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." In other words hypnotherapy has been proven in many studies to help with many mental and physical problems.
Hypnotherapy can help with almost any aspect of our lives. It can help with issues such as stress, relaxation, anxiety, phobias, addictions, weight loss, and confidence issues. It is a wonderful resource for relaxation. Even when I am treating patient s for issues such as smoking cessation, they often report what a wonderfully relaxing experience they had.
Hypnosis can be expensive, and a good hypnotherapist can sometimes be difficult to find for people in some areas. There are many professional and well trained hypnotherapists around, but unfortunately there are also a few charlatans that are inadequately trained. If you want to relax, then why should you stress yourself out trying to find a competent hypnotherapist?!
Finding a competent hypnotherapist need not 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. They guide you, they help you to go into a hypnotic trance. However it is up to you to actually go into a trance, it’s you that ultimately makes it happen. It is perfectly possible to guide yourself into a hypnotic trance, and I will show you how.
First let’s discuss 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. A hypnotic trance 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.
There is also the phenomena of ‘highway hypnosis’. This is where we slip into a hypnotic trance when driving. This is actually not as dangerous as it sounds. In fact we are probably better drivers when we are in this state of mind as it accesses our powerful subconscious mind. This is similar to the mindset that sportspeople often experience when they are ‘in the zone’. Have you ever driven a journey and daydreamed to the point of not being able to remember a significant portion of the route? If you have, then you will have slipped into a hypnotic trance. It is actaully quite common, and perfectly safe.
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.
Here are some tips on how to hypnotise yourself.
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. If you don’t do this, then the possibility of you being disturbed may prey on your mind. Find a comfortable place. Subdue the lighting if this helps. You can be seated, or led down, whichever you prefer. Make sure that your legs are not crossed, as you could end up going numb after some time.
Now take your time, and follow these 5 simple steps.
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. 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 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 personal 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.
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 at as being. 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. 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. Enjoy!
Author Resource:- Jon Rhodes is one of the UK’s leading clinical hypnotherapists. Click here for a large selection of powerful therapeutic hypnosis downloads.
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