nd Self Hypnosis by Eldon Taylor, Ph.D., DAPA, Ct.H.

Introduction

First, I want to recommend to you that all hypnosis is fundamentally self hypnosis. This idea is not new from me, for one of the real pioneers of modern hypnosis, Dr. Milton Ericcson made this statement many years ago. The fact is, hypnosis is based on suggestibility and you must be willing to accept the suggestions or their is no so-called trance state to follow. Now, that’s not to state that gifted hypnotists are not able to disarm defenses one might have, but it is to say that YOU are the key to a successful hypnotic session. The common fear of hypnosis, that someone else has control over you, has no place in a self-hypnosis session, for you are both the hypnotist and the subject–and just to be clear, the fear is mislaid and false to fact.

You’ll learn that hypnosis is a natural state that can be objectified by brain wave activity. This special brain wave state known as alpha and theta (we’ll look at those more closely later in this text) isn’t only a powerful say for mind training, deep relaxation, accelerated learning opportunities and so forth, but a say that most move through several times each day. All of this and more is covered in these programs, so let’s get into some important matters that are not discussed there.

Self Hypnosis to Condition Belief

Not long ago I was preparing a literature review of hypnosis. One of the texts I used is written by two scholars with impeccable credentials. The book is called “Hypnosis, Will and Memory” (Laurence and Campbell, 1988). It is essentially a psycho-legal history of hypnosis. Repeatedly the text cites a time when hypnosis was believed to be either of the devil or pure unmitigated fakery. Finally, the scientific community investigated hypnosis. Scientists who doubted hypnosis used a test to determine true hypnosis from fakery. The test was largely based on body levitation evidence. In other words, it was assumed as a result of direct observation that a subject truly in hypnosis could and would levitate!

Now skeptics tested for fakery and often reported finding hidden wires and ropes and pulleys. However, these same skeptics reported true unfaked levitation on many occasions. Not only did they report it, the evidence was sometimes offered in the courts. Okay, levitation was not such an unnatural act until the laws of Newton became popularly known. Suddenly, everyone knew that the human body was heavier than air and could not float. Levitation suddenly disappeared from the scene and the literature. Prior to that, levitation was often witnessed by the most reliable of even the skeptics in instances of hypnosis, spiritual enlightenment and so-called demonic possession. Indeed, levitation was one of the criteria for determining the guilt or innocence of a witch.

It would appear that belief, individual and collective, directly influences the physical world. Physicists have often reported the role of the “observer” in influencing the outcome of physical measurement and observation. Indeed, many physicists believe that consciousness interacts with matter. A current study employed some sophisticated statistical measurements to evaluate the mind’s interaction with matter. The data clearly recommended an information exchange between mind and matter.

Belief in ourselves, capabilities, powers, and the influence over our own lives and the world around us, is at the crux of what each and every one of us experiences in life. Belief literally may define and delimit our every experience. Eroding belief is doubt. Self doubt is the most personally damaging belief we can hold.

Monkey Conditioning–Behaviorism

Regaining our inherent self-confidence, self-belief, self-respect, and self power is relatively simple, if we are willing to make the proper choices. The difficulty is in the choices. Humans can behave very much like the conditioned animal. It is for this reason that Classical Behaviorism gained such popularity in psychological schools of thought. Behaviorism essentially argues that the human condition is entirely a product of nature/nurture and is conditioned to believe, behave and otherwise execute life. There’s no such thing as a higher principle or a need for self-actualization. The human is but a shabby animal with higher cerebral processing mechanisms than other animals. It behaves in habitual patterns and treatment consists chiefly of changing the patterns. The assertion seems easy, change behavior and you change the person. This assertion has some very pragmatic applications and we will use it as we progress with the material at hand. However, just so there is no ambiguity, the underlying hypothesis which asserts no higher principle is as false a notion as any one will ever encounter! In fact, it is my thought that only one with true cognitive dissonance and/or absolute ignorance of the world around us would hold such a view.

Modified Says Of Consciousness

For some, an modified state of consciousness is a taboo. It portends to “mess” with the mind. The mind isn’t to be messed with. I’ve always found this assertion naive for the reason that each human being experiences various states of modified consciousness daily. When the typical person turns on the TV, an altered say generally ensues. Indeed, kids become conditioned to enter an modified say within minutes after beginning to view Television. Studies have demonstrated that even when children are hooked up to brain wave monitoring devices such as electro encephalographic feedback and given substantial reward motivation to remain in fully alert states of consciousness, that in under five minutes they’ll fail to maintain ordinary wakeful consciousness. The child will slip into what’s commonly termed alpha consciousness (more on this in a moment). When a person day dreams, falls into a light sleep or state of reverie, slowly wakes from a deep sleep, or fixates on almost anything, they are nearly always in an altered state of consciousness. So what’s an modified say of consciousness?

Typically, consciousness is divided into four categories. Normal consciousness is called “beta,” lightly modified consciousness “alpha,” deep sleep “theta,” and comatose states “delta.” States of consciousness are thought of in terms of brain wave rates (cycles per second). Beta consciousness is normally 15 to 30 cycles per second, alpha is 8 to 14 cycles per second, theta is 4 to 8 cycles per second and delta is less than 4. Now let’s translate this schema into something meaningful outside the realm of definition.

Beta

In normal ordinary wakeful states of consciousness, the mind operates from its most critical platform. It constantly judges input from self (inner talk) and others. It evaluates and reacts. Indeed, it chiefly reacts. For even when one believes they’re evaluating, more often than not, the evaluation is settled before it begins. The belief system of the unconscious not only places a lens through which all matters will be disputed, but it also hides behind a protective veil the information that might give rise to mistaken decisions. That’s, the unconscious mind during normal wakeful says is operating as a software program feeding the flow of each day life through a mosaic of interpretations that are written chiefly upon avoidance and attraction principles (experienced and imagined). Therefore, when the conscious mind says something like, “I can do this. I am good enough to excel and succeed,” the unconscious (subconscious if you prefer) sends some inner talk message like, “Really, good enough for what? How about‹? Do you remember?” etc.

Now, maybe the reason the unconscious sends the negative message is due to some fear from the past, or some fear projected through imagination. Perhaps the negative feedback is due to negative input from peers, parents, and so forth. It is also possible that the negative is due to some deep sense of unworthiness that’s the result of a need to punish oneself. It could also be the result of some deep belief that conflicts with our desire, such as the desire to become successful and an inner belief that sorts along a line of logic that goes something like this, “If I want to be saved in Heaven, I have to sacrifice here and now. Further, money is the source of all evil.” There could also be a myriad of other reasons and a virtual labrynth of entanglement between them all. The fact is, in ordinary beta consciousness very little new information can really get in. Now, “very little” in this reference is by comparison to alpha consciousness. In fact, just as an aside before going further, the methods of Superlearning and Suggestopedia (Ostrander) clearly demonstrate the advantage of learning school room information such as language, math, science, and so forth, in alpha consciousness says.

Alpha

Alpha consciousness is the state most refer to as the primary say experienced in hypnosis. Hypnosis has been viewed from many perspectives and historically has held more than one definition. However, the concurred upon definition this day is a heightened state of suggestibility. This heightened state of suggestibility is just what the title implies. In alpha consciousness one is particularly likely to the acceptance of skillful recommendation. The nature of suggestion depends on who is suggesting. A hypnotherapist will make healthy and positive recommendations while a sales person trained in the art of hypnotic selling may give personally self-serving recommendations (Moine, Lloyd). The power of suggestion and the psychology of compliance, mentioned in further detail in the next chapter, are used every day in mass marketing strategies to sell everything from illness to religion (Taylor).

When one is in an alpha state, whether naturally or artificially induced, their inner speak tends to slow down and become image oriented and/or guided as opposed to constantly self-initiated, albeit often unconsciously. Since we live in a modern society we are exposed to a variety of stimuli that our forefathers never knew. Let me provide a couple of examples.

Much of the television, radio and print media programming of today dwells on violence, sex and so-called taboo issues. The word is sensationalism. The more sensational, the better the reviews, the more money, the more massive the audience and so on. Rather systematically over the past twenty to thirty years, the threshold of arousal has increased in the population, forcing an ever increasing thrust into areas of an explicit nature in order to maintain the sensational. Consequently, our inner speak, our fantasies, our very ideation has been influenced. This new tolerance for vengeance, anger, fear, violence, sexuality and so forth has tilted our society. Values have diminished to the point that we’ve younger generations without the proverbial “clue” as to what life is about. The world is for living and taking and minimizing pain while maximizing pleasure. Twelve-year-old children walk into school and gun down their teachers and school mates. Drugs, child prostitution, gang violence, drive-by shootings, and so forth are the chief worries of parents today. How did our society degenerate to this point?

Many psychologists and psychiatrists, sociologists and anthropologists, and for that matter, political scientists, have made vociferous outcries asserting the neurotic nature of our times and are lining up in an attempt to end the media management of arousal thresholds and value orientation. Television has probably the single largest impact on people today. It guides our buys, the information most have about their world or any single issue/event, merchandises everything from wearing apparel, hair style, fashion in general to wholesaling the common cold. “It’s the flu season and it’s coming to your town! Everyone will get it! You can rest and baby yourself, pamper your whims and take some needed time off, maybe even cement your relationships, if you’ve XYZ on hand.” How much sickness do you think is vended in the same way attitudes and beliefs are sold through our media?

Some of you might want to state, “Taylor, you are nuts. TV doesn’t make anyone sick. You don’t get the flu from a Television!” Fair enough. Let’s look a little deeper. When a person is in a say of alpha, such as hypnosis, the science and literature show us clearly, without doubt, that the body can be recommended to health or illness. A hypnotist can advocate a burn, place an ice cube on the arm, and a blister will almost immediately appear. As a practicing hypnotherapist, I personally witnessed phenomena that illustrates the mind’s control over the body to the degree that suggesting a easy runny nose is, as Sherlock would state, “Elementary!” But in order to tie this suggestibility of alpha says in to the problems posed by television viewing, we should also take a look at another area of scientific enquiry that might surprise you.

Studies have shown that the average individual will enter alpha brain wave says within four minutes of being engaged by television (Taylor). If you consider it, this should not come as any surprise. How many times have each of us seen someone, or been that someone, who appeared so engrossed in television that it required yelling at the person to get their attention?

Okay, alpha consciousness and “cold season”‹I ask you again, how much illness do you think is sold in order to create the market that sells the cure?

It should be obvious that the state of alpha consciousness is not only natural but can be a beneficial time to put positive information into our bio computing brain/mind. The essential use of alpha can also either be a matter of choice or a matter of habituation. Recently I saw a sign in the supermarket selling the publication: Television Guide. The sign underneath the current issue said, “Check Out.” A picture of a television with the initials Television within it was all that accompanied the sign. How many times have you heard or used the phrase, “I’ll watch TV and check out”? Check out, vacuum the mind, and so on; these are the terms we all naturally think of when we think of TV. Turn our minds over, let go of our concerns, oh‹and let someone else program them. Why “check out”? In alpha states of consciousness endorphin levels increase. Endorphin is the body’s natural opiate system. It feels good. Sometimes, perhaps too good.

Before we continue with our discussion of brain states, let me provide a visual analogy that might be helpful. If you think of brain wave activity as the number of lines on an inch of graph paper, then you have a visual image of mental activity at least as we measure it with electro-encephalographic instrumentation. Instead of thinking of the lines on paper, think in terms of the size of fencing. The closer the lines are to each other, the smaller the fencing material. The smaller the fencing, the more restrictive it is to both incoming and outgoing “stuff;” in our analogy, let’s say birds. The mind is very much like this. The tighter the wire enclosure, the less information (stimulus) we can process and remember. This is why superlearning states use alpha consciousness. As the brain wave activity slows down, the holes in our fencing material become huge and more information can get it. (See the illustration below).

In future chapters we will analyze in more detail some of the powers and practical applications of altered says of consciousness. For the purposes of this chapter, our introduction is only intended to serve as groundwork.

Theta

Theta consciousness is often associated with deep sleep and very deep levels of hypnosis or meditation. It is generally believed that the so-called super human feats of the many spiritual masters, such as those reported eating hot coals, controlling body functions, and so forth, are achieved while in theta consciousness. Indeed, mystics tend to instruct that as the brain wave patterns slow, the vibration of the body alters. By allegedly changing the vibration of the body, many things thought to be impossible become possible. The rate of vibration is seen analogically as light vibrating at a rate much faster than

glass, therefore it passes through the glass. A stone, however, vibrates much slower than glass, consequently preventing it from passing through without breaking the glass. Thus, there is an arguable inverse proportion to brain wave activity and body vibration. As the brain wave activity slows, the body vibration rate is stated to increase.

Delta

Delta consciousness is ordinarily thought of as comatose. For years this say of consciousness was believed to be so turned in on itself that outside stimuli went absolutely unnoticed, perhaps even unrecognized at any level of registration. However, the work of Oliver Sacks showed the world that even in this state of consciousness, there is awareness. In his work with patients (see his book Awakenings), he used large doses of dopamine, and literally awakened (at least for a short time) most of the patients. Stranger than fiction, these patients reported their various records and sensitivities to the history of their treatment, the hospital protocol, their environment and so forth.

This has just been a short introduction to hypnosis. The bottom line is one that you might want to check out for yourself. My recommendation, try it. If you still want to know more first, then you’ll want to read the story in the July 2001 issue of Scientific America. The article shatters many common myths including those that attempt to debunk hypnosis as either fakery, pleasing the hypnotist or imagination. The hypnotic subject experiences a say of consciousness that’s independent from so-called ordinary consciousness. It is not about compliance or imagination, nor is it about placebo responsiveness, low intelligence or the weak minded. Hypnosis is a safe state where many wonderful insights and healings can and do take place.

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Hypnotherapy home study course is one of the hottest trends this day. Even popular figures (like Matt Damon and Tiger Woods) have expressed their own fascination with the benefits they get from their own hypnotherapy home study course programs. Multinational corporations such as IBM, Microsoft and Coca Cola have also enrolled their people on hypnotherapy home study course to boost their confidence and productivity.

All these stand testament to the benefits of learning self hypnosis from a credible source.

Man have always look for ways to grow and evolution has been our survival’s main driving force. It is therefore no surprise that a lot of us are now turning to various methods looking for ways to “evolve” and to go beyond the competition. Physical dominance is enough for the cave men during their time, but in today’s ultra-competitive field we have to all learn how to develop our inner strength to maintain an edge. That’s practically why more and more people are looking for ways to boost confidence, develop more focus, and fortify inner resilience to pressure and challenges.

These factors set the stage for self development thru self hypnosis. Initially we had the time to take part in actual classes and sessions, but as mentioned above time is a luxury most people don’t have prompting many clinical hypnosis practitioners to create hypnotherapy home study course programs tailored to fit the current always-on-the-go social trend.

One of the ideal hypnotherapy home study course I tried was from Dr. Brian Alman (considered by many as a pillar of clinical hypnosis industry). To avoid having this article labeled as a shameless plug, I’ll keep my thoughts regarding his hypnotherapy home study course programs to myself and instead focus on Dr. Alman’s beliefs and insights.

According to Dr. Alman, the root of humankind’s current detachment from the inner self goes deeper than most of us think, and that the reason most people are now yearning for inner growth is because our inner selves are also yearning to empower us. Restlessness, worrying, the feeling of emptiness are all signs we are missing our inner half, and that our own inner self is missing us.

Confidence and self-esteem are among the inner power hardest to gain, why is that? Dr. Alman uses these to prove his point.

Why is it that some of us are confident and some of us are not? Why is it we feel secure with some aspects of our life and some people, yet not others? And why is it we doubt our ability to accomplish things or our decisions, whether it be choosing the color of a new T-shirt or deciding which job to go for?

If you’ve feelings of self-doubt or in some way lack self-confidence, do not worry, you are not alone! These feelings seem to drift over all of us from time to time, like a dense, damp fog! But why is that? One of the reasons is that most of us as children heard many more “no’s” than “yes’”, many more “don’ts” than “do’s”, so subsequently, most of us as adults, find it much easier to put ourselves down than accept ourselves as we are.

Having had our heads filled, at such an impressionable age, with so many directives, instructions, views and criticisms, we feel unsure how to make decisions for ourselves, or we feel that the way we do things is somehow “not quite right” or “not good enough”. As a result, we learn to depend on others to tell us how we’re doing, whether we are doing well or whether our appearance is alright. Thus, our view of ourself becomes outer-directed; our self-image, self-esteem and levels of competence, become dependent on those around us.

Essentially, as long as we depend on others to boost our confidence, we’ll continue to be tossed around by the waves of opinion. Maturity means starting to consult ourself instead of looking to others for approval. It means deciding our own levels of competence and formulating our own self-image by looking within, rather than looking to others outside of us to determine our self-esteem. It means measuring ourself with ourself to find our own personal best, rather than comparing ourself to others. And it involves setting aside all the old patterns of behavior we have previously followed and learning new scripts instead.

The fundamental keys to dropping self-doubt are self-exploration, self-reliance and self-trust. It’s all about being your own counselor, being your own support team, and encouraging and rewarding yourself for jobs well done. It’s about you depending on you, to tell yourself how attractive, capable, and accomplished you’re.

Regaining self-confidence also involves being honest with yourself, about realistically assessing your capacities and limitations, which means not just blocking out negative comments from others, but looking at your very own negative self-talk. Self-confidence is not about being arrogant, conceited or having an inflated ego, it’s simply about accepting, supporting and loving yourself.

If you find yourself nodding in agreement to Dr. Alman’s observations, then you’ve taken your first step towards inner growth thru self hypnosis. If you are reading up to this point, then it might be a good idea to take part on your own chosen hypnotherapy home study course.

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Hypnosis is a powerful self-help tool which you might have the wrong idea about. It seems that there are myths and misconceptions tied into the hypnosis which prevent people to receive and enjoy the many benefits Hypnosis offers.

The reality is that many of our challenges stem from the way we think and perceive ourselves to be. Unlike medication which only change the chemistry of the body and therefore the symptoms, hypnosis help you change the way you think and experience life.

In my office I find that the best course of treatment for many of the conditions I am called to address is to benefit from both. Hypnosis as such is a valuable complimentary to any medical treatment.

If you have thought about benefiting from hypnosis, please read ahead. My hope is that the information below will allow you to overcome any concern you might have, and realize that hypnosis is a safe, painless and drugless, noninvasive course of treatment.

What if I can’t be hypnotized?

If you can daydream, visualize your favorite vacation place and envision that you are there, you will benefit from hypnosis. Anyone of normal intelligent who is willing and capable of follow the hypnotist instructions can be hypnotized.

Can Self-Hypnosis make me do things I don’t want to?

You’re in control at all times, and in fact your mind will reject any recommendation that’ll not reflect your own desires to change. Hypnosis and self-hypnosis are not a form of magic but a ordinary phenomenon of the mind. It is a natural say of mind that occurs when the mind is focused while the body is relaxed.

Can I get “stuck” in hypnosis?

There’s no such a thing as getting “stuck” in hypnosis, no more then you can get stuck in daydreaming or sleep. All it takes for you to emerge from hypnosis is your decision to do so. A common way to emerge from self-hypnosis is to simply count your way up to the number 5, noting to yourself that on the count of 5 you’ll be fully emerged… eyes open… feeling so good and so relaxed…. Remember, you’re in full control.

How many times should I listen to the session?

We learn through repetition. Remember how you used to study hard for an exam at school? Of course you do. The same principle apply here too. The more you listen to the session the quicker you’ll experience change. Remember, it is your willingness, desire and open mind that will determine the success of the change.

Will I experience immediate results from my self-hypnosis session?

You can certainly expect to enjoy some immediate results and benefits from self-hypnosis. Some experience habit changes after just a few or even one session. However, hypnosis isn’t magic, and it may take few sessions to create lasting change in your life. we have to be realistic here and remember that we’re changing habits which we developed over years. Be patient with yourself, and know that with commitment and repetition you will achieve your goals.

I am so relaxed and yet I have the ability to hear you, am I really hypnotized?

You are apt to hear and remember everything about your session and I want you to. Hypnosis is a say of concentration and focused attention, and as such, you will hear and be aware of words and suggestions. Your subconscious mind will continue to listen, it always does even in the profound say of relaxation that’s experienced by hypnosis. Listen to excerpts of self-hypnosis sessions at www.MindBody101.com .

If I listen to your Weight loss CD every day, can I still eat anything I want?

The goal of our self-hypnosis audio programs is to help you change what you select for yourself by establishing healthier eating habits. When you listen to the cd, you’re training your mind to think in a new and beneficial way. If you make the effort to listen and absorb the healthy recommendation I’m giving you while reserving judgment for 21 days, you will be successful and see the results.

The 21 days rule is designed to give you the necessary time to build a strong foundation for your new eating habits. On completion of this program and even before you will naturally gravitate to healthier eating which will work in line with your wish to lose weight.

Learn more about weight-loss and self-hypnosis at www.MindBody101.com , where you will find a library of recordings designed for weight-loss and a healthy lifestyle.

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Become a certified hypnotherapist when you complete the appropriate courses in hypnotherapy. Typical studies in a hypnotherapy certification program include instruction in analytical hypnotherapy, guided imagery, dream interpretation, healing with hypnosis, and more.

Fundamental training that’s covered in courses in hypnotherapy involve the history and philosophies of hypnosis, power of suggestion, imagery, and specific hypnotic applications that help treat a number of conditions. Some of the many mind-body-spirit issues that hypnotherapy can address include weight loss, stress reduction, smoking cessation, pain management, past life regression therapy, self-hypnosis, and inner healing.

The vital skills learned in courses in hypnotherapy prepare candidates to successfully communicate and evaluate clients, establish client trust, and give candidates the knowledge and skills of hypnotic recommendation techniques used to productively induce clients into a comfortable trance.

Specific applications taught in courses in hypnotherapy entail methods that help in relaxation, stress reduction, accessing inner wisdom, emotional/spiritual healing, memory improvement, public speaking, sleep disorders, and phobia relief, as well as others.

Elective courses in hypnotherapy entail studies in awakening techniques, stress reduction methods, inner child healing, NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming), intuitive hypnotherapy, emotional clearing, and Gestalt therapy, and other specialties.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in learning more about these or other substitute programs, let professional training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, naturopathy, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore courses in hypnotherapy near you.

Courses in Hypnotherapy

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