Chapter 1

Freedom Begins in the Mind

An Invitation

You have the ability to transform your life. To wake up feeling proud of yourself and eager to start another beautiful day. You have the capacity to feel joy and excitement rather than anxiety and dread. To achieve this, though, you likely need a breakthrough. A breakthrough is exactly what this book promises should you choose to commit to it. In fact, from the moment you truly commit to reading this book, you’ll begin to experience a shift right away. This is what I want for you! If you’re ready to commit, to read all the way until the end, to practice the exercises I’ll be teaching you, then you are ready for your personal breakthrough. Let’s get started!

Freedom Begins in the Mind

Freedom begins in the mind. How does that statement make you feel? This statement may cause shivers of “knowingness” to run down your arms and back. It may anger you, you may feel as if your forehead is expanding, or it may elicit no tangible response at all. Take a nice, deep, letting-go breath, and read it again slowly: Freedom begins in the mind. Really notice how you feel. Your response to this statement is your jumping-off point for the rest of this book. Feel free to make note of it, and then let it go. You’re already off to a great start!

When I say that freedom begins in the mind, I don’t mean the mind we’re used to hearing ramble on incessantly about everything under the sun. Freedom begins in a place very few people know how to access. A place that is mostly silent, hidden. A place where both our greatest strengths and weaknesses are stored like little seeds, side by side, sometimes showing themselves to us when their branches break through the soil into our conscious awareness. But sometimes, they stay buried forever in a state of potential.

The truth is: Freedom begins in the subconscious mind.

Before we dive into how you can access your own subconscious mind, allow me to introduce you to a man named Alexandre who taught me the true power of what you’re about to learn. His experience showed me firsthand just how much freedom begins in the mind. His story forever changed the course of my life, and my hope is that it will do the same for you.

Alexandre

They said he was the strongest, the smartest, the toughest. Every military exam, even the ones where he didn’t sleep or eat for days, the heat of the jungle pounding down, dangerous predators around every corner, he didn’t just pass them; he came in first. He was defined by his physical strength and his willpower. He rose through the ranks of the naval officers just as his father had done and was on the fast track to the top. He was a warrior.

When he was invited to represent his country, Brazil, as a member of the United Nations peacekeeping force, it was a tremendous honor. He packed up his entire life; his wife, an accomplished public defender in Brasília; and her sweet, fragile grandmother. They went with him to New York City, neither one knowing a word of English, their belief in him strong enough to carry them through the difficulties of life in a new world.

One morning, after months of working with the best minds in war strategy, the call came. He was being sent to Syria for an indefinite amount of time. His wife and her grandmother flew home to Brasília, and he packed for the assignment he had been preparing for his entire life. From the moment the chopper landed in one of Syria’s most dangerous cities, Damascus, the attacks never stopped. His liaisons were murdered, his strategies were compromised by spies, and his convoy was fired upon. He had been stationed in the most dangerous favelas in Brazil, and he had led guerrilla teams in Haiti, but nothing had prepared him for Syria.

One afternoon, as he attempted to cross a section of desert from one camp to another, he was trapped. Bullets tore past his team as they attempted to press themselves to the floor of their heavily armored vehicle. He watched as a rebel propped up a bazooka headed straight for his window. His entire life flashed before his eyes right before everything went black.

The bazooka never fired. It wasn’t the end of Alexandre’s life, but it was the end of life as he knew it. He awoke ten days later in Lebanon. He would come to learn that he had been airlifted there after suffering a massive stroke during the attack on the convoy. As the doctors were explaining to him where he was, he had the strangest sensation. Alexandre realized, “I’m not moving… I’m not moving.” A look of panic came across his face. The doctor took a deep breath and said, “I’m so sorry; the left side of your body has been paralyzed.”

He hadn’t moved his left side for ten days, the entire time he had been in the coma, and he wasn’t moving now. He couldn’t stretch his leg, he couldn’t lift his arm, and he couldn’t even twitch a finger. Nothing. Alexandre felt a panic like he had never felt before. Trapped. Angry. He would use his right arm to lift up his left to shake it, to remind it how to work. Still nothing.

He realized then that the fear of losing his life was nothing compared to the terror of losing his identity. He didn’t know himself. He didn’t know his body. For the first time in his life, he felt completely powerless.

A few days later, Alexandre was flown to the Rusk Institute in New York City. His life completely changed. Prior to the stroke, he had always believed in personal empowerment through pain and endurance, not mental strength. But suddenly, mental strength was all Alexandre had. There were moments of pure determination and struggle. He’d threaten his body in an attempt to scare it into movement. He’d tell himself, “You can do anything! You’re a warrior! You can do this!” and he’d believe it. Then, when nothing happened for another hour, another day, another week, or another month, he’d plummet back into irreconcilable despair.

During one of these moments, Alexandre’s middle son, Bernardo, called him. Bernardo had recently begun dating a woman who worked in corporate America but who had also just completed a hypnotherapy certification. He wondered whether she could come by and conduct a session that might improve his mood a little. Alexandre was so desperate that he would try anything but, truth be told, he was a complete skeptic. Prior to his stroke, he thought anyone who meditated was weak. He made fun of vegetarians. He wasn’t at all progressive in his views on medicine or holistic healing. For Alexandre to agree to a hypnotherapy session was proof to everyone who knew him and loved him that he was at his wits’ end.

When Bernardo’s girlfriend arrived, Alexandre could barely muster a smile as he lay there in the hospital bed. Alexandre looked at his wife who was giving the girlfriend a hello hug, and said, “She looks nervous” in Portuguese, which they knew she didn’t understand. In just a moment, she confirmed their suspicions, saying she was a brand-new hypnotherapist, not even full-time, but that she had already had some great success with other clients. It’s just that this was a very official setting, white coats all around, fluorescent lighting, and nurses coming in and out. Alexandre told her they had needed to gain clearance from his doctors for her visit, which they had done, and that the medical team had given their consent. This seemed to put her at ease, so she said, “Great. We’re just going to focus on improving your mind-set and increasing positivity, nothing too intense or going back to the memories of the war or anything like that.” That was just fine with Alexandre.

The hypnotherapist sat down in a chair next to Alexandre’s hospital bed on the left-hand side and asked him to close his eyes. She began by having him focus on his breath, and then relaxing every muscle in his body from his head down to his toes. She spoke in a soothing voice, and after some time, counted backward. Then, she made a number of nice statements about his positive mind-set and outlook, but Alexandre flinched. It was clear that he didn’t feel positive at all. The hypnotherapist wasn’t sure this was working.

At that moment she took a deep breath, and the tone of her voice changed. She became more direct and said, “All right now, Alexandre, bring all of your focus, awareness, and attention to your brain. See it like an aerial view of a city at night. Notice where there is electricity, and notice where there is a blackout. Let me know once you see the blackout.” He did.

“Good,” she continued. “Now, dive into the center of the blackout. Let me know when you’re there.” He did.

“Good,” she said. “When I count down from three to one and snap my fingers, there’s going to be a spark of electricity right where you are in the center of that blackout—three, go even deeper now; two, trusting what comes; and one—” she snapped loudly, and he felt it. Alexandre really felt a spark in the darkness.

“Good. Now, imagine that golden spark, that golden ball of electricity traveling down the left-hand side of your face, down your shoulder, down your arm, through your hand, and all the way out your finge…” She hadn’t even finished saying the word before Alexandre’s finger, which had been paralyzed for two months at this point, moved. His finger moved! He felt the electricity go through it. He felt the sensation as if there was life in his left side. It actually scared him at first, like a loud “Surprise!!!” when you walk through the door to your own secret birthday party with dozens of your loved ones yelling. It was like that—a fleeting moment of shock and terror, followed by an ocean of overwhelming joy and gratitude. He opened his eyes and said frantically, “I’m moving!! My finger is moving!! What do I do now?!” The hypnotherapist looked at him with her mouth wide open and tears in her eyes. “Keep moving your finger!” she exclaimed.

They laughed, and he did. He kept moving his hand, which expanded during that session into being able to move multiple fingers, as well as his wrist.

It has been four years since that day, and a great many wonderful things have happened. The hypnotherapist became his daughter-in-law, his fourth son was born, he was given a prestigious award for his service in Syria, and Alexandre is now a navy captain. He’s breaking a paradigm in the navy that physical strength is not the only asset they look for now in leadership. His left arm doesn’t have perfect range of motion yet, but he can lift it and move it on his own. Alexandre swims daily, and has been walking without a cane for years. In short, his life is beautiful.

In general, Alexandre is now more open-minded and gentler with himself and others. Most important, though, he practices self-hypnosis every morning and night. Let’s be clear: Hypnotherapy did not heal Alexandre completely in an instant. It took time, patience, the care of the world’s best doctors and nurses, thousands of hours of physical therapy, and other important recovery tools. It was hypnotherapy, though, that broke through the dense, formless wall of paralysis. It shattered the bleak lens through which Alexandre was viewing his life, and it turned on the lights. In fact, hypnosis turned the lights on so brightly that all of Alexandre’s hope, all of his “I can do it” mentality, came back to him with a flash. To varying degrees, it has stayed with him ever since.

That hypnosis session taught Alexandre how to access his subconscious, and in doing so, he was set free mentally, physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. Alexandre will always be grateful for this experience. It taught him the fundamental principle by which he now lives—freedom begins in the mind.

I am the hypnotherapist in this story, which brings tears to my eyes every time I tell it. Alexandre is now my father-in-law, and he shared this story with our families when I married his son, the love of my life, Bernardo.

Alexandre’s experience with hypnosis is why I quit my fancy job in corporate America and became a full-time hypnotherapist, much to the dismay and bewilderment of everyone who loved me. “You’re quitting your job to become a WHAT?!” But the doubts, fears, and widespread misunderstandings about this valuable tool couldn’t keep me away after that day at the Rusk Institute. In fact, the moment Alexandre moved his finger, my entire life changed. I’ve been obsessed with making hypnosis mainstream ever since.

I’ll tell you more about me and my journey in Chapter 10, but for now, let’s talk about you. There’s just one thing I hope you’ll take from Alexandre’s story: His triumph can be your triumph.

Let me be clear that one session of hypnosis did not cure his paralysis. It allowed him to move three fingers and his wrist, which had not moved of his own volition, at all, for two months. If Alexandre could break through his paralysis by accessing his subconscious mind directly, and he did, then imagine what the same tool could do for all of the challenges you face. You don’t need to be a top official on your way to active duty to reap the benefits of hypnosis. My clients range from those with the intensity and gravity of Alexandre’s story to those who are generally happy, such as a sixteen-year-old who wants to improve an SAT score, or a moderately stressed-out mom who wants to overcome her insomnia. What this book will show you is that hypnosis is for everyone, and it is absolutely for you.

What does the power of hypnosis teach us? Freedom begins in the subconscious mind. Nothing external changed for Alexandre the day he broke through his paralysis. He wasn’t given a pill, a shot of some new drug, money, a new house, a new spouse, or a new college degree. It was a shift in his mind-set and his subconscious programming.

The subconscious mind is where the following reside:

• Your beliefs

• Your emotions

• Your habits

• Your values

• Your protective reactions

• Your imagination

• Your intuition

Let’s call these subconscious inhabitants “the blueprint of your personality and functionality.”

For most of human history, we have attempted to transform, enhance, or delete certain aspects of the blueprint by looking in all the wrong places. Willpower, logical thinking, and critical thinking are the domain of the conscious mind. The conscious mind and subconscious mind have essentially a one-way radio for communication. The subconscious influences the conscious all day long, but hardly ever the other way around—not without tremendous effort and thousands upon thousands of repetitions. Until we learn how to access the subconscious directly, lasting changes to the blueprint cannot be made quickly or easily.

In this book, you’re going to learn just that—how to access your subconscious mind directly so that you can improve, enhance, and delete the areas of your blueprint that you desire to transform. In this book we’ll use the terms subconscious and unconscious interchangeably.

By studying the subconscious mind, you will learn that all our potential, all our power, and all our peace already live within us. Yet how often do we seek external people, places, and things to define who we are and how we should feel? All too often, we give our power away, asking others to fix, improve upon, and take responsibility for our potential greatness, simply because we fail to see just how much we’re capable of accomplishing on our own.

Our thinking can ruin a perfectly beautiful day, or it can brighten a miserable one. Someone on a massive yacht sipping champagne as the sky lights on fire just as the sun dips below the horizon can be standing next to the person mopping the deck. Which one of them is happy? Which one of them is in awe of those magnificent colors? The answer is whichever one chooses to be—the one who has trained her or his subconscious mind to think, feel, and react that way! If her thoughts are about her bitter divorce or her ungrateful boss, it won’t be a glorious moment. Even if a shooting star crosses the sky, it will still be a horrible night. The external world has zero impact on how we experience life; it’s all from the inside out.

The story of how Alexandre overcame his darkest hour by using the exact #CloseYourEyesGetFree process you’ll learn here in this book will prove to you, I hope, just how powerful you are and just how much you can control the subconscious beliefs that shape your life. Remember, this is not as simple as “Think happy thoughts, and the entire world will transform into sunshine and rainbows.” I’m not saying that, and no true self-help expert is saying that. Self-hypnosis doesn’t directly change the outside world. As you use this tool, you won’t stop wars halfway across the world or prevent the next flood that destroys thousands of lives. You won’t stop your husband from having another cigarette, unless he desires to quit and uses these tools, too.

In fact, hypnosis doesn’t give you control over anything you’ve never had control over. It simply gives you a way of accessing what you’ve always had control over and never took the time to access or train. We’ve been asking the outside world to affirm, enhance, and love us while never taking responsibility for our internal programming. This is not your fault, but now that you know about it, it’s your responsibility. You’ve always had the ability to access your subconscious mind, to take responsibility for your emotions, actions, and beliefs, but no one ever taught you how to do it. This book will!

Throughout these pages, you’ll discover stories from clients of mine who will inspire you to do as they have done, to close your eyes and get free. You will discover the processes that helped my clients who struggled with yo-yo dieting for years but who, with hypnosis, finally lost the weight, kept it off, and transformed their lives. Furthermore, as is so often the case with rapid weight loss, no new bad habits popped up in the wake of the old binge eating because hypnosis healed the underlying reason for the food addiction. In other words, instead of treating the symptom—and binge eating is a symptom of a deeper issue—hypnosis treats the source of the problem. There are no Band-Aids here, only true, lasting transformation from the inside out.

You’ll learn about an executive who used these same tools to overcome a fear of flying and then watched as her career flourished. You’ll read about people from all walks of life who eliminated fears and phobias, stopped chronic procrastination, and, in general, found greater happiness and peace in their life.

I learned the power of this tool when I used it to quit smoking and overcame my fear of speaking and singing in public. This led to a stint as the lead singer in an all-girl rock band. I wasn’t Joan Jett by a long shot, but playing the grungy Lower East Side New York City bars where I’d been a patron for years was one badass experience. I can’t believe I almost lived without it all because of a subconscious belief I could have overcome years earlier, had I simply known how.

Now, if you’re still a little skeptical, I understand. I used to believe hypnosis was a joke. In fact, other than laughing during a high school stage show that was meant to keep us off the road after prom, I never gave hypnosis a second thought until my first hypnotherapy session nearly ten years later. Hollywood has always portrayed hypnosis as mind control or as a way to make someone cluck like a chicken. We’ll go over these kinds of misconceptions in greater detail later, but let me clear up these two: (1) If hypnotherapy were mind control, all hypnotists would be billionaires; and (2) everyone in the hypnosis stage show volunteered.

Put simply, no one does anything in hypnotherapy that he or she doesn’t want to do. When I’m asked, “But does it really work?” I’m tempted to say, “No! Not at all! I’ve spent all these years teaching it to thousands of people because it’s absolutely worthless and a complete waste of our time!” But then, I take a deep breath and smile at how glad I am that I trained my subconscious not to be a jerk (LOL). For the most part, I remember how I felt before my first hypnotherapy session, how my point of reference once came from movies and stage shows, too, and how the lack of understanding about the power of hypnotherapy is due to a lack of education. I put the snark away (mostly) and have taken it upon myself to educate.

Luckily, since the time I embarked on this adventure, the general feeling toward hypnotherapy has already rapidly improved. Hypnosis is more accepted and embraced with exciting new research proving its transformative value all over the world. People, in general, are more open to how enormously powerful our mind truly is.

I stopped believing hypnotherapy was a joke because it not only transformed my life, it transformed countless other lives right in front of my eyes. I knew that if everyone could see the results I’ve seen, those old misguided stigmas would melt away. Luckily, in just a few more pages, you’ll be able to understand exactly what I mean as hypnosis begins to transform your life.

How to Use This Book

This book was written in such a way that it puts you into a gentle hypnotic state and, therefore, will be infinitely more transformative than your typical read. There are sections that are pure information, which will make the conscious, logical mind happy, and there are sections that are intended primarily for your subconscious mind. One of the best ways to access the subconscious is through the awakening of the imagination. In fact, one of the founders of modern day hypnotherapy, Milton Erickson, used long, elaborate, often intentionally boring stories to transform the subconscious mind of his clients.

I have opted to use shorter and, hopefully, more exciting stories to do the same at the start of each chapter. This chapter’s story was Alexandre’s triumph. Whether you were consciously aware of it or not, simply by reading his story, your subconscious has begun to believe that you, too, are capable of such a profound breakthrough in your life. Although Alexandre’s story was a true biography of his experience, all future stories you will read in this book are not entirely biographical; they are a composite of both real-life client stories I was given permission to share, combined with archetypal metaphors to make them even more juicy for your subconscious mind to absorb.

Now I know not everyone is into stories—some people love them and can’t get enough, whereas others think they’re all just a bunch of fluff—but wherever you land on the scale, please give them a shot before jumping ahead. Even though this is a nonfiction book, give yourself permission to immerse yourself inside each of the stories. Allow yourself to find a piece of yourself in each of the characters. I promise you, these hypnotic stories will help you to internalize all you will learn from this book ten times more than just the self-hypnosis scripts themselves. This is because the stories are actually a hypnotic technique! In short, if I didn’t know they would help you transform, they wouldn’t be here.

At the end of each chapter is a basic self-hypnosis script that even a beginner can master. This is a wonderful way to begin your practice of accessing the subconscious mind; however, as your eyes will be open, it will be a lighter experience and more conditioning will be beneficial. For an even deeper experience that will yield even faster results, I have created a professional recording of an elongated version of each chapter’s self-hypnosis script that you can listen to anytime, anywhere (so long as you’re not driving). Simply visit www.CloseYourEyesGetFree.com to access the hypnosis recording for each chapter (see here to learn how to begin), and get ready to relax perhaps deeper than ever before. In a few pages, I’ll give you examples so you know what to expect!

By reading this book and listening to the corresponding recordings, you will transform your subconscious programming. The scripts at the end of each chapter focus on areas that everyone can benefit from improving, such as letting go of limiting beliefs, turning down the volume on fears and turning up the volume on courage, trading negative thoughts for positive ones, increasing self-love, and more. If you’re not sure which recordings you’d like to listen to first, I recommend going in order from Chapter 1 to Chapter 11. If you’re not sure whether you should stick to just reading scripts or just listening to the recordings, I’d recommend both if you have the time, or just listening to the recording if you’re short on time. After carefully choosing these topics from the thousands of sessions I’ve conducted over the years, I believe you’ll find that they’re all just what you need and are worthy of your time.

I can’t tell you how excited I am for you! Your best self awaits you at the end of this book. After a few hundred pages and about a dozen recordings, you’ll emerge as a brighter, stronger, happier you. Let’s begin!

Self-Hypnosis

As we continue, I’ll sometimes refer to what you’re experiencing as hypnosis, hypnotherapy, or self-hypnosis. Generally, I’ve found that people think of hypnosis as the stage shows in Vegas, of hypnotherapy as a client on a couch inside the hypnotherapist’s dimly lit office, and of self-hypnosis as a recording used on your own. But technically, they’re all the same.

This is because all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. All of the transformation you experience as a result of a session is because of what you have done. The power always lies within you.

Let’s take positive self-talk as an example. I’m not there with you in the room, giving you rewards when you think nice thoughts about yourself. I’m not there shaking you or depriving you of rewards when you think bad thoughts about yourself. I’m not physically training you. I’m not really doing anything with you at all, am I? Yet you’ll find as you continue reading that very quickly your internal dialogue improves, that you’re kinder to yourself and, therefore kinder to everyone else, in addition to many other benefits. Who makes this shift? I’m sitting in California writing this in 2016, and you won’t read it until nearly a year later in 2017. Can I take credit for how kind you are to yourself now? A year later? I’m not even there! Yet, tomorrow or even later today, you’ll find that you’re already seeing results.

All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. You experience the transformation because you want it, you seek it out, you spend the time reading this book, you listen to the recordings, and you practiced what you’ve learned. That having been said, for the purpose of clarity, we’ll mainly be referring to private hypnosis sessions as “hypnotherapy,” hypnosis recordings as “hypnosis,” and to the processes provided at the end of each chapter as “self-hypnosis,” even though they are all truly self-hypnosis. My team and I often receive e-mails from prospective clients, asking questions such as, “Is a private hypnotherapy session, a hypnosis recording, or self-hypnosis more effective?” or “When should I use each tool and how often?” To help answer these common questions, I’ve created a simple chart to help clarify which form of hypnosis to use and when.

Private hypnotherapy session

Cost: $$$

Speed of efficacy: Fastest

Requirements for use: Requires a hypnotherapist and a quiet location where it is safe to close eyes for duration of the session

Time commitment per session: Approx. 1 hour (Specific types of sessions may be longer.)

Avg. # of sessions/repetitions needed: 6 sessions per topic

Hypnosis recording

Cost: $

Speed of efficacy: Moderately fast

Requirements for use: Requires an audio player and location where it is safe to close eyes for length of recording

Time commitment per session: Varies; 10–60 minutes

Avg. # of sessions/repetitions needed: 21 days of the same recording

Self-hypnosis

Cost: Free

Speed of efficacy: Slowest—requires most repetition

Requirements for use: Can be done anytime, anywhere, except while driving

Time commitment per session: Approx. 1–5 minutes

Avg. # of sessions/repetitions needed: 90 days of the same hypno-affirmations

Before we dive into our first hypnosis script and recording, there are a few important things to remember:

Hypnosis is a natural state. We all move in and out of the hypnotic state all day long. Everyone can be hypnotized. Hypnosis is more similar to daydreaming than it is to sleep. Some people can enter into hypnosis more quickly than others, and everyone can improve his or her ability to reach the hypnotic state through practice. A lot of people think they can’t be hypnotized, but they can.

I don’t care if you have a “steel trap door for a mind” or are “type A” or are “hyperanalytical”; you can be hypnotized. Sure, Michael Phelps was destined to be the best swimmer of all time with his perfect swimmer body proportions, but if you swam for eight hours a day and trained as he did for decades, you’d be an awesome swimmer, too. Phelps would still probably leave you in the proverbial dust, but you’d leave most everybody else in the dust.

If you tried hypnosis once, and it didn’t seem to “work,” that doesn’t mean you can’t be hypnotized. If you tried to just swim once, and it didn’t work out well, you could still learn to swim, right?

So, get ready to jump back into the pool and learn a new practice technique in just two more short paragraphs.

Hypnosis is simply meditation with a goal: If you’ve ever meditated, or attempted to meditate, you know that while you may physically and mentally relax during the practice, you are still very much aware of your surroundings and, especially early on in your practice, you are likely to have thoughts running through your mind. Well, hypnosis feels just like meditation: a gentle, deeply relaxed state where you are still very much aware of your surroundings, where you are in control, and where thoughts may continue to float through your mind during the practice. It’s very important to understand that if you continue to think thoughts during hypnosis, you are still “doing it correctly,” just as you would be with meditation. If you’re a bit intimidated or wondering how the use of hypnosis will affect your life, simply think of hypnosis as meditation with a goal and let all of the silly, sensationalized Hollywood portrayals of this gentle, safe tool melt away. Bottom line is, if you find yourself “thinking thoughts” during your hypnosis practice, you’re still doing it right.

For obvious reasons, never listen to hypnosis recordings while driving, operating machinery, or doing anything you wouldn’t normally do while deeply relaxed. I recommend listening to these recordings in a safe place, which means a comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed.

Even though all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, reading a self-hypnosis script out loud doesn’t make you a certified hypnotherapist. Please don’t read these scripts out loud to anyone ever, unless you have received training and certification first (from an accredited hypnotherapy school; or see here for more information on the certification I offer). Hypnotherapists, hypnotists, and HypnoCoaches¹ are trained professionals who are certified to work with clients. The scripts and recordings I have provided in this book and at www.CloseYourEyesGetFree.com are safe for you to listen to in a safe place. It isn’t okay for you or anyone else to read them out loud to another person. You wouldn’t stitch up your friend’s cut instead of taking him to the ER or prescribe medication to a colleague, so please don’t practice hypnosis with anyone “for fun.” Abreactions (which are the release of repressed emotions) can occur, and people can relax very quickly, which is dangerous if they’re standing up. If you read something incorrectly, it could have a less than desirable impact. There are about 250 hours’ worth of other considerations that you won’t become aware of unless you complete a certification course. If you want your loved ones to experience hypnosis (and I certainly understand that desire; I want everyone to experience hypnosis), buy them a copy of this book, and discuss your own fabulous experiences with them.

Can I record the scripts at the end of each chapter myself by reading them out loud into a recorder, just for personal use? As I’ve already recorded these for you at www.CloseYourEyesGetFree .com, there is no need. Correct inflection is a very important part of a successful hypnosis recording and is something you can learn during a hypnotherapy certification course. For the time being, rather than creating your own recording, simply sit back, and relax with the ones I’ve made for you.

Are longer recordings more powerful than shorter recordings? Most of my clients assume that the longer the hypnosis session, the better. Although maintaining a theta brain wave state (more on this in Chapter 2) for a longer period of time is great in terms of your overall level of relaxation and a longer session can cover more ground, the fact of the matter is that with hypnosis we are conditioning the subconscious mind. That means the more we repeat the hypnosis, the more we’ll be interrupting old patterns of behavior while creating new neural pathways. We live in a busy world where carving out sixty minutes a day for a hypnosis session might just not be realistic. If it is, fantastic! But I would rather my clients repeat a ten-minute hypnosis recording three times per day than a two-hour recording one time per week. In other words, frequency of use tends to be a great indicator of successful, lasting outcomes, rather than simply the length of the session itself.

Is hypnosis sleep? I realize it can be confusing when movies and stage shows often employ the word sleep shouted out at the top of the hypnotist’s lungs, followed by the slumping-over of the client; however, hypnosis itself is not sleep and the client is not sleeping during a hypnotherapy session. Is it possible for a client to fall asleep during a hypnotherapy session or while listening to a recording? Yes, however, the two are mutually exclusive and if this happens, there tends to be a very simple explanation: the client was exhausted and her body needed a nap! As hypnosis is not sleep, one does not “wake up” from hypnosis; the client simply comes out of the theta brain wave state and returns to a regular waking state of consciousness.

I’m often asked whether hypnosis still works if the client actually falls asleep during a session or while listening to a recording. I’ve found that although most clients like to know what has been said during the session on a conscious level, which only happens if they remain awake, the suggestions are absorbed whether the client is in a theta brain wave state (awake and deeply relaxed) or in a delta brain wave state (sleeping). As the hypnotic suggestions are transforming the subconscious mind, which is fully engaged while you sleep, the fact that the conscious mind disengages through sleep doesn’t seem to decrease the efficacy of the session or recording. The only difference is that the client won’t remember what has been said.

Are there any circumstances under which hypnosis is not recommended? Hypnosis, in any form, is not currently recommended if you have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Although this is the only condition we as hypnotherapists are trained to always refer out to a licensed health professional, of course, it is always advised that you discuss any new alternative, wellness, self-development, or therapeutic tool with your physician first. As I am not a medical doctor, please know that nothing I have written in this book is medical advice and that I strongly encourage you to discuss your desire to use hypnosis with your primary care physician before practicing any of the following exercises.

Various Ways to Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind

As we discussed, there are three primary ways to experience hypnosis: through a private hypnotherapy session, a hypnosis recording, or self-hypnosis. In this book I’ve provided you with written self-hypnosis scripts for each and every chapter as well as longer recordings of the same self-hypnosis scripts found at www .CloseYourEyesGetFree.com.

Hypnotherapy sessions and hypnosis recordings tend to be much longer and more elaborate than self-hypnosis processes, which is why we rely on the hypnotherapist or the recording to do most of the talking. With self-hypnosis, the processes are powerful yet short and succinct so that we can easily remember all of the steps. I have also provided a few examples of full-length hypnotherapy sessions and hypnosis recordings at www.CloseYourEyes GetFree.com so that you can easily compare these three different methods. For now, let’s get started with the method that you can practice anytime, anywhere, and as often as you would like.

The Four Steps to Mental Freedom

The Four Steps to Mental Freedom are a framework for success that I developed after conducting thousands of private hypnotherapy sessions. I came to realize that there is an optimal order in which personal transformation can take place in order to achieve the most powerful and long-lasting results. We begin with what is most obvious—our actions, moving next to what is more subtle—our thoughts, and then into what is working beneath the surface—the subconscious, wrapping it all up with service, which is a powerful antidote to constantly thinking and talking about our issues (which only strengthens them). In hypnotherapy we always begin with the solution, the desired end result, in mind and then sometimes make our way backward into the source of an issue so that we can clean up, clear it out, and replace it with a positive alternative. We’ll do the same here in this book, beginning with the solution in mind in Chapters 5 through 8.

Self-Hypnosis

We have arrived at our first self-hypnosis process. Although there are many ways you can practice self-hypnosis, I have opted for short, simple processes that will be easy for you to learn and follow along with at first, and then memorize over time. While there are self-hypnosis books out there with lengthy scripts you can read through like stories, I have designed our self-hypnosis a little differently. I feel the most powerful part of self-hypnosis is that you can do it anytime, anywhere; however, that requires you being able to actually remember all of the steps and hypno-affirmations. If you would like to experience hypnosis that is longer, more detailed, varied, and that is not quite so focused on hypno-affirmations, you can log into www.CloseYourEyesGetFree.com and listen to the hypnosis recordings that are paired with each chapter’s self-hypnosis process.

The process you are about to learn is both incredibly simple and powerful; it can cut your stress in half or more. The truth is, stress has become a habit. It’s no longer something we experience as a result of a stressful situation. We have become so conditioned to experience stress that we feel it as a result of almost any experience.

Stress is damaging for many reasons. Primarily, when the body produces a substantial amount of the stress hormone cortisol, the brain automatically operates from a place of fear and survival—two emotions that cause us to be the least open to suggestion and the most shut down. This means that when you’re worked up and cursing yourself for having another slice of chocolate cake, you’re closed off, essentially unable to change.

A long wait in the grocery store line isn’t actually stressful. It’s an inconvenience perhaps, potentially even annoying if you need to be somewhere else, but it isn’t actually stressful. Yet, how many of us have experienced what we would describe as stress or anxiety in a similar situation? So, finally, here’s a tonic for every “stressful” situation that will in the short term cut stress by more than 50 percent, and with enough repeated use, will create a new normal for you, one that is much more calm, steady, and balanced.

Self-Hypnosis Process: 60-Second Stress Relief

I suggest reading through the following directions two or three times before beginning so that you will be able to follow along easily.

• Begin by making note of your starting stress level. 10 = a full-blown panic attack and 0 = zero stress, no stress at all, the most relaxed a person can possibly be. Remember this number.

• Sit in a comfortable chair and place your feet flat on the ground, rest your hands gently in your lap.

• With your spine straight but comfortable, take 4 deep, slow breaths, inhaling in through the nose for 4 counts and exhaling out the nose for 8 counts.

• With your eyes closed, count down from 10 to 1, saying “I am going deeper and deeper” after each number: Ten, I am going deeper and deeper. Nine, I am going deeper and deeper. Eight, I am going deeper and deeper. Seven, I am going deeper and deeper. Six, I am going deeper and deeper. Five, I am going deeper and deeper. Four, I am going deeper and deeper. Three, I am going deeper and deeper. Two, I am going deeper and deeper. One, I am going deeper and deeper.

• Take another nice, deep, letting-go breath and repeat silently in your mind or out loud the following hypno-affirmations, 10 times: I am safe, I am calm, I choose to be here.

• Take another nice, deep, letting-go breath with your eyes still closed imagine feeling calm and happy for the rest of your day. Pretend in your mind that you can see yourself having a wonderful, calm day until you curl up into bed tonight.

• Once you’ve spent 1–2 minutes imagining the rest of your day being calm and happy, put a gentle smile on your lips, open your eyes, stretch your arms over the top of your head, and say, “Yes!”

• Notice your new number on the scale (remember 0 = zero stress, the most relaxed you can be) and congratulate yourself on how quickly you improved your state!

Here is a simple summary for the process, in case you need to peek your eyes open at any point for a quick reminder:

• Notice starting stress level from 0 to 10.

• Take 4 deep breaths.

• Count down from 10 to 1, saying “I am going deeper and deeper” after each number.

• Repeat the hypno-affirmation “I am safe, I am calm, I choose to be here” 10 times.

• With your eyes closed, imagine feeling happy and calm for the rest of your day.

• Smile while opening your eyes and say, “Yes!”

• Notice new number on the scale of 0 to 10.

• Congratulate yourself for improving your state so quickly!

For a video tutorial on how to complete this self-hypnosis process, visit www.CloseYourEyesGetFree.com. This is a beginner level self-hypnosis script so that you can get a taste for what self-hypnosis feels like. As we progress through the book I will add additional steps to the scripts to make them more and more advanced.

You may also be wondering why these are the particular steps and visualizations we use throughout our self-hypnosis process, so let’s take a closer look:

Why do we begin with noticing our current stress level?

Knowing where we are starting off helps us to gauge just how much we are able to relax by the end of the practice. I’ve noticed that about 50 percent of clients will relax 50 percent or more during their first self-hypnosis process, about 25 percent will relax more than 50 percent, and about 25 percent of clients will relax less than 50 percent. Wherever you land on the scale, the more you practice, the deeper you will go next time and the longer the results last. Feel free to practice the process twice, back to back, to see what I mean.

Why do we count down from 10 to 1, saying “I am going deeper and deeper” after each number?

This is a wonderful, simple way to instruct the body and mind to relax very quickly. The key is to go very slowly. However slowly you went your first time practicing, go twice as slow next time and you’ll see even better results.

Why do we imagine feeling happy and calm for the rest of the day?

This particular self-hypnosis script is about releasing the habit of stress. By imagining the outcome we desire, especially once we are already deeply relaxed and feeling safe, we are creating a network of neural connections in the mind in nearly the same way as if we had actually already had a calm, peaceful day. This mental rehearsal is incredibly powerful in creating the framework in our mind that is necessary to have a calm, happy day rather than a stressed-out miserable one. We’ll cover these ideas in much greater length over the coming chapters.

What are hypno-affirmations?

This is a word I’ve created to describe what hypnotherapists usually refer to as “suggestions.” I found that most of my clients were familiar with the idea of repeating positive, daily affirmations and that the term hypno-affirmation made the parallel between these two practices clear. We are using positive phrases that are easy to remember in order to condition the subconscious mind. Hypno-affirmations are infinitely more powerful than affirmations alone as they reach the subconscious mind directly, without the massive impediment of the conscious mind standing in the way. With this simple self-hypnosis process, you are marinating your mind in the kinds of thoughts and feelings you desire to operate from in life. You are taking time to overpower the mainframe that can so often be negative and reactionary. You are now proactively coding your subconscious to be happier, lighter, more empowered, to be free.

Next Steps

Excellent! You have completed your first self-hypnosis process!

• Now, go ahead and visit www.CloseYourEyesGetFree .com to access this chapter’s hypnosis recording. Pop in your headphones, sit back, relax, and Close Your Eyes, Get Free!

• Using the hashtag #CloseYourEyesGetFree on Instagram or Twitter, message me @GraceSmithTV your starting and ending numbers on the stress scale. By using the hashtag, you’ll get to see how other readers are improving right alongside you, plus I will have an opportunity to cheer you on!

• Move on to Chapter 2, and in the meantime, look out for all of the wonderful benefits you’re already starting to receive as a result of learning the power of hypnosis.