Benefits and Limitations of Self Hypnosis

Posted by Mords1944 on November 15th, 2020

There has been a lot of talk lately about self-hypnosis. Before we get into what it can and cannot do for us, let's talk about what self-hypnosis is.

If you've ever been to a hypnotherapist, they may have told you that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. This is essentially true. What this means is that no one can make you enter hypnosis without your consent or cooperation. The media and theatrical hypnotists have led many of us to believe that hypnosis is an unnatural state that can be imposed on us by those with mind control powers.

Could not be farther from the truth. Hypnosis is a natural state of mind that we all enter several times a day. Every time your attention is so focused that you are unaware of what is going on around you, you are in a hypnotic state. Whether it is watching television, reading or playing games, every time we step out of the present and into our minds and where our attention is focused, we are in a state of hypnosis.

There are also other occasions when we enter a mild hypnotic state. For example, when we are called to the office, we are in a very suggestible state. When we are in a large crowd at a concert or other event, we are in a slight state of hypnosis. These are just a few examples of situations in which we are hypnotized in our everyday lives.

From these examples we can deduce that hypnosis is a state of mind in which we focus on something other than what is happening right in front of us, or we are so focused on what is in front of us that we lose awareness of everything else. It is a state in which we are suggestible, which means that we can internalize information and make it part of our reality or belief system. An example of this is when we watch a movie and cry at the end. Although the events did not happen to us, we are so engaged that we experience the emotions as if they were happening to us.

Of course, when we talk about self-hypnosis in a therapeutic sense we are not talking about these experiences. We are talking about an intentional process in which we divert our attention from our current environment and put ourselves in an altered state of mind for a specific purpose.

So how do we do self-hypnosis?

There are as many forms of self-hypnosis as there are people, but for this writing I will describe a simple but effective way that anyone can do.

The first thing you want to do is find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. Give yourself a good half hour. Turn off your phone and ask the children to be quiet and entertain themselves during this time. However, in an emergency, know that you will easily wake up and return to normal waking consciousness without difficulty.

Get comfortable, either sitting or lying down. You can have soft music in the background if you like. There are several recordings of meditative music that are perfect for hypnosis techniques. Some people use music to dive deeper into relaxation.

Now focus on your breathing. Watch your breath go in and out of your nose. Feel the air entering your body. Watch your belly go up and down. Often the breathing exercise is accompanied by the thought "Breathe relaxation and calm and breathe our tension and stress."

You can also use relaxation to bring you into a relaxed state of deep tranquility and calm. Imagine that the muscles around the eyes begin to relax and become flabby. Then bring that feeling to the top of your head. Feel all the muscles in your head, face, and neck completely loosen and relax. Use this technique to go through your entire body, relaxing and calming to the end.