With Emmett Miller, M.D., Author of Deep Healing: The Essence of Mind/Body Medicine
Dr. Miller is a world-renowned expert in the field of hypnosis, cognitive reprogramming, and achievement. He has a private practice in Nevada City and he used to be on staff at Amen Clinics.
To some people the idea of “programming” or “reprogramming” sometimes sounds somehow cold and calculating. Science fiction books and movies often portray evil mind-control tyrants as using “programming” to turn susceptible people into robot-like subjects. The truth is that the human brain acquires information and makes decisions based upon the instructions it has been given, just like a computer. And many of the instructions for how to interpret the world and how to react to it were trained into us when we were children, and we had no say over what programs were being implanted. These programs persist as our beliefs. Often, especially for people with ADD, these beliefs, especially about themselves, can be very harmful.
What we see and feel as we confront the challenges of everyday life is dramatically affected by what we believe. A little trick one of our college roommates used to do was to wet his hands, then, while walking behind another student, let out a huge sneeze, flicking the water over the back of the neck and head of his unsuspecting mark. The reaction of the student to what he felt was often dramatic and hilarious. The reaction would have been very different had he realized that someone was just flicking some clean, cold water on the back of his head and neck.
The reaction of a seven-year-old Palestinian child shown a photograph of first an Israeli soldier and then an Arab “freedom fighter” would be very different from the reaction one would expect from a Jewish child of exactly the same age who grew up in Israel. Each child would see one as an ultimate expression of goodness and love and the other as a potential threat. Each would be quite certain of his beliefs, and would feel emotions relevant to those beliefs. In other words, each, because of his beliefs, would have a tremendously different behavior in response to the pictures, never recognizing how utterly arbitrary the belief with which he interpreted these pictures was, for their beliefs had simply been “programmed” into their minds by the families and cultures that had formed their thinking apparatus.
In an equally profound way, the programming each of us has received has served to convince us that certain of our beliefs about the world are “true,” even though they may become completely arbitrary. For example, if a talented, attractive student tries out for the school play, but he believes that he is not very attractive or talented, he has little chance of getting the part. Many of our convictions about ourselves—whether we feel like a success or failure, whether we feel lucky or unlucky, whether the glass is half empty or half full—are simply just beliefs, and can all be changed. If they are not changed, they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Many people with ADD have been programmed into believing they can’t change the problems that are holding them back from being successful in their lives. This negative belief system is one of the first things that must change before you can have true success in your life. A person with ADD often finds himself experiencing failure: failure to perform to his highest potential, failure to be able to sit still, failure to concentrate well, failure to organize well, failure to avoid distraction and addictive tendencies. This can lead to intense feelings of shame, guilt, fear, anxiety, and anger. Your attitudes about yourself or the things that people said to you in the past created an internal set of beliefs that hold you back. If you can recognize that these thoughts are just beliefs and that they belong to you, you can change them and convert them into positive beliefs that support you.
Common negative beliefs developed by people with ADD are:
“People are mad at me.”
“I am an annoying person.”
“I mess things up.”
“For some reason, no one can ever understand me.”
“I’m not worth very much.”
“The world is very overwhelming to me.”
“No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get organized (be on time, focus for a long period of time, avoid distractions, etc.).”
The process you learn here will enable you to recognize both that you have these beliefs and that you can change them. You will learn how, through self-hypnosis, you can replace the faulty beliefs with positive, helpful ones.
The good news is that your brain and your mind belong to you. You have the right and the power to look at the beliefs, feelings, and behaviors that run your life, and to decide which you want to keep and which you want to change. One of the most powerful tools for doing this is the tool known as self-hypnosis. The techniques of self-hypnosis are widely used by psychologists and psychiatrists in clinical settings, and by peak performers such as athletes, musicians, actors, and public speakers, whose success depends upon their using their minds and brains at peak efficiency. Self-hypnosis is simply a tool, a powerful tool that can be used to dramatically change your beliefs and your life.
The fundamental steps of self-hypnosis are:
To enter the state of deep relaxation, you will first learn how to use autosuggestion to separate yourself from all the fears, tensions, stresses, and confusions of the outside world for a few minutes. This is done by letting go of mental and physical tension, by focusing on the present moment, and allowing yourself to experience inner silence, stillness, and mental and physical relaxation. The technique we will use is counting to twenty, allowing the eyes to close, sending waves of relaxation throughout your body, then going to your own special place, your “haven.” The first few times you do this, you may not find yourself relaxing as deeply as the words seem to suggest. This is merely because you need practice. The world has trained most of us to be tense. After you have done this a number of times, you will find it easier to quickly enter a deep state of relaxation.
The second step is to hear positive self-talk. Most of us talk to ourselves each day, but much of what we say is negative, e.g., “I’m such a dolt,” “I’ll never be successful,” “Everybody else is doing better than I am.” The statements you will read to yourself on the tape (more on this later) will replace these negative statements with positive ones. These will then begin to create positive beliefs about yourself to replace the negative, harmful ones. Our goal is to create confidence where there was shyness, focus where there was disorganization, self-confidence where there was self-doubt, self-awareness where there was denial, self-acceptance where there was self-criticism, self-control and empowerment where there was helplessness.
One of the most powerful learning tools is the human imagination. When children are playing house or building a fort in the backyard, they are actually learning very important skills. They are willfully suspending their disbelief and allowing themselves to pretend, to temporarily believe that they are actually parents or soldiers. Wise teachers know how to use imagination and pretend to teach valuable lessons. We will use imagination in a very similar way. If we asked you to close your eyes, and imagine sitting in your living room you would be able to point to the window, to the front door, and to reach over and pretend to flip on the light. In order to do this, you would be holding in your mind an image, a kind of mental model, then referring to it to give your responses to the questions. This is an example of mental imagery, or visualization. Even though we may use the word visualization, do not think it is absolutely necessary to “see” a clear “picture” in your mind. Fifty percent of adults and most children can “see” mental images in this way. It is helpful but not necessary for our purposes here. In the same way you can make this mental model of your living room, you can make a mental model of your workplace (where your desk is, where your boss’s office is, where the phone is, etc.), or your child can make a mental model of his/her classroom. Your goals will be to:
As you go through this scene, you will imagine yourself actually being there, and carrying out the most successful behavior you can imagine. This will serve to be a kind of “post-hypnotic suggestion” to your deeper mind.
No matter how deeply you relax, you will always have the ability to wake yourself up if there is an emergency or some other situation you need to respond to. You are not “under a spell,” and can wake up even faster than if you had been sleeping! On the other hand, we strongly recommend that you awaken yourself slowly whenever possible. The deeply relaxed state is a very sensitive one. Your vulnerable inner mind is exposed, much as it was when you were a young child. Most of the time you keep this part of you protected by your “ego,” allowing it to be openly available only when you know you are in a safe, secure situation. In the deeply relaxed state you have dropped your guard, so to speak, and when you return to your normal waking state it is best to do it gradually. In this way you will be able to reestablish the ego protections you need to be able to function smoothly as you go about your next activities. If you rouse yourself too quickly, you may feel a bit groggy, half asleep, or even a little anxious. If this should happen, simply sit or lie down and relax briefly, then bring yourself back into full activity more slowly.
Technically, once you have learned how, you can enter the hypnotic state by just speaking silently to yourself with your eyes closed. In the beginning, however, it is too difficult to remember all the steps in the right order while still remaining relaxed. The act of trying to remember creates tension, which directly contradicts what you are trying to do. So what you need is a way to be guided through this experience. One way is to have someone read the instructions to you. If you are working with your child, you may choose to read these instructions out loud some of the time, and if you are the subject, it is a virtual necessity. What you need is a way to easily have the words spoken to you whenever you want. The most remarkable tool for accomplishing this lies right at your fingertips: the tape recorder! By following through with the very simple steps in this chapter, you will create a most powerful and effective tool for gaining control of your physiology, your mind, your behaviors, your brain, and your life.
Get a pad and pencil and settle back in your easy chair. Open a page and title it, “Wise Messages to Myself.” As you read the rest of this chapter, make notes on the things that come to you as you read each of the steps below. Then, using this chapter together with your notes, you will create a custom-designed self-programming recording.
Create a statement of purpose, a single sentence that describes why you will be listening to this tape. For example: “The purpose of this deep relaxation and imagery experience is to help my conscious and subconscious mind function better, to improve my organization, to improve focus, to stabilize my emotions, and to create patience. Its goal is to self-program at every level the wisest thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that will lead to ever higher degrees of success.”
Read the section below entitled “Script” and familiarize yourself with the instructions. When you reach the section entitled “Positive Affirmations,” if there are any that you do not want to become true for you, draw a line through them and don’t read them into the tape. Likewise, if there are certain affirmations that are especially appropriate for you (or your child), you may add them. Feel free to consult with your therapist, teacher, or other trusted advisor about which statements they might think it would be most valuable to include. But only include those that you feel very certain that you would like to believe. Do not use suggestions that hurt other people. Stay positive.
Make any changes to the script that you are sure will make it more effective for you. Most people will find the wording we have given here perfect just as it is, but don’t feel constrained if you have strong feelings in any way. (Sometimes folks with strong religious or spiritual convictions will want to put in certain statements of gratitude to a Higher Power. This tape is you talking very intimately and personally to yourself or to your child.)
When you reach the imagery about “Your Special Haven,” make notes or write out in detail (whichever you like) a description of a place you associate with relaxation. This may be a place you have been on vacation, a place you would like to visit someday, or even a completely imaginary place. If you find the imagery of the beach satisfactory, you may use the words written there.
Many people find the tape to be more enjoyable and effective if music plays in the background. If you want music, set up a separate tape deck or CD player nearby, so you can control the volume from your chair. Locate a long piece of relatively slow music that you find relaxing. (Many people find that a tempo of about sixty beats per minute, the speed of the resting heart, is about right.) During the relaxation phase, play very slow music such as Bach’s “Air for the G String,” Pachelbel’s “Canon,” or slow New Age music. The only requirement is that the music be slow, gentle, relaxing, and appealing to you. You may play this throughout the entire tape, or, if you wish, you may substitute a more upbeat piece near the end, as you are visualizing success in the future, as you are awakening. Most of the time, it is best to use only instrumental music, so the words of the songs won’t compete in any way with the positive words you are reading to yourself.
Place a tape recorder next to a comfortable chair. Use a tape recorder that will clearly record your voice. Use your voice on the tape. It is better to use a separate microphone, rather than to use the one physically built into your recorder. Place the microphone in a holder about one to two feet in front of your mouth.
It is probably best to think of your first attempt to record as a practice session. This way you can listen to what you have done, closing your eyes and following the instructions to see if the speed, the volume of the music, and other aspects of your recording are just right. Play it back and make a note of changes you want to make in it.
Speak the words clearly, directly toward the microphone. Speak slowly and clearly, enunciating each word carefully, but not so stiffly as to sound rigid. Try for a gentle, flowing sound, one that is soothing yet filled with confidence and enthusiasm. During step one, deep relaxation, your tone should be similar to one you would use to lull a child to sleep. Then, for the affirmations and imagery, you may want to shift your tone slightly to one that is a little bit more upbeat, the kind a coach or support person might use.
Most of the time it is a very good idea to personalize the tape by speaking the name of the person for whom you are making the tape several times throughout the tape. So you might begin with “Let yourself sit comfortably back in your chair, Johnny, and listen carefully. . . . ,” or “Now, Mary, picture yourself walking into your class feeling confident, and as you see your teacher, Mr. Wilson, you feel even better. . . .” Later you might say, “Each time you listen to this tape, Tommy, you will feel more and more confident in yourself.”
If you are making this tape for a child, it is almost always a good idea to include the child’s name a number of times. If you are making a tape for yourself, you need to decide whether or not you will feel comfortable hearing your own voice say your name on several occasions.
Turn on your tape recorder, wait about five seconds for the leader tape to pass, then immediately start the background music you’re going to play. Let about ten or fifteen seconds of music play on the tape before you begin to speak. As you begin to speak, try to get your voice to flow along with the music, even fitting into the tempo of the music if possible. The music should be played at a low volume, so that it is just gently audible behind your speaking voice, which should be recorded quite a bit louder on the tape than the music. The music is there to help mask background sounds and create relaxation only, and should never be allowed to interfere with the intelligibility of the words you speak.
If you make a mistake, stop the tape recorder and the music. Rewind the tape recorder to the place where the error was made. (If you make sure to leave pauses every couple of sentences, there will always be an easy point for you to go back and edit.) Next, rewind the music approximately the same amount of time. It is not essential to start the music at the exact same passage you were in. The music will be very soft in the background, and the change will barely be noticed, if at all. Start the music, then start the tape recorder and continue reading from where you left off. If you need to pause at any point to read the instructions, you can do so: this is a lot to get through at a single reading. You may pause, and, just as you would do if you made a mistake, follow this procedure.
After completing the recording, take a short break, have a glass of water, or take a little walk. When you come back, sit back and listen to what you have done, following the instructions. Have a pad and pencil in your hand so you can make notes on changes you want to make in your final recording. Do not be surprised or critical when you hear your voice sounding different over your small tape recorder. It sounds very different from what you hear inside. It’s important to remember that when you listen to your speaking voice, you have a stereophonic, high-fidelity connection augmented by the bass reflex subwoofer of your chest and the echo chamber of your sinuses. It’s never going to sound that good coming out of that little speaker. Everyone tends to react with disappointment when they hear the sound of their recorded voice. Just ignore any tendency toward self-criticism. When you listen to the tape, you will become rapidly so relaxed, you will forget the sound of the voice, and focus on the sound of the words. Change is going to occur within you; get used to listening to your own voice. (A parent’s voice is often soothing and acceptable to a child. If you are doing this for your child, modify the instructions as appropriate.)
You may end up making three or more versions before doing one you feel comfortable with. Don’t be a perfectionist. You are making a tape for yourself, not something you are entering into a contest. Even a sloppy tape will work fine. Be reasonable.
Turn off the phone, put a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door, and turn off all the noise possible, especially extraneous alarms like washers, timers, cell phones, beepers, etc. Find a comfortable chair. Many people prefer a reclining or lounge chair so their head is supported. Some people prefer to lie flat, perhaps with something supporting the knees and under the head. If you find that you tend to go to sleep while listening to the tape, then it is probably better to sit up—and if you still fall asleep, sit in a straight-backed chair. The actual script to read into the tape recorder is in boldface type.
Hello, [put in your name]. . . . We are here to clear your mind, relax your soul, break through old barriers, and program success. Pick a spot on the wall a little above your eye level and stare at it. [You may find it helpful to put a little thumbtack there to look at.] As you focus on this spot, become aware of the fact that there’s no other place that you need to go at this moment, nothing else that you need to do, and there’s no problem that you need to solve right now. Therefore, you can give yourself permission to relax. Continue to look at that point, and as you do, I am going to begin to count, slowly, from one to twenty.
As I count, say the number to yourself, silently, in your mind. You may find it helpful to picture each number as you count it.
[Leave a couple of seconds between each number.]
One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five . . . six . . .
Notice your eyelids beginning to feel heavier and heavier. . . .
Seven . . . eight . . . nine . . . ten . . . eleven . . . twelve . . .
Notice how that spot in the distance is fading out of focus and your eyelids are feeling still heavier and heavier. . . .
13 . . . 14 . . . 15 . . . 16 . . . 17 . . . 18 . . .
Your eyelids are feeling so heavy, they feel as though they really want to close.
19 . . . 20 . . .
Take a deep breath in . . . and as you let that breath out, let your eyelids slowly close.
[Some people may actually find that they relax more if they leave their eyes open through the entire experience. If you choose to do this, simply keep them focused on that spot and don’t be concerned that your eyes stay open in spite of your voice saying they are growing heavier. After a while, you may find that your eyelids will prefer to close.]
In a moment, I’m going to ask you to take three deep breaths, and with each breath in, feel relaxation flowing in like pure, white light. And with each breathing out, let yourself feel the feeling of letting go. With each breath in, say, silently, to yourself, “With each breath in, I breathe in relaxation,” and with each breath out, say the words, “With each breath out, I let my body breathe out all tension and all the things that might interfere with my becoming totally relaxed and comfortable.”
Now take a deep breath in, repeating to yourself, “With each breath in, I breathe in relaxation.”
And as you let this breath out, repeat, internally to yourself, “With each breath out, I let my body breathe out all tension and all the things that might interfere with my becoming totally relaxed and comfortable.”
[Take a few slow, deep breaths in and out, and get a sense of the speed with which you will need to read these words to yourself.]
Now take another deep breath in, feeling the coolness of the air as it enters through your nostrils, and repeat silently, “With each breath in, I breathe in relaxation.”
And as you let this breath out, let it be a feeling of letting go and repeat, “With each breath out, I let my body breathe out all tension and all the things that might interfere with my becoming totally relaxed and comfortable.”
Now take a deep breath in, repeating to yourself, “With each breath in, I breathe in relaxation.” As you let it out, imagine you are a balloon letting out all the air, becoming completely flat and relaxed, and saying to yourself, “With each breath out, I let my body breathe out all tension and all the things that might interfere with my becoming totally relaxed and comfortable.”
Now let the air do the breathing for you, just as it does when you’re asleep at night, and feel how your chest and abdomen gently rise and fall with each breath, letting each breath continue to relax you from head to toe.
Now, as your body continues to relax, close your eyes really tight, as though you were trying to keep soap out of them. Hold them tense for just a few seconds, and feel the tension in your eyelids.
Now, slowly let the muscles of your eyelids relax . . . relax . . . more and more relaxed with each breath. [Five second pause]
Notice how much your eyelids have relaxed already. They will continue to relax. And perhaps you will notice your eyes gently rolling upward behind your eyelids, and your eyelids feeling so relaxed, they just don’t want to open at all. Now, as your eyelids become more and more relaxed, imagine ripples of relaxation flowing outward from your eyelids, like ripples flowing outward from a stone thrown into the water . . . flowing into your forehead . . . through all the muscles of your face . . . relaxing your jaw muscles and your lips . . . and flowing down through your neck and into your shoulders. Feel your shoulders releasing any tension; you may even feel them lower just a tiny little bit as the muscles relax.
Now feel the relaxation flowing down through your shoulders and your arms . . . flowing through your chest and through all the rest of your body. With each rising and falling of your chest and abdomen, your chest becomes more relaxed and all your internal organs are becoming more relaxed. Feel that relaxation flowing through the pelvis, relaxing all your pelvic organs . . . and flowing down through your thighs and your knees . . . your legs and your ankles and your feet . . . all the way down to the tips of your toes. Imagine your body is resting in a soft tub filled with soothing, warm water, that your muscles are melting . . . all the tension is being absorbed by the warmth of the water.
[Next, describe a special place . . . your special place . . . a special haven that you can go to in your imagination. Maybe a place you’ve been in the past or a place you’ve always wanted to go but only seen pictures of. There might have been a time in the past when you were on vacation. . . . It might even have been a time early in your childhood. It can be a real or an imaginary place: The idea is to create a place where you feel completely relaxed and comfortable. Describe this place clearly to yourself, and slowly so that it will make it easy for you to visualize it.
[As you describe it, describe the sensations in all your senses—what you see; the sounds around you; the temperature of the air; the movement of your body if you’re moving, or its peaceful stillness if you are not; the smell of the air; even the tastes if there are any tastes there. Use as much detail as you can. You may take from four to eight minutes for this description. Sometimes people have a long description at first when they are learning to relax, then later make another tape with a description of only one or two minutes in length. As you listen to the tape more often, your ability to relax quickly will increase. For children, ask them ahead of time what scene they would like to go to. They often like the beach, the mountains, or a beautiful park. Just as an example, we will give you a description of walking along the sand at the edge of the ocean. Here’s an example. . . . ]
Imagine you are on a magic carpet or in a time machine traveling through space and time—relaxing as you travel. Imagine you are traveling to a beautiful beach, perhaps on a peaceful tropical island. Even before you see the gentle waves out on the ocean you can begin to feel the warm sand beneath your feet. Feel the pleasant dryness of the warm sand beneath your feet. And as you move first one foot and then the other from side to side, you can feel the warm sand on the sides and the tops of your feet. As you push your toes gently into it, you can feel the dry granules of sand between your warm toes. Gradually you can begin to see this beautiful beach . . . dimly at first, then more and more clearly. Now, let yourself look down the beach . . . and see the warm, glowing, golden-white sand. Let your eyes follow the beautiful expanse of sand . . . and as you lift your eyes and look down this beautiful sandy beach . . . off to one side you can see the deep blue-green of the ocean. Listen . . . you can hear the sounds of the ocean waves rolling slowly to shore and see them breaking into watery white fingers of foam that glide smoothly over the wet sand. Walk over to the edge of the damp sand, and see the bright reflection of the sky in the thin film of water left behind as each wave strokes the wet surfaces and then rushes back down the slope. Feel the damp sand beneath your feet. White crests of waves slowly follow each other in toward the shore. And as you enjoy the deep, rich color of the ocean . . . perhaps you can feel the salty breeze blowing in, gently cool on the surface of your body. Take a deep breath in, savoring the pleasant fragrance, the smell of the sea. Perhaps even taste the slightly salty taste on your lips and tongue. And floating directly above you, you can see the cottony fluffs of pure white clouds . . . and a bird gliding through vast expanses of blue. Behind you is the bright sun, shining and pleasantly warming the skin of your back. Feel the warmth on the surface of your back, sinking deep into all the muscles of your back, relaxing you even more. And now, if you wish, you can go for a walk or a run down the beach. Perhaps you’d like to run on the firm damp sand, or on the soft warm sand. Or if you like, you might like to wade into the water and feel its pleasant temperature. Immerse your body in it. Maybe you’d like to swim. Whatever you’d like to do, let yourself do it now . . .
[Pause for fifteen to thirty seconds]
[After you have completed your description of your haven, your special place, say:]
As you listen to the rest of this tape, imagine yourself spending time in your haven, perhaps walking about, exploring it, enjoying it in any way that you wish.
[These first few steps should take about five to ten minutes. After you have finished with these initial steps, read the following affirmation phrases into your tape recorder, modifying them to better suit your situation or that of your child. Read them slowly and clearly with a firm feeling of certainty: Read it with a voice that sounds as though you truly believe it, whether you do or not at this moment in time. Soon you will begin to believe it, and as you believe it, it will happen!]
With each breath in, breathe in warmth and relaxation . . . and with each breath out, release all the tensions and worries that disrupt life. Say to yourself:
“Day by day, I’m feeling better and better in every way. I’m feeling more control in my life.
I expect to succeed in whatever I do. I am able to see myself succeeding at tasks before I start them. In this way, I program myself for success . . . and I see success. I understand that successful people sometimes make mistakes and have failures along the way. I do not expect perfection, but I learn from each mistake.
Every day, in every way, I am becoming the best person I can be. I learn from others. By learning from others, I expand my horizons on a daily basis.
I prepare carefully for each of my tasks and projects. I set myself up to win and I have let go of the old pattern of putting off tasks and thereby setting up failure. Every day I’m becoming more and more organized. . . . Organization is becoming a vital part of my nature. I realize that when I put something in its right place in the beginning, I am more likely to find it when I need it.
Every day I am becoming more focused, more alert, more wide awake, and more filled with energy. Every day I’m becoming more interested in what I am doing, in whatever is going on around me, and the people around me. I work smart as well as hard, focusing my energy on the goals I have set for myself.
I am more flexible . . . more adaptable . . . more willing and able to change as needed. At the same time, I am more disciplined . . . more thoughtful.
My environment matters . . . I will seek to be a positive force in my environment every day. I surround myself with positive people, and people who believe in me. Similarly, I am more positive with those around me. I can step outside myself and understand the feelings of others, and I see things from their perspective as well as my own. I am free of fear of competition with others. I feel wonderful when I win; when I do not win, I learn. Competition spurs me on to be as good as I can be.
More and more, I accept myself as I am and I accept others as they are . . . I accept things as they are, not as I think they should be. I compromise when it is necessary. I eliminate the ANTs and bad thoughts whenever they enter my mind. I own me, and I am in control of me . . . and I live with the inner voices that help and uplift me. I erase any voice that would try to tear me down. When I find anxiety, I am able to turn it into positive energy for creativity and positive change.
I have let go of the habit of giving up on myself. Instead, I give my best effort toward reaching the goals I have set for myself . . . and no matter what . . . I keep pursuing my fondest dream in my life.
[If you’ve decided to put a little more active music on at this time, you may do so.]
Now visualize yourself in some future situation, perhaps a test or challenge or meeting that is coming up in the near future. Choose the kind of situation you might have had trouble with in the past, but this time, as you go through it, visualize yourself applying all the positive beliefs you’ve just repeated to yourself in your mind, and watch yourself being personally successful, no matter what the outcome of the situation is.
Visualize yourself there, clearly and vividly; see and hear everything that is going on around you, and feel your body and your voice responding in the way you really want to . . . and the way that is healthy and wise . . . and see yourself being successful.
[Pause for about a minute or two, and then begin to read again.]
Now, as I count from ten down to zero, gradually feel yourself becoming more and more awake. [Again, leave about three or four seconds between each two numbers.]
Ten, nine, eight . . .
Feeling yourself coming up, growing more and more awake.
Seven, six, five . . .
Feeling alert and full of energy.
Four, three . . .
Bringing the feelings of energy and relaxation with you as you come up . . . filled with energy and ready to do whatever you want to do next.
Two, one, zero.
Take a deep breath in. As you let it out, let your eyelids open and think to yourself, Wide awake . . .
Feel your body beginning to stretch and move.
Now get up and walk around the room, and make sure you’re fully wide awake before you do anything else.
The total time of the tape will be from fifteen to thirty minutes, depending on the pace of your voice, images, etc.
Now that you have made the tape for yourself or your child, listen to it once every day. This is important: The first few times you will find out how your body will react to the relaxation. Some people become so relaxed that they doze off to sleep for a bit. If that happens to you, great! Listen to the tape before you go to bed, or when you can catch a nap. Some people find that it takes them awhile to be fully with it; they remain very relaxed for several minutes afterward, as if they were waking up from sleep. If the tape affects you that way, you want to make sure that you’re clearly awake before you do anything that requires full concentration, like driving a car. Others can listen to the tape anytime, anywhere, and feel a relaxed energy flow through their body.
The most important thing is that you listen to your tape every day. You can change the content of the tape in any way that you think will be beneficial to you. This is your tape. Use it to strengthen your life.
Information on other self-hypnosis cassettes can be found at our website at amenclinics.com or on Dr. Miller’s website at DrMiller.com.