Nobody is perfect. As such, we all have certain parts of ourselves that we would like to change or that we would like to improve upon. Yet, finding a way to make these improvements can be difficult or can even seem impossible. With the help of self-hypnosis, however, you can successfully make those changes.

What Self Hypnosis Can Do for You

There are a number of psychological and physical issues that you can address through the help of self-hypnosis. Some of these include:

• Overcoming addictions, quit smoking, compulsive overeating, and gambling.
• Deal with psychological and emotional disorders such as depression and post traumatic syndromes without needing to take medication.
• Assisting with pain reduction and decreasing recovery time after surgery or when suffering from an illness.
• Overcoming your fears and phobias, such as fear of spiders or fear of heights.
• Improve your learning capabilities by increasing your focus and attention span.
• Help your body to relax, even in stressful situations.
• Increase your chances of conception when trying to have a child.

It is truly amazing to think that self hypnosis can do so much, but the mind is truly a powerful and remarkable tool. By learning how to harness its power and put it to proper use, you can successfully overcome nearly anything that is thrown your way.

Getting Started with Self Hypnosis

In order to get started with self hypnosis and to give yourself the best chance of using it successfully, it is best to obtain the services of a professional hypnotherapist. With the help of a licensed hypnotherapist, you can learn the proper techniques for entering a hypnotic state as well as how to use self hypnosis to help you in your life.

Unfortunately, finding licensed hynotherapists that practice in a location near to you can be somewhat difficult. Therefore, you might have some problems with finding one that you can see on a personal and one-on-one basis. In addition, working one-on-one with a hypnotherapist may be too costly for you to afford. If this is the case, you might want to purchase a CD or a download that teaches self hypnosis techniques.

When purchasing a self hypnosis CD or download, be sure to only buy those that have been developed by a professionally licensed hypnotherapist. Unfortunately, there are many businesses out there that sell these products without having a true understanding of what self hypnosis is or how a person can successfully use this powerful tool. This only results in frustration and the mistaken determination that self hypnosis “doesn’t work.”

In order to make sure you perform self hypnosis in the proper manner, you will need to read all of the materials that come with your download or CD. Also, listen carefully to the audio to make sure you are following the proper technique. If you are able to work directly with a hypnotherapist, you will know for sure whether or not you are performing the self hypnosis correctly and you will be able to ask questions when necessary. At the same time, learning at home is more convenient for most people. Therefore, you will have to determine which path is best suited for your lifestyle and for your learning style.

Exploring the Self-Hypnosis Journey

If you decide to download self hypnosis information off of the Internet or are purchasing self hypnosis CDs, you will need to find a comfortable and private place in your home in which you can perform the hypnosis. If you are seeing a professional hypnotherapist, he or she will provide you with a comfortable location. For most people, the best place to perform self hypnosis is on a chair, a couch, or even on the bed. Some also prefer to find a comfortable bench or chair outside.

Wherever you decide to perform the self hypnosis, your goal is to try to clear your mind. You cannot force your mind to clear, however, as this will actually cause the thoughts in your mind to become louder. Rather, acknowledge those thoughts and then allow them to slip away. You will find that you will be able to clear your mind more quickly the more times you perform self hypnosis.

To help with relaxing your body, you should begin by visualizing the tension in your toes and then letting it fall away. Then, move up your body and repeat the same process with each body part. It is also important for you to take slow, deep breaths as you go through this process. Each time you exhale, you should imagine that the tension is leaving your body. When you inhale, you are brining in life and energey.

With the help of a self-hypnosis CD or the calming voice of a hypnotherapist in person, you can be guided through this process until your entire body is relaxed. Once you have reached this relaxed state, you will imagine that you are at the top of a set of ten stairs. Get a clear image of the stairs in your mind and then picture your self walking down the stairs as you count backwards from ten. Visualize each number in your mind and feel yourself becoming more and more relaxed with each step. When you reach the bottom, imagine that you feel relaxed and happy.

Eliciting Change with Self Hypnosis

Now that you are at the bottom of the stairs and feeling completely relaxed, you are ready to address your concerns. By speaking in the present tense and in a positive manner, you can begin to send messages to your mind.

Avoid focusing on the negative and where you are now. Rather, focus on where you will be but speak as if it is already true. For example, rather than saying “I will no longer have shoulder pain,” you will say, “My shoulders feel wonderful.” Rather than say, “I will lose weight,” you will say, “I am slim and strong.”

Be sure to select your statement before beginning the self hypnosis process. Once you reach that relaxed state, repeat the phrase as many times as you like. Then, go back up the stairs in the same way you went down in order to return to normal consciousness. Be sure to give yourself a few moments before you open your eyes and get up. By routinely engaging in this process, you will be able to concur nearly anything that life throws your way!

Although hypnosis has been repeatedly shown to be able to assist individuals with a number of different problems, ranging from overcoming phobias to kicking bad habits and from reducing pain to speeding up the healing process, a number of different myths and misconceptions remain in place to this day.  Some of these misconceptions include:

• Mind control.  Thanks to a number of different movies, comic books, and other works of fiction, many people believe that hypnosis is a form of mind control or brainwashing.  While this certainly serves for an interesting plot line and can help sell books and tickets to movies, it is entirely fictitious.  Hypnosis does not give a person control over another person.  Rather, it helps that person to gain control over his or her own mind.

• Special powers.  Some also believe that hypnotherapists have special powers.  After all, they must be able to perform some sort of magic in order to get such great results, right?  Wrong!  A hypnotherapist doesn’t have any special powers.  Rather, he or she simply understands the techniques necessary to help a person unlock the powers of his or her own mind and to make the person more susceptible to suggestion.  This misconception has been brought about by stage shows, which may be quite entertaining but do not reflect the true use and purpose of hypnosis.

• Losing awareness.  Another popular misconception is that the person being hypnotized is unaware of his or her surroundings or is unconscious while in a hypnotic trance.  To a certain extent, this myth is perpetuated by hypnotists as they use the term “sleep” when putting a person in a hypnotic state and the term “awake” when bringing them back out.  In addition, the word hypnosis is actually derived from a word that means sleep in Greek.  In reality, the hypnotized person is in a relaxed trance during which he or she is always aware at some level and remains alert.

• Only the weak can be hypnotized.  Some also believe that only weak-minded individuals can e hypnotized.  This goes back to the misconception that hypnosis is a form of mind control and, as such, a person capable of being hypnotized is too weak-minded to resist the control.  According to research, however, a person’s intelligence or level of gullibility has nothing to do with how easily he or she can be put into a hypnotic trance.  Sex and race have no bearing either, though some research does suggest that their could be a genetic link associated with how easily a person can or cannot be hypnotized.

• It’s all imaginary.  Some also mistakenly believe that hypnosis is all the result of an overactive imagination.  In actuality, research has found that those people that are more imaginative actually do not do quite as well with hypnosis.  In addition, PET scans have actually showed changes in blood flow in the brain while in a hypnotic state.

As hypnosis becomes more understood, it also becomes more accepted by the medical community.  Numerous studies have found that hypnosis can be very beneficial in a variety of ways and that it is time to put these top five myths to rest.

Although hypnosis is still considered to be an alternative form of medicine, it is increasingly gaining acceptance within the medical community for its many uses. This is largely due to the fact that numerous studies into the effectiveness of hypnosis in treating a number of different maladies have been performed, most of which have indicated that hypnosis is a valid and effective means for treatment of many different physical, emotional, and mental problems.

The Healing Power of Hypnosis

Numerous studies have been conducted surrounding the ability of hypnosis to aid in decreasing the amount of recovery time necessary after surgery or when facing a major illness or other health issue. 

Carol Ginandes, who is a professor at Harvard Medical School, has conducted more than one study into the use of hypnosis to help reduce pain and to help patients recover more quickly following surgery. In one study, Ginandes paired with fellow Harvard Medical School professor, Daniel Rosenthal, in order to look into the effects of hypnosis on patients that had broken their ankles.

In their study, Ginandes and Rosenthal followed twelve patients that had broken their ankles and that did not require surgical intervention.  Half of this group was hypnotized once per week for a period of twelve weeks while the other patients received the standard medical care from the same hospital. The same doctor provided care to all twelve volunteers and the same radiologist was used, though the professionals were not aware of who was going through hypnosis and who was not.

This study found that those undergoing hypnosis healed at a much faster rate. In fact, at their six week check-up, they had already healed to the point that would be expected after 8 ½ weeks of healing time. 

Ginandes has also paired up with Union Institute in Cincinnati professor Patricia Brooks to perform additional studies into the effects of hypnosis on healing. With this study, the researchers focused on women that had undergone breast reduction surgery. In order to eliminate the possibility that the patients with the broken ankles had healed more quickly simply because they received more attention, Ginandes broke these 18 participants into three groups. One group received standard treatment, one group received hypnosis treatments in addition to standard treatment, and one group received support through a psychologist.

Those receiving support through a psychologist underwent sessions at the same frequency as those going through hypnosis sessions, which was once per week for an eight week period. Those receiving extra care from a psychologist did heal faster than those receiving standard treatment, but those going through hypnosis healed at a much faster rate than both groups of women. 

With so much research supporting the positive effects of hypnosis, it is easy to see why more and more hospitals are choosing to add hypnosis to their patient offerings. The University of Chicago Medical Center and the Stanford Hospital & Clinics of Stanford University Medical Center in California, for example, both offer this service to their patients in an attempt to help reduce healing time and pain. 

Increasing Fertility through Hypnosis

Scientific studies have also been performed that demonstrate the ability of hypnosis to help couples overcome infertility. One of the reasons for the positive effects of hypnosis on infertility is the fact that many people fail to become pregnant simply for psychological reasons. For example, they may have a deep rooted fear of becoming a parent or may be afraid of going through a pregnancy and the childbirth process. With hypnosis, these fears can be allayed and pregnancy becomes possible.

Research has also demonstrated that hypnosis can significantly increase a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant. One study performed by an Israeli research team at the Soroka Hospital in Beersheva found that the chances of becoming pregnant can actually double with the help of hypnosis. This study followed 185 women who were having in vitro fertilization performed. With the help of hypnosis, the transfer of the embryo to the uterus was far more successful because the women were better capable of relaxing their uterine muscles and preventing contractions from occurring.

Dr. Ernest L. Rossi, who wrote a book entitled The Psychology of Gene Expression: Neuroscience and Neurogenesis in Hypnosis and the Healing Arts in 2002 also expresses the importance of hypnosis in increasing the chances of conception. According to his research, human genes must be in what he calls a “state of physical readiness” in order to conceive. Through hypnosis, the IL-1, c-fos, and CYP17 genes can become activated and prepared for conception.

Reducing Stress and Other Psychological Disorders with Hypnosis

A myriad of studies have also been conducted and have shown the positive effects that hypnosis can have on stress and other psychological disorders. One internationally recognized doctor, Dr. Michael Yapko, has received a great deal of attention for his ability to help patients suffering from depression. For the past thirty years, his primary treatment strategy has been to use hypnosis with his patience.

Dr. Alfred A. Barrios has also conducted research into the effectiveness of hypnosis in treating depression. His studies found that 93% of his patients that were treated with hypnosis required only 1½ months and six sessions of treatment before overcoming their depression. Behavior therapy only helped 72% of his patients and required six months of care and 22 sessions. Psychotherapy, on the other hand, required 600 sessions over an 11½ month period and helped only 38% of his patients. 

Hypnosis is steadily gaining acceptance within the medical community. Even if all doctors do not understand how or why the treatment works, the results are becoming difficult to deny. In fact, the National Institutes of Health technology assessment panel officially deemed it to be an effective treatment for alleviating the pain brought on by cancer and other conditions that cause pain back in 1996. This determination has been further backed by a study published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, which found that 73% of a total of 933 people participating in 27 experiments experienced less pain.

It is undeniable: smoking is bad for your health. The facts are that smoking causes more than 400,000 people to die each and every year in the United States alone. This is primarily due to the fact that smoking increases a person’s risk for developing heart disease, lung cancer and a number of other cancers.

In addition to the negative effect that smoking has on a person’s health, there are a number of other negative effects of smoking. For example, it yellows a person’s teeth and weakens the smoker’s gums. It also leads to foul breath and smelly fingers and clothes. Smokers also tend to experience premature wrinkling and yellowing of the skin. With so many negative effects, it is no wonder why so many are trying to put out their last cigarette for good. One of the most effective ways is to quit smoking with hypnosis.

Of course, smoking is quite costly as well. With many cigarettes costing $8 or more per pack, a person that smokes a pack per day will save nearly $1500 per year by kicking the habit.

Harming Others with Cigarettes 

The fact that smoking hurts more than just the person puffing the cigarette has also gained a great deal of attention. Consider these facts:

 

• Approximately 300,000 cases of pneumonia and bronchitis in infants 18 months old and younger are associated with inhaling secondhand smoke.

 

• Breathing in the secondhand smoke caused by the cigarette of a parent increases the likelihood of a child experiencing middle ear problems. It also causes wheezing and coughing and will worsen a child’s asthma conditions.

 

• A teenager whose parents both smoke is twice as likely to become a smoker as well. The likelihood of becoming a smoker is also increased if just one parent smokes. 

 

With so many frightening statistics regarding secondhand smoke, it is easy t see why many people have gone to great lengths in order to make it more difficult to smoke in public places.

 

The Inconvenience of Smoking

Whether you agree with the research that has been taken place regarding secondhand smoke or not, the fact is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find places where you can smoke. Entire cities and even entire states have essentially made it impossible to smoke anywhere other than in your own home.

 

Even if smoking is still permitted in public places in your town, most stores will not permit it and any restaurants will not either. If you do wish to smoke while in a restaurant, you will have to wait for a table in s certain smoking section where all of the other smokers are forced together.

 

As a smoker, you often feel as if everyone is looking at you and sneering when you light up. Yet, the powerful addictive quality of cigarettes makes you feel compelled to keep on puffing.

 

Kicking the Habit with Stop Smoking Hypnosis

Many smokers have tried nearly everything to quit smoking – ranging from quitting “cold turkey” to using special nicotine pills and drugs. Quitting cold turkey is too difficult for most smokers and can even be physically painful. Using pills and other medical interventions is accompanied by side effects and is essentially swapping out one drug for another.

 

In order to keep the body safe and to increase the chances of successfully quitting smoking, most find that using hypnosis to quit smoking is the best answer. When you use hypnosis to quit smoking, you do not have to ingest any medication or stick any patches on your body. In fact, hypnosis does no harm to your body whatsoever. It is also a long term approach to helping you cope with your smoking addiction because, if you ever do experience a craving, you can use the self hypnosis techniques you learn to help you conquer that craving and remain smoke free.

 

When you decide to engage in stop smoking hypnosis, you will have several options. One choice will be to visit a professional hypnotherapist. Some hypnotherapists offer only one-on-one hypnosis sessions while others will periodically offer group sessions for stop smoking hypnosis. In both cases, the benefit to actually working with the hypnotherapist is that you can ask any questions that you may have and you will be able to get them answered immediately. In addition, the hypnotherapist may be able to personalize your session a little more in order to increase your chances of success.

 

Of course, there many not be anyone available to help you learn hypnosis to quit smoking. Or, you may simply not be able to get your hours to work with the times stop smoking hypnosis sessions are available. In addition, one-on-one sessions can be somewhat costly if they are not offered for free by a nearby clinic or hospital.

 

If there are roadblocks standing in your way for working directly with a professional hypnotherapist, you may purchase a CD or even download self hypnosis information from the Internet. This will allow you to engage in stop smoking hypnosis in the comfort of your own home and it is also quite convenient since you can have your hypnosis session whenever it is best for you.

 

When purchasing a CD to help guide you through hypnosis to quit smoking, be sure to purchase only those that are created by a professional and licensed hypnotherapist. This way, you will be sure to receive the same quality of assistance as you would if you were working with the professional on a one-on-one basis.

 

When you do kick the habit with stop smoking hypnosis, you will feel as if a large weight has been lifted from you. You won’t have to plan your day around your cigarettes and you will no longer have to feel terrible every time you light up. You will also find that you can breathe much easier and that food even tastes and smells much better. Better yet, you will not have to worry about the negative health effects of smoking. In fact, after your quit, your body will actually be able to begin repairing itself and eventually it will be healed to the point that it will be as if you never smoked at all!