Self –Hypnosis …It’s an Inside Job! 

In this article we will discuss the benefits and techniques of self hypnosis. We teach a rapid form of self hypnosis to all our clients and students in our practice in New York City, because of the great benefits that self-hypnosis can bring.

Why learn self-hypnosis?

 

Earlier this year things were really piling up for me. I was still putting the finishing touches to my tax return, trying to find those last few pieces of financial information, there were several projects in my corporate consulting business that needed my attention, and of course the financial markets were in free fall. So when a colleague emailed me with some ridiculous demand on my time, I was ready to hit the roof. Fortunately, I am very familiar with self hypnosis, and was able to return to my peaceful calm core, and deal with my colleague patiently.

In these troubling times it is easy to feel overwhelmed when we need all the calm and concentration we can muster. Of course we learn meditation or other techniques to find a calm space inside, however for a more rapid solution, self hypnosis may be the answer.

Self hypnosis is a great tool for modern times. Not only does it allow us to instantly calm ourselves, it can help us to make better decisions, let go of troublesome issues from our pasts and improve our performance in any number of areas.

What Hypnosis Isn’t

Some people think that by going into hypnosis or trance we will somehow loose control of ourselves. Nothing could be further from the truth; going into trance allows us to tap into more of our resources, not less.

As for the belief that you may lose control, I am reminded of the story of the lady who went to a hypnosis stage show. She volunteered to be one of the audience members hypnotized on stage and proved her-self very adept. She carried out every outrageous suggestion that the hypnotist gave; she quacked like a duck, and walked like a chicken. However, when the hypnotist suggested that the stage was a disco and everyone should dance she stood perfectly calmly and perfectly still, not joining in. After the show, the hypnotist approached her privately and asked her why she had joined in with every activity except the dancing. She replied, “Well, you see, in my religion, we don’t dance”. The fact Is that you are fully in control during hypnosis, it is just that critical voice that often stops you from enjoying yourself that is silenced.

Getting started in Self-Hypnosis

What is the first step in self hypnosis? It’s experiencing a hypnotic trance. A hypnotic trance is really little more than a very deep and profound level of relaxation. It goes without saying that you should not experience trance while driving a car, operating machinery or being otherwise involved in something that requires you attention.

A good way to start is to sit in a comfortable chair. This can be an upright chair, and in fact if the chair is too comfortable (or if you lie down) you may fall asleep! You should select a time and place where you can take 20 minutes for the experience and will not be disturbed.

The following represents one way to begin to experience trance. Become familiar with the instructions so you can easily give them to yourself without having to read them!

Sit in the chair, loosen any clothing if you need to, to feel comfortable and pick a spot on the wall in front, and slightly above, you and stare at it.

Notice your breathing, breathe in, and relax out. With each breath out, feel a wave of relaxation wash over your body, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

As you begin to relax deeper, slowly repeat the following, three times:

I am going deeper into trance

Any sounds around me will take me even deeper

If anything around me requires my attention, I will instantly awake, refreshed and alert

As you relax even deeper, begin to feel your eyes getting heavy. As you continue to breath, close your eyes and open your eyes, keeping your gaze on that spot on the wall. When your eyes feel very heavy allow them to remain closed. Allow them to relax even more.

When your eyes feel so relaxed that you feel you could not open them if you tried, only then test them. Try to open them or notice if they just remain closed.

When your eyes remain closed you are in trance. Notice how good it feels, how relaxed

Congratulate yourself on having a great hypnotic skill.

Tell yourself that you can return to this state quickly and easily simply by squeezing your left thumb and forefinger together and breathing out slowly to a count of down from three 3-2-1. Repeat this instruction three times.

Tell yourself that you will become happier, healthier, more confident and more successful with each day that passes. Repeat this three times.

Tell yourself that as you count up from one to three you will emerge from trance awake, alert and feeling fantastic. 1-beginning to awaken-2-eyes opening-3-awake, alert-feeling fantastic!

Congratulations on taking your first steps into learning self-hypnosis.

We teach self hypnosis to our private clients and on our NLP training in New York City, and hypnosis courses in New York.

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© 2009 International Center for Positive Change and Hypnosis