Many people think that they can only be hypnotized with the help of a hypnotist. With the right exercises it is quite possible to teach yourself to be hypnotized. This allows you to teach yourself to get into your inner self and subconscious. This way you can gain control over your subconscious and influence your thoughts and feelings. If you master this well, you can learn to tackle your problem and achieve your goal.

What is self-hypnosis?

It is wrong to think that you can only be hypnotized with the help of a hypnotist. With the right exercises it is possible to put yourself under hypnosis. With self-hypnosis you return to your inner self and you are closed off from the outside world. All kinds of things happen in your subconscious, such as your thoughts and physical condition. You often don’t think about this in your consciousness. With self-hypnosis you learn to get a grip on your thoughts, making it possible to change them. This way it can be used to achieve your goal.

For what purposes?

Self-hypnosis can be used for various purposes. Some use it for pure relaxation, but it can also be used to solve problems. For example, someone who is overweight and would like to lose weight, but is unable to do so. Then self-hypnosis can be used to teach yourself to follow a better diet so that you can ultimately lose weight. Below are some goals that can be achieved with self-hypnosis:

• Quit smoking
• Gain more self-confidence
• Solving sleep problems
• Experience less stress
• To overcome fears
• Dealing with phobias
• Dealing with pain
• Against allergic reactions
• Weight loss

The steps of self-hypnosis

In principle, self-hypnosis can be used by everyone. It does require the right attitude, patience and the right exercises. There are self-hypnosis courses to train yourself in this. You can also do exercises yourself to learn self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis consists of the following steps:

• Enter hypnosis
• When you have fallen into a trance, try to get closer to consciousness
• Work on your problem when you are in your subconscious
• Coming out of hypnosis again

How can you achieve self-hypnosis?

First of all, it is important to relax and to do this, be in an environment where you can indulge in relaxation and where you will not be disturbed. Write down your goal for self-hypnosis so that you know exactly what you want. It is important to have your goal clearly in mind. Sit or lie down in a relaxed position. Only think of positive qualities. Then perform the following steps:

• Close your eyes
• Roll your eyes inwards and try to look inside yourself
• Relax further by focusing on your breathing
• The body feels heavier and it seems as if you are sinking into your body
• You arrive at the moment when you enter your subconscious
• Think positive thoughts and see how you want to change the situation

The floor

Once you have reached a trance, you will need to go a little deeper. There are various deepening techniques that you can apply. With each floor it is advisable to do this when exhaling because this contributes to the feeling of going deeper. For example, you can imagine that you are descending a staircase, falling deeper into hypnosis with each step. Breathe out with every step you descend. You can also count backwards from, for example, 25 back to 1 every time you exhale. When you have reached a deeper level, you think about your problem and positive thoughts to solve it. For example, if you want to quit smoking, you think about how nice it will be if you are no longer addicted to cigarettes.

Coming out of hypnosis

To come back from hypnosis, you tell your subconscious that you want to come out of hypnosis again. Your body often responds on its own. If this doesn’t work, it’s not that bad, because it usually means that you just fell asleep. Otherwise you will figure it out on your own. You will also be under hypnosis, you like to keep control over what happens to you. For example, you can mentally count down from 5 to 1 and wake up at 1, indicating that you feel good.

After the self-hypnosis

Self-hypnosis is good for both the body and mind. Everyone can apply it themselves. It can be applied several times a day. This makes it possible to get rid of bad habits or certain fears. You can stimulate your body and mind to think or feel differently. To achieve this you must be patient and undergo self-hypnosis several times. Eventually you will turn certain thoughts and feelings into something positive. For deeper problems it is advisable to seek help from a hypnotherapist.

Practice a lot

Getting into self-hypnosis is not easy and does require a lot of practice. If you are starting out with self-hypnosis, don’t be discouraged and keep in mind that it will take a while to succeed. As a tool, you can purchase a handbook on self-hypnosis. Sometimes it helps if you record an induction yourself on a sound carrier that you listen to to go into self-hypnosis. Sometimes a hypnotist can help you learn self-hypnosis. This person will guide you and give you practical tips. Ultimately, you will learn a method that you feel most comfortable with.

Advantages

The advantage is that you decide when you apply this and how often. Self-treatment sometimes only needs to take a few minutes. It requires little preparation without too much effort. It can be done anywhere where you can relax yourself enough. This is an excellent way to get to know yourself better and change yourself in a positive way.

Cons

It takes a while to master self-hypnosis. It requires a lot of self-discipline and motivation. The hypnosis is often less deep than under the guidance of a hypnotist. There is a good chance that you will fall asleep because you are very relaxed. There are only a limited number of techniques you can use to hypnotize yourself.

read more

• What a hypnotherapist does
• Learning during sleep: myth or fact?
• Lucid dreaming and its influence on daily life