Does self-hypnosis REALLY work?
There was a time in my life when I didn’t believe in any of that “hypnosis” stuff. Back then, I thought it was nothing more than a mind control parlor trick, used exactly as they did in those old movies. (Does “You are getting sleepy” ring a bell?)
But that was also the time when my personal and financial life was a mess…
• I was too afraid of taking risks that I missed golden opportunities for growth and profit
• When I DID take risks, it was out of sheer willpower and anger – NOT out of prudence and logical thought – and I ended up failing one business after another
• My family life was in shambles – I wanted to take responsibility, but I had several vices that kept me from being an effective father
That was the lowest point of my life … until, out of desperation, I tried hypnosis with a licensed practitioner.
All I know is that two hours and $500 later, my mind was clear as day, laser-focused, and free of the fear, anger, and attachment to vices that had held me back for so long.
Today, I use self-hypnosis to stay on the level. My regular guided hypnotherapy sessions, coupled with my daily prayers, have been instrumental in changing my life radically. I now have the focus, discipline, and drive to maintain my businesses, my coaching career, and my life as an author.
But perhaps most importantly—it’s helped me take care of my son, who’s now receiving a good education far away from the bad influences that so nearly took my life in my own youth.
So does self-hypnosis really work? It did for me, and it continues to do so today.
Now for the real question: Will it work for YOU, too?
This article will answer that question for you. When deciding whether or not to employ hypnosis to help kick your bad habits for good, it helps to know what it’s all about.
Why Self-Hypnosis Works
Human beings are creatures of habit. Most of the time we’re on autopilot—waking up, having breakfast, taking a shower, getting dressed, driving to work, typing on a keyboard, and so on. Most of it is automatic.
The problem is when BAD habits take root. It’s when you quickly get angry at trivial things, or be irrationally fearful of risk, or become a slave to your vices. These bad habits are automatic too, and can wreak havoc on your life if left to linger for too long.
And here’s the main thing: Some bad habits are actually primal. They were hard-wired into the human race by Mother Nature over the last 200,000 years. Things like fear, anger, and taking the “easy way out” are meant to aid humanity’s survival … but these days, they just get in the way of normal life.
Now, trying to KICK bad habits doesn’t work, because habits are reinforced by attention. What you focus on grows. So the more you focus on your bad habits, the more deeply they’ll take root.
That’s where hypnotherapy comes in.
How Self-Hypnosis Overcomes Bad Habits
The human mind has two parts: The conscious and non-conscious.
When you make decisions, you use your conscious mind. But habits are stored in the non-conscious mind. And habits are thousands of times more powerful than decisions.
That’s why deciding to stop being so angry, fearful, or emotionally-driven doesn’t work. You’re pitting your decision against an ingrained habit, and you can’t win.
Hypnotherapy has found a workaround to this problem—it basically works by temporarily “turning off” the conscious mind, so that any verbal suggestion goes straight into the non-conscious mind.
In a sense, hypnotherapy re-wires your habits, as it did when I replaced my bad habits with more productive ones.
That being said, hypnotherapy is not a guaranteed solution, because you need three things in place first before it can unravel 200,000 years’ worth of useless habits…
The 3 Things You Need for Hypnotherapy to Work
What are those three things?
1.- You must WANT to be free of your bad habits;
2.- You must BELIEVE you can be free of your bad habits; and
3.- You must COMMIT to use hypnotherapy for as long as necessary.
Meaning: If deep inside you really don’t want to let go of a bad habit… or if you believe a bad habit is an irremovable “part of you”… or if you don’t commit to using hypnotherapy for the long-term … then it probably WON’T work for you.
On the other hand, if you WANT to be free of your bad habits … if you BELIEVE you can be free … and if you can COMMIT to use hypnotherapy for as long as it takes… then you’re in for a treat.
Where and How to Get Hypnotherapy
You basically have two options: You can get hypnotherapy by going to a good professional with a proven track record… or you can get one of the many guided self-hypnosis programs available on the Internet.
Hypnotherapy with a licensed practitioner can get expensive, but in my case, it helped change my life completely. Self-hypnosis is cheaper, but requires more discipline to stick to. In either case, I suggest you choose programs and professionals who have treated patients with hypnotherapy in the past and have built a good reputation with it.
So what are YOUR primal bad habits? What’s getting in the way of YOUR success and happiness? Hypnotherapy just might be your ticket to freedom.
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Photo: Getty Images
