By Fern Tausig
On Your Mind
Fern Tausig
You might be thinking that saying self-hypnosis can be life changing is a bold and unrealistic statement. Maybe you’re thinking it’s not possible or that your life doesn’t need changing. But self-hypnosis is helpful with everything from the smallest annoyance in your life to a major health challenge.
It is a well-known fact that the mind-body connection is very powerful. Many of us have experienced situations where our negative thoughts about something or someone created physical responses ranging from stomach pain and headaches to anxious heart pounding. We have also experienced the wonderful feelings of joy and happiness that gave us physical feelings that have given rise to phrases like “it warmed my heart” or “it gave me butterflies in my stomach.”
What if there was a way to increase the positive feelings and reduce the negative feelings? There is. Thoughts create feelings and feelings create behaviors. I know I have repeated this statement many times, but it is the basis of the power of the mind and that is the tool mostly used in hypnosis.
All hypnosis is really self-hypnosis and we all do it every day. Repetitive negative self- talk or experiences create negative sensations in our bodies. Often working in a toxic environment causes physical ailments that are annoying until they become serious health issues. Because you can’t control others, using self-hypnosis daily can help you protect yourself from toxic people.
Self-hypnosis can be done anywhere and for five minutes or 50 minutes. It begins with an intention to have a specific outcome or goal. It is good to make the goal something you want, not something you don’t want. For example: you don’t want to stop eating junk; you want to eat for nourishment.
Once you have the goal, imagine how you are going to look and feel when you have already changed. Imagine your success.
The process begins with an induction phase, with the intention of slowing down your mind and body. This can be done by first taking three long, slow, deep breaths and then counting down slowly from 20, thinking, “deeper, relaxed” between each number. While doing this, imagine a peaceful place like a beach or the woods. The more you do it the easier it becomes to take yourself deeper into a relaxed state.
As you get to the number one, observe how relaxed and calm you feel. Recall your goal and all the benefits you will enjoy when you have reached it. Focus on the positive feelings of that success. Feel the confidence that you can control your thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
Self-hypnosis daily will give you a calm, tranquil feeling that will be with you all day. It will put you in a better frame of mind to be able to handle toxic people and maintain control over the only thing you can control: yourself.
Learn to focus on positive feelings if you want to feel good while ignoring negative feelings that are useless and will bring you down.
During these times of stress and uncertainty, it’s nice to know there is something you can do to help yourself. Why not learn self-hypnosis to improve the quality of your life?
Fern Tausig is a certified hypnotist, lifecoach and health educator. She can be reached at myhealinghypnosis.com.