SELF-HYPNOSIS FOR STRESS
A few weeks ago, I was feeling particularly overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. It seemed like anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. I felt like I was spinning out of control.
I happened to be writing a book on yoga and meditation at the time and
came across a website that offered a downloadable mp3 hypnotic relaxation
session. It cost me about $20 and
it was the best $20 I have ever spent!
There are plenty of places on the internet where you can get these
downloadable sessions for a small fee. However,
you can also practice self-hypnosis on your own.
You first need to find a quiet place where you can fully relax and listen
to your inner voice. You shouldn’t
TRY to make something happen. Let
your mind listen and relax. A large
part of achieving that hypnotic state is to allow it to happen naturally.
Also, don’t watch for certain signs or signals that you might be in a
hypnotic state. We can guarantee
that if you look for these signs, you won’t be able to fully relax and gain
the benefits of self-hypnosis.
There are lots of different ways to experience hypnosis. No two people will have
exactly the same experience. In one respect, though, everyone has the same
experience: the hypnotic state is always
pleasant! There are no "bad trips" in hypnosis. Keep in mind that self-hypnosis is a skill, and that you will
continue to get better at it and, as you do, it becomes ever more powerful.
It's a good idea to set up a schedule of practice, allowing yourself anywhere
between 10 and 30 minutes, depending on how busy you are and how much time you
have to spend at it. Practice
during the best part of your day if you can and at a time when you are least
likely to be disturbed by others.
Most people find it best to practice lying down, in a comfortable position, with
as few distractions as possible. If you are bothered by noise while you practice
you can try to mask out the noise with some other source of sound.
You can try stereo music in the background, or white noise if you like. If like
most people you don't have a white noise generator, try tuning a radio receiver
between stations. The static you get when you do that is similar to white noise.
However this takes an older or cheaper FM receiver without a noise suppressor.
Sometimes AM tuners can be used for this. This
should just be in the background and not too loud to be distracting.
The basic divisions of a hypnotic induction are relaxation, deepening, suggestion application, and termination.
Relaxation
Your first
job in the hypnotic induction is to slow the juices down and get yourself
relaxed. But don't try to force your mind to relax (whatever that means)! If you
get yourself physically relaxed, your mind will follow.
Relaxation
– really deep relaxation –
is an ability that most people have either lost or never developed. Some people
can do it quite easily, though. They just let go of their tensions and let every
part of their body become limp and relaxed. If you are one of these people,
begin your self-hypnosis practice by getting nicely relaxed. Take your time.
This is not something you want to rush.
The time
involved for the relaxation phase of your self-hypnosis induction can vary from
half an hour to just a few seconds. It
is an important part of the induction and should not be slighted. As you get
better and your skill increases you will recognize deeply relaxed states, and
you will be able to achieve them in a surprisingly short time. But as a
beginner, take your time. It will be time well spent.
A very popular method of deep relaxation is the Jacobson Progressive Relaxation procedure. This involves tensing each of the major muscle groups of your body (foot and lower leg on each side, upper leg and hip, abdomen, etc.). Tense the muscle group for a few seconds, then let go.
Deepening Procedure
Once you
have completed the relaxation phase of your self-hypnosis induction procedure,
you can begin to deepen the relaxed state. At some time between the deep
relaxation and the deepening procedures you will move into a hypnotic state. You
probably won't know it, especially as a beginner, but it will happen sooner or
later.
One of the
first hurdles a beginner must get over is the compulsion to "watch for
it." That is, you will keep waiting for hypnosis to happen, for some change
in your awareness or the way you feel that will say to you, "You're
hypnotized."
Watching
for hypnosis will definitely get in your way if you don't get it out of your
mind. Going into a hypnotic state is, in this respect, similar to going to
sleep. If you try to catch yourself going to sleep – if you try to be aware of
the precise instant in which you actually go to sleep – you are much less
likely to go to sleep. "Watching" keeps you awake.
In this same way you will not know when you go into a hypnotic state (but that won't be because you lost consciousness
– you won't). Later, after you have been practicing regularly for a few weeks
or a month or two, you'll be much more familiar with yourself and how it feels
to be hypnotized.
Does it take everyone weeks or even months to get into a good hypnotic state? Definitely not. Some people have an amazing experience the
very first time they try it. Others might practice for several days, noticing
nothing, then out of the blue they
have one of those great induction sessions in which they know something
stupendously good happened. But if you happen not to be one of these people,
don't worry about it. Just keep practicing and you will eventually get there.
One of the
most popular deepening procedures is the count-down technique. Hollywood also
likes this one. That is why you see it in so many movies. That and the swinging
watch.
To use the
count-down technique you simply start counting downward from, say, 20 (or 100,
or whatever). Adjust the countdown number to whatever feels right to you after
you have practiced a few times. Imagine that you are drifting deeper with each
count. Other images and thoughts will probably intrude themselves as you count.
That is natural. Just gently brush them aside, continuing with your counting.
The speed
with which you count down should be natural; not too fast, not too slow. For
most people this means counting at a rate of about one count for each two or
three seconds. Do it at a rate that feels comfortable and relaxed to you. Some
people like to tie the count with their breathing. As they drift deeper their
breathing slows down, so their counting also slows down.
Don't count out loud, just think your way down the count. You want to avoid as much physical involvement and movement as possible.
Suggestion Application in self-hypnosis
Once you
have reached the end of your deepening procedure you are ready to apply
suggestions. What you have done during the relaxation and deepening procedures
is increase your suggestibility. That is, you have opened up your subconscious
mind at least a little bit to receive your suggestions. This works because of
the particular, and peculiar, characteristics of the subconscious part of your
mind.
The most
common and easiest way to apply suggestions is to have them worked out ahead of
time, properly prepared and worded, and memorized. It should not be too
difficult to remember them because they should be rather short and you are the
one who composed them. If you have them ready and remembered, you can simply
think your way through them at this point.
Dialogue,
or more properly monologue, is also okay. You just talk ("think" to
keep your effort to a minimum) to yourself about what it is you want to do, be,
become, whatever.
Don't say
"you." You are thinking to yourself, so use the first person personal
pronoun "I." Some suggestions can be succinctly stated in a somewhat
more formal sort of way, like, "I am eating less and becoming more slender
every day."
Elaborated suggestions are generally wordier and more of an ad lib: "Food
is becoming less important to me every day and I am filling my time with more
important and meaningful pursuits than eating. It is getting easier and easier
to pass up desserts and other fattening foods . . ." and so on.
Generally
speaking, the most effective kind of suggestion is image suggestion. Image suggestions usually do not use
language at all. You can liken this
to seeing yourself in a calm, relaxed state while in the middle of a chaotic
situation. Actually see yourself in
your mind’s eye.
Although people sometimes see immediate results from their suggestions, it is more likely to take a little time for them to kick in. So don't be impatient. On the other hand, if you have not begun to see some results within, say, a couple of weeks, you need to change your suggestions.
Termination
Once you
have finished applying suggestions you are through with your induction and you
can terminate your session. You could just open your eyes, get up and go about
your business, but that is not a good idea.
You should
formally identify the end of every session. By doing this you provide a clear
boundary between the hypnotic state and your ordinary conscious awareness. A
clear termination also prevents your self-hypnosis practice session from turning
into a nap. If you want to take a nap, take a nap. But don't do it in a way that
sleeping becomes associated with self-hypnosis practice.
If you are
practicing at bedtime and don't care if you go on to sleep, that is okay. But
still draw the line in your mind to indicate the end of your self-hypnosis
session.
To terminate the session, think to yourself that you are going to be fully awake
and alert after you count up to, say, three.
"One, I'm beginning to come out of it, moving toward a waking state. Two,
I'm becoming more alert, getting ready to wake up. Three, I'm completely
awake." Something like that.
Self-hypnosis can work wonders when it is practiced on a regular basis. You’d be amazingly surprised at the level of relaxation you
can get to. It’s one of the best
things I ever did for myself!
Now we should move on to stress management techniques in general. This could be a long chapter, but a
very, very helpful one!
Next is STRESS MANAGEMENT
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