Self Hypnosis

Changing Personal History

"Take a moment and breathe deeply....... as you begin to consider how all the factors of your life mesh together to create your past...present,...and future.....
As you imagine the possible panorama of your future, you can see....feel....and perhaps also hear....all of the multiple possible directions in which you can go.....

You can see...feel...and have an intuitive understanding for...how some of the factors in your present reality lead toward one or another future realities..... You can begin to realize now.. how you have been actively pursuing one of your probable futures without realizing it...... You can understand now... that by making certain choices and adjustments in the present, you can change your probable future...... The seeds of a different future can be planted now, in the present....

As you recall and feel your past, and become aware of all of its details. .... you recognize that up until now, you've only been remembering one small part of your past..., only using a few of your memories as a foundation for your present experiences...... You realize now that you can make new choices now..... You can choose to remember and focus on parts of the past that you've avoided or ignored. .... You can effectively create a new emphasis in your past and restructure what the past means to you..... By restructuring or re-remembering the past, you create a different perception of the present..... By recognizing all the potential of the future, you recognize your full power and claim the freedom to create the future that you want. You understand what you need to do in the present in order to create your adjusted past and future. "
Adapted from: "Choice Centered Tarot" by Gail Fairfield

The Self is a Relationship

Self hypnosis is a fascinating and complex subject. I believe that most people develop an interest in self hypnosis because they want to be able to live a life of greater fulfillment. People have a desire to accomplish certain goals that they currently seem incapable of achieving, and thus they have an inkling that there must be "a better way."

It is important to remember:
THE SELF IS A RELATIONSHIP- BOTH INTRAPERSONAL AND INTERPERSONAL

"Who am I? I am a relationship. I choose to, and I have the right to, Feel good and be respected. I am."

When we are feeling stuck we might think of self hypnosis like this: "There is a part of me that wants to get another part of me to change. And the annoying thing is that the part of me that 'I' want to change does not appear to be open to my suggestions!" In such instances, "What we have here is a failure to communicate."

For instance, people often say to me: "Why is it that when 'I' want to 'lose weight', 'stop smoking', 'get up earlier in the morning', that there is somehow, somewhere a hidden part of me that very much does not want to accomplish these same goals? Why does this conflict exist and how can I get 'myself' to do what 'I' want to do?" Self relations therapy would call this hidden part that is not cooperating "the neglected self." Other forms of therapy would talk about "the subconscious mind" or "the unconscious mind." Seishindo presents the concept of "the somatic self." What we are striving for in self hypnosis is developing a context of cooperative communication. We need to learn how to respectfully communicate with the hidden parts of one's self, and in the process, enlist the resources of the entire self in order to bring about a more balanced life. This is the main task of self hypnosis.

Cooperation

One of the reasons that the martial art Aikido works so effectively (When and if it is done with the proper ideals in mind.) is that the practitioner has no intent to harm or force the attacker, and somehow this message gets communicated nonverbally and changes the attacker's mindset.

In Aikido we attempt to cooperate with the attacker and touch their true desire. When we are able to accomplish this the musculature of the attacker softens and their fighting mind is neutralized. The goal is to protect the one being attacked, as well as protecting the attacker. We strive to blend with the energy and attempted goals of the attacker rather than confronting them.

In Aikido we say:
"Change yourself first, before looking to change your opponent, and in the process, you might find that your opponent has changed himself."
"First learn to control your self and then look to lead others gently. Help the attacker to get what he wants without his needing to use violence to achieve his goals."

In self hypnosis we can say:
"Change the mindset of your cognitive self first, before looking to change your somatic self, and in the process, you might just find that your somatic self will change itself." "Control your cognitive self and gently lead your somatic self. Help the cognitive self to get the appropriate results it desires, without it needing to resort to manipulation and conflict. If your cognitive self is not getting the results it desires, then what will your cognitive self need to do to change itself, in order to more fully align with your somatic self?"

Or yet another way to say this is: "The solution your cognitive self is attempting to implement is instrumental to the continuance of the problem. If you implement the 'right' solution, you will likely find that there is no problem. With a high quality solution in hand, the problem ceases to exist."

Ten important principles of self hypnosis

These principles are meant for you to muse over for now. These principles are not meant to be a "to do" list of things to accomplish. Read for now in order to begin to develop a broad background for self hypnosis, and then we will delve into some of these principles in detail in future newsletters.

1) Change out of your everyday frame of mind into a different "trance".
This usually takes a change of posture, a good deal of calm breathing, slowing down in general, and the spreading of your awareness.
Self hypnosis is a NATURAL way of changing your awareness of the present moment, and the awareness of yourself as part of the present moment. In almost every instance entering into a generative self induced trance will be facilitated by slowing down your breathing and your internal dialogue, and by becoming more aware of what is happening now.
Self hypnosis dissolves the perceived problem so that it no longer exists in your mind. Self hypnosis does not do away with the problem. If you do away with thinking, you will do away with the problem.

2) Love, accept, and cooperate with, all that you are.
"There is nothing amiss with you that a deep sense of self love and support will not heal."

Develop a sense of trust and cooperation with your entire self. If you don't respect all of your self, it will be difficult to induce the cooperation that is necessary for change to occur.

3) Enter into a flow state that is more spontaneous than any process that can be maintained by your cognitive mind.
You need to let the thoughts of your cognitive self wander as if it is "fully awake and dreaming." It is from this state of "active dreaming" that solutions will evolve. The solutions do not come from "you" the solutions come from the state that you are in. The solutions arise as it becomes apparent that there is no problem.

4) Create a pleasant and respectful conversation between the parts of yourself that are involved in the struggle for and against change.
Accept and honor the behavior, beliefs, mood, and or interests of your entire self in order to achieve rapport with your entire self. You are always doing the best that you are currently capable of.

5) A generative state of self hypnosis signifies responsiveness to your intrapersonal needs. When your whole self is not able or willing to accomplish what your cognitive self desires, this is a clear signal that are you not sufficiently aware of or honoring some important intrapersonal needs.

Begin to reduce the differences in beliefs and desires between the self that wants change and your other self that seems to be inhibiting change. There is a deeper wisdom to this inhibition process, and it is quite important to honor this wisdom.

6) Become intimately aware of your body and its ongoing feedback loop with your cognitive self.
Feel all of the tiny reactions your body has to the verbal suggestions that are being made. If in any way, your body tenses up when hearing any one of your suggestions, chances are that you will not be successful in implementing your suggestions. This is so crucial to understand.

Find a way of presenting information and possible changes to your somatic self, that your somatic self finds safe, supportive, and doable. Your somatic self is quite powerful. Attempting to implement changes that it is not fully in agreement with, is not a productive long term way of living.

7) Consider every thought, feeling and desire that you are having, to be of equal importance, rather than giving more importance to any one part of your process.
It is often the "little things" that wind up having the greatest importance in the long run.

8) Be with, stay with, and welcome, every thought, feeling, and sensation.
This is crucial. Often we try to run away from what we think is "incorrect" or what we feel to be painful. At other times we try to hold onto a thought or feeling that we believe to be positive. Rather than attempting such non productive behaviors, simply stay with and welcome your every thought, feeling, and sensation.

9) Explore your experience without the need to change who your are, or what you are doing.
It is the perceived need to change that often hinders the process of change. Explore your experience and your thought processes and feelings without trying to change yourself. When all of the necessary preparations have been made, change will occur "on its own" when and IF it is truly necessary.

10) It is the thinking mind that discerns "right and wrong" "good or bad" "perfect and imperfect" that creates your problems.
The idea in self hypnosis is to experience the mind that comes prior to thinking. To experience the mind that does not know. The goal is not to understand what to do. The goal is to already be doing it.
There is no problem to be solved. Only be in the moment.

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Now you have been offered one person's thoughts and experiences in regard to self hypnosis. Please let these ideas rest inside of you for now. We will explore these principles further in later articles.

The idea of answering the "wrong" Zen koan

In a Zen koan you are presented with a question that you are asked to find the answer to. When you are stuck in this process of finding an answer to the original koan, you often wind up providing yourself with the answer to the "wrong" koan.

Here is how this works in everyday life:
If you are feeling bad about yourself you might say- "I am incompetent." and at such times you will believe that you have made a factual statement, rather than realizing that you have instead answered a question that you are not aware of having asked. The question you are answering when you say "I am incompetent." might be "What is my first thought after tensing up and no longer trusting in myself?" The answer would be "I am incompetent." In this context your answer makes total sense.

In each instance that you feel stuck, go back and find the question that you have been answering without realizing that you are doing so. Then go ahead and change your question to one that is likely to have a more generative answer. For instance in the instance just described you could change your question to be, "What will my first thought be if I remain relaxed and trusting in myself?"
What will your answer to this question be?

Ask a different question and you will get a different answer!

Prelude to "Tuning in"

I want to "set the stage" for you prior to your beginning the following practice:
a) The "practice" that follows is NOT meant to get specific results in regard to behavioral changes. This is very important to note. You are being asked to pay attention to what is going on in the moment, rather than trying to change yourself or something that you are not satisfied with. This practice is designed to help you learn how to better communicate with your somatic self. If generative change does happen to occur it will take place only as a by-product of high quality communication with your somatic self.

b) The breathing that you are asked to do at the end of each step is very important. If you find yourself rushing through the breathing or not taking three FULL breaths as asked, then you will likely feel that you did not learn much of interest in doing this practice. If you find yourself wanting to ignore or rush through the breathing, then indeed you are learning something very important about yourself-That you will do well to SLOW DOWN your system in order to achieve the results you desire. This can be a very important learning. Shallow breathing tends to lead to a feeling of anxiety and a sense of incompetence, much more so than your perceived abilities or lack thereof.

c) This practice is meant to be learned from OVER TIME, and each person will learn something unique and different, depending on the thoughts, feelings, and life experiences, that one begins their practice with This practice is an invitation to explore yourself more fully, and learn how to enter into a generative trance state. You might initially feel that you did not get all that much insight or change from this practice, only to find that your behavior or way of thinking changes some at a later date, "on its own." No matter what, this practice is meant to be done numerous times.
In the process of "practicing" you will be learning how to:
1) Change out of your everyday frame of mind into a different "trance".
2) Love, accept, and cooperate with, all that you are.
3) Enter into a flow state that is more spontaneous than any process that can be maintained by your cognitive mind.
4) Create a pleasant and respectful conversation between the parts of yourself that are involved in the struggle for and against change.
5) Enter into a generative state of self hypnosis that signifies RESPONSIVENESS to your intrapersonal needs.
6) Become intimately aware of your body and its ongoing feedback loop to your cognitive self.
7) Consider every thought, feeling and desire that you are having, to be of equal importance, rather than giving more importance to any one part of your process.
8) Be with, stay with, and welcome, every thought, feeling, and sensation.
9) Explore your experience without the need to change who you are or what you are doing.
10) Experience the mind that comes prior to thinking.

Tuning In

It is suggested that you read through the instructions several times prior to beginning. This will give you the possibility of doing the whole practice without needing to refer to the notes. Of course do refer to the notes if you need to, but you will likely get the most pleasing results when you can leave the notes aside.

This practice assumes that you have an issue, relationship, or circumstance in your life that you would like to better understand or change.

1) Sit in a comfortable manner, and take a few deep breaths.

2) Create an "I am" statement.
What I mean by this is the following:
Consider what it is you would like to change or better understand.
Make believe that you have already achieved the results you desire and make a statement that describes how your feel, and experience "life" and yourself having already achieved the results you desire. For instance, if you are wanting to lose weight you might say, "I am healthy, maintaining an optimal body weight, and feeling good about myself." This will be your "I am" statement for your practice.

It is very important that you make an "I am" statement that gives you the mental image and emotional feeling of how you look and feel having accomplished your goal, rather than using negative terms that describe how you do NOT want to be. An incorrectly formulated "I am" statement would be "I am no longer overweight and I feel good about myself." In the same way, a successful athlete would NOT say to herself "I am no longer missing field goals during the important moments of a game." Instead, state what you ARE doing, and feeling, and the positive results you are achieving.

(It is quite likely that your "I am" statement will change during the course of the exercise, or you might find that your "I am" statement changes the next time you entertain the same issue. This is fine. As long as you continue to state your "I am" statement in positive terms, welcome a change in your statement, if and when a change does come.)

Once you have made your "I am" statement-Breathe deeply three times. It is important that you breathe deeply and expansively. Take your time while doing this.

3) While looking in a mirror (when available):
Sit comfortably, breathe deeply, relax, and have a friendly look at yourself.

4) Make your 'I am" statement once again, speaking slowly and purposefully, in a calm voice.
Breathe deeply three times.

5) State three things that you see (other than yourself) when looking in the mirror. Breathe deeply three times.

6) Name three sounds that you hear as you sit calmly and look in the mirror.
Breathe deeply three times.

7) State three things that you feel/notice about yourself as you sit calmly and look into the mirror.

Please do not comment about yourself by using terms like "happy" "sad" "fat" or "thin" but rather note some aspect of your posture, body movements, or facial expression, or note a feeling that you have inside your body or on the surface of your body. For instance, "I can feel my heart beating, my posture is rounded forward, and my left eye is a bit more open than my right eye." Don't do anything to change yourself, just note how you are now.
Breathe deeply three times.

8) Make your "I am" statement again.
Breathe deeply three times.

9) State two things that you see (other than yourself) when looking in the mirror. Breathe deeply three times.

10) Name two sounds that you hear as you sit calmly and look in the mirror.
Breathe deeply three times.

11) State two things that you feel/notice about yourself as you sit calmly and look into the mirror.
Breathe deeply three times.

12) Make your "I am" statement again.
Breathe deeply three times.

13) State one thing that you see (other than yourself) when looking in the mirror. Breathe deeply three times.

14) Name one sound that you hear as you sit calmly and look in the mirror.
Breathe deeply three times.

15) State one thing that you feel/notice about yourself as you sit calmly and look into the mirror.
Breathe deeply three times.

16) Repeat your "I am" statement again.
Breathe deeply three times.

17) Allow your mind to wander for a minute or so.
Breathe deeply three times.

18) Make any statement(s) that comes to your mind at this time. You can state how you are feeling, and you can also state any thoughts that come to your mind.

Your practice is now complete for today. Please perform this practice numerous other times so that you can notice how it is your RELATIONSHIP to your initial concern is changing over time.
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If you would like to experiment with other self hypnosis practices then please go to the Self Hypnosis Index page.