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The Wonders of Self-Hypnosis

As people seek an alternative to medicinal and surgical treatments, they begin to understand how they can use the mind to heal the body.

Why Practice Self-Hypnosis?

The purpose of practicing self-hypnosis is to attain a greater level of relaxation and concentration to allow your mind to send healing messages to your body. The key to successful self-hypnosis is for the body to learn appropriate responses to the messages. Self-hypnosis targets and channels your natural inner resources for problem solving and healing.

The pioneering efforts of Milton H. Erickson M.D. have provided a foundation for the study of self-hypnosis as therapy. An American psychologist and psychiatrist, Erickson is considered to be the father of modern hypnosis. He practiced hypnosis to optimize healing and change in his patients. Erickson's view is that the psyche, mind and brain are directly integrated in adjusting body processes in health and illness. Erickson recognized the importance of a person's inner resources for coping with physical and emotional problems. He then utilized these resources to facilitate the healing process.

Hypnosis Is Not Mind Control

Forget everything that you have ever seen or heard about hypnosis. Hypnosis will not make you rob a bank, hurt someone, or do anything else that contradicts your beliefs. Hypnosis does not make you lose control. Rather, it increases control over the mind and body.

Then What Is Self-Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a deeply relaxed state of mind. It is a method of relaxation and introspection similar to meditation. The methods begin in the same manner, but self-hypnosis reaches deeper to make changes in your life and find solutions to your problems. Self-hypnosis is often more successful than other methods in creating a change in your life because it enables you to communicate with your subconscious. You are able to

receive information from your subconscious about yourself, and discover your true needs. You are also able to search for answers and examine specific goals.
instruct your subconscious on changes you wish to make and behavioral patterns you would like to change through positive, constructive suggestions.

Being in the peaceful "trance" induced by hypnosis allows you to examine and change areas of yourself that your conscious mind can't normally reach. Often, permanent life changes may only be made by entering the world of your subconscious and "re-programming" your mind. Self-hypnosis targets and channels your natural inner resources for problem solving and healing.

Science has proven that with self-hypnosis you can, to a limited extent, control your body. People have actually been able to make chemical, physical and psychological changes through self-hypnosis. Some patients even have been able to defeat cancer.

Getting Started

Inducing a hypnotic state in oneself is not as hard as it may seem. Sure it will be tough in the beginning, but that's because you're trying too hard. Remember to just let things happen; don't try to force anything to happen. Below are a few simple steps to get you started. It may not be the only way to induce a hypnotic state, but it's worked for a lot of people:

Relax: If you can't relax, the hypnotic state will be impossible to achieve. Lie down, close your eyes (but stay awake), listen to music, do whatever it takes to get you to relax.
Deepen the Relaxation: Continue relaxing. Suggest to yourself that you're really tired and are falling asleep. A good technique to use at this point, once you're relaxed, is to count down. Pick a number and count down. The speed at which you count down should be natural, not too fast, not too slow. Natural.
Suggestions: Once you're at this stage, your mind and body are open to suggestions. You can suggest to yourself that you're going to start eating more fruits and vegetables or you can suggest that the next self-hypnosis session will be easier. It's up to you. Of course you're not going to change overnight. You will need to continue your suggestions each session.
And then: Once you're done making suggestions, notify yourself that the session is over. Your mind and body will slowly gain consciousness. If you're feeling really sleepy and want to take a nap, go ahead and do so.

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