self-hypnosis :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When a person begins talking about hypnosis, what is your first thought? If the first thing you think of is a person on their knees barking like a dog, or flapping their arms while clucking like a chicken, then you are among many others who believe that hypnosis is purely entertainment. It is actually very common and used across the world as a helpful form of deep relaxation. Many, many people have used hypnosis to achieve goals, overcome obstacles, and enhance the quality of their personal and professional life. It is also believed by many that it takes a professional hypnotist swinging a shiny metal object to become hypnotized, when in fact, hypnosis is not something one person â€Å"does† to another. Its use varies from person to person, although development of this skill can be enhanced with the guidance of an experienced hypnotist. (Baker-Jambretz). Professional hypnotists share the belief that hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness. However most people don’t feel any different under hypnosis than the way they feel in their everyday state. Hypnosis is a very powerful tool that can be used for a large variety of topics. These topics range from increasing confidence and managing stress to quitting smoking and actually easing childbirth! The topic that caught my attention involved using self-hypnosis to improve an individual’s ability at sport. The key to this, and most other topics, is to trust yourself and learn to find a deep state of relaxation that you can return to with a simple â€Å"trigger† word. Once you find the trigger word that is best for you, use it to take yourself into a completely different mind-set. Then you need to go through a sequence of affirmations to remind yourself that you are successful and to help you see the skills that you already possess. With this positive mind set, you will realize that the key to performing well in sports is the ability to relax and let things flow naturally. Obviously you won’t just be able go out and excel at a sport without practice and determination, but with hypnosis you will be able to relax and let all aspects of your skills flow with nothing being held back. Not only will your game improve, but your pleasure for the game will increase as well. Whenever you bring yourself into this state with your trigger word, you will be able to see yourself playing just as you like.