I appreciate that when you discover hypnosis and the vast array of possibilities and potential that it offers it can become very easy to get caught up in all the excitement and opportunities. You have this whole new world of experiences just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed, so what are you waiting for, right? You want to jump right in the deep end and start having fun. Why wait? Why hold back? Dive in!
Except…it’s not always that simple, unfortunately. As with anything, there will always be some people who take to hypnosis like a duck to water and have zero issues attempting anything they want. Such people though are very rare. The vast majority of people will struggle if they attempt too much, too fast. Now – it doesn’t mean that they’re not capable. It simply means they’re trying to run before they can walk. In other words, taking your time, learning appropriately and accepting as exciting as this experience is, it still takes time to understand – this approach will be much more productive.
I know what I’m suggesting doesn’t sound as exciting as the idea of diving head first into your hypnotic journey and magically being able to immediately achieve everything with zero training or experience, but hear me out:
If you wanted to learn a new skill – say to play the piano – you couldn’t just sit down at the piano with no experience and play a piece of music, could you? It doesn’t mean that you’re not capable of playing a piece of music, only that you presently lack experience. With practice and training, however, your abilities will develop and you’ll find yourself able to play more and more complex pieces. The same basic premise applies with hypnosis. In order to best set yourself up for success, you have to accept that you’ll get out of this experience what you put in. The more you value it, the more you apply yourself through research, experimentation and practice, the more you will get out of it.
Once you recognise that you can achieve incredible things, but that like anything worth having it takes an investment of time and energy, you’re well on the way to setting yourself up for success with hypnosis.
I don’t mean to imply that achieving trance is hard/difficult. It isn’t and shouldn’t be. But to really make the most of it, it requires focus and commitment to learning, practicing and implementing strategies to best help you achieve all that you desire.
I’ve shared below some simple strategies you can use to give yourself the best possible chance of being able to make the most out of your hypnotic journey. The list isn’t exhaustive and isn’t intended to be. What it is meant to do is give you a springboard to launch from. To offer some guidance to help you set off on the right track and enjoy the best possible odds of success. After all, hypnosis is an amazing journey – enjoy it!
- Take some time to think about what it is you want to achieve. If you have some concrete ideas, write them down. If you’re not sure yet, that’s perfectly okay. Have a broader think about how you want to feel and what you’re curious about. Brainstorm. It doesn’t have to be specific or exact – just get a feel for what’s drawn you to hypnosis and made you curious/want to indulge.
- Research. Lots and lots of research. I know this sounds boring, but it’s an investment. I promise you, it’s worth the time it takes and will enhance your hypnosis experience. Research different hypnotists carefully – we all have different styles and specialties. This is why I suggested beginning by figuring out what your interests and goals are – because doing this will help you focus in on hypnotists who are more likely to be suitable.
- Don’t panic if things don’t play out the way you imagined. I personally see a lot of clients who, despite never having achieved hypnosis have a strong idea in their head of how things “should” be. The reason why they’ve struggled? When reality doesn’t match their idea of what hypnosis “should” be like, they’ve ignored the reality in favour of their expectations and this has caused issues. The solution? Go into hypnosis with an open mind. Things may not play out the way you anticipated, but that’s not a problem at all. Being willing and able to adjust your expectations in view of the reality of your experience will help you to achieve trance much faster.
I hope you find this blog post useful. Please feel free to stay a while and explore all of the resources I have available on my blog and my site in general.
