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Meditation can be used as a tool to program your brain--ie, hypnotize
yourself. It's useful for relieving stress, relaxing the body, and inducing
sleepiness if you suffer from intermittent insomnia. My conjecture is that
meditation would be an excellent way to hypnotize oneself to stop smoking or
cease any other unpleasant habits, although I don't know for sure. It'd
make an interesting research topic, for any of you .
How To Hypnotize Yourself: A Beginner's Guide
A good friend of mine explained how they meditate themselves into a
hypnotic state, and it worked for me as well, so I shall pass it on to
you.
First, turn off all other distractions--the TV, the computer, the
music, etc. Arrange your body so that it is symmetric on the right and
left--I've tried to do this in the lotus position and it doesn't work for
me. Close your eyes.
Now to the important bit. The key is monotonous, non-automatic counting. My friend
counts in Hungarian, whereas I count by multiples of three or five. The
number system doesn't matter--what matters is that the number doesn't
immediately flow into your conscious thoughts in the same way that your
brain can immediately fire off numbers up to about fifty or so (your mileage
may vary). It should take an EFFORT to think of the next number in the
series--it shouldn't come naturally to you.
You should probably expect to count about fifty off in the series.
You'll know you're doing it correctly when you feel "distant" from
your body--you should be able to move your body if you exert a force, but
it'll feel like it takes more effort than it usually would. That means
you're now in a trance. You can stop counting now. Don't
move! It can only distract you.
Now you are ready to give yourself instructions. It's wise to know
what it is you want to do beforehand. Phrase your meta-program in very
simple terms: "I feel tired," or "I am calm," or "Cigs
taste bad". Repeat it a few dozen times. Time seems to pass a
little differently when you're in a trance.
Okay, now you're done hypnotizing yourself. I usually do the standard
"ten-count-and-you're-awake" method common to most carny hypnosis
shows--count to ten, feeling more and more control over your body until you
feel just as you did before, except more relaxed.
Is it a form of psychosomatic reaction? Probably. It works
though, especially if you don't worry too much about WHY it works. If you
aren't comfortable with part of these directions, if they don't sound right,
change them. Not everyone's brain works exactly the same way. Make
the appropriate changes, and stick with them as if they were gospel.
Repetition is key here--things will get easier and easier each time you
hypnotize yourself.
As with any form of hypnosis--you can only do it if you truly want to.
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