Self-hypnosis can turn out to be one of the most useful things you ever learn about. In a self-hypnotized state, your mind has a heightened level of focus and concentration. You gain better control over yourself and can refrain from anything that has a bad influence in your life. Your mind is more relaxed and does not have to struggle in order to deal with stress or strain. The effects are similar when practicing meditation and likewise, will bring positive results in your life.

There are 3 stages of self-hypnosis and which you should already be aware of the first stage.

Stage One – The Preparation

The first stage that was already explained is again, all about getting prepared. This part is well explained in the previous chapter and you can refer back for a more in-depth explanation. You need to get into some comfortable clothing that helps you feel at ease. Don’t wear tight clothes or things that won’t help you feel comfortable in the surrounding temperature. Next, find a comfortable position to sit in for your session. Make sure you are in a quiet space with complete privacy. Don’t let anyone disturb you during this period. Now before you begin, figure out what results you want from your session. Is it just for getting rid of stress and relaxing? Or is it for getting rid of some bad habits that were previously hard to kick off? Just think for a while about what you can gain from this.

Stage Two – The Procedure

The second stage is when you actually begin the self-hypnosis session. Now that you are comfortable, close your eyes and try to clear out any thoughts. Just try to relax without worrying about anything at all. Don’t stress out over this and focus on letting the thoughts pass. Your mind can’t suddenly become a blank canvas when you want it to without practice. Over time you will get better at this so just focus on the present. Try to get rid of all the tension in your body. Do a body scan. Start with your toes and move upward through all the body parts while feeling each part. Imagine that the stress in each region washes off as you concentrate there, and then move on to the next part. At the end of this, your body will feel much lighter and tension free.

Now concentrate on your breathing. Take a slow deep breath in and then slowly breathe out. Imagine that the breath that you take in is filled with positive and bright life energy. Then picture the breath that you exhale is an embodiment of pushing out any negativity in your body.

Now imagine that you are standing on top of a flight of stairs. Halfway down, the stairs are submerged under cool water. Think of yourself starting from the top as you walk down. Once you reach the water, step into it slowly and allow yourself to feel the sensation of the cool and calm water. Slowly walk down till the last step and allow this calm sensation to pass through your entire body.

Once you are at this stage, you should feel like you are floating. Here, start addressing your problems and what you want. Talk to yourself in positive sentences. Think about what your issues are and what you want instead. Speak out to yourself confidently and convincingly. For instance you could say, “I am calm and positive”. Keep doing this as you float around in the water. The experience will depend entirely on your imagination as you move through the water. Keep repeating all the positive statements that you wish to come true in your life.

After some time, start walking up those stairs again. Once you get above the water, you will feel a little heavier again. Just stay in that position for a while until you feel stable and relaxed again and then walk up the rest of the way.

Now take a few moments to slowly open your eyes as you exit your visualization.

Stage Three – The Result

The third stage is about making complete use of your session. Self-hypnosis is not just about those few minutes that you performed in the previous stage. You need to let it impact your life. Make yourself believe that it will work and everything that you positively stated will come true. It takes a while to work but will be effective quite soon.

Visualize the positive things that you want. When you think about it happening it makes it easier for you to actually work towards it. Keep working on this type of hypnosis till you feel that you have reached the stage in your life that you wanted to. You can work towards any goal and make it happen. You need to be patient and persistent. It won’t work immediately so you must keep practicing to get better at it. The results will appear soon enough.