Self-Hypnosis

Meditation, hypnosis, and self-hypnosis all trigger a response in the nervous system that gets us into an altered state of consciousness. In this state, the subconscious mind comes to the fore and the conscious mind takes a back seat.

Some say that our subconscious mind knows everything, remembers everything, and can recall everything that has ever happened to us. The subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between imagination and reality, and it is very receptive and responsive to suggestion.

Self-hypnosis and meditation are similar in that they do not require a facilitator or an outside second party to conduct the session. The direction for getting into the altered state and the suggestions made during the session are all done by the individual.

There are many ways we can self-hypnotize and many things that we can do when in this altered state. Usually, people want to improve some aspect of their life, e.g. they may wish to loose weight, improve performance in some area, extinguish a habit, overcome a fear, etc. Affirmations and visualization are two techniques that are frequently employed.

Using the example of wanting to lose weight, here is one way that a self-hypnosis session may be conducted:

• Find a quiet place where you will not be interrupted for the next half hour or so. Unplug telephones and get the cooperation of others who may be in the house/apartment.
• Sit in a comfortable chair, feet on the ground with no crossing of the arms, legs or feet. The lotus position is also recommended, if you can do it without crippling yourself.
• Assume a passive attitude, i.e. relax and let go of as much thought as you can.
• Take three to five deep breaths, starting with an exhalation. Feel yourself relax with each exhalation, imagining all stress, tension, and anxiety leaving your body. On each inhalation, imagine cleansing, energizing, healing oxygen filling you lungs and travelling throughout your body.
• Imagine standing at the top of a five-step staircase. Count yourself down from five to one and see yourself descending each step at each count, and feel yourself relaxing more with each step. Take your time and do this slowly.
• When you get to the bottom of the stairs, feel how deeply relaxed you are.
• Imagine yourself now standing in a short corridor with a set of double doors at the end. See yourself walking along this corridor and opening the doors.
• You step through the doors and find yourself in a very comfortable classroom. It is well appointed with impressive mouldings, soft colours, a few black or white boards, a large projection screen, and a number of desks and chairs.
• You select one of the chairs, sit in it, and find that it has been ergonomically designed for you. It is fully adjustable and it supports your body perfectly. You make a few small adjustments and you become perfectly comfortable, and you feel additional relaxation moving slowly down your body from head to toe. You find yourself totally relaxed, more than you have been in a long, long time.
• Sitting in this chair, you can easily see the screen.
• You now say to yourself slowly: "Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better."
• As you say this, imagine or see yourself on the screen getting slimmer and slimmer just the way you want to be. See yourself in various clothes that show off your slimmer figure, see yourself enjoying movements or sports that allow you to enjoy the slimmer body. Make a little movie of you enjoying the new, slimmer body, in as many ways as you can. The subconscious mind cannot distinguish imagination from reality and really embraces visuals. You see this in sports psychology all the time.
• Take your time, enjoy this relaxing chair, and say this affirmation ten times, while watching the movie of yourself with the new, slimmer body.
• When done, take your time, get up and walk out of the room, close the door behind you, walk along the corridor and count from one to five as you climb each step. As you count yourself up, think that you are emerging from this relaxed state and are returning to your normal waking state. With each step, you are feeling energized, relaxed, calm, clear in the head, and at five, you will be fully emerged from this self-induced state of deep relaxation.