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Instant Stress Management Articles |
Self Hypnosis Instruction & Training for Stress Management |
Read this page carefully and bookmark it for future reference. |
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This page is designed to teach you how to use a
structured approach to your meditation sessions. Applying meditative
states to achieve goals is the same as self-hypnosis.
By the way, I am assuming that you are aware that hypnosis is simply a focused state of awareness. If you need to learn more about hypnosis before proceeding with this article then read the main page (and all the news related links) at Instant Self Hypnosis.com You can make your self-hypnosis practice more effective in terms of relaxation and depth of meditation by using the meditation training videos.
1. Relaxation The first step in self-hypnosis is to get yourself nice and relaxed. You can use the progressive relaxation exercise on the main page for practice and experience. 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. Of course, you can just do it the easy way and put on some stereo
headphones and listen to one of the meditation
training videos for your self hypnosis session. Remember to use some relaxing
imagery to relax your mind properly. 2. Deepening Procedures Once you have relaxed your body and relaxed your mind, you can go even deeper! Just let go and relax. I like to use a countdown as the mind automatically responds to a backwards count by slowing down. Just start by visualizing the number 10 in white against a black background. Say "ten, I am getting more and more relaxed". Do the next number, 9, repeat the affirmation that you are relaxing more and more, mind and body. Go all the way to 1 and you will have relaxed deeper than before.
3. Suggestion Application in self-hypnosis Once you have reached the end of your deepening procedure you are ready to apply suggestions. 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. You can listen to the recordings at Instant Self Hypnosis.com which already contain affirmations you can focus on for self hypnosis practice. Each recording is designed in this format and they all contain binaural beats for deep relaxation. 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 but visualization. You can use the various meditation techniques and visualizations for your self hypnosis as well. Read the collection of links on the meditation training videos page for visualization techniques you can use. 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 it's better to create a ritual by which you terminate the session. The ritual can be something as simple as counting up from 1 to 5. 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 or five. "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. If you follow a specific pattern, when you start and end a self-hypnosis session, then that little ritual you have created becomes an ingrained part of you. This means that any time you want you can count down and go into a self hypnotic trance and count up to refresh yourself. You won't need the meditation training videos. It will be a skill that is a part of you like driving a car or riding a bicycle. With a little practice you will have a very powerful technique for instant stress management. |
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