Self hypnosis is essentially entering a higher state of concentration. Simple self hypnosis entails naturally stimulating your mind into a higher level of focused concentration.
In this state, you can reign on bad habits, transform your thinking, and deliberately shape personality. Besides, simple self hypnosis techniques can help you destress and relax after a tiring day.
Self hypnosis holds some similarities with meditation, but it delivers better results. In fact, it’s so effective that it helps manage the following conditions:
● Depression
● Chronic pain
● Anxiety and stress issues
● Sleep disorders
● Self-esteem issues
● Weight problems
Here are the best self hypnosis techniques:
Preparing for Hypnosis
1. Don a Comfortable Outfit
It’s hard to slide into instant self hypnosis when you’re worried about a waistband that’s threatened to cut off your circulation. So use self hypnosis as an excuse to wear your comfy sweats. Avoid even the slightest distraction.
Make sure the temperature is temperate. Have a sweater or blanket at hand, just in case it gets chilly. Besides, the feeling of warmth is sometimes very comforting.
2. Get into a Quiet Space and Sit in a Comfy Couch, Chair, or Bed
Whereas some people like getting into a lying position, this may get you to doze off, unlike when you sit up. Whether you choose to lie or sit, don’t get into a posture that’ll get uncomfortable after a short time.
It’s up to you to decide the amount of time you dedicate to self hypnosis. Most people prefer 15 to 20 minutes. Remember also to designate some time to get in and slide out of the ‘trance.’
3. Articulate your Hypnosis Goals
Do you just want to relax? Is it about self-improvement? Is it about training your brain? If you’re striving to achieve a given goal like quitting smoking, weight loss, etc., come up with the necessary affirmations.
Self hypnosis can help you just to relax, but it can also help you to attain many life-enhancing goals. A lot of people use it to transform their thinking or increase their motivation. Here are examples of affirmations you can try:
If you’re aiming to kick a bad habit, be straight to the point. A useful affirmation will be in the lines of, “Cigarettes don’t appeal to me anymore; I will no longer smoke.”
If you’re striving to motivate yourself, you can go with something like, “I am in charge, and I am capable. I will succeed in whatever I have set to do.”
Entering Hypnosis
4. Get Rid of Anxiety, Stress, and Fear
Press your eyes closed and let go of any anxiety, stress, or fear that you might be feeling. At the start, you may find it hard to clear your mind. Thoughts may keep intruding. If that happens, don’t try to repress those thoughts forcefully. Instead, observe them detachedly, relax, and let them go.
Alternatively, zero in a spot on a wall and focus all your attention on that area. Keep your eyes on that given spot and then turn your attention to your eyelids. Repeatedly tell yourself that they’re increasingly getting heavier and heavier. Once you feel they can’t stay open anymore, close your eyes, and remain still.
5. Be Aware of the Tension Bubbling in your Body
Starting with your toes, visualize the tension slowly evaporating from your body. Imagining it, leaving each of your body parts – start with your toes and work your way up to your crown. Visualize each of your body parts gradually being lighter and tension-free.
The imagery of things that you find soothing or comforting (like the imagery of water gushing over your ankles and washing away all the tension) can be beneficial in defusing tension, too.
6. Take Deep and Slow Breaths
As your breath out, visualize a dark cloud of negativity and tension wafting away from you. As you breathe in, imagine fresh air returning in like a bright force packed with energy and life.
At this point, visualization is the most effective tool; use it as you see fit. You can start by imagining juice gushing from a cut lemon into your fingers. Then lick it off your fingers. How is that experience? How does it smell, taste, and feel? Then shift into more consequential visions. Imagine your bills being blown away by a breeze. Imagine running off that weight. Use all your senses and make your visualization as vivid as possible.
7. Relish your Relaxed State
Imagine you’re a top of a flight of ten steps, and everything below the fifth step is submerged in water. Vividly visualize this sight, from top to bottom. And then start descending the stairs, counting each step as you do down. Visualize each step. After each level, you’ll drift into a more and more relaxed state.
Once you descend past the fifth step, imagine feeling the revitalizing sensation of water levels gradually rising on your skin. Imagine that you’re getting into a sea of cleanliness and purity. At this point, your heart may start beating faster, and you may feel numb, but be aware of this and let go of all reservations and just slide into the water.
8. Relish the Floating Sensation
Once you’ve reached the floor of the water area, you’ll feel a stimulating floating sensation. You may even experience the feeling of drifting round and round. If you don’t feel the floating sensation, try again, this time slower with a stronger will to tap into this experience.
Once you reach this state, start addressing your issues and articulate what you want in life.
Visualize three boxes drifting underwater that you need to swim to and grab. Once you’ve gotten hold of the boxes, take one box at a time and imagine and articulate the experience you’ll have when you open the package. For instance, you can imagine that “Once the box is open, overwhelming radiant light will emanate from it, and it’ll stream into my body and become part of me. This light is the sense of confidence I’ve been striving for; now I have it, and I’ll never lose it because it’s now encoded in me.”
Avoid negative statements like, “I’ll no longer be irritable and angry.” Instead, declare. “I am now relaxed and calm.” Other examples of positive affirmations include, “I’m now positive and successful” “I’m now strong and trim.”
9. Continually Repeat the Positive Affirmations
Freely drift in the water and picture yourself opening more boxes, and retrieving the treasure in them – money, self-confidence, happiness – or simply relaxing. Find where the water is full of wildlife, hot, or cold; unleash your imagination.
10. Prepare to Exit the Hypnotic State
Now it’s time to ascend the stairs; with each step, feel the water level go lower and lower until you reach the threshold at the fifth step. Once you’re completely out of the water, you may feel heavier. Relax on that stair until that heavy feeling dissipates and repeat your affirmations as mentioned earlier.
Once you feel lighter, keep going up the staircase.
This water visualization may not be for you; it doesn’t always work. If you have a different scenario that works for you, use it; stick to self hypnosis techniques.
11. Open your Eyes
Once you step away from the staircase, open your eyes. You may enhance the experience by opening an imaginary door that’s leading into the world. Open it slowly and picture the light that streams in through the door, this will intuitively make you open your eyes.
Enhance Your Experience
12. Believe
For self hypnosis or your affirmations to manifest in real life, you have to mean what you say. You have to believe in your actions and yourself. And sometimes it takes time for it to be effective, if it isn’t effective during your first attempt, revisit the experience in a couple of days. Ultimately, you must be a believer.
13. Visualize Situations
Whatever it’s you’re striving for – be it positive thinking, confidence, or weight loss – visualize scenarios where you’ve already attained your goals. If you want to be slender, picture yourself comfortably donning your skinny jeans, look at the mirror, and admire your beautiful body.
14. Utilize Outside Tools
Some people prefer to self hypnotize with music playing in the background. If you’re one of them, you can get many self hypnosis songs online. If you prefer given scenes – like the sound of the waves or the rainforest, you can get that online, too.
If you find it hard to get out of a trance or to keep track of time, timers can be helpful. Just ensure the timer’s tone is soothing so that it doesn’t startle you out of your hypnotized state.
15. Use it to Better your Life
Settle on given goals that you would like to achieve and focus on them during self-hypnosis.
Hypnosis helps you deeply relax and meditate, but it’s even better because you can use it in your pursuit of a higher goal. Many people emerge out of self-hypnosis with a greater sense of purpose. So it pays to learn techniques of self hypnosis.
Self Hypnosis can Change your Life
Self hypnosis is an effective and safe way to use your subconscious mind to make positive changes in your life and pursue a higher purpose.
