Want to lose weight or quit smoking? Hypnosis is an effective tool that you may want to put to use, although it isn’t for everybody. Through the development of Stanfard Hypnotic Susceptibility Scales, which measure the ease with which you could be hypnotized on a scale from 0 (not at all susceptible) to 12 (responds to all suggestions), scientists have found that five percent of the population cannot be hypnotized. Still, that leaves 95 percent of the population open to hypnosis and most of us fall somewhere between five and seven on the scale. If you are interested in giving this technique a try, this article will teach you step-by-step how to do self hypnosis.

Relax

The key to successfully inducing hypnosis—a state of hyper-attention and hyper-awareness—is to be mentally relaxed and absolutely absorbed in the task at end. It should feel as if it would take little or no effort to make a decision or perform any action, like lifting your hand or throwing your cigarettes in the garbage. For many of us, learning to relax is the most difficult part of learning how to do self hypnosis. At the beginning, it could take you half-an-hour or longer to fully relax. With practice, it may take just a few seconds.

When learning how to do self hypnosis, you may find it easier to follow the Jacobsen Progressive Relaxation procedure. To do this, sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Find an environment with few distractions. Slowly, tense each major muscle group. Hold it for a few seconds. Then, relax. Begin with your feet and progress all the way to the top of your head.

Enter into a deeper state

The next stage in learning how to do self hypnosis is learning how to relax more deeply, which will bring about a hypnotic state. Too often, we try to watch for that magic moment when we are hypnotized. “Aha,” we say, proud that we could pinpoint the moment when we achieved this sought-after state. Unfortunately, we cannot enter into hypnosis unless we are completely relaxed, which requires us to let our guard down and just engage with the practice. This, admittedly, makes it hard to say for certain whether or not we’ve actually been hypnotized. Continue practicing, however, and soon you will begin to recognize what it feels when you have entered a hypnotic state.

Hollywood likes to show hypnotists counting down. In truth, this is an effective way to deepen your relaxation. Begin counting down from 100. With each number, feel yourself falling more deeply into a trance. As distracting thoughts arise, brush them aside. (This will be familiar to anyone who has ever tried meditation.) As you practice more frequently, you can try counting for a lower number like 20 to see what works best for you. When learning how to do self hypnosis you may also wish to explore other techniques for deepening your relaxation, including the use of a swinging metronome.

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At this point in learning how to do self hypnosis, your conscious mind should be in a hyper-responsive state, with your subconscious mind more open to suggestion than usual. Prior to beginning the session, you should develop a short, powerful statement that reflects what you wish to achieve. For example,  “I no longer desire or enjoy cigarettes”. You may also rely on an image, instead of a statement. For example, picture yourself in peak physical fitness, climbing a mountain or lounging on the beach in a bikini. The key to making this work is practicing regularly. You cannot expect immediate results.

Ending the session

Although it may be tempting to do so, don’t fall asleep or leap right up from your session. Set a clear boundary between hypnosis and the next activity, especially when you are first learning how to do self hypnosis. This can be easily achieved by telling yourself that you will be fully alert and awake on the count of three: one-two-three!

Q. How does hypnosis work? I am not a very imaginative person. Can I still be hypnotized?

A. Probably. Studies have found that there is no correlation between having an active imagination and being easy to hypnotize. Scientists have also found that there is no single personality type that is best suited to hypnosis. How does hypnosis work then? The neurological mechanisms are still unknown although the phenomenon is well documented.

Q. How does hypnosis work? Are some people easier to hypnotize than others?

A. Absolutely. Studies have proven that there are people who are more or less susceptible to hypnosis. The Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scales measure people from 0 (cannot be hypnotized) to 12 (respond to all hypnotic suggestions). How does hypnosis work? Most of us fall in the middle range between five and seven. Only five percent of the population scores a 0. Interestingly, this rating doesn’t change over time. It is as consistent as your IQ score.

Q. How does hypnosis work? Will I be put to sleep?

A. Contrary to the depiction of hypnosis in Hollywood movies, being hypnotized doesn’t induce sleep. Instead, you enter into a hyper-attentive and hyper-responsive state. How does hypnosis work? The key is to enter into a state of “flow”, where you feel mentally relaxed and absorbed. You should feel as if it takes no effort to make a decision or act in any way. It’s interesting to note that your body doesn’t have to be physically relaxed in order for hypnosis to work. Hypnosis can be attained just as easily when vigorously riding a bicycle, for example, as long as one is in flow.

Q. How does hypnosis work? What happens to my mind when I’m hypnotized?

A. Despite a wealth of research, scientists still don’t know what neurological mechanisms bring about a state of hypnosis. We need to further develop our understanding of the unconscious mind in order to arrive at any conclusions. But what we do know is that there are genuine neurological changes during hypnosis; the state is different from normal consciousness. How does hypnosis work? It seems to change your perception of sensory experiences. For example, it modifies the way your brain interprets and processes information. It may also modulate activity in the anterior cingulated cortex—the part of the brain that regulates what to pay attention to, what to ignore and how much emotional significance to assign to sensations among other variables. This could be why hypnosis is so effective for pain management.

Q. How does hypnosis work? Will I give up control?

A. No. You will still hold the power to resist or control what happens while under hypnosis. How does hypnosis work? Hypnosis calms our conscious mind and brings our subconscious to the fore, at a time when it is open to suggestion. This openness, however, doesn’t imply a loss of free will or moral judgment. Instead, scientists have found that people frequently become highly effective problem solvers while under hypnosis.