Refresh Yourself with Self-Hypnosis By Hugh Sadlier, M.Ed, BCCH


be made to go into hypnosis. People who wish to be hypnotized and simply “let it happen”, can reach varying levels of hypnosis and successfully achieve their goals. Users of self-hypnosis are likely to fare better if the technique is taught by a professional than if it is attempted experimentally from written instructions. The learning is not difficult, and the required skills improve with every personal self-hypnosis experience as people become more comfortable with and confident about the process.


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Hypnosis is not sleep or unconsciousness, but rather an altered state of consciousness, where the conscious mind is temporarily disconnected and the subconscious mind takes control and tells us what to do and how to do it safely. Most people are unaware that they slip into self-hypnosis each day, while concentrating or focusing on something. Daydreaming, becoming deeply involved in a book, movie, or TV program, rhythmic exercising and not remem- bering passing something along the way while driving an oft-driven road are all forms of self-hypnosis. When we do something we are really concentrating on, the conscious mind becomes bored from the intense narrowing-down process and decides to take a time out. As it disconnects, the subconscious mind takes control and guides us in a safe way, enabling us to operate on “automatic pilot” until the conscious mind resumes control. Most knowledgeable people will agree that the mind is an


extremely powerful force – perhaps the most powerful force in the universe. Self-hypnosis provides a means of using that power for personal advantage. Psychologists have claimed that every human has, perhaps subconsciously, the same goal – the realization of self- actualization, the reaching of an individual potential, or in sports terminology, the achievement of the “personal best”. Hypnosis can help bring about major changes in important ar- eas of life: habit control, emotional stability, motivational advance- ment, health and pain management, sexual problems and many others. One of the great benefits of hypnosis is its use in psycho- therapy to reveal causes and reduce the time of treatment. While hypnosis is powerful and effective in hypnotherapy,


psychology, psychiatry, medicine and other professional fields, it can produce dramatic results when individually used by those who master the techniques of self-hypnosis. It can be particularly helpful in changing attitudes, increasing self-confidence, learning enhance- ment, memory improvement, stress and pain management, habit control, bedwetting, motivation and countless other areas of per- sonal concern. Self-hypnosis has proved successful in maximizing athletic skills in all levels of athletes, from peewees to professionals. The use of imagination is important and efforts become much


more productive as skills in imagining, visualizing and sensing are acquired. Self-analysis, under hypnosis, can reveal the direc- tion needed for forward progress. Self-motivation, under hypnosis,


any professionals claim that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, referring to the fact that hypnosis cannot be forced on any- one. Individuals who do not want to be hypnotized cannot


can start the forward movement. Self-suggestion, under hypnosis, can provide the reinforcement necessary to achieve specific goals. Everyone has tremendous sources of power available, on demand, in their subconscious minds, once the means of assessing those powers are understood and utilized. A popular statement in the hypnosis field is: “what your mind


can conceive and believe, you can achieve”. This form of posi- tive affirmation actually dates back to biblical times: “As a man thinketh, so shall he be”. The same thought has been the basis of many self-help books, all of which deal with the power of the mind. Self-hypnosis can be the after-burner of positive thinking – the super power-thrust which can blast a dream into reality. Self-hypnosis, used in conjunction with imagining, visualizing and sensing, can generate the power to change, the power to cre- ate, and the power to progress toward self-actualization. But one of the world’s greatest challenges is the acceptance by people of self-imposed limitations: “I’m too old”! “I’m not educated enough”! “I’m too sick”! “My wife (husband, mother, teacher or whoever) wouldn’t let me”! In self-hypnosis, those restrictions, limits, ropes or chains can be removed and replaced with positive perceptions which, through repetition, can become the new, positive habits. Preventive and restrictive emotions such as anxiety, fear, de- pression, grief, anger, and hate can be overcome by people will- ing to meet the four basic requirements for success: desire, belief, expectation and demand. Self-hypnosis can provide the nurturing to enable these requirements to advance to the power levels necessary for fulfillment. The four elements needed to achieve a pre-planned state of


self-hypnosis can be learned by study or instruction: fixation clears the mind and prepares it for the work ahead; relaxation diverts the conscious mind and enables the much more powerful subconscious mind to provide or absorb information; suggestion implants instruc- tions into the subconscious mind; and imagination, visualization and sensation are the power-sources for change, development or modification that are necessary to ensure full achievement of indi- vidual goals.


Hugh Sadlier, M.Ed., BCCH, is a Board Certified Consulting Hypno- tist who has been practicing in Maine since 1991 and is currently associated with the Integrative Health Center of Maine, in Portland. He has worked with people on over two hundred different issues and encourages his clients to become actively involved in the hypnotic process, thereby empowering them to achieve optimal mental, physical, and emotional well-being. He has given hypnosis lectures and demonstrations to medical staffs, club and organization members, health fair attendees, and high school, college and adult education students. To schedule a presentation for your group, con- tact Hugh at (207) 773-5200 or sadlier@hypno-health.net(website: www.hypno-health.net). See ad on page 10.


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