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“THE BENEFITS OF SELF-HYPNOSIS”
BY SCOTT DALY, FORWARD HYPNOSIS
The most valuable tools I have as a hypnotist are words. The words
we use and the way in which we say them have immense potential
to change the thoughts and behaviour of the people around us. In
fact, you yourself are a hypnotist to some degree, and so is everyone
that you know. We can’t help but be influenced by other people
and our environment. From family members and friends to work
colleagues, doctors and teachers, almost everyone we interact with
has the ability to alter our thoughts in some way. Even if you went
walking down the street with a paper bag over your head, you would
still be communicating something to someone.
Every day we are subjected to all manner of suggestions and many of
them enter the unconscious mind whether we realise it or not, people
who work in advertising know this only too well. If we are unaware
that this is happening, it is easy to take these suggestions at face value
and then act as if they are real or true, without really examining
the assumptions they are based on. This has the potential to cause
problems. A wife who suggests that her husband becomes ‘Mr Angry’
and gets irritated when he hasn’t had a cigarette may put him off ever
making an attempt to quit. Maybe you have always suggested to
yourself that you become nervous or anxious in interviews, so you
never apply for the job you really want.
Self-hypnosis is an effective way to check in with your unconscious
mind. It can be used to overcome stress and anxiety or increase
confidence and motivation. It can help you sleep or manage pain,
and it can help you to consistently perform at your best when moving
towards any personal or professional goal. We’ve all heard the phrase
‘getting in the zone’, well hypnosis is the zone!
Everyone experiences hypnosis in some form or another every day.
From driving, watching TV, reading or exercising to browsing the
internet and even drifting into or waking from sleep. There are
literally hundreds of examples of natural hypnosis that are just not
recognised as such. In fact, if you want to see a great example of a
hypnotic trance, just watch someone mindlessly scrolling through
their social media feed not really paying attention to anything
in particular. These natural trances often share common traits,
enhanced focus, an increase in concentration and the ability to shut
out external distractions. It doesn’t matter if it is for two seconds,
two minutes or two hours, it is still hypnosis. When hypnosis is used
therapeutically it also shares these traits but it is an intended trance.
We are doing it on purpose in order to achieve a specific objective or
outcome, rather than drifting in and out without realising it.
Regardless of whether I am helping someone to lose weight, quit
smoking or eliminate a phobia, if time permits I will always teach
them a quick, practical self-hypnosis technique for relaxation.
Although this is only scratching the surface it has always been popular
and I receive lots of questions about applying it to other things. One
lady in particular was surprised at just how much success she had
using this technique as she had previously tried to learn self-hypnosis
from a book and had been unimpressed with the results. I explained
that trying to learn self-hypnosis from books or CDs is a bit like
lying on a kitchen table and learning how to swim. Unless you have
been in the water you will never really understand exactly what it
feels like and will wonder if you are doing it correctly. When you
have been hypnotised by a competent hypnotist and had a definitive
experience of hypnotic phenomena, it becomes much easier to apply
the techniques yourself.
With this in mind, a couple of years ago I created a three session
programme to teach self-hypnosis in more depth. This programme
teaches you exactly what self-hypnosis is, and how to become your
own hypnotist. You will learn skills that you will be able to use for
the rest of your life. The techniques are easy to learn and apply, and
no prior experience of hypnosis is required. In the first session I
explain exactly what self-hypnosis is, you will be hypnotised and
will experience hypnotic phenomena. In the second session you will
learn about inducing and emerging from self-hypnosis and how to
deepen and intensify the experience. The third session will cover the
use of positive self-suggestion and further techniques tailored to your
specific goals. By the end of the programme you will have hypnotised
yourself many times and will be confident to do so in the future. It
is a great opportunity to gain a new understanding about the power
of your own mind. You will gain new abilities that can be put to use
immediately and with practise will allow you to access more of your
potential and improve the way you think and feel.
Forward Hypnosis is based in Ness, Cheshire. Scott works with people
every day, helping them to overcome their limitations, unlock more of
their potential, and achieve their goals. To find out more visit
www.forwardhypnosis.com
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