You can use the power of the mind to take you to the heights of success that you can imagine. Since it's true that we move in the direction of our most dominant thought, make sure that your thoughts are taking you where you want to go. This is true in both our personal lives and our business lives. Holistic practitioners know this to be true but the key is applying it. Self-hypnosis is a simple and effective method of making your desires become your most dominant thought.

Before you enter a hypnotic state it is useful to think about the suggestions that you want to apply. Suggestions can be simple affirmations that undo the damage done by negative thinking or reinforce confidence to help to achieve goals that you have set. They must always be positive and in the present state to be effective. Once you have decided what you want to use in your suggestions, spend a little time working out a few sentences making sure that each suggestion is short, positive, and powerful. You will be repeating these affirmations to yourself when you have reached a self-hypnotic state.

You can use suggestion effectively to: build confidence, reinforce goals by etching them into your mind, or as motivation to take action. Take a few minutes to quiet your mind. Now think of exactly what you want your holistic business to look like? Think of all the details such as, what you will be doing, what you will be wearing, how will you present yourself. Now think of the details of your business such as who will your clients be, where will you network and how will you attract clients? Self-hypnosis is not a magical state. It is merely a state of mind in which: You are very relaxed, you are paying complete attention to the suggestions you want to implant, you do not criticize the suggestions made, and accept them at face value.

Self-hypnosis is used to directly program your unconscious with affirmations and suggestions that would otherwise have to run through critical processes in your mind. You can use this programming as an effective method to reduce stress and induce relaxation. Self-hypnosis is easy and has the additional benefit that you can completely control the input to your mind when you are in a suggestible state.

The first few times that you use self-hypnosis, it is best to find a place where you can be undisturbed for a while. Sit or lie down, eliminate any distractions, and relax. This puts you in the best possible conditions for using the technique - however as you get more practice you will find that you can use self-hypnosis almost anywhere.

The first step is to relax yourself: close your eyes, and use imagery of 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. Alternative techniques can involve fixing your eyes on a spot on the wall, or imagining yourself riding down in an escalator from the top of a large department store, slowly dropping down into relaxation and drowsiness. The method you choose to induce hypnosis is up to you. The next step is to use suggestion to deepen the state. This is as simple as saying to yourself something like 'I am feeling relaxed and comfortable. With every breath I am becoming more relaxed and more comfortable.'

Once you are completely relaxed and focused on your own suggestions, you are in a useful state of self-hypnosis. One suggestion you can usefully embed is that when you repeat a particular trigger word to yourself you will relax into this state. As stated earlier, self-hypnosis is not a magical thing - it is just one of many things people have tried to make mystical to boost their own self-esteem and bank balance. Sylvester Stallone used self-hypnosis during the making of "Rocky" to give himself better self- confidence.

Using suggestion with self-hypnosis just makes it more effective however you can use suggestions and affirmations without hypnosis. For example you might buy or make a suggestion CD to play when you are driving, while still wanting to remain alert. The key to success is to use it repeatedly. This keeps your mind focused on the direction you want to go simply by using the power of your mind.