Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Preparing for hypnosis
• Part 2 of 3: Getting under hypnosis
• Part 3 of 3: Enhancing the experience
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Self-hypnosis is a natural state of consciousness that can be defined as an increased state of concentration (trance). With that, you can change your thinking patterns, get rid of bad habits and take better control of the person you are - and it also teaches you to relax. It is like meditation and you develop into a better person.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Preparing for hypnosis

1. Dress in comfortable clothes. It is very difficult to get into a deeply relaxed state if you keep thinking about your over-tight pants that are cutting off your circulation. So put on some sweatpants. Nothing should distract you.
   • Also make sure the temperature is pleasant. Keep a blanket or sweater handy if you get cold quickly. Sometimes it can be nice to be very warm.
2. Go to a quiet room and sit on a comfortable chair, sofa, or bed. While some people like to lie down, you are more at risk of falling asleep than sitting up straight. Make sure not to cross your legs or any other part of your body while sitting or lying down. You will lie in the same position for a while and crossing body parts can become uncomfortable.
3. Make sure you cannot be disturbed for at least half an hour. Self-hypnosis is not effective if interrupted by a phone, pet, or child. Turn off your phone, lock the door and leave yourself out. This is your moment.
   • How long you want to spend on this is up to you. Most want to be in a trance for about 15 to 20 minutes (wooch, we try to avoid this word as much as possible because it has negative connotations), but you also need time to get in and out.
4. Determine the purpose of the hypnosis. Do you just want to relax? Do you want to improve yourself? Train your memory? If you want to achieve a bigger goal (lose weight, quit smoking, etc.) have a list of affirmations ready. You can use self-hypnosis to just relax, but you can also enrich your life with it. Many use it to achieve their goals, change their thinking patterns, or just to get a more positive attitude or motivation. Here are some affirmations you could try:
   • When you want to quit a bad habit, it is most effective to get straight to the point. Consider, for example, "I don't want to smoke. Cigarettes don't hurt me".
   • If you want to think more positively, focus on, for example, "I am able to do well whatever I throw myself into. I am in control of myself and I am valuable".
   • If you want to achieve a certain goal, such as losing weight, say something in the present tense: "I'm eating healthy. I'm losing weight. My clothes are more comfortable and I feel better".
     • These are statements that you are going to say to yourself when you are under hypnosis. Again, it is entirely up to you, but many people find that it is very effective and that it enriches their lives.

Part 2 of 3: Getting under hypnosis

1. Close your eyes and let any feelings of fear, stress, or worry slide away. When you start, you may find it difficult not to think. Thoughts may keep coming up. If this happens, don't try to force yourself to lose your thoughts. Observe them without judgment and then let them slide away from you.
   • You can also take a certain point on the wall and focus on that. It could be a corner, a spot, or whatever you want to look at. Focus on that point and focus on your lids. Repeat to yourself that your eyes are getting heavier and heavier and close them when you can no longer keep them open.
2. Recognize that there is tension in your body. Imagine that the tension slowly releases and dissipates from your body, starting with your toes. Imagine this exercise relieves your body of tension, part after body, from your toes up. Visualize each part of your body getting lighter as the tension is further resolved.
   • Relax your toes, then your feet. Continue with your calves, thighs, hips, stomach and beyond, until you have released every part of your body, including your face and head. Applying images that you find soothing such as water (feel the water flow over your feet and ankles after which they are clean and tension-free) can also be effective.
3. Breathe in and out slowly and deeply. With every exhalation you see the tension and negativity coming out of your mouth like a dark cloud. With every inhalation you see the air you breathe as a radiant energy full of light and power.
   • At this point you can also use visualizations. Think of a lemon and cut it in half. Imagine the juice spilling out over your fingers. Put them in your mouth. What is your reaction? How does it feel, taste and smell? Then move on to some more meaningful visions. Imagine your bills blowing away in the wind. Or that you are running off those pounds. Try to see as much detail as possible. Always think of your five senses.
4. Appreciate that you are extremely relaxed now. Imagine that you are at the top of a staircase with ten steps, which is submerged at the fifth step. See every detail of this scene from top to bottom. Tell yourself you are going to descend the stairs, counting down every step, starting at ten. See every song in front of you. Imagine that each number you count is one step further down and one step further to the bottom of the stairs. After every song you feel that you are in an increasingly deeper state of relaxation.
   • With every step you take, you imagine that you actually feel the step of the stairs under your foot. When you get to the fifth step you imagine and really feel the refreshing and cool water. You tell yourself that you are stepping into an oasis of purity and purity. As you descend the last five steps, you can feel the water getting higher and higher around your body. You should feel a little numb now and your heart will start beating a little faster. Observe it and let any resistance that comes to your mind slide off you and dissolve in the water.
5. Feel the thrill of floating. Arriving at the bottom of the water at the bottom of the stairs you shouldn't really feel anything, just a floating feeling. You can also feel like you are spinning around. Once you have reached this state of consciousness, you take stock of your problems and decide what to do with them.
   • Now you are going to say out loud what you are doing. Speak softly to yourself in the present and future tense, as if you were reading a page of a book to yourself.
   • Now see three boxes under the water that you are swimming towards. When you get to the boxes, slowly open them one by one. You tell yourself what is happening while you open each box. For example, "As I open the box a radiant wave of light flows over me, I feel it becoming part of me, this light is my newfound confidence that I can never lose as it has now become part of myself" and then continue to the next box.
   • Avoid statements with negative connotations such as "I don't want to be tired and irritated." Instead, you can say "I'm getting calm and relaxed now." Examples of positive comments include "I am strong and slim," "I am successful and positive," and, if you are in pain, "My back is starting to feel really nice."
6. Repeat your statement (s) as often as you want. Feel free to wade around in the water, envisioning yourself emptying boxes, finding treasure (in the form of confidence, money, etc.) or just letting go of any tension. Find places where the water is cold, or warm, or full of animals. Let your imagination run wild.
7. Prepare to get out of hypnosis. When you are happy with what you did, swim back to the stairs and feel the water get lower and lower with every step you take until you reach the fifth step again. Once you are out of the water and you are on the sixth step, you may feel heavy or as if a weight is pressing on your chest. Then wait for the step for it to pass while still repeating your positive suggestions.
   • When the pressing feeling is over, continue up the stairs, visualizing the corresponding number at each step. You feel the steps under your feet with every step and you use your willpower to make sure you get to the top of the stairs.
     • For the record, this visualization with water is not the only possible method. If you know a better scenario, use it! It's just as good, if not better, as it's before you works.
8. Once you've climbed up, give yourself some time before opening your eyes again. You may want to visualize a door to the outside world. Do this slowly and imagine seeing light shining through the door. This should make you open your eyes. If you have to, count down from ten to zero and tell yourself that when you're done, your eyes will be open.
   • Take your time to get up. Then you say out loud to yourself "Wake up, wake up" or something similar that your mother used to say to you when she woke you up. This will bring your consciousness back into conscious mode.

Part 3 of 3: Enhancing the experience

1. Mean it. No self-hypnosis or mantra of any kind will work if you don't really mean it. To be effective you have to believe in yourself and your actions. And why not? If you really mean it, it will work.
   • If it doesn't work the first time, don't give up right away. Some things take some getting used to and you will get better at them. Do it again after a few days, you might be amazed at yourself.
   • Open up. You have to believe in it if you want it to work. If you are skeptical, it will get in the way of the process.
2. Test yourself physically. If you want proof that you are in a trance, there are some exercises you can do. Anything you can see or feel can work on your body. Try these ideas:
   • Pinch your fingers together.Hold them together throughout the trance and say they are stuck - as if there were glue in between. Then try to separate them. If that doesn't work, that's proof!
   • Remember that an arm gets heavier and heavier. You don't even have to choose one consciously, your brain does that for you. Imagine there is a heavy book on it. Then try lifting your arm. Are you succeeding?
3. Visualize situations. Whatever you want to work towards - be it confidence, weight loss, positive thinking or whatever - try to imagine how you would react in a given situation. If you want to be thinner, imagine putting on a skinny with ease, looking in the mirror and smiling at your beautiful body. That blissful feeling alone is worth it.
   • Many people use hypnosis to get over shyness. You don't have to deal with the shyness directly; something related to it is also good. Just imagine walking outside with your head up, smiling and making eye contact. That can be the first step to a more extroverted version of yourself.
4. Use things outside of yourself to assist you. For example, some people like to listen to music during their self-hypnosis. There is all kinds of hypnosis music on the internet. If certain environmental noises - water, rainforest, etc. - can help, use that.
   • It can also be useful to set a timer. Some find it difficult to keep an eye on the time when they are in a trance. If you don't want to accidentally be hypnotized for hours on end, you can use a timer. Just make sure it has a quiet sound to wake you up.
5. Use it to develop yourself. Find a goal you want to achieve and focus on that during your hypnosis. Think of the person you would like to be and be that person. Hypnosis is good as deep meditation, but the great thing about it is that you can use it for a greater purpose. Many people notice that they are much more positive and purposeful afterwards. Use that to your advantage!
   • You can't go wrong. Whether you want to break a bad habit, get more direction in your life, or change the way you think, hypnosis can help. By getting rid of stressors in your life you become who you want to be, and hypnosis helps with that. The more you do it, the better and more naturally it will go.

Tips

• Before you sit or lie down and relax, think about the instructions and suggestions you will give yourself, as this may interfere with self-hypnosis.
• Some say you can relax well if you imagine yourself in a natural environment before you start counting. For example, you can imagine walking through a forest while smelling the trees and hearing the wind. Or you can imagine walking by the sea and feeling the sand crackling under your feet, feeling the cool water lapping against your ankles and hearing the sounds of the waves.
• If you can't sleep at night, after counting from ten to one (or descending the stairs), you can stay in this nice relaxed state of consciousness, lying down with your eyes closed. You will then fall asleep much easier.
• For those who want to meditate but find it difficult to sit still for long, use this as a form of meditation but extend the time counting from ten down and up again.
• It's easier if you don't force anything, don't try to think about the procedure yourself.
• Another way to let your body relax is to tighten your muscles for ten seconds before relaxing them. You should feel the tension release from your muscles.
• If you find it difficult to practice self-hypnosis, you can consult a hypnotherapist or purchase recording equipment so that you can experience the self-hypnosis better. If you have experienced the self-hypnosis once or twice, you will know roughly what state of consciousness you are trying to create.
• Writing out your instructions before starting the induction can be very effective. A written list of the topics you want to work on can also help. A list can often be more easily remembered than your thoughts, however ordered.
• It can help to see a professional such as a licensed hypnotherapist for an initial session to experience what it feels like.

Warnings

• Be careful when you get up after lying down. If you get up too quickly, your blood pressure can drop too quickly, which can make you dizzy or even faint. This has nothing to do with the self-hypnosis, it is orthostatic hypotension.
• Hypnosis doesn't always work right away; you may need to repeat it often (e.g. every day for a month) to see the desired results. You need to "train" yourself by exercising a lot.

Necessities

• A comfortable place to sit or lie down, dim light and suitable room temperature.
• A quiet space where you will not be disturbed for at least half an hour.