Introduction. About This Book.
Conventions Used in This Book.
Foolish Assumptions.
Why You Need This Book.
How This Book is Organized.
Icons Used in This Book.
Where to Go from Here.
PART I IDENTIFYING YOUR NEEDS AND PREPARING THE WAY.
Chapter 1 What Is Self-Hypnosis?
Understanding Self-Hypnosis.
Seeing How Self-Hypnosis Works.
Reassuring Yourself about Safety.
Chapter 2 Getting Your Mind and Body Working Together.
Exploring the Mind–Body Conundrum.
Approaching the Holistic vs. Medical Debate.
Helping the Mind to Heal the Body.
Experiencing Visualization.
Chapter 3 Using Self-Hypnosis to Achieve Your Goals.
Clarifying Your Goals.
Waving a Magic Wand to Manage the Magic of Goal Setting.
Achieving Your Goals.
Putting Everything Together.
Maintaining Your Goals After You Achieve Them.
Chapter 4 Resisting Resistance and Avoiding Relapse.
Understanding How You Block Your Own Needs.
Countering Your Inner Critic.
Using Your Critic to Achieve Success.
PART II TRAINING YOUR MIND WITH SELF-HYPNOSIS.
Chapter 5 Entering a Hypnotic Trance with Traditional Self-Hypnosis.
Looking at Traditional Self-Hypnosis Techniques.
Investigating Different Ways to Induce a Trance.
Chapter 6 Working with Words Becoming Your Own Recording Star.
Scripting Your Success.
Speaking ‘Hypnotese’.
Using Your Voice to Best Effect.
Recording Your Scripts Electronically.
Chapter 7 Consciously Directing Your Unconscious.
Understanding Your Nervous System.
Looking at the Importance of Breathing.
Conceptualizing Your Unconscious Thermostat.
Chapter 8 Using Unconscious Self-Hypnosis.
Introducing Unconscious Self-Hypnosis.
Understanding Amnesia.
Turning on Unconscious Self-Hypnosis.
Using Anchors to Secure Positive Thoughts.
PART III IMPROVING YOUR OUTLOOK WITH SELF-HYPNOSIS.
Chapter 9 Putting Paid to Panic, Anxiety, Phobias and Fear.
Foiling the Fear Factor.
Reducing Anxiety.
Overcoming Your Fears and Phobias.
Chapter 10 Signing Up to Self-Esteem.
Developing Greater Self-Love.
Coping with Your Worst-Nightmare Situations.
Resolving Conflict with Self-Hypnosis.
Chapter 11 Minimizing Pain.
How Hypnosis Can Control Pain.
Safety First!
Understanding Your Plan.
Looking at Different Types of Pain.
Seeing that Pain’s Subjective.
Strategizing Your Way to Pain Management.
Chapter 12 Ironing Out Anger.
Calmly Understanding Your Anger.
Defining Your Anger Triggers by Keeping a Diary.
Being Assertive with Your Anger.
Chapter 13 Overcoming Insomnia.
Investigating Insomnia and Sleep Disorders.
Sussing Out Your Somnolent Solution.
Practicing Practical Sleep Strategies.
PART IV OVERCOMING PROBLEMS WITH SELF-HYPNOSIS.
Chapter 14 Quitting Smoking.
Understanding Your Smoking Habits.
Preparing to Quit.
Using Self-Hypnosis to Stop Smoking.
Chapter 15 Keeping a Handle on Your Drinking.
Understanding Your Emotional Need to Drink.
Discovering Your Drinking Patterns.
Using Self-Hypnosis to Reduce Your Drinking.
Chapter 16 Controlling Your Eating Habits.
Chewing Away at Why You Eat.
Digesting Diets.
Changing Your Mind to Change How You Eat.
Chapter 17 Fostering Good Relationships.
Turning ‘Me-Me-Me’ Into ‘Us-Us-Us’.
Changing Yourself to Change Others.
Confidently Attracting a New Partner.
PART V THE PART OF TENS.
Chapter 18 Ten Creative Ways to Enter Trance.
Boring Yourself into Trance.
Confusing Yourself.
Reading a Novel About Your Life.
Staring into Space.
Using Your Own Resistance.
Time Machine Part One: Imagining the Future You Stopping By for a Chat.
Time Machine Part Two: Imagining the You-Before-You-Had-the-Problem.
Tuning into Your Favorite Television Channel.
Using Your Senses to Deepen Self-Hypnosis.
Levitating Yourself into Trance.
Chapter 19 Ten Ways to Know You’re in Trance.
Your Breathing Slows.
Your Experience of Passing Time Changes.
Your Eyes Move Beneath Your Eyelids.
Your Feel Pleasantly Lethargic.
Your Heart Rate Slows Down.
Your Mind Drifts and Wanders.
Your Mind Goes Blank.
Your Muscles Feel Heavy.
Your Muscles Twitch.
Your Think You’ve Fallen Asleep.
Chapter 20 Ten (or so) Reasons to Seek Professional Help before Trying Self-Hypnosis.
Anxiety and Panic Attacks.
Confidence Problems.
Depression.
Eating Problems and Weight Loss.
Infertility.
Insomnia.
Phobias.
Physical Pain or Discomfort.
Problem Drinking.
Sexual Problems.
Smoking.
Appendix A Self-Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy Resources.
Hypnotherapy Organizations.
Useful Script Books.
Customer Care.
Index.
