest.
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Many people arrive already on Western sleep or mental-health medication. I design TCM as complementary support, and I never advise stopping prescribed care without the prescribing doctor’s guidance.
Limited-time offer
Promotion
TCM × PSYCH Insomnia Trial
First-timer bundle for the TCM × PSYCH Insomnia programme: physician consultation with acupuncture or herbal prescription, one psychotherapy session, and AŌRA Joy or Calm. Exclusive of GST.
$328 U.P. $400++
Insomnia programme details
Locations
Find insomnia care near you
TCM in private treatment rooms islandwide, near MRT. Psychotherapy is scheduled separately at PULSE Allied Health (Camden Medical Centre per current programme guidance).
- 15 TCM clinics islandwide Including ION Orchard, Great World, Paragon, Woodleigh, Millenia Walk, Raffles Place, and neighbourhood locations across Singapore.
- Allied Health psychotherapy Psychologist sessions are booked at PULSE Allied Health. Ask the team when you book if you want both TCM and CBT-I in the plan.
Quick answers
Before you book
Three frequent questions. Full answers sit further down the page.
- How does the TCM × PSYCH Insomnia programme work?
- You may use TCM alone, psychotherapy alone, or both. TCM is islandwide; CBT-I psychology is at Allied Health as a separate visit.
- Can I see only a TCM physician or only a psychologist?
- Yes. Choose TCM or Allied Health when you book, or mention both in the note. Neither arm is mandatory.
- Where are psychotherapy sessions held?
- Psychotherapy is at PULSE Allied Health. TCM stays at PULSE TCM clinics islandwide.
FAQs
Insomnia programme questions, answered
Booking, separate visits, session counts, TCM-or-psych alone, medications, and when Sleep & Stress fits instead.
How does the TCM × PSYCH Insomnia programme work?
You may use TCM alone, psychotherapy alone, or both. TCM visits include a physician consultation with acupuncture or a herbal prescription as agreed (about 45 to 60 minutes) at PULSE TCM clinics islandwide. Psychotherapy sessions (about 60 minutes) are with a PULSE Allied Health psychologist and are booked as separate visits.
Can I see only a TCM physician or only a psychologist?
Yes. On booking, choose your concern and add Psychology under services if you want the psych arm, or mention both in the note. Combining clinicians often helps when sleep anxiety or habits sit beside a TCM pattern, but neither is mandatory. More complex insomnia with strong psychological or behavioural components may especially benefit from psychotherapy. For TCM-only sleep, stress, and burnout without a psych arm, the Sleep & Stress programme may be the clearer fit.
How many TCM and psychotherapy sessions will I need?
It varies with severity, lifestyle stress, and whether behavioural factors are strong. As a general guide, TCM may run about 5 to 10 sessions (often weekly; twice weekly for more serious cases), and psychology about 4 to 8 sessions (weekly at first, then fortnightly). Your clinicians set a realistic pace; results vary.
Where are psychotherapy sessions held?
Psychotherapy is conducted at PULSE Allied Health (programme guidance currently points to Camden Medical Centre, near Orchard Blvd MRT). TCM sessions remain available at PULSE TCM clinics islandwide. Same-day dual visits may be possible but will be at different locations.
What if I also have anxiety, low mood, or other concerns?
TCM physicians and psychologists commonly see people with mixed presentations and tailor care accordingly. When persistent low mood, loss of interest, or motivation is the primary concern, the Depression (TCM × PSYCH) programme may be the clearer fit. Our psychologist can also support related non-sleep issues such as relationship or self-esteem concerns when relevant. Severe mood change, panic, or thoughts of self-harm need appropriate mental-health support promptly; this programme is complementary, not crisis care.
What if I am afraid of needles?
Acupuncture needles are very fine, and many people find sessions calming or even drift toward sleep during treatment. If you prefer not to have acupuncture, tell your physician. Chinese herbal medication, or other indicated TCM modalities such as cupping or moxibustion, may be used instead when suitable.
Can I combine TCM with sleeping pills or psychiatric medication?
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are often used alongside prescribed sleep or psychiatric medicines. For herbs, leave about a two-hour gap from other medicines unless your physician advises otherwise, and check with your prescribing doctor first. We never advise stopping prescribed medication without that clinician’s supervision.
How do I book, and is there a trial price?
Use the online booking form, WhatsApp, or phone. Select Insomnia as the concern and Psychology (Allied Health) under services when you want the psych arm, and mention TCM × PSYCH Insomnia in the note. A first-timer trial bundle is available at $328 (value up to $400++, exclusive of GST): one TCM consultation with acupuncture or herbal prescription, one psychotherapy session, and AŌRA Joy or Calm, when you notify the clinic at registration; otherwise regular pricing applies. If acupuncture is chosen, extra herbs or modalities are charged separately. Subsequent sessions are charged à la carte; discounted credit packages are discussed in clinic. For programme questions, contact [email protected] or WhatsApp 9831 9912.
References
Sources & page citations
- Qaseem A, et al. Management of Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Adults: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2016;165(2):125–133. Recommends CBT-I as initial treatment for chronic insomnia in adults. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27136449
- Morgan K, Kucharczyk E, Gregory P. Insomnia: evidence-based approaches to assessment and management. Clinical Medicine. 2011;11(3):278–281. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4953326
- Cao H, Pan X, Li H, Liu J. Acupuncture for Treatment of Insomnia: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2009;15(11):1171–1186. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3156618
- Lan Y, et al. Auricular acupuncture with seed or pellet attachments for primary insomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2015;15:103. bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com
- Liu C, et al. Placebo effect of acupuncture on insomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Palliative Medicine. 2023;12(1). doi:10.21037/apm-22-807
- Wang Y, et al. Randomized controlled trial of acupuncture for anxiety and depression in patients with chronic insomnia. Annals of Palliative Medicine. 2022;11(12). doi:10.21037/apm-22-1073
- Yao Y, et al. Advancements in the physiopathological study of acupuncture treatment for insomnia: A review. Medicine. 2024;103(26). doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000038604
- Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board. Registration & practice standards for TCM physicians. Ministry of Health, Singapore. healthprofessionals.gov.sg/tcmpb
- Ministry of Health Singapore. TCM practitioners (Healthcare Professional Portal). hpp.moh.gov.sg/tcm-practitioners
Clinically reviewed
Reviewed by Dr Sim Beng Joo
Advisor (Science & Strategy) / Consultant Physician · TCMPB T1303003A
MOH-licensed TCM physician and biomedical scientist, with clinical work spanning gastrointestinal syndromes, pain management, and sleep, fatigue, or concentration patterns.
View full profileEducational information based on clinical experience and TCM principles. Not a substitute for personalised consultation. Speak with your healthcare provider before starting new treatments. This programme complements (and does not replace) psychiatry, prescribed sleep or mental-health medication, or urgent Western medical care. If you have persistent low mood, panic attacks, or thoughts of self-harm, seek appropriate mental-health support promptly.
Book
Begin your insomnia consultation
Having insomnia is tough. Tell us whether nights are hardest at sleep onset, through the night, or with daytime worry about sleep. We will help you book TCM, Allied Health psychotherapy, or both.