How to Do Self-Hypnosis

Instructions
STEP 1: Recognize that to be hypnotized is to enter a trance state. You will be very focused, but will also be aware of what is happening around you.
STEP 2: Sit in a comfortable chair or recline on a couch in a quiet place. Be sure that your clothes are loose and comfortable and the temperature is not too warm or cool.
STEP 3: Turn down the lights so that it's not too bright. It doesn't need to be dark.
STEP 4: Relax. You can have your eyes open or closed, whichever is most comfortable for you.
STEP 5: Let yourself go loose. Feel every muscle go limp. Feel your mind slow down. Good.
STEP 6: Breathe deeply and hold it. Feel all of your stress and worries sucked from your body and your head into your lungs. Blow them out slowly and watch them swirl away from you.
STEP 7: Notice the different colors of each concern. See them float away and dissolve in the air. You are feeling more and relaxed with every breath.
STEP 8: Feel your heart. It is strong and slow. You can feel it beating, slowly, slowly. Each time you exhale, your body relaxes more. You are calm and safe. You can feel your heart. It's beating so slowly.
STEP 9: Feel your toes. They feel empty and light. They want to float away. That lightness is spreading up your legs, through your hips and into your back. Your body is so empty. You can see through it.
STEP 10: Feel your arms. They feel empty. Your shoulders are empty. Your neck is empty. Your head is floating, weightless. You feel so calm.
STEP 11: Feel liquid begin to fill your body through your navel. It's deep blue. It feels cool and comfortable. Watch it fill up your body. Cool blue. When you are full, you will feel calm and completely at ease.
STEP 12: Now open your eyes and sit up. Your cool, blue feeling will stay with you.

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Hypnotize Yourself Right Now: 10 Steps To Hypnotize Yourself Today

I want to show you a really interesting technique to hypnotize yourself. It is known as the Betty Erickson technique as she devised it to hypnotize yourself. Betty’s husband Milton Erickson is someone I have referred to on several occasions in my work as a renowned hynotherapist and psychiatrist and someone whose work seems to hypnotize me all the time. This technique to hypnotize yourself is entirely attributed to her. Hypnotize Yourself Betty Erickson Method:
This method to hypnotize yourself is based on the following premises and ideologies. While there are a number of counter-examples to these notions, they will be of value in understanding and utilizing this method to hypnotize yourself.

We think our thoughts in pictures, sounds and feelings.

When we think in pictures we refer to the external things we see and the internal images that we create. This includes remembered images ("What does your bedroom look like?"), constructed images ("What would it look like if it were redecorated?"), as well as the actual, real things we see about us.

When we think in sounds these are the things we hear and the internal sounds that we create. This includes remembered words or sounds ("Think of your favourite pop song"), imagined words or sounds ("Imagine that song being sung by someone else"), and also includes your internal dialogue as well as all of the real, actual, live sounds around us.

Thirdly, are the things we feel. These can be actual physical sensations or imagined ones. Can you imagine being at the seaside and paddling in the cool sea?

Most of us use one of these ways of thinking more than the others; though we each use all three of them. Since this is usually the case, an individual who "thinks" in images wouldn't hypnotize themselves the best simply by visualising.

Focused Attention:

Stereotypical images of hypnotists holding watches or other fixation devices for clients to stare at are the result of much misunderstanding about hypnosis. I for one have long ago banished my velveteen smoking jacket and watch on a chain for more modern methods of hypnotic induction! The experience of hypnosis is typically an inwardly focused one in which we move away from the environment around us and turn our attention inward. This technique to hypnotize yourself is doing that even more.

Hypnotize Yourself Technique:

Step 1: Find a comfortable position and get your self relaxed and settled. Get into a position that you will be able to maintain easily for the time you are going to hypnotize yourself. It can be sitting or lying down, though sitting is recommended to prevent you from falling asleep. Get yourself centred, just looking in front of you and breathing slowly and easily. Let yourself relax.

Step 2: Think about the length of time that you intend to spend in this state and make a statement to yourself about it such as "I am going hypnotize myself for 20 minutes ... " (or however long you want) You will be delighted to discover how well you "internal clock" can keep track of the time for you.

Step 3: What would you like to get out of this? Make a statement to yourself about the reason you want to hypnotize yourself. In this process, you allow your unconscious mind to work on an issue rather than giving suggestions throughout, (that is another technique) so our purpose statement should reflect that fact. Here's how I recommend you phrase it to yourself : " I am going to hypnotize myself for the purpose of allowing my unconscious mind to make the adjustments that are appropriate to assist me in _____________."

Filling in the blank with what you want to achieve such as "developing more confidence in social situations." The actual words aren't nearly as important as the fact your statement acknowledges that you are turning this process over to your unconscious mind.

Step 4: Looking in front of you, notice three things, one at a time, that you see. Go slowly, pausing for a moment on each. It is preferable that they be small things, such as a spot on the wall, a doorknob, the corner of a picture frame, etc. Some people like to name the items as they look at them - "I see the hinge on the door frame".

Step 5: Now turn your attention to your auditory channel and notice, one by one, three things that you hear. (You will notice that this allows you to incorporate sounds that occur in the environment rather than being distracted by them.)

Step 6: Next, attend to your feelings and notice three sensations that you can feel right now. Again, go slowly from one to the next. It is useful to use sensations that usually are outside of your awareness, such as the weight of your glasses, the feeling of your wrist watch, the texture of your shirt on your body, etc.

Step 7: Continue the process using two Visuals, then two auditories and then two kinaesthetics. Then, in the same manner, continue (slowly) with one of each.

You have now completed the "external" portion of the process to hypnotize yourself. Now it's time to begin the "internal" part.

Step 8: Now close your eyes. Now, bring an image into your mind. Don't work too hard at this; this is fun, remember? You can construct an image or simply take what comes. It may be a point of light, it may be a beautiful beach, or it could be your car or an apple. I shall not scare you with the ideas that randomly pop into my mind. If something comes to you, just use it. If nothing comes, feel free to put something in your mind.

Step 9: Pause and let a sound come into your awareness or generate one and name it. Although this is technically the internal part, if you should hear a sound outside or in the room with you, it is OK to use that. Remember that the idea is to incorporate things that you experience rather than being distracted by them. Typically, in the absence of environmental sounds; I often imagine hearing whooping hallelujahs from a gospel choir; don’t ask me why, that just happens in my mind.

Step 10: Become aware of a feeling and name it. It is preferable to do this internally - use your imagination. (I feel the warmth of the sun on my face) However, as with the auditory, if you actually have a physical sensation that gets your attention, use that.

Repeat the process with two images, then two sounds, then two feelings. Repeat the cycle once again using three images, three sounds, and three feelings.

Then to complete the process, open your eyes when your alloted time is up - It is not unusual to feel a little bit "spaced out" or wander off somewhat. At first some people think that they have fallen asleep. But generally you will find yourself coming back automatically at the end of the allotted time that you set before you chose to hypnotize yourself. Trust that you weren't sleeping and that your unconscious mind was doing what you asked of it.

Many people don't get all the way through the process. That's perfectly all right. If you should complete the process before the time has ended, just continue with 4 images, sounds, feelings, then 5 and so on. It is a simple way of just getting you acquainted with how to hypnotize yourself.

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How to Hypnotize Someone

If you want to learn how to hypnotize someone, it is probably best to learn from a working hypnotist, if possible. Some hypnotists are reluctant to reveal their techniques, both because they may be earning a good living from a few simple secrets, and because they would prefer that their ‘club’ of hypnotists remain small and exclusive.

If you want to learn how to hypnotize someone in particular, you should be aware that it is thought that some very literal minded or skeptical people cannot be hypnotized, and many hypnotists also believe that no-one can be hypnotized against their will. However, this is still a matter of debate. Also, people vary in their levels of 'suggestibility' – this is their natural tendency to go along with suggestions or instructions. A very assertive person with a big ego may make a difficult subject, while a timid or enthusiastic person will be an easy one. But it is not thought the intelligence, sex or age of the subject make any difference in their susceptibilty to hypnosis.

Lately, the techniques of hypnosis have become much better known, and if you want to learn how to hypnotize someone you should pay attention to the following.

First, actually test how 'suggestible' they are. To test suggestibility, you can ask a person to roll his or her eyes upwards as far as they can. The less the colored part of the eye is visible, the more easily they will be hypnotized. Or you can ask them to stare at a small light in a darkened room. You pretend to move it, and ask them if it is moving now. Those who quickly say ‘yes’ will be easy to hypnotize.

You need a calm, safe, non-threatening environment, with no noise or distractions like music or TV.

You ask the subject to close his or her eyes. Allow a short silent period for the subject to become placid and relaxed.

You begin to talk gently, in a reassuring way.

You ask them to do something simple, like raise on finger slowly, and lower it again.

Bear in mind that your goal as the hypnotist is to have a very relaxed subject who becomes oblivious to their surroundings (sometimes this state is compared to being in a state of extreme concentration) and whose focus is on you, and what you are saying or telling them to do. This has been likened to the subject being in a movie theater, enjoying the movie, and being completely oblivious to the others in the audience around them.

Having achieved a suggestible state by using gentle, easy instructions, you can try to 'take command' of the subject's actions. While it may be easy to get your subject to change their posture, blink, imagine a mosquito is buzzing around, or raise or lower their arms, it is much more difficult to make your subject feel you have immobilized their whole body, or are aged 9 again and want a cookie, or can fly like Superman, or have forgotten their own name! But it is possible!

The secret of how to really hypnotize someone like this is to proceed very slowly at first, with requests for easy, gently movements, then requests for simple responses, before moving on to more extreme behaviors or actions. Don’t believe you are ever 'controlling their mind' – your subject is only responding to your suggestions.

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What Is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a relaxing, naturally occurring state of mind which happens to us every day. Each time we read a captivating novel, float off in a daydream or see an engrossing movie we are in a natural state of hypnosis.

For thousands of years people have recognized the power of hypnosis to enhance learning, heal emotional scars, improve performance, change habits and speed the healing process.

Science is only now beginning to understand the awesome power the unconscious mind wields. It wasn't until 1958 that the American Medical Association recognized hypnosis as a valid therapeutic tool. The medical field is also beginning to recognize the major role "psychological" factors play in illness and healing.

WHY IS CHANGE SOMETIMES DIFFICULT?

Why is change sometimes difficult? Because most habits, beliefs and attitudes are maintained and stored in the unconscious mind - and most people are trying to change consciously! Hypnosis is direct unconscious communication.

Think of it this way. Your conscious mind is like the desk clerk at a hotel and your unconscious is like the manager in the back office. The clerk and the manager may or may not have the same goals or ideas about what to do, how to act or even what is important about running the hotel. They may not even communicate very often. When you attempt to change with your conscious resources you are trying to change without the manager's approval! That's why often, after a time, you'll notice yourself back in your old behavior. Have you ever had the experience of making up your mind to do something and then later found yourself in your old patterns.....? Well, you didn't get the manager on your side did you?

On top of it all, the manager is an incredible creative genius but has a mind like a three-year-old in some ways. Logic is not fully developed (that is why you sometimes do things that you know don't make sense) and emotion has a lot of impact. The unconscious communicates differently than the conscious mind - so you just can't tell it what to do in the regular way and expect to get the results you want. The unconscious doesn't update it's ideas and concepts as readily as we'd like and sometimes the conclusions it reaches are not healthy (i.e. eating = safety).

Your unconscious is the best learning machine that has ever existed. If instructed properly healthier, more productive patterns, ideas, beliefs, attitudes and actions result.

THE POWER OF HYPNOSIS

During hypnotism, direct communication with your unconscious mind can be established. In a hypnotic trance, if we are guided properly, our minds and bodies are able to accept change much more readily.

In hypnosis you are in control. The hypnotist is merely the guide who leads you through this comfortable, inspiring experience. The door is open to the abilities and resources of the ultra-powerful unconscious mind. Your conscious mind is just the surface .

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The History Of Hypnosis

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