So Rick wanted to know my thoughts on self hypnosis vs standard hypnosis. By standard hypnosis I take it you mean having a hypnotist trancing you. Both can and do work very well. As I mentioned, I had difficulty trying to put myself into trance. I also mentioned that all hypnosis is self hypnosis. You are the one doing the work. The hypnotist is just the helper that is guiding you through the induction and giving you specific suggestions for whatever you’ve gone to them for. In self hypnosis, you are leading yourself into trance or you are relying on a prerecorded script to guide you. So don’t be confused when I reference both “hypnosis” & “self hypnosis” in the same post. I often don’t distinguish between the two.

Here are a few tips to help you:
Most but not all trances start with relaxation. Relaxation is the doorway to trance. The problem is that not very many people know how to relax. The simplest and easiest way to relax is with deep breathing.
Take a deep breath and hold it for a few seconds. Then slowly exhale. As you exhale, tell yourself that all your stress and tension is leaving your body as you exhale. Feel your stress and tension just fade away as you exhale. Repeat your breathing several times. As you feel the stress and tension leaving tell yourself to replace the stress and tension with a warm tingling feeling. Start at the top of your head and tell each body part to feel the tingling. Constantly give yourself positive encourgement like, Yes that’s it, it feels so good to just relax. Your muscles becoming so lose and limp. Can you feel your muscles becoming lose and limp? Yes that is right, you can feel it.

If you are writing your own script, keep you senteces short or brake them up. Long drawn out sentences detract from concentration or attention. Your script should look something like this:

And now you're so beautifully relaxed
nobody wanting anything
nobody expecting anything
and absolutely nothing to do whatsoever
except relax
I want you just to let your mind
and your imagination
drift...

Use your voice to add inflection where necessary. Do not sound monotone. Use as much detail as you can when describing a scene. Like this:

I want you to imagine
that you're standing on the terrace
of a lovely old house
a house like a stately home
or country mansion
you can feel the sun on your head
and shoulders
not too hot
just comfortable
and there's a gentle breeze
playing against your skin

You want to paint a picture so that your mind can actually see it.

Another thing to work on is visualization. Close your eyes and actually see what is being described. Once you can visualize and relax, you are in for some fantastic experiences.

If you are still having problems going into trance, you can try a program like Brainwave Generator. It can be found here: http://www.bwgen.com/download.htm this program helps take the brain from the beta state (wide awake and alert) to the alpha stage (Relaxed but alert) This is where hypnotic trance is found. It comes with a few preset backgrounds on it. I am told Complex 2 is the one you want it on. I tried it but it gave me a headache after a few minutes. I know people who swear by it. So to each their own.

GregD