Self Hypnosis
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Hypnosis
Hypnosis is the study of trance states, how to induce them, and how to make the most of these states in yourself and others.
Having said that, Milton Erickson (the father of modern hypnosis) once said “Any attempt to define hypnosis is just that…an attempt.”
Understanding hypnosis can help you greatly in your meditation. The more you study hypnosis, the better you will understand the states experienced by yourself and others. With the use self-hypnosis, it is much easier and quicker to enter into the relaxed state from which most meditations begin.
Hypnosis is excellent for learning to alter your state in ways you find constructive. More importantly, the understanding of hypnosis will allow you to realize how thoroughly you have already been hypnotized (by advertisers, the media, your country, your culture, your friends, your family, yourself….). Once you realize this, you can begin to de-hypnotize yourself from the less-than-useful states/beliefs that you have learned.
When we are unaware of what we have learned at an unconscious level, we have no power over it. In order to have real choice, real freedom, we must examine those unconscious assumptions… we have to become aware of how we are hypnotized in order to begin the de-hypnosis. When properly used, meditation is one of the most powerful tools for de-hypnosis. Peaceful Prosperity isn’t meant as a critique of what anybody has learned; it is a collection of tools to put you back in the driver’s seat.
How does this hypnosis develop over time? Simple.
“Small commitments lead to large commitments.” -Marshall Sylver (conductor of the largest stage hypnosis show in the world)
A classic example of this is seen in stage hypnosis. The hypnotist will take members of the audience and make them forget the number six. Some will not be able to count their fingers, others will think they have eleven fingers, etc. It’s all great fun, and everybody is ‘fixed’ before the end of the show. This stage trick mirrors our day-to-day untrained awareness. The problem is that we all have challenges and conditioned behaviors that we are not even aware of, and we reinforce this lack of awareness for years and years. They are as elusive as the forgotten number six. To make matters worse, there is no stage hypnotist to ‘fix’ you… in fact, the only hypnotist who can fix you… is you!
Countdown Sequence
One very useful practice from hypnosis that can be very helpful for your meditation practice as well, is a countdown sequence. A countdown sequence is just counting down through numbers and allowing yourself to experience a deeper state of relaxation, peace, connectedness, or whatever other experience you are moving into with each descending number. State the numbers and directions out loud as you walk yourself through this countdown sequence…
- 5 - take a deep breath…
- 4 - as you exhale, allow all the tension in your body to slip away…
- 3 - take another deep breath…
- 2 - as you exhale, let your mind and body find an even deeper level of relaxation…
- 1 - as you continue to breath deeply and naturally you can find deeper and deeper states of peace, relaxation, and pleasure…
NLP
NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Tad James (Master NLP trainer) once defined NLP as an attitude and a methodology that leaves behind a trail of techniques. The attitude is a curious playfulness, and the methodology is modeling.
Another description of NLP is the wholistic (or Gestalt if you like) study of communication: how we communicate with others, and how we communicate with ourselves. Although communication with others is important, how we communicate with ourselves determines our model of reality. Our model of reality either serves us or destroys us.
Some Presuppositions of NLP…
- The subsystem with the most flexibility will control the system.
- There is no failure, only feedback.
- Choice is better than no choice.
If you are looking for an excellent product that will give you several simple yet powerful meditations/exercises based off NLP and hypnosis that you can download and use right away…I highly recommend Unstoppable Confidence. To get your copy…
