The Art of Self Hypnosis
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
The Art of Self-Hypnosis
By Luke Chao
Self-hypnosis is an excellent skill for helping you overcome a variety of personal challenges, yet it can be difficult to master, as it requires you to be both the “leader” and the “follower.” Under the guidance of a qualified hypnotherapist, you will be able to perfect this valuable technique and help yourself overcome any obstacle you encounter.
Self-hypnosis can help you quiet the “mental chatter” that runs through your life during the day and open your mind to new possibilities. This can help you work through your own personal problems, fears, overwhelming emotions, anxieties, and addictions. When perfected, self-hypnosis allows you to become clearly aware of all the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that prevent you from achieving your goals or evolving into your ideal self. Additionally, you can use self-hypnosis to suggest new thoughts and behaviours to yourself.
When practicing self-hypnosis, ensure you have a quiet, comfortable space where you can set aside 15 to 30 minutes and not be disturbed. It’s essential that you feel relaxed and comfortable, so we don’t recommend that you squeeze in a quick session if you’re feeling pressured by the commitments of the day. Give yourself enough time to transition in and out of hypnosis without feeling rushed.
Before beginning your self-hypnosis session, prepare the suggestions you want to give yourself. A few key points to remember are:
1. Keep it positive (avoid the words not, don’t, won’t, etc.).
2. Keep it simple.
3. Keep it concise.
Examples: “I am excited to go to the gym after work every day,” “I feel at ease in group situations,” “I am smoke-free and breathe healthy, clean air.”
After you’ve prepared your suggestion, make yourself comfortable in a seated position (if you lay down, you might end up taking a nap). Begin to breathe slowly and naturally, allowing all the muscles in your body to relax. Give yourself a few minutes to consciously relax all the muscles in your body and establish a smooth, relaxed breathing pattern. Begin to clear your mind: It’s easier to release intrusive thoughts by focusing on something else, such as your breathing, than by trying to block out those thoughts.
Begin slowly counting down from 25. With each number that passes through your mind, allow yourself to become more and more relaxed. Relaxation helps you to go deeper into a comfortable hypnotic state. When you feel deeply relaxed and the chatter in your mind has ceased or has become irrelevant, you can give yourself your prepared suggestion. The suggestion you have written for yourself can now be delivered repeatedly, at a steady, comfortable pace. Continue this for 5 to 15 minutes.
When you are ready to end your self-hypnosis session, begin counting up from 1 to 10, allowing your mind to become more alert and present with every number. When you reach 10, tell yourself “Awake, Alert, and Ready.” Give yourself a moment to collect yourself and then allow yourself to ease back into the day feeling refreshed, accomplished, and more self-aware.
The first few times you experience self-hypnosis, or even hypnosis in general, you might be wondering “Am I in hypnosis?”, “Is this really working?”, and so on. These concerns are normal and are experienced by most people new to hypnosis. After some practice, you will be able to become aware of the subtle shifts in your mind and body, and you will enter hypnosis in less time, with less resistance.
That is the outline of a simple self-hypnosis session suitable for someone new to hypnosis. While it’s a useful approach and can produce great results, there are many more powerful self-hypnosis techniques that you can learn.
Luke Chao is the founder of The Morpheus Clinic for Hypnosis, a leading hypnosis firm providing hypnosis training and hypnotherapy in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. http://www.morpheusclinic.com
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