Mind Over Matter

By Dirk Sith

Without question, our preconceptions and attitudes color our experiences to the point that, if we’re not careful, they threaten to undermine everything we try to accomplish. It all goes back to cause and effect. What we have here is our conscious minds hijacking what would otherwise (without the negativity) be an opportunity to enjoy our surroundings. To revel in the comradeship of others and to bask in the glow and comfort of an environment that fills you with pleasant feelings and happiness.

The question, then, is this: What can we do about it? There may be many possible answers to that question, however, there’s one that I’m aware of and have had personal experience with. I can vouch for its effectiveness as I’ve used it with great success. What I’m referring to is Self Hypnosis.

In particular, I’m talking about the Betty Erikson Method of Self Hypnosis. So named for Elizabeth (Betty) Erickson, wife of the late psychiatrist Milton Erickson, M.D., one of the towering figures in modern hypnotherapy. This method works by removing the obstacles between you and whatever is preventing you (mentally) from doing what you need to do. Hypnotic procedures typically involve moving away from the environment around us and turning our attention inward. The Erickson technique accomplishes this by moving from actual environmental sights, sounds and feelings to imagined ones.

In fact, your conscious mind often gets in the way of change, saying things like “I can’t…” or “I don’t know how to….” The Erickson technique described below is designed to keep the conscious mind occupied so that it won’t interfere while your unconscious mind is doing the work you requested.

What follows is an explanation of the method and instructions for its use. I can tell you that this technique isn’t hard to master, but, it’s very effective. Give it a look:

BETTY ERICKSON’S SELF-HYPNOSIS TECHNIQUE

This technique involves focusing on things you see, hear and feel in order to keep your conscious mind occupied so that it doesn’t interfere with your unconscious mind as it works in the background to fulfill your goal for the hypnosis session. Before fully describing the underlying principles of this technique, I’m going to list the steps involved to show how simple it is:

Then say how you want to feel at the end of the session. I usually reinforce my goal by also including it in this sentence. “When I awake in 15 minutes, I will feel joyous, full of positive energy and extremely self-confident,” for example. Or you might want to feel deeply relaxed at the end if bedtime is approaching. I usually only include three goals for my posthypnotic state, because I want to keep my mind focused on my main mission, but you could try including more.

Here’s another example of how your statement of purpose might sound: “I’m entering a state of self-hypnosis for 20 minutes for the purpose of allowing my unconscious mind to assist me in becoming completely free of the need to smoke cigarettes. When I awake in 20 minutes, I will feel peaceful, committed to improving my health and completely free of the need to smoke cigarettes.”

Experiment with different goals for your sessions. You might need assistance in becoming free of a particular obsessive/compulsive habit. For weight control, you could become committed to eating appropriate amounts of healthy food every day (adjust the language to your needs or liking).

Try simply feeling joyous if you’re feeling down. Use the technique each morning with the intent of becoming extremely focused on working hard at your job today, and see how productive you become. As a professional writer, I always use it to become extremely focused on writing excellent stories on days when I have major assignments due, putting myself in the zone where all the right words speedily fall into place.

If I were using this technique to quit smoking or lose weight, I would employ it every day for reinforcement. Because so many people who quit smoking gain weight, you could consolidate goals into a single session: “I’m entering a state of self-hypnosis for 20 minutes for the purpose of allowing my unconscious mind to assist me in becoming completely free of the need to smoke cigarettes. When I awake in 20 minutes, I will feel balanced, committed to eating appropriate amounts of healthy food and completely free of the need to smoke cigarettes.”

Immediately after you’ve made your statement of process, you’re ready to begin the induction process.

As you stare, focus all of your attention on the object’s appearance and try to keep your mind as free of random thoughts as possible. Imagine any thoughts popping like bubbles if they float into your consciousness. (NOTE: It’s okay if you can’t completely still your mind of random thoughts. The process will still work. Just do the best you can.)

Now turn your attention to your auditory channel and notice, one by one, three things that you hear. You might notice the sound of a clock ticking, fan blowing, creak of a settling building, cars passing by outside, or birds chirping.

If it seems perfectly quiet in your particular environment, notice the sounds of your breathing and swallowing, or create a sound by gently tapping your foot or clicking your teeth. Focus all of your attention on each sound for a short while. If it was just a momentary noise, replay it in your head a few times.

Next shift your attention to your physical being, and notice three sensations that you feel. Again, go slowly from one to the next. Try to use sensations that normally are outside of your awareness, such as the weight of your eyeglasses or the skin sensations created by a watch, piece of jewelry, article of clothing, hair on your forehead or neck, the soles of your shoes, your lips touching, etc. Even focus on an itch if you feel one.

Repeat the process with two different objects, two different sounds and two different feelings.

Repeat the cycle once again using one different object, one different sound and one different feeling.

At this point, you’ve completed the “external” portion of the process. Now it’s time to begin the “internal” part by closing your eyes.

Imagine one small thing you see. Use whatever pops into your head (a leaf, diamond, toothbrush, etc.) and focus all of your attention on it for a short while.

Then imagine one thing you hear. It could be a part of a song or the sound of a lawnmower, whistle, running water, etc. Though this is technically the “internal” part of the process, feel free to use an actual environmental one if it comes to the forefront of your attention. It’s better to incorporate such a noise than be distracted by it.

Next, imagine one thing you feel. You could think of the feelings created by the sun on your nose, wet sand under your toes, a kiss on the lips, dental floss between your gums, a razor shaving your face or legs, etc. Try your best to focus all of your attention on these sensations as if they were actually happening. Again, if an actual physical sensation comes to your attention, feel free to use that.

Repeat the process with two different images, two different sounds, and two different feelings.

Repeat the cycle once again using three different images, three different sounds, and three different feelings.

Then you’re done. Open your eyes and go about your day. You’ll often find that your body’s internal clock works so well that you’re done exactly at the end of the allotted amount of time. But even if you’re a little over or under your desired period of self-hypnosis, it doesn’t matter.

Regular practice will yield better and better results!

As an exercise, it’s suggested that you give this technique a try. Apply it to help you overcome some problem that’s been plaguing you and holding you back. You may be amazed at what can be accomplished when you get control of your mind and become its Master! As a side note, this technique is also a great meditative method. While it’s obviously more, there’s nothing wrong with deriving all you can from any practice you pursue.

D.S.

All Rights Reserved © 2024

Disclaimer: The Knights of Sith makes no claims to material published under any names other than Kronos. This website is simply a collection of materials from across the internet and from many different sources and authors for education purposes. All sources for material will be listed and/or linked and all credit will be given at all times applicable.