Background: (1) An Explanation Of Hypnosis (2) An Explanation Of Meditation
If we are to compare hypnosis with meditation we find that the main difference between meditation and self-hypnosis is that meditation tends to be passive while hypnosis is goal oriented. For example in meditation you are focused on just your breathing or chanting/mantra or a peaceful image or physical relaxation or nothing at all. While in hypnosis and self-hypnosis you are focusing on suggestions and visualizations for self-improvement. In my meditation system - listed at the bottom of the explanation to meditation post - you use visualizations which are the same as self-hypnosis)
In short, if you combine positive suggestions and visualization with a meditative practice you are doing self-hypnosis. The following is a simple self-hypnosis technique and below there is a self-hypnosis audio you can use for mental enhancement. Enjoy!
How To Do Self-Hypnosis (A simple 5 minute technique that requires no training, just regular practice):
Some more tips:
To attain a proper state for self-hypnosis you have to stop your analytic mind (your thoughts and doubts) something which occurs naturally in meditation. Deep relaxation helps remove extraneous thoughts and allows you better focus. So relaxation is an important part of both hypnosis and self hypnosis. Once you are relaxed and focused you are in a state of ‘hypnosis’. You will be awake and aware as you don’t lose consciousness or fall asleep. Sleep is useless for hypnosis and self-hypnosis. You have to be aware and focused.
Your conscious mind also has a role to play. Consciously you have to adopt the attitude, “I love this affirmation/suggestion and I know I can make this a part of how I see the world”. While you are in your state of relaxed focused attention – with the attitude of “I love this” – you are reprogramming your subconscious mind.
Of course, many Negative beliefs programmed in your subconscious mind have been there for years. This means you may have to do self-hypnosis several times before you successfully reprogram your subconscious mind permanently.
If you have a conscious attitude that is anything other than “I love this affirmation/suggestion/visualization” then no hypnosis method will work. In other words if you don’t like the affirmation/suggestion or it makes you uncomfortable or you don’t really care about it or you ‘hope’ it works but you don’t believe it will then you will not be able to do any subconscious reprogramming.
Since you are aware of everything that is said to you (when doing hypnosis), anything the hypnotist says that you don’t like or don’t believe in will get ignored by your subconscious mind. That is why self-hypnosis can be so effective. You choose what you want to focus on that fits what you want and how you see the world. In other words, you can tailor a self-hypnosis session in any way you desire.
The main difference between meditation and self-hypnosis is that meditation tends to be passive while hypnosis is goal oriented. For example in meditation you are focused on just your breathing or chanting or an image. While in hypnosis you are focusing on suggestions and visualizations for self-improvement.
That means that if you combine positive suggestions and visualization in a meditative state you are doing a form of self-hypnosis. Thus self hypnosis is a form of meditation.
This makes hypnosis kinda like manipulating meditative states for constructive means and self hypnosis the skill of choosing your meditative states at will. Thus the better your meditative state and understanding of the mind the less likely you will be fooled by any manipulative trick of the mind.
Your Subconscious Mind
Everything you have experienced in your life is recorded in your subconscious mind. If I were to ask you what is 4 plus 4 you would answer eight. That’s your conscious mind. If I ask you what you had for lunch 6 weeks ago you won’t have any conscious recollection of it.
However, your subconscious mind will remember in perfect detail. When you are driving you are probably thinking about many things. Everybody does. Many people love to drive when thinking just like some people prefer walking. If you are driving and thinking about work or your weekend plans then what part of you is paying attention to driving? The answer is your subconscious mind. If there is an obstacle your subconscious mind will make you step on the brake before you can make any conscious decision.
Everyone has experienced being so deep in thought that they don’t remember the turns they took to get to their destination. You drove the entire distance guided by your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind doesn’t think. That is a function of your conscious mind. Your subconscious mind just reacts based on the information stored in it. If you are feeling cold while sleeping or need to go to the bathroom then your subconscious mind will wake you up. When you learn something new you have to pay conscious attention. For example, when learning to drive a car you first have to be conscious of the gas pedal, the brake, the distance between you and the other cars, the lights etc. Once you have learned to drive then this knowledge becomes a part of your subconscious mind and you just drive.
The subconscious is like a vast storehouse of your knowledge and beliefs. If you hear something negative about yourself, while growing up (or as an adult), and accept it as true then that will be stored in your subconscious mind as a belief about yourself. For example if your teacher said things to you like, “Why are you so stupid” or “You just don’t have a brain in your head” or “You will never succeed or make anything of yourself” and you believed her then those beliefs about yourself are part of your subconscious mind. Since your subconscious mind acts on what it knows you will be insecure about your intelligence for the rest of your life – unless you change your negative beliefs into positive ones. Consciously believing yourself to be intelligent will not work as your subconscious mind has been programmed. This means that your subconscious will sabotage your efforts in areas where you have negative beliefs involved.
Meditation, hypnosis and self-hypnosis are the most effective means to change your subconscious programming.
Affirmations for Self-Hypnosis
One way to help you switch your internal dialogue from negative to a positive one is to practice affirmations.
Affirmations are used commonly in many self-help books and has become a staple of modern business life for several decades. Yet it is still an underused method in our time. Using affirmations is easy and regular use can serve as a reminder to you to think positive thoughts.
Affirmations can become even more effective when you use them in self-hypnosis. Just go to your meditative state and repeat your chosen affirmations to reprogram your subconscious giving you a boost in whatever self-improvement category you are focusing on.
The rule of thumb in using affirmations is to focus your affirmation on what you want NOT on what you don’t want.
If you say, ‘I don’t want to feel angry’ you are doing a negative affirmation. Notice that you are creating a thought or mental image of being angry in this affirmation. The result will be that your anger will stay the same of increase.
Instead of saying, ‘I don’t want to be angry’, say ‘I am feeling calm and peaceful’. Notice how you create the mental image of being calm and peaceful just by saying those words. Also notice you are saying the affirmation in the present, i.e. ‘I am’ feeling a certain way. Not ‘I will’ because that assumes the calm and peacefulness will come to you in the future and not now.
You can make the affirmation even more effective by stating it from the present into the future such as ‘I am feeling more and more calm and peaceful everyday and in everyway’. Notice how this focuses your mind on continuing to feel calm and peaceful into the future and creates the intention of increasing the calm and peace you want to feel.
The following are some affirmations you can use. When you make your own affirmations make sure you model them on the ones listed here or on the ones in the videos on this website.
‘I am feeling more and more confident’
‘Everyday and in everyway I and feeling better and better and better’
‘It is getting easier and easier for me to exercise regularly’
etc.
These are the rules for phrasing your own affirmations:
Frame your sentences in positive words If you say “I will not be angry” then your mind is focused on an image of anger. The sentence is framed in the negative. Instead say “I am feeling calm and peaceful” this focuses the mind on the positive state you want to be in and takes you in that direction.
Focus on the present tense If you focus on your affirmation to be about the here and now it will be more effective. For example: Don’t say “I will feel calm” as it refers to the future. Instead say “I am feeling calm” as it refers to the present.
Be specific and use detail If you want the muscles in your leg to relax say “The muscles in my leg are getting more and more relaxed”. By specific you affirm exactly what you want. You don’t need to make an affirmation short or long. Just figure out the positive state you want and say it in positive words in as much detail as you like.
Use simple, emotionally stimulating words By phrasing your affirmations using words that are exciting is more effective than using bland words. For example: you could say “I am feeling more and more relaxed” and it would be effective. You can take the same concept and make it more stimulating by adding more descriptive words and it will be even more effective. For example: “I am feeling calmer and more peaceful with every breath I take making it easier and easier for me to handle any stressful situation with an alert and calm state of mind”
Repeat your affirmations often By saying affirmations you are focusing your mind on a positive state. However, negative states of mind (or thoughts) have been there longer as we tend to think negative thoughts more. So for an affirmation to work effectively it has to be repeated often so it can take the place of the negative state.
Making affirmations even more effective Affirmations can be enhanced with meditation and self-hypnosis. Simply by repeating the affirmation/mantra/thought while you are practicing a proper meditation technique makes it a tool of self-hypnosis or mind expansion or both.
A self-hypnosis meditation track will have relaxation instructions, suggestions and visualizations. A good self-hypnosis track has the basic format of the following audio;
Self-Hypnosis For Mental Enhancement Audio (To Be Used With Headphones For Best Results)
The above audio uses binaural beats, as explained in the introduction to meditation, for relaxation to make the session more effective. Works best with headphones. Please don't drive or operate machinery while listening to this relaxation inducing audio.
Note: Also, Sometimes when your muscles release tension it may jerk. I have seen some overly stressed out (or wound up) individuals literally jump with the force of the release of tension in a muscle. Generally, if you do have a a tension release where your muscles "jump" it's followed by even deeper relaxation than before.
From WebMD's article "Hypnosis Goes Mainstream": Hypnosis is merely a tool -- a technique to tap into the subconscious, says Oster, who heads the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.
No pocket watches are involved and no one clucks like a chicken afterward.
In fact hypnosis is a state of concentration and focused attention. With it the mind can be more powerful. You simply have slipped into your subconscious.
In a hypnotherapist's office, you can learn self-hypnosis. Don't worry, you won't lose control. You won't do anything against your will. "No one takes away our choice under any conditions -- no one can make you do anything you wouldn't normally do," says Jane Ann Covington, a hypnotist in Atlanta and founder of the Hypnosis Institute International Center for Developing Mastery.
In hypnosis, you don't even lose consciousness, Covington tells WebMD.
"If I said something inappropriate to you, you would either disregard it or get up and leave," she says. "You would react as you normally would."
No pocket watches are involved and no one clucks like a chicken afterward.
In fact hypnosis is a state of concentration and focused attention. With it the mind can be more powerful. You simply have slipped into your subconscious.
In a hypnotherapist's office, you can learn self-hypnosis. Don't worry, you won't lose control. You won't do anything against your will. "No one takes away our choice under any conditions -- no one can make you do anything you wouldn't normally do," says Jane Ann Covington, a hypnotist in Atlanta and founder of the Hypnosis Institute International Center for Developing Mastery.
In hypnosis, you don't even lose consciousness, Covington tells WebMD.
"If I said something inappropriate to you, you would either disregard it or get up and leave," she says. "You would react as you normally would."
No pocket watches are involved and no one clucks like a chicken afterward.
In fact hypnosis is a state of concentration and focused attention. With it the mind can be more powerful. You simply have slipped into your subconscious.
In a hypnotherapist's office, you can learn self-hypnosis. Don't worry, you won't lose control. You won't do anything against your will. "No one takes away our choice under any conditions -- no one can make you do anything you wouldn't normally do," says Jane Ann Covington, a hypnotist in Atlanta and founder of the Hypnosis Institute International Center for Developing Mastery.
In hypnosis, you don't even lose consciousness, Covington tells WebMD.
"If I said something inappropriate to you, you would either disregard it or get up and leave," she says. "You would react as you normally would."
Hypnosis -- or hypnotherapy -- uses guided relaxation, intense concentration, and focused attention to achieve a heightened state of awareness that is some-times called a trance. The person's attention is so focused while in this state that anything going on around the person is temporarily blocked out or ignored. In this naturally occurring state, a person may focus his or her attention -- with the help of a trained therapist -- on specific thoughts or tasks.
More details...
Self Talk and Self Hypnosis
I’ve covered how hypnosis is a part of everyday reality. If you watch a movie it’s the equivalent of hypnosis as you are guided to experience the story. On the other hand if you are thinking a particular set of thoughts, such as angry or happy thoughts then you are doing self-hypnosis as your thoughts guide your emotional state.
Now I’m going to focus on self-talk as self-hypnosis to put another perspective of how hypnosis works.
In other words how you talk to yourself in your head – the thoughts you think – also create how you feel. In these instances you are doing self-hypnosis.
If you do a lot of negative thinking then you will create a lot of negative feelings in yourself. If you do positive thinking then you will create positive feelings in yourself. You are basically doing self-hypnosis all the time.
Suppose you encounter a problem and your thoughts are something like this:
“Another problem! Why does this always happen to me. If people would just listen to me then these problems wouldn’t happen. It’s so irritating to have this problem interfering with my plans today” and so on.
What you are doing in this case is negative self talk. In other words you are doing bad self-hypnosis.
In the same way if a friend of yours is upset and tells you about their problem like this;
“You know how when problems start and you feel helpless and you don’t know what to do and its as if everything is falling apart…”
Then the friend’s negative conversation will create a negative effect on you (notice how saying ‘you know when’ makes you relate that other person’s negative experience to yourself). Of course it will only happen if you are following along and sympathizing with what you are being told. You will feel the negativity from your friend and you will feel bad.
In the above situation your friend has unintentionally done bad or negative hypnosis on you.
You probably get the idea by now.
Being in a negative environment, talking to yourself in negative terms (i.e. negative self talk) and having depressing conversation will all put you in a bad mood.
In other words you become highly focused on a negative perspective. This is the same as being hypnotized in a negative manner.
The reverse is also true.
If you ever encounter a problem and think,
“Oh a difficult situation! That’s OK. I can handle this like I’ve dealt with other negative situations in the past. I’ll just take a deep breath and imagine a peaceful scene, like a beautiful day at the beach. Now I am relaxed and ready to deal with the situation.”
Notice how the focus of your mind is on a positive perspective. You become highly focused on a positive outlook to a problem you are faced with. In this case you are doing positive self-talk or positive self-hypnosis.
Same applies to a conversation. If a person is upbeat and happy when talking to you and uses encouraging words, creating positive or empowering images – and you are following along. Then this conversation is effectively good hypnosis.
Talking to a person is very similar to hypnosis. Some categorize it as conversational hypnosis. Learning how to talk in a way that both improves your own inner dialogue and how you talk with others makes you a good conversational hypnotist. If you are unaware of the power of words then you may do bad conversational hypnosis without even knowing it.
Keeping all the ideas here in mind you realize how powerful your mind can be on your emotional states. Simply switching the focus of your mind and your thoughts from negative to positive will change you entire outlook and thus your emotional state of being.
When you have understood the processes of hypnosis and self-hypnosis and done some practice you will be able to do self-hypnosis anytime, anywhere providing you with greater control over your life and your interactions with others.
In other words, self-talk is your internal dialogue which influences your emotional states and is a form of self-hypnosis.
Creating A Positive/Happy/Peaceful Frame Of Mind
If you think angry thoughts then chemicals will be released by the brain into your body that make you feel angry. Thinking pleasant thoughts would make you feel good.
Sometimes we have a tendency to think more negative thoughts particularly in negative situations, which makes us more stressed out. Learning to refocus our thoughts on a positive perspective not only reduces stress but also makes us more able to deal with the stressful situation we are faced with.
Affirmations are a useful tool that can be used to focus the mind on positive thoughts. Saying “I can handle this situation with a peaceful and alert mind” is a positive affirmation. Or if you get angry then thinking of how this situation has given you an opportunity to become better at releasing anger creates a perspective that is positive in that you gain control of your emotions. You could make up an affirmation for an angry situation like a traffic jam such as “I feel calm in this traffic situation and I have more time to think pleasant thoughts and listen to music”.
“People with positive attitudes generally enjoy life more, but are they any healthier? The answer is often "yes." Optimism is a resource for healing. Optimists are more likely to overcome pain and adversity in their efforts to improve their medical treatment outcomes.” from “Positive Thinking” on Web MD
If you think positive thoughts around a habit what you want to change, such as bad eating habits or an addiction such as smoking, then you will develop good habits... and ultimately lose weight and/or quit smoking. In other words, affirmations, around what you want, is a proven method of achieving various kinds of goals.
Principles Of The Mind For Self-Hypnosis (With The Example Of Stress Management)
"Your body responds to your thoughts, emotions, and actions." from “Positive Thinking” on Web MD
1. Every Thought Effects The Body
Years of scientific study have proven conclusively that the mind and body are interrelated. In a feature in Time Magazine it is written, "Not only is the mind like the rest of the body, but the well-being of one is intimately intertwined with that of the other. This makes sense because they share the same systems? nervous, circulatory, endocrine and immune. What happens in the pancreas or liver can directly affect brain function. Disorders of the brain, conversely, can send out biochemical shock waves that disturb the rest of the body. "The article is called "Your Mind, Your Body" published in the issue dated Sunday, Jan. 12, 2003.
Since your mind does affect your body, which means it influences chemicals that are released in to your body, you can reduce your stress with JUST your mind. Remember, every thought affects the body as well.
It is important to become aware of your thoughts. If you are thinking negative thoughts then your brain is releasing chemicals, which are sustaining negative emotions in your body. All negative emotions have a bad effect on your mind-body in the long run. So, regular stressful thoughts WILL make your immune system weaker and your body will experience the negative effects of stress. Catch yourself when you are thinking negative thoughts and you have made a good positive first step. Direct your mind on to a positive outlook and you have taken the second step needed to directing your thoughts in a way that will reduce your stress.
How can you create a positive outlook? By focusing on a positive aspect of the situation you are faced with.
For example; If you have to clean a whole sink of dirty dishes it can seem like a lot of boring work. However, if you focus on how the dishes will look when they are cleaned and put away band how good YOU will feel about it at that time, THEN you are focusing on a positive outcome. If you keep in mind that you thoughts will affect your body then you can learn to keep watch on your thoughts. By keeping your thoughts positive or at least neutral, you keep yourself fresher and more energized.
In conclusion, if you focus on a positive outcome, the task you are doing will become easier and therefore less stressful. Learning to manage your thoughts and focusing on the positive in any given situation is an extremely important stress management skill.
2. Imagination Is Stronger Than Knowledge
We all know that ghosts do not exist, at least most of us do. Yet when sitting around a campfire and listening to ghost stories most of us, even strong unbelievers in the supernatural, will get spooked. This is not because the people around the campfire suddenly became believers in ghosts but because our imagination overcame our knowledge and released the chemicals in our body that goes with fear. Our imagination trumped our knowledge.
Most of our stress occurs before the actual event that is supposed to cause stress. For example, if there is a presentation that you have to give to your office or class, it will cause most people a good deal of stress way before the actual presentation.
However, if you suddenly discover that you are moving to a different office or school and your upcoming presentation doesn't matter anymore, then suddenly the stress you were feeling will decrease tremendously. This means that your experience of stress before the actual event was dictated by your perception. i.e. by your imagination.
In dealing with any event, how you imagine it to be will influence your levels of stress. You may know there is nothing to worry about when the boss or principal calls you to his or her office. Yet your imagination will often provide you with reasons to feel stressed.
Imagination always trumps knowledge.
You can use this knowledge about the power of your imagination to your advantage. If your imagination can create imagery in your head that creates a stress response, you can also do the opposite.
Imagine your presentation going smoothly or that the audience is indifferent to you and will forget you as soon as you leave the stage, then your stress will decrease. If you enjoy talking to a crowd then just imagine yourself having fun and being in tune with your audience without being too caught up in their reaction(takes some of the pressure off).
Imagine yourself relaxing on the beach while you are waiting to talk to your boss and this will help you stay relaxed. You will also have more of your mental resources available to you to tackle a problem if that is that you have been called for.
Imagination may be stronger than knowledge yet imagination can be brought under your control in many situations. So, knowledge of the power of your imagination can be empowering for you if you apply this knowledge to the proper circumstances. This will decrease your stress in most situations you will encounter.
3. What You Expect Tends To Be Realized
Many of us will make up in the morning not wanting to wake up. Breakfast may not be good or we find ourselves in the middle of morning traffic. This is enough to make us feel like it is going to be a bad day. So it is. Everything that can be seen in a negative light IS seen that way.
If we are to compare hypnosis with meditation we find that the main difference between meditation and self-hypnosis is that meditation tends to be passive while hypnosis is goal oriented. For example in meditation you are focused on just your breathing or chanting/mantra or a peaceful image or physical relaxation or nothing at all. While in hypnosis and self-hypnosis you are focusing on suggestions and visualizations for self-improvement. In my meditation system - listed at the bottom of the explanation to meditation post - you use visualizations which are the same as self-hypnosis)
In short, if you combine positive suggestions and visualization with a meditative practice you are doing self-hypnosis. The following is a simple self-hypnosis technique and below there is a self-hypnosis audio you can use for mental enhancement. Enjoy!
How To Do Self-Hypnosis (A simple 5 minute technique that requires no training, just regular practice):
Some more tips:
Your conscious mind also has a role to play. Consciously you have to adopt the attitude, “I love this affirmation/suggestion and I know I can make this a part of how I see the world”. While you are in your state of relaxed focused attention – with the attitude of “I love this” – you are reprogramming your subconscious mind.
Of course, many Negative beliefs programmed in your subconscious mind have been there for years. This means you may have to do self-hypnosis several times before you successfully reprogram your subconscious mind permanently.
If you have a conscious attitude that is anything other than “I love this affirmation/suggestion/visualization” then no hypnosis method will work. In other words if you don’t like the affirmation/suggestion or it makes you uncomfortable or you don’t really care about it or you ‘hope’ it works but you don’t believe it will then you will not be able to do any subconscious reprogramming.
Since you are aware of everything that is said to you (when doing hypnosis), anything the hypnotist says that you don’t like or don’t believe in will get ignored by your subconscious mind. That is why self-hypnosis can be so effective. You choose what you want to focus on that fits what you want and how you see the world. In other words, you can tailor a self-hypnosis session in any way you desire.
The main difference between meditation and self-hypnosis is that meditation tends to be passive while hypnosis is goal oriented. For example in meditation you are focused on just your breathing or chanting or an image. While in hypnosis you are focusing on suggestions and visualizations for self-improvement.
That means that if you combine positive suggestions and visualization in a meditative state you are doing a form of self-hypnosis. Thus self hypnosis is a form of meditation.
This makes hypnosis kinda like manipulating meditative states for constructive means and self hypnosis the skill of choosing your meditative states at will. Thus the better your meditative state and understanding of the mind the less likely you will be fooled by any manipulative trick of the mind.
Your Subconscious Mind
Everything you have experienced in your life is recorded in your subconscious mind. If I were to ask you what is 4 plus 4 you would answer eight. That’s your conscious mind. If I ask you what you had for lunch 6 weeks ago you won’t have any conscious recollection of it.
However, your subconscious mind will remember in perfect detail. When you are driving you are probably thinking about many things. Everybody does. Many people love to drive when thinking just like some people prefer walking. If you are driving and thinking about work or your weekend plans then what part of you is paying attention to driving? The answer is your subconscious mind. If there is an obstacle your subconscious mind will make you step on the brake before you can make any conscious decision.
Everyone has experienced being so deep in thought that they don’t remember the turns they took to get to their destination. You drove the entire distance guided by your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind doesn’t think. That is a function of your conscious mind. Your subconscious mind just reacts based on the information stored in it. If you are feeling cold while sleeping or need to go to the bathroom then your subconscious mind will wake you up. When you learn something new you have to pay conscious attention. For example, when learning to drive a car you first have to be conscious of the gas pedal, the brake, the distance between you and the other cars, the lights etc. Once you have learned to drive then this knowledge becomes a part of your subconscious mind and you just drive.
The subconscious is like a vast storehouse of your knowledge and beliefs. If you hear something negative about yourself, while growing up (or as an adult), and accept it as true then that will be stored in your subconscious mind as a belief about yourself. For example if your teacher said things to you like, “Why are you so stupid” or “You just don’t have a brain in your head” or “You will never succeed or make anything of yourself” and you believed her then those beliefs about yourself are part of your subconscious mind. Since your subconscious mind acts on what it knows you will be insecure about your intelligence for the rest of your life – unless you change your negative beliefs into positive ones. Consciously believing yourself to be intelligent will not work as your subconscious mind has been programmed. This means that your subconscious will sabotage your efforts in areas where you have negative beliefs involved.
Meditation, hypnosis and self-hypnosis are the most effective means to change your subconscious programming.
Affirmations for Self-Hypnosis
One way to help you switch your internal dialogue from negative to a positive one is to practice affirmations.
Affirmations are used commonly in many self-help books and has become a staple of modern business life for several decades. Yet it is still an underused method in our time. Using affirmations is easy and regular use can serve as a reminder to you to think positive thoughts.
Affirmations can become even more effective when you use them in self-hypnosis. Just go to your meditative state and repeat your chosen affirmations to reprogram your subconscious giving you a boost in whatever self-improvement category you are focusing on.
The rule of thumb in using affirmations is to focus your affirmation on what you want NOT on what you don’t want.
If you say, ‘I don’t want to feel angry’ you are doing a negative affirmation. Notice that you are creating a thought or mental image of being angry in this affirmation. The result will be that your anger will stay the same of increase.
Instead of saying, ‘I don’t want to be angry’, say ‘I am feeling calm and peaceful’. Notice how you create the mental image of being calm and peaceful just by saying those words. Also notice you are saying the affirmation in the present, i.e. ‘I am’ feeling a certain way. Not ‘I will’ because that assumes the calm and peacefulness will come to you in the future and not now.
You can make the affirmation even more effective by stating it from the present into the future such as ‘I am feeling more and more calm and peaceful everyday and in everyway’. Notice how this focuses your mind on continuing to feel calm and peaceful into the future and creates the intention of increasing the calm and peace you want to feel.
The following are some affirmations you can use. When you make your own affirmations make sure you model them on the ones listed here or on the ones in the videos on this website.
‘I am feeling more and more confident’
‘Everyday and in everyway I and feeling better and better and better’
‘It is getting easier and easier for me to exercise regularly’
etc.
These are the rules for phrasing your own affirmations:
Frame your sentences in positive words If you say “I will not be angry” then your mind is focused on an image of anger. The sentence is framed in the negative. Instead say “I am feeling calm and peaceful” this focuses the mind on the positive state you want to be in and takes you in that direction.
Focus on the present tense If you focus on your affirmation to be about the here and now it will be more effective. For example: Don’t say “I will feel calm” as it refers to the future. Instead say “I am feeling calm” as it refers to the present.
Be specific and use detail If you want the muscles in your leg to relax say “The muscles in my leg are getting more and more relaxed”. By specific you affirm exactly what you want. You don’t need to make an affirmation short or long. Just figure out the positive state you want and say it in positive words in as much detail as you like.
Use simple, emotionally stimulating words By phrasing your affirmations using words that are exciting is more effective than using bland words. For example: you could say “I am feeling more and more relaxed” and it would be effective. You can take the same concept and make it more stimulating by adding more descriptive words and it will be even more effective. For example: “I am feeling calmer and more peaceful with every breath I take making it easier and easier for me to handle any stressful situation with an alert and calm state of mind”
Repeat your affirmations often By saying affirmations you are focusing your mind on a positive state. However, negative states of mind (or thoughts) have been there longer as we tend to think negative thoughts more. So for an affirmation to work effectively it has to be repeated often so it can take the place of the negative state.
Making affirmations even more effective Affirmations can be enhanced with meditation and self-hypnosis. Simply by repeating the affirmation/mantra/thought while you are practicing a proper meditation technique makes it a tool of self-hypnosis or mind expansion or both.
Self-Hypnosis For Mental Enhancement Audio (To Be Used With Headphones For Best Results)
The above audio uses binaural beats, as explained in the introduction to meditation, for relaxation to make the session more effective. Works best with headphones. Please don't drive or operate machinery while listening to this relaxation inducing audio.
Note: Signs of deep relaxation...
When you are deeply relaxed your tear ducts may also relax. In fact, you you relax deeply enough your tear ducts WILL relax and a tear or two... or with some people even a stream of tears is common. As you become more alert after a session your tear ducts will stop naturally. (basically if you tear up while feeling all relaxed and good... that's normal!)Note: Also, Sometimes when your muscles release tension it may jerk. I have seen some overly stressed out (or wound up) individuals literally jump with the force of the release of tension in a muscle. Generally, if you do have a a tension release where your muscles "jump" it's followed by even deeper relaxation than before.
From WebMD's article "Hypnosis Goes Mainstream": Hypnosis is merely a tool -- a technique to tap into the subconscious, says Oster, who heads the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.
No pocket watches are involved and no one clucks like a chicken afterward.
In fact hypnosis is a state of concentration and focused attention. With it the mind can be more powerful. You simply have slipped into your subconscious.
In a hypnotherapist's office, you can learn self-hypnosis. Don't worry, you won't lose control. You won't do anything against your will. "No one takes away our choice under any conditions -- no one can make you do anything you wouldn't normally do," says Jane Ann Covington, a hypnotist in Atlanta and founder of the Hypnosis Institute International Center for Developing Mastery.
In hypnosis, you don't even lose consciousness, Covington tells WebMD.
"If I said something inappropriate to you, you would either disregard it or get up and leave," she says. "You would react as you normally would."
No pocket watches are involved and no one clucks like a chicken afterward.
In fact hypnosis is a state of concentration and focused attention. With it the mind can be more powerful. You simply have slipped into your subconscious.
In a hypnotherapist's office, you can learn self-hypnosis. Don't worry, you won't lose control. You won't do anything against your will. "No one takes away our choice under any conditions -- no one can make you do anything you wouldn't normally do," says Jane Ann Covington, a hypnotist in Atlanta and founder of the Hypnosis Institute International Center for Developing Mastery.
In hypnosis, you don't even lose consciousness, Covington tells WebMD.
"If I said something inappropriate to you, you would either disregard it or get up and leave," she says. "You would react as you normally would."
No pocket watches are involved and no one clucks like a chicken afterward.
In fact hypnosis is a state of concentration and focused attention. With it the mind can be more powerful. You simply have slipped into your subconscious.
In a hypnotherapist's office, you can learn self-hypnosis. Don't worry, you won't lose control. You won't do anything against your will. "No one takes away our choice under any conditions -- no one can make you do anything you wouldn't normally do," says Jane Ann Covington, a hypnotist in Atlanta and founder of the Hypnosis Institute International Center for Developing Mastery.
In hypnosis, you don't even lose consciousness, Covington tells WebMD.
"If I said something inappropriate to you, you would either disregard it or get up and leave," she says. "You would react as you normally would."
Hypnosis -- or hypnotherapy -- uses guided relaxation, intense concentration, and focused attention to achieve a heightened state of awareness that is some-times called a trance. The person's attention is so focused while in this state that anything going on around the person is temporarily blocked out or ignored. In this naturally occurring state, a person may focus his or her attention -- with the help of a trained therapist -- on specific thoughts or tasks.
More details...
Self Talk and Self Hypnosis
I’ve covered how hypnosis is a part of everyday reality. If you watch a movie it’s the equivalent of hypnosis as you are guided to experience the story. On the other hand if you are thinking a particular set of thoughts, such as angry or happy thoughts then you are doing self-hypnosis as your thoughts guide your emotional state.
Now I’m going to focus on self-talk as self-hypnosis to put another perspective of how hypnosis works.
In other words how you talk to yourself in your head – the thoughts you think – also create how you feel. In these instances you are doing self-hypnosis.
If you do a lot of negative thinking then you will create a lot of negative feelings in yourself. If you do positive thinking then you will create positive feelings in yourself. You are basically doing self-hypnosis all the time.
Suppose you encounter a problem and your thoughts are something like this:
“Another problem! Why does this always happen to me. If people would just listen to me then these problems wouldn’t happen. It’s so irritating to have this problem interfering with my plans today” and so on.
What you are doing in this case is negative self talk. In other words you are doing bad self-hypnosis.
In the same way if a friend of yours is upset and tells you about their problem like this;
“You know how when problems start and you feel helpless and you don’t know what to do and its as if everything is falling apart…”
Then the friend’s negative conversation will create a negative effect on you (notice how saying ‘you know when’ makes you relate that other person’s negative experience to yourself). Of course it will only happen if you are following along and sympathizing with what you are being told. You will feel the negativity from your friend and you will feel bad.
In the above situation your friend has unintentionally done bad or negative hypnosis on you.
You probably get the idea by now.
Being in a negative environment, talking to yourself in negative terms (i.e. negative self talk) and having depressing conversation will all put you in a bad mood.
In other words you become highly focused on a negative perspective. This is the same as being hypnotized in a negative manner.
The reverse is also true.
If you ever encounter a problem and think,
“Oh a difficult situation! That’s OK. I can handle this like I’ve dealt with other negative situations in the past. I’ll just take a deep breath and imagine a peaceful scene, like a beautiful day at the beach. Now I am relaxed and ready to deal with the situation.”
Notice how the focus of your mind is on a positive perspective. You become highly focused on a positive outlook to a problem you are faced with. In this case you are doing positive self-talk or positive self-hypnosis.
Same applies to a conversation. If a person is upbeat and happy when talking to you and uses encouraging words, creating positive or empowering images – and you are following along. Then this conversation is effectively good hypnosis.
Talking to a person is very similar to hypnosis. Some categorize it as conversational hypnosis. Learning how to talk in a way that both improves your own inner dialogue and how you talk with others makes you a good conversational hypnotist. If you are unaware of the power of words then you may do bad conversational hypnosis without even knowing it.
Keeping all the ideas here in mind you realize how powerful your mind can be on your emotional states. Simply switching the focus of your mind and your thoughts from negative to positive will change you entire outlook and thus your emotional state of being.
When you have understood the processes of hypnosis and self-hypnosis and done some practice you will be able to do self-hypnosis anytime, anywhere providing you with greater control over your life and your interactions with others.
In other words, self-talk is your internal dialogue which influences your emotional states and is a form of self-hypnosis.
Creating A Positive/Happy/Peaceful Frame Of Mind
If you think angry thoughts then chemicals will be released by the brain into your body that make you feel angry. Thinking pleasant thoughts would make you feel good.
Sometimes we have a tendency to think more negative thoughts particularly in negative situations, which makes us more stressed out. Learning to refocus our thoughts on a positive perspective not only reduces stress but also makes us more able to deal with the stressful situation we are faced with.
Affirmations are a useful tool that can be used to focus the mind on positive thoughts. Saying “I can handle this situation with a peaceful and alert mind” is a positive affirmation. Or if you get angry then thinking of how this situation has given you an opportunity to become better at releasing anger creates a perspective that is positive in that you gain control of your emotions. You could make up an affirmation for an angry situation like a traffic jam such as “I feel calm in this traffic situation and I have more time to think pleasant thoughts and listen to music”.
“People with positive attitudes generally enjoy life more, but are they any healthier? The answer is often "yes." Optimism is a resource for healing. Optimists are more likely to overcome pain and adversity in their efforts to improve their medical treatment outcomes.” from “Positive Thinking” on Web MD
If you think positive thoughts around a habit what you want to change, such as bad eating habits or an addiction such as smoking, then you will develop good habits... and ultimately lose weight and/or quit smoking. In other words, affirmations, around what you want, is a proven method of achieving various kinds of goals.
Principles Of The Mind For Self-Hypnosis (With The Example Of Stress Management)
"Your body responds to your thoughts, emotions, and actions." from “Positive Thinking” on Web MD
1. Every Thought Effects The Body
Years of scientific study have proven conclusively that the mind and body are interrelated. In a feature in Time Magazine it is written, "Not only is the mind like the rest of the body, but the well-being of one is intimately intertwined with that of the other. This makes sense because they share the same systems? nervous, circulatory, endocrine and immune. What happens in the pancreas or liver can directly affect brain function. Disorders of the brain, conversely, can send out biochemical shock waves that disturb the rest of the body. "The article is called "Your Mind, Your Body" published in the issue dated Sunday, Jan. 12, 2003.
Since your mind does affect your body, which means it influences chemicals that are released in to your body, you can reduce your stress with JUST your mind. Remember, every thought affects the body as well.
It is important to become aware of your thoughts. If you are thinking negative thoughts then your brain is releasing chemicals, which are sustaining negative emotions in your body. All negative emotions have a bad effect on your mind-body in the long run. So, regular stressful thoughts WILL make your immune system weaker and your body will experience the negative effects of stress. Catch yourself when you are thinking negative thoughts and you have made a good positive first step. Direct your mind on to a positive outlook and you have taken the second step needed to directing your thoughts in a way that will reduce your stress.
How can you create a positive outlook? By focusing on a positive aspect of the situation you are faced with.
For example; If you have to clean a whole sink of dirty dishes it can seem like a lot of boring work. However, if you focus on how the dishes will look when they are cleaned and put away band how good YOU will feel about it at that time, THEN you are focusing on a positive outcome. If you keep in mind that you thoughts will affect your body then you can learn to keep watch on your thoughts. By keeping your thoughts positive or at least neutral, you keep yourself fresher and more energized.
In conclusion, if you focus on a positive outcome, the task you are doing will become easier and therefore less stressful. Learning to manage your thoughts and focusing on the positive in any given situation is an extremely important stress management skill.
2. Imagination Is Stronger Than Knowledge
We all know that ghosts do not exist, at least most of us do. Yet when sitting around a campfire and listening to ghost stories most of us, even strong unbelievers in the supernatural, will get spooked. This is not because the people around the campfire suddenly became believers in ghosts but because our imagination overcame our knowledge and released the chemicals in our body that goes with fear. Our imagination trumped our knowledge.
Most of our stress occurs before the actual event that is supposed to cause stress. For example, if there is a presentation that you have to give to your office or class, it will cause most people a good deal of stress way before the actual presentation.
However, if you suddenly discover that you are moving to a different office or school and your upcoming presentation doesn't matter anymore, then suddenly the stress you were feeling will decrease tremendously. This means that your experience of stress before the actual event was dictated by your perception. i.e. by your imagination.
In dealing with any event, how you imagine it to be will influence your levels of stress. You may know there is nothing to worry about when the boss or principal calls you to his or her office. Yet your imagination will often provide you with reasons to feel stressed.
Imagination always trumps knowledge.
You can use this knowledge about the power of your imagination to your advantage. If your imagination can create imagery in your head that creates a stress response, you can also do the opposite.
Imagine your presentation going smoothly or that the audience is indifferent to you and will forget you as soon as you leave the stage, then your stress will decrease. If you enjoy talking to a crowd then just imagine yourself having fun and being in tune with your audience without being too caught up in their reaction(takes some of the pressure off).
Imagine yourself relaxing on the beach while you are waiting to talk to your boss and this will help you stay relaxed. You will also have more of your mental resources available to you to tackle a problem if that is that you have been called for.
Imagination may be stronger than knowledge yet imagination can be brought under your control in many situations. So, knowledge of the power of your imagination can be empowering for you if you apply this knowledge to the proper circumstances. This will decrease your stress in most situations you will encounter.
3. What You Expect Tends To Be Realized
Many of us will make up in the morning not wanting to wake up. Breakfast may not be good or we find ourselves in the middle of morning traffic. This is enough to make us feel like it is going to be a bad day. So it is. Everything that can be seen in a negative light IS seen that way.
