Self-hypnosis and active self-hypnosis: 6 steps to internal change

Interest in psychology has increased significantly in recent years, and this is due to effective techniques of internal transformation. Self-hypnosis and active self-hypnosis help control your psycho-emotional state, manage yourself and your own life and not depend on the “mercy of fate.” My sister has been practicing self-hypnosis for 4 years, and this is a completely different person.

She gained confidence in her abilities, stopped having complexes and depression for any reason. Autosuggestion (self-hypnosis) was discovered at the beginning of the last century, but people began to become actively interested in self-hypnosis techniques not so long ago. Let's consider the issue in detail.

How to convince yourself of everything

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How does suggestion differ from ordinary mental activity? It lacks a critical component. That is, information is perceived as an axiom - without evidence. This presentation of information is perceived by the subconscious as true, so the necessary changes begin to occur in the depths of the human psyche. Self-hypnosis is a suggestion directed at oneself. By practicing self-hypnosis, you can change a lot within yourself and even construct a new personality.

Self-hypnosis can cause:

• the right sensations;
• necessary representations;
• necessary emotional states;
• changes in the autonomic system.

The basis of self-hypnosis is the constant repetition of verbal formulas. Correctly composed verbal formulas create positive impulses through repeated repetition. Formulas are repeated until they become a working tool of the subconscious for transforming something.

On a note! The subconscious is capable of transforming mental impulses into a physical equivalent, that is, materializing thoughts.

The rules of self-hypnosis are simple:

• all phrases are pronounced in the first person;
• all phrases must be affirmative;
• phrases should be short, but succinct in content;
• You cannot use the particle “not”; phrases must be formed without it;
• you cannot pronounce phrases automatically, without awareness;
• accompany the words with visualization (preferably).

What do self-hypnosis phrases look like? For example: “Every day I become more and more beautiful.” If you want to quit smoking, you should not repeat a phrase like “I don’t want to smoke.” It needs to be replaced with the phrase “I quit smoking.”

Psychologists have noticed that self-hypnosis works better when the body is relaxed. There is a direct relationship between physical and mental state: the more relaxed the body, the better the subconscious mind perceives information. Also, the effect of self-hypnosis depends on the strength of the desire to change something and on the degree of concentration of attention on the subject of self-hypnosis.

There are several methods of self-hypnosis:

• psychological mood;
• meditation;
• affirmations;
• mantras;
• prayers;
• visualization.

This is an incomplete list of psychotechniques to achieve the desired goal. Let's look at psychotechnics in more detail.

The effect of suggestion as a special type of influence on a person and the degree of suggestibility

What is suggestion from a psychological point of view? Suggestion is defined as the transmission and induction from one person to another of thoughts, moods, feelings, autonomic and motor reactions, and behavior. The less the person who is being suggested thinks about what is being suggested to him, the more successful the suggestion is.

Suggestion as a method of psychological influence involves the participation of two parties. The suggestor usually has mental and physical qualities with which he can influence the state of mind of another person. Suggestion occurs through words, as well as facial expressions and gestures. The setting is of particular importance. If we are talking about therapeutic suggestion, then the fame of the psychotherapist plays an important role in this process. Knowing about him as a high-class specialist in a certain way prepares the patient for the session.

The power of a person’s suggestion is largely determined by the degree of suggestibility, that is, susceptibility to suggestion on the part of the one who will serve as its object. Typically, increased suggestibility is observed in people with a weak type of nervous system and increased impressionability. Alcoholics and drug addicts have a particularly weak nervous system. Accordingly, suggestion as a method of influencing such people is especially powerful.

Axel Munthe, a Scandinavian, worked in Paris as a doctor, assistant to the famous neurologist, psychiatrist and hypnotist Charcot. This is how he described an example of suggestion in psychology in his book “San Michele”. A very intrusive and arrogant patient came to see Munta. The doctor asked him to show his tongue, which was constantly coated as a result of alcohol and smoking abuse, and stated that the patient was seriously ill. The arrogant behavior immediately gave way to a state of depression and anxiety. Thus, both patients and doctors were spared from the unpleasant person.

It is known that symptoms such as headache, uncontrollable vomiting, lack of appetite, insomnia, neurotic paralysis, can be treated by a skilled psychotherapist with the help of suggestion better than with drugs. The Bible describes a scene of the treatment of immobilized people by suggestion when they began to walk confidently after hearing the phrase “Rise and walk.” This phrase is a typical example of how suggestion works if people deeply believe in their healer.

Unfortunately, suggestion as a method of influence is often used for criminal purposes. Weak people and losers become slaves to dishonest or psychopathic leaders who turn them into criminals. We can give the following example from life when suggestion was used by criminals. Several years ago, the US media was literally inundated with reports of a mass tragedy. On the initiative of one psychopath, a sect was formed. This man led hundreds of adults and children into the jungle, where they created a colony. At some point, he began to instill in them the idea of ​​mass suicide, and those who did not dare to do so were killed with poisoned injections by fanatical members of the sect.

Another example of suggestion as a way of influencing a person: a blindfolded criminal sentenced to death was told that his vein had been opened and he was bleeding. A few minutes later the man died, despite the fact that instead of blood, warm water was flowing through his body!

Affirmations

This is the simplest method of self-hypnosis, based on repeated repetition of the same phrase. You can repeat the verbal formula both out loud and silently: it does not play an important role.

In an affirmation, a person reports that he has already achieved some goal. For example: “I was healed of (name) disease.”

Thanks to the constant repetition of a positive formula, it will gradually begin to displace negative thoughts and attitudes. When not a single negative thought remains, the words of affirmation will come to life - materialize.

A type of affirmation is thanksgiving. This is an even more powerful psychotechnic, since the energy of gratitude is only slightly inferior to the energy of love. When uttering words of gratitude, strong emotions appear that directly affect the psyche and consciousness.

How do gratitude affirmations work? You need to thank the universe (God, the Absolute, etc.) for something, for example, for a new home. You may not have it yet, but the energy of sincere gratitude can materialize even such a seemingly complex object. Sincere faith, gratitude and self-hypnosis will do their job, and the house will materialize.

How to practice affirmations, when should you say them and how many times? Psychologists claim that the effectiveness of affirmations directly depends on the ability to make them the essence of your day. You can do whatever you want, but keep a verbal formula in your mind and repeat it.

So, affirmation is the simplest method of influencing the subconscious. Of course, they are not comparable to visualization, so frequent repetition is required to achieve success.

How suggestion and self-hypnosis work: the mechanism of influence on humans

Despite all the seeming improbability of such phenomena as the treatment of diseases by self-hypnosis and suggestion, they have their own explanation.
There is a well-known case: a sister was present during the cruel punishment of her beloved brother with whips - and her back was covered with the same bleeding scars as his. We have the same result of self-hypnosis. Of course, it is only possible on streets with an exceptionally excitable, highly upset, painful psyche. How does self-hypnosis and suggestion work in this case? Not only real suffering, but also imaginary suffering affects suggested people so strongly that it affects the functioning of internal organs.

The mechanism of influence of suggestion and self-hypnosis on a person is so strong that in painfully suspicious people, thoughts about a disease cause a disease that looks very much like a particular disease. There are known cases when bleeding from the throat began, as with tuberculosis, ulcers appeared on the body, reminiscent of various skin diseases, etc.

The same psychological mechanism of suggestion also operates when ulcers occur in stigmatics. All such patients are fanatically religious people. In the last week before Easter, when in churches they read about how Christ was crucified, this can have such a strong impact on a sick person that his psyche cannot stand it: an obsessive thought appears about the torment that Christ experienced when he was nailed to the cross. Hallucinations begin. Before the eyes of this man, as if alive, there is a picture of the crucifixion. The entire nervous system is shocked. And here is the result: in those places where, according to legend, Christ had wounds, open bleeding wounds appear in a person tormented by mental illness.

Visualization

Another psychotechnic for influencing the subconscious. Visualization is like a feature film inside your mind. A person sees vivid pictures of any event, smells and tastes, feels emotions. What should you present? For example, you need your own home - imagine it. You can first make a drawing of the house or find a picture and print it on a printer.

What do we have to do? Just imagine how you are already living in this house, that you are the rightful owner (mistress) of a two-room apartment/three-room apartment/cottage/dacha. You can imagine before bed, when the body is relaxed and preparing for sleep. You need to get used to this situation that you imagine, live in it constantly.

What is the effectiveness of visualization based on? The brain perceives imaginary pictures in the same way as real ones. Some time will pass, and all your ideas will come to life and be embodied in matter.

You just need to imagine not from the side or from above, but from inside the situation. For example, you are sitting behind the wheel of a car and looking at the road. If you imagine that the car is somewhere near you, then everything will come true - next to you. It's the same with the house. You should vividly imagine inserting the keys into the keyhole and entering your home. You can first visualize empty walls, and then gradually furnish the house with furniture.

How long does it take to visualize? There is no clear time frame for this psychotechnics. It is more important to completely relax your body before visualization than to track the duration of the internal movie session.

Research

In 1955, American physician Henry Beecher conducted a study that showed that a third of patients recovered without the use of drugs, simply by swallowing a tablet of milk sugar, with the confidence that this tablet contained special means for their healing.

You may have noticed that when you carry headache pills with you, you don’t need them, your head doesn’t hurt, but as soon as you take them out of your bag, the pain starts again.

A real sensation in the world of medicine was an experiment conducted by surgeons from Copenhagen. Two groups of girls with Meniere's disease (a false alarm in the inner ear that causes a constant sensation of motion sickness) were offered surgery to correct the problem. One group had actual surgery, while the other simply received cosmetic stitches. As a result, two-thirds of the patients in each group recovered.

When creating settings for self-hypnosis, it is very important to gain positive emotions and do it in a good mood. And of course, all attitudes should be spoken with meaning, and not in vain.

The effectiveness of self-hypnosis increases if a person applies the practices of auto-training and Ericksonian hypnosis.

Coue's self-hypnosis method

The technique of self-hypnosis according to the Coue method is based on repeating the same phrase (or 3 - 4 phrases) in a drowsy state or immediately before falling asleep. At these moments, the human brain works at a special frequency, which allows information to penetrate the subconscious without obstacles.

For example, immediately after waking up, before opening your eyes, you need to repeat to yourself at least 20 times the key phrase “I am healthy” (or another). You will also need to find time to repeat affirmations 2 times during the day. You need to relax - lie down or close your eyes while sitting - and say the key phrase out loud or to yourself at least 20 times. It usually takes 2 - 2.5 months to materialize the plan.

What diseases can be effectively countered with the help of self-hypnosis?

It goes without saying that auto-training is not a vaccine against all diseases. If you neglect the advice of the attending physician, do not take medications and do not follow the daily routine, no phrases will be able to put the patient on his feet. Verbal attitude can be an additional tool to the main course of treatment.

Words of encouragement will be especially effective:

• During the rehabilitation period, when the patient gets rid of the consequences of a car accident, accident, stroke.
• When a person suffers from psychological problems for a long time, he suffers from neurosis, depression and insomnia.
• When a person is given a terrible diagnosis, for example, cancer.

Methods of self-hypnosis are used, not without success, to treat patients suffering from nervous disorders , cardiovascular pathologies, and disorders of the reproductive system. Auto-training helps drug addicts and overweight people.

Correctly chosen words for self-hypnosis will act as a powerful weapon for the patient. The best time for a psychological attitude is the morning and before bed . During these time periods, a person is in a relaxed state, and his central nervous system is least excited, which means that the brain is more predisposed to assimilate new information flows.

Autogenic training according to Schultz

The essence of this psychotechnics is active self-hypnosis and self-hypnosis in a state of relaxation or hypnotic trance. Schultz bases his technique on the ancient techniques of yoga, the sensations of people who have been in a deep trance and other similar methods.

For self-hypnosis, it is necessary to achieve a state similar to the state between reality and sleep. The recommended pose for relaxation is “coachman”. To achieve the necessary relaxation of the body, you need to remember something pleasant from the past. During self-hypnosis, you should be able to combine physical relaxation with psycho-emotional activity and be able to accompany verbal formulas with figurative representations.

To practice autogenic training, you need to completely abandon everyday worries and direct your attention to the subject of concentration. You need to train every day at least once; skipping even a one-day workout will negatively affect the result.

What can it be used for?

The possibilities of self-hypnosis are enormous and are similar to the powerful action of wind, water or fire. Channeled in the right direction, these opportunities can work wonders, improve a person’s character, heal, lift spirits and achieve goals. But when used unconsciously in everyday life, verbal programming most often has a negative effect.

The words of other people can trigger self-hypnosis mechanisms in your mind, which they often use without asking consent. These mechanisms can be both constructive and destructive. You cannot blame other people for your failures, because without your inner consent, other people’s negative attitudes will not be realized in life. Run away from preachers who tell you that you are worthless, will not achieve anything, will not learn anything. They inspire you that your desires are impossible to fulfill, there are no conditions for forgiveness, that you yourself are to blame for all the problems, thereby starting the process of negative programming of your personality. By the way, you can get rid of negative attitudes using this system.

With the help of self-hypnosis, you can protect yourself from an aggressive external environment and control your life. Your life is precious, unique, unique. Instill this in yourself. You are worthy of love, forgiveness and mercy. You can inspire yourself with any emotional state, ability, goal. Your body will complete the task within the limits of its capabilities, but it will definitely complete it. Do not allow even a shadow of doubt to arise in your head during self-hypnosis. It is the truth of aspirations that plays a decisive role. The formulations of work with consciousness do not reflect reality, but only the desired result, but always in the present tense. Because for consciousness there is no such thing as tomorrow or yesterday, only here and now.

Meditation

Meditation is the concentration of thought on one object and the exclusion of all other thoughts and experiences. An important part of any meditation is stopping internal dialogue. Inside himself, a person scrolls through different thoughts, remembers conversations with other people: his mind is constantly busy with mental activity, which is called internal dialogue.

What can you do to clear your thoughts of internal dialogue? There is a very simple technique for this: you need to look at both your hands at the same time, and carefully. The mind will immediately stop conducting internal dialogue, as it will be busy contemplating two objects at the same time. Another method to stop the flow of unnecessary thoughts: focus on your breathing process, carefully record each inhalation/exhalation and listen to the sound of breathing. After a couple of minutes, your thoughts will be completely cleared of the vain dialogue.

The stages of meditation are as follows:

• determination of the object of meditation (installation);
• entering a state of emptiness;
• feeling within oneself of a given attitude and contemplating it;
• exit from a state of emptiness with an attitude embedded in the subconscious.

For meditation to be effective, the instructions must be short and succinct. It is important to feel them inside yourself, your inner world. How long will this take? Everyone has their own deadlines for implementation. During meditation, you need to be aware of the creation of another reality, as if in an “empty place” or in emptiness. The meditation can be repeated as needed.

What is suggestion?

Suggestion is the exchange of thoughts with others. It is the unwitting acceptance of other people's ideas. If we accept other people's ideas after conscious argumentation and discussion, this is not suggestion.

Many psychologists have given their definitions of suggestion:

• McDougall: Suggestion is a process of communication that leads to the acceptance without judgment of a communicated pretext in the absence of logically adequate grounds for its acceptance.
• Sir T.P.: suggestion is the involuntary following of someone's idea.
• Okdon: Suggestion is the cognitive aspect of the herd instinct.
• Allport: suggestion is unreasonable acceptance.
• Stern: Suggestion is the awakening of such a mental attitude through internal imitation.

If we generalize the above definitions, we come to the following signs of suggestion:

• Suggestion requires two people: one gives, and the other receives.
• The process is not related to the desire of the person receiving the ideas.
• The process may be intentional on the part of the person doing the suggestion.
• The person who receives ideas accepts them as his own, not noticing that they come from outside.
• There are no logically sufficient reasons for accepting these ideas.
• Suggestion can be either good or bad. Mark Antony received a suggestion from Cassius that Caesar was a tyrant, and this led to the assassination of Caesar. Alexander received the inspiration from Aristotle that his mission was to rule the world.
• Suggestion is a form of the sociable instinct in its cognitive aspect. This is an unconscious imitation at the cognitive level.

In the process of suggestion, the effect of self-deprecation and feelings of inferiority on the part of the subject (the person receiving the suggestion) and the instinct of self-affirmation on the part of the person giving the suggestion are triggered.

The child receives suggestions from parents, older comrades and the teacher. An adult receives suggestion from people in a higher position, social position, or those who are older, more experienced and smarter.

Self-hypnosis

Psychologists agree that self-hypnosis is the most powerful psychotechnic of all. First you need to completely relax physically and psychologically. You need to achieve a state of peace, and then say to yourself, “I am deeply asleep.”

After this, you should slowly count from five to zero and plunge into a state of hypnotic oblivion. After saying the word “zero,” you need to say to yourself again: “I’m sleeping deeply.” You have reached the depths of your own subconscious. Now we need to anchor this state for future self-hypnosis practices. Tell:

“When I say the phrase “I am in deep sleep,” I enter a state of self-programming.”

After this, you need to repeat the self-programming formula several times, for example, “I am completely healed and healthy.” Programming should only be in a positive way and without the particle “not”.

The power of suggestion

The power of suggestion depends on the degree of suggestibility. It is most powerful in hypnosis - in a hypnotic trance, the subject readily accepts a thought from the hypnotist.

Several suggestibility experiments were conducted:

• The subject was given a piece of wire and asked to feel the warmth of the wire when an electric current was passed through the wire. The switch is out of his field of vision. The subject reported warmth when the light bulb came on, although no electricity was passing through the wire in his hand.
• The experimenter gives the children several pictures and asks leading questions: What is the king doing? What does the beggar want to say? Children accept the assumption that the well-dressed man in the picture is a king, and the man dressed in rags is a beggar.

• The hypnotist tells the subject to relax and fall asleep, telling him that he will only hear the hypnotist's voice and nothing else. This suggestion actually puts him to sleep.

Thought Release Technique

How to quickly clear your thoughts of negative memories? For this there is a simple and effective psychotechnique “Balloon”. Imagine a deflated balloon above your head. Take a breath, and as you exhale, imagine how all the black negative thoughts come out of your head like a dark cloud into a ball. The balloon is inflated not by air, but by your negative thoughts.

Do this until you are free of the burden of negative memories and worries. Then take a deep breath and exhale and imagine how a round ball, along with your thoughts, comes off and flies into the sky. This psychotechnics always helps, especially if anxious thoughts prevent you from falling asleep at night.

Father of autosuggestion

The modern theory of autosuggestion was developed by the 19th-20th century French psychologist and pharmacist Emile Coue. It was he who first proposed the use of a new method in psychiatry based on optimistic autosuggestion.

The Frenchman initially worked as a pharmacist in a pharmacy. While selling medicines to people, he noticed that recovery occurs many times faster and more effectively in patients who sincerely believe that they will recover. Then Coue suggested that the reason for the healing lay in the power of the patients’ imagination and began to explore the issue in more detail.

Interesting! Emil wrote: “Self-hypnosis is the introduction of a certain thought into ourselves by ourselves.”

Having received training as a psychologist, Coue developed the theory of positive self-hypnosis, opened his own clinic in Nantes (France), where he began to practice his own developments. He gave them the name “school of introspection through conscious self-hypnosis.”

He gave lectures on these methods, subsequently systematized the information and published a book.

Practice assertive behavior in everyday situations

To become a strong person, you do not need to perform feats or control others. It is enough to act from a position of strength in ordinary life situations. Practice regularly and over time acting confidently will become second nature.

Here are some tips that you can put into practice every day.

Stop asking others for permission

This, of course, is not about forgetting about politeness and invading other people’s borders. The bad habit of victims is that they ask for permission to do actions that are within their boundaries and should be done without someone else's permission.

Be explicit about your legal requirements or make your intentions clear. Instead of asking “Can I exchange the item?” present the seller with a fact: “I want to return the money for the suit, it doesn’t fit me.” Don't ask your partner if you can go to a party or a football match. Communicate your plans directly, without excuses or blame.

Show confidence in your conversation

Look your interlocutor in the eyes, speak clearly, without long hesitant pauses or interjections, and do not walk in circles. Posture and facial expressions are very important. Stand straight (slouching is a sign of an insecure person), don’t grimace, get rid of nervous gestures.

Don't help people if you don't want to

This may sound harsh. But how many times have you already lent money when you didn’t want to? Or how many times have you listened to your comrades’ complaints about life simply because it’s what you’re supposed to do? Refusal does not make you a bad and callous person. Remember: if you act like a victim while helping other people, you will be taken advantage of. Do good deeds out of a pure heart and free will, and not out of decency or guilt.

Don't be afraid to talk about yourself and share with other people

Victims often choose every word and fear that any information will be used against them. Don't bother yourself with these kinds of fears. Years of fear of showing your true nature in public causes you to forget who you really are and what you want.

Of course, the information must correspond to the situation and the degree of trust between the interlocutors. Don't go to extremes. The ability to maintain balance is another sign of a strong personality.

Demand high-quality performance of the services you pay for

Check receipts in stores, bills in restaurants, expiration dates and safety of goods. If you are not satisfied with the quality of services, do not hesitate to request a replacement or compensation. Don't let the people you pay turn you into a victim. Don’t just shrug it off and silently leave the store or restaurant - demand quality service, a replacement dish, or a refund.

Learn and exercise your consumer rights. For your money you have the right to get a good product or delicious food. This does not mean that you should argue and create scandals on any occasion. The client can always vote with rubles - simply refuse to pay for bad service or damaged goods. Going to a restaurant or store that doesn’t give you any consideration is a victim’s lot.

From the editor: Symptoms of a microstroke experienced on the legs

To say goodbye to the role of the victim once and for all, it is enough to make a firm decision to take your life into your own hands. Independence, confidence, a sense of self-worth - these are the basis of the behavior of a free person. If you decide to make this a reality, then Wayne Dyer's book “How to Get Rid of the Victim Complex” will be a great help.

Types of suggestions

Suggestion can be classified according to a number of criteria, for example:

According to the source of suggestion

• self-hypnosis;
• opposition;
• expert suggestion;
• mass suggestion.

In such cases, suggestion occurs:

• positive suggestion;
• negative suggestion;
• positive self-hypnosis;
• negative self-hypnosis.

Based on the object of suggestion, there are different forms associated with different areas:

• aesthetic suggestion;
• religious indoctrination;
• moral suggestion;
• intellectual suggestion.

Form of suggestion

A church sermon gives religious indoctrination. A political party gives political indoctrination. The moralist gives moral suggestion. A beautifully decorated place is aesthetically pleasing. Scientist - intellectual.

The school can give various forms of suggestion. If it is beautifully designed, and if the classrooms, hallways, and grounds are aesthetically pleasing, students are bound to develop an aesthetic sensitivity. Moral suggestions can be given at the morning meeting. The library (books) gives intellectual suggestion.