The
basic divisions of a hypnotic induction
are relaxation, deepening, suggestion
application, and termination.
1.
Relaxation
Your
first job in the hypnotic induction
is to slow the juices down and get
yourself relaxed. But don't try to
force your mind to relax (whatever
that means)! If you get yourself physically
relaxed, your mind will follow.
Relaxation – really deep relaxation
– is an ability that most people
have either lost or never developed.
Some people can do it quite easily,
though. They just let go of their
tensions and let every part of their
body become limp and relaxed. If you
are one of these people, begin your
self-hypnosis practice by getting
nicely relaxed. Take your time. This
is not something you want to rush.
The time involved for the relaxation
phase of your self-hypnosis induction
can vary from half an hour to just
a few seconds. It is an important
part of the induction and should not
be slighted. As you get better and
your skill increases you will recognize
deeply relaxed states, and you will
be able to achieve them in a surprisingly
short time. But as a beginner, take
your time. It will be time well spent.
A
very popular method of deep relaxation
is the Jacobson Progressive Relaxation
procedure. This involves tensing each
of the major muscle groups of your
body (foot and lower leg on each side,
upper leg and hip, abdomen, etc.).
Tense the muscle group for a few seconds,
then let go.
2. Deepening Procedures
Once
you have completed the relaxation
phase of your self-hypnosis induction
procedure, you can begin to deepen
the relaxed state. At some time between
the deep relaxation and the deepening
procedures you will move into a hypnotic
state. You probably won't know it,
especially as a beginner, but it will
happen sooner or later.
One
of the first hurdles a beginner must
get over is the compulsion to "watch
for it." That is, you will keep
waiting for hypnosis to happen, for
some change in your awareness or the
way you feel that will say to you,
"You're hypnotized."
Watching
for hypnosis will definitely get in
your way if you don't get it out of
your mind. Going into a hypnotic state
is, in this respect, similar to going
to sleep. If you try to catch yourself
going to sleep – if you try
to be aware of the precise instant
in which you actually go to sleep
– you are much less likely to
go to sleep. "Watching"
keeps you awake.
In this same way you will not know
when you go into a hypnotic state
(but that won't be because you lost
consciousness – you won't).
Later, after you have been practicing
regularly for a few weeks or a month
or two, you'll be much more familiar
with yourself and how it feels to
be hypnotized.
Does
it take everyone weeks or even months
to get into a good hypnotic state?
Definitely not. Some people have an
amazing experience the very first
time they try it. Others might practice
for several days, noticing nothing,
then out of the blue they have one
of those great induction sessions
in which they know something stupendously
good happened. But if you happen not
to be one of these people, don't worry
about it. Just keep practicing and
you will eventually get there.
One
of the most popular deepening procedures
is the count-down technique. Hollywood
also likes this one. That is why you
see it in so many movies. That and
the swinging watch.
To
use the count-down technique you simply
start counting downward from, say,
20 (or 100, or whatever). Adjust the
countdown number to whatever feels
right to you after you have practiced
a few times. Imagine that you are
drifting deeper with each count. Other
images and thoughts will probably
intrude themselves as you count. That
is natural. Just gently brush them
aside, continuing with your counting.
The
speed with which you count down should
be natural; not too fast, not too
slow. For most people this means counting
at a rate of about one count for each
two or three seconds. Do it at a rate
that feels comfortable and relaxed
to you. Some people like to tie the
count with their breathing. As they
drift deeper their breathing slows
down, so their counting also slows
down.
Don't count out loud, just think your
way down the count. You want to avoid
as much physical involvement and movement
as possible.
3.
Suggestion Application in self-hypnosis
Once
you have reached the end of your deepening
procedure you are ready to apply suggestions.
What you have done during the relaxation
and deepening procedures is increase
your suggestibility. That is, you
have opened up your subconscious mind
at least a little bit to receive your
suggestions. This works because of
the particular, and peculiar, characteristics
of the subconscious part of your mind.
The
most common and easiest way to apply
suggestions is to have them worked
out ahead of time, properly prepared
and worded, and memorized. It should
not be too difficult to remember them
because they should be rather short
and you are the one who composed them.
If you have them ready and remembered,
you can simply think your way through
them at this point.
Dialogue,
or more properly monologue, is also
okay. You just talk ("think"
to keep your effort to a minimum)
to yourself about what it is you want
to do, be, become, whatever.
Don't
say "you." You are thinking
to yourself, so use the first person
personal pronoun "I." Some
suggestions can be succinctly stated
in a somewhat more formal sort of
way, like, "I am eating less
and becoming more slender every day."
Elaborated
suggestions are generally wordier
and more of an ad lib: "Food
is becoming less important to me every
day and I am filling my time with
more important and meaningful pursuits
than eating. It is getting easier
and easier to pass up desserts and
other fattening foods . . ."
and so on.
Generally
speaking, the most effective kind
of suggestion is image suggestion.
Image suggestions usually do not use
language at all. You can liken this
to seeing yourself in a calm, relaxed
state while in the middle of a chaotic
situation. Actually see yourself in
your mind’s eye.
Although
people sometimes see immediate results
from their suggestions, it is more
likely to take a little time for them
to kick in. So don't be impatient.
On the other hand, if you have not
begun to see some results within,
say, a couple of weeks, you need to
change your suggestions.
4.
Termination
Once
you have finished applying suggestions
you are through with your induction
and you can terminate your session.
You could just open your eyes, get
up and go about your business, but
that is not a good idea.
You should formally identify the end
of every session. By doing this you
provide a clear boundary between the
hypnotic state and your ordinary conscious
awareness. A clear termination also
prevents your self-hypnosis practice
session from turning into a nap. If
you want to take a nap, take a nap.
But don't do it in a way that sleeping
becomes associated with self-hypnosis
practice.
If you are practicing at bedtime and
don't care if you go on to sleep,
that is okay. But still draw the line
in your mind to indicate the end of
your self-hypnosis session.
To terminate the session, think to
yourself that you are going to be
fully awake and alert after you count
up to, say, three.
"One, I'm beginning to come out
of it, moving toward a waking state.
Two, I'm becoming more alert, getting
ready to wake up. Three, I'm completely
awake." Something like that.
Self-hypnosis can work wonders when
it is practiced on a regular basis.
You’d be amazingly surprised
at the level of relaxation you can
get to. It’s one of the best
things I ever did for myself!
Now
we should move on to stress management
techniques in general. This could
be a long chapter, but a very, very
helpful one!
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