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These thoughts are self-help and self-hypnosis suggestions for general situations, or for fun, and are not intended to resolve long-term or complex personal problems. If you are able to experience a change based on the suggestions, you are able to manipulate your internal experience with little assistance. If you try the process and find it hard to do, there is nothing wrong with your or the process. It could simply mean that you need someone else to help guide you. If you have any questions or want more information about hypnosis, email Karen Schwarz at trance@twcny.rr.com.
These "thoughts" are sent to people on a Trance-Formative Services email list. If you prefer to get these free tips directly, please click on this email address - trance@twcny.rr.com - and type "sign me up" in the subject line. Your name will be added to the list. They are sent out around the 10th of each month.
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December 2006 (eating right during the holidays)
(this was the only 2006 entry, so it is included in the 2007 listing)
The holiday season is a time of tradition and temptations, and overeating is a common concern. If it is important for you to enjoy the holiday without overindulging, try the following:
Before you visit - or before you begin preparations if you will have guests - carve out a block of time when you can be alone. Set a timer for five or ten minutes, get seated in a comfortable position, and begin breathing deeply, focusing on exhaling slowly. When you feel yourself relax, imagine yourself enjoying the conversations or activities you might experience at these gatherings, and notice that food, although part of - and maybe an important part of - the situation, is secondary to the social connections and activities of the day for you. (Keep in mind that leaving the group for a short period of time is an activity as well, used by some folks to stay centered during the holidays). While visualizing, experience the good feelings you get from focusing on making connections and/or enjoying the activities, and limiting your food choices to those which you know will l eave you feeling good after the event is over. When the timer goes off, get up, look at a clock to center yourself, and return to your days activities.
If you can do this several times before your gathering, that is best. Do the best you can - it is good enough!
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January 2007 (adjusting body temperature)
This winter has provided us with unusually warm temperatures, but January is usually one of the coldest months of the year. For fun, see if you can adjust your internal thermometer:
Set a timer for five or ten minutes, get seated in a comfortable position, and begin breathing deeply, focusing on exhaling slowly.
(Part 1) When you feel yourself relax, create an image in your mind of immersing yourself into a bathtub full of crushed ice and just enough water to make it slushy. Imagine the ice water rising, and hear the sound the ice makes against the side of the tub, as you submerge yourself. Experience all the feeling associated with sitting in the slushy ice.
(Part 2) Now imagine you step out of the tub, quickly and thoroughly dry yourself off, and wrap yourself in a pre-heated electric blanket that is a color, shape, and texture that is comforting to you. Wrap it as tightly as you need to, and notice that it’s heated to just the right temperature, and is large enough, to warm your body to the perfect level. You might notice that you warm up right away, or that you chill for a moment before getting comfortable.
Once you feel comfortably warm, allow yourself to memorize that feeling, open your eyes and come back into the room. If needed, feel free to look at a clock to re-establish yourself to the here and now.
Stay warm!
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February 2007 (improving self-esteem) Yup, it’s the “love” month. Valentines Day and all that. Some of us feel more loved than others. If you struggle to feel loved and worthy at times, here’s something you can try. It’s best to read the instructions thoroughly before beginning the exercise.
Set a timer for five or ten minutes, get seated in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and begin breathing deeply, focusing on exhaling slowly.
When you feel relaxed, call to mind a time when you felt loved or important. It might have been a tiny moment in time in a specific situation, it might have been with a particular person, it might have been connecting with the God of your understanding, it might have been with a mentor when you were growing up, or in any other situation. If you can’t recall a time when you felt loved, imagine what it might feel like if you felt truly loved, or imagine being in the skin of a person you know who feels loved.
When you have established a feeling of being loved (or, if you don’t experience it fully, any positive feeling will do), immerse yourself in it, memorize it, open your eyes and re-orient yourself to the moment by looking at the time on a clock.
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March 2007 (increasing exercise motivation)
How many of us, despite good intentions, try to exercise but “something else” seems to get in the way? Maybe the bed feels too warm and comfortable, or there’s something TV you just “have to” watch, or it’s too cold out –or warm out - or whatever…
Here’s a tip to help motivate you to get moving that just takes a few minutes. The night before you exercise, put together whatever you will need to engage in the exercise of your choice. Before you go to bed if you exercise first thing in the morning, or before you get out of bed if you exercise later in the day, sit quietly for a moment (you can set a timer for three to five minutes if you’d like) and close your eyes. Now imagine engaging in that activity. Visualize what you are wearing and your surroundings, notice what time you start and decide how you finish (for example, will it be a specific amount of time, or do you have a routine that you need to complete), note if you are alone or with someone else, and feel yourself move as you engage in that activity. Experience a sense of competence or pleasure, personal power, pride, and/or accomplishment – or any other positive emotion - as you follow through on your goal.
If, as you sit quietly, “interference” comes up and it is legitimate (for example, you forgot your boss asked you to work late and you were planning to exercise after work), problem-solve ways to both address the interference and engage in the exercise, and imagine yourself successfully using the solution. If the interference is inside you (you start thinking how cozy the bed will be), you can say to yourself “that is a valid thought, but I am going to focus on accomplishing my goal for now.” Then imagine the interfering thought floating out of your head, and return to the positive exercise thoughts.
When you are done, open your eyes, and look at a clock to re-orient yourself to the moment. If you are in bed, feel free to lie down and go to sleep!
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April 2007 (managing non-critical pain)
Candace Pert, Ph.D., a neuroscientist who discovered the opiate receptor in 1972 and who authored Molecules of Emotion, presents powerful evidence, backed by scientific research, of the mind-body connection and suggests we use our minds to help heal our bodies without medication’s side effects.
If you are non-critically injured or ill, or you have a serious illness or injury that your doctor has treated with limited success and the only alternative is pain medication, try this (if you have any concerns about the seriousness of your injury or illness, and/or have not yet visited your physician, please do so before using this technique):
Set an alarm clock for between five and twenty minutes, depending on the amount of time you have. Get situated in a comfortable position (any position in which you can comfortably stay without going to sleep) and begin breathing slowly and deeply (exhale slower than you inhale) until you feel yourself relax. Then you can place your hand over the injured/ill body-part - or simply visualize that body-part - and imagine it infused with healing energy. The healing energy could be a warm sensation, increased blood flow to the area, a white light, a sense of love and gratitude, or anything other healing energy you know to be soothing. Breathe deeply into that area and fill it with the healing sensation of your choice. If your illness or injury is systemic (that is, throughout your body and not localized), you can imagine yourself surrounded with the healing energy. That can take the form of a loved one’s arms – or the God of your understanding – gently surrounding and nurturing you, a bright white light enveloping your body, a sense of comfort enveloping you, or, again, anything else you think would help you heal. As before breathe deeply and slowly and feel yourself surrounded by, or filled with, the healing sensation.
When the alarm goes off, or when you are done, you can stand up and stretch - or move as you are able - or simply look at a clock to re-orient yourself, and get on with your day.
Note: It has been reported that people who practice this, or similar, techniques, experience quicker healing than those who use medical treatment alone or do nothing.
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May 2007 (getting to sleep)
If you have trouble sleeping, this is a technique that will work most of the time, and with no side effects. You can also, always, choose to stay awake if you feel so moved.
Aside from the basics - including giving yourself a half-hour before bedtime to unwind (i.e., avoid all mentally and physically taxing activities), and writing down anything you want to remember for the next day - you can try the following to help you get to sleep at night or get back to sleep if you wake in the middle of the night.
When you’re ready to go to sleep, lay down in a comfortable position and begin by taking a deep breath in. Inhale as fully as you comfortably can (this part might feel like work when you want to go to sleep, but if you make the effort, I think you will have great results), so that you breathe deeply into your belly, and then exhale as slowly as you can with your mouth closed. Try to constrict your throat slightly as you exhale, so you feel some pressure at the back of your throat. You will notice that you sound somewhat like Darth Vader. (If you live with someone, this should make you very attractive. Okay, I’m kidding…) With each inhale, count from one to four, so that by the time you reach four, you are at the peak of your inhale. As you exhale – slowly - count from four to one in the same manner.
It is natural for thoughts to intrude in this process. As you concentrate on your breathing and counting, each time a thought enters your brain, acknowledge that although the thought might be important, you can deal with it tomorrow. Then gently taking that thought and escort it out of your mind. As you do so, move your eyes, to the right or left – whichever feels more natural to you – as you follow/place that thought outside of your head. Then return to the counting/breathing until you fall asleep.
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June 2007 (goal setting)
“It is important to write down your goals, since that action imprints them on your brain. Before writing your goals, identify what price you are willing to pay to achieve them. These may be material, emotional, or spiritual. At some point, expose your barriers and excuses; write them on a separate piece of paper. This list is not meant to be dwelled on; it is meant merely as acknowledgement – celebrate as you conquer each barrier or excuse.” Brian Walsh, PhD. in Unleashing Your Brilliance (Walsh Seminars, LTD., 2005)
Here are five important elements in creating effective goals:
1. It must be stated in the positive. This can be difficult if you “don’t” want a particular behavior. When that is the case, decide what behavior(s) you would want. For example, if you don’t want to bite your nails, decide what behaviors you will do instead (perhaps breathe deeply, doodle, drum your fingers on the table, chew gum, or anything else you think would help you reach your goal. You can always choose other behaviors if those are insufficient.)
2. It must be unequivocal. State what you WILL do in certain terms. Phrases to avoid:
· I will “try” to…(trying and doing are different. Better to state what you will do.)
· I want to be able to… (You are able to do most of what you want. Again, decide what you will do.)
· Doing a certain behavior “more”. (What does that mean? How often and in what circumstances? Be specific.)
(Due to limited space, the most frequently used phrases to avoid were noted.)
3. It must be self-initiated and self-maintained. In other words, if your goal is dependent on someone or something else, redefine it so you are in charge of your actions. For example, instead of, “I will leave the party tonight when my friend is ready to go,” you can decide “I will leave the party tonight when I feel tired.”
4. It must be a specific behavior that occurs within a specific context. Using the above example, the behavior is “leaving when I feel tired”, and the context is “the party tonight.” Be wary of generalizing to “all parties”, for example. Your decision to leave tonight might need to be different than a different night.
5. It must be future, rather than past, oriented. Instead of saying “I wish I didn’t eat so much last night”, state, “At the party tonight I will enjoy eating ‘X’”, and be specific about your limits.
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July 2007 (increasing the benefit of daily activities)
“Psychology researchers at Harvard University reported that hotel housekeepers who were tutored on the health effects of their work experienced improved health without altering their diet, exercise or other lifestyle habits. Within a month of learning about the physical health benefits of their jobs, the hotel housekeepers lost 2 pounds, lowered their blood pressure by almost 10 percent and had reductions in body mass index, body-fat, and waist-to-hip ratio compared to housekeepers who were not told about the health benefits of their work.” From: www.harmoniahealth.com
Some people call this a placebo effect. Whatever you call it, if it works, use it! The comments above suggests that your beliefs about what you do can effect your outcomes. Here’s a suggestion that might increase your benefit in simple activities in which you might engage regularly. Start this session by identifying a mundane, non-problematic, activity you participate in fairly frequently. Then decide what the benefit of that activity might be. For example, if it’s taking the stairs at work, the benefit might be strengthening your legs and heart. If it’s eating a meal, the benefit might be nourishing your body. If it’s driving your car, the benefit might be improving your hand-eye coordination and concentration. Identify the activity and the benefit that is specific to you. It can be similar to one of the examples above, or something completely different if you’d like. If you can’t imagine what the benefit of your activity could be, do some research or ask others.
Set a timer for five minutes, get seated in a comfortable position, and begin breathing deeply, focusing on exhaling slowly. When you feel yourself relax, experience yourself engaged in that activity as if you are doing it right now, and allow yourself to fully experience the benefit you’ve decided. For example, if you chose taking the stairs, imagine your heart and legs getting stronger with every step.
When the alarm goes off, or when you are done, you can stand up and stretch or simply look at a clock to re-orient yourself, and get on with your day.
By the way, if you wanted to avoid the five-minute exercise at home, I suspect this would be as effective if you simply “remembered” the benefit while you are engaged in the activity. Give it a shot!
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August 2007 (dealing with food triggers)
From RealAge Tips:
“That super size bag of chips and gallon of caramel-swirl ice cream didn't just jump into your grocery cart. So what happened? In a study, researchers recently tested healthy men's ability to taste salty, sweet, and bitter solutions. Turns out that when the men had skipped a meal, their taste buds were more tuned-in to sweet and salty flavors, but not so much the bitter ones -- think broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and lots of other veggies. Researchers suspect that our bodies may have been hardwired since ancient times to associate ‘sweet’ and ‘salty’ with ‘safe to eat,’ so these flavors may be more likely to trigger eating, especially when the body needs energy.”
Well, our needs from ancient times have changed, but our bodies have yet to catch up. So, here’s a thought. Did you know we have an ability to suppress memory? Imagine trying to find your car in a large parking lot and remembering all the past spots you parked – you’d probably only find your car by luck! The way to find your car when you return to the lot is to consciously block the memory of past spots, especially if it’s a lot in which you frequently park, and to train your memory to remember the spot in which you most recently parked.
When you are in a situation in which your task is to do something other than eat those “trigger” foods, you can use this skill. Each time you are faced with a memory, vision, or smell of a food that triggers a craving (such as, in the example above, when you are grocery shopping and see your favorite treat), remember that you weren’t there to get/eat/buy that food. Then remind yourself what you were originally going to do/get/buy, refocusing your thoughts in that direction. It’s okay if your thoughts slip back to the trigger foods – if you’re used to doing that, it’s a natural reaction – just gently remind yourself of your goal and refocus on that as often as you need. Know that this will take practice, especially if you are used to giving in to the triggers, but with concerted effort, I suspect you will have success, even if it’s one “test” at a time.
To make this a self-hypnosis experience, sit quietly and focus on your breathing until you feel an increased sense of relaxation. Then imagine yourself in a future potential trigger situation and practice immediately refocusing on the event/situation in which you were originally engaged. When you‘ve done that successfully several times, bring yourself back into the room, open your eyes and reorient yourself to the moment by stretching or looking at a clock. Do this as often as you need.
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September 2007 (gratitude)
Okay, I tricked you. I’m not talking about money, but about emotional wealth, or gratitude. Read on.
According to Karen Casanova in Letting Go of Debt (Hazelden), “Money buys external comfort - plush couches and chairs, luxury cars, beautiful environments. And, if we're going to be miserable anyway, why not do it in comfort?” Hmmm. Why not? She goes on: “We remember that regardless of our surroundings, misery is misery. Unless we have the right attitude, we'll find something wrong with whatever we have or don't have. When we work on improving our inner world on alleviating the real cause of our misery - we know true comfort. We know serenity.”
Do you want to increase your emotional wealth? Try this: Set your timer for five or ten minutes and sit quietly, focusing on your breathing until you feel an increased sense of relaxation. When you feel relaxed, begin to identify something in your life that you find slightly unpleasant, and when you do, take a moment to identify what it’s benefit is. For example, if you think your kitchen counter is old, worn out, and ugly, perhaps you can appreciate that it’s big enough for you to cut your vegetables, or that it’s ugly enough so you don’t have to worry about being careful with knives when you’re in a rush.
If you can do this, try moving to things you find more difficult. One caution, however. It’s okay to do this with things that are unpleasant, but avoid using this technique with things that are dangerous, such as an abusive relationship, or bingeing/purging, for example. Examples might be a job you don’t like (maybe it’s good to have a steady income), or a friendship that’s annoying (maybe s/he is good to hang out with when you’re really bored).
When the alarm goes off, or when you are done, you can stand up and stretch, or simply look at a clock to re-orient yourself, and get on with your day.
This activity can feel difficult at first, if you’re used to focusing on the negative, but will likely get easier as you practice. As it becomes easier, I encourage you to challenge yourself by using situations that are more difficult. Over time, if you practice this regularly, you will find it easier to do, both in a self-hypnotic state, and in your daily life. You will still feel pain, discomfort, and/or dissatisfaction in some circumstances– that’s normal – but now know there can be another side to it as well.
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October 2007 (self confidence)
Is there someone you admire who has confidence in a specific area that you wish you had? Maybe they assert themselves with authority, stand up for their beliefs, laugh at their mistakes, or some other behavior.
Here’s a way you can increase your confidence level in that area. Begin by setting a timer for five or ten minutes, get seated in a comfortable position, and begin breathing deeply, focusing on exhaling slowly. When you feel yourself relax, imagine the other person engaged in that specific behavior. When you have a clear image or sense of that person and situation, place yourself into the body of that person. Experience the thoughts and feelings you have now that you are in that person’s body. Notice how you hold your posture, and the tone of you voice, now that you are in the “confident” body. Maybe you’ll notice that you see the world/others/your environment differently. Then experience the reactions of others (if it is an interpersonal situation) to the “new”, confident you. How do they look at you, respond to you? What is their voice tone?
When you experience that confidence, memorize the thoughts and feelings, open your eyes and re-orient yourself to the present by stretching, looking at a clock, and get about your day.
If you like, you can engage this thought process in your “waking” state, any time you want or need, to reinforce the experience.
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November 2007 (Using your Intuition)
This month I’m presenting something a little different. It is the power of patience and unconscious thought in successful decision-making.
Psychologist Ap Dijksterhuis and his colleagues at the University of Amsterdam “confirmed the surprising powers of unconscious thought” in recent experiments, in which people were shown complex information about potential apartments, roommates, or art posters. The subjects, after being shown the information (say, a dozen pieces of information about four apartments) were separated into three groups: Group 1 stated their preference immediately after reading the information; group 2 stated their preference after several minutes studying the information; and group 3 stated their preference after being distracted for a period of time. They found that “wisest of all, in study after study, was (the) third group, whose attention was distracted for a time – enabling the subjects’ minds to process the complex information unconsciously and to achieve more organized and crystallized judgments, with more satisfying results.” Their conclusion was that if we are “faced with complex decisions involving many factors, the best advice may indeed be to take our time – to ‘sleep on it’ – and await the intuitive result of our unconscious processing.” (Scientific American Mind, June/July 2007)
That said, this month I encourage you to allow your unconscious mind to do its best work by taking a break.
For situations that are truly immediate - life, limb, or death - go ahead and make those split second decisions. For other important - and less important - decisions, it might be best to meditate with the purpose of clearing your mind, distract yourself for a while, or “sleep on it” before making a decision. Be aware that, often, even urgent decisions can wait a minute or two for you to step away and slow your mind with deep breathing. Try it and see what happens.
***************************** December 2007 ("the plate")
This is as fun one, with a bit of usefulness at the end, and you can do it as you read this, rather than “going to a quiet place inside”.
Start by imagining yourself seated at a table, and on that table is a clean, white, plate. Next to the plate, on the right, is a serrated-edge knife and, on the left of the plate is a lemon. Notice that the lemon looks fresh and is blemish-free.
Pick up the lemon and notice that it feels heavy for it’s size, then bring it to your nose and smell the delicate, fresh, lemony smell.
Now put it on the plate in front of you and pick up the knife. Cut the lemon into six wedges. As you cut it, you see the skin is thin, and the juice dribbles out onto the plate as you cut it. You realize it felt heavy because it is very juicy. Notice the lemon smell is stronger now that you’ve cut it.
When you have cut the six pieces, take one wedge and place it in your mouth, sucking out the juice completely, tasting the tart-sweet flavor.
Salivating? I am! I’ll be back after I get a napkin.
Okay, that was a test. If you salivated, you were able to make your mind fully imagine the experience. Remember, there really IS no lemon. You did that with your mind.
Now, to make this useful, especially since it is holiday time and feasts abound: If you are a person who tends to want a particular food after seeing or smelling it (generally a sweet or caloric food that’s not what you had planned to eat), be aware you have probably imagined that food’s taste/texture - just as you did in this exercise - and MADE it something you want. If you’d like, you can ask yourself if you planned to eat that food before you eyeballed/smelled it. If so, feel free to have some. If not, know your mind tricked you, identify what you planned to have, and have that instead.
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