To use the technique, find somewhere comfortable and quiet to sit down. Think about, and prepare, any affirmations that you might want to use. Start by closing your eyes and relaxing your muscles. A good way of doing this is to use imagery. Move on to use suggestion to relax yourself even more. When you feel very relaxed, use any affirmations that you have prepared. Enjoy the state of hypnosis for as long as you like.



Introduction:

Hypnosis, like meditation, has a dubious image. Many people over many years have made their living by overlaying this practical and useful technique with unwarranted mystical and magical rituals. In fact, it is a useful tool for achieving deep relaxation.

Self-hypnosis is when you hypnotize yourself. This is often more practical as a stress management tool than normal hypnosis, as you do not need to have a hypnotist present.

Drawing on the same "relaxation response" that drives meditation, self-hypnosis helps you to relax your body, lets stress hormones subside, and distracts your mind from unpleasant thoughts. The relaxation achieved with self-hypnosis can be intense. Unlike meditation, we often use affirmations as part of self-hypnosis to manage stress and build self-confidence. Affirmations are the positive statements (based on rational thinking) that we make to ourselves to counter stress and unpleasant thoughts - see our article on Rational and Positive Thinking for more information on this.

Along with meditation and imagery, self-hypnosis can usefully be used as a part of a daily stress management routine.

Using the Tool:

First, decide if you want to use affirmations as part of your self-hypnosis session (you will still be able to relax deeply if you do not use them). If you do, then prepare the affirmations you want to use before you start the session, as you will not want to think about them once you have reached a state of deep relaxation!

Next, find somewhere comfortable and quiet, and sit down.

Now, relax your body. A good way of doing this is to close your eyes and imagine waves of relaxation running down your body from your scalp downwards, washing out stress. Let the waves run in time with your breathing, first washing down over your head, then your neck, then your torso, then arms, and finally your legs. Feel the muscles in your body relaxing as the waves of relaxation wash over them.

The next step is to use suggestion to deepen the state of relaxation. This can be as simple as saying something like: ?I am feeling relaxed and comfortable to yourself. With every breath I am becoming more relaxed and more comfortable?" Alternatively, use the traditional approach of suggesting sleepiness: "I am tired and sleepy. I can feel the heaviness in my arms and legs. I am more and more tired?"

Once you feel completely relaxed, use the affirmations you have prepared. Mix these in with the relaxation suggestions.

Typical self-hypnosis sessions can last between 15 and 25 minutes; however, they can last for as long as you like.

An alternative to using self-hypnosis is to listen to hypnosis MP3s - the benefit of these is that you can listen to them and relax when you are too tired to want to hypnotize yourself. A good source of these is Hypnosis Downloads, whose information we show on the sidebars. Hypnosis Downloads provide the following relaxation and stress management programs:

A Healthy Rest - Relaxation hypnosis

The Four Seasons - Relaxation hypnosis

A Warm Place - Relaxation hypnosis

The Island - Relaxation hypnosis

Boost your energy levels with hypnosis - Stress management hypnosis

Relieve stress and tension with hypnosis - Stress management hypnosis

Improve your mood now with hypnosis - Stress management hypnosis

These are instantly available so you can try them out and see their effectiveness right away.