How to Do Self-Hypnosis

What is Self-Hypnosis?

Self-hypnosis is essentially applying hypnotherapy in your own self. To learn more about what hypnotherapy is, read » What is Hypnotherapy? 

As a hypnotherapist, I use many techniques when working with clients, and many of these hypnotherapy techniques are simple to use on your own. In this post I teach you how to use two essential self-hypnosis techniques, and how to combine them into a powerful practice to create positive change in your life.

How to Do Self-Hypnosis

There are three key techniques you can practice any time you want:

1. Auto-suggestion

2. Visualization

3. Both simultaneously

1. Auto-Suggestion Self-Hypnosis

Auto-suggestion is the use of positive affirmations, or “therapeutic suggestions” to use clinical hypnotherapy terminology. Before you start using a positive affirmation, you need to know how to create one effectively, and how to apply it effectively. Here are the steps to follow, along with an example.

How to create an effective positive affirmation

1. Notice what you want to change about yourself. This could be a habit, a fear, a behavioral tendency, or a pattern in your life. Describe this in a short sentence.

2. Take the negative—make it positive. Imagine the thing you want to change as the “negative”. Now, what does the desired change look and feel like in the “positive”? Describe this in a short sentence.

3. Keep it positive. When creating your affirmation, use words that affirm what you want. Do not include any words about what you do not want. Hone the positive sentence.

4. Keep it present. Use present-tense language. This is important! Now is the only moment that exists. Now is when you experience the positive effects of your positive affirmation. Hone the positive, present-tense sentence. Sometimes it can be as simple as adding “now”.

5. Play with it. Continue playing with the words until it “feels right” when you say it out loud. Sometimes you might change the words very much, but keep the same intention.

Example positive affirmation creation

1. Negative: I procrastinate too much and feel stressed out when I cram for a deadline.

2. Positive: I give myself enough time to complete projects without stress.

3. Keep it positive: I give myself plenty of time to complete my projects without stress calmly.

4. Keep it present: Now I give myself plenty of time to complete my projects calmly.

5. Play with it:

   • I now give myself plenty of time to calmly complete my projects.

   • Now I enjoy working on my projects every day.

   • I am enjoying completing my projects early now.

How to use your positive affirmation effectively

Now that I have my positive affirmation, I can begin using it. The most important part of auto-suggestion is repetition.

The most important part of auto-suggestion is repetition.

The most important part of auto-suggestion is repetition.

You must use your positive affirmation a lot if you want to create a positive change in yourself. The idea is to completely saturate your life with the new way of being. The more you speak it, hear it, and see it, the more the mind opens up to the idea of it being real. Because it is.

Here is a plan for an effective auto-suggestion practice:

1. Memorize your positive affirmation. Really. Commit it to memory, so that you can use it whenever and wherever you want.

2. Put your affirmation everywhere. Sticky notes on the bathroom mirror, on the fridge, in the fridge, on your water bottle, in your car—everywhere you tend to look in your life.

3. Speak your affirmation. Hearing your affirmation in your own voice amplifies the effect. Speak it often. Speak it loud, speak it soft, speak it firmly, speak it kindly. Play with your tone of voice and discover what feels best for you.

4. Morning and night practice:First thing in the morning: set a timer for 5 minutes, close your eyes, and repeat your affirmation over and over, patiently. There is no rush. Last thing at night: do the same thing.

2. Visualization Active Imagination Self-Hypnosis

Visualization is actively imagining a desired outcome. Calling it “visualization” is a bit of a misnomer, though, because you can actively imagine something even if you are not able to “see” it in the mind. I only called it visualization because you have probably heard of that already. From now on though, I will refer to this technique as active imagination (thanks, Carl Jung).

We all have a different experience of the mind. Some people do not “see” clearly with the “mind’s eye”. But there is also such a thing as the “mind’s ear”, the “mind’s nose”, the “mind’s tongue”, and the “mind’s touch”.

Now, what if you could create a real memory of having exactly what you desire in your life right now?

You can. And here is how:

1. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Less time is more effective for this practice.

2. Close your eyes. Closing your eyes helps connect you with the creative abilities of the mind.

3. Actively imagine. Activate as many mental senses as you can. See, feel, hear, smell, taste. You can even simply think about it. As clearly as possible imagine a scene in which you are experiencing what you want.

4. Keep it timeless. Just be there, here, now, in the scene.

5. Positive emotion. This part is very important! Imagine the positive emotions you feel, being in this scene. These emotions are the fuel which powers the creation of the memory of really experiencing what you are actively imagining.

6. End your practice. When the timer is done, take a deep breath, open your eyes, and move on. The unconscious mind is now storing the memory of your actively imagined experience as if it really happened.

It is best to do this practice twice per day: first thing in the morning, and last thing at night.

3. Powerful Self-Hypnosis Practice

You can combine auto-suggestion and active imagination into one, powerful practice. Again, two times per day: first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

Once you create and memorize your positive affirmation, you can bring it into your active imagination practice. Actively imagine a scene in which you are experiencing the result of your positive affirmation.

Here is how I would use my procrastination example:

1. Set my timer for 5 minutes

2. Actively imagine…

   • Calmly enjoying working on my project…

   • Feeling accomplished…

   • Plenty of time…

3. When my positive emotions are peaking, I repeat my positive affirmation out loud in a calm, clear voice:

   • “I am enjoying completing my projects early now…”

   • “I am enjoying completing my projects early now…”

   • “I am enjoying completing my projects early now…”

4. When my timer is done, I take a deep breath… open my eyes… and immediately go do something else.

5. I notice myself feeling peaceful about my project, and I know that the positive change is happening.

Use Your Self-Hypnosis Skills

To create positive change in your life, you really need to want it enough to create those changes in yourself! Doing this self-hypnosis practice daily is an excellent way to do the work necessary to create those positive changes.

Now that you are a member of Hypnotherapy and Your Best Self, you have access to the most comprehensive resource for learning how to apply hypnotherapy in your own life. I encourage you to read everything I share—and apply everything I share!

Just by reading this one post, you already know more about self-hypnosis than 99% of all people on Earth. Because of this, you have an advantage that most people do not. You now have a growing skillset for literally creating positive change.

It begins with positive changes in your own self…

… and extends into positive changes in all of your relationships…

… and those relationships extend positive changes into even more relationships.

By using these self-hypnosis skills to create a more joyful, harmonious, prosperous life for yourself, you are truly benefiting the world around you. Your world.

As always, I am available to guide you more directly, if you choose.

Your Hypnotherapist,
Devin Ryback