Self-Hypnosis FAQ
WHAT IS SELF-HYPNOSIS?
With self-hypnosis, you become your own therapist. You give yourself suggestions and appeal to your own imagination. Self-hypnosis teaches you how to concentrate. You learn how to control your thoughts and your imagination. These factors strengthen your willpower.
HOW DO I HYPNOTIZE MYSELF?
In one of three ways: You can give yourself suggestions by memorizing or familiarizing yourself with hypnotic scripts and repeat the words in your head. You can record the scripts into a tape recorder and listen to your own voice. You, literally, become your own therapist. While this is a good method to use for a short time, it is better for you to learn the scripts so you can hypnotize yourself whenever it is warranted. A third way is for you to listen to a CD or MP3 download on self-hypnosis. This short-cut will certainly expedite the process for you.
SHOULD MY VOICE SOUND A CERTAIN WAY?
When you speak into a microphone, read the script clearly, slowly, and in a monotone voice. You should read no faster than 130 words per minute, and take frequent pauses. If you are going to think the suggestions to yourself, all you have to do is think the words in the script. Take your time so your nervous system can react to your suggestions.
IF ALL HYPNOSIS IS SELF-HYPNOSIS, THEN CAN’T I CHANGE IF I REALLY WANT TO ANYWAY?
Of course you can. But then, why haven’t you? If you’re seeking a method other than self-control, you’ve answered your own question. Hypnosis is a unique state of mind. To reach this Alpha level, one must be induced, be it by yourself or by a therapist. The induction is very specific in that it systematically relaxes your entire body and allows your subconscious mind to listen openly to suggestions. Most people resist change, even when they claim to really want it. Research shows the hypnotically induced brain is physiologically different from the ordinary brain. There are no barriers to learning when a person is in the hypnotic state.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M HYPNOTIZED? IS THERE A SPECIAL FEELING I SHOULD BE SEEKING?
There is no such thing as a “single” hypnotic feeling. However, you should feel extremely relaxed and at peace with yourself and the world. The experience is different for everyone. Some people feel like a “lead weight,” while others feel like they’re “floating away.” Some people report a whirling feeling or that parts of their body feel distorted. As with most things, the “feeling” is purely subjective and varies from person to person.
IS IT REALLY POSSIBLE FOR ME TO CHANGE A LIFETIME OF BAD HABITS AND NEGATIVE THINKING?
Most definitely! Human beings are constantly changing and learning. Wouldn’t it be horrible if we stayed exactly the same throughout our lives? Life should be a dynamic, not static, experience. When it comes to our own bad habits, fears, anxieties, and feelings of guilt and shame, we cannot snap our fingers and expect instant change. It might take a psychologist or psychiatrist years to uncover the source of your problems. But with hypnosis, your subconscious mind listens non-judgmentally to the suggestions presented. It is a powerful way to re-learn how to think, react, and/or feel about something. Before learning self-hypnosis, you must set clear and realistic goals for yourself. You might begin by asking yourself these questions:
- What specifically do I want to change?
- How do I want to live the rest of my life?
- What bad habits do I want to eliminate?
- What negative behaviors do I want to reverse?
- What goals do I hope to attain?
- Which traumatic incidents do I want to overcome?
- What can I do to make my life better, happier, and more fulfilled?
ISN’T SELF-HYPNOSIS JUST FOR LOSERS OR HEAD CASES?
Not at all. Most people who use self-hypnosis are extremely bright, successful, and intelligent. High-powered business executives, successful athletes, actors, physicians, and attorneys are but a small cross-section of the types of people who use self-hypnosis. Many of them attribute their success to the skillful way they use self-hypnosis. We all want to be on top of our game. We all want to live healthy, productive lives. We all want to look and feel good. Through self-hypnosis, we can bring out the best in ourselves.
WHAT IS A SELF-HYPNOSIS SCRIPT?
This is a written narrative that is spoken in order to induce hypnosis. When hypnotizing yourself, you can either speak the words into a tape recorder or mentally “speak” them. The script usually starts with a full body progressive relaxation technique, meant to calm your conscious mind and bring forth your subconscious mind.
The script then proceeds to address your particular objective or problem. It describes, in positive terms, the way to solve your problem or attain your goal. This may be accomplished through descriptive imagery, story-telling, or direct suggestion. It usually concludes with a post-hypnotic suggestion which helps to reinforce the suggestion. For example, if you want to lose weight and are addicted to chocolate, the post-hypnotic suggestion might be that the sight or thought of chocolate makes you nauseous.
WHAT IS THE VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUE?
It is very important to use visualization when you hypnotize yourself. As a rule, people who are visually-oriented, are better subjects than those who are not. But, everyone can and should practice this technique. In fact, the more adept you are at visualization, the less reliant you will be on an actual script. You simply imagine yourself feeling the way you want to feel and doing what you want to do. Imagine you are free of a certain habit or behavior. In other words, see yourself in the END result. For example, if you want to stop smoking, create a vivid image in your mind of you feeling strong and healthy, with clean breath, renewed energy, and total freedom from the addiction of cigarettes. Always state the suggestion in positive terms. Instead of saying, “I will not smoke,” say, “I am a non-smoker.” The subconscious mind does not recognize “not” words, so when you say “not,” the mind hears, “I will smoke.” Do not use any “not,” “will not,” or “cannot” statements.
WHAT CAN SELF-HYPNOSIS DO FOR ME?
The possibilities are limitless. Of course, you must be realistic. If you’re a “C” student in math, self-hypnosis will not turn you into an “A” student overnight. But what it can do is help you improve your study skills, and sharpen your levels of concentration and focus. It can help you unleash your learning potential. And, it can dissolve any fears you might have regarding math. Self-hypnosis will not turn an elderly person young, nor will it enable a person with rheumatoid arthritis to become an Olympic runner. But it will help an elderly person strengthen her memory skills, and will help the person with arthritis manage her pain.
DOES SELF-HYPNOSIS ALWAYS WORK?
Just as with any type of therapy or medical procedure, there are no guarantees. There are numerous variables to consider:
- Does the person truly want to change?
- Does the person have a clear goal or objective?
- Is the person willing to take the time required to learn and practice this skill?
- Does the person fully understand the technique?
The desired result is ultimately up to the person. Self-hypnosis is not a magic wand that instantly transforms a person with a lifetime of bad habits or negative thinking into a perfect person. A person must be highly motivated to change, not because someone told her she HAD to change or else, but because she can no longer go on living in denial. If a person is willing to alter her behavior, attitude, and patterns of thought, then she is very likely to succeed. The more one practices self-hypnosis, the easier it becomes to use again and again, in a multitude of situations.
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