Self Hypnosis And The Power Of The Mind

by Kenneth McRae
(UK)

Have you ever wondered about the old biblical statement "By faith alone ye shall move mountains"? What this actually metaphorically refers to is the incredible and possibly infinite power, wisdom and ability that lies hidden within the subconscious mind of every living man, woman and child.

Though the power of your subconscious may not enable you to physically and literally move mountains with your bare hands, it could enable you to literally change the world in every meaningful sense. All of history's greatest visionaries, leaders and creative artists who have led the way to huge and fundamental changes drew on the perhaps limitless reserves of inspiration, creativity and self belief which are latent in the subconscious.

Until fairly recently it was generally assumed that people who found inspiration and greatness, or people who simply had strengths and abilities through which they seemingly effortlessly achieved most of everything in life that they aspired to, had just somehow stumbled onto a successful path, that they just got "lucky". And in many cases this is what they themselves think. Some successful people use the powers of the mind unconsciously, insofar as someone whose upbringing, environment and overall life experience has produced a strong personality combined with certain abilities will naturally gravitate towards elevated positions in whatever field they are in.

However self assured and successful people are only the way they are because deep down they believe in themselves, and belief is an attitude, a product of the mind - more specifically the subconscious mind. And so equally is lack of self belief. Each of these completely different world views, self images or outlooks are valid and real to the individuals who hold them, because they believe them to be real.

The confident and successful person believes that the world is his or her oyster, full of possibilities and opportunities, and he or she is right. The person who is self doubting and pessimistic believes that the world is full of tragedies and disappointments, and he or she is also right.

The point that should be emerging here is that you can choose whichever set of beliefs will help you to fulfill your goals, whatever they are. Many people have difficulty with this because their belief systems are so deeply ingrained that they cannot grasp the reality that there are as many belief systems as there are individuals, and that any given belief system is just as real and valid to the person who holds it as is any other.

This truth is also underlined by the realization that the power of the subconscious mind can be and is ultimately influenced by and guided by the nature and quality of the thoughts and images which habitually occupy the conscious mind.

The subconscious is a microcosm of the universe itself, and is linked to all of the power, wisdom and ability of the universe. The woman who found the strength to hold a car up long enough to save her child's life derived that strength from her subconscious. An unemployed and poorly educated man with zero prospects who decided to write a book which went on to become an international bestseller derived his inspiration from his subconscious.

The subconscious is indeed all powerful, but it is also malleable in that it simply reacts to and manifests as reality the thoughts and images that are consistently impressed on it by the conscious mind. It makes no difference whether these thoughts and images are positive or negative, good or bad, the subconscious will just react accordingly. It doesn't care if you succeed or fail, get healthy or unhealthy or whatever, it simply takes its cue from whatever thoughts and images it habitually receives from the conscious mind and acts on them.

So if you believe that you're unattractive and have nothing to offer you will view the world and the universe through that prism of belief. If you believe that life is full of opportunities and that you're bursting with potential to utilize these opportunities you will view the world accordingly. If one or the other of these belief systems is habitual and well established in an individual's conscious mind, then it becomes imprinted onto the subconscious which then goes on to create and attract to that individual circumstances, people and influences which will confirm that view.

If your "belief system" about yourself or perhaps some particular aspect of your life is holding you back then it's entirely within your power to change it and change it dramatically for the better. This can be achieved by committing yourself to a program of relaxation, positive visualization and suggestion, aka self hypnosis. This is the means by which the subconscious can be "persuaded" to absorb and accept a new belief system whereby the new belief system becomes an established and functioning part of the personality and the reality of your life changes in accordance with that.

So let's just say that for example you're aware that deep down you feel that you're unable or at least unwilling to speak up for yourself, that you lack confidence in social situations, principally because you believe that you're unattractive and have nothing of value to say and will be criticized if you attempt to. Let's also assume that you strongly desire to change this for the better.

Set aside 15 minutes once or better twice a day to get comfortable and relaxed in some quiet place where you won't be disturbed. Then lie or sit down and close your eyes and begin to breathe quite deeply and regularly, taking time to inhale and exhale. Then imagine - feel - your muscles and limbs from the feet then gradually up to the face and neck going limp and relaxing. Maintain the steady breathing then fill your mind with some image that you relate to calmness and tranquility.

After a couple of minutes of this gently switch your mental imagery to an image of yourself as being relaxed and assured, conversing confidently with friends, acquaintances and others. Maintain your relaxed breathing and hold the image in your mind then begin to mentally or verbally affirm to yourself something like "I'm confident, relaxed and assured" or "Every day in every way I'm more and more relaxed and confident". Repeat the affirmation about 20-30 times, all the while remaining relaxed and maintaining the visualization. After around 5-10 minutes of this just let it fade away and come back to normal consciousness.

If you stick to this on a daily basis then after a couple of weeks you will notice the beginnings of a definite positive change in your outlook and attitude. After 2 or 3 months of it your subconscious will have begun to absorb and accept as reality the thought and imagery which has been impressed on it, and the foundation of your personality and consequently your life will have changed accordingly. At first you might experience some difficulty getting clear images in your visualization but it becomes easier with practice.

As negative core beliefs can't be changed overnight, you have to be prepared to be dedicated and persistent and to stick to your program. At some point or other your "negative self" will try to persuade you that nothing's changing and that you might as well give up. Don't be fooled by this, the power of the subconscious is real and it will provide you with whatever you really want, but only if you show to it your true belief in and desire for change.

Kenneth McRae has studied and written extensively on hypnosis, psychology and the subconscious, and has helped many friends and others deal with and resolve a wide range of problems and issues. For more about using self hypnosis to deal with phobias, lose weight, find the perfect relationship and much more visit www.self-hypnosis-the-key.com.