 This R34 project will gather key pilot data to address these limitations. Specifically, this project will compare the currently recommended tapering pace 25 dose reduction every two weeks to a slower tapering pace 10 dose reduction every two weeks and a no tapering condition to determine the influence of tapering pace on outcomes. The study also will examine participants beliefs about their need for hypnotics, anxiety sensitivity, and hypnotic dose, half-life and time used as moderators of outcomes. The influence of hypnotic withdrawal symptoms and level of sleep disturbance during withdrawal will be tested as mediators of outcomes. Enrollees N75 will first complete CBT-I and then will be randomized to a tapering pace n25 per SMT pace. Target moderators and mediators will be examined to assess their influence on outcomes. Primary outcomes will include drop-out rates and hypnotic discontinuation rates observed for each SMT pace. Investigators will tally rates of those who achieve hypnotic dose reductions during SMT and those who return to hypnotic use by a 3-month follow-up as secondary endpoints. Results will inform a future R01-level clinical trial focusing on tapering pace, patient characteristics that moderate the effect of tapering pace, and psychophysiological processes that mediate the effect of tapering pace. This line of research will inform clinical practice by helping to refine guidelines for tapering pace so as to provide more successful, person-centered interventions 