Self Hypnosis-How To

by John Lundholm, RN, M.A.

As described in my e-book Dare to Create your own Best Future there are two foundations of success:  Right Thinking and Right Action.  Self-hypnosis is not a magical substitute for taking the right action.  It does help create a mind set (Righting Thinking) that enables one to take the right action more effortlessly.


Self-hypnosis involves placing ones self in a hypnotic (focused and relaxed) state, and presenting suggestions to one's self while in that state. You'll want to practice it often because the hypnotic state is an enhanced learning state, in which you are more receptive to suggestion.

The reality is that we are constantly giving our selves suggestions in the form of our internal dialogue and the pictures we form in our minds. In self-hypnosis you are purposeful and selective in your inner dialogue, and in the pictures you form in your mind.  The approach described below uses both inner dialogue and inner picture suggestions.

Like all skills, self-hypnosis is a skill that improves with practice. So be patient with your self.  Give it time to work.

There are several approaches to self-hypnosis.  Below is a script for placing one self in a hypnotic state.  You can read it each time you do a session of self-hypnosis or record it for yourself.  Voice inflection and timing is an important part of using the script, so practice reading slowly and with pauses that allow you do what the script directs you to do.

Step 1. Formulate your suggestions

Decide on your important objectives or goals.  To help you formulate your objective, think both in terms of what you want and what achieving what you want will do for you. In other words, what do you want to do or feel that you are not now doing or feeling, and what you hope to accomplish by doing or feeling what you want to do or feel.   For example, a smoker might think, "I want to resist the urge to smoke," and, "By this I will gradually lose the urge to smoke and become a non-smoker" An overweight person might think, "when presented with something to eat I want to take a moment to consider if I am hungry and if the food is healthy, and if the answer to either question is 'no', I turn it down." and "By doing this I will lose weight." A nervous presenter might think, "When I'm about to give a speech I want to feel calm and in control," and "I'm able to deliver a powerful speech."

To formulate your inner dialogue suggestions follow these guidelines:

State your objective positively.
State your objective specifically.
State it as if already accomplished (in present tense).
Get rid of the word "want".
Add positive emotion. 

When first beginning you may want to start with just one or two suggestions.  This will allow you to stay in the hypnotic state, without worrying about a suggestion you might have forgotten.
 
To formulate your inner picture suggestions follow these guidelines:

Think of 2-3 very brief scenes of you after you have achieved your goals.  See yourself both from another person's point of view and from your own eyes. Make the scenes as vivid as you can, including as many senses as possible.

Think also of at least one scene of yourself in the process of achieving your goal.  Make it realistic (exerting effort, making hard choices, etc.), but rewarding as well.

As with the inner dialogue suggestions you might want to start with one scene of having achieved your goal and one process scene, so that you don't forget your suggestions, then as you become more skilled include additional suggestions/scenes.

It is usually beneficial to write out both your inner dialogue and your inner picture suggestions. During your self-hypnosis you will integrate the two.


Script for Self-Hypnosis

Here is the script.  For best results record your own induction including your suggestions within the recording.

"I am starting my self-hypnosis session now. From now until I say 'wake up' I will allow myself to become more and more relaxed and focused within myself. Suggestions I choose for myself give myself will be effective. 

As I close my eyes and begin to drift downward, I can begin by relaxing the muscles around my eyes.  I allow all the muscles around my eye to become totally and completely relaxed.  All the tension gone.  So relaxed now that if I were to try to open them, they're just so relaxed that I couldn't open them if I tried, and the more I tried the more and more relaxed they would be.  I can enjoy being that relaxed around my eyes and when I know that I'm that relaxed, I can test them. 

As I try to open them and I can be delighted that they can be so relaxed, that I'm unable to open them. And of course I know that if I really needed to they would open without an effort, but for now I can just enjoy this relaxation

And I can just let go of trying now and just allow that relaxation to spread throughout my facial muscles, and over my scalp, and through my jaw and neck muscles. Becoming more and more relaxed with every breath in, and releasing any tension with every breath out.

It's good to be so relaxed and to feel that relaxation spread down my shoulders and back, and down my arms.  My arms are feeling relaxed and heavy. The tension released form all the muscles from my arm, until they are so relaxed, that if I were to try to raise them I would be so relaxed and they would be so heavy, I would be unable to.  And when I know that they are that relaxed I can test them, and try, and again be delighted to know that I can be so very relaxed. And let go of that trying. And as with my eyes, I know that if I really needed to I could move, but except to adjust myself to be come even more comfortable and more relaxed there's no need.

Just relax and let that relaxation spread down through out my chest and abdomen, and down through my lower back, relaxing all tension.

And now that relaxation is moving down through my waist and hips and down through my thighs. Releasing all tension, becoming more and more deeply relaxed.

With every breath in and out, more deep relaxed, down though my knees, all the way to my feet and toes. Completely relaxed now from head to toe.

And just as my body is relaxing more and more deeper with every breath, my mind is relaxing now also.

"Now I am going to count down from ten. As I count down I will continue to drift down, pleasantly going deeper and deeper into the relaxation. I will get drowsy and deeply relaxed, but I will not actually go to sleep. I will simply drift deeper and deeper into my self-hypnotic state of deeply relaxed awareness. By the time I reach zero I will be in a very pleasant, sleep-like state. I will still be able to direct my thoughts, and I could rouse myself immediately if I needed to, but unless I really need to, I will drift deeper and deeper into the relaxation.

"Starting down now .. . . ten . . . drifting deeper and deeper with each count . . . nine . . . eight . . . seven . .doubling my relaxation with every number. six . . . five . . . feeling so relaxed . . . four . . . becoming more and more relaxed and drowsy . . . three . . . two . . . one . . . zero. Breathing pleasantly, slowly, drifting deeper and deeper with each breath.

"As I continue to be deeply relaxed, and become even more relaxed, I am thinking about my suggestions.
 
I see myself now as having achieved my goals.  And as I imagine having achieved my goal I look out through my own eyes to see what I will be seeing, hearing what I will be hearing and feeling what I will be feeling having achieved my goal. Enjoy the scene for a while and how good it feels.

[If you were working on achieving and maintain a certain weight your suggestion might go something like this:

I see myself at 125 pounds; I'm standing at a full-length mirror and like what I see.  My waist is slender and my beautiful new clothes fit so perfectly.  As I turn from side to side I notice how effortly and comfortably I move now. I tell myself, "It feels wonderful to have achieved 125 pounds"

And as I go to my kitchen and prepare something to eat, I smile as I see myself make healthy choices in the foods I choose for myself, and the healthy portions I choose.

And even when I eat some of my favorite food I can enjoy every bite of chocolate cake, because now I eat smaller portions and keep a balance, and there's no longer any fear or guilt when I eat it, just enjoyment.

And as I look out through my own eyes as I interact with my co-workers I notice a new level of respect towards me, a new level of admiration.

I describe to my coworkers how I 've begun to make activity a part of my life, walking or biking every day, and finding how enjoyable exercise can be.  And have begun to make healthy food choices, still enjoying my favorite food, just it smaller portions, and enjoying it more.

I recall the effort at first of starting an exercise program, and how I even had to force myself sometimes to do what now I would never want to be without." I enjoy moving and being active"

I recall also the suggestions I accepted for myself:[repeat each at least three times]

"I enjoy making healthy food choices"
"I enjoy moving and being active"
"I enjoying watching my progress as I move closer and closer to my goal of 125 pounds."
"I choose to eat only for my health and well being"
"I choose healthy ways to relieve my stress"

"All of the suggestions I have given myself are effective because they are right for me and it is good that I should achieve them. All of the directions I have given myself are good for me and I will follow them.

"Each time I practice self-hypnosis I will become better and better at it. I will be able to relax deeper and deeper in less time with each practice.

"Now, as I count to three, I am going to slowly, gradually, pleasantly wake up. I will return to my normal, waking state, except for the suggested changes. Now, starting up, . . . one . . . becoming more alert . . . two, getting ready to wake up . . . three, wake up."


The more you practice this the more and more it will become easier, and benefit you.  You can practice as often as once or twice a day, or at least once or twice a week.