Self Hypnosis – Simple & Powerful Way to Visualize

A Guest Post By Jon Rhodes – Jon is a former professional musician & one of UK’s leading clinical hypnotherapists.  He combines his two passions of music & hypnotherapy to create a unique & powerful collection of therapeutic audio sessions and hypnosis videos.

Hypnotherapy is increasingly being regarded as a legitimate tool for therapeutic change.  In 2001, the Professional Affairs Board of the British Psychological Society concluded that “Enough studies have now accumulated to suggest that the inclusion of hypnotic procedures may be beneficial in the management and treatment of a wide range of conditions and problems encountered in the practice of medicine, psychiatry and psychotherapy.”

Hypnotherapy For Any Aspect of Our Lives
It can help with many issues such as stress, relaxation, anxiety, phobias, addictions, weight loss, and confidence.  It is a wonderful resource for relaxation.  Even when I am treating patients for issues such as smoking cessation, they often report what a wonderfully relaxing experience they had.

Is It Possible to Self Hypnotise?
Hypnosis can be expensive, and a good hypnotherapist can sometimes be difficult to find.  However this does not need to be a problem because it is entirely possible to hypnotise yourself.  You do not actually need a hypnotherapist.  A hypnotherapist does not actually hypnotise you anyway.  They guide you into a hypnotic trance, but with just a little practice you can guide yourself.

What is a Hypnotic Trance?
Before attempting self hypnosis, it may help to know what a hypnotic trance is.  The best way of describing it is like daydreaming.  When you daydream you are actually going into a hypnotic trance, which is a perfectly natural and normal state of mind that most of us slip into several times a day.  We slip into a trance when we are engrossed in a book or TV, where people try to talk to us, or significant things happen around us that we remain blissfully unaware of because we are so deeply absorbed.

Practice Makes Perfect
With practice your skills of going into trance should increase.  With a little patience and persistence you should soon be able to go into a hypnotic trance quickly and effortlessly.

Tips on How to Hypnotise Yourself
First it is important to make sure that you will not be disturbed for about an hour.  Turn off all phones, and tell family and friends not to bother you.  Find a comfortable place.  Subdue the lighting if this helps.  You can be seated, or led down, whichever you prefer.

6 Simple Steps to Self Hypnosis – do take your time!

1. Relax and close your eyes.
2. Take 5 slow deep breaths in through the nose, and out through the mouth. Say to yourself the word ‘Relax’ on each out breath.
3. Imagine yourself at the top of 10 steps with a door at the bottom.  Very slowly walk down, one step at a time, counting back from 10 to 1.  With every slow step you take down, feel yourself becoming deeper and deeper relaxed, until you finally reach the door.
4. When you reach the bottom, open the door to your ideal place of relaxation.  It could be a tropical beach, a garden, anywhere you want.  It could be somewhere real, or imagined – your own unique special relaxing haven.
5. Use as many of the senses as you can.  Take a good look around.  Pause and listen to any sounds.  Perhaps you can hear the call of a bird, or the breeze gently blowing.  Maybe you can smell the sweet scent of flowers, or the salt from the sea?  Touch objects and make the experience as real as you can.
6. Explore your relaxation haven, and enjoy it for as long as you wish.

This is a great technique to help relaxation, and your ability to relax will improve the more you do this.  Most of us do not relax anywhere near enough, and this can damage our health in many ways.

What if I Want Some Help With It?
If you are struggling with this technique, persevere.  Getting into a hypnotic state is a skill that will improve over time.  Don’t expect too much.  Hypnosis is not the ‘magical state’ that the media often portrays.  You will probably still be aware of what is going on around you, and may well think ‘is this it?’.  However you will notice the difference when you wake up.  If you are struggling with this technique then it may be worthwhile visiting a clinical hypnotherapist, or buying a recording at least once, in order to experience the feeling of a trance.  When you have experienced a trance a few times, you will be more informed as to what the state of mind is that you are seeking.

It Can Only Get Easier
With repeated use, you will find it becomes easier and easier to slip into a hypnotic trance, and your mind will become calmer and more ‘still’ than ever before.  You may wish to eventually experiment with certain types of therapy.  For example once you open the door, you may instead visualise yourself at your ideal weight, or being really confident in a job interview, or even winning a sporting event.  Whatever you visualise vividly and repeatedly, your mind will strive to make it happen.  Great improvements can be made in this simple way.

There are many other ways to do self hypnosis, but this is one of the easiest and most powerful methods.  Have fun relaxing, growing and learning with this technique!