After reading this, I realize I already do this to help myself fall asleep (and sometimes I can't come up with the scene myself so I listen to audio books and try to let my mind get lost in the story) This is how I dealt with my mother having cancer, I listened to Harry Potter audio books on loop. Perhaps I was distracting myself from my feelings, but I also found I had no respite from the feelings other than this, so it was useful. And I did go to therapy so it wasn't like I was completely shutting off feelings, just making a time and place for them. Oh and it saved my life when I had post-partum anxiety and paranoia, I couldn't sleep without thinking of a chainsaw murderer coming into my apartment. Thanks for writing this, it helped me stop judging myself for doing this. I often think I SHOULD be meditating and emptying my mind instead of this, and maybe one day I will, but for now this is getting me the sleep I need.