Self- Hypnosis is not the same as meditation. Meditation is typically aiming to achieve a state of non-consciousness (cosmic-consciousness in Transcendental Meditation terms or non-attachment in some Buddhist circles) by transcending to a point of no thought through focus on a mantra or breathing or similar.

Self-hypnosis is something different. Here, typically, one is making an effort to creating a channel of direct communication with your unconscious mind in order to achieve something that will translate into conscious behaviour, In many ways it is a conscious activity! For both of these to be effective one must do them often and regularly. Click here for details of my self-hypnosis course

First, make a bit of a plan. What do you want to achieve through self-hypnosis - what is your intention? How long do you want to stay in trance? Have you uninterrupted privacy? Have you a relatively clear mind? Is it important not to do self-hypnosis when feeling negative. Also, ideally you would move from a general conversational voice to a 'lulling' maternal voice when in deeper trance, so practice it.

Techniques

There are a number of different techniques available. Here I am going to concentrate on two. A progressive relaxation technique with some guided imagery and suggestions, and the Betty Erickson Technique without any suggestions. You will also find a free e-book on the topic in my freebie page that is very good and goes further into methods of suggestion with the unconscious. But now, for both techniques loosen any tight clothing, sit comfortably without arms or legs crossed, with perhaps your hands on your thighs.

Progressive Relaxation

Choose two words. One for Physical Keywords such as,

And now choose your Emotional Keywords,

The Intellectual Keyword is Deep Sleep.

Now, after telling your unconscious mind clearly that you want to be in trance for 20 minutes (or whatever you wish) and sitting comfortably you can close your eyes and imagine, sense or feel that a warm wave of relaxing energy is coming into the crown of your head and slowly going downwards. Every muscle, fibre and tendon it touches relaxes, totally lets go as it descends, starting with all the little muscles around your forehead, eyes and mouth, nose, ears, scalp - even your jaw and tongue. At the same time as this process is happening say your Physical Keyword aloud or to yourself.
Continue all the way down your body, paying attention to the parts of you that feel the most tense.

When you've gone all the way down to each toe, countdown from 5 - 0, relaxing more, going deeper within with each count.

Now, going inside to a memory of a time you felt totally relaxed like this or even more at peace. When you have that memory spend some time saying your Emotional Keyword and at the same time become aware of your breathing and how its changed. And you can let that lovely memory evaporate slowly.....

Now imagine sense or feel you are at the top of a beautiful wooden staircase (you can almost smell the wood polish) with a lush pile carpet down the centre of the treads - you may want to take off your shoes to walk down these 20 steps and feel the tickle of the carpet on the soles of your feet, which you will do in a moment. Before you do, I want you to know that with every step you take you will go deeper into relaxation. NOW, Step down, 20, 19, 18, 17, etc 3, 2, 1 say Deep Sleep!

(Pause - and enjoy.) You may notice a drifting or floating sensation - many people do.

Now imagine you are walking down a corridor towards a room. On the door is your name. Next to the door is a side table with an ornate key that only you can see. You turn the lock and go into a room - its a bit like a library room. It can be decorated anyway you wish. In this room there are shelves with categories of books. If you would like to get rid of something, go to the section entitled 'Things that hold me back' and pick out something relevant. Take the book from the shelf and move towards the back of the room where there is a door. This door goes to a basement. Turn on the light and walk down the old stairs, across the room to a fiery incinerator, open the grate and throw in the book, feeling the sense of freedom that releasing that limitation gives you. Slowly come back upstairs to the room and have a seat. Its time to make suggestions to your unconscious mind FRAMED IN THE POSITIVE and said in a few different ways - out loud is good but not essential. For example, (for memory) from now on I access the things I want to recall easily and don't worry when they don't come at first because I know they will. My memory is vastly improved and gets better every day. I enjoy having a good memory - it makes my life easier and less stressful. I know I have a good memory - I just forgot, but now I remember every day more and more, stronger and stronger, better and better. Use this technique if you would like to improve a skill, change a behaviour or enhance/employ a resource. Keep in mind your unconscious mind has almost limitless power!

When the suggestions are complete take a few minutes to just float, letting the glue set. When ready, climb the stairs, turn off the light and close the door. Now leave the main room and lock it again, keeping it safe, and walk back along the corridor to the stairs. Count as you climb up the stairs, feeling lighter and lighter, more and more awake, anticipating opening your eyes and when you reach 20, EYES OPEN, fully awake. Take as much time as you need to re-orient.

Betty Erickson Method

This method is attributed to Betty (Elizabeth) Erickson, the widow of the late Milton H. Erickson, the acknowledged father of therapeutic hypnosis.

Time - Again, determine the length of time that you intend to spend and make a statement to yourself about it such as "I am going into self hypnosis for 20 minutes ... " (or however long you want) You will be delighted to discover how well you "internal clock" can keep track of the time for you.

Purpose - Make a second statement to yourself about your purpose in going into self hypnosis. In this process, we allow the unconscious mind to work on the issue rather than giving suggestions throughout, so our purpose statement should reflect that fact. Here's how I say it: "... for the purpose of allowing my unconscious mind to make the adjustments that are appropriate to assist me in _____________ ." Filling in the blank with what you want to achieve such as "developing more confidence in social situations." I know that the text is "wordy" but that's how I got it from John Grinder. The actual words aren't nearly as important as the fact your statement acknowledges that you are turning this process over to your unconscious mind.

Exit State - Make a final statement to yourself about the state that you want to be in when you complete the process. Typically in hypnosis, we have heard the idea that you should come back feeling "wide awake, alert and refreshed", but in the real world that may not be what you want. For example, if you are doing your self hypnosis before bedtime, you may prefer to come out of it "relaxed and ready for sleep". If you're doing it before some project you may want to come out "motivated and full of energy". Simply say to yourself, "... and when I'm finished, I'm going to feel __________".lick here for a

Now, looking in front of you, notice three things (one at a time) that you see. Go slowly, pausing for a moment on each. It is preferable that they be small things, such as a spot on the wall, a door knob, the corner of a picture frame, etc. Some people like to name the items as they look at them - "I see the hinge on the door frame". (If you don't know the name for the thing, try "I see that thing over there.").

Now turn your attention to your auditory channel and notice, one by one, three things that you hear. (You will notice that this allows you to incorporate sounds that occur in the environment rather than being distracted by them.

Next, attend to your feeling and notice three things sensations that you can feel. Again, go slowly from one to the next. It's useful to use sensations that normally are outside of your awareness, such as the weight of your eyeglasses, the feeling of your wrist watch, the texture of your shirt, etc.

Continue the process using two Visuals, then two auditories and then two kinesthetics. In the same manner, continue (slowly) with one of each.

You have now completed the "external" portion of the process. Now it's time to begin the "internal" part.

Close your eyes.

Bring an image into your mind. Don't work too hard at this. You can construct an image or simply take what comes. It may be a point of light, it may be a beautiful beach, or it could be a pizza pie. If something comes to you just use it. If nothing comes, feel free to "put something there". Name it as you did above. (I tend to see King Ludwig's castle in Bavaria ... don't ask me why.)

Pause and let a sound come into your awareness or generate one and name it. Although this is technically the internal part, if you should hear a sound outside or in the room with you, it's OK to use that. Remember that the idea is to incorporate things that you experience rather than being distracted by them. Typically, in the absence of environmental sounds, this is where I hear the sound of a Mariachi band. Again, don't ask.

Next, become aware of a feeling and name it. It's preferable to do this internally - use your imagination. (I feel the warmth of the summer sun on my arms) However, as with the auditory, if you actually have a physical sensation that gets your attention, use that.

Repeat the process with two images, then two sounds, then two feelings.

Repeat the cycle once again using three images, three sounds, and three feelings.

Completing the Process - It is not unusual to "space out" or lose consciousness during the process. At first some people think that they've fallen asleep. But generally you will find yourself coming back automatically at the end of the allotted time. This is an indication that you weren't sleeping and that your unconscious mind was doing what you asked of it.

Note: Most people don't get all the way through the process. That's perfectly all right. If you should complete the process before the time has ended, just continue with 4 images, sounds, feelings, then 5 and so on. As for your goals, trust that your unconscious mind is working for you "in the background" while you're doing the process.

Regular Practice will Yield Better and Better Results