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To cope with stress and feel grounded, there are asana practices, meditation, pranayama, and now hypnosis. Your image of hypnosis may consist of dramatic stage hypnotists and CDs that help you quit smoking, but a new innovative hypnotherapy is something entirely different. Instead, imagine having an app, a meditation pillow, and a soothing aromatherapy candle on your living room floor. Hypnosis has become DIY.
A new study conducted by researchers at Baylor University found that this combination of mindfulness and hypnotherapy may be successful in reducing stress and anxiety. This treatment, known as “mindful hypnotherapy,” integrates hypnosis with mindful therapy practices such as mantra repetition, awareness of personal values, and sensation tracking.
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According to Dr. Gary Elkins, director of the Baylor University Institute for Mind-Body Medicine, participants were introduced to the concept of hypnosis and received suggestions for deepening relaxation, focusing their attention, and imagining nature-based images throughout the session. That’s what it means. According to Elkins, hypnosis practitioners first focus their attention on an external, external source of information (such as an object) and then shift that attention inward. By shifting this attention inward, he said, practitioners increase their ability to experience images of different emotions and sensations.
The study was conducted over an eight-week period and randomly assigned 42 college students who self-reported stress to two different groups. One group attended weekly one-hour sessions consisting of hypnotic induction and mindfulness practices. Participants in this group were also given a 25-minute self-hypnosis audio recording, which they were encouraged to listen to at least once a day. Transcriptions of these recordings are published in Elkins’ book. Mindful hypnotherapy: Fundamentals of clinical practice. The second group did not participate in the intervention.
Those who participated in the intervention rated their satisfaction with the treatment as 8.9 out of 10 and reported significantly reduced stress and anxiety and increased mindfulness. People in the control group reported no significant difference in stress levels at the end of the study.
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“This success may be due to increased receptivity to positive ideas, increased mindfulness, and emotional relaxation during hypnosis,” Elkins said. “Integrating hypnosis and mindfulness may reduce stress and anxiety in a shorter amount of time and to a greater degree than either method alone.”
According to the American Psychological Association, more than 200 studies have cited mindfulness interventions as an effective treatment for stress, anxiety, and depression. Researchers point out that mindfulness is an effective tool for improving the body’s response to stress because it can alter stress pathways in the brain.
Past research has identified both hypnosis and mindfulness as powerful stress reduction tools.His 2019 article published in palliative care Hypnosis is classified as a meditative state that allows the practitioner to calm and relax the mind. Other studies have also shown that hypnotic induction can reduce both emotional and physical pain.
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Those interested in practicing mindful hypnotherapy at home can download free self-hypnosis audio recordings to incorporate into their mindfulness practice. Additionally, some cities in the United States have in-person mindful hypnotherapy coaches who can guide you through the intervention.
How to practice mindful hypnotherapy
Mark Stevens, hypnotherapist, meditation expert, and founder of the Mindfree app, says that by combining mindfulness and hypnotherapy, practitioners can achieve a deeper state of relaxation than typical hypnotherapy practices. He said that it is possible to reach. Conversely, hypnosis advances the practice of mindfulness to a new level by allowing practitioners to focus on the obstacles they want to overcome or the specific results they want to achieve, Stevens said.
For those interested in participating in mindful hypnotherapy at home, Stevens recommends the following practices.
step 1 – Find a quiet place to sit or lie down without being disturbed for 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 2 – Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you without labeling them. Notice how you feel without adding stories or judging your thoughts and feelings.
Step 3 – Feel the breath moving in and out of your body. Do not force your breath. Just watch, feel, and listen as your breath moves in and out of your body naturally with its own rhythm. Focus on your breathing.
Step 4 – Add affirmations. As you breathe in, silently repeat the word “peace” in your mind, and as you breathe out, think of the idea of ”release.” Feel peace flowing in with each breath, and with each breath, your body relaxes and releases tension. Continue thinking about peace and release for several breaths.
Step 5 – When you feel yourself slipping into deep relaxation, use the power of your imagination to mentally rehearse overcoming challenges and achieving goals, seeing and feeling yourself making positive changes in your life. please. When you feel stress and anxiety flowing out of your body, it may be helpful to imagine yourself in a beautiful natural environment, such as a beach, a rainforest, or a mountaintop.
Powerful affirmations become even stronger when you are in a hypnotic state. “I feel at peace, I am at peace,” “My body is healing,” “I am strong,” “I am in control,” “It’s up to me to be.” Consider including affirmations such as: “I am open and honest” “I deserve to be happy” “I am worthy” “I am grateful” “I am enough” “I am a survivor”
Step 6 – Once your mindful self-hypnosis session is complete, bring your awareness back to your space by taking a few deep breaths or counting slowly from 1 to 5 as you feel the energy re-enter your body.
