What Is Self Hypnosis

What is self hypnosis? When people think of being under hypnosis, they may picture a creepy man swinging a pendulum back and forth. That is not part of self hypnosis. And, contrary to what you might think, something akin to self hypnosis may be happening without being noticed. Hypnosis is a state in which the conscious mind is relaxed, but alert, and suggestible. This can happen during dreaming, or when you lose yourself in a good book, or even when you are watching movies or TV.

We use our everyday forms of self hypnosis whenever we want to escape from reality for awhile. You may not know that when you focus on a movie or a book until it becomes real you are actually hypnotized, and your subconscious is able to trick the mind into almost believing it is real. For example, this is why you jump and get scared during your favorite suspense movie. Self hypnosis occurs when a person focuses their attention on something so that the exterior influences are not as predominant as they usually would be, in this case by focusing on what you are reading or viewing.

According to some people, meditation is type of self hypnosis, though it is more intentional than watching a movie or reading a book. People who do meditation put all clear their mind by focusing on an object or mental image. This allows the subconscious to be free to act on its own.

If you are unable to relax after a hard day at work, you can turn off all exterior distractions, including the TV, phone, and maybe even the lights. Find a comfortable position to sit or lie in, and focus your mind on an image that is relaxing to you. When outside thoughts do enter the mind, they can be turned into images and dismissed.

High stress situations are another time when people use self hypnosis. It may be considered meditation or mental imagery, but it is essentially the same thing. Women have used these techniques as a way to help reduce the pain of labor and child birth when using Lamaze and Bradley birthing methods.

In Lamaze, rhythmic breathing is used to put the woman into a more daydream-like state. This will help her to escape the pain, and keep her focused on maintaining the strength she will need for the deliver. The Bradley method uses slow breathing and mental images to help the woman escape the pain and clear her mind so that she can focus.

For other people, self hypnosis when used as meditation also has a spiritual link. When they are in a hypnotic state they are able to hear from God, a person who has passed on, or another spiritual being. The mind is complex and mysterious, and scientists do not completely understand it, but around the world and throughout history people have been using self hypnosis to relax and refocus themselves. By using the techniques of self hypnosis, you can achieve almost anything your mind desires: from weight loss to quitting smoking to losing weight and beyond.