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Using the power of hypnosis we as hypnotists can create wonderful and dramatic changes in people. We can easily deal with lifelong problems and help them unlock their true and incredible potential in all areas of life. As hypnosis is such a powerful force for good, it only makes sense to learn how to use this power on yourself! Everything that can be done with normal, hetero hypnosis can be done with self hypnosis. With self hypnosis you can give yourself unlimited confidence, deal with your problems easily, become a better hypnotist, increase your success in school and sports and just generally make your life immeasurably better.

Self hypnosis is, surprisingly enough, the process of hypnotizing yourself.
Now of course some argue that self hypnosis does not exist, and that what happens when people perform self hypnosis is actually ‘self suggestion.’ This is all semantics really, as whether you call it hypnosis, suggestion or a cardboard box is irrelevant, regardless of its name it is highly effective, and something every hypnotist should know how to use and utilize.

Before i teach you how to actually do self hypnosis (which i will next paragraph, and its surprisingly easy!) i first want to clear a few things up. First of all self hypnosis involves you and only you, when you listen to a ‘self hypnosis’ CD or MP3 you are being hypnotized by someone else. As they, not you, are doing the hypnotizing it is not really self hypnosis. Some people also argue that all hypnosis is self hypnosis, of course if this really were true you wouldn’t need hypnotists, would you? Have a listen to some of my hypnosis interviews for interesting perspectives on this idea, this post deals in pure self hypnosis, and is for those who want to learn how to hypnotically program their own minds for success, happiness and anything else you want.

The way many people teach self hypnosis is with a very dogmatic and controlled methodology, strictly step by step and no deviating from the instructions. I personally favour a more relaxed and free style approach to self hypnosis. Seeing as it is your mind i cannot say what will work best for you, so i suggest you try out the methods and approaches that you will learn here and vary them so that they suit you.

The typical self hypnosis process is very similar to the typical hetero-hypnosis process; Induction, Deepening, Suggestion, Awakening.
Like with regular hypnosis, when you gain more experience and confidence with self hypnosis you’ll be operating so smoothly you will not know where the induction stops and the suggestions begin, or whether there ever was an induction, you will just do it and it will work spectacularly.

To put yourself in a state of mind where you are more open and receptive to your ideas, goals and suggestions is very simple, and gets much easier with time.
There is an unlimited number of ways of hypnotizing yourself, just as there are an unlimited number of ways of hypnotizing other people. With the right intention ANYTHING can be a self hypnotic induction, and if there is anything that you know of that relaxes you and trances you out, why not use that!
To get you started here is a very simple method which i used to use all the time.

First make sure you are sitting in fairly comfortable place without too many distractions. Then close your eyes and begin to breath deeper, focus on your breathing in and out, and just begin to feel calm and peaceful. You may want to picture a calming place or imagine yourself somewhere that makes you feel really relaxed and really comfortable. Really enjoy these moments of peace, this break from the world, and when you find yourself feeling comfortable and relaxed, just allow the thoughts and ideas to flow, when you get a thought run with it, let your mind take you where it will, and really enjoy the process.

Once you are in that state it is time to begin the hypnotic work. Here you can give yourself suggestions in any way that you choose; you can visualize yourself living your perfect life, accomplishing your dreams and being successful in whatever ambitions that you have. You can use this state for mental rehearsal, rehearsing important challenges and events in the near future. You can use it to set your unconscious mind tasks and use something like ideomotive movement (automatic movement) such as arm levitation or lowering or finger signals as an indicator.
For example, for study improvement or enhanced learning, you could, whilst in this relaxed and internally focused state of mind, raise your arm to shoulder height and say to yourself “now my arm is going to lower down towards my lap, slowly and unconsciously, only at the rate and speed which my unconscious mind can process and integrate all the learnings that i have acquired today, all the information i have received, and prepare it for easy and instantaneous recall whenever i need it in the future” I am sure you can begin to see how useful this process could become, and how you can use it the make the changes you want.

Although personally i do not favour using very plain and direct affirmation style suggestions (“i am becoming…”) some people find these very effective, so you should feel free to use these too if you like.
Make sure you repeat each process enough so that the message really sinks in, and that every suggestion, visualization and process that you undergo is powerfully emotionally charged, this will make your suggestions so much more powerful, as the more happy it makes you feel the more determined your unconscious mind will be to make your goal a reality.
Ensure that whilst in the ‘trance’ state everything that you do, every suggestion that you give and every change process you do makes you feel good, when you open your eyes afterwards you should be feeling wonderful, absolutely on top of the world with a real sense of achievement, pride and satisfaction.

As for emerging, some people like to count themselves out, (at the count of three i will be fully alert and fully aware, feeling wonderful and fantastic, 1 2 3) whereas others use other visualization processes (walking through a tunnel etc) or link emerging to an ideomotor movement (when my hand comes to rest on my lap my eyes will open and i will emerge feeling wonderful) whereas i just find myself opening my eyes and reorienting myself to the here and now when the time is right, experiment and find what works best for you.

Self hypnosis is a wonderful tool for change, therapy, personal growth and, dare i say it, ‘self improvement.’ Once you become skilled at using your hypnotic skills on yourself you’ll not only find your skill and understanding as a hypnotist develop, but you’ll also find that you become so much happier and more successful in all areas of life now that you can communicate easily with your unconscious mind. Enjoy experimenting with self hypnosis, do what works best for you and use this in the areas of your life that you most need it.
I’ll see you over at the yahoo group.

Nathan Thomas

• Posted on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
• 2 comments