Scripts

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Permalink Reply by Chris Witherspoon on July 3, 2009 at 11:49am

Goddess of Foresight Metaphor



There was a goddess of foresight.
She decided to came to earth to give humans the precious gift of foresight
So, she thought, nobody else would have to step and stumble in traps again, - because she was a precious compagnion,
always there to remind people to take care about their health and security
As it goes, some people recognized her loving presence and changed the flow of life - became happy and healthy -
But some misunderstood her advice and froze - stopped the flow of life -
and the goddess was called FEAR by them -
but, as the goddess was determined to help, she stayed with them - waiting to be released by a THANK YOU and by a change of the river of live.
So - if You want to go on, turn Your eyes to this lovely goddess, appreciate her love and compassion, say a very hones THANK YOU from the bottom of Your heart and let the river of life flow again.

Contributed by Erich Reitinger in the Cancer Phobia Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Witherspoon on July 3, 2009 at 11:58am

DEEP BREATHING CALMING TECHNIQUE

I tell my clients that their thoughts can cause an anxiety/fear/phobic reaction but once the “stress button” (or “Panic Button”) has been pushed, it becomes a physiological response. Once the physiological response begins, it has to run its course until it’s completed.

I tell them that the trick is to interrupt the anxious thought before it pushes the “stress button” that starts the physiological response. (I then say that you can interrupt any thought by thinking “Stop”, then follow with breathing, then follow, by changing the anxious thought to a calm thought (very NLP). Then I put all of this also in hypnosis.)

Then I explain the stress response. I tell them (and draw) that there is a part of our nervous system (called the autonomic nervous system) that regulates all automatic functions like heart rate, respiration, body temperature, fight-or-flight, the release of adrenaline (natural body chemical that acts like “speed”.)

I draw two rectangles side by side. I say the one on the left is the excitable, responsive sympathetic nervous system. It’s the nervous system that responds to events by getting amped up. I ask them to think of a time they almost got into a car accident. How did their body feel? They tell me. I say great. So that’s the body’s response to danger.

However, if the body stayed in “sympathetic response”, it would burn out. There is an alternate nervous system that our bodies switch on after the crisis. It’s called the “parasympathetic nervous system”. When it is switched on it releases brain/body chemicals that cause the body to “slow down”, become calm. That brain/body chemical is norepinephrine's. Its release slows heartbeat, respiration, etc.

I tell them further, you trigger the parasympathetic, “calmer downer” NS in order to go into hypnosis and also to fall asleep.

Then, I explain that we go back and forth between those two systems, responding to events in life and then calming back down.
Contributed by Susan French in an other discussion
I further explain that we have a natural trigger that switches us over to the “calmer downer” side. That trigger is deep breathing. Deep breathing is taught for birthing, sports, preoperatively, meditation and stress-relief.

I teach them how to do diaphragmatic breathing. I show them how shallow, rapid breathing caused by stress and the stress response (fight-or-flight) actually reinforces the stress. I show them how to breathe into the “abdomen” and I ask them to notice what happens when they breathe deeply into their “abdomen”, “belly breathing”, breathing from the diaphragm. It’s harder to explain than to demonstrate. Many realize that they know how to do it from sports, working out, birthing, meditation, etc.

Then: after initial eyelid relaxing, elman banyan stuff, I have them do the following self-hypnosis:

It’s similar to the counting backwards from 100 but I have them do it silently. I tell them to begin counting backwards from 30 (an arbitrary number but it works for me). I tell them that the most important part of the breathing cycle is the out breath and that the more they focus on the out breath, the better the breathing will become.

I have them count backwards from 30, on the out breath only, letting the relaxation double with each out breath backwards. I tell them that if their mind relaxes so much that they forget to count, that’s fine. Just easily return to whatever number they thought they were at and continue counting backwards until they reach zero. I have them signal me when they’ve reached zero. If they don’t signal for longer than I think it should take them, I remind them to do so when they reach zero. I suggest that they will go deeper in the silences between my words. I also “talk over” their silent counting if they seem highly alert or nervous with things like “becoming more and more relaxed”, “each breath takes you deeper”, “you go even deeper in the silences between my words” “every sound you hear will take you deeper”…that kind of stuff. I leave some silences and then I add some suggestions. It really overloads them

Permalink Reply by Chris Witherspoon on July 3, 2009 at 12:05pm

FEAR OF HEIGHTS

Fear of height is now gone, and you let it go as part of the past!.... it has been replaced with good feelings.......
you expecting to feel good..... expecting to accomplish whatever you put your mind on......

Fear comes from the past & the future. From what you have done & what will happen. You now focus on your task at hand when in high places. Focusing on the present is where fear dose not reside..... allowing you to let go... to be relaxed.... in the moment..... you know that you will succeed.... doing this gives you great satisfaction & confidence....

fear of heights is gone like a negative memory of the past that is no longer important to you & now you can move on as you focus on the present.

Contributed by A Rasanga in the Fear of Heights discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Witherspoon on July 3, 2009 at 12:10pm

POETIC INDUCTION

Copyright reserved by author)

"As looking inwardly upon yourself, you may gaze..
Finding yourself in quite a maze..
Amazing things here you may see..
That self.. experiencing things.. filled with curiosity, wonder and mystery..

Wondrous shores of the purest alabaster sands..
Virgin dunes.. with perfect snow white symmetry..
So soft, warm and comfy beneath tingling feet..
Looking back through your mind's eye.. now.. you may plainly see..

Contributed by JG in another discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Witherspoon on July 3, 2009 at 12:13pm

Extended Fractionation Ending in Eye-Challenge

In a moment we're going to practice deep-hypnotic-sleep. Deep-hypnotic-sleep is not like the sleep you get at night, it's really just a state of deep peace, calm and relaxation.

In a moment I'm going to count to three, and then I'm going to ask you to open your eyes. Then I'm going to very quickly snap my fingers and say the word "sleep!." When I do, I want you to immediately close your eyes again.

We're going to do this a number of times and what you'll find is that each time you have have to open your eyes it's going to much harder... your eyes are going to get heavier, more tired, more relaxed, and feel great. Sort of like when you're about to go to sleep...

Each time you have to open your eyes it's harder to open them. Each time you close them, it's a bigger and bigger relief, and you go much deeper into peace, calmness and relaxation. (repeat).

Okay, we're going to do this now. 1, 2, 3, open your eyes... (snap) sleep!

[a quick deepener here: a quck cound from five down to one or whatever - no more than a few seconds]

Okay, we're going to do this again, and this time it's going to be much much more difficult to open your eyes, they're much heavier, much more calm, much more relaxed, much more tired.

[ you can add here something like: imagine this happening, want it to happen, feel it happen and it will. You could choose not to use your imagination, but that's now why you're here]

Eyes much heavier now... 1,2,3, open your eyes... (snap) sleep!

[ quick deepener: every nerve, every muscle, every fiber of your body just letting... go.]

We're going to do this again, and this time your eyes are going to be soooo heavy, that you can just open them a little bit - just open them a crack. And when you close them, you're going to go waaay down deeper into peace calm and relaxation.

Eyes so heavy now you can just open them a little, little bit... 1,2,3, open your eyes... (snap) sleep!

[ quick deepener: ten times deeper! Waaay down deep...]

We're going to do this one more time, and this time when I count to three I'm going to ask you to try to ope your eyes, but you'll find that they're just too heavy, too tired, too relaxed to open. You can't open them. They're locked closed. They feel great, but the more you try to open them the more they're going to lock closed.

1,2,3, Try to open your eyes - you can't! The more you try the more they're locked down! Try harder! The more you try the more they're locked down.

Stop trying, (snap) sleep!

[ deepener: going sooo deeep now, maybe deeper into peace clam and rlaxation than you've ever been before... maybe deeper than you've ever been...]

Contributed by bruce in and other discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Witherspoon on July 3, 2009 at 12:19pm

BETTER NIGHTS SLEEP CALMING TECHNIQUES

From QUANTUM FOCUS © - All rights reserved- Ellner/Jamison, PhD


A Sigh A Day

We like to think of this exercise as Groaning For Health, or, for the pun enthusiast, A Sigh A Day Keeps The Doctor Away. This simple exercise is unbeatable for unloading negative emotions. And within 30 nights of practice you will discover for yourself that a sigh a day truly keeps the doctor away, and is a gateway to a healing restful sleep.

Clearing The Way

This exercise is designed to utilize the natural healing powers of groaning and moaning. While we reject the notion that emotions cause particular diseases, we fully recognize that, in many cases, your emotions are a significant co-factor in the development of any stress-related disease you might be suffering from (see chapters 6, 8 and 29). Very few things can wear a person down more efficiently than their own negative emotions. What if you could detoxify those emotions before they harden and compromise your inner physician?

The good news is that, not only can you dump your toxic emotions — and toxic feelings about those emotions — in a very calming, relaxing and fun way in just five or six minutes before going to bed, but you can also initiate the deeper and more profound emotional healing which seems to occur with regular use of this exercise.

The Cleansing Sleep Exercise

Prepare for a restful, healing night’s (or day’s — if you’re on the night shift) sleep. Get as physically comfortable as you are able, close your eyes and just be with all the emotions and feelings that you had during the day. You could think about the different events that occurred, or you could just feel the sum total of the day’s emotional load. We recommend you try both ways, see which way works better for you and stick with it for the rest of the month.

Now take a deep breath and start groaning out loud. Just let those big deep groans flow from your diaphragm . . . and continue to groan until you feel a shift and notice that you are beginning to feel at ease.

Very good, now just start to moan (which is a far gentler type of groaning) and moan away any long- held emotional wounds which added to the day’s stress. In other words, just moan away the hurts and resentments that toxify you simply by intending to do so, without any need to identify or deal with the underlying experiences. Just moan away the lingering emotional toxins until you feel another shift from being at ease to feeling completely relaxed, at which time gently shift your attention to what you need to do tomorrow.

Think about everything planned, allow some room for the unplanned, and tell yourself that, as you sleep on it, you will clean out the old and prepare yourself for anything and everything that comes up. Now give yourself a long sigh of relief knowing that tomorrow will creatively take care of itself. So go to sleep . . . that’s right . . . it will all take care of itself while you enjoy . . . a good . . . restful . . . cleansing . . . sleep.

Permalink Reply by Chris Witherspoon on July 3, 2009 at 12:23pm

Disentangling the Cord

1. Induce Trance
2. Progressive Relaxation and Deepening
3. Have the client invite their Higher Self into the room.
4. Have the client then invite the bereaved person into the room.
5. Have the client then invite the Higher Self of the bereaved into the room.
6. (Gestalt) Invite the client to speak to the bereaved/be-grieved. Prompt them to tell that person the things they would like to see to them, and receive a response. If what they are saying to the Gestalted Bereaved has a lot of emotional charge, ask them to say it again, for example: "I miss you!" or "I'm so sorry!"
7. After this feels complete, and the client and the bereaved have said all they wanted to say, have the client scan their body. Have them notice if there is any 'cords' or 'threads' from them to the Gestalted person. If there are, they are to imagine reaching out and removing those 'cords' and 'threads' that originate from them and are 'plugged into' the bereaved. After they unplug them, prompt them to plug them into their own Higher Self. In this way, all cords leading from the client will be plugged into the CLIENT'S Higher Self.
8. Prompt the client to have his/her Higher Self speak to the Higher Self of the bereaved. Then, have the client 'watch' the bereaved plug in the disentangled cords into THEIR Higher Self.
9. Then have the client say aloud, "We are now connected only through love." and have them thank the bereaved and their Higher Self for coming. Then have them say, "Good-bye for now."
10. I then create a mental movie for empowerment through the Higher Self in whatever way comes up. I usually prompt them to envision the silver cord going from the Client's Higher Self to the Client an energy conduit. Then have the Higher Self send love, support, healing, nurturing, forgiveness... have the Higher Self meet the resource needs of the client where appropriate.
11. Prompt them to thank their own Higher Self for coming: "Now thank your Higher Self for coming in to support the good work you did today. Let them know they can stay or go as they choose."
12. Letting go of the feelings: prompt them to imagine the silver cord leading from their solar plexus or navel up to the heavens. There is a silver 'balloon' there, and they can send any thoughts, ideas, or emotions that they want to release up to that balloon. When that feels complete, have them release the balloon and watch it float away into infinity. In their imagination, have them tie their silver cord in a knot close to their body.
13. Suggestions: support what emerges. Forgiveness comes up a lot. "I now (or "More and more now") forgive myself and others from all mistakes from the past, real or imagined."
14. De-hypnotize and do Post-Interview.

Contributed by Shelia Reed in an other discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Witherspoon on July 3, 2009 at 12:32pm

GOOD ADVICE VOICE INSTALLATION


Did you ever have an experience where you made a really good decision and that decision gave you a really good experience? When you think about a time when you made a really good decision that gave you a really good experience.....you may have noticed that you could hear this voice inside your mine and this voice gave you really good advice. If you could just stop..... and listen to this voice you have really good experiences and it's so interesting because I have a voice like that a voice that gives really good advice. If you were to think back to a really good experience and as you relive that experience you may realize that you hear this voice right now don't you And as you listen to this voice this voice inside your mine you know you can trust this voice you may find your self following the advice of this voice, because , you know you can trust this voice. You will be fine, you know how good you are.

Contributed by Michael in another discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Witherspoon on July 3, 2009 at 12:41pm

SUMPTUOUS MEAL DRY BISCUIT METAPHOR FOR ELIMINATION FEARS

Some years ago, a man tried to travel as economically as possible... as he crossed the Atlantic by ship. To save money, he took along a large supply of crackers and cheese.

When the trip was almost over, a fellow passenger casually asked him why he had not eaten in the dinning room ..... and somewhat embarrassed...... the man admitted that in order to save money...... he had been preparing his own simple meals in his cabin. Imagine how discouraged he was to be told that the cost of the trip included the delicious meals!

Contributed by Erich Reitinger in another discussion

You may feel sorry for that man.... but there is something else that is more discouraging and sad...... It is to make the journey of life, eating crackers and cheese ( in loneliness, sadness, and sorrow ,) when you could have been feasting at the captains table - enjoying all the goodness that life has to offer…

You have been going through life living with fears and anxieties - ( PROBLEM ) They chose to nibble on the crackers and cheese of life instead of feasting on the fullness that is offered. Though you have been straining, striving, seeking , you are not at peace, you are not really happy.

Fear and anxiety is all that holds you in captivity. It is human to sometimes be afraid. - some fears are appropriate, while others are destructive to our well-being. Normal fear directs us to look both ways before crossing a road .....Abnormal fear prevents us from crossing the road, and to deny our fears and cross without looking both ways is destructive.

Cheese and biscuits can be good at the appropriate time and place - but to live on this and nothing else would be inappropriate. So now learn to accept the fears that are approriate and to discard the ones that are not helpful...............

NOW allow your subconscious to show you which fears you have that are unnessesary - the ones that you can discard .... Just let those fears come to mind automatically and then take a deep breath and blow that breath out.... and with it.... blow away that inappropriate fear ........................... Take as long as you want and let me know when you have finished......................................... Thats good...... and it feels good too doesn't it ? .......... Now take a few deep breaths in.... and breath in confidence and calmness and peace and courage and the fullness of life.

Permalink Reply by Chris Witherspoon on July 3, 2009 at 12:46pm

Rainbow Garden

In this exercise you will practice deep self communication. You will use relaxation and imagery to stimulate your imagination. By increasing your self awareness, you will heal, balance, and center yourself. Sit or lie comfortably. Take three deep breaths and relax.

Use the power of your mind to stimulate your imagination and increase your self awareness. You will travel through the Rainbow Garden awakening many levels of human experience and come to know yourself in completeness.

So now, begin to visualize yourself near a beautiful hillside that stretches gently upward in front of you. There will be no allergy problems. Find yourself at the foot of this gentle hill just following a spring shower and see a beautiful rainbow of many colors stretching up over a hill and coming to rest just in front of you. At the end of the rainbow that comes to just in front of you, see a beautiful pouch.

Pick up this pouch and look inside and see there are many magical seeds. Magical seeds that you can scatter on your way. And now begin to walk forward to the bottom of the hill. Reach inside your pouch and scatter some of the magical seeds. In just a moment, see these magical seeds begin to grow and bloom. See a profusion of red blooming flowers. See the bright red poppies growing near the ground. Smell the rich odor of red roses nearby. See red tulips opening to the morning sun. Experience the feeling of red all around you. And as you walk forward through the deep red flowers, appreciate your own physical nature. Remember the physical sensations which bring you comfort and pleasure. Appreciate all of your physical senses, which allow you to be part of life and to experience the fullness and joy of living. (red stimulates the five senses, builds the liver and blood and cleanses and purifies the skin.)

Continue to walk upward along the gentle slope of your hill, reaching again into your rainbow pouch and scatter more seeds. Feel the sense of expectancy for a new birth of orange blossoms, bursting into bloom around you. Cast your eyes on the field of orange surrounding you. See tufts of orange marigolds. Watch the birth of crocuses - orange buds opening to the light. See birds of paradise growing profusely and filling your awareness with the color orange. Visualize an increased growth of the color orange. Reflect for a moment on the value of contact with your fellow human beings. Appreciate the importance of interaction with others. Realize that you gain through social activities and contact with other people. Recognize the beautiful ability you have to interact with fellow human beings. Now allow yourself to move into the next region of the garden (orange: builds lungs, thyroid, and bones. Relieves cramps and muscle spasms.)

Feel your awareness glow with anticipation as you scatter your magic seeds. Experience the strong bold essence of yellow. See sunflowers growing strong and tall - yellow light reflected from their petals. Pass through the daffodils and feel their yellow cups caressing you. Walk gently forward and experience and appreciate the beauty and fragrance of the yellow roses. See their delicate petals unfolding before your eyes. Scatter your seeds with assurance that the growth of yellow will flourish. For the moment appreciate your ability to be discriminating - to flow with change and to make decisions which will make your life and those around you have more meaning. Relax and flow with the feeling of gratitude for change, knowing that change for a soul walking towards the light always denotes growth. Know that through change real growth can take place. (yellow stimulates the lymph system, intestines, pancreas, and balances out melancholy. The combination of yellow/green for a lemon color activates the thymus, stimulates the brain and helps to dissolve blood clots.)

Begin to move upward where you reach the next region of the hillside garden. Reach into your pouch again and with your magical seeds you feel a deep sense of inner peace as you scatter seeds which bring forth a lush green growth. See new grasses and new clover springing up around you. Experience the fresh scent of green pine needles. See the tiny green leaves of aspen trees fluttering beyond number and sounding like spring rain in the gentle breeze. As you scatter your seeds which promise a continuing expansion of green, feel the security of the presence of life and light deep within you. Get in touch with the health of your body. Feel strength grow deep within you. Know that you are in control of your health (green stimulates and balances the pituitary, stimulates building of muscle tissue, destroys germs and prevents decay.)

Continue to travel onward to the next region of your grassy knoll and scatter your magic seeds with a marvelous appreciation for the bluebells springing up to greet you as you walk. Feel yourself saturated with the feeling of blue blossoms. Look around at the bushes of lilacs and take another handful of seeds and scatter them, growing blue flowers. Anticipate the lush growth of blue. Take a moment and revel at your ability to take a look inside yourself. Feel yourself stopping by a pool of water where irises grow in lush abundance. Look into the water and see the hue of the irises brilliantly reflected. Take a drink from this fresh stream. (Feel and appreciate the Spirit of the Christ within.) Be grateful for your ability to know that this is the energy and nature of your true being which you allow to be expressed every day in love, peace and harmony. When you close your eyes for sleep, this is also the beautiful, peaceful place you go for renewing, restoring and revitalizing your being. Assure yourself now that every day in your awareness of this beautiful blue energy you trust intuition and knowledge to magnify more and more (blue stimulates the pineal gland, builds vitality, removes fever, and is a mild sedative.)

In continuing your upward path you reach inside your pouch spreading more seeds to find yourself in a vast expanse which surrounds your feet and legs in a lovely field of violets. Feel yourself experiencing lavender and violet and let the color permeate your being. Gaze and let your eyes fill with this color of the uppermost part of the garden. Cast the seeds which will allow an endless growth of violet. Appreciate your ability to create powerful images and to be totally in charge of your life (violet builds the spleen, tranquilizes the nervous system, decreases sensitivity to pain and allows the heart muscle to work less.)

From this region of the garden, look to the sky and see the pure light of the sun, visualize rays of sunshine showering the entire garden and feel ripples of vibration as drops of pure brilliant light shower the garden with God's energy. Move upward to the very top of the hill and scatter the remaining seeds around you. Now see and feel a beautiful profusion of white roses growing close to you. Look around and see the lush growth of gardenias. In the trees around you are the delicate blossoms of dogwood. Feel a great joy in the knowledge that every one of the colors and essences you have experienced in the Rainbow Garden are a necessary part of your being and in experiencing the colors and forms you identify with the oneness of all life energy. All aspects of your being vibrate on the various colors, energy frequencies and all are open to your demand and control for change. All of life's colors and energies needs are open to your recognition and appreciation. Being a new awareness of life's beauty and life's love that surrounds you. (white holds all the other colors within it and motivates man as a balanced unit to function in a loving, peaceful and positive mode.)

As you begin to walk back down life's hillside, through the violet, the blue, the green, the yellow, the orange and the red flowers, know that you can return to this hillside garden any time you wish and that each time you do return your inner being and your outer being will have a new awareness of the hillside.

As you grow and develop in all aspects of your being, the world around you will change and beauty will surround you.

Contributed by Michael Zappellini in another discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Witherspoon on July 3, 2009 at 12:57pm

BEST ME TECHNIQUE FOR SELF HYPNOSIS


The "Best Me Technique" is a form of hyperempiria, or suggestion-enhanced experience, which involves your whole person in the content of a suggested event. Every letter in "Best Me" corresponds with an element of suggestion, and these elements can be applied in a variety of ways: to place yourself into self-hypnosis, to pre-experience the accomplishment of a goal, and to end your self-hypnosis session. It's the versatility and the thoroughness of these elements that makes the "Best Me Technique" of self-hypnosis distinct from meditation and visualization exercises. Instead of merely picturing something in the mind’s eye, the Best Me Technique enables us to paint upon the canvas of human experience almost any masterpiece we may desire. This article will show you how to use "Best Me" suggestions to pre-experience the rewards of future goals now, at full strength in the present when they are most needed for motivation, reducing or eliminating the need for will power. (It's also a great way to fall asleep!)
Steps

1. Unless you actually intend to do so, choose a time when you are not too sleepy or tired, so that you are not likely to doze off.
2. Find a quiet place with subdued lighting, where you are not likely to be disturbed for at least half an hour.
3. Turn off your cell phone or pager, if you have one, and take the telephone off the hook or put it on answer mode with the ringer turned off.
4. Sit down or lie down in a position which will enable you to relax deeply. If you should find yourself becoming uncomfortable during the session, it should not disturb you to gently adjust your position in order to keep yourself as comfortable as possible.
5. Guide yourself through the elements of the Best Me Technique. After reading over the following script a couple of times to get the idea, go through the steps of the Best Me Technique yourself, using words and images with which you feel most comfortable, and at a pace which allows you to get the most out of the experience. Just as we combine words and pictures on wikiHow pages in order to communicate more effectively, we often pair words and images together in hypnosis in order to strengthen the effect of our suggestions. The present example uses imagery of a boat rocking you gently back and forth to help you relax as you go through the elements of the Best Me Technique in your mind, but not everyone responds equally well to the same images. Regardless of the words and images you actually use (see suggestions in the Tips section below) Your purpose is not to achieve a trance (which only a few people actually do), but to put yourself into a relaxed and pleasant frame of mind where your imagination can operate more effectively.
* Belief systems: Imagine that it’s a warm summer afternoon, and that you’re lying on the deck of a small boat which is safely tethered at the edge of a shallow bay, about a hundred feet from shore. If you accept, believe each detail of the scene as you describe it to yourself, without trying to think critically, your imagination will allow you to experience the situation just as if you were really there.
* Emotions: Let your body absorb the peacefulness which is all around you, as the boat rocks you gently back and forth and the sun shines warmly down, driving out all of your worry, all of your tension, and all of your care, and leaving you filled with perfect, infinite, boundless peace, calm, and tranquility.
* Sensations and physical perceptions: Feel the cool breeze upon your skin, and savor the freshness of the pure, salt air. Listen to the cries of the birds in the distance, and the sound of the water quietly splashing against the side of your boat as it rocks you gently back and forth, and that warm, golden glow of the sunlight relaxes you completely from head to toe.
* Thoughts and images: It’s so calm, and so peaceful there on the deck of the boat, that all you want to do is keep drifting, and dreaming, and floating on, and on. Then, you can just drift on into, peaceful, state of self-hypnosis by silently counting from one to ten, repeating the following thoughts in time with your breathing after each count: "Sinking down, and shutting down, sinking down, and shutting down, sinking down, and shutting down, shutting down completely. And the deeper you go, the deeper you are able to go. And the deeper you go, the deeper you want to go, and the more enjoyable the experience becomes." And so on, up to the count of ten.
* Motives: At this point, you can either keep repeating these suggestions to yourself until you drift off to sleep, or you can use the building blocks of the Best Me Technique to pre-experience the rewards of a future goal. If you are a student enrolled in a degree program, for example, you might proceed somewhat as illustrated in the breakdown which follows this section, using words of your own choosing to provide the greatest meaning. As you proceed through each step, take a moment to clarify and intensify it in your mind, so that you feel each portion of the experience as strongly as possible.
* Expectations: As you go through each step, believe it will happen, expect it to happen, and feel it happening, just as strongly as if you were willing it into being at that very moment. The exact number of repetitions is not as important as the clarity and conviction with which you feel like you are willing your convictions into existence.
6. If you are inclined to doubt whether or not you have achieved self-hypnosis after a few minutes, you probably have.
* Decades of research have shown that people vary considerably in their responses to hypnosis. For many people, there is no such thing as a "hypnotized" feeling.
* An induction procedure is like the theme music to a motion picture or a television drama. It allows us to shift our thinking from a strictly logical mode of thought to a more flexible, more imaginative way of looking at the world. And we can all do that!


Experiencing the Rewards of a Future Goal

1. Choose the goal. This example illustrates the accomplishment of a specific goal: graduation. You can increase the incentive value of the Best Me Technique still further by pre-experiencing other rewarding aspects of your goal, such as celebrating at a graduation party with friends and family, or relaxing on the deck of a cruise ship as you treat yourself to a much-deserved vacation after achieving your goal. You may also want to pre-experience the rewards of sub-goals along the way, such as doing well on an upcoming major examination, or completing your current semester and enjoying the break, secure in the knowledge that you are on the way to a pre-determined and inevitable success. Of course, the Best Me Technique can also be used to enhance performance in other areas, such as athletics, music, dance, and theater. It may also be a helpful part of a program to lose weight or become a non-smoker, or to rid yourself of other forms of addiction. Just make sure that you only focus on one goal per session, rather than making up in a "laundry list" of things to pursue. Having too many goals at once might tend to interfere with your ability to clearly focus your imagination on the rewards of goal attainment.
2. Take all the time you need in order to thoroughly pre-experience the attainment of your goal, using whatever order and wording you prefer, as long as you include all of the "Best Me" steps. Allow yourself to experience each step as strongly as possible, but don't just daydream. You can tell how well you are doing in your BMT experience by how good it makes you feel.
* (B) Imagine yourself in the future, at the very moment they are handing you your diploma.
* (E) Feel the admiring looks of your friends and family upon you, and enjoy to the fullest your sense of pride and accomplishment as you grasp the cherished document.
* (S) Let yourself experience this thrill of achievement throughout every part of your body, from head to toe.
* (T) Visualize this goal so clearly that it feels as if you were actually willing it into existence.
* (M) Let yourself believe that you are headed toward a certain and inevitable success.
* (E) And as a result, you are able to act, think, and feel as if it were impossible to fail.


Concluding Your BMT Session

1. When you have finished, you can simply allow yourself to drift off into a natural sleep, or you conclude your self-hypnosis session by using suggestions similar to the following. (You don't need to memorize them, as long as you include each step of the Best Me Technique in a way that you feel comfortable with.)
* Belief systems: Whenever you are ready, you can silently think to yourself that you will gradually emerge from self-hypnosis as you silently count from one to five, telling yourself that by the time you get to five, you are going to be back in the everyday state of consciousness in which we spend most of our waking lives.
* Emotions: You are going to be feeling thrilled and delighted by the exciting experiences you have had.
* Sensations and physical perceptions: Your entire body will feel happy, rested, and refreshed.
* Thoughts and images: Your mind will be clear and alert, and you will easily be able to concentrate on anything that you have to do.
* Motives: And each time that you return to these peaceful dimensions of self-hypnosis, you will find a deep, inner core of peace and happiness at the very center of your being, that nothing can weaken, nothing can dislodge, and nothing can overcome, which will give you the faith and the strength that you need to accomplish your goals, and turn each new day into a thing of wondrous beauty.
* Expectations: And because you can unconsciously sense your own needs better than anyone else, each time that you return to these blissful dimensions of multimodal trance, it will improve your life in many different ways and on many different levels, some of which you may already be aware of and some of which you may not yet realize.
2. Now you can silently count to yourself from one to five, telling yourself that at the count of five you will be back wide awake and feeling wonderful, using words like this: Five. Beginning to return now, as your mind begins to return to its normal level of functioning. Four. You will be smiling, happy, and confident as you prepare to resume your life’s adventure. Three. Coming back more and more now. Two. Almost back. One. You can open your eyes now, feeling wonderful. You can open your eyes now, feeling wonderful.


Tips

* The building blocks of a Best Me experience need not be conceptually "pure." The purpose of the Best Me Technique is comprehensiveness; and each part of a Best Me experience may contain elements of the others.
* Many other types of imagery are appropriate for use with the Best Me Technique.
o You may prefer to imagine yourself floating around high above the earth on a soft pink cloud, entering a cathedral, relaxing in a grassy meadow, etc.
o Or, you can just systematically and thoroughly relax your body from head to toe as you go through the steps of the induction one by one.
o You can also use hyperempiric inductions, based on increased alertness, mind expansion, and enhanced awareness and sensitivity, in contrast to more traditional hypnotic inductions based on suggestions of lethargy, drowsiness, and sleep.[1]
o If you prefer, you can prepare your mind to pre-experience the rewards of a future goal using the Best Me Technique by meditating instead of using self-hypnosis. In other words, use meditation for induction, then proceed to using the Best Me Technique for pre-experiencing your goal.
* As with any other skill, regular practice is essential until your goal has been achieved. But, by including suggestions which define self-hypnosis as a pleasant and beneficial experience in itself, when it is properly done the Best Me Technique should be an enjoyable and beneficial activity from the very start, and not merely another task to be accomplished.
* With practice, you should soon be able to reach your natural level of self hypnosis rather quickly, and conclude your self-hypnosis session rather quickly, without taking the time to go through all the steps as thoroughly as at the beginning.
* If other thoughts should start to distract you during your BMT session, just passively observe them and let them go, as one might do while practicing meditation.
* Some people may find it easier to have a trusted expert guide them through the steps of the Best Me Technique, much as a skilled personal trainer might be able to provide the optimum amount of pacing and encouragement during a physical workout.
o Still others might do best using a combination of self-hypnosis and Best Me sessions directed by another.
o You may need to experiment a bit to find which method or combination works best for you.
* The most important thing to remember as you Define a Problem and compose BMT suggestions to correct it, is that in order to be completely believed, a suggestion must be completely believed in.
o If you can believe in it, you can believe it. And if you can believe it, you can make it happen!
o If you should find that you need to Build Self Confidence in order to pursue a much-desired goal, and if self-help books and articles are not useful enough, you may need to seek the services of a psychologist, counselor, clinical social worker, or life coach to provide the necessary support and encouragement, and to help you plan as you go along.
o If you are finding it difficult to put the necessary degree of conviction into your suggestions to Accomplish a Goal, you may need to go back and analyze your goal to see if there are any hidden conflicts which may be preventing you from focusing completely upon its achievement.
* Don't forget the importance of "environmental engineering." In addition to using self-hypnosis, you need to make whatever changes you have to in your daily life in order to bring your goal to completion.


Warnings

* There is an old saying which goes, "Be careful what you wish for, you may get it." We can never fully predict the consequences of our actions, and embarking upon an unknown course is always fraught with danger. But our willingness to "dream the impossible dream" -- and, if necessary, to make our own luck -- is what having free will is all about!
* Self-Hypnosis is not a cure-all, and it should not be used indiscriminately.
o Self-hypnosis should not be used to treat any type of mental condition, or to recover old memories, except under the direction and supervision of an appropriately qualified and licensed mental health professional.
o Do not use self-hypnosis to eliminate pain or other physical symptoms, except under appropriate medical supervision. Such symptoms are often a natural warning signal from your body that something is wrong (or that something may be GOING wrong). And unless you are a physician yourself, there are probably a large number of potentially serious conditions that you have never even heard of!
o You should not stop taking any type of prescription medication while using self-hypnosis without talking to your doctor.
* Don't try to use the Best Me Technique to "scare yourself" into achieving your goal. Psychological research has conclusively shown that human beings are motivated primarily by reward rather than punishment. Keep it positive!
* Don't be fooled by distorted images of hypnosis in the mass media. Hypnosis and self-hypnosis will not weaken your will, leave you susceptible to demonic or occult influences, or turn you into someone else's willing servant. A good source of accurate, up-to-date information about hypnosis may be found on the Web page of the American Psychological Association.[2] Click on "Psychology Topics" at the top of the page, and then click on "Hypnosis."
* Do not allow yourself to be misled by the exaggerated claims of advertisers, or by or phony degrees and "certifications." People can end up paying thousands of dollars to be hypnotized or to learn self-hypnosis, when they can just as easily learn it free of charge if they are willing to take the time. Many self-improvement projects, however, may require the additional professional assistance of a licensed psychologist, counselor, or social worker for their successful completion. In the U.S., you can find a properly-qualified therapist by calling your State psychological, counseling, or social work association and asking for the names of members near you who include hypnosis as one of their specialties.

Contributed by Don Gibbons PhD in another discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Witherspoon on July 3, 2009 at 1:08pm

Positivity and Optimism


From Hypnotherapy Scripts, Vol. II
Copyright Katherine Zimmerman
For use with private clients or groups, not to be recorded.

Positivity and Optimism
Begin with progressive relaxation...
Drift on down deeper now and linger in this quiet, special place. This is a time to learn to quiet the negative chatterbox within. The purpose of this exercise is to learn to be more positive and optimistic. If your chatterbox is intruding right now, take steps to quiet that negative voice. Begin by imagining what that voice looks like. (Pause) Allow a shape to form in your mind. Add a color to the shape. (Pause) This is the mental picture of your chatterbox. Now you have something more concrete to work with. Talk to your chatterbox. Let it know that from now on you'll be choosing only positive thoughts and images. (Pause) Imagine that chatterbox being locked away somewhere. There's a perfect place for this chatterbox. Allow your imagination to show you that place right now. (Pause 20 sec) Take the time now to securely lock up this chatterbox. (Pause) Take a deep breath now, as you exhale, notice how good it feels to be free of that negative voice. (Pause)
From this moment on it's becoming easier to connect with your positive thoughts and ideas. Starting in this moment your subconscious automatically locks away your chatterbox and connects your conscious mind to your positive thoughts and images. (Pause) Listen now for that positive voice within. It may seem very quiet at first, after all, it may not have been allowed to express itself very much in the past. (Pause)
This voice is also known as your higher self. This part is filled with wisdom and helpful ideas. As you relax more deeply, imagine yourself in that special inner place of beauty and serenity. Invite your higher self to join you in this place. Allow an image to form of the oldest, kindest, wisest part of you. This is the part which is always positive. It may appear in many ways -- as a wise old man or woman, as a friendly animal or bird, an angel, a ball of light, an old friend, a relative or a religious figure that you've seen. It may be a familiar or a brand new image for you.
Accept your higher self as it appears, as long as it seems wise, kind and compassionate. You'll easily sense its caring for you and its wisdom. Invite your higher self to make itself comfortable there with you. And now, ask it to assist you in learning to be positive and optimistic in your life. (Pause)
Ask this advisor what steps you can take to release the negativity that has been holding you back from really enjoying life. (Pause) Listen carefully to your advisor's response. You may imagine your advisor talking with you or you may simply have a direct sense of its message in some other way. Allow yourself to communicate in whatever way seems most natural. (Pause)
Continue the conversation until you feel you've learned all you can at this time. (Pause) Take a few minutes and consider what your advisor has told you. (Pause) How would your life change if you released your negativity and learned to be positive and optimistic? (Pause) As you imagine this, do you see any obstacles or problems in using this advice? (Pause) If so, how would you deal constructively with these obstacles? (Pause) If you need more information here, ask your advisor. (Pause)
When your communication is finished, thank your higher self for helping you. Ask it to tell you the easiest and surest way to make contact. (Pause) Realize that you can call another meeting with your advisor whenever you feel the need. Say goodbye for now in whatever way seems appropriate.
Relax even deeper now and imagine yourself moving forward in time. Effortlessly and easily moving to a day in your future. Imagine a hallway with doors on each side. One door leads to a future scene in which you have learned to maintain a positive, optimistic attitude. Notice now how one door stands out from all the others. This door attracts you in some way. Approach the door and, when you're ready, open the door and enter that positive future scene.
Are you indoors or outdoors? (Pause) Are you alone or is someone with you? (Pause) Notice the clothes you're wearing. (Pause) Absorb all the details of this scene. (Pause) Now, notice what is different in this future scene from your life today. (Pause) In what way has learning to be positive improved your life? (Pause) If you're with others, how do they treat you now that you're positive and optimistic? (Pause) What are your feelings for them? (Pause) You may notice that colors are more vibrant as you develop this positive outlook. (Pause) You're free to move around in this scene to gather as much information as you can. Take your time. (Pause) Take a moment now to notice how you feel about yourself. (Pause) Remember, this is a scene in which you have become very positive and optimistic. If you're seeing your future self as a separate being, ask permission to step into that future body. Look out at the scene from that positive, optimistic self that you've become. What does that feel like? (Pause) How does the scene look through those future eyes? (Pause) What is it about this that feels and looks different from your life today? (Pause)
Thank your future self and step back into your own body now. Take another moment if necessary to gather any other important information. You may wish to ask your future self how he or she achieved this goal. (Pause) Know that you can visit this and other future scenes whenever you wish. But for now, it's time to return to the present.
Leave that future scene now and return to your private haven. (Pause) Completely back in the present and ready to return to full awareness.
Accepting all suggestions which are positive and beneficial for you and releasing anything that does not fit into your life at this time.
If you're in bed and ready to drift into a sound sleep you may turn your tape recorder off now or simply ignore the count.

In a moment I'll count from one to five. When I reach the count of five you return to full awareness feeling completely rested and refreshed.
Number one - feel a positive, optimistic energy flowing into your arms and legs.
Number two - every cell in your body functioning perfectly.
Number three - feeling more and more fully aware and alert with every number that I count.
Number four - coming back to full awareness, rested and refreshed, however, sleeping soundly and peacefully tonight at your normal bedtime. When I reach the count of five, fully aware and alert, completely back in the present.
Number five - eyes open-- fully aware and alert, take a deep breath and stretch.

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