Self-hypnosis is a technique that allows individuals to access their subconscious mind and create positive changes in their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. This technique has been used for various purposes, including weight loss, stress reduction, and smoking cessation. In this article, we will explore how self-hypnosis can help you lift more weight and improve your fitness goals. We will discuss the benefits of self-hypnosis, how to hypnotise yourself, and provide tips on how to incorporate this technique into your workout routine. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced weightlifter, self-hypnosis can be a powerful tool to help you achieve your fitness goals.
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What Is Self Hypnosis and Can You Use It to Build Physical Strength?
To hypnotise yourself means to induce a state of consciousness where your logical thinking remains altered and you become highly susceptible to suggestions. The suggestions might come from the outside, e.g. they might be given by another person or previously prepared in a form of text, sound, images or any other stimuli that affect your senses, or they can be cast upon your subconscious mind by yourself. In this case, we are talking about self-hypnosis or auto-hypnosis.
How Does It Work?
The state of hypnosis can be reached through many means, including meditation. You can self-induce the state of hypnosis to make your mind more pliable and susceptible to suggestions or instructions. These instructions can be given out by yourself, prepared before the ceremony or both. By getting into the state of trance, you disarm your psychic censor which is the logical internal dialogue that constantly goes on in your head and prevents unwanted information to reach your subconsciousness. Upon reaching this state, you become able to alter your thinking, and your character, get rid of certain habits, load certain programs into your mind and much more. What you’re after in this case is to get yourself into a state of focus.
It is possible to hypnotise yourself without the help of a hypnotist. This is known as self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis is a technique where you induce a hypnotic state by yourself, and then use it to make positive changes in your life.
Hypnosis Benefits
The state that you’re after is a consciously induced state of being 100% convinced of your physical or mental capabilities. It can allow you to sprint faster, punch harder, jump higher or lift heavier weight. How? Well, you’re not going to grow more muscles in an hour but upon reaching the desired state of mind, you will cause your brain to alter how your body works and remove some of your limits by e.g. affecting the GTOs (Golgi Tendon ORgans), increasing the neural drive, processing fewer impulses from receptors causing discomfort, releasing more epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol etc.
The state of hypnosis can be also achieved through meditation practice. Read this article to learn how to meditate from scratch.
How Athletes Use Self-Hypnosis?
Athletes use self-hypnosis to help them improve their performance, overcome obstacles, and achieve their goals.
Self-hypnosis can help athletes to:
- Improve focus and concentration: Self-hypnosis can help athletes to stay focused and concentrate on their performance. By visualizing themselves performing well, they can enhance their focus and concentration on the task at hand.
- Enhance motivation and confidence: Self-hypnosis can help athletes to increase their motivation and confidence. By visualizing themselves succeeding in their sport, they can build their self-confidence and increase their motivation to succeed.
- Manage anxiety and stress: Self-hypnosis can help athletes to manage anxiety and stress. By using relaxation techniques, athletes can reduce their stress levels and stay calm under pressure.
- Recover from injuries: Self-hypnosis can help athletes to recover from injuries by using guided imagery to visualize the healing process.
- Improve physical performance: Self-hypnosis can help athletes to improve their physical performance. By using mental imagery, athletes can visualize themselves performing their sport at their best level, which can help them to improve their muscle memory and physical performance.
Overall, self-hypnosis can be a powerful tool for athletes to achieve their goals and improve their performance. By using mental imagery and positive affirmations, athletes can train their minds to work for them and help them reach their full potential.
Is Self-Hypnosis Safe?
Self-hypnosis can be a safe and effective way to achieve deep relaxation and focus your mind on positive suggestions or affirmations. However, like any other form of hypnosis, it’s important to use caution and common sense when practicing self-hypnosis.
Here are some safety tips to keep in mind:
- Don’t use self-hypnosis as a substitute for medical or mental health treatment. If you have a medical or mental health condition, always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before trying self-hypnosis.
- Don’t use self-hypnosis while driving or operating heavy machinery, as it can impair your ability to focus and react.
- Don’t use self-hypnosis to try to force yourself to do something against your will or moral code.
- If at any point during self-hypnosis you feel uncomfortable or experience any negative side effects, stop immediately and seek professional help.
As long as you use self-hypnosis responsibly and with proper guidance, it can be a safe and effective tool for personal growth and self-improvement.
How to Induce a State of Self-Hypnosis
Take care of your set & settings by dimming the lights, playing appropriate music and lighting incense sticks and/or candles. Start meditating, get into a deeper state of relaxation and slowly disarm your internal dialogue. When you reach the state of gnosis and stop analysing what’s going on, it is the right time to induce the programs into your mind. You can do so by reciting an incantation, visualising that you are being embraced by the external stimuli so much that they completely alter your perception (and turn you into a different person) or by staring at the previously prepared text or visual representations of the state you want to reach. At first, it will feel like a placebo but as you keep practising, the feeling will get more and more real and you will be able to cause dramatic changes in your psyche upon your will. Give yourself at least a couple of weeks to gain decent proficiency in this skill.
Alternatively, use these simplified instructions:
- Find a quiet and comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
- Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to relax your body.
- Imagine yourself walking down a staircase or count down from 10 to 1, telling yourself that with each number, you will become more relaxed.
- Once you reach the bottom of the staircase or count down to 1, imagine yourself in a peaceful, calm place, like a beach or forest.
- Repeat positive affirmations to yourself, such as “I am confident,” “I am calm and relaxed,” or “I am in control of my emotions.” Visualize yourself achieving your goals or overcoming any challenges.
- Stay in this state for as long as you like, or until you feel ready to come out of self-hypnosis.
- To come out of self-hypnosis, count up from 1 to 5, telling yourself that with each number, you will become more alert and awake.
Remember that self-hypnosis takes practice, and it may take several attempts to induce a state of self-hypnosis successfully. If you find it difficult to do on your own, you may want to consider seeing a certified hypnotherapist for guidance.
P.S. Advanced practitioners can anchor emotional states to certain words of power or gestures of power. This is described in more detail in my mental conditioning book “Liber Vis: Xaos Solutus” available in my shop.
