Self hypnosis is simple. You’ve already done it many, many times.

Here’s a story I heard recently of a woman who self hypnotized herself into being anxious. I’ll call her Melissa. While your anxiety may not be the same as Melissa’s, perhaps you’ll see some of yourself in her.

The college Melissa attended held a “best dressed” competition. Melissa won when she was a freshman and was now in competition with the sophomores, juniors and senior girls. She had to pose on stage and answer a few questions. As she was leaving the stage, she tripped and fell. Everyone in the audience stood up to see if she was hurt. Melissa was humiliated and ever since then has been afraid of being in front of an audience.

Now think about this for just a moment. What actually happened in reality is that Melissa fell down the stairs and the audience stood up to see if she was hurt. That’s all that happened.

However, that’s not what Melissa self hypnotized herself into believing. What she hypnotized herself into believing is that, because she was “humiliated,” she would never again allow that to happen in front of an audience. She put herself into a hypnotic trance by repeating this vow over and over.

But “humiliation” never happened in reality. That’s just the “post hypnotic suggestion” Melissa used to keep herself fearful of giving a speech. Every time she gets up to speak, she replays this experience in her head, puts herself back in that trance and becomes anxious.

Perhaps you don’t remember an incident from your past that triggers your anxiety. It doesn’t matter. The important thing to know is that something happened and you made it mean “I’m not good enough” or “I’ll never get it right” or “This is hard.”

So self-hypnosis is simple. Here are the steps to take to overcome your anxiety:

1. Close your eyes and, as you breath in and out, say the word “relax” to yourself.”

2. Imagine a situation in which you’re anxious like taking a test or giving a speech. See yourself doing that activity. Be descriptive without adding any emotion or interpretation. For example, if you see yourself about to give a speech, simply see yourself standing in front of people. Visualize yourself, the room and the people in the audience.

3. Now say to yourself something like, ” I’m powerful and dynamic.” “Public speaking is easy and effortless.” “I’m joyful when I speak to an audience.” Keep repeating that phrase over and over. Do this for at least 5 minutes.

4. Open your eyes slowly and gently and return to wakefulness.

The key is to repeat that word or phrase over and over. That’s how you self hypnotized yourself into being anxious in the first place. You’ve hypnotized yourself so thoroughly that you no longer even notice that you’re hypnotized. In a sense, you’ve hypnotized yourself through practice, practice and more practice.

So it will take repeated practice of replacing your negative self talk with positive talk. In a sense, you’ll be hypnotizing yourself from one hypnotic trance that produces anxiety to another hypnotic trance that serves you.

But you must keep practicing. In so doing, you’re creating new connections in your brain that will produce new thoughts and feelings.

I’ve been a hypnotherapist since 1997.

My fascination with hypnosis began when I attended a 3-hour lecture on a Sunday evening at a YMCA. There were about 100 people in attendance. The speaker did a relaxation exercise and concluded with the suggestion that “You will be amazed by how well this week goes for you.” I forgot the suggestion until Wednesday of that week when I caught myself marveling at how well the week had gone. Projects that I had been struggling to complete were finished easily. People who had been difficult had suddenly turned cooperative. I was hooked.

I have used hypnotherapy to help people stop smoking, lose weight and relax. As a training and development consultant, I also use it in my training classes to help participants overcome obstacles to effective performance.

Learn more at http://www.selfhypnosissecrets.org

Self- hypnosis is the ability to get yourself into a very relaxed, trance-like state. Most of us experience the “hypnotic” feeling several times a day. If you have ever “lost” time while reading a great book, watching an absorbing movie, or driving down the road as you listen to music, then you have experienced the sensation of hypnosis.

If you are truly motivated to change a negative behavior, bad habit, phobia, or simply want to improve something about yourself, then you are a perfect candidate for self-hypnosis. Once you learn this technique, you will be able to use it at any time, in any place.

While learning this technique, you will need a quiet room where you will be undisturbed for at least 20 minutes. Make sure you are comfortable, but not so comfortable that you fall asleep. Since you need to give yourself instructions and suggestions, you need to be awake and alert, but in an altered state of consciousness.

Before you begin the process, think about what you hope to achieve. This goal will be the suggestion you state to yourself when you are in a relaxed state. Work this out ahead of time. Be very specific, such as, “I want to stop eating Snickers,” or “I want to feel comfortable speaking in public.” Whatever you choose, you must express the suggestion in positive terms. For example, “I am a non-smoker,” rather than, “I do not want to smoke.”

In the beginning, you should try to practice this routine at least twice a day in the privacy of your home. Once you have the knack, try it in a movie theater, a restaurant, or in some other public place. But, do not ever practice this procedure while driving or operating any kind of heavy equipment.

10 Steps to Self-Hypnosis:

1. Allow a minimum of 20 minutes of uninterrupted time.
2. Make sure the room is not too hot or cold, and that it is not too bright.
3. Sit or recline in a comfortable chair. Set a timer or clock for 30 minutes (just in case you fall asleep).
4. Decide on a simple term, such as “relax” or “calm,” to trigger a post-hypnotic suggestion.
5. Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose, hold it to the count of three, then whoosh it out through your mouth. Do this five times. Count backwards from five to one as you do this exercise.
6. Your body will start to relax immediately. To deepen this phase, count back from ten to one as you visualize yourself walking down a flight of stairs.
7. Imagine yourself, as vividly as possible, in one of your favorite places. Focus on it as you continue to breathe deeply.
8. As you envision yourself in this place, allow all your senses to come to life. See the scene, feel it, taste it, smell it, touch it.
9. Once you have this scene firmly in your mind, think the words of the suggestion you decided upon. Again, remember to present it in a positive way. If your suggestion is to be a non-smoker, see yourself clearly in a group situation where you are comfortable, happy, confident, and a non-smoker.
10. When you see the image and feel the strength of your conviction, you are ready to “think” the word you chose as your post-hypnotic suggestion. Then state the suggestion as simply as this: “The next time I hypnotize myself, I will use the word, ‘calm,’ and I will feel instantly and deeply relaxed.” Once this suggestion is planted in your mind, count from one to five and slowly awaken. By the count of five, you will be fully awake and energized.

The more you practice these steps, the more adept you will become at mastering self-hypnosis. Of course, this is just a very basic technique for beginners. If you want to learn more about this fascinating subject, you can read a book, take a course, or have a certified hypnotherapist teach you the method. If you want to attain self-hypnosis quickly, you can listen to a professional CD, tape, or MP3 download.

The key to a successful self-hypnosis session is to be as clear as possible about your specific goal. If you are truly motivated, you will have a valuable tool to use throughout your life.

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