Self hypnosis: How to do it and what it is.

Last week I had my very first hypnotherapy appointment and it exceeded my expectations. I had a wonderful time and promised the ladies on my email list that I would give all of the details after my session. Today I’m going to share all of the juicy details about my first hypnotherapy session. I’m also going to tell you how you can use self hypnosis to live an elegant, beautiful life.

What is hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is a type of therapy that uses hypnosis to access the subconscious mind and make suggestions to it. Hypnosis essentially means deep relaxation. You will not turn into a mindless zombie while you are hypnotized. Many people have a negative perception of hypnosis because of what they have seen on tv. 

Hypnotherapy is a form of therapy. In order for hypnotherapy to become effective, a person should attend therapy multiple times, just like regular talk therapy. By attending regular hypnosis sessions, a person is able to permanently rewire their mind.

How does hypnotherapy work?

A therapist will use induction and deepening techniques to induce a state of relaxation and deepen the state of relaxation. Once the client is deeply relaxed the therapist will then make what they call suggestions to the client. The suggestions will help change the client’s thoughts and perceptions moving forward.

During my research I learned that a-list celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres used hypnotherapy to kick her smoking habit.

Booking the session

The session that I booked was with a hypnotherapist that I found on Groupon. I got an awesome deal and it was a phone session. The therapist was based in New Jersey and I live in Virginia so this was a great way to be able to have the session at home where I was comfortable. I booked in November but scheduled the session for January so my mind wouldn’t be overwhelmed with the holidays.

During the rest of November and December I took some time to do a lot more sound baths and meditate more often. I wanted to get my mind used to quieting itself. I also watched several YouTube videos of live hypnotherapy sessions and that gave me an idea of what I would be experiencing during my session. 

Before I did my hypnotherapy session I had to fill out a form where I shared details about what I needed help with. I was also directed to lay down and get into a relaxed state either with meditation or a sound bath 15 minutes prior to the start of my session. 

The session.

The therapist used induction and deepening techniques to put me in a relaxed state. Induction means the therapist is inducing a relaxed state. Deepening means that they are furthering the relaxation in order to access the subconscious mind.

If you have done guided meditations before you have probably experienced the typical induction techniques. I was instructed to take deep breaths and become more relaxed with each breath. Then the therapist told me to imagine each part of my body becoming more and more relaxed. She started at my head and went down to the tips of my toes.

Then she used a deepening technique which is very popular. They’re all very similar but most deepening techniques involve having the client imagine themselves going down a number of stairs. Usually between 10 or 12 stairs. With each step, the therapist instructed me to become more relaxed.

Once I was deeply relaxed she began telling me a lot of things. She told me that my mind is now open to suggestions and that I will become more confident after this session, that even when the session is over I will remember the suggestions she is making to me. 

Then she went into the hypnosis for the specific topic that I requested. I am trying to manifest a specific thing so she told me to envision myself shrinking down to the size of my thumbnail. Then she told me to imagine myself in the control center of my brain. She told me to picture different screens with things like thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. She also told me to imagine a series of dials that control my thoughts, feelings and emotions.

She told me to focus on a dial (let’s say I asked her to help me manifest a new house) So she told me that the dial represented the perfect house finding its way to me. She told me to see what the number was currently set to between 1 and 10. The number represented my confidence in regards to finding the right home.

She told me to imagine myself turning the dial all the way to a 10. She told me to make sure I was really feeling the dial and imagining it will of my senses. 

She went through this a couple more times with more dials. One for self confidence and one for me attracting abundance. Finally, she told me to picture a magnet in my purse and wherever I go I am constantly attracting the right home, the right realtor, the right bank and loan officer, etc. She then said “you have just successfully adjusted the settings of your mind.” 

My overall thoughts on the experience.

I had the best time. This session was nothing like the sessions that I watched on YouTube. It was very creative and interactive. I also love how she put me in control of rewiring me mind instead of her just making the suggestions to me. I definitely wish I had started hypnotherapy sooner.

Here’s how you can hypnotize yourself

If you are interested in hypnotherapy but you aren’t ready to invest in professional help quite yet, there are things that you can do by yourself that will help give you a fun experience. 

*Reminder I am not a trained therapist and this is not medical advice. This is just a fun way that you can try this on yourself. 

All you need is the voice memo app on your phone.

Step 1: Watch a couple of hypnotherapy sessions on YouTube to understand the basic induction and deepening techniques. Once you watch a couple of videos you will know how to induce deep relaxation for yourself.

Step 2: Think about the things you want to attract and picture yourself going inside your own mind and adjusting the settings, just like I did.

Step 3: Grab a notebook and write a script of what you are going to say when you are recording, you will know what to write when after you listen to a couple of sessions on YouTube.

Step 4: Get your voice memo app and start recording your script. I should mention that my session was 45 minutes long, so try and make sure you write a script that is long enough for your to get into a relaxed state.

Listen to your recording at least once per week. Make sure you are in a relaxed state. Congratulations, you’ve hypnotized yourself!

You can also have a journal for your sessions so you can take note of how you felt during your meditations. Did your mind wander too much? Did you feel like your were deeply relaxed? Make sure to keep track of it!

Final thoughts

I definitely think that if you want to invest in yourself and you have the money, you should definitely try hypnotherapy. You don’t have to use it for trauma or anything bad, you can also use it to manifest things into your life, like me.

I had an amazing time and I am so glad that I gave it a try.