More_about_hypnosis1.html

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is used to heighten your response to positive suggestions which will benefit our day to day activities now and well into the future. You may be aware of the role of the conscious mind and the unconscious mind. The conscious mind is responsible for reason and judgment, but decisions are also based on unconscious influences due to past experiences and belief systems. Hypnosis works on both levels of the mind and helps you tap into the greater resources of the unconscious mind.
Many people may not know that the hypnotic trance state is an extension of many states which occur naturally. In fact, everyday just before waking up in the morning and before going to sleep at night, you go into a hypnotic state. You may know what I mean, that state between sleep and wakefulness or wakefulness and sleep. Also do you know the feeling when you are driving along the road and you have arrived at your destination, having no recollection of the journey you have undertaken, yet you know you must have been in control during that journey to yield at the right places in the road, or to stop at traffic lights and so on? Sometimes we go into a day dream state whilst watching the television, half aware of what is going on around us, knowing that we can tune back in when we want. In hypnotherapy, the hypnotherapist works in partnership with the client to take them into a trance state where the client’s brilliant, untapped unconscious mind will make sense of the positive suggestions formulated by the client and the hypnotherapist and enable these positive suggestions to be reinforced in the mind to bring about beneficial life changes. People use hypnosis to help them with all kinds of problems, i.e., improving study skills, self confidence, memory, weight loss, fears and phobias, smoking and so on.

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Misconceptions about Hypnosis

I will lose control of myself or surrender control to the hypnotist. NO!! You have your own powerful inbuilt safety mechanism. Any suggestions which would be harmful to you would be automatically rejected by your powerful subconscious mind. Hypnosis is a process whereby the hypnotist and the client work together to bring about useful and beneficial change for the client. All NGH certified hypnotists operate to a Code of Ethics which ensures that the integrity of the client is respected at all times.

I will reveal secrets. No!! Again your inbuilt sense of safety will protect you from doing this.

I will not come out of trance. No!! Even if the hypnotist were to leave the room, you would either fall asleep for a short period of time or come out of trance.

Only weak willed people can be hypnotised. This is not true. Intelligent people have a strong ability to use their imaginations. Hypnosis employs this skill to bring about useful resourceful states for the client.

I can't relax so I won't be hypnotisable. Whereas being able to relax easily is an advantage, Hypnosis is not about being able to relax.

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Self Hypnosis Routine

I recommend that you prepare your subconscious mind in advance of meeting with me by using:

the Pre Sleep Self Hypnosis Routine

When you go to bed, starting tonight and continuing for the next 7 days, just before you are ready to fall asleep - give yourself the following suggestion 10 times:

"Every day, in every respect, I get better and better."

While you are saying the suggestion, imagine yourself in any way you can, getting better and better. (See, hear and feel what it is like.) If you can't imagine it, don't worry, let your sub conscious mind do the work for you.
In order not to fall asleep and not to lose count, every time you say the suggestion press down with each finger of your right hand. Then, continue with each finger of your left hand until you've completed the suggestion 10 times.
This may be your first attempt at learning to effectively program yourself through suggestion. It is of the utmost importance to do this exercise every night without falling asleep until you've completed the 10 repetitions.
You are beginning to establish a habit pattern of properly programming yourself by giving yourself positive suggestions before going to sleep. The next day, you'll find yourself reacting very positively to that suggestion.

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A Walking Meditation

Are you feeling stressed and down?
or
Are you feeling overwhelmed by life, the universe and everything?
or
Are you feeling unable to cope?

Well the answer is only a few lines away. The key to de-stressing is obvious. It is RELAXATION. But we all know that you can't make someone relax or order someone to relax. That would be like asking them not to imagine a pink elephant wearing sunglasses.
So how can you achieve this wonderful, soothing state at will, when your mind is being pulled in different directions, when you have the worries of the world on your shoulders? You know what I mean. Maybe even as you read this, you can feel tension building up in your body; maybe it is in your stomach or in your neck and shoulders; maybe your heart is beating a little faster, you might feel you are unable to think straight as you ponder the backlog of work or deadlines to be met or family issues and so on.

Blue sky STOP!! You owe it yourself to free yourself from this state of mind and as soon as possible, to calm your mind, to give it a breather. I want to introduce you to one very simple, effective technique which only takes moments of your time, which you can learn easily and apply anytime. The technique I am highlighting is a form of self hypnosis, whereby you use your brilliant subconscious mind to help you to relax your mind and body. I hope you enjoy it. This is what I call the Walking Meditation and I have divided it up into a number of phases so that you can easily remember it. You can also record this and play it on an MP3 player.

This is what you do:

PREPARATION PHASE
You can do this anywhere, for example in your office building or outdoors, walking from one place to another, or even in your mind! There is no need to be self conscious about doing this practice, and if you prefer do this somewhere where you are not observed. It is preferable to do this meditation in a quiet place, and if you are walking it for real, pick somewhere peaceful and safe and make sure you are dressed appropriately for the weather. Gap of Dunloe

INTENTION PHASE
Make a conscious decision that for the next 5 or 10 minutes (more if you can or want) that you are taking this time for yourself to relax from the stresses and strains of the day.

Torc Mountain ATTENTION ON YOUR BREATHING PHASE
Stand up straight and balance yourself squarely over your hips, feet shoulder width apart, head level, arms loosely by your side, eyes open and now focus on your breathing. There is no need to change the pattern of your breathing. Just stand there and notice the way you breathe in and out, and the more you focus on your breathing the more you relax and now slowly take a deep breath in, pause and exhale slowly and relax. Do this three times and with each breath just feel your body beginning to relax from head to toe, each muscle, nerve and fibre relaxing as you take in the perfect breath of air which is just right for you. And while you are doing this, you might notice noises in the background and you can relax and accept them, as they are just normal everyday sounds. And if you find some stray thoughts come into your mind, just accept them and bless them and send them on their way, like little puffs of smoke disappearing into the air. You can just blow them away.

SCAN YOUR BODY PHASE
As you breathe you can begin to scan your body for areas of tension and if you find those areas, breathe in another breath of fresh air, this wonderful healing air and breathe this healing air right down into your body, sending it directly to the places of unease, easing the tension away and if necessary adjust your posture or your stance, so that you are even more comfortable and while you are standing there you can use your mind to talk to each part of your body, asking each part to 'SOFTEN' or visualise each part of your body and relax each part one by one from head to toe or from toe to head. It is all up to you as you are in control over everything you think, feel and do.

Road through the wood WALKING PHASE
And now let's get ready to walk and you know the rate at which you usually walk and you know that this varies depending on your purpose. Sometimes it's very fast as you rush from A to B, sometimes it's slow as you amble along, relaxing outdoors. So I just want you to set off now at an average walking speed, a pace which is right for you and now here is the fun part, I want you to start slowing your pace down, maybe to half that pace and even to half that pace again. And for the next few moments and the time is up to you, I want you to walk along very, very, very slowly and maybe you are going at a snail's pace, barely putting one foot in front of the other and while you are going at this wonderfully slow pace, start noticing again your breathing, your body, how it is moving, notice the sounds your feet make on the floor. And maybe you notice the things around you now from a different perspective and allow your eyes to soften, to take in more of the things that are around you and just notice how different everything is from what it was a few moments ago as you continue to breathe in and out, each breath relaxing you even more and more. And know this, that you are in control and you can do this walking meditation for as long or as little as your want, and I am sure the more you do it, the more you realise how good it is for helping you to relax by slowing you down, by giving your conscious mind some time out from everyday concerns.

POSITIVE SELF SUGGESTIONS PHASE (Optional, I highly recommend this!)
And while you are in this wonderful state of relaxation, it is now time to treat yourself kindly by programming your wonderful subconscious mind with positive beneficial suggestions. So say the following affirmations 3 times (aloud or in your mind, it is up to you):

I am calm, I am relaxed, I am in control, I am confident.

I feel calm, I feel relaxed, I feel in control, I feel confident.

And feel what it is like to be calm, relaxed, in control and confident. Feels good doesn't it?

COMPLETING THE MEDITATION PHASE
And whenever you are ready to come back to 'now', just take another 3 breaths and notice how good it feels to be relaxed, knowing that you can achieve this state anytime you want, anywhere you want. On the third breath, just shake your body out, feeling good, relaxed, alert and energised.