Self hypnosis may seem mysterious, but it really consists of only 5 simple steps. Of course, you will need to practice these steps to become adept at self hypnosis, but the steps themselves – induction, deepening, suggestions, post-hypnotic suggestion, and awakening – are not difficult to understand.
Self hypnosis begins with induction. In this process, you bring yourself into a hypnotic state. You can begin with progressive relaxation or by focusing on a word or phrase. Most people find induction easiest if they are comfortably positioned in a quiet room with their eyes closed. After you have practiced enough that you can reach the hypnotic state with a single word or thought (a trigger), you will not be as easily distracted by noise or visual stimuli.
The next step in self hypnosis is deepening. The purpose of deepening is to develop the hypnotic state further so that you can communicate directly with the subconscious mind. An effective way to achieve this is to count down from 20 to 1, feeling yourself go deeper with each number. You can also repeat, “I am going deeper and deeper.”
The main work of self hypnosis is carried out during the third step, suggestions. In this step you will use visualizations and affirmations to suggest the desired changes to the subconscious mind. Visualization involves using the imagination to create a picture, complete with all 5 senses as well as thoughts and feelings. In this picture, you have achieved the change you want to produce. If you wish to quit smoking, you may imagine yourself at a party or another place you might smoke, but doing something else pleasurable. The better you can see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste the desired situation, the more powerful the visualization will be. Affirmations are also used during the suggestions step. Affirmations are positive statements that describe desired changes to the subconscious mind. These changes may involve behaviors, beliefs, or attitudes.
Using a post-hypnotic suggestion, the fourth step, helps to make the suggestions of the third step more powerful. A post-hypnotic suggestion states that when a particular event happens outside of self hypnosis, the changes made in the third step will become stronger. For example, returning to the example of smoking, a post-hypnotic suggestion might be “when I see a pack of cigarettes I will want to (something you have visualized yourself doing instead of smoking).” The outside stimulus is the cigarettes; the response is the behaviors suggested in the visualizations.
The fifth and final step in self hypnosis is awakening. You should allow at least 20 to 30 seconds for this step, since coming back to full consciousness too quickly may cause disorientation (confusion about time and place). An effective technique is counting from 1 to 5, telling yourself at each number that you are becoming more awake and aware. Each number should take about 5 to 6 seconds. When you reach the number 5, you will be fully conscious.
Self hypnosis does require practice, but if you practice the 5 steps described above, you can become expert at this process and use it to make the changes you desire.