A good hypnotherapist can help you
to make permanent and lasting changes in your behavior. S/he can also help you
to reach amazingly deep levels of relaxation. However, till the time you meet
one, self-hypnosis is something you can definitely try out to your advantage.
However, self-hypnosis is easy to
learn and gets better with practice. Also as a tool for meditation, it is not
just easy but also very effective. This article is to help you to experience
what self-hypnosis is all about. There are of course various ways to experience
this and also more purposeful and deeper techniques. But this article is enough
for you to get kick started right away.
Remember, practice is essential and
every single day, not only will you relax a little bit more quickly, but also
each time you practice, you will go just a little bit deeper into a state of
relaxation. The obvious advantages of this practice are stress reduction,
better sleep and greater concentration. There are many more advantages and many
more uses for a self-hypnotic session.
Here is how -
Make sure you find a place that is
quiet and comfortable and make sure you select a time that you will not be
disturbed by anyone during that time. Make sure, phones and alarms are switched
off. For most meditative and similar practices, early morning and late nights
are best, but if that is not possible, find the time that suits you the most.
Find a comfortable chair or set up your space on the floor or on the bed such
that you can remain in this position comfortable for upto an hour without
getting uncomfortable. It is highly preferable that you do the entire exercise
in a seated position. If you like, you can put on some soft soothing relaxing
music in the background, make sure it is purely instrumental and has no vocals.
Read the following steps at least
three times before you begin to practice. You can of course read and
practice each step, but for your complete session, you would not be able to
refer to your notes or this article. Trust your instincts and allow them to
guide you - variations that suit you and make the process better for you are
perfectly fine. What works for you is what is best for you - there is no such
thing as a perfect formula for everyone.
1. Once you sit
down, take a few seconds to adjust yourself so that you feel perfectly
comfortable and no part of you feels any strain or discomfort.
2. Close your
eyes and mentally, tell yourself that you intend to make this a deep relaxation
session.
3. Take three
deep breaths, hold your breath for just a couple of seconds after you breathe
in deeply before you breathe out.
4. Imagine and
visualize as you breathe in that you are taking in all the positive energy that
the universe has to offer in the form of white mist - feel this white mist
filling up your body and helping you to relax.
5. As you
breathe out, imagine and visualize that a grey mist is moving out of your body
into the universe taking with it all the stress, all the tension, all the
worries, all the irritation, all the anxieties from you.
6. Do this
thrice, I.e. for each deep breath.
7. Starting
from the toes of your feet, begin to relax your body all the way upto the top
of your head. Tell yourself to relax, tell that part of your body to relax, do
not force yourself to relax, just allow it to happen all by itself.
8.
Focus your attention on each part of
the body as you work yourself up from the toes to the top of your head. As you
relax the muscles in your head and neck, you may find your head falling forward
and resting on your shoulder or with your chin on your chest. This is fine.
9. As you
progressively relax every muscle of your body, you slowly begin to slump like a
limp doll.
10. It is now
time to deepen your relaxation. Start counting backward from 10 to 1 and tell
yourself that with each count, you will go twice as deep into a blissful state
of relaxation.
11. At 1, you
are now into a deep, very deeply relaxed state. If you feel a little light
headed at this stage, it is pretty normal.
12.
Imagine or visualize that there is a
door in front of you. Make a note of the colour, texture and material. Reach out with your hands and turn the knob.
13. As you open
the door, imagine or visualize that you have now stepped out into a beautiful
garden. The garden is exactly as your imagination wants it to be. Flowers,
birds, grass, shrubs, trees, a fountain or a waterfall - make a note of
everything - the sights, the sounds, the feel of the grass under your feet,
etc.
14.
Somewhere in the garden is a magic
pool. Make yourself believe that you have found it and gently cup your hands to
drink from the pool. Taste the pure clear water.
15. As you stand
up again, imagine or visualize a glowing white mist that rises from the waters
of the pool and lovingly embraces and engulfs you.
16. As the mist
surrounds you, use positive affirmations to suggest the changes or improvements
you want in your life.
17. Now imagine
or visualize yourself in these new circumstances and how you would act now that
your behaviors and habits have changed.
18. It is now
time to awaken yourself. Start counting up from 1 to 10, telling yourself that
with every count, you are becoming more alert, more awake, full of health and
vitality and feeling perfectly fine and absolutely refreshed.
19. Once you
reach the count of 10, you can slowly open your eyes, enjoy the feeling for a
few seconds and then get on with your day!
20. Comment here
on your experience and write to me in case you seek clarifications or
assistance.
Rajesh Seshadri is the
founder/creator of Nirmiti Nidra, evolved after a lengthy period of
intermittent practice and experimentation with various techniques and an
endeavor to combine the easiest and the best and derive maximum advantage.
Unparalleled in its approach, simplicity and effectiveness, the basic Nirmiti
Nidra program is offered free of cost to schools, institutions, communities and
organizations.
Over the past two decades, he has
continued to don multiple hats including a corporate professional who has risen
to the highest levels, trainer, facilitator, motivator, educator, speaker,
hypnotist, therapist and life coach. In addition to multiple Master's degrees
in diverse fields and being a fellow member of the ICAI, he is a certified
hypnotherapist, advanced LOA practitioner, master practitioner in NLP and a
Silva Ultra graduate. Having been trained by some of the best national and
international trainers on various professional and self-development modalities,
he is also a voracious reader and an enthusiastic practitioner. He is also a
firm believer in alternate therapies and spiritual healing. He loves working
with and for people both professionally and personally and derives satisfaction
from the smallest improvement that he can help people bring into their own
lives.