Self Hypnosis: Setting Your Trigger

Once you’ve learned how to hypnotize yourself, you’ve got the key to relaxation. But many people want to use self-hypnosis as more than just a meditative technique. They want to unlock their subconscious for a specific purpose. Many people seek personal improvement, using hypnosis for weight loss, hypnosis to stop smoking, and other specific goals. Self-hypnosis can be used for this technique, but like anything else it takes practice. Anytime you go into a trance, you are training your mind. Think of your mind as a muscle. Just as you don’t start weight training by lifting the heaviest weights first, you can’t dive right into complex hypnosis techniques without working up to it.

It’s worth noting that the tips here are suggestions for amateurs. This hypnosis might be able to help you build yourself up to using hypnotherapy for stress or self-improvement, but it is not meant to be a comprehensive technique. If you have a serious problem, such as an eating disorder and emotional trauma, you should seek out the help of a professional. The techniques I’m going over are for achieving minor lifestyle changes, not fixing deeper problems. Above all, don’t spend money on hypnosis tapes or the like unless you have done your research. Hypnosis is not magic, and there are a lot of scams out there trying to sell self-hypnosis as some sort of miracle cure.

The first step to using hypnosis for a specific goal is to train your mind in a way that will allow you to drop into a trance without the long buildup of a typical self-hypnosis induction. For this purpose, we are going to discuss using a mantra. This mantra will become your post-hypnotic trigger and will help you sink into a trance whenever you want.

The first thing you need to decide is what your trigger will be. Your trigger can be almost anything. Most people prefer words, such as “Sleep” or “Deep trance” to as a hypnotic trigger. In most cases, it is probably best to go with something more unique – something you won’t hear commonly. Additionally, it is best to give yourself a two-step trigger. A two-step trigger is a combination of multiple things that you will need to do, so you aren’t just relying on words.

I’ll provide a sample trigger here, but it is always best to create something customized to yourself so your trigger has meaning to you. In this case, I’ll go with the words, “Deep blue spiral” and a tap near the corner of the eye, right between your eye and the bridge of your nose. For me, “deep blue spiral” brings to mind a hypnotic spiral of my favorite color. The tap near the corner of the eye is touching on an acupuncture point that helps a person relax and forget their worries. If you repeat this technique enough, you will train your mind to go into a hypnotic trance every time you say, “Deep blue spiral” to yourself while tapping that pressure point.

Once you have the mantra decided, you should go through a self-hypnosis induction as usual. This time, though, you’ll be adding a new twist by including the mantra.

Before you begin the induction, tell yourself what you hope to accomplish. In this case, you want to go into a trance whenever you say, “Deep blue spiral” while tapping your pressure point.

During the induction, repeat your mantra in time with your breathing. Try to set up a rhythm: breathe deeply in, repeat the mantra, then breathe slowly out. By doing this, your mind begins to develop a connection between the mantra you have chosen and the relaxation of a hypnotic trance.

You might find yourself drifting off and forgetting to use the mantra as you become more relaxed. Don’t worry about that. As long as you keep using your chosen trigger at some point in a self-hypnosis session, your mind will form those connections.

Once you have practiced this technique and gotten it to work, you can begin trying more complex self-hypnosis sessions with other goals. For now, just focus on training your mind to help yourself into this self-trance. The more you practice your mantra, the easier you will find it to hypnotize yourself and exert control over your subconscious.