Hypnosis & Self-Help Articles
©2005 by C. Roy Hunter, M.S.,
FAPHP
Before
learning how to enter a state of self-hypnosis, let’s briefly discuss what
constitutes the state of self-hypnosis, and the role of imagination.
Meditation
became popular years ago in various forms. While some people endeavor to “blank
the mind” or silence the conscious thoughts while meditating, the meditative
state of mind is a state of altered consciousness.
Self-hypnosis
is also a meditative state, which I prefer to call meditation with a focus…such
as imagining standing barefoot in the sand on a beautiful beach with a gentle
breeze blowing, or being in a mountain meadow with a nearby waterfall that you
can see or hear. While your conscious mind knows your location at any moment,
simply imagining being in a peaceful
place while physically relaxed helps you enter a state of altered
consciousness.
Self-Hypnosis = Altered
Consciousness
I frequently explain hypnosis
to a prospective client by asking a question such as, "When is the last
time you cried real tears during a powerful movie? Even though your conscious
mind knew you were sitting in a theater watching actors and actresses, your
subconscious accepted them as real characters because you were in a state of
altered consciousness – or more accurately, a state of guided self-hypnosis!
Even though the "critical
faculty" can be bypassed when we get engrossed in a good movie, that
motion picture does not control us; it only guides us through its
story. It could be said, then, that the movie is our hypnotist until the
closing credits cross the screen. We could get up and walk out or turn off the
DVD player if we wanted to, so we could more accurately say that the movie puts
us into a state of guided self-hypnosis, similar to meditation because our
brain waves are in the alpha state.
The Four States of Mind
There are four states of mind:
beta, alpha, theta, and delta.
Beta
We are in the beta state
for most of your waking hours. It's a good thing, too, since beta is like high
gear, a good place for decision making, reasoning and logic. Brain waves are
above 13 cycles per second, often greatly higher, and may or may not be
rhythmic.
Alpha
As our brain waves slow down to
between 8 and 13 cycles per second, we enter the alpha state of mind.
The door between conscious and subconscious is opened, and it becomes easier to
access the memories and storage of new information. We may become mellow in
this relaxed state, finding it easier to use the imagination, which is why our
favorite actors and actresses become the characters they play while the movie
fills our senses of sight and sound.
Theta & Delta
Below the two conscious states
are theta, the dream state, and delta, which is deep sleep or
total unconsciousness. Whether or not you remember your dreams, you must pass
through theta on the way to and from delta. Likewise, you must pass through
alpha on the way to and from sleep. We enter a state of self-hypnosis at least
twice daily, on the way to and from sleep.
Now that you have read about the alpha state, are you
ready to experience it?
Entering
Self-Hypnosis…
The number of ways of entering an altered state of
consciousness is as limitless as the imagination. I’ll describe the most common
technique, and provide two others methods for the benefit of those who have
difficulty responding to the first exercise, which is called progressive
relaxation. If you have learned another method from another book (or from a
seminar) use what you prefer as long as your chosen method works.
I suggest you read through this exercise once or twice
to become familiar with the contents before you begin using the actual
technique. The specific words you will use can vary from the typical session
suggested here, but you should follow the basic format. Scripts are like
training wheels, serving only as a guide to get you started.
Progressive Relaxation
Now let's begin the session. Find a comfortable place to
recline or lie down. If you wear hard contact lenses, remove them. If you chew
gum, throw it away. Also, be certain that your clothing feels comfortable. If
possible, unplug your phone or turn on your answering machine - and make
certain to put your pets in another room. Some animals seem to sense the mental
peace you feel in the alpha state, and will want to be close. (Experience
taught me that a cat suddenly pouncing on your stomach during relaxation can be
quite a jolt!)
Now that you're comfortable, take several deep breaths.
Close your eyes if you wish. Imagine yourself letting go of all of your cares
and tensions as easily as you let go of the air from your lungs.
Background music is optional - but recommended if you
meditate in an area where there may be distracting outside noise.
Think to yourself words like the italics on the
following pages while fantasizing being in a peaceful place. That peaceful
place can be a beach, the woods, a waterfall, lake, stream, meadow, etc. Note
the grammar is often imperfect, because the words are intended for the
subconscious. Three dots indicate a pause...
As I now imagine a relaxing sensation entering my
toes, my breathing continues to be free and easy - just as when I sleep. The
relaxation becomes more and more real with each breath I take, moving up into
my feet...
It feels soooooo good to
relax that it becomes easy, comfortable, and automatic for the relaxation to
move up into my ankles... The relaxing sensation becomes more and more real
with each breath I take. It now moves up into my calves. All my nerves and
muscles just let go, responding to my desire to relax... The relaxation moves
right on through my knees, going up into my thighs... all the nerves and
muscles letting go into a deeper and deeper state of relaxation.
My hips relax. It feels soooooo
good to relax, that the feeling continues right on into my stomach muscles and
up around my rib cage.
With each breath I go deeper and deeper relaxed.
The relaxation moves on into my lower back, going right up into my shoulders -
just as though gentle fingers have just given me a soothing back rub. The
soothing feeling of relaxation moves down through my elbows, going right on out
through my hands and fingers... With each breath I take, I just go deeper and
deeper...
The back of my neck relaxes... My scalp relaxes...
It feels soooooo good to relax that the feeling of
soothing comfort moves into my forehead and temples. With each breath I just go
deeper and deeper. My cheeks relax. My jaw muscles relax... My entire body now
feels completely relaxed...
At this point you may very well be in a light or medium
state of alpha consciousness from this sample induction. If you practice
self-hypnosis at night before going to sleep, you may find yourself sound
asleep long before you finish the exercise. Some of my clients tend to fall
asleep before getting past their knees. If you still feel considerable
awareness, however, you may wish to deepen the relaxation by using additional
self-talk as follows:
As I now count from ten down to one, I become
deeper and deeper relaxed with each number - just drifting down into a very
soothing tranquility.
Number Ten - deeper and
deeper, relaxing physically...
Number Nine - deeper and
deeper, relaxing mentally...
Number Eight - deeper and deeper, relaxing
emotionally...
Number Seven - deeper and deeper, relaxing
totally...
Number Six - every nerve
and muscle relaxes completely...
Number Five - each number
taking me deeper and deeper...
Number Four - the deeper
I go, the easier it is to go deeper...
Number Three - just drifting into total
relaxation...
Number Two - just drifting into deeeeep hypnotic peace...
Number One - waaaaaaaaaaaaay
down deep...
Again, some people may benefit by also fantasizing a
peaceful place with pleasant sights, sounds and feelings. Others may prefer to
use the script as written, without the added "safe place." Make your
own choice. If you prefer, you can record this script into a tape player,
changing all the "I" and "my" words into the second-person
format.
You may experience time distortion - finding that time
seems to condense or expand (ten minutes seems like two - or twenty). Also, you
may notice that your mind tends to wander. In fact, your thoughts may wander
considerably as you go deeper into the alpha state. You may have to keep
bringing yourself back to each new number, sometimes forgetting the last number
counted. If this happens, just go on with the first number that comes to your
mind. Some of you may have to count down twice to get deeper, or count from a
higher number. Many people start the countdown with 20 - and some even start
with 100. You make the choice.
You may return to full beta awareness by simply telling
yourself that you feel wonderful and wide-awake at the count of five. Then
count from one to five either mentally or out loud. If you wish, use the
following script as a guide...
Now, I am going to count from one up to five and
then I am going to say "fully aware." At the count of five, my
eyelids open and I feel calm, refreshed, relaxed, fully aware, and normal in
every way.
One... Slowly, calmly, easily,
and gently returning to full awareness once again.
Two... Each muscle and nerve in my body is loose,
limp, and relaxed, and I feel wonderfully good.
Three... From head to toe I am feeling perfect in
every way... physically perfect, mentally alert, and emotionally serene... and
when I get behind the wheel of your vehicle, I am totally alert in every way,
responding appropriately to any and all traffic situations.
Number four... My eyes begin to feel sparkling
clear, just as though they were bathed in fresh spring water. On the next
number now, my eyelids open and I am then calm, rested, refreshed, fully aware,
and feeling good in every way.
Number five... Eyelids open now. I am fully aware
once again.
Take a deep breath, fill up
your lungs, and stretch.
While some clients find that they can enjoy progressive
relaxation during the first attempt, most others find that they must practice
the technique several times first. A minority of clients may discover the need
of other techniques; so some of my readers may be asking an important question:
"What if I don't respond to progressive relaxation?" I can best
answer that question by providing additional options...
Alternate Exercises
A minority of people may find their patience wearing
thin trying to enter self-hypnosis with the technique described above. Although
you certainly have the option of choosing a hypnotherapist to help you, one of
the following alternate inductions may help you attain an alpha state...
Eye Fixation
Get comfortably seated, reclined, or lying down. Stare
at an object, such as a candle or a dim light. A candle works well, because the
flickering produces eye fatigue (although you may use any object if your eyes are
sensitive to light). Take two or three very deep breaths before you begin. Now
stare at your chosen object, and imagine your eyelids are getting heavier and
heavier with each breath you take. Say to yourself...
As I try to keep my eyes focused on the candle
[light, or other object], my
eyelids become heavier, droopy and drowsy... The harder I try to keep my eyes
open, the more they want to close... As I breathe deeply and slowly, my entire
body just wants to relax and let go... relax and let go... until my eyes just
want to close all by themselves...
Repeat this until you find your eyes getting so tired
that they have to close. Once your eyes finally close, continue with the
deepening described in the Progressive Relaxation script.
This eye-fixation technique works well as an alternative
for some who might fail to respond to progressive relaxation. A Boeing employee
told me some years ago that he could stare at a candle and simultaneously
imagine his arm feeling lighter than air. Within seconds his arm floated in an
apparent weightless feeling. He demonstrated his ability in my office, putting
himself into a rather deep trance within one minute. Naturally, his ability
made my work much easier! He combined eye fixation with a variation on mental
misdirection, discussed next...
Mental Misdirection
Some hypnotherapists use the imagination to create a
physical response, misdirecting the conscious attention in order to
produce a trance. You can do this for yourself by taking one of the exercises
described in Chapter 2 of my book, Master
the Power of Self-Hypnosis (Hunter: Sterling Publishing, 1998) and holding
the imaginary water bucket a little longer.
Get comfortably seated or reclined. Now hold your arms
up in front of you and imagine you are holding a bucket in one hand, and a
hundred helium balloons with your other hand.
I now imagine that a cord is tied to my wrist, and
a hundred helium balloons are tied to the other end of the cord, tugging my arm
upward. I can SEE the balloons and FEEL them tugging...
I'm holding an empty bucket in the other hand, and
someone pours water into the bucket. I can SEE the water pouring, HEAR the
water splashing, and FEEL the bucket getting heavier as it gets fuller and
fuller... heavier and heavier... pulling my arm down... heavier and heavier,
fuller and fuller... as my other arm gets higher and higher...
As the bucket gets heavier and fuller, my arm just
wants to release the bucket as I release myself into trance... The harder I try
to hold up the bucket, the heavier it gets...until I release the bucket and
release myself into trance... When I release the bucket, my arm drops and I
just drop off into deep, hypnotic peace... or I can release myself into total
relaxation...
If you feel responsive to your imagination by now, you
can drop both arms down and proceed with the counting as described earlier in
this chapter; otherwise continue...
Someone DOUBLES the number of helium balloons,
while someone else drops a rock into my bucket... The bucket is getting SO
HEAVY that it would be so easy to just release the bucket and release myself
into trance... It's so easy to release the bucket and just release myself into
trance...
Drop your arms into your lap now, and proceed with the
counting previously described for deepening your trance. Use the awakening
technique described above when you are ready to return to beta consciousness.
Very few of my clients use mental misdirection to enter
self-hypnosis; but some of my students report satisfying results. You may wish
to try all the techniques described in this chapter several times, and choose
the one you like the best.
Personal Observations...
Some people drift off to sleep practicing self-hypnosis,
so be sure to set an alarm unless you have time for a nap!
Many people remain very aware and start noticing
distracting sounds or distracting physical feelings, such as uncomfortable
clothing or an itch, etc. When you enter a light state of alpha, you have an increased
awareness of anything perceived through the five senses. Rather than
thinking that you might not be in hypnosis because of hearing background noise,
etc., recognize your increased awareness as a signal that you already reached a
light trance state!
If the counting fails to deepen you to your
satisfaction, you may try other helpful techniques involving additional use of
your imagination. For example, if desired, you can use an imaginary elevator to
help you go deeper. If you don't like elevators, use an escalator, slide, or
steps. You could also be floating into a cloud, walking into the woods, lying
on a beach listening to waves of relaxation, or you may be getting into an
imaginary Jacuzzi. (Note: Do NOT do this exercise while sitting in a real
Jacuzzi!) Again, you may incorporate these deepening techniques with any of the
induction exercises described in this chapter. Another deepening technique
involves adding a peaceful place to the meditation. (A later chapter
contains an empowerment exercise to help you enjoy your peaceful place.)
The degree of success varies from person to person. Some
of you may find the progressive relaxation technique works great the very first
time. Others may have to practice all the above techniques (as I did) until
finding the best one. In fact, I had so much stress when I first tried
self-hypnosis that I had to go to a hypnotherapist for post-hypnotic suggestion
to help me learn self-hypnosis. Even simple meditation had proven difficult
previously, because others instructed me to simply "blank out" my
mind. Well, that's difficult at best if not almost impossible for me to do,
because even when I relax, my mind still runs a thousand miles per second.
(That's why I create my own safe place in my mind when relaxing. You may find
benefit in doing likewise.)
Practice entering self-hypnosis through each of the exercises
in this chapter at least once before attempting any of the other self-hypnosis
exercises in this book. As you develop your ability to relax, you may find
yourself able to enter an alpha state easily by taking two or three deep
breaths and thinking the word "relax" each time you exhale. Numerous
clients create what they call a "centering" technique to help them
enter the alpha state more easily each time; and some of my students refine
their centering into a signal for quickly entering the alpha state. Employing
such a trigger for instant self-hypnosis has many benefits.
If you feel you need help, find a qualified hypnotherapist in your area to work with you. If you wish, you may record your voice on a cassette tape for any of the above scripts and listen to the suggestions to relax. If you prefer this method, remember to change the to the "you are" format rather than keeping the first person format.
To receive my FREE "Empowerment Tips" ezine, click here.
For
additional reading material, please read the FAQ posted at my website: www.royhunter.com/hypnofaq.htm
Good luck!
Roy Hunter, M.S., FAPHP
***
Roy Hunter, M.S., FAPHP, practices hypnotherapy near
For more info, visit: http://www.royhunter.com/consulting.htm
You may
purchase
http://www.royhunter.com/hypnosis_books.htm
* * * * * * * *
Last
updated: January 8, 2008
Return to Hypnosis Articles Title Page
Hypnosis Information & FAQ
Hypnosis Training
& Coaching
Products: CD’s, DVD’s books, etc.
Return to Home Page
Originally
posted: May 11, 2007