Catherine Paquet is a psychotherapist trained in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). She is also a hypnotherapist and meditation teacher, and she gives away a large library of relaxation and hypnosis sessions. Her two specialities are sleep and emotion management. Most of what she offers fits into a few clear places, and the order you approach them in matters.
Start with her book En finir avec le cauchemar des insomnies (Jouvence). It is the fullest statement of her method: a six-week CBT-I protocol (cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia), packaged with audio recordings and a sleep diary. Her free sessions are good, but they are individual tools. The book shows how the tools fit together, and it gives you structure, which is what most people who arrive with a sleep or stress problem lack.
Note that the title is in French. If you read French, begin here. If you don't, go to the sessions below first and treat the book as a later step.
Her free sleep sessions on YouTube or Spotify. Once you've read the book's opening chapters, these are the natural companion. She describes her relaxation work as a blend of hypnosis, sophrology and cognitive psychology techniques, so it differs from standard meditation tracks. Pick one session aimed at sleep and use it consistently for several nights instead of sampling widely.
Her emotion-management sessions. This is her other speciality. If your difficulty is rumination, tension or emotional overload rather than insomnia, you could reasonably start here instead. The same platforms host them.
Her sessions on pain, stress or weight loss. These are available if they match your situation, but they are secondary to her core work.
If you later want individual support, she offers CBT consultations by video call only, since she works internationally. She also leads wellness stays in Essaouira, Morocco, with personal development workshops. Treat both as later steps, not starting points.
Expect something practical and structured. She describes CBT as a dynamic therapy grounded in concrete work, and the book reflects that: a defined six-week programme, a diary you fill in, and exercises you do. The audio sessions are guided and meant for solo use.
I can't point you to specific session titles, so browse her YouTube channel or Spotify profile and choose by theme and length. Check the language of a session before you commit, as her material appears to be French-language.
"Hypnosis means she'll hypnotise me in therapy." She does not use hypnosis in her consultations. Hypnosis lives in the free recorded sessions; the consultations are CBT.
"The free sessions replace treatment." She states plainly that they complement medical or psychological care and do not replace it. If your insomnia is severe, or if you suspect an underlying medical or mental health condition, see a professional alongside using her material.
"It's just relaxation audio." The sessions are one part. The CBT-I protocol is the core of her sleep work, and it asks for effort over six weeks. Listening to an audio each night without the diary and structure is only partial use.
"I'll feel different after one night." A six-week protocol signals otherwise. Judge it over the programme's length, not a single session.
It tends to land hardest when sleep trouble has become chronic and you've started to dread bedtime itself, when stress has begun to spill into your nights, or when you want a self-directed alternative to waiting for an appointment. It also suits people who like concrete tasks, such as a diary and a schedule, more than open-ended reflection. If you prefer abstract or purely contemplative meditation, her style may feel too structured.
Day 1: Read the opening of the book and begin the sleep diary. Record honestly, without trying to change anything yet.
Day 2: Continue reading and keep the diary going. Choose one free sleep session from YouTube or Spotify and listen to it at bedtime.
Day 3: Repeat the same session. Familiarity is part of the point. Note in the diary how you felt afterward.
Day 4: Use the audio recordings that accompany the book if you have them, and compare them with the free session.
Day 5: Do one daytime emotion-management session, ideally during a stressful hour, not just at night.
Day 6: Reread your diary entries. Look for patterns in bedtime, waking and how you rated your evenings.
Day 7: Decide whether to commit to the full six weeks. If you do, set up the week-by-week schedule from the book. If your sleep is no better and you're worried, book a medical appointment rather than pushing on alone.