The Well Within: Harnessing Your Inner Healing Power Using Self-Hypnosis, Books 1-10

The Well Within

Harnessing Your Inner Healing Power Using Self-Hypnosis

A Practical Step-by-Step Guide You Can Actually Use to Enhance Your Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Health

Books 1 - 10

By Kristina L. Woodall

Cover Art by Angela M. Glenn

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Kristina L. Woodall

Discover other Titles by Kristina L. Woodall at Smashwords.com

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I Exercises

Chapter One -- Hypnosis: Myths and Misconceptions

Chapter Two -- Hypnosis: Everyday Examples

Chapter Three -- Imagination: The Power of the Positive

Chapter Four -- Imagery: The Language of the Mind and the Body

Part II Exercises

Chapter Five -- How to Enter Self-Hypnosis

Chapter Six -- How to Deepen Self-Hypnosis

Chapter Seven -- How to Exit Self-Hypnosis

Chapter Eight -- Putting it All Together: Tips and Tidbits

Chapter Nine -- Sample Self-Hypnosis Session

Part III Exercises

Chapter Ten -- Self-Hypnosis for Pain Management

Chapter Eleven -- Self-Hypnosis for Optimum Health

Chapter Twelve -- Self-Hypnosis for Stress Management

Chapter Thirteen -- Self-Hypnosis for Deep Relaxation

Chapter Fourteen -- Self-Hypnosis for Weight Management

Chapter Fifteen -- Self-Hypnosis for Smoking Cessation

Chapter Sixteen -- Self-Hypnosis for Combating Fatigue

Chapter Seventeen -- Self-Hypnosis for Conquering Insomnia

Chapter Eighteen -- Self-Hypnosis for Enhancing Self-Confidence

Part IV Exercises

Chapter Nineteen -- Self-Hypnosis and the Power of Suggestion

Chapter Twenty -- Writing Your Own Scripts

Chapter Twenty-One -- Special Place Scripts

Chapter Twenty-Two -- Special Event Scripts

Chapter Twenty-Three -- Special Issue Scripts

References

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Preface

All Hypnosis is Self-Hypnosis.

The power of self-hypnosis belongs to you.

You can harness the power of self-hypnosis

to heal body, mind, spirit, and soul.

Right now.

Life can be hard.

Self-hypnosis is easy.

Life Is A Journey

You are on a journey.

One foot on front of the other.

One step at a time.

The path you are on twists and turns. It goes up and down, in and out, over and under, through and around.

At times, you have to climb mountains. Struggling for every step, you work your way slowly higher and higher. You’re tired, sore, and uncertain. Every muscle in your body hurts. Every breath you take is all about survival.

Then, you get to the top. You reach up, dust away the clouds, and touch the sun.

Power!

When you catch your breath, you glance back down the mountain and see every obstacle that stood in your way -- every boulder, every river, every bridge, every incline -- and you know that the experience of being on high was well worth the struggle.

At times, you have to find your way through dense forests of darkness. Here, the only light you have is a memory. Cursing, lost and afraid, you struggle through the blackness. Branches lash out, scratching at your face and hands. Your ankles give way to unseen bogs, and the howling wind teases and taunts that you’ll never find your way.

Then, you reach the clearing and fully embrace the light.

Courage!

When you catch your breath, you turn and glance back at the seemingly impenetrable wall of darkness, and you know that the experience of knowing the light was well worth the struggle.

At times, you have to travel down into the depths of the deepest ravines. The descent is rocky and harsh, and all that is good seems to slip away as you go deeper and deeper. You wrap yourself up tight against the bitterness within, and howl in agony and despair.

Then, you reach the bottom. From the depths you can only look up; and can truly appreciate the heights.

Wisdom!

When you catch your breath, you reach up and start climbing again; you turn and glance back towards the lowest point, and you know that the experience of ascending was well worth the struggle.

At times, you get to stroll through wide open meadows.

There is a carpet of tall, green grass and a rainbow of dancing wildflowers. There is an endless canopy of cloudless blue sky. Nourishment is plentiful and life is rich.

Joy and Peace!

Yet, even as you stroll through with ease, you glance ahead and know that meadows never last forever.

The seasons change and each one comes with its own highs and lows; its own lessons and teachings; its own challenge and its own glory.

Because you are on a journey. A spiritual trek through time and space.

And within each moment of your journey is a new experience that can either steal away your courage or enliven every cell of your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual existence on this planet.

Each Step Is A Choice.

Choose Well!

Journey Well

The only thing you can bring on your journey is yourself.

From your path, you can enjoy the company of others. You can meet and greet, share and compare, give and receive. People are only a touch away, yet they are not on your path. They do not know what you know; they have not been where you have been; they are not going where you are going.

Only you are on your path.

For this journey, you must seek well within yourself.

The Well Within.

As you climb to the heights, stumble through the darkness, rejoice in the sunshine, tumble to the depths, and stroll through the meadows, there is a way to more fully embrace the sights, sounds, scents, tastes, and textures of the landscape through which you journey.

There is a way to make the struggle well worth the learning; to gain more power, more courage, more wisdom, and more strength.

Self-hypnosis.

Self-hypnosis, recognized by doctors and scientists as a naturally occurring state of pleasant relaxation, allows you to seek the well that lies deep within the core of your being.

Self-hypnosis can allow you to harness the power of mind, body, and spirit.

Self-hypnosis can allow you to focus this power on defining and achieving your goals -- letting go of the extra weight, overcoming addictions, getting to sleep, managing the pain, increasing self-confidence -- so you can be who you want to be, do what you want to do, and have what your heart desires.

Self-hypnosis can help you reach into the well within -- to find and embrace the strength, courage, wisdom, peace, security, joy, self-esteem, and love you need to keep moving forward on your journey.

One foot in front of the other.

Self-hypnosis (and whenever I use that term, I mean self-guided hypnotic healing) can help you reach into the well within -- to open up and sort through the baggage that’s slowing you down; to relinquish what no longer serves you; to find the freedom you need to keep moving forward on your journey.

One Step At A Time.

Self-Hypnosis … For A Better Journey.

***

Introduction

Being in the Moment

Remember when? For a minute, for an hour, or maybe even for a day, you weren’t doing anything in particular. No agenda. You weren’t thinking about the past. You weren’t worrying about the future.

No tension. No stress. No fatigue. No pain.

You were just being. In the moment. Perfection.

Maybe you were taking a walk by the water.

Maybe you were eating your lunch on a park bench.

Maybe you were watching your child try to touch the sky with the seat of her swing.

You were calm. Quiet. Content.

You felt the warmth of the sun gently soak down into your muscles like a soothing deep-tissue massage. You noticed the cool, gentle breeze teasing your hair. You heard the laughter of the people around you, smelled the scent of freshly mown grass, and tasted the sweetness of life -- the joy, the peace, the health -- the security of knowing who you were, where you came from, and where you were going.

Then, it passed. You got up, shook it off, and got on with your life. After all, there were people to see, bills to pay, work to do, weight to lose, lists to itemize, fights to win, antacids to consume.

And it was right back to the real world.

Tension. Stress. Fatigue. Pain.

I bet you know what I’m going to say next, right?

That it doesn’t have to be that way.

You’re right.

There is something between the extreme of vegging out at the beach without a care in the world, and the other extreme of stressing yourself to the point of mental and physical destruction.

There is a balance point where work and play are the same thing. There is a balance point where health, love, serenity, security, and happiness are well within our own control.

There is a balance point where there is no failure, only new growth and expansion; where down isn’t always out; and where the bottom line is that life is good.

Self-hypnosis is not a miracle cure-all. It is also not a sugar pill.

Self-hypnosis is a natural, built-in ability you already possess (in need of refinement, perhaps) that can enable you to bring balance into your life.

Self-hypnosis is a tool that you can easily learn and easily use, whenever you choose.

Simply put, self-hypnosis is harnessing your attention and focusing it on one, and only one, thing at a time.

For better health. For pain management. For addiction release. For success at work and at play. For more confidence in social settings. For true deep, sleep. For enhanced learning and retention.

For many years, as a hypnotherapist and a counselor, I spent a great deal of my professional time teaching all of my clients self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis is a not just a useful tool -- it is a critical tool -- for mastering and deeply enhancing our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well being.

Using this hands-on book to put self-hypnosis to use in your every-day life can be a key to unlocking your inner power and strength, enabling you to focus your energy and wisdom in order to deal successfully and calmly with many of life’s everyday hassles, issues, events, fears, and relentless stressors -- enabling you to BE who you want to be, DO you want to do, and HAVE what you want to have.

Whether you are an expert or a beginner, this book will provide you everything you need to know to positively experience self-hypnosis in your life for your needs. For your journey.

This book is not intended to be an in-depth theoretical examination of the theory of self-hypnosis (although I would recommend such a learning experience, which is why I have provided a Reference Section at this end of this book); it is intended to be a practical, easy-to-use, simple-to-master guidebook for putting self-hypnosis to work for you right here, right now.

It is a direct, to-the-point, let’s-get-busy hands-on manual for your healing.

What You Will Need To Be Successful In This Endeavor

In order to use this book successfully, you will need:

a recording device;

the desire to spend time on your healing so you can read through, and practice, the exercises as they are presented; and

the desire to be successful in your own journey of healing.

NOTE:

Self-hypnosis is intended to be an aid in promoting health and well-being for adults in good mental and physical health.

I strongly recommend a trained, Certified Hypnotherapist and/or Psychotherapist for deep, prolonged and/or severe mental ailments. I absolutely recommend a trained physician for any and all medical issues. Self-hypnosis can be used in addition to such mental or physical treatment, but ONLY AFTER professional consultation.

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Part I

Exercises

You might wish to check off the exercises in each Part as you complete them:

Exercise #1:

Actively read all of Part I. Think about, take in, and fully consider what you are reading in relation to how it relates to YOU. Scribble notes and comments in the margins; underline and circle. (Really! This is your book. Put it to work for you.)

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Chapter One

Hypnosis:

Myths and Misconceptions

Myths and Misconceptions

When many clients first took their seat across from me in my office, they were burdened not only with a problem, but also with doubts and apprehension about whether or not hypnosis could provide a solution.

Through the years, hypnosis seems to have built up quite the veil of mysticism and mystery. Will they cluck like a chicken? Bark like a dog? Be totally under my control and do my bidding as I deviously desire, like some trained seal?

Not going to happen.

The only true mystery about hypnosis, and self-hypnosis, is why such a natural antidote to so many of our problems is not used to its full potential on a daily basis!

The only answer to that mystery is what people don’t know, they can’t put to use.

So, right here and right now let’s explore some of the most common myths and misconceptions about hypnosis, so we can put them to rest. Then, and only then, can you go on to fully and freely experience what hypnosis, specifically self-hypnosis, has to offer you.

MYTH #1: People under hypnosis lose control.

The exact opposite is true.

People experiencing hypnosis, especially self-hypnosis, have complete and total control. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis; therefore, whether or not you respond to suggestion is ALWAYS your choice.

In fact, under hypnosis, you are more focused and in control of yourself than you are during your normal waking state of consciousness (when you are bombarded with one distraction after another). Nope, no barking like a dog, clucking like a chicken -- unless you need or want to bark and/or cluck.

MYTH #2: Only certain kinds of people can be hypnotized.

Yes, some people are more open to suggestion than others; however, with practice -- and the desire -- anyone can experience this deeper and more focused state of being. The more you practice and experience hypnosis and/or self-hypnosis, the easier and deeper the experience becomes. If you want to experience hypnosis, you will experience hypnosis.

MYTH #3: False memories can be planted.

Not in self-hypnosis. You cannot plant false memories in your own consciousness! You can experience a wondrous variety of images, but you are always in control of those images. (Even under the guidance of a Hypnotherapist, you always know your truth. If a sudden memory does not feel right, then it probably is not right. NEVER let a Hypnotherapist suggest or dictate a memory to you -- you take the lead and let the experience unfold in your own way.)

MYTH #4: Hypnosis is a form of sleep.

The word hypnosis does come from the Greek word hypnos meaning sleep; however, hypnosis is not sleep. Under hypnosis, you are relaxed yet completely alert and intricately aware of your surroundings.

Studies show that the electroencephalograph (measured brain patterns or EEG) of a hypnotized person is similar to the normal waking state of a deeply relaxed person. There is a high incidence of alpha wave activity, which indicates a relaxed, yet alert, state. Thus, a person experiencing hypnosis is more finely awake and aware, yet totally relaxed and calm, than in their normal waking state of consciousness.

MYTH #5: A person can become stuck in trance.

Hypnosis is a state of focused attention, controlled by you -- who can choose to initiate or terminate the experience whenever you please. It is literally impossible to become stuck in a state of concentration (something like getting stuck reading a book).

MYTH #6: A person can be hypnotized to say or do something against their will.

In hypnosis, you still hold the same ethical/moral code as ever, and will not suddenly engage in behavior that goes against this code. A person under hypnosis can NEVER be made to say or do anything that they do not wish to say or do.

Basically, in hypnosis, you are the master of your own experience. You can begin, experience, and terminate self-hypnosis as you choose.

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Chapter Two

Hypnosis: Everyday Examples

A Calm, Balanced State of Mind

Many have called hypnosis an altered state of consciousness. They are correct only in the sense that hypnosis is different than the normal state of awakening.

As you get up, get dressed, worry about making breakfast, get the kids dressed and their lunches made, how much fat was in that muffin, etc., you are in a beta brainwave pattern.

This type of brainwave, as measured by your EEG, is where you have a million things on your mind; where you’re scattered and, as a result, your concentration is scattered, your energy is diluted, and it is more difficult to accomplish the tasks at hand.

Picture a tornado.

If you’re in beta, you are the storm.

In contrast, when you are in a hypnotic state, you are in an alpha brainwave pattern. This is where there is ONE thing on your mind -- losing weight, getting to sleep, relaxing.

If you are experiencing an alpha brainwave pattern, you are more likely to be focused, calm, centered, and balanced. The full power of your mind (emotion) and the energy of your body (feeling) can be harnessed and directed toward ONE goal and, as a result, you are far more likely to achieve that ONE goal.

Remember that tornado?

If you’re in alpha, you are the eye of the storm. Yeah, it’s all still out there circling and twisting and wreaking potential havoc, but you are in control. You are in a calm, balanced place where you can survey the situation at hand and control it -- to your advantage.

Examples of Everyday Self-Hypnosis

Never experienced self-hypnosis?

Yes, you have.

The hypnotic state is a naturally occurring state of consciousness. It is a state that you have experienced many, many times! You just weren’t harnessing its power for healing.

Hypnosis, especially self-hypnosis, is a state of focused concentration where unnecessary stimuli are disregarded. All energy and attention is centered on the task at hand, such as:

Watching a Movie

You’ve got your popcorn. You’ve got your cola (soda, pop, or whatever else you call it in your neck of the woods). You scrunch down into your seat. Then, as the lights dim and the movie begins to unfold, reality falls away and you become absorbed into the drama: The hero hides behind the wall, tensely waiting for the airplane hijackers to discover his presence and kill him.

You feel the knots in your stomach, the fear in your chest -- just as if you were inside the plane and it was your life on the line.

Is it just some still celluloid images being flicked through a projector onto a flat white screen?

Well, actually, yes -- but that’s not the way you experience it.

No way.

As you watch the movie you are caught up, trancelike, in the suspense, the danger, the love, the hate, the fear. For that instant in time, it is as real in your mind as it is in your body. You are hypnotized!

Reading a Book

Nervous, excited, you turn the page. Will the T-Rex see the light and have them for dinner? Will he scream? Will she trip and fall just as the hideous monster reaches out for her?

Is it just black squiggly lines on a white page?

Well, actually, yes -- but that’s not the way you experience it!

No way.

As you read the book you are caught up, trancelike, in the suspense, the danger, the love, the hate, the fear. For that instant in time, it is as real in your mind as it is in your body. You can see, hear, feel, and taste the people and the places as if they were right in front of you.

Your attention exists for one thing and one thing only: who will survive? You are hypnotized!

Driving a Car

You pull into your driveway. You’re home. But, how did you get here? You have no memory of the drive. Did you stop at all the stop signs?

Did you turn left or right when you were supposed to? This is a common phenomenon experienced by almost everyone who has ever driven a car.

While you’re body is busy with the task of stopping, turning, and/or accelerating, your mind is intently focused on other topics: remembering the joke you told at the office, planning your next party, dreaming about your next vacation.

You are experiencing highway hypnosis!

Doing a Tedious Chore

Struggling through the mind-boggling paperwork. Teeth gritted, stomach churning, you’d rather be somewhere else.

Anywhere else.

So, your mind takes you there. You flash spontaneously to that walk on the beach at sunset with your lover.

You remember it -- feel it, see it, hear it -- vividly.

You feel the warmth of the setting sun on your face; the cool, silky sand between your toes.

You hear the waves crashing against the shore; the children laughing as they play tag through the dunes; the seagulls crying out to one another.

Your muscles relax. You smile happily. You are hypnotized!

The fact is that throughout the day, every day, we constantly experience different states of consciousness.

Focused. Scattered. Awake. Asleep.

Self-Hypnosis Is Focused Awareness

Harnessing a state of awareness that joins mind and body toward one goal is what self-hypnosis is all about.

Self-hypnosis is intentionally drawing on a particular state of mind for the purpose of enhancing, achieving, improving, and successfully controlling the various aspects of our lives.

Self-hypnosis, or self-guided hypnotic healing, is cleanly and simply a focused, deeply relaxed state of being; a state of being (which is completely different than your normal waking state) that allows you to dive down into the cool, clean depths of your inner core, tap into the well within that resides in the energetic biofield that connects us all to spirit at the deepest and most profound level, and to dive back out into the light of day -- fully refreshed, restored, renewed, and recalibrated on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level.

Self-hypnosis is simple. Self-hypnosis is healing. No hocus pocus, mumbo jumbo, super powers required. All you need is the focused intent to own the healing that already belongs to you. Yes, it takes practice. Yes, it takes time. Yes, it takes a desire to spend your time on yourself so that you can then, from a more bountiful space, bless yourself and those around you (those who love you and want nothing more than for you to focus on your own healing and your own health).

The healing power of self-hypnosis belongs to you and you can, if you so choose, use this inner healing gift to:

relax deeply (conquering stress);

increase energy (conquering fatigue);

improve health (conquering illness);

invite sleep (conquering insomnia);

build inner strength (conquering poor self-confidence);

experience pure pleasure (conquering pain and addiction); and

achieve goals -- giving that perfect speech at work; letting go of that excess weight; hitting the ball farther at play (conquering fear, uncertainty, and negativity).

This book is designed to get you to that inner healing space, and to get you there as directly as possible. There are many, many, many books out there on the theoretical, theological, historical, metaphysical, and even scientific aspects of self-hypnosis. I encourage you to seek out these books if you want to know more about such things as where the practice came from (in terms, that is, of when and how humans actually gave it a name and specifically began practicing it as self-hypnosis), how it fits into different spiritual or religious belief systems (according to the spiritual or religious belief systems of other people), and even how science views it (how scientists in different fields have measured its ability -- and many have -- to produce the desired effect in different health and relaxation arenas). This book (the books in this Well Within series) are simply one way to teach you how to harness your innate ability to heal and to be healthy using a self-guided hypnotic state of being today -- RIGHT NOW. These books are not exhaustive (as if that is possible) and they are not all-inclusive (not going to happen here). They simply offer a practical, to-the-point process of achieving the deepest state of relaxation in order to discover -- and put to use -- the well within.

You can do it.

You’ve done it a million times throughout your life time.

You can do it now for a specific reason -- health and healing!

Harness the well within and own your journey!

***

Chapter Three

Imagination:

The Power of the Positive

The Power to Achieve

If you were asked, Which is more powerful, imagination or will power? what would your answer be?

Believe it or not, imagination is FAR MORE POWERFUL than will power. You may will to stay on a diet with all the determination in the world, but if you begin to imagine how good certain foods look and taste -- it won’t be long before all your good intentions will be forgotten!

Then again, if you imagine yourself thin, healthy, strong, happy and confident in those perfectly fitting clothes, you won’t need will power to achieve your goals!

Is it Real or is it Just My Imagination?

Before I ever spent one minute taking a client into a state of hypnosis, I had to deal with this question. If I experience being thin in hypnosis, is it just my imagination?

Just my imagination!

Imagination is everything -- is all creation.

Yes, in the very best Western philosophical tradition, we do believe that if we cannot see it, touch it, feel it, taste it, hold it, weigh it, drop it, and pick it back up, then it’s not real.

If we cannot experience it physically with our bodies, it is not real.

Rubbish.

Look at this book. In your hands. Can you see it? Hold it? Feel it? Smell it? Taste it? (Yuck, let’s just say that if you wanted to taste it, you could, okay?) Therefore, it’s real. Right?

Absolutely. This book is real. It exists on the physical plane (no, I don’t mean plane as in airplane, but rather plane as in level of existence).

This book exists on the physical plane because it has solid matter (be it paper or metal). However, in the very best Eastern philosophical tradition, this book was just as real BEFORE it existed physically in a form that the body could experience.

It was just as real, if not more real, when it existed in the author’s -- my -- imagination!

According to Eastern philosophy and theory, when something exists in the mind, in the imagination, it exists in the causal plane.

The imagination is called the causal plane because everything that exists there causes the physical plane.

If I had not imagined that I could and/or would create this book, it would not now exist as the physical object that you are now holding in your hands.

The mind, which cradles the imagination, exists within the body. Therefore, what exists in the mind, exists in the body (and vice versa).

To experience something within the mind (via the imagination) is as physically real as experiencing something within or through the body (via touch, taste, smell, scent).

Everything must begin as a piece of material in the imagination of a human being BEFORE that human being can actually physically create what it is that has been imagined.

Imagination Is Step One In Everything We Say Or Do!

The chair or couch you are sitting on did not simply appear (POOF) from nothingness. It began in someone’s imagination. Hey, if I put this together with this, I can create this!

The television in your living room, did not simply appear (voila!) from nothingness. It began in someone’s imagination. Hmmm, if I do this with this, I can make this! (Okay, this was probably a collaborative imagination effort, but it still began, as all things do, in imagination.)

The clothes you wear. The car you drive. The computer games you play. The music you hear. The tennis ball you hit. The building in which you take shelter from the storm. The books you read. The movies you watch. The airplane you pray lands safely. Without imagination none of these things would exist as we now know them.

Imagination is the first step toward creating, refining, repairing, building, and rebuilding EVERYTHING in existence.

To create something, anything, you must first imagine that you can, and that you will, create it. You must see it, feel it, hold it, taste it, smell it, drop it, and pick it back up again IN YOUR IMAGINATION first. Then, and only then, can you physically create it!

To be a non-smoker, you must be a non-smoker in your imagination first. You must see what it will look like to stand without a cigarette in your hands. You must feel what it will feel to breathe freely. You must congratulate yourself on your new freedom.

To be comfortable in your own thinner body, you must see yourself in those new size-smaller clothes. You must walk around in that healthier body. You must dance for joy when your step is lighter.

To sleep, you must sleep in your imagination first. You must anticipate the bliss.

To give that perfect speech, you must stand up at that podium in your mind’s eye and knock it out of the ballpark!

To be, do, have your best, you must BE, DO, and HAVE your best in your imagination first. That is what self-hypnosis is all about! Using your imagination -- seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting, smelling it deep within your imagination exactly, perfectly, as you want to see, feel, hear, taste, smell it in the physical world.

But I Don’t Have An Imagination!

Sheesh, have I heard this one.

Every human being on this planet has an imagination.

Without imagination, you would not exist.

Imagination is the beginning of everything -- and I mean everything -- you do throughout each and every day.

You wake up in the morning.

You imagine what it’s going to be like at work and, as a result, you either get up with gusto or you hide under the covers.

Eventually, you get up and wander into the kitchen.

Gee, wouldn’t a cup of coffee be nice? You imagine the taste, the aroma, the texture, the sugar, the spice, and everything nice and, before you know it, you make that pot of coffee. Ummmmm.

Then, you take a shower and wander back into the bedroom and over to your closet (ya-a-a-a-w-w-w-n-n).

Shifting your eyes this way and that way, you remember that you have that meeting with so-and-so today. What should you wear? You see yourself in the blue thing. Nah. Not strong enough. The black thing? Nah. Too sexy. The orange thing. Nah. Too Halloweeny.

A-ha. You see yourself looking just perfect in the beige thing. Perfect.

You get dressed and you go to work.

Today’s the day to ask for a raise. They’re all in a good mood.

You toss some words around in your head. Nah. Too strong. Some other words. Nah. Too wimpy. Some more words. Yes! Perfect.

You go in. You say the words you’ve imagined yourself saying. Perfectly.

You get the raise (!).

You go to the car dealership. You look at the green one. Nah. Too pushy. The white one. Nah. Too common. The red one. Nah. Too many tickets. The orange one. Nah. Too frightening. The blue one. Yes! Cool. Charming. Attractive. Perfect.

You buy the blue one.

You go the furniture store. You imagine the plaid one next to your curtains. Ugh! Too garish. In your imagination, you put the green one on your orange carpet. Yuck! Too sixties (and what are you still doing with orange carpet?).

You put the cabinet in the corner. Nah. Too big. You put the recliner in front of the television. Nice. Comfy. That’ll work. Perfectly.

You buy the recliner.

You go the grocery store. In your mind you taste the trout. Nah. Too fishy. You weigh the hamburger. Nah. Too heavy. You toss the salad. Nah. Too much work. You boil the soup. Yes. No fuss. No mess. No hassle. No cleanup. Perfect.

You don’t buy the soup! (That’s because you imagine that the soup you already have at home will taste better than what you see here!)

As you make your way through your day, you try it out step-by-step in your mind first. What will fit? What will work? What will help? What will pay off? What will be best?

Yes, you DO have an imagination and it is working non-stop.

All day.

Every day.

Positive Vs. Negative Imagination

Now that you know that you do have an imagination, I have to take a minute here to point out something that’s absolutely critical.

Your imagination can work for you, or it can work against you.

Your imagination is under your control.

You can imagine the best or you can imagine the worst.

Your choice.

Your imagination can hinder and work against you if you do not control and guide it. If you imagine a task to be too difficult, you have just guaranteed that it will be, guess what -- too difficult!

Negative imagination will defeat you before you even begin!

Most of the problems people experience in life exist more often in their imaginations than in actual fact. Revving up your negative imagination, you can allow your mind to create all sorts of difficulties; difficulties that might or might not take place in the future.

If I speak up, they’ll just laugh.

If I go skiing, I’ll just break my leg.

If I try, I’ll just fail.

These creations from your negative imagination generate fear, and sufficient fear can paralyze you.

You won’t speak up.

You won’t go skiing.

You will fail.

Let’s say you have a presentation to give at work. You see it all in your imagination. You’ll get up there. You’ll stammer and forget all the words. They’ll laugh. You’ll fidget. Cringe. Feel the acid burning a hole in your stomach.

Your supervisors will be annoyed, disgusted.

They’ll fire you!

You won’t be able to pay your bills.

Bill collectors will come and repossess your car, take your house. You won’t be able to buy food. The whole family will be penniless, hungry, and homeless. Aaarrrgh! Horror of all horrors.

Yes, your negative imagination can grab hold of you at any minute, and you’ll shake, rattle, and roll -- and fail!

Be on guard. Remember, imagination is the beginning of all creation and if you let your negative imagination run your life -- your life will be negative!

Negative Imagination = Negative Experience

Self-Hypnosis is Positive Imagination

Self-hypnosis is positive imagination.

Self-hypnosis is imagining everything perfectly and then making it happen. Perfectly.

Your imagination is immensely powerful and it is up to you whether you harness that power for better or for worse.

Remember that presentation you have to give at work? See it in a positive light. You stand up. You look impeccable. You feel confident.

Self-assured. Calm. You remember every word, every nuance, every gesture, every joke. You have their undivided and eager attention.

Your supervisors are happy with you, and with themselves, of course, for selecting you to give the presentation. You haven’t let them down. They give you a promotion. Bigger office. More money. You buy a faster car. Bigger house. Gourmet food. Top of the world.

Self-Hypnosis is Conviction Phenomenon

Hypnosis has been called conviction phenomenon.

Simply stated, this means that if you believe something strongly enough it becomes real to you.

In hypnosis, your subconscious, which accepts data uncritically, is convinced of certain facts. This belief can affect psychological, physiological, and physical reactions.

For example:

In childhood, perhaps a parent/adult called you fat, or lazy, or worthless. Unfortunately, your unconscious mind accepted this as fact, especially if it was a trusted adult, and that label was built into your belief system.

You were, in a way, convicted of that -- believed it to be truth.

Now’s a good time to create a better, more healthy, more fulfilling conviction.

Through self-hypnosis, you can re-program your subconscious mind. You can create scenes/events where you are strong, confident, self-assured, poised, strong, and/or thin. By making it as real as you can in your mind, you can become, do, and have what you desire in the real world!

Formula for Success

The formula for success in self-hypnosis is simple:

Since everything begins in the imagination, you must positively imagine exactly what it is you want to achieve: deep relaxation; perfect sleep; the perfect body for you; the perfect presentation (socially and/or professionally); pain-free, stress-free, addiction-free living.

You must believe in what you have positively imagined.

You must be motivated to turn what you have imagined on the causal plane into reality on the physical plane.

If you add these three steps together, you will succeed.

Imagination + Belief X Motivation = Success

(See it + Believe It X Do It = BE IT; DO IT; HAVE IT)

You do not need to be a victim of every image, mood, memory, or feeling that rushes by. You can always choose to take a negative image and turn it into a positive, rewarding, healthy image.

Once you recognize the power of self-hypnosis to soothe, to heal, and to create, you can use it as a regular part of your work to imagine, create, and achieve your goals.

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Chapter Four

Imagery: The Language of the Mind and the Body

The Basis of Human Thought

Imagery -- whether it is a sight, or a sound, or a taste, or a scent, or a feeling -- is the basis of human thought processes.

People think with images long before they