Self-hypnosis is a safe, pleasant, non-toxic alternative to prescription drugs. Self-hypnosis allows you to rejuvenate your body and mind, leading to a greater sense of well-being.

Many people experience a trance-like state several times a day while reading, driving, daydreaming, dancing, watching television, listening to music, or exercising. We enter a heightened state of suggestibility right before we fall asleep and every morning before we are fully awake. These states of mind are usually unfocused, random, and somewhat meaningless. Self-hypnosis, on the other hand, is deliberate and purposeful. During self-hypnosis, the subconscious mind accepts suggestions that your conscious mind usually rejects.

The three essentials for learning self-hypnosis are:

1. A “normal” mind – free of physiological abnormalities, senility, alcohol or drugs.
2. A desire to learn.
3. A program of consistent practice.

Most people over the age of twelve (and some, younger) have the ability to hypnotize themselves. Anyone who is truly motivated, determined, committed, and ready to learn the skills required, will be successful. The reward for this dedication? A new life…a new you.

The evidence of a true and effective hypnotic trance is in the post-hypnotic suggestion. Most people do not feel they have been hypnotized. Relaxed, perhaps, but hypnotized, no. Is it a sign of weakness to allow yourself to become hypnotized? Quite the opposite is true. You are always the master of your thoughts and behavior. If you need proof of your hypnotic state, you will find it in the post-hypnotic suggestion.

For example,  while under hypnosis you give yourself the suggestion that chocolate will smell like cod liver oil, which you detest. Once you “awaken,” and the next time you open a candy bar and smell cod liver oil, you will know that you were hypnotized and the suggestion worked.

Most people, when hypnotized, do not believe they are hypnotized because they can hear the sounds around them. They feel relaxed, but deny they were hypnotized. For the record, hypnosis does not render you deaf. You WILL hear the sounds around you. You WILL smell the bread baking in the kitchen. Your mind WILL wander every so often (depending on the depth of your trance). But, during this relaxed state, your mind is “open” to suggestions.

The subconscious mind only hears and accepts positive statements. If you suggest to yourself that you will NOT smoke, the subconscious mind will only hear that you WILL smoke. It does not recognize the negative part of the sentence. So, instead of saying, “I will not smoke anymore,” you would say the following:

“I am more motivated and more determined than ever before to reject all that is unhealthy and harmful: bad habits, tension, stress, and the habit of smoking cigarettes. I now reject this habit of smoking cigarettes. I reject this habit freely and because I want to reject it. I am doing it for my health and well-being. I now choose to be a nonsmoker.  I can see myself as a nonsmoker because I AM a nonsmoker. I reject the habit of smoking. My mind rejects it. My body rejects it.”

Negative suggestions produce the following effects:

1. It creates a vacuum. It doesn’t tell you what to do instead.
2. It produces the wrong mental imagery. You think of the thing you want to change.
3. It poses a challenge. Your mind thinks, “I enjoy this habit, why does it have to be harmful?” Then, you rationalize reasons for maintaining the habit, such as, “If I quit smoking, I’ll gain weight.”

An easy way to start your journey is by using hypnosis CD’s or downloads. Once you become familiar with the process, you can create and record your own scripts.

Anyone who is motivated and ready to change,  has the ability to learn how to use self-hypnosis to:

• Lose weight
• Stop smoking
• Eliminate fears and anxiety
• Overcome panic attacks
• Conquer agoraphobia
  
• Relieve stress and tension
• Reduce or eliminate pain
• Eliminate insomnia
  
• Boost energy levels
• Increase focus and concentration
• Improve self-confidence
• Enhance sexual desire and pleasure
• Create a sense of relaxation and well-being

During self-hypnosis, your mind is more receptive to positive suggestions than it would be under “normal” conditions. By achieving a state of heightened focus and awareness, and suppressing the critical facility, suggestions can be passed directly to the subconscious mind.

All hypnosis is self-hypnosis because you never lose control or accept suggestions that are contrary to your belief system or values.

Where to go from here:

• “Self Hypnosis for a Better Life”
• “Self-Change Hypnosis”
• “The Everything Self-Hypnosis Book”
• American Counseling Association
• American Society of Clinical Hypnosis