Everyone wants to be successful in life. Each person desires to be healthy, energetic, stress-free, having warm and loving inter-personal relationships, be prosperous and achieve recognition, status and glory in life. However, in real life most people achieve very little in these aspects. They live life that is stressful, entangled with complex interpersonal relations, lots of frustrations, irritations and anger. The general feeling appears to be that they are suffering due to actions of other people and adverse circumstances.
The golden truth is that we all have full control over our lives. We can make our life what we want to make it. There is a small book titled “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen. The book was written about one hundred years ago and is freely available in PDF format on the net. This book is as relevant today as it was then. The basic message given out by the book is that a person becomes what he or she thinks.
The key question that remains is ‘how to generate positive thoughts of health, prosperity, love, joy, happiness and warmth in your mind at all times. Our mind generates thoughts of all kinds at random and we don’t know a system or method to control these thoughts. The truth is that these thoughts are not truly random; rather these are based on beliefs, instincts, emotions and attitudes which are embedded deep in our personality and we don’t know how to modify these.
Our mind comprises of two minds. One is conscious mind which allows us to deal with day to day situations that we encounter in external world. Conscious mind operates with a simple logic, analysis and expectations. The other is subconscious mind which is active and awake all the time and it directs our thoughts and actions in external world based on what is programmed into it.
The subconscious mind programming starts right from the time of birth. This programming is generated by experiences of various kinds over a long period of time. These experiences are from family members, relations, schools/colleges, media and society etc. During college days as we learn the concept and significance of subconscious mind, we also want to change the embedded programme to our advantage. New programming can be done or existing programming modified through the process called ‘hypnosis’ which may be done by hypnotist, guide or self.
Hypnosis literally means a procedure in which suggestions are given to subconscious mind during a state of focused awareness. Hypnotic process implies a person in deep quietness and ideas are suggested. Self-hypnosis is a process of hypnosis which is self-induced and it utilizes the concept of auto-suggestion. Self-hypnosis makes one become highly focused with heightened susceptibility.
Hypnosis can be put to bad use or good use. When a television advertisement is shown repeatedly, sometimes three or four times in a single commercial break our subconscious mind registers the ideas. Some people use their hypnotic powers to make people do things which those people would normally not do. Thus unscrupulous people enslave the will of other people. It appears that hypnosis is a mystical state which can be used for mind control and brainwashing. Though such negative connotations are observed and displayed in some films, hypnosis is an extremely powerful tool which can be used to overcome psychological, emotional and some physical problems.
Let us look at good uses of hypnosis. Psychologists use hypnosis in the treatment of physical, emotional and behavioral problems. Self-hypnosis can be used to modify behavior, emotions and attitudes. One can overcome bad habits like smoking, addictive drinking, overeating and even habitual occurrence of irritation, frustration and anger. Thus it is useful in reducing stress and tension in life. When an idea or image gets impressed on the subconscious mind it eventually manifests itself in real life. Thus, by the power of thought one can achieve any objective in life which is important. One can use self-hypnosis and power of mind to modify limiting beliefs, and be successful and wealthy, develop truly satisfying relationships and acquire sparkling health etc.
Tremendous potential of creative abilities can be developed by tapping the subconscious mind. Self-hypnosis is the method of accessing the subconscious mind and charging it with ideas & affirmations need for fulfilling your objectives. The objective may be to become wealthy, lose weight or to quit smoking etc. The subconscious mind works with whatever it is constantly fed from the conscious mind. If a person thinks of ill-health all the time, the subconscious mind will cause to manifest ill-health in his life. Contrary is also true. If a person thinks of sparkling health and tremendous energy all the time, the subconscious mind will manifest these in his life.
Self-hypnosis can help a person to stay calm and relaxed, develop better concentration and focus, and feel more confident. The process of self-hypnosis is simple and generally involves two distinct stages;
- i) A meditative state in which the mind is totally calm and external thoughts are excluded. This is often achieved by securing a quiet environment providing relaxed posture and body condition and focusing the mind on breathing (as in vipasana meditation) and a mantra i.e. any non-religious word or phrase (as in transcendental meditation).
- ii) When mind is quietened from external noise and has become free of random thoughts, it is ready for charging of specifically prepared thoughts and ideas. The key word here is repetition. The charging of thoughts and ideas is done through a script which is repeated several times. For best results the practice must be continued for long periods.
The steps generally followed for self-hypnosis are as follows;
Create a non-negotiable time slot when you would not be disturbed by another person, telephone or external noise. Sit in a comfortable posture. Put on some soothing light music. Take five deep breaths holding for five to ten seconds each time and slow exhalation. Close your eyes and think each inhalation brings calm and relaxation and each exhalation takes away stress and strain. If the mind wanders bring it back to focus on breathing. Now lie down in a relaxed posture with face up and focus your attention at each part of the body from toe to head progressively. Imagine relaxing all muscles in your body and feel the entire body totally relaxed like an UN-stretched rubber band.
Breathe normally, be aware of your breathing and mentally repeat statements like;
- I am becoming healthy and energetic
- I am full of joy and warmth
- I am becoming calm and confident
- I have abundance of wealth
- I have tremendous concentration and focus power
- I am successful and famous
Repeat these statements mentally 10 to 15 times slowly, keeping full focus on breathing and the thoughts. Some people make recorded audios in their own voice or in the voice of their teacher or guide. They play the audio and it guides them through the entire procedure. At the end slowly press your eyes with your palms and gradually open your eyes.
Self-hypnosis is extremely powerful technique and one can achieve all that is important. While using self-hypnosis to make changes one must do it with enthusiasm and excitement. Select goals which are important to you and are difficult but attainable. Over a period as you achieve your current goals keep raising the bar and aim higher and higher. Know that you are unique and you have all the powers of the universe dormant within you and for you sky is the limit.
It does not matter whether you are a student, professional or retired, it is important to understand that self hypnosis is the key to better life, so why procrastinate – Learn it now.