A few
weeks ago, I was feeling particularly overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. It seemed like anything that could go wrong,
did go wrong. I felt like I was spinning
out of control.
I happened to be writing a book on yoga
and meditation at the time and came across a website that offered a
downloadable mp3 hypnotic relaxation session.
It cost me about $20 and it was the best $20 I have ever spent!
There are plenty of places on the
internet where you can get these downloadable sessions for a small fee. However, you can also practice self-hypnosis
on your own.
You first need to find a quiet place
where you can fully relax and listen to your inner voice. You shouldn’t TRY to make something
happen. Let your mind listen and
relax. A large part of achieving that
hypnotic state is to allow it to happen naturally.
Also, don’t watch for certain signs or
signals that you might be in a hypnotic state.
We can guarantee that if you look for these signs, you won’t be able to
fully relax and gain the benefits of self-hypnosis.
There are lots of different ways to
experience hypnosis. No two people will have exactly the same experience. In
one respect, though, everyone has the same experience: the hypnotic state is always pleasant! There are no
"bad trips" in hypnosis. Keep
in mind that self-hypnosis is a skill, and that you will continue to get better
at it and, as you do, it becomes ever more powerful.
It's a good idea to set up a schedule of
practice, allowing yourself anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes, depending on
how busy you are and how much time you have to spend at it. Practice during the best part of your day if
you can and at a time when you are least likely to be disturbed by others.
Most people find it best to practice lying
down, in a comfortable position, with as few distractions as possible. If you
are bothered by noise while you practice you can try to mask out the noise with
some other source of sound.
You can try stereo music in the background,
or white noise if you like. If like most people you don't have a white noise
generator, try tuning a radio receiver between stations. The static you get
when you do that is similar to white noise. However this takes an older or
cheaper FM receiver without a noise suppressor. Sometimes AM tuners can be used
for this. This should just be in the
background and not too loud to be distracting.
The basic divisions
of a hypnotic induction are relaxation, deepening, suggestion
application, and termination.
1. Relaxation:
Your first job in
the hypnotic induction is to slow the juices down and get yourself relaxed. But
don't try to force your mind to relax (whatever that means)! If you get
yourself physically relaxed, your mind will follow.
Relaxation – really
deep relaxation – is an ability that
most people have either lost or never developed. Some people can do it quite
easily, though. They just let go of their tensions and let every part of their
body become limp and relaxed. If you are one of these people, begin your
self-hypnosis practice by getting nicely relaxed. Take your time. This is not
something you want to rush.
The time involved
for the relaxation phase of your self-hypnosis induction can vary from half an
hour to just a few seconds. It is an
important part of the induction and should not be slighted. As you get better
and your skill increases you will recognize deeply relaxed states, and you will
be able to achieve them in a surprisingly short time. But as a beginner, take
your time. It will be time well spent.
A very popular
method of deep relaxation is the Jacobson Progressive Relaxation procedure.
This involves tensing each of the major muscle groups of your body (foot and
lower leg on each side, upper leg and hip, abdomen, etc.). Tense the muscle
group for a few seconds, then let go.
2. Deepening
Procedures
Once you have
completed the relaxation phase of your self-hypnosis induction procedure, you
can begin to deepen the relaxed state. At some time between the deep relaxation
and the deepening procedures you will move into a hypnotic state. You probably
won't know it, especially as a beginner, but it will happen sooner or later.
One of the first
hurdles a beginner must get over is the compulsion to "watch for it."
That is, you will keep waiting for hypnosis to happen, for some change in your
awareness or the way you feel that will say to you, "You're
hypnotized."
Watching for
hypnosis will definitely get in your way if you don't get it out of your mind.
Going into a hypnotic state is, in this respect, similar to going to sleep. If
you try to catch yourself going to sleep – if you try to be aware of the
precise instant in which you actually go to sleep – you are much less likely to
go to sleep. "Watching" keeps you awake.
In this same way you will not know
when you go into a hypnotic state (but that won't be because you
lost consciousness – you won't). Later, after you have been practicing
regularly for a few weeks or a month or two, you'll be much more familiar with
yourself and how it feels to be hypnotized.
Does it take everyone weeks or even
months to get into a good hypnotic state?
Definitely not. Some people have an amazing experience the very first
time they try it. Others might practice for several days, noticing nothing,
then out of the blue they have one of those
great induction sessions in which they know something stupendously good
happened. But if you happen not to be one of these people, don't worry about
it. Just keep practicing and you will eventually get there.
One of the most
popular deepening procedures is the count-down technique. Hollywood
To use the
count-down technique you simply start counting downward from, say, 20 (or 100,
or whatever). Adjust the countdown number to whatever feels right to you after
you have practiced a few times. Imagine that you are drifting deeper with each
count. Other images and thoughts will probably intrude themselves as you count.
That is natural. Just gently brush them aside, continuing with your counting.
The speed with
which you count down should be natural; not too fast, not too slow. For most
people this means counting at a rate of about one count for each two or three
seconds. Do it at a rate that feels comfortable and relaxed to you. Some people
like to tie the count with their breathing. As they drift deeper their
breathing slows down, so their counting also slows down.
Don't count out loud, just think your way down the count. You want to avoid as much
physical involvement and movement as possible.
3. Suggestion
Application in self-hypnosis
Once you have
reached the end of your deepening procedure you are ready to apply suggestions.
What you have done during the relaxation and deepening procedures is increase
your suggestibility. That is, you have opened up your subconscious mind at
least a little bit to receive your suggestions. This works because of the
particular, and peculiar, characteristics of the subconscious part of your
mind.
The most common and
easiest way to apply suggestions is to have them worked out ahead of time,
properly prepared and worded, and memorized. It should not be too difficult to
remember them because they should be rather short and you are the one who
composed them. If you have them ready and remembered, you can simply think your
way through them at this point.
Dialogue, or more
properly monologue, is also okay. You just talk ("think" to keep your
effort to a minimum) to yourself about what it is you want to do, be, become,
whatever.
Don't say
"you." You are thinking to yourself, so use the first person personal
pronoun "I." Some suggestions can be succinctly stated in a somewhat
more formal sort of way, like, "I am eating less and becoming more slender
every day."
Elaborated suggestions are generally
wordier and more of an ad lib: "Food is becoming less important to me
every day and I am filling my time with more important and meaningful pursuits
than eating. It is getting easier and easier to pass up desserts and other
fattening foods . . ." and so on.
Generally speaking,
the most effective kind of suggestion is image suggestion.
Image suggestions usually do not use language at all. You can liken this to seeing yourself in a
calm, relaxed state while in the middle of a chaotic situation. Actually see yourself in your mind’s eye.
Although people sometimes see
immediate results from their suggestions, it is more likely to take a little
time for them to kick in. So don't be impatient. On the other hand, if you have
not begun to see some results within, say, a couple of weeks, you need to
change your suggestions.
4. Termination
Once you have
finished applying suggestions you are through with your induction and you can
terminate your session. You could just open your eyes, get up and go about your
business, but that is not a good idea.
You should formally
identify the end of every session. By doing this you provide a clear boundary
between the hypnotic state and your ordinary conscious awareness. A clear
termination also prevents your self-hypnosis practice session from turning into
a nap. If you want to take a nap, take a nap. But don't do it in a way that
sleeping becomes associated with self-hypnosis practice.
If you are
practicing at bedtime and don't care if you go on to sleep, that is okay. But
still draw the line in your mind to indicate the end of your self-hypnosis
session.
To terminate the session, think to
yourself that you are going to be fully awake and alert after you count up to,
say, three.
"One, I'm beginning to come out
of it, moving toward a waking state. Two, I'm becoming more alert, getting
ready to wake up. Three, I'm completely awake." Something like that.
Self-hypnosis can work wonders when
it is practiced on a regular basis.
You’d be amazingly surprised at the level of relaxation you can get
to. It’s one of the best things I ever
did for myself!
Now we should move on to stress
management techniques in general. This
could be a long chapter, but a very, very helpful one!
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