From the time man started utilizing the mind, he has been trying to understand the brain and everything hidden in it. Over the last two centuries, the question has been, how well do we understand the mind. Over time, researchers and professionals have come to understand the intricate workings of the subconscious mind.
While there is still a lot to be discovered, the researchers have honed in on various areas such as hypnosis. Simply put, hypnosis is defined as a cooperative interaction between a participant and the hypnotist. The participant responds to the suggestions of a hypnotist.
While widely argued, the concept of hypnotism was made famous by Étienne Félix, a Frenchman who was very interested in suggesting to the mind. There are, however, other sources that credit the role of framing hypnotism to Dr. James Braid, a Scottish surgeon.
At the fundamental concept, the case of hypnotism –if it really does work, can be used to do a lot of good. For instance, you’ll see people signing up for hypnotism to get rid of an addiction. Quitting smoking, for illustration, is a clear example of why most people go for hypnotist’s sessions.
Is there a science behind it?
Were it hundreds of years ago, you would have the option to either believe in the power of hypnosis or to disregard it altogether. Today, however, things are different; there is scientific evidence to back up any claims of hypnotism.
In this case, then, what does science and studies say about hypnotism? Harvard led a study to investigate how the brain is affected during hypnotism. In this study, they observed 57 people who were at the time going through hypnosis.
During the study, two significant findings were revealed. The first was the areas in the brain responsible for controlling and processing what goes on in the body showed heightened activity. The second was a disparity between the part accountable for actions and the area aware of the actions happening.
Ultimately, what this revealed is there is a lot more research to be done to understand the role of hypnosis in mind clearly. However, this study also showed there’s a high efficacy level in hypnosis. The results are clearly evident.
Thus, there’s merit in getting hypnotized or choosing to self-hypnotize and enjoy the myriad benefits.
Check out our recommendations at “Hypnosis & Self-hypnosis Bookshelf” – Opens in new tab
Can you hypnotize yourself?
If hypnotism is this encouraged in life, must you seek out a hypnotist to help you benefit from the joys and advantages of hypnotism? While there are professionals who are dedicated to the field, you can also hypnotize yourself.
Before looking at how you can hypnotize yourself, let’s look at some of the advantages of hypnotism and hypnotherapy.
Related reading: The Advantages of Hypnotizing yourself and a Simple Process to Do it – Opens in new tab
Top benefits of hypnotherapy
1. Hypnosis can help relieve migraines
Headaches and migraines can be particularly disturbing. You’ll barely get any work done when your head is throbbing, and you can focus on any task, let alone interact with light. Fortunately, hypnotism has been linked with helping alleviate pain from headaches and migraines.
2. Hypnotherapy helps quit smoking
Countless people are continually searching for effective ways to break addictions and negative traits. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, they have studies linking hypnosis with positive results for those who wish to quit smoking.
3. Hypnosis helps with sleeplessness and insomnia
Have you ever had one of those nights when nothing will get you to sleep? You likely have; those times when even counting sheep won’t work. Luckily, with hypnosis, you can control insomnia and bouts of sleeplessness.
4. It’s also linked with treating IBS
While there’s still a lot of studies that need to be done on the long-term effect of treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with hypnosis, there are studies on the short term effect. According to various studies, hypnotherapy has been shown to help with IBS.
Related reading: 13 Valuable Self-hypnosis Benefits you Need to Know – Opens in new tab
Now let’s go back to the question of if you need a hypnotherapist. The simple answer is no, but let’s expound.
Can you self-hypnotize?
If you run an honest assessment, you’ll find people who have a hard time self-hypnotizing. You’ll hear people talk about how they tried hypnotherapy with to no avail. What is usually wrong, and how can you fix this so you can enjoy the benefits of hypnotherapy?
Self-hypnosis exercise
Here’s a simple yet effective exercise that will help you hypnotize yourself. Essentially, to reap the advantages, you’ll first need to access your subconscious, then learn how to give clear instructions, and then see how well you accomplish the instructions provided.
As formerly mentioned, some people say that despite carrying out the exercise, they were not able to enjoy the benefits. Why is this? Well, there are various ways to look at it.
The most prevalent is the lack of growth. Most people will go through hypnotism to correct a significant issue in life. Either that or they’re trying to pick up a habit. The reason why this mostly fails is that you need to work on the progress gradually.
The same way everything else takes progress is how hypnotism works. The same way you had to start from kindergarten is true for hypnotism. In self-hypnotism, begin by establishing a stable connection with your subconscious mind.
Then, move past the stage of critically analyzing and thinking and having little to no trust in your subconscious. Finally, you need to understand how to feed your brain with the right instructions correctly. These fun and simple exercises help you exercise your ‘brain muscles.’
Here are easy and actionable steps to get you through a self-hypnosis exercise.
1. Start by finding an ideal location
Ideally, you want to find a calm, quiet, and undisturbed place where you won’t get distracted for the next ten minutes or so.
2. Find some calming and relaxing meditation music
There’s a lot of music and ambient noises out there to help you relax. The music enables you to isolate from everything going on in the outside world. If you can, get some earphones and isolate the ambient noises.
Below is a video that can help you with the self-hypnosis session.
Check these Guided Self-Hypnosis Recordings
3. Get comfortable
Since you already have your undisturbed place, you know now how to get comfortable. Get a nice and comfortable sitting position. You can get meditation pillows to help with comfort.
4. Ensure you’re free
Even the slightest discomfort can keep you from enjoying the benefits of self-hypnosis. For example, if you have tight clothes on, you’ll likely focus on that rather than the self-hypnosis. Ensure your clothes are loose-fitting, and all of your body is getting free blood circulation.
5. Engage your senses
To engage your subconscious, you need to get to a place where you feel safe and free. An excellent way to accomplish this is by getting to your comfort zone.
What makes you comfortable? Being in a flower garden? A museum analyzing paints? Listening to symphonies? Imagine you are at that place, smell the flowers in the garden, the light bouncing off the flowers, and the moist soil heavy with morning dew.
This will help you connect with the subconscious.
6. Put your earphones and meditate away
You’re all done with the preparation. Now you just have to play the video below and dive into the world of self-hypnosis.
At the end of the day, the results of hypnotherapy are clear, and the benefits are evident. Through this self-hypnosis exercise, you’ll be able to gradually enjoy the benefits.
Do you want to learn more about hypnosis and self-hypnosis? Check out our recommendations at “Hypnosis Bookshelf” and many free resources at our “Free Hypnosis Library“
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