I explain step by step exactly how to hypnotize yourself. Self hypnosis is easy to do and is a great way to learn how to relax and stay focused. I was taught self hypnosis as a child, and it has served me well in many areas of my life.

First, let’s dispel the common myths about hypnosis:

  • It is not some type of mind control, though it does open us to suggestion.
  • Virtually anyone can learn.
  • It is not a powerful or dangerous technique that can cause a mental breakdown.
  • What you see in the movies is not real and you shouldn’t worry.

Basically, hypnosis is nothing more than a focused, but relaxed state of mind. The problem most people have with it, is they may become sleepy when they relax. Hypnosis is an alert, but detached state of relaxation. First, lets talk about the most important part: Breathing.

Pay attention to your breathing. The proper way to breathe is what’s called natural breathing. This involves using the diaphragm to breathe with, not your rib cage. The way to do this is to relax your ribs. When you inhale, your stomach should extend, not your rib cage. It’s much like the way an opera singer breathes, they breathe deeply into their abdomen, and it goes in and out. A good guide is from Kashiwaya Sensei. Another good article is from Akido – Ki Exercises, which has pictures and involves other positions, such as lying on your back. After you familiarize yourself with this, lets move on to some basics:

One Point Hypnosis (or one point meditation)

  1. Sit upright in a chair
  2. Relax, but sit up straight
  3. Breathe deeply and slowly, in through your nose, and out through the mouth.
  4. Just relax and breathe for a few minutes – slow and deep.
  5. Pick a small spot on the wall, and stare at it. If you blink, it’s ok. The idea is to relax but stay alert.
  6. Stare into the spot, while breathing deeply, in a slow rhythm
  7. As you stare into the spot, the surrounding area will start to turn white. This requires practice.
  8. You will develop a type of tunnel vision.
  9. As you fall deeply, the entire room will disappear – you will only see the spot.
  10. When this happens, you are in a hypnotic state. Close your eyes and simply feel yourself breathing. Feels really cool huh?
  11. When you want to come back up, just breathe a little faster and think of awakening. It’s no big deal, you will come right back up. You will feel relaxed and rejuvenated.

Hypnosis in Everyday Life

You maybe wondering what the difference between hypnosis and meditation is. Nothing – they are really the same thing. Most of us experience hypnosis on some level all the time in our daily lives. A perfect example is when playing a video game, or blogging. If you play a video game for a long time and really get into it, you get into that “zone”, where your totally relaxed, but absolutely alert. This is most definitely a state of hypnosis.

If you’re madly writing articles for your blog and you’re really getting into it, you may get lost in your work. Your so into it, the hours fly by and you write something great. This is hypnosis. If you practice the relaxation part with breathing exercises, you will be able to get into that zone at will. This is the entire idea behind all meditation.

The idea that it has nothing to do with physical action is not correct. Great athletes get into this state of mind all the time. Professional boxers, like Roy Jones Jr., stay incredibly relaxed while fighting. They pace themselves, and of course breathe efficiently and effectively. If you practice states of consciousness, you can gain a powerful new control over yourself.

I will give you a little warning: don’t drop into a deep state of relaxation while you’re driving on a long trip at night while you’re really sleepy! That’s pretty obvious though. However, race car drivers drive in a deeply hypnotic state – they have to in order to pay such strong attention to every tiny detail of their actions.

The Lighter Side of Mass Hypnosis

Several years ago, I went to a comedy show at the Grand Casino one night after work (I was employed there at the time). The comedic hypnotist Anthony Cools was performing a show where he hypnotizes several people on stage at the same time. I knew Anthony and so did most of the employees. One of the girls I worked with got the bright idea for me to volunteer to be hypnotized. I really liked her, so like an ignorant fool, I ran up on stage thinking nothing of it.

Myself and eleven other guys sat on stage in front of around 700 people. After 10 minutes of hypnosis, he gave us some suggestions. All of us ran into the bathroom, turned our clothes inside out, and ran back on stage. I didn’t feel hypnotized, but I normally wouldn’t have done that!

After another command, all of us guys made love to our chairs as if they were our dream women – a bizarre imaginary lap dance for our chair’s benefit. What was so funny is that it didn’t seem like a big deal. We all complied and did what he said. After the show, my friends were laughing at me and couldn’t believe I had actually done it. I have a video copy of the show, but will NEVER show it on this blog. It is so ridiculous and embarrassing! All I can say is that I was seriously hypnotized – very strange indeed.

Bottom line: if you learn self-hypnosis, it will help you on so many levels. The main area it can help is in stressful situations. I can’t tell you how many times it’s helped me. It improves mental acuity and concentration. The only way to learn is to practice. I hope this hypnosis primer has been helpful. If you have any questions, I would love to answer them.