For self-hypnosis to work for you, you must believe it will work, expect it to work, visualize and or imagining it working and practice it. When beginning relaxation and self-hypnosis:

 

1) Select a place where you can be reasonably sure that you will not be disturbed by unnecessary noises or interruptions; dark or subdued light and soft music may be helpful for relaxation and self-hypnosis.

 

2) Lie down on a bed or sit in a comfortable chair. Allow the arms to lie beside you on on the arms of the chair of upon your thighs. Do not interlock fingers for that might cut off circulation.

 

Best not to cross legs. Remove hard contact lenses.

 

3) make a tight fist then let hand relax slowly. Let mind register changes from tension to relaxation so that the mind has a model for relaxing the rest of the body.

 

4) At my direction, take three deep breaths. This can be a trigger mechanism for going into the hypnotic state. Take three deep breaths at my directions. Breath in relaxation, exhale tension. Breath in relaxation, exhale tension. Breath in relaxation, exhale tension.

 

5) Count to yourself 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and say deeper and deeper. This is your trigger mechanism for going quickly, soundly deeply into the hypnotic state.

 

Now close your eyes and take three deep breaths at my direction. I will say, "Breathe in relaxation" and hold that until I say "Exhale tension". We will do that three times and then I will ask you to count to yourself from 1 to 5 and say, "deeper and deeper", but first make a tight fist with one of your hands. Tight enough to be a little uncomfortable; now slowly begin to relax your hand and experience in your conscious and subconscious mind what it feels like to relax. Let the hand just become loose and limp. Let your mind use that relaxation of your hand as a guide or model for relaxing your whole body from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet...

 

Now "Breathe in relaxation, exhale tension;...Breathe in relaxation, exhale tension... Breathe in relaxation, exhale tension; " Count to yourself from 1 to 5 and say "deeper and deeper". "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, deeper and deeper."

 

Let your mind carry you to a place of peace, comfort, and relaxation...the place you choose to go to in your mind can be outside or inside. It is wherever you want to go...And now, drifting down, deeper and even deeper relaxed...I Just allow yourself to be transported across time, across space...to your special place... The place that to you means peace...comfort... safety...relaxation and happiness...

 

Begin to experience all the sensations of your special place. In whatever place you choose, take in as much of the area as you can. Imagine all the things that are there for you to see, all the sounds that are there for you to hear, and experience peace, comfort and relaxation that your special can provide you. And recognizing and realizing that as you experience all the parts of this place...The feelings of peace, comfort, safety, relaxation and happiness...are being taken deep within you...And being moved around to all the parts of you...so that all parts of you know these feelings as you go deeper and even deeper relaxed...so comfortable, so peaceful and so content...so very very relaxed and calm...and enjoying this special place, begin to allow your body to relax. Beginning with your scalp muscle, let the scalp muscles relax. As you relax your scalp muscles, you may feel a slight tingling sensation, some people do, some do not, either is normal and natural...Now let that relaxation flow down your face...Relaxing all the little muscles of your forehead...Letting go of all the little worry times, all the little frown lines, smooth and relaxed.

 

Now relax the eyelids, all the little tiny muscle of the eyelids just relax so that your eyelids want to remain shut...Now allow all the muscles of the cheek and jaw to relaxing...and so the cheek and jaw muscles, relax, you may experience a slight dryness in your mouth or a little excess of moisture, so that you may want to swallow. That is perfectly alright for it will just intensify the relaxation process for you... Now allow the neck and shoulder muscles to relax...So much stress builds up in the neck and shoulder muscles so that by relaxing the shoulder muscles, you reduce the possibility of discomfort throughout the head, neck and back...Just let go of the tension as you did in your hand, and relax the neck and shoulder muscles...

 

Now allow the arms and hands to relax...And as you relax your arms and hands they may become pleasantly light or comfortably heavy...or you may just be more aware of your hands than you were before. Now relaxing the chest muscles, nerves and organs...And as you relax the chest area, you find yourself breathing...normally... peacefully...slowly...comfortably. now relax the stomach and intestinal muscles. Now let your thigh muscles relax...let your leg muscles relax...let your calf muscles relax...allow all the muscles, nerves, and ligaments of the feet relax...Now allow the last bit of tension to flow down your body and out of the soles of your feet and the tips of your fingers as water flows down a river...More and more relaxed with each breath that you take, with each sound that you hear...More and more relaxed

 

(Deepening of the hypnotic state): Now you want to go even deeper so that the suggestions and imagery will be even more helpful to you... I am going to count backwards from 9 with each descending number; allow yourself to go deeper and deeper. As deep as you need to go for the benefit of this session. Deeper and deeper 9, deeper 8, deeper 7,... down, down, down you go...deeper 6, deeper 5, deeper 4,...deeper and deeper...allowing wave upon wave of relaxation to flow through your body as you go deeper and deeper...deeper 3, deeper 2, deeper 1, deeper and deeper relaxed... Now that you are in the hypnotic stage make your suggestions using the following guidelines:

 

1) Suggestions should be positive statements instead of negative statements.

 

2) Do not use the word try as that implies doubt and failure.

 

3) One of the most important rules involved in making suggestions is repetition.

 

4) Do not give yourself on a lot subjects because that tends to defuse the effect. You can

 

give yourself many suggestions on the same subject or related subjects.

 

5) Make suggestions in the present tense.

 

6) Visualization and/or imagery will improve the success of the suggestion tremendously.

 

To come out the hypnotic experience just say, "I will come out this hypnotic experience at the count of three and count to three. You can give yourself further suggestions as you count out.