6 Steps to Self-Hypnosis

Lots of people wonder about hypnosis. They wonder what it feels like to be hypnotized. They wonder how to hypnotize others. Luckily, there’s an easy way to experience both sensations: self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis is a very relaxing sensation that can help you train your mind to be either a subject or hypnotist and can teach you important skills should you wish to learn more about the practice of hypnotism. It is very easy to learn self-hypnosis – just read the steps below and try it for yourself!

Before you begin, you’ll want to make sure that you are aware of the risks and benefits of hypnotism. Don’t ever jump into something like this without doing at least a little research on what you’re getting yourself into. Once you’ve educated yourself a little bit on hypnotism, putting yourself into a light trance is as easy as following these steps:

1) Make yourself comfortable. I recommend lying down in bed or on a couch, but sitting can work as well. You need to make sure that you’re not hungry or thirsty and that you don’t need to use the bathroom. You need as few distractions as possible, so make sure that you won’t be bothered by roommates, phone calls, or other disturbances.

2) Tell yourself how long you want to remain in a trance. There is no risk of accidentally remaining in a trance permanently, but it doesn’t hurt to set yourself a mental time limit. Decide how long you want this to take and make a mental note of it. You’ll be surprised at how accurate your internal clock can be.

3) Choose a focus. Choose something that you can focus your attention on without having to strain yourself too much. If you’re lying down, a spot on the ceiling can work just fine. If you think a spiral would help you, a simple Internet search will find a hypnosis spiral that will work for you. This will be what you stare at until you close your eyes, so make sure it is something easy to focus on.

4) Work on your breathing. How you breathe is one of the keys to relaxation. You want to breathe deeply in and slowly out. Breathe in as deeply as possible, and then let that breath out slowly. Notice the rhythm of your breathing. Notice that there is a single point between breaths where you are neither breathing in nor out. Focus on expanding that point, making it longer and longer without consciously holding your breath. The slower and more relaxed your breathing becomes, the more relaxed your body will feel. The more relaxed your body feels, the deeper into a trance your mind will go.

5) Visualize your state of trance. As you let yourself relax, give your mind an image to symbolize its descent into a hypnotized state. Popular images include descending a set of stairs with the last step being a deep trance, turning out all the lights in a dark room, or relaxing on a beach. Many self-hypnosis scripts can be found online that might give you some ideas. While you won’t realize it right away, you will notice that your image and your breathing work in tandem. Maybe you breathe in at the slow swell of the tide, or breathe out when you imagine blowing out a candle. You don’t have to force this timing. It will come naturally as you continue to descend into a trance.

6) Let yourself drift. As long as you let yourself relax and there are no distractions around, you will eventually reach a state where you aren’t consciously thinking about your breathing or the imagery you have come up with. Congratulations – you have now entered a light trance! Let your mind go and feel your subconscious wander in this state. You might fall asleep. If you do, that’s okay. Otherwise, you will eventually come back when your self-imposed time limit is up. More than likely, you’ll wake up feeling relaxed and wonderful.

You might wonder if you actually were hypnotized or if you were just daydreaming. That is normal, since the differences between a hypnotic trance and a vivid daydream are not very distinct. Don’t worry about whether you were hypnotized or not. Just remember that relaxed feeling and be happy in the knowledge that you can bring yourself back there again in the future.

Finally, patience is key. Maybe this technique didn’t work for you. That doesn’t mean you can’t hypnotize yourself. You can always try again when you are alone and relaxed, or you can try other self-hypnosis techniques. Self-hypnosis training is an exercise for your mind. You might not master it the first time around, but the more you practice, the better you will be.