There are oodles of different ways to 'do' self hypnosis.
Here is a simple and easy method that will get you going. I
t's not intended to be comprehensive or exhaustive, but enough to actually get you going, if you use it.
Part 1: Before you start
- Ensure you are in a safe place where you will not be disturbed.
- Only do this process when you are not doing anything that requires attention, for example, not when driving or (basically) doing anything else!
- Tell yourself that you are doing self hypnosis and have a positive expectation of the results. Encourage yourself, and know that self hypnosis is a learnable skill and you will get better at it each time you practise.
- Sit in a posture that is reasonably upright, you can support your back against a chair back; but don't adopt a sitting position that would be more suited to having a nap unless that is your aim.
Part 2: The self induction
- Keep your head level and without moving your head roll your eyes up so you are looking at a spot on the ceiling. Don't move your head, move your eyes.
- Keeping your eyes in that position notice how the whole area around your eyes feels, and imagine that you want to blink. Notice when you do blink and know the process is working.
- Become aware of how much more comfortable it would be to allow your eyes to close, but don't allow your eyes to close until you have clearly stated: 'my eyes only close when I am in hypnosis'.
- Keeping your head level and unmoving, keeping your eyes raised, noticing and becoming increasingly aware of how much nicer and more comfortable it would be to allow your eyes to finally close, there will be a moment when they just close naturally.
- As soon as your eyes close naturally all on their own, exhale comfortably and let a wave of relaxation descend through your body. Tell yourself, 'I am now in hypnosis'.
Part 3: Congratulations, you are now in self hypnosis and ready to give yourself wonderfully positive and progressive suggestions! I will write more about giving yourself suggestions in other posts. This is to give you the overall method. You can also use this process to practice, so called, 'neutral hypnosis', which is deep hypnotic relaxation. So, if you want to practice this process, take yourself through the induction and spend a few minutes relaxing in hypnosis being sure to maintain sufficient alertness to stay relaxed without nodding off to sleep (unless that is your aim).
Part 4: Emerging from hypnosis
When you have finished giving yourself positive suggestions,or whatever work you wanted to do...
- Appreciate the self training you have just done. Feel good about what you have been doing just as if you had been to the gym and were feeling pleased about completing a workout.
- Tell yourself that as a result of this self hypnosis you will be living in a more positive and purposeful manner.
- Take a moment to feel pleased with yourself for purposefully investing time in your own life direction.
- Tell and encourage yourself that as a result of this self hypnosis session you will be more purposeful in your life, and as a natural consequence of being more purposeful, you will be calmer and more mindful in your daily life. As you become more calm in your daily life you will notice that you are also sleeping better and of course, every time you practise self hypnosis you will become better at doing self hypnosis which means your whole life will become more purposeful and fulfilling.
- Tell yourself that in a moment you will count from one to five. As you count from one to five you will emerge from hypnosis and back to your normal waking state bringing with you all the positive benefits from your self hypnosis session.
- Tell yourself that as you count the number, five, your eyes will open and you will feel refreshed and alert and ready to continue with your day.
- Count from one to five and open your eyes. Take a moment to notice the difference.
Afterword
So, there you are, a simple process you can practise for relaxation as well as to give yourself positive suggestions and do positive visualisations and imagination experiments. I will write more about all of these as time goes by and link to this post, so it will be worth checking back from time to time.
Do practice and ask any questions in the comments section, I am happy to try and clarify !
If you know you are ready to work more deeply then contact me for a no obligation 'Hypnosis/Coaching - is it for me?' session.#