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A “How-to” Guide for Self Hypnosis©
December 19 , 2004 by George GillasSTEP 1. SET THE ENVIRONMENT
Select a location where you are sure you won’t be distracted by phone calls or interruptions. Turn the lights down. Soft music (without lyrics) may also help you to enter a state of hypnosis easily.
Find a comfortable chair or couch and have your feet raised and supported. Loosen any tight clothing. If you are using recorded suggestions, have the tape player or remote at hand.
STEP 2. PHYSICAL RELAXATION
1. Take three deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth (slowly.) Notice your body relaxing on each exhalation.
2. Allow your eyes to comfortably close on or before your third deep breath.
3. Starting with your head and going down to your toes, relax the muscles in your body. Notice how your face and eyes relax each time you easily breathe out. Then notice the muscles around your jaw and neck relaxing… then your upper back and shoulders, and your arms becoming loose and limp… Follow this pattern all the way down to your toes.
4. Remind yourself that relaxation is a state of mind. Relaxing means letting go of tension and worry. Remember, this is time you planned for yourself. It is time you set aside every day to help yourself. So allow yourself the gift of relaxing your body now.
5. Decide on a word or phrase that best helps you relax. Examples could be: “let go”, “relax”, “deeper relaxed”, “calm now”, “slow down”, etc. Choose a word or phrase that works for you and repeat it as you relax all the muscles in your body.
STEP 3. MENTAL RELAXATION
Two simple and effective methods of obtaining mental relaxation after you are physically relaxed are:
1. Imagine standing in front of a blackboard with a piece of chalk in one hand and an eraser in the other. Slowly and deliberately write a large “A” on the board. Then erase it. Write “B” on the board and erase it. Tell yourself you are going deeper into relaxation with each letter and imagine the letters fading away after you get to D, E or F. Remind yourself you are going into a state of complete relaxation, not sleep. And you will be mentally aware to give yourself suggestions now.
Or
2. Slowly count backward starting with 100. After each number tell yourself you are going deeper into relaxation and imagine the numbers fading away after you get to 96, 95 or 94. Remind yourself you are going into a state of complete relaxation, not sleep. And you will be mentally aware to give yourself suggestions now.
STEP 4. SUGGESTIONS
Remember that your unconscious mind likes simplicity and takes everything literally. Your suggestions need to be worded in the following way:
· Positive and moving you toward what you want
· Present tense – state as if it exists now
· Realistic and specific. Your unconscious wants detailed instructions
· Avoid negations. Example: Use, “I am a nonsmoker” instead of, “I do not smoke.” Use, “I eat only healthy foods in healthy quantities” instead of, “I do not over eat.”
· Work on one major issue at a time
Write your suggestions down:
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
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STEP 5. REINFORCEMENT
Remind yourself these suggestions will get stronger each time you do a self-hypnosis session.
Imagine yourself going out into the future having made these changes now – and looking back at yourself from the future, imagine how you will feel having made these changes. You like the way you look now, don’t you? Notice all the things that have happened as a result of your changes as you allow yourself to come back to now.
STEP 6. AWAKENING
Suggest to yourself as you count from 1 to 5 you will become more and more awake. When you reach “five,” you will open your eyes and be fully refreshed and alert. You are ready for Step 7.
STEP 7. TAKE ACTION
Each day notice how you can respond differently as a result of the changes you are making now. Take action in the direction of the new you.
Option: You may want to experiment with tape recording these steps in your own voice until you gain enough experience so the process is automatic. If you choose to do this, speak slowly and clearly with each step. There is no rush. The entire process should be anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.
Later, after you have mastered the induction and deepening steps, you may want to record only your suggestions. Eventually you will need no recording at all.
Daily repetition is the key to success.
Optional Techniques
RAPID RELAXATION
As you practice the progressive relaxation above you will notice yourself going more deeply into trance more quickly each time. When you are good at it you can do a rapid induction. Follow these steps:
1. Close your eyes
2. Take three deep breaths and with each breath out repeat the word or phrase you used earlier. Suggest to yourself that you are going to your deepest state of relaxation easily and effortlessly with each breath out.
3. As an option you can then go to the “Blackboard” or “100 count” to deepen your trance.
OUTCOME VISUALIZATION
After you have deepened your trance, imagine the outcomes you want from the changes you are making. Make the picture as vivid as possible. Be sure to include all the senses: look through your own eyes, hear what you will hear, feel what you will feel, smell and taste as appropriate. Once you have created the perfect picture, imagine yourself at some point in the future having made all these changes.
Step out of the picture now and see yourself in it. Feel all the feelings of attaining your goals. Leave your “picture” in the future as you come back to “now.” Suggest to your unconscious mind to remember how good it feels out there having made these changes now.
George Gillas provides public and corporate workshops and seminars across the Valley while maintaining an active private hypnotherapy and NLP practice in Scottsdale. He also teaches business, public speaking, and hypnotherapy classes at SWIHA.
Janus Therapies - www.janustherapies.com
3080 N. Civic Center Plaza, Suite 3
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
602.527.0142
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