Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress

 If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, consider trying meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can restore your calm and inner peace. Anyone can practice meditation. It's simple and inexpensive, and it doesn't require any special equipment. And you can practice meditation wherever you are — whether you're out for a walk, riding the bus, waiting at the doctor's office or even in the middle of a difficult business meeting.

Understanding meditation

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction. Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine.

Meditation produces a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. This process results in enhanced physical and emotional well-being.

Benefits of meditation

Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. And these benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and can even improve certain medical conditions.

Meditation and emotional well-being

When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress. The emotional benefits of meditation include:

• Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations

• Building skills to manage your stress

• Increasing self-awareness

• Focusing on the present

• Reducing negative emotions

Meditation and illness

Meditation also might be useful if you have a medical condition, especially one that may be worsened by stress. While a growing body of scientific research supports the health benefits of meditation, some researchers believe it's not yet possible to draw conclusions about the possible benefits of meditation. With that in mind, some research suggests that meditation may help such conditions as:

• Allergies

• Anxiety disorders

• Asthma

• Binge eating

• Cancer

• Depression

• Fatigue

• Heart disease

• High blood pressure

• Pain

• Sleep problems

• Substance abuse

Be sure to talk to your health care provider about the pros and cons of using meditation if you have any of these conditions or other health problems. In some cases, meditation can worsen symptoms associated with certain mental health conditions. Meditation isn't a replacement for traditional medical treatment. But it may be a useful addition to your other treatment.

Types of meditation

Meditation is an umbrella term for the many ways to a relaxed state of being. There are many types of meditation and relaxation techniques that have meditation components. All share the same goal of achieving inner peace. Ways to meditate can include:

• Guided meditation. Sometimes called guided imagery or visualization, with this method of meditation you form mental images of places or situations you find relaxing. You try to use as many senses as possible, such as smells, sights, sounds and textures. You may be led through this process by a guide or teacher.

• Mantra meditation. In this type of meditation, you silently repeat a calming word, thought or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts.

• Mindfulness meditation. This type of meditation is based on being mindful, or having an increased awareness and acceptance of living in the present moment. You broaden your conscious awareness. You focus on what you experience during meditation, such as the flow of your breath. You can observe your thoughts and emotions but let them pass without judgment.

• Qi gong. This practice generally combines meditation, relaxation, physical movement and breathing exercises to restore and maintain balance. Qi gong (CHEE-gung) is part of traditional Chinese medicine.

• Tai chi. This is a form of gentle Chinese martial arts. In tai chi (TIE-chee), you perform a self-paced series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner while practicing deep breathing.

• Transcendental meditation. You use a mantra, such as a word, sound or phrase repeatedly silently, to narrow your conscious awareness and eliminate all thoughts from your mind. You focus exclusively on your mantra to achieve a state of perfect stillness and consciousness.

• Yoga. You perform a series of postures and controlled breathing exercises to promote a more flexible body and a calm mind. As you move through poses that require balance and concentration, you're encouraged to focus less on your busy day and more on the moment.

Elements of meditation

Different types of meditation may include different features to help you meditate. These may vary depending on whose guidance you follow or who's teaching a class. Some of the most common features in meditation include:

• Focused attention. Focusing your attention is generally one of the most important elements of meditation. Focusing your attention is what helps free your mind from the many distractions that cause stress and worry. You can focus your attention on such things as a specific object, an image, a mantra, or even your breathing.

• Relaxed breathing. This technique involves deep, even-paced breathing using the diaphragm muscle to expand your lungs. The purpose is to slow your breathing, take in more oxygen, and reduce the use of shoulder, neck and upper chest muscles while breathing so that you breathe more efficiently.

• A quiet setting. If you're a beginner, practicing meditation may be easier if you're in a quiet spot with few distractions — no television, radios or cell phones. As you get more skilled at meditation, you may be able to do it anywhere, especially in high-stress situations where you benefit the most from meditation, such as a traffic jam, a stressful work meeting or a long line at the grocery store.

• A comfortable position. You can practice meditation whether you're sitting, lying down, walking or in other positions or activities. Just try to be comfortable so that you can get the most out of your meditation.

Everyday ways to practice meditation

Don't let the thought of meditating the "right" way add to your stress. Sure, you can attend special meditation centers or group classes led by trained instructors. But you also can practice meditation easily on your own.

And you can make meditation as formal or informal as you like — whatever suits your lifestyle and situation. Some people build meditation into their daily routine. For example, they may start and end each day with an hour of meditation. But all you really need is a few minutes of quality time for meditation.

Here are some ways you can practice meditation on your own, whenever you choose:

• Breathe deeply. This technique is good for beginners because breathing is a natural function. Focus all attention on your breathing. Concentrate on feeling and listening as you inhale and exhale through your nostrils. Breathe deeply and slowly. When your attention wanders, gently return your focus to your breathing.

• Scan your body. When using this technique, focus attention on different parts of your body. Become aware of your body's various sensations, whether that's pain, tension, warmth or relaxation. Combine body scanning with breathing exercises and imagine breathing heat or relaxation into and out of different parts of your body.

• Repeat a mantra. You can create your own mantra, whether it's religious or secular. Examples of religious mantras include the Jesus Prayer in the Christian tradition, the holy name of God in Judaism, or the om mantra of Hinduism, Buddhism and other Eastern religions.

Walk and meditate. Combining a walk with meditation is an efficient and healthy way to relax. You can use this technique anywhere you're walking — in a tranquil forest, on a city sidewalk or at the mall. When you use this method, slow down the pace of walking so that you can focus on each movement of your legs or feet. Don't focus on a particular destination. Concentrate on your legs and feet, repeating action words in your mind such as lifting, moving and placing as you lift each foot, move your leg forward and place your foot on the ground.

• Engage in prayer. Prayer is the best known and most widely practiced example of meditation. Spoken and written prayers are found in most faith traditions. You can pray using your own words or read prayers written by others. Check the self-help or 12-step-recovery section of your local bookstore for examples. Talk with your rabbi, priest, pastor or other spiritual leader about resources.

• Read and reflect. Many people report that they benefit from reading poems or sacred texts, and taking a few moments to quietly reflect on their meaning. You also can listen to sacred music, spoken words or any music you find relaxing or inspiring. You may want to write your reflections in a journal or discuss them with a friend or spiritual leader.

• Focus your love and gratitude. In this type of meditation, you focus your attention on a sacred object or being, weaving feelings of love and gratitude into your thoughts. You can also close your eyes and use your imagination or gaze at representations of the object.

Building your meditation skills

Don't judge your meditation skills, which may only increase your stress. Meditation takes practice. Keep in mind, for instance, that it's common for your mind to wander during meditation, no matter how long you've been practicing meditation. If you're meditating to calm your mind and your attention wanders, slowly return to the object, sensation or movement you're focusing on.

Experiment, and you'll likely find out what types of meditation work best for you and what you enjoy doing. Adapt meditation to your needs at the moment. Remember, there's no right way or wrong way to meditate. What matters is that meditation helps you with stress reduction and feeling better overall.

What is Meditation?

 Meditation involves trying to train your thoughts to stay in the present

moment, because in the present moment there is true peace. Th oughts of the

future (what can/might/will happen, leading to fear or anxiety) or of the past

(what did or might have happened, leading to sadness, depression, anger, or

jealousy) prevent us from feeling the peace that is in the present moment. In

other words, being totally focused in the present moment means that you do

not think about the past or the future, and are freed (for as long as the meditation

session lasts) from the negative emotions (stress) that accompany those

thoughts.

EXAMPLES OF MEDITATION

Can you think of • an activity in which you totally lose track of time?

When your attention is so focused that you say, “I don’t know where

the time went?” Examples might be: painting or drawing, working in

the garden, staring at the ocean, playing with your pet, journaling,

teaching your child how to play a sport, dancing freely to your favorite

music, etc. I found that when I was in the operating room performing

surgery, I was so focused that my operations became true

meditations.

• All of these situations are meditative experiences because there are no

thoughts about the past or the future; the mind is thinking only of the

present moment.

• So as you refl ect on the experience(s) in your life where you lost track

of time, you will realize that you also lost track of whatever was in

your life that was causing you stress, whether it was a toxic relationship,

a chronic illness, or the sadness that comes with grief or loss.

CATEGORIES OF MEDITATION

If you are lucky enough to have a hobby or some sort of activity in which you

engage on a daily basis and that makes you lose track of time, consider yourself

one of the lucky people who have a regular meditation practice without knowing

it. However, the rest of us (the majority of people on the planet) need to

create dedicated time in our schedule to engage in a formal activity to quiet the

mind. As you can tell from the examples listed above, these experiences can be

placed into three main categories:

• Concentrative

• Movement

• Expressive

Th ese three forms of meditation have been used for centuries in diff erent

cultures and religious traditions. I will give examples of techniques for each

category, and I suggest you experiment with them all so that you have enough

experience to know what you like best (so it can become the start of your regular

meditation practice), as well as to know how to best explain them to your

patients.

How to Meditate

First, scheduling time to meditate • is of the utmost importance.

• We all lead busy lives and, despite the best of intentions, without a

dedicated time for an activity, life oft en gets in the way and the activity

never happens. (Th ink of the diffi culty most people have fi nding

the time to exercise unless they commit to a certain schedule.)

• Th erefore, a meditation practice starts with fi nding the time on a daily

basis. Th e good news here is that not a lot of time is required.

A beginner can start with just a few minutes a day, eventually getting to

20 to 30 minutes a day as the benefi ts to the meditator become so obvious that

it becomes the most important part of his or her day.

CONCENTRATIVE TECHNIQUES

• I will discuss concentrative techniques fi rst, because

they are ones that are most oft en described, taught

and practiced.

• Th ey all involve active concentration, consciously

focusing the mind on something specifi c. Examples

of this type of meditation include staring at the

dance of a candle fl ame, continuously repeating a

word to yourself (such as peace , love or God ) or

simply following your breath. Th e goal is to concentrate and try to

ignore the other thoughts that will unfortunately pop into your head.

• Th e secret is to allow those thoughts to come and to let them go by not

allowing the mind to get caught up in them.

Tips for Applying the Concentrative Techniques

• Don’t keep thinking of an unpleasant incident, start

getting worked up, begin feeling angry or hurt all over

again and begin to plan your revenge. Th at is not a

meditative experience, but serves as an illustration of

how a thought that arises, which is of a negative incident,

is given additional power by thoughts of the

emotions associated with it (how you feel) as well as

the thoughts of how to achieve retribution.

Instead of thinking that way, try y • our best to simply note that this is a

thought that is occurring, and do your best to refocus your attention

on the candle and not get stuck in the drama of the bad experience.

Th is may be diffi cult to do at fi rst, but with practice it certainly can be

done, although rarely to total perfection, except by yogis or monks.

• If you need proof of the usefulness of these techniques, just ask an

experienced meditator, who will likely be happy to share his or her

success stories as well as the challenges that never fully go away.

Positioning

• Before starting, it is important to position

yourself properly, which means that you

should be sitting comfortably, not lying down.

• Sitting in a chair is fi ne; just keep your feet on

the fl oor. Sitting on the fl oor works just as well,

with or without a cushion, but try to keep your

back as close to straight as you can without

pain or a lot of eff ort.

• You should not be distracted by tight clothing and your shoes should

be off .

• A quiet place is best for concentrative work, as is a comfortable

temperature.

• Many regular meditators like to create a special place to meditate

and feel they benefi t from sitting in front of things that have special

meaning, such as pictures of loved ones, sacred objects, or crystals

(amethyst is reported to enhance meditation).

• While it is appropriate to try to achieve these “ideal” conditions, one

of the wonders of meditation is that it can occur anywhere and everywhere,

even in the harshest of conditions, and that even true beginners

have had eff ective meditations sitting on the ground outdoors in

the noisy chaos of a United Nations refugee camp.

Quieting the Mind

• Th e fi nal step in preparing for a quiet,

concentrative meditation is to perform

a technique that will help quiet the

mind.

• Aft er getting comfortable (as described

above), simply take your right hand and

hold the center of your palm approximately 3 to 4 inches away from

the spot on your forehead that is above your nose at the level of and in

the middle of your eyebrows.

Close your eyes and rotate • your hand so that the center of your palm

makes the outline of a circle that is the size of a quarter. Move your

hand toward your left , such that if an observer were facing you, your

hand would be moving in a clockwise direction.

• If, as you move your hand, you gradually enlarge the size of the circle,

that is not a problem. People may experience diff erent sensations

from this, such as a feeling of heat coming from their hand to their

forehead, but almost everyone fi nds that it helps quiet the mind.

When you feel your mind has quieted down a little, meaning you are

not paying much attention to any thoughts that may be arising, it is

time to start focusing on the object of your concentrative meditation

(looking at a candle, repeating a prayer, word or phrase, or focusing

on the breath).

FOCUS ON THE BREATH

• Th e most popular concentrative meditation is to focus on the breath.

• Th is is extremely versatile, since no supplies (like a candle) are needed,

and it can be done wherever we are.

• Th e way this meditation is performed is to simply focus on your

breath as it comes in and out of your body.

• Try breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth

(don’t worry about doing this if your nose is stuff ed), being aware of

the air coming in and going out.

• By keeping your focus on the breath you prevent other thoughts from

coming in. If they do, simply let them go as best you can, and return

to concentrating on your breathing.

• Try to do this for a minute or two when you fi rst start, and continue

for longer when you feel you are able.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME

• Th ere are many variations to this most basic

script. It can be done in silence or with music that

you fi nd relaxing.

• If you fi nd your focus drift ing from your breath

to the music, allow it to happen — it is just another

form of meditation.

You may feel you can co • ntrol your mind better by adding the mental

discipline of repeating in your mind a word or phrase in coordination

with your breathing. An example would be the phrase “soft belly,” thinking

of the word “soft ” on the in breath and “belly” on the out breath.

• Another way to structure the meditative process is, aft er getting comfortable

and performing the hand motions previously described, to go

through a prescribed pattern of thinking before starting the concentrative

part of the meditation (in this case, the focusing in the breath.

 An example of this is the pattern of thought that I personally use

every day, which I off er here for you to use as described, or to

modify to your liking.

 I share this with you not because I want you to think a certain way

but because you might fi nd it helpful.

 Th is pattern of thinking helps me quiet my mind before starting

my concentrative meditation by getting my negative thoughts out

of the way so that they are less likely to intrude during my meditation

time.

Expressing Gratitude

• Specifi cally, I begin each of my meditations by expressing gratitude

for all that I have in my life, both the pleasant and the unpleasant.

• Th is forces me to try to fi nd positives in the challenges I face, helping

me to diminish, sometimes just ever so slightly, the drama with which

the circumstances are associated.

• I then try to get to a place of surrender, where I work on making myself

believe that I can’t consciously understand or control the events of my

life. I have found that no longer lamenting “why me?” when life gets

rough forces me to accept the situation at hand and frees up a lot of my

mental energy, enabling me to focus forward on fi nding solutions.

• Th is ritual, which I perform every morning before starting the concentrative

piece, clears my mind and prepares me for a more eff ective,

deep and powerful meditation experience.

SETTLING INTO THE MEDITATIVE MOMENT

• If sitting and thinking seems quite diffi cult for

you, then you might be best served by fi rst

trying a movement meditation, where there

are no instructions other than to move! Th at’s

correct: all you have to do is just move.

Th at means y • ou can shake your body wildly, or dance (modern or

ballroom or tribal or ethnic) around the room to loud music that you

really like. Th is is probably best done with no one else around (one

might be self-conscious, as this could look quite silly to an observer).

See how you feel aft er 5 minutes . . . if you want to continue, do so.

• Aft erwards, try to keep still for a few minutes, paying attention to

your breath. Don’t be surprised if emotions come up while you are

shaking or dancing. Th is is not an uncommon occurrence, especially

if you have emotions just below the surface that have not yet been

addressed.

• Becoming emotional during vigorous movement is a healthy way to

move through and clear emotions. Of course, if this technique brings

up powerful emotions that aff ect you throughout the day, working

things through with a professional is far better than hoping that you

can just shake the discomfort away.

• Finally, movement meditations are a wonderful choice for those who

feel stuck, either emotionally or elsewhere in their lives.

Movement Meditation through Martial Arts

• A discussion of movement meditation would be incomplete without

mentioning yoga, tai chi, qigong and other martial arts, which, in

their pure form, are not only a meditation but also a way of life.

• All are ancient disciplines that blend controlling thought (primarily

by focusing on breath) with movement (through postures or detailed

choreographed routines) in order to achieve harmony between mind

and body.

• I strongly encourage all practitioners to take an introductory class in

a few of these techniques to decide if one feels right for you, and to

help you explain them to your patients.

Th e editor regularly engages in tai chi, which incorporates breath work with

choreographed movements (please see Chapter 22). My signifi cant other is a

yoga instructor. Her practice is to cleanse the mind of negative thoughts and

through proper breathing, putting the mind in a relaxed and tranquil state in

concert with body movements (see Chapter 35).

EXPRESSIVE MEDICATION: CREATING AN OUTLET FOR MEDITATING

Th e last category of meditation, exp • ressive meditation, involves creating

an outlet for your creative side, which neuroscientists believe lies

in the right cerebral hemisphere.

• Examples are journaling, drawing, or even working with sand, sticks

and small stones, allowing your hands to create whatever they desire

while you listen to relaxing music and fully concentrate on the task at

hand.

• Th e way to journal is to fi nd some private time to just write down

truthfully and honestly how you think and feel about whatever topic

comes up.

• Some structure this by writing about the important events of the day

and their associated thoughts and feelings. Others write about a particular

topic, such as writing daily about all the issues surrounding a

chronic illness.

• Many people fi nd that when they write exactly what they think or feel

without letting their mind get in the way (by judging their grammar

or deciding if a topic is off limits) they gain important insights into

their situation, in addition to feeling less stressed and more relaxed.

Conclusions

An important fi nal note is that this discussion, as stated in the title, was

designed to deliver information on how to meditate at an introductory level. It

was important to take information that was previously held secret and

explained in complicated ways, and to package it to be readily understandable.

I wanted to teach meditation in a way that could be embraced and understood

by all, without the religious or cultural overtones that can serve as a block for

some, or a source of deep meaning for others. While this approach has necessitated

making arbitrary classifi cations and eliminating discussion of the spiritual

aspects of a meditation practice, I know, through my own personal

journey and professional experience, that practicing meditation in this religiously

neutral, simple, and practical way has helped transform the lives of

thousands of people. It is my fi rm belief that those that wish to learn and experience

the esoteric and spiritual benefi ts of meditation will be led to, and will

fi nd, that which they sincerely seek.

Self Hypnosis: What It Is & How to Do It

 Have you ever found yourself deeply engrossed in a book? Or so caught up in a film that time seemed to pass effortlessly? If so, you may have experienced a routine form of hypnosis, what many practitioners refer to as the “everyday trance.”

Hypnosis is a normal state that we enter many times during the day, each time we get really focused on something that we’re concentrating on. The ability to focus yourself at will is an invaluable skill to have and is the foundation for a practice of self-hypnosis. This article explains how to perform ‘self-hypnosis’ and describes some of the benefits of this technique.

What is self hypnosis?

Self-hypnosis involves becoming highly focused and absorbed in the experience while giving yourself positive suggestions about ways to reach your goals. Self-hypnosis is an individual practice, unlike when you are working with a therapist. It can be a most empowering practice as you learn to have better control of your thoughts and reactions while enjoying the physical and emotional benefits of the relaxation that is typical of self-hypnosis techniques. (1)

What can a person accomplish with self hypnosis?

What can humans accomplish if they’re in the “right” frame of mind? When people are focused and motivated to accomplish a goal, and most effectively use their abilities, they are at the peak of their personal power. To use that power to learn new skills more easily, perform athletic feats, be more creative, tolerate pain, and face the unknown with greater confidence, are just a few of the infinite examples of the value of self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis is a means of learning to focus yourself, motivate yourself, be more self-aware, and make the best use of your innate skills. If you think about it, when you see other people do amazing things, they’re usually intensely focused on what they’re doing and what they’re trying to accomplish. Self-hypnosis is all about developing and using your focus in a goal-directed fashion.

Is self hypnosis the same as meditation?

Self-hypnosis is very similar to meditation in that both involve entering a calm and relaxed state main difference is that when people practice self-hypnosis, they tend to have a specific goal in mind, something that will improve them and their quality of life in some way. In a typical meditation practice there is no particular goal, just an easy acceptance of wherever the mind goes without judgment or intention. Both meditation and self-hypnosis have the potential to promote physical and mental health in parallel ways, thus highlighting the merits of learning to develop and use focus meaningfully. (2, 3)

How to hypnotize yourself

Below are commonly employed steps to perform self-hypnosis. Hypnosis is perfectly safe, and you will be in control the whole time. After all, it is your experience. To end the hypnosis session at any time simply count to five and instruct yourself to re-alert. Here are the steps to hypnotize yourself we're going to discuss below:

1. Find a comfortable place to relax and get comfortable
2. Relax using a hypnotic induction like progressive muscle relaxation
3. Introduce a suggestion
4. Return to your usual level of alertness

1. Find a comfortable place

First, make sure you feel physically comfortable as this will help you relax. Sit in a soft chair with your legs and feet uncrossed. You may also lie down although this method may lead you to simply fall sleep. Loosen any tight clothing and avoid eating large meals so you don’t feel bloated and uncomfortable. Ensure you will not be interrupted for 20-30 minutes during the hypnosis.

2. Relax using a hypnotic induction

Enter the hypnotic state with a common technique known as progressive muscle relaxation. With this, focus awareness upon any tension stored in parts of the body, and release tension sequentially. Begin with your hands and arms, then move down to your back, shoulders and neck, then stomach and chest and legs and feet. Visualise the tension dissolving or evaporating away, or slowly tense then relax the muscles. The feeling of deep, pleasant, comfortable relaxation is an excellent starting point to begin self-hypnosis.

3. Introduce a suggestion

In the focused and relaxed state of hypnosis, you can pay deeper and fuller attention to the suggestions you want to give yourself for self-improvement. These can be simple but clear statements you offer yourself about what you might do differently, or how you might react differently in some challenging situation, or how you might come to think differently about yourself or some circumstance. These ‘post-hypnotic suggestions’ (meaning suggestions that can take effect after your self-hypnosis session is finished) can help you achieve your goals. Some common examples of goals addressed in self-hypnosis include:

• Improving confidence and self-esteem
• Overcoming anxiety
• Quitting smoking
• Overcoming addiction
• Fears and phobias
• Visualising a goal or action
• Sleep better

This is a short list, but suggestions can focus on any area of your life in which you hope to initiate a mental shift. Examples of post-hypnotic suggestions in the form of affirmations, a common self-hypnosis approach, include:

• I accept myself for who I am
• I eat three healthy meals per day
• I am confident and assertive when speaking to others
• I feel calm, confident and relaxed
• I find it easy to stop smoking

4. Return to your usual level of alertness

After providing the suggestions, you can become more alert & aware by counting to five while telling yourself you are becoming aware of your surroundings. At the count of five, you can open your eyes and stretch out your arms and legs and go on with your day.

Tips for hypnotic suggestions  

When making suggestions during self-hypnosis in step 3, follow these tips:

• Say it with conviction: Imagine the words being said gently but with conviction and ensure the tone is reassuring, confident and positive.
• Phrase suggestions in the present tense: The suggestion, ‘I am confident’ will be more effective than, ‘I will be confident’ as the word ‘am’ is in the present tense and is more certain.
• Make suggestions positive: For example, ‘I am at peace’ is better than ‘I am not stressed’ ; talk to yourself about what you do want, not what you don’t want.
• Make suggestions realistic: Avoid over-ambitious suggestions such as, ‘I will lose a lot of weight quickly’. Instead focus on smaller and more specific goals such as, ‘I will eat more vegetables, and exercise more’.
• Repeat the suggestions: State the suggestions many times during the hypnosis. Repetition of an idea can help drive home the point.

Using imagery and action in self hypnosis

Adding imagery to the post-hypnotic suggestions can improve the hypnosis. You may also engage your sense of taste, touch and smell. For example, to help overcome anxiety you could imagine:

• Sitting on a sandy beach on a warm day
• Seeing a hot air balloon and placing your worries into the basket
• Releasing the sandbags and watching the balloon rise into the distance

Adding in action steps – what you’ll actually do differently to improve things – is also very helpful to successful self-hypnosis.

Advantages of Self hypnosis

• Can be performed anywhere
• Subject may feel more in control
• Subject chooses hypnotic suggestions
• Money saved from the consulting fee

Advantages of hypnosis with a hypnotherapist:

• The Hypnotic state may be more easily entered
• The therapist can choose beneficial suggestions
• The session may be more structured
• The therapist is trained to see things in you that you don’t (your “blind spots”)

Self hypnosis in medicine

There are remarkable examples that showcase how effective self-hypnosis can be. Take the documented case of Victor Rausch (1980), a dental surgeon who was experienced with hypnotic procedures. When required surgery to remove his gallbladder, Rausch used self-hypnosis as his only anaesthesia. (8)

More recently, science has shown training in self-hypnosis may help patients overcome a range of clinical conditions. These include:

• Anxiety: Patients who had undergone heart surgery showed lower levels of anxiety after learning self-hypnosis techniques. A study in children with cancer showed less and surgery-related anxiety and behavioural distress after learning self-hypnosis. (9, 10)
• Pain: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) reported lower levels of chronic pain after learning self-hypnosis techniques than those who did not. Further, a study in children showed functional abdominal pain resolved in three weeks following a single session of self-hypnosis. (11, 12)
• Tension headaches: In children and adolescents, self-hypnosis training reduced the frequency of tension headaches. Another study in adults showed long-term headache pain reduction from self-hypnosis. (13, 14)
• Chronic dyspnea: In adults with breathing difficulty at rest, a single training in self-hypnosis resolved symptoms in 13 of 16 patients within one month. (15)
• Irritable bowel syndrome: Patients with IBS have been shown to be able to improve IBS symptoms as much as the gold standard Low FODMAP elimination diet.

Tips for improving self hypnosis:

• Have a goal in mind: Before starting self-hypnosis ensure to have a goal in mind, such as lowering stress. This will ensure each session is focused and productive.  
• Schedule time for self-hypnosis: The hardest part of self-hypnosis can be getting started. It may work best to set aside a time each day for self-hypnosis and write it in your schedule. Self-hypnosis can be performed during the day, or at night before you sleep.
• Keep up the practice: Like riding a bike, it takes time to learn self-hypnosis. With practice and instruction, you will learn to more quickly enter a state of trance. You will also learn a broader range of hypnotic suggestions to improve the outcome.
• Use a mobile app: Mobile apps such as Mindset (for sleep & mental health) and Nerva (for IBS) can be a great way to get the best of both self-hypnosis and hypnosis with a hypnotherapist.

A Word from Mindset Health

Self-hypnosis is a powerful tool to improve your mind. It is a highly safe technique that can bring increased self-esteem and confidence, assertiveness, and relaxation. Self-hypnosis can also be used during difficult times to help improve symptoms of medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, pain and headaches.

31 Hypnosis Techniques (The Most Comprehensive List)

 

Hypnotic Inductions

The first step of hypnosis, a hypnotic induction is the process that a hypnotist uses to put the client into a state where they are more open to suggestion (known as trance). There are many types of inductions.

1. Relaxation technique

Why do therapists ask to “make yourself comfortable” and provide a cushy leather couch to lay down on? It’s more than a common courtesy. Relaxation is a common method used by therapists and a beginner hypnosis technique. If the client is relaxed, they may fall into trance and the mind is open to suggestion. They are more likely to talk to you and be open to indirect suggestions. Here are some common methods of relaxation:

• Make yourself comfortable
• Lay down
• Count down in your head
• Controlled breathing
• Relax & tense muscles
• Speak in a soft tone

2. Handshake technique

Milton Erickson – the father of hypnotherapy – is famous for using the handshake technique as a way to induce hypnotic trance. Handshakes are the most common form of greetings in our society. The handshake technique shocks the subconscious by disrupting this common social norm. Instead of shaking the hand normally, the hypnotist would interrupt the pattern that our mind has established by grabbing the wrist or pulling the subject forward and off balance. With the pattern interrupted, the subconscious mind is suddenly open to suggestion.

3. Eye Cues

There are two spheres of the brain – the right manages the more “creative” and conscious side and the left the “practical” and subconscious. In any conversation we look for feedback from the listener to see how they react to our statements. Watch the subject’s eyes. Are they looking to the right, accessing the conscious or the left to the subconscious? Are they fixated on one object in the room? If they are accessing the subconscious, you can make a suggestion that they are not consciously aware of.

Advanced Tip: Insertive Eye Contact

Reading the eye movements of a listener is a common use case. But did you know that as the speaker, you can also perform a hypnotic induction on the the listener with your eye movements? This new technique was developed and tested by Stephen Brooks.

Watch this video on insertive eye contact to learn how.

4. Visualization

Visualization can be used both to induce trance and to make suggestions. For example, ask your subject to recall a room they are very familiar with. Imagine every detail in that room: the floor, the shape of the windows, the painting on the wall, the smell, the light. Then, move onto a room they are less familiar with. As they struggle to recall the exact details they open the mind to suggestion.

Advanced Tip: Use visualization to recall positive memories and associate them with a rewarding behavior, or to change one’s perception of a negative image.

• Positive images and experiences (wedding, kid, birthday, graduation)
• Discard bad images (maybe throw them in the trash)

5. Arm “Levitation” Technique

With this classic Ericksonian technique, the client begins by closing their eyes. They are asked to notice the difference in feeling between their arms. The hypnotherapist makes suggestions as to the sensations in each arm. For example they might say the arm feels heavy or light, hot or cold. The client enters a trance and may physically lift their arm or they make simply believe in their mind that they have lifted the arm. Either way, the induction was successful.

Advanced Tip: How To Hypnotize A Client With Arm Levitation

6. Sudden Shock/Falling backwards

Proceed with caution! Similar to the handshake technique, a subject finding themselves shocked can enter into a trance. I would never advocate causing any physical pain to a subject, but Erickson once demonstrated this by stepping on a woman’s foot and following it with a suggestion. A milder version would be the “trust falls” that you may have heard of or participated in at a team building event. The sensation of falling backwards shocks the system and opens the mind to suggestion, however, one must be certain they will not drop the subject.

7. Eye Fixation

Have you ever found yourself “zoning out” and staring at an interesting item in the room while someone is talking? Did you completely miss what they’ve said? You may have been in a trance.

Any object of focus can be used to induce trance. The most famous examples are the “power pendulum” or a “swinging pocket watch” – although these two objects are now associated with hokey stage hypnosis. You’re more likely to fail and encounter resistance using these objects, due to their reputation.

Nonetheless, there are two secrets behind eye fixation. First, the object keeps the conscious mind occupied, opening the subconscious to suggestion. Secondly, your eyes get physically tired when they fixate or move back and forth.

Example: Try looking up at ceiling for a few minutes (without bending your neck). The eyes naturally tire and begin to close.

8. Bodyscan

A popular method for self-hypnosis. Starting at the top of the body with your eyes closed, scan down slowly from the head to the feet. Notice every sensation – your breath expanding the ribcage, chair on your back, the pain in your elbow, each finger extended, the feet on the ground. Repeat the process from bottom to top. Continue scanning up and down until you enter trance.

Advanced Tip: The body scan can be stacked with other hypnosis induction techniques such as countdown breathing and relaxation to increase effectiveness.

9. Countdown Breathing

You may have heard of controlled breathing for meditation, but it can also an easy form of self-hypnosis. Here’s how it works:

• Close your eyes and sit upright in a chair, arms on your lap.
• Breathe deep through the nose and out through the mouth.
• Using slow controlled breaths, countdown from 100.
• Each exhale counts as one interval.
• At the end you may be in a trance. If not continue the exercise counting down from a higher number.

10. Indirect Suggestion

Photo by Amanda 

Erickson was a champion of indirect suggestion. It is a favorite of certified hypnotherapists because this method puts the control in the subject’s hands rather than those of authoritarian – respecting the patient’s boundaries and clinical ethics. Further it has proven more effective for subjects that are resistant or skeptical of trance. Rather than “order” a subject to relax (direct suggestion), one could say:

“You might wish to close your eyes, when you are comfortable.”

Learn more about Ericksonian Hypnosis

11. Direct Suggestion

In conversational hypnosis, a direct suggestion is an explicit command to perform a certain action. Though powerful, it is sometimes viewed as unethical because as the authority (a doctor or hypnotist) you hold power over the client. The client does not control the decision to change behavior with this method. The Stanford Prison Experiment was an infamous example of using authority, obedience, and direct suggestions to manipulate subjects.

Here are some classic direct suggestions:

• “You will go to sleep”
• “You will stop smoking”
• “You will lose weight”

12. Voice Tone

The tone of your voice is particularly useful when making suggestions. This can double up with other techniques (like relaxation).

“You might wish to become relaxed”

In the above example, the word “relaxed” is spoken softly and elongated. On the contrary, you can make a direct suggestion loudly.

“You will STOP smoking!”

Another perfect pair for voice tone is the confusion technique. The therapist could vary the tone of voice from whispering to shouting, speak with a different accent, or use a lisp, to confuse the subject.

13. Hypnotic trigger

There are many forms of hypnotic triggers. A trigger reminds the subconscious of a desired action or feeling which was suggested under hypnosis. Here are a few examples:

• Opening eyes
• Sound of a bell
• Snap of fingers
• Clap of hands
• Standing up or sitting down
• Opening a door

Here is how a hypnotic trigger could apply to agoraphobia:

“When you open a door, you might see your loving family on the other side.”

Reading Body Language

14. Nonverbal Communication

Hypnotists are experts at nonverbal communication – from reading a client’s body language to conveying your own non-verbal suggestions. While a client could be saying one thing consciously, the subconscious mind could tell a completely different story. Here are a few examples of how the subconscious might affect body language:

• Facial expressions
• Body posture
• Voice tone
• Pacing
• Eye movements
• Arms crossed
• Head nods
• Covering face

Advanced Tip: How To Become An Expert In Non-Verbal Communication (with case example)

15. Cold reading

You might have seen psychics, mediums, stage hypnotists, or mentalists perform a “cold reading” on TV for entertainment purposes. Though it’s generally too direct to use with a client, you might use cold reading at a party or a networking event. Here’s how cold reading works. For example, if the subject is not smiling, the hypnotist might ask:

H: “Are you sad?” – Start by asking a general or vague question from observation.

S: “Yes” – If they reply no, reset and ask another vague question.

H: “Has someone left you?” – Drill down and ask a more specific question. This could be a relationship or a pet or a family member.

S: “Yes! How did you know my cat fluffy died?”

16. Warm reading

With a warm reading, you make a statement that could apply to anyone:

“You feel happy when you are surrounded by friends.”

17. Hot reading

The most difficult type, because you need to have some prior knowledge about the person. Let’s say their family member contacted you and told you that the person was involved in a traumatic event. When you meet them, you might focus on using the “regression to a cause” technique because you have prior knowledge about the past event.

Triggers & Advanced Hypnotherapy Techniques

18. The Swish Pattern

Submodalities can be used in “the swish pattern” – a neuro-linguistic programming technique used to associate or dissociate the client with certain behaviors. The five senses are considered modalities (taste, smell, sight, touch, hearing). A submodality is a subset of these senses. Here are some examples of submodalities:

• Bright or dim?
• Large or small?
• Color or black and white?
• Loud or soft sounds?

The Swish Pattern begins with a visualization. Once the client is in a trance the hypnotist identifies one or two submodalities (brightness, size, etc). The undesirable action is large, focused, and bright in the foreground, while the desired action is visualized as small and dim in the background. In the time it takes you to say “Swish” (the method’s namesake) the desired image rapidly becomes bright and large in the client’s mind.

19. Misdirection

We see misdirection used in the real world, sometimes on a daily basis – from politics to entertainment. The prefix “mis” means wrong and “direction” is attached to it, meaning the audience is being lead in the wrong direction. There are two types of misdirection – one is literal and the other is of the mind.

A familiar demonstration of the first would be a magician distracting people by waving a wand in his left hand and then performing a sleight of hand with his right. While the audience is misdirected, the magician sneaks a card up his sleeve giving the illusion that it has “disappeared”.

Misdirection can also be a visualization:

“As you become anxious, imagine you are relaxing on a beach”

Here, a subject dealing with anxiety is misdirected to the visualization of themselves on a beach. The hypnotist has directed them from an unpleasant image towards a pleasant one.

20. Reframing

Usually done as a metaphor, reframing allows you to change the perception of an experience in the client’s mind. For example, imagine you have a client that wants to lose weight. They stay inside and play video games all day. You could ask them to describe the process to “level up” their character in the video game – what they do, how long it takes, how strong the character is at the beginning. And then, “reframe” the process of losing weight in their mind by comparing it to the video game.

“Losing weight is like leveling up your character in a video game. You start slow and train every day. You don’t see much difference at the beginning, but over time your ‘character’ becomes stronger and stronger.”

21. Regression to cause

First the client enters a deep trance where they can experience events as if they were actually there (also known as somnambulism). The therapist uses visualization to create an “affect bridge” where the client experiences an event for the first time again. Once the cause is identified the hypnotherapist can make suggestions and reframe the situation.

22. Future Pacing

The opposite of regression, when a subject is asked to visualize themselves taking the proper actions and behaviors in the future. Rather than look back into the past for an underlying negative event, you look forward to an event with positive emotions.

“Imagine you are done with your speech and the crowd is cheering. You feel accomplished and relieved.”

23. Anchoring

When we record a memory, all of the senses and emotions are associated. These are “anchors” in your memory. Perhaps the client has anchored the behavior of cigarette smoking with a break, meal, sex, chatting with friends and other pleasurable feelings. The hypnotist can suggest new anchors for more positive behavior.

24. Betty Erickson’s 3-2-1 Technique

Betty Erickson was Milton Erickson’s wife. She developed her own method for self-hypnosis known as the 3-2-1 technique. The procedure starts with your eyes open. You take note of 3 things in the room that you can see, hear, and feel. For example: you might see a painting on the wall, a table, and a clock. You might hear birds outside the window, the hum of a refrigerator, and the clock ticking. You might feel the pressure of the chair on your back, your feet on the floor, and the warmth of the sunlight through the window. The process repeats focusing on 2 items from each sensation, and then 1 item (hence the name 3-2-1). Then, you close your eyes and start over by visualizing 3 objects from each sense in your head. Again you count down. Once you’ve reached the last item, you will be in a trance.

25. Incrementalism

Making a tiny change is the stepping stone to a much large one. For example, if a client is trying to lose weight, daily cardio may be too big of a leap. Instead, you could suggest they start with a small increment: take the stairs for one floor and then hop in the elevator as they typically would. The next week, two flights of stairs. Eventually, they will have worked up to the larger goal and overall better behavior.

Another example: Go to the gym once a week for 5 minutes. The commitment is so small it’s impossible to fail. You will likely end up staying for more than 5 minutes, incrementing the duration and amount of days over the course of a month.

26. Parts Therapy

In theory, all behavior is positive in some way. The subconscious may justify one negative behavior with a positive one. An agoraphobic may not leave the house because the subconscious aims to protect the body from the dangers of the outside world. A smoker may harm their body physically in order to seek pleasurable conversation with other smokers outside.

The mind is made up of multiple parts. With parts therapy, the hypnotherapist communicates with the behavior part to better understand why an action is being taken. Then they would communicate with the creative part of the mind to come up with another solution. In the example of the smoker, perhaps there is another way they can satisfy the need for social interaction – a book club, a bowling group. The therapist then uses future pacing to reinforce the positive behavior.

27. Metaphor

Metaphors are therapeutic and memorable. Erickson loved to use metaphors in his books and teachings. Here are some classic metaphors:

• Your body is a car. Give it the right fuel and it will perform well. If you neglect the maintenance and fill it with poor fuel, and it will break down.
• Your mind is like a river that is ebbing and flowing. You can stand on the bank of the river and watch it go by or you can try to swim against the current.
• You are a mountain – strong, impenetrable, and tall.

28. Hypnotic Bind

The hypnotic bind is a favorite amongst parents and presents the “illusion” of choice with an either/or question. Here’s one example:

“Would you like to brush your teeth or take a bath?”

Advanced Tip: Use the double bind to present two options for the same desirable behavior:

“Would you like to go to bed in 10 minutes or 20 minutes?”

Either way, the child is performing the desired action of going to bed.

29. Hypnotic logic

Under trance, a client interprets statements very literally. If you ask the client “Can you sit up” they will respond “Yes”. We call this hypnotic logic.

You can use hypnotic logic along with suggestions like so:

“You can lose weight because you are successful”

Although being successful doesn’t necessarily mean you’re able to lose weight, the statement is taken literally.

30. Affirmations & Positive Thinking

An affirmation confirms a positive thought. For a client with body dysmorphia, you may have them repeat back under trance “I am beautiful” several times.

31. Reconnections

Memories fade over time. While that might be good for someone with a negative experience, positive experiences can also fade.

Abilities, just like memories, can be forgotten as well. An agoraphobic may forget that there was once a time they had the ability to go outdoors.

As a hypnotherapist you can help bring these positive memories and abilities back using rehearsal and visualization with the client.