5 Powerful Self-Hypnosis Techniques You Can Try

Discover 5 self-hypnosis techniques that will help you resolve any problem, overcome insomnia, get rid of chronic or temporary fatigue and prevent stress.

Relax thanks to the monks of Mount Athos

This exercise is inspired by techniques used by the monks of Mount Athos in Greece.

1- Get comfortable in a calm location, seated on the floor with your legs crossed or, if that is too difficult (lack of practice, joint problems, rheumatism, etc.) on a chair. Or you could lie down if you like. The important thing is to keep your back straight and your shoulders relaxed.

2- Concentrate on the natural rhythm of your breathing, without trying to force it. Let it gradually become deeper and deeper.

3- If thoughts arise in your mind, let them go. Do not hold them back or try to run after them. When your attention starts to focus on a thought, return immediately to your breathing and the thought will pass on its own.

Duration: ten to twenty minutes a day minimum.

Best practiced in the morning after you wake up, to relax, stay in shape, and get the day off to a good start.

Resolve any problem with the self-hypnosis disc

One of the simplest ways to induce a state of self-hypnosis is by using the above hypnotic disc.

Hang it on a wall or on the ceiling instead of holding it in your outstretched hand, which will become tired and disturb your concentration.

Start by thinking about a problem you want to resolve, formulating it in the following manner and then saying it out loud: “I urgently need to resolve the problem of… (describe it in one sentence).”

1- Get comfortable on a chair, preferably one with a straight back that can support your head, feet flat on the ground. Or you could lie down on your bed, arms beside your body, legs together.

2- Practice some abdominal breathing, which consists of inflating your abdomen as you inhale, and deflating it as you exhale. Do not force your breathing.

3- Concentrate completely on the hypnotic disc.

4- Repeat the following as a repetitive loop (over and over): “The longer I look at the disc, the more relaxed I feel… My eyelids are getting heavier and heavier… My eyes are closing…”

5- When your eyes are firmly shut, repeat a positive formulation about the problem you have. For example: “To resolve the problem of (describe it), I am going to… (express your solution by imagining how you will be once the problem is solved).

Duration: Ten to twenty minutes a day minimum, preferably in the morning. Continue until you find a solution to your problem. With a little practice, you can extend the time to thirty minutes a day.

Overcome sleep problems and insomnia

This method is inspired by the alternate breathing technique practiced by many yogis.

1-Standing, seated or lying down, inhale fully and then block your left nostril with the thumb of your left hand.

2- Exhale fully through your right nostril, count to 5 and then inhale fully, still using your right nostril.

3- When you finish inhaling, block your right nostril with the thumb of your right hand. Count to 5.

4- Remove your left hand from your left nostril and exhale slowly and deeply. When the exhalation is complete, count to 5.

5- Inhale again, slowly and deeply, and then once again block your left nostril with the thumb of your left hand.

6- Count to 5, remove your right thumb from your right nostril and repeat the entire process.

Duration: Ten alternate respirations per day in a single sitting is a good daily rhythm. Practice the method for at least fifteen days, before you go to sleep.

After that, chances are good your sleep problem or insomnia will have disappeared. If it persists, keep practicing the technique until it is gone completely.

To get the most possible benefit from this exercise, your nostrils must be clear. If they are partially blocked, inhale some thyme, or clean your nose with a seawater-based solution you can buy in most pharmacies.

Get rid of chronic or temporary fatigue

1- Lie down on your bed or on a blanket on the ground.

2- Gradually relax your muscles, starting with your head and neck and moving down to your feet, by practicing some abdominal breathing (inflate your stomach when you breathe in and flatten it when you breathe out).

3- Close your eyes and repeat your resolution of the day, out loud or to yourself, using a formulation like: “Today I will not feel tired” (or “Today I will not have bouts of fatigue…”).

4- Imagine your body slowly rising till it is about 50 centimeters (2 feet) in the air.

5- Don’t move and watch yourself floating.

6- Imagine your fatigue leaving you in the form of blackbirds taking flight from the different parts of your body: feet, calves, thighs, buttocks, abdomen, solar plexus, chest, back, hands, arms, shoulders, jaws, forehead, and the back of your skull.

7-When the operation is complete, remain suspended in the air for a few minutes, in a state of deep relaxation.

8-Then gently let your body descend and mentally reinhabit your physical envelope.

9-Do five cycles of deep abdominal breathing, and then open your eyes.

Duration: Whenever needed, i.e. for 10 to 30 minutes after a bout of exhaustion, or beforehand to prevent it from happening.

Prevent or get rid of stress

1-Sitting or lying down, close your eyes.

2-Say the following out loud or to yourself: “I am going to protect myself against stress… ” or “I am going to get rid of my stress.”

3-Do ten consecutive cycles of abdominal breathing (one cycle = one inhalation + one exhalation).

4-Starting with the eleventh cycle, project your breath, both mentally and physically, to the different parts of your body as follows: feet, calves, thighs, buttocks, abdomen, solar plexus, lower arms, upper arms, shoulders, jaw, forehead, hair, the back of  your skull, your upper and lower back.

5-When the process is finished, remain in a state of complete relaxation while observing the rhythm of your breathing and visualizing yourself free of stress.

Duration: ten minutes a day or whenever necessary.