Mastering the Tricks of Self-Hypnosis

The most difficult part of self-hypnosis is learning how to relax. It sounds simple, but anybody attempting it will find that the mind isn't that easy to control. The body will relax with a tightening-releasing routine that anybody can master in a short time. Quieting the mind, however, takes some practice.

Exercise ahead of a session helps. While we're taught that exercise energizes us, it also releases the tension and stress that prevents us from relaxing. Exercising the mind follows the same path. By concentrating intensely on one object, or idea, the mind has to relax its grip on mental and/or emotional perplexities. That's the basic idea behind having a subject watching a shiny object swing back and forth, over and over.

Deep breathing is a form of mental, as well as physical, concentration. When you're breathing properly, you slow down your body and your mind. The mind mustn't wander in hypnosis-not unless, or until, you have removed yourself from it emotionally. In other words, you can consider a problem you're struggling with, but understand that you're not trying to solve it at the moment.

If you want to stop smoking, you don't immediately begin ordering yourself not to smoke. You hypnotize yourself and then think about your smoking problem, not worrying about stopping it. After you've acknowledged the problem impassively, then you can work on telling yourself not to smoke. Once again, it has to be done without a lot of emotional involvement.

One session of hypnosis by a professional is often enough, but usually even the professionals prefer that the patient return for a second session. Many people will manage to overcome the initial treatment. The mind is sneaky, as well as clever. Reinforcement always helps.

A patient is smart to learn the basics of self-hypnosis. That way, the initial treatment can be reinforced daily at home. Self-hypnosis doesn't have to be used only as an adjunct to professional hypnosis. It's an additional aid to fight any problem, whether physical, mental, or emotional. It doesn't replace medical help; it reinforces it.