Self-hypnosis - methods, self-hypnosis treatment

What is Self-Hypnosis? Self-hypnosis is otherwise called autosuggestion. At the same time, suggestion is addressed to oneself and is one of the methods of personal self-government and transformation of one’s consciousness.

Self-hypnosis is widely used in practical psychology, in sports pedagogy, for the correction of personality disorders, as well as for effective teaching of foreign languages.

A little bit of history

The first to discover hypnosis were shamans over 50,000 BC. They put themselves into a trance state in order to predict the weather, cure sick people, regulate the morale of soldiers, etc.

Over time, women in the tribes mastered the technique of trance and achieved it so that childbirth would be painless. In hospitals, patients were prepared for major surgery in advance: they smoked incense, read prayers, sacrificed animals, and then put the patient into a state of artificial sleep.

The ancient Hindus made a significant contribution to the history of hypnology. They were immersed in hypnosis, listening to the rustling of leaves, the murmur of the river, and the wind. They masterfully mastered the technique of putting animals into a trance.

In ancient Egypt, induction into trance was popular among priests. Plunging into half-sleep, they prophesied the future. They also hypnotized their slaves in order to convince them that their lives belonged to the gods.

Much later, in 1842, the English doctor James Braid proved that fixating the gaze on any shiny object puts a person into half-sleep, and called this state hypnosis.

In the 19th century The science of hypnology has acquired a universal scale. Newspapers wrote about the healing effect of hypnosis, scientific articles were published, and heated debates were held. Scientists have begun to pay great attention to the physiological state of a person who is under the influence of hypnosis.

Ivan Pavlov, a physiologist, came to the conclusion that the hypnotist influences certain areas of the brain that are responsible for the body’s activities around the clock. When commands are given to these areas in a state of half-asleep, the patient is cured. Under such conditions, the brain is not able to analyze and resist, so it accepts the specialist’s signals unquestioningly.

Hypnotherapy according to Freud

The famous psychologist Sigmund Freud studied in France, where hypnotherapy was practiced. Freud had a special couch for working with patients.

By putting a person into a deep trance, he helped get rid of pressing problems, remember forgotten moments in life (which he forgot due to injury, for example), cure psychological diseases, and get rid of stress. But after a short practice of hypnotherapy, Freud abandoned treating people with hypnosis.

There were several reasons for this:

Patients experienced internal conflicts between conscious and unconscious desires.
Unpredictable reactions of people appeared during the procedure.
Freud admitted that he was not proficient in the technique of hypnosis.
He could not provide precise treatment to patients.
He found it difficult to sit face to face with different people all day.

Self-hypnosis: what is it?

As you can see, experts from various industries offer it as an alternative to conventional methods. And they explain: self-hypnosis is a process of reassurance addressed to oneself. With its help, the level of self-regulation increases, which allows a person to evoke certain emotions, skillfully manipulate memory and imagination, and control somatic reactions. In a word, this is one of the forms of so-called mental control of oneself, one’s own body and feelings.

Self-hypnosis is especially helpful against diseases: using its various methods, patients overcome internal negative attitudes, while helping professional therapy aimed at healing. They are taught to convince themselves that the illness will definitely recede and that they can get rid of it easily and forever. Doctors say: confidence reaches such a high level that even seriously ill people begin to get better just before our eyes. Their depression goes away and their strength is restored to fight for life.

The process of self-hypnosis

Self-hypnosis is the independent, conscious introduction of oneself into a state of hypnosis for a certain period of time. The technique allows you to put a person into a trance without the participation of specialists. Meditation involves relaxing the mind and body to appropriate music or a calm voice by falling into a state of sleep.

Before auto-training, you need to make sure that no one comes to visit, turn off your mobile phone, and ask family members not to disturb you for half an hour.

Step-by-step technique for putting yourself into a trance

Take a comfortable position.
Free your mind from all thoughts.
Focus on your desire.
Close eyes.
When you say “one” to yourself, you have to think about how your eyelids are getting heavier. Do this until the feeling becomes real.
Mentally say “two” to yourself and repeat “my eyelids are so heavy that they close themselves.” Concentrate on this stage, but do not forcefully close your eyes.
Tell yourself “three” and think “my eyelids are very heavy and I won’t be able to open them on my own even if I want to.” At this stage, the person enters a deep trance state.

At the end of the meditation, tell yourself “open your eyelids.”

Other methods of self-hypnosis

There are situations when people are afraid to enter a trance state with their eyes closed; they need to maintain a state of consciousness. Then you can carry out the procedure of self-hypnosis by concentrating on any one object, sound or object. It can be anything: a vase, a flower on the wallpaper, a table lamp, a heartbeat, your breathing, a monotonous sound, etc. Having chosen an object or sound that suits you, you need to focus on it as much as possible, looking at only one point.

After about 10 minutes, the body will begin to relax, and a feeling of bliss and lightness will appear inside. If you have chosen the sound of your heartbeat, then in this state of light trance it will seem that its beat fills the entire room, with no other sounds nearby. If you select an item, it will appear larger than it actually is. When we saw or heard changes, self-hypnosis was successful.

Yoga and meditation

Yoga is one of the methods of self-programming that appeared earlier than other psychological auto-trainings. After just 2 months of training, you can notice changes in both mood and physical fitness. Yoga helps to get rid of diseases of the body and mind, gives a good mood, and calms the nervous system.

Animal watching

Pets, especially cats, often put themselves into a trance state called akinesis. Every owner sometimes notices that the pet is in prostration with its eyes closed and quietly purring. This way they get rid of negative energy and cleanse the atmosphere in the house. Try to feel this state as well.

No one guarantees a successful outcome on the first try. There is no need to despair, you should repeat it again. During the procedure, you need to concentrate on your desire and mentally rotate it in your head. Over time, a person will be able to control the time of immersion in and out of a trance state.

Self-hypnosis technique

The main thing you need to understand is that the subconscious does not distinguish between the imaginary and the real. And by programming itself to a certain mood, the subconscious tries to adapt to it, you change, and the reality around you changes.

First, try going to a quiet place. Don't let extraneous sounds distract you.

For self-hypnosis, you need to relax as much as possible; choose a calm environment for this.

The first practical sessions should not end in a hypnotic state; it is enough to learn how to enter a light trance. Try to see yourself from the outside.

For the first time, try doing self-hypnosis in front of a mirror. Don't expect instant results. Feel how the tension passes through each muscle of the body in turn. The sensations that a person experiences during immersion are similar to reading a prayer or meditation.

Each time you will become better at relaxing and focusing on one thing. The technique itself consists of 5 stages, taking a total of half an hour.

Let's see how to use self-hypnosis to convince yourself to give up nicotine addiction.

stage. Focus on one goal, desire. Talk to yourself about the result of your goal, the outcome. We analyze what resources we currently have to achieve the goal. We are thinking about how to change the current situation. For example, we firmly promised ourselves to quit smoking on Monday. We have identified for ourselves: smoking is a big problem that needs to be eliminated
stage. Completely relax physically and emotionally.
stage. Visualization of the process and result in achieving the goal.
stage. Speaking out the desired result.
stage. Exit from a hypnotic state.

The benefits of self-hypnosis in problem solving

In the subconscious of the human brain there are many hidden feelings, emotions, and perceptions. Sometimes people want to throw out painful things, but certain factors do not allow it. Self-hypnosis helps you look at your experiences from a positive perspective or get rid of them altogether.

When the body is relaxed and a person is between sleep and reality, the installation of the necessary formulas begins. Thanks to self-hypnosis, a person can look at his problem from different angles, think carefully about it and independently find solutions. When there is a specific goal, but there are no options on how to achieve it, by immersing yourself in a trance, you can determine many ways to achieve the desired result.

If you learn to practice self-hypnosis regularly, you can note that in stressful and conflict situations a person remains unshakable, balanced, and controls his behavior.

In the event that you cannot put yourself into a state of deep hypnosis on your own, you can use a manual on auto-training techniques or seek the help of a specialist.

Self-hypnosis. A Guide to Changing Yourself - Alman Brian, Lambru Peter

Excellent and truly comprehensive guide. Dozens of specific exercises are devoted to the technique of entering a trance of varying degrees of depth. The authors consider in detail everything that can help or hinder the reader’s independent work, gradually bringing him up to speed and always leaving the choice to him. And there is plenty to choose from: nine modern basic self-hypnosis techniques are described in the manual, and there can be countless modifications and variations. The authors talk about success criteria and difficulties; They advise which of their “treasure chests” is best suited for solving a particular problem.

The list of possible areas of application of the proposed techniques is quite impressive. From the usual competent relaxation in a stressful situation to fighting fears and anxiety attacks, from pain relief to improving skin condition, from childbirth assistance to losing excess weight... Plus fighting insomnia, increasing self-confidence, improving sports performance and much more.

Performance is cancelled.

While working on this book, the entire editorial and publishing department seemed to be pricked by the spindle of the Sleeping Beauty: both the translator, the editor, and the proofreader recalled a pleasant fog in the head, the disappearance of the sense of time, “in general, a real trance. So we were the first to experience the impact of the texts collected in this guide.

And at the same time, we were once again convinced that hypnotic experiences are not necessarily the lot of exalted lovers of the effects of someone’s “strong field.” It seems that people looking for something “sort of” in hypnosis, something exotic a la Trilby, will be disappointed. Just like furious skeptics, who are ready to look for spilled powder from Count Cagliostro’s wig behind every phenomenon close to hypnosis.

There is nothing to fascinate in this book and nothing to expose: it is prosaic and concrete, like a gardening calendar. They are extremely polite with the reader; they are invited to try, choose, and redo it in their own way. They rely on his common sense and explain what’s what, without requiring faith. They don't scare. They don’t immediately promise everything “only earned through work, only gradually,” but it’s theirs, not someone else’s. We can say that they consistently cultivate a practical attitude towards internal resources: patience, work, choice of realistic goals...

To the credit of the authors, they do not claim to have discovered another panacea: in their opinion, self-hypnosis can be an effective tool when working with many problems, “but only to the extent that it is practiced competently and meaningfully. And this is “work and, more importantly, taking responsibility for the result. And even striking examples of the magnificent successes achieved by a certain Joe or Emma do not contain the promise of “miracles for everyone”: of course, we are given examples of successful application of the method, but the results achieved by Joe or Emma are “their success.

“Self-Hypnosis” immediately became a bestseller in America, went through three editions in a row and earned warm, even enthusiastic reviews from the luminaries of hypnotherapy. The key words of the laudatory reviews are “inventive”, “stimulating one’s own creativity”, “clear”. It is precisely these qualities that modern clinical hypnosis gravitates towards, which has restored “largely thanks to the works and personality of Milton Erickson” its reputation as a serious, varied and powerful method.

The appearance and success of the book by B. Alman and P. Lambrou “is one of the symptoms of this process. The New Hypnosis is based on dialogue, following the language and images of the person being hypnotized, and respecting his “model of the world.” All this fully applies to the book.

A doctor, his patient, a psychologist, and simply anyone who is interested in learning and “taming” their own mental resources can turn to it with benefit. It resembles a tightly built box with well-chosen tools: some are familiar, some you need to learn to use, and some you still have to guess what they are for.

But the fakir's turban with a fake diamond is not there. Useless thing.

Ekaterina Mikhailova

Preface to the Second American Edition

Many people get their first, and perhaps only, idea of hypnosis at variety shows or while watching Hollywood productions. They leave the room with the feeling that hypnosis “is something dangerous and mysterious, that it is a terrifying means of influencing the mind of a helpless victim who has no control over his actions.

If this were true, I doubt I would have become interested in hypnosis. During my clinical practice, patients came to me with all kinds of problems, but I did not meet a single one who asked to deprive him of control over himself. On the contrary, they all asked for help in learning to manage their lives. And in this matter there is no more effective means than hypnosis.

The brilliant success of Brian Alman and Peter Lambrou lies in the fact that this book equips the reader with a means of influencing the inner world of his feelings. By removing the veil of mystery from hypnosis and destroying the common perception of it as “hocus-pocus,” the authors help the reader understand that a person’s way of life directly depends on his way of thinking. The authors generously share with readers the latest achievements in the field of knowledge under discussion, which were previously available only to a narrow circle of practitioners. They also managed to link specialized theoretical knowledge with the possibility of using it in life. The practical aspect of the book is precisely what makes it especially valuable.

For those who care about their mental and physical health, Alman and Lambrou gave simple and effective ways to maintain it, repeatedly emphasizing the fact that each person is unique, and by recognizing his uniqueness, a person will make it an ally in overcoming his problems. The authors teach us to believe that our self-esteem and our inner world are by no means immutable constants, but are quite amenable to change if we ourselves change the way we communicate with ourselves.

The authors touch on so many life situations and give such a variety of practical advice that this book will serve as a guide, a practical guide, and a reference book that you will study with great interest, re-reading those sections that best suit your specific problems.

The strongest side of the book, in my opinion, is the charge of faith in one’s own strengths and capabilities that the reader receives. Based on your personal experience, you will learn to control your symptoms and experiences that until now seemed uncontrollable to you. And when you achieve this, you will experience an extraordinary sense of pride and accomplishment. Everyone will approach solving their problems in their own way, but everyone will be helped by the magnificent art of Alman and Lambru.

Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D.

Self-hypnosis. Guide to changing yourself - Alman (download)

The process and benefits of self-hypnosis

After practicing with the technique of self-hypnosis, you can move on to self-hypnosis - confident, consistent suggestion of something to yourself.

Before you give yourself an instruction, you need to formulate it correctly. Don't rush to achieve something by going into a trance. First, write down your desires on paper, say them several times, think about them so that they become more firmly rooted in your thoughts. When formulating your desires, try to avoid negative particles. For example, instead of “don’t smoke” - “quit smoking”, instead of “don’t oversleep” - “wake up on time”, etc.

When the desire is clearly formulated, you should begin self-hypnosis. For example, an insecure person with many complexes wants to increase his self-esteem.

You need to clearly and clearly pronounce your thought, immerse yourself in it, as if it has already become a reality. Imagine yourself as realistically as possible in the intended situation. This may sound like “I am happy with myself, I feel comfortable and confident in this place.”
Step-by-step realization of your desire. Here you need to concentrate not on the final result, but on gradually approaching it. After one auto-training exercise, self-esteem will not increase, so you should tell yourself not “I got rid of complexes,” but “today I feel more confident than yesterday.”
Pride in yourself. This is a post-hypnotic factor that is embedded in the subconscious and works outside the suggestion session. If recently a person felt uncomfortable in any company, but today he does not feel emotional constraint, he needs to mentally praise himself and feel proud.
Reminders. A kind of hypnotic suggestion exercise. Write a note to yourself with any phrases that suit you and attach it in a visible place: “I am a beautiful, confident person. I have no complexes. I am a successful worker,” etc. The visual perception of these phrases is deposited in the brain and starts the process of getting rid of self-doubt.
Dream. The brain works even when a person is sleeping. Before going to bed, give yourself the following attitude: “Sleep comes quickly, my illnesses go away. It gives me confidence and encourages me. Sleep comes easily, I am no longer timid. The body relaxes, the settings turn on.”

During the entire time of suggestion, you can keep a diary to track positive dynamics. The main thing is that in moments of suggestion you need to believe in yourself and love yourself the way nature made you. By doing this, you launch active thought processes that will have a positive effect in the future.

Self-hypnosis methods

Self-hypnosis, as the phenomenon of self-hypnosis is also called, is capable of causing in an individual certain experiences, emotions and feelings, various volitional and motivational impulses. Almost all methods of self-hypnosis are based on the development of positive impulses, which are achieved by repeating positive statements specific to the individual, key sets of phrases. Such regular authentic repetitions are carried out until the mental or verbal attitude is transformed into a permanent instrument of the subconscious, which is activated at a certain moment and transforms thoughts and impulses into a full-fledged physical equivalent. It is recommended to pronounce such mental suggestions in an imperative tone, while affirming for oneself the likelihood of fulfilling such an “order” or confirming its execution in advance. At the same time, it is also imperative to avoid various negative connotations in your statements, including the particles “not” or “no”. For example, if you are trying to quit smoking, you should avoid suggestions like “I don’t smoke anymore” or “I don’t want to smoke”, but the attitude “I quit smoking” will be effective. Please also note that too long monologues are never used for the purposes of self-hypnosis or self-hypnosis. All settings and phrases should be as brief as possible, but at the same time succinct and to the point.

Of course, at the moment there are quite a lot of different methods of self-hypnosis, but at the same time it is worth noting that the effect mainly depends not only on the correct choice of technique. The level of information content of the suggestion and the correctness of the given attitude, the level of attention to the suggestion, focus on the desire to complete the task, and the suggestibility of the individual also play a role. To improve the effect, additional techniques widely known in psychiatry, such as meditation, relaxation, mantra reading, affirmation, and visualization, are often used.

Affirmations are considered one of the most effective and successful methods. The meaning of this phenomenon is that the individual repeats to himself an attitude that contains an already completed successful positive action. For example: “I found a good job” or “I passed the exam successfully.” The mechanism for implementing this self-hypnosis is that positive thinking very quickly displaces from the subconscious negative attitudes that block active impulses to activity, as a result of which these positive attitudes are translated into reality. You can also build self-hypnosis on constant gratitude. There is a widespread belief in psychology that gratitude for something is the most powerful positive emotion, second only to love. Constant gratitude to yourself. For those around you, or even just the universe, this is a very strong positive impulse. Which will allow you to overcome negative blockages in the subconscious every day. As with any affirmation, you need to thank quite regularly, and there is not much difference in who exactly and what you will thank for if you do it as sincerely as possible. You can even thank the world around you and the universe for another day you have lived, for good weather, for the life given to you. The main thing you must remember is that the affirmation is not repeated simply as a mantra once a day, with a certain regularity. The point of the technique is that what is repeated should become the meaning of the whole day. And a person conducting self-hypnosis in this way must not just repeat the installation, but actually experience what is being repeated. In other words, no matter what happens to you throughout the day, your positive attitude should always be on the surface. Also often used is the so-called “autogenic” training, which is a combination of the processes of self-hypnosis and self-hypnosis. The point is that the individual plunges himself into a kind of trance - a relaxed state of superficial sleep, when consciousness is in an intermediate position between dreams and reality. It is in this state that further processes of self-hypnosis take place. At the same time, it is also recommended to use visualization techniques and awaken memories that connect consciousness with positive experiences aimed at achieving the desired.

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The power of unconscious self-suggestion

To learn how to treat yourself using self-hypnosis and active self-hypnosis, you need to set precise goals for yourself. When self-hypnosis occurs involuntarily, an unpredictable effect can be expected. For example, a person suddenly has a headache. He begins to indoctrinate himself with various diseases without medical examinations. His panic leads to insomnia, depression, and nervousness.

Another example of suggestion is superstition. For example, a black cat crossed the path of a man. He will screw himself up about something bad, expect trouble, while the animal was just walking. This is a negative suggestion that you need to get rid of, pull yourself together and keep your emotions under control.

Involuntary uncontrolled suggestion can show better results. For example, a girl was getting ready for a party, couldn’t get a suitable hairstyle for a long time, and eventually went with her hair down, saying to herself “I’m already beautiful.” She unconsciously set herself up and felt confident. When a person is confident in himself and does not feel constrained, others notice this and are drawn to him.

When formulating a desire, you need to learn to use verbs in the imperative mood, addressed to yourself. This will subconsciously mean a call to action. For example: “Straighten your back, walk confidently, smile at the reflection in the mirror,” etc.

This is daily painstaking work, but over time you will find that a changed attitude towards yourself for the better has produced results. People around you will often give compliments, try to communicate with you more, and be interested in your opinion.

Reviews about self-hypnosis

This was my first experience with self-hypnosis. I'm not one of those people who believes in something like that. But it just happened that I didn’t know what to turn to. For a long time I could not recover from asthma. I went to all the doctors, but to no avail. I decided to try the power of self-hypnosis on myself. I started with the simplest thing - affirmations. It was as if I was setting myself a daily system. She said that I felt good, that I was healthy. At first everything was to no avail. But then I just started feeling better. I don’t know how to explain it, but it was just easier for me. It's like something invisible is helping me. After two months, I was completely cured. I believed in what I was saying. I set a goal for myself that I worked towards every day. Self-hypnosis is not nonsense. This is something that exists, but only those who allow themselves to believe can use it.

“If a certain object irritates you, then it is not the object itself that is to blame, but your judgment about it. And you have the power to change this judgment.”
Marcus Aurelius

5 books about self-hypnosis:

“The amazing power of emotions. Follow your feelings.” Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks.
“The power of the subconscious, or How to change your life in 4 weeks.” Joe Dispenza.
“The Messenger” Klaus J. Joule.
“Control your destiny” Louise Hay
“The power of thought - How to make yourself happy” Louise Hay

“Just as the wind blows one ship to the east and another to the west, the law of autosuggestion can inspire or depress you depending on how you spread the sails of your thoughts.”
Napoleon Hill

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Forward to a bright new life