Many self help and personal development movements have latched onto a technique known as positive self affirmations. The idea is to repeat to yourself phrases that promote self worth.
For example if you lack confidence at your workplace you might choose to repeat “I am a skilled and valuable worker”. The more you repeat this to yourself the more confident you become at work.
Just like NLP and creative visualization, positive self affirmations were originally used as a technique within hypnosis – and they are all still used by hypnotherapists today. If you buy a HypnoBusters hypnosis session, or have visited a hypnotherapist, then there’s a good chance you already have experience with positive self affirmations, even if you didn’t realise it.
Positive self affirmations are great to use in any self-improvement effort for a number of reasons. You can easily come up with your own affirmations without spending money on books or audio. And because you are regularly repeating them to yourself, they sink into your subconscious mind and become self fulfilling prophecies.
But more than anything, positive self affirmations work. They help people get out of mental ruts and feel much better about themselves. Positive affirmations can also help improve your chances of success.
If you are unsure how to create good positive self affirmations then follow the three straightforward tips below…
Positive – Use encouraging language. “I succeed…” rather than “I don’t fail…”. An example might be “I am confident around people”, rather than “I won’t be shy around people”. This is saying what you are (confident), rather than what you aren’t (shy), plus it uses a much more positive word “confident”, rather than “shy”. “I won’t gamble” would be better phrased “I am responsible with my money”.
Self – Focus on yourself rather than others and use the present tense. “My skills make me a valuable asset.” Using the present tense is important. “I will be more confident in the future” is not nearly as powerful as “I am supremely confident right now”.
Affirmations – Repeat your affirmations to yourself over and over. Some people say them out loud, some repeat them in their head, and others write them down. Do whatever feels right for you.
EDIT I have recently created a series of subliminal sessions. They all contain several positive affirmations repeated many times each. They are recorded quietly so that your conscious mind cannot hear them, but loud enough for your subconscious mind to hear.
This allows the affirmations to go straight to work in your subconscious mind where your automatic fears and thoughts are controlled. If you would like to learn more, please click on the following link…
Now think about how your life will change for the better now that you have changed this habit.
You must now FULLY commit yourself to 28 days to change a habit. FIGHT!
(Psychologists generally agree that it takes 28 days to break a habit, and 28 days to make a habit.)
Note what the date is today, and what the date will be in 28 days time. Record this everywhere you can. In diaries’, calendars, on a piece of paper on your wall, everywhere. This will serve as a reminder that you are working on a change.
Be brave and be stubborn. For 28 days you will work hard on making this change. Face it head on. Accept any pain and discomfort – it’s only temporary.
After 28 days one of two things can happen. You will either revert back to your former habits, or you will keep this change. If you revert back to this old habit, then you have lost nothing. In fact you are likely to have gained. For example if you gave up smoking for 28 days, then you will have saved money and given your health a welcome boost. You are also likely to have learnt about yourself, which you can use to change other habits in the future.
If you make the change permanent, then even better. You have successfully invested 4 weeks of your time, which would have passed anyway, for something you can now benefit from for the rest of your life.
If you don’t want to make this change right now, ask yourself why not. Find the good reason why you should postpone or avoid this. If you don’t really ever want to make this change then that is fine. But think to yourself – Is there ever really a perfect time to make this change?
It requires effort and yes there are no absolute guarantee of permanent results, but why not give it your best shot? There is nothing to lose. If you want your life to change for the better then you can’t wait for it to magically happen. You must make a conscious decision to change and stubbornly stick to it right now.
I assure you this is easier than it sounds once you make up your mind to change a habit. Don’t allow yourself any ifs or buts or grey areas. You must make a positive and definite decision to make this change for 4 weeks, no matter what.
If you leave any areas for maneuver in your mind, then you will not stick to it. It’s no good saying to yourself “I will try for 2 days and see what happens’, or ‘I will stick to it unless I have a bad day at work’. With this mindset you are setting yourself up for failure.
Say to yourself that you will definitely make this change for 28 days. You will invest 28 days of effort to make this change. Leave no uncertainty in your mind. Promise yourself. Give yourself your word that you will make this change for 28 days. Right now say to yourself that you will commit yourself to 28 days of changing this habit no matter what.
If you do this, then you will have a far easier time than you think. Your mind will not be looking for a way out as you are totally committed. This removes a lot of the struggle. You have nothing to struggle against as you have set a clear goal. There are no grey areas to fight against.
You will quickly learn to live with this change, and your life will be enhanced because of it. You may also learn to enjoy the challenge, ticking off one day at a time, moving closer to your goal. Very soon living with this change will be your normal default way of life – it’s remarkable how quickly you adapt to change. That’s how to change any habit.
So march forward with courage and commitment and work towards an improved lifestyle. Go on, you deserve it!
Have any addictions? If you want help kicking a habit, check out my Beating Addictions Hypnotherapy MP3 session. It can reduce your urges on ANY habit…
There are few subjects that have more myths and misconceptions than hypnosis. This is largely down to films, television, and newspapers dramatising hypnosis and not representing hypnosis in its true light. They naturally like this sensationalism as it attracts more attention to their content.
The truth about hypnotherapy is nowhere near as exciting, mysterious and magical as many are led to believe. Hypnosis IS a powerful tool for change when in the right hands, but there is no actual ‘magic’ involved. Sorry to be such a bore!
In order to dispel some of the misconceptions surrounding hypnosis, here is a run down of the top ten popular hypnosis myths…
A hypnotist might turn you into a chicken.
A Clinical Hypnotherapist Will NOT Turn You Into A Chicken!
A properly trained clinical hypnotherapist would never do this. This is confusing a stage hypnotist with a therapeutic or clinical hypnotherapist.
A stage hypnotist will do this because that is what is expected of them. You agree to this by stepping on stage and joining the show.
However you will easily return to your normal state at the end. In a clinical setting you only agree to the therapeutic goals for the session, so that is all that will occur.
The majority of clinical hypnotherapists (me included) would not know how to do these tricks even if they wanted to. Stage and clinical hypnosis are two very different disciplines.
You must be weak minded if you can be hypnotised.
Strong Minded People Are Better Able To Get Themselves Into A Hypnotic Trance!
This is the wrong way of looking at it. A hypnotherapist simply guides or helps a person into trance. He does not ‘make’ them go into a trance.
A hypnotic trance is a normal and natural mental state that most of us slip into several times a day. It occurs when you are daydreaming, or so totally absorbed in a book or film that you forget what is happening around you.
This is the state of mind you want to get into, and the hypnotherapist is there to help you.
It is actually a skill to go into a deeply relaxed trance when you want to. The hypnotherapist helps you, but ultimately it is how you use your mind that determines how deep into a trance you go.
People often find that the more experience they have of going into a trance, the easier and deeper they go. So ‘being hypnotised’ is actually a skill on the part of the subject, that can be improved over time.
You are asleep when in a hypnotic trance.
Hypnosis Is NOT The Same As Sleep!
Many years ago hypnotherapists did use suggestions of ‘sleep’ when guiding someone into a hypnotic trance. This is rarely done now as most hypnotherapists agree that this can confuse the subject as to what state of mind they are aiming to achieve.
Most hypnotherapists now use suggestions of deep relaxation rather than sleep. However the media still continues to portray an outdated image of a hypnotist.
Hypnotists swing a watch in order to hypnotise a subject.
Hypnotherapists rarely do this, although it is one technique that can be used out of thousands of others. I personally do not do this as I wish to distance myself from the stereotype of a stern and sinister hypnotist, with a thin black moustache, and a manic stare. However I am happy to swing a watch if a subject specifically asks for this.
People sometimes become stuck in hypnosis.
This is not true, despite what the tabloid press occasionally claim. On rare occasions a subject may not come out of the trance straight away. This is usually because they are enjoying the relaxing state so much that they don’t want to come out. A few gentle prompts, such as threatening to charge double for a longer session, is always sufficient to wake them!
You will become stuck in hypnosis if something happens to the hypnotist.
Again this is not true. A person will eventually become bored and will just get up when they feel like it. The hypnotist holds no special power over the subject whatsoever. In fact a person can hypnotise themselves. This is called self hypnosis, and they can wake themselves whenever they choose.
Hypnosis is dangerous in the event of a fire or another disaster.
In The Event Of Danger, You’ll Quickly And Easily Snap Out Of Your Trance!
A person in a hypnotic trance is just as aware, if not more so, of potential danger. If a fire broke out during a session, a person would easily come out of the trance and deal with the situation immediately, and in an appropriate way.
If you drive a car, then you might be able to understand what I am about to say. When driving we often slip into a trance, especially when we are driving routes that we often take, such as to and from work. We can slip into a trance and daydream, and barely remember the journey at all. Sometimes we may even wonder how we managed to get to our destination at all! Sound familiar?
In the event of danger, you instantly snap out of this state and deal with the situation. In fact you will probably deal with it quicker and more effectively, as your mind doesn’t have chance to ‘over think’ with your conscious mind and slow down the response
You are not hypnotised if you can hear the hypnotist.
This is also not true. Each person has a unique experience of hypnosis. Some people consciously hear the hypnotist, whereas others do not. This has no bearing on the success of the session whatsoever.
It is usually down to choice. You can choose to allow your mind to drift away, or you can choose to listen carefully to what the hypnotherapist is saying. Some people simply cannot resist allowing their minds to drift away, as they gain so much relaxation pleasure from it. This is totally fine.
You can be made to reveal your deepest secrets when in a hypnotic trance.
Since your mind is fully aware and awake during a hypnotic session, this is not possible. If you do not want to talk about something then you are under no compulsion to do so.
A person can easily lie and are more likely to be creative with the truth when in a hypnotic trance. This is why courts will not accept the testimony of witnesses who are in hypnosis.
Hypnotherapists have special powers.
Hypnotherapists Are NOT Magical!
It’s funny how even intelligent people believe this. A hypnotist is a normal person who eats, sleeps, feels happy and sad, and loses their car keys. There is nothing special or magical about them at all.
We have been trained, and have honed this training with experience, to help guide people into a hypnotic state, then deliver cleverly worded suggestions to your subconscious.
A stage hypnotist may play on having ‘hypnotic powers’ in order to add excitement and drama to their shows, but they too will readily admit that they are using techniques that have been learnt with practice and experience.
Final Thoughts
So there you go, hypnosis and hypnotherapy is not magical or mysterious when you know the truth. Don’t believe the hypnosis myths! It is simply a group of techniques for focusing the mind so that your subconscious can absorb pre agreed suggestions. The reality has been bent and distorted by sensationalism. This is a pity because this probably prevents many people, who would greatly benefit from hypnotherapy, from daring to try it for the first time.
I urge you to make a commitment and try hypnosis even once. It is perfectly safe so you have nothing to lose. If hypnotherapy is for you, then you will have unlocked a whole world of possibilities for personal growth, change and improvement. Many people’s lives have been turned around with hypnosis. Don’t let this potential opportunity slip you by…
If you’ve been looking for Derren Brown secrets, you’ve come to the right place! Here are many secrets revealed of how Derren Brown performs his miracles…
Derren Brown is an English magician and ‘psychological illusionist’. Derren has made many notable TV appearances in his series ‘Mind Control’ and ‘Trick Or Treat’, and several TV specials, such as ‘The Heist’, ‘The System’, ‘Séance’ and ‘Russian Roulette’.
What sets Derren Brown apart is that he is openly sceptical about paranormal phenomena. He clearly states he has no psychic or paranormal abilities, yet proceeds to perform the same phenomena as those that claim to. He also uses a lot of power of suggestion tricks with hypnosis and NLP techniques.
Derren Brown started off as a traditional conjurer. In 1996 he performed stage hypnosis shows at the University of Bristol under his stage name Darren V. Brown. Eventually he developed his own power of suggestion techniques and became a ‘psychological illusionist’ working for the UK’s Channel 4.
He’s NOT an educator
I am a big fan of his work, and have enjoyed watching his shows, and reading his books. However I see all over the internet people analysing Derren’s use of NLP, hypnosis, body language and psychology.
Many people use his material as a learning tool, and to back up their opinions on therapeutic techniques or theories. Whilst it can be beneficial observing what he does, be very careful as YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT TECHNIQUE HE IS USING AT A PARTICULAR TIME. He may, for example, be pretending to use NLP, when really he is using traditional magic. Believe me, he does this A LOT, as you’ll find out in a moment.
Here’s a few of Derren Brown’s secrets revealed…
Stopping the pulse
ANYONE Can “Stop” Their Pulse If They Know How!
This is a REALLY simple trick, and I’ve used this to fool people in the past. It amazes and freaks people out – perfect!
You need something like a small ball, or rolled up socks or handkerchief. It has to fit snugly under your armpit. Find your pulse on the arm with the object under your arm pit. Once you’ve found it, start to squeeze the thing to your body. You should notice your pulse becoming weaker until it eventually disappears.
Your heart is still beating fine. You pulse is just blocked because of the pressure of the thing under your arm pit.
To add to the effect, make up some stuff about visualising your heart slowing. Close your eyes like you’re really concentrating. Make it look difficult and it will amaze people!
Derren Brown Secrets…
The boxer
In one of his shows, Derren Brown gives a demonstration using suggestion to sap the strength of a big tough boxer. He has him stand still and easily lift up a woman. Derren uses some hypnotic techniques to suggest that he can no longer lift the women. Sure enough the boxer can no longer lift her.
Was it the powerful suggestions that caused this? No. The women in the film took a step back after the ‘suggestions’ were given, and Derren Brown controlled where the boxer stood. This makes it much harder to lift, and massively accentuates the power of Derren’s suggestions. Many people were fooled into analysing what suggestions Darren gave, and how he gave them. They’d been misdirected.
Derren employs some sophisticated techniques from many disciplines in order to back up his illusions. He is so convincing that he fools experts in many fields. I see countless discussions on the internet about his psychological techniques, and how he uses them to influence people. People forget that he is an entertainer and a magician.
The invisible touch
Derren does a trick with a group of friends. One is blindfolded and he taps his finger at their arm without touching. The person “feels” this, and can tell how many times he tapped them. The friends insist that he never actually touched.
This trick was achieved with some simple misdirection and clever timing. He distracted the friends who weren’t blindfolded, and actually touched the person who was blindfolded,without them noticing.
With clever use of wording, the blindfolded person didn’t know when the trick had started, so she felt the earlier touch, whilst the friends thought she was reacting to the pretend touch.
Hypnosis
Occasionally his tricks DO rely on hypnosis. For example getting someone to put a needle through their hand, or convincing them they are drunk are possible with hypnosis.
Seeing genuine hypnosis demonstrations can misdirect you into believing his other illusions are genuinely using hypnosis.
If You Want Something, Ask For It – Especially When They’re Distracted!
Derren appears to genuinely use NLP techniques when he persuades a man to give him his wallet. He uses classic pacing and mirroring to gain rapport, an Eriksonian handshake induction to quickly induce a trance, and says “thank you for give it to me, are you sure you don’t mind?”. He covertly uses the command ‘give it to me’.
This COULD work if done right, and in the right context. People know who Derren is, and deep down know that he would not permanently steal their wallet – there is some trust there. I’ll bet Derren would have struggled if he was an unknown doing this.
He may have tried 10 times before getting his take. He’s not going to show you all his failures is he? If you filmed yourself asking 100 people for directions, and then slipped in a request for their car keys, you will probably get at least one success – especially if they know who you are.
Manipulation
In a Daily Telegraph article published in 2003 Simon Singh criticised Derren Brown’s early TV appearances, arguing that he presented standard magic and mentalist effects, such as the classic Ten Card Poker Deal trick, as genuine psychological manipulation.
Derren himself states that he uses ‘magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection and showmanship’ in order to achieve his effects. He goes on to say that ‘I happily admit cheating, as it’s all part of the game. I hope some of the fun for the viewer comes from not knowing what’s real and what isn’t. I am an entertainer first and foremost’.
Messiah
In early 2005, Derren Brown travelled to the United States to convince five leading figures that he had powers in their particular field of expertise. These were Christian evangelism, alien abduction, psychic powers, New Age theories and contacting the dead.
Derren succeeded in convincing four of the five “experts” that he had powers, and they openly endorsed him as a true practitioner. The fifth expert, the Christian evangelist Curt Nordheilm, whilst impressed by Derren, asked to meet him again before giving him an endorsement.
The concept of the show was to highlight the power of suggestion with regard to beliefs and people’s abilities, and the failure to question them. His conclusion was that people hear things that support their own ideas, and ignore contradictory evidence. This is known in psychology as ‘confirmation bias’.
He’s NOT the messiah!
Budding hypnotherapists, NLPers and other practitioners are doing the exact same thing. Many perceive Derren as an expert in their chosen field, and choose to learn from him. Whilst I am sure that Derren is very knowledgeable in these areas, he is an entertainer and magician.
I think there is something within us all that wants to believe he is amazing at using hypnosis and NLP. Like me, we are all still children at heart that want to believe in the tooth fairy and Father Christmas.
Enjoy his shows, as they make compelling viewing. Enjoy trying to decipher what technique he is using at a particular time. But be wary – take with a pinch of salt what can be learnt from him.
Read a hypnosis or NLP book if you want to learn. They may not be as much fun, but they will give you a greater understanding. If you pay too much attention to Derrens’ techniques, you could find that your perceptions of hypnosis and NLP become as bent and distorted as the illusions he creates.
Our minds naturally try and find a single unifying method of how something is achieved, which is how he fools us so consistently. There is no single explanation of how he achieves his effects. That’s Derren Brown secrets to how he keeps us guessing.
To help you understand, and feel more at ease with hypnosis as a therapeutic tool, I thought it helpful to explain about the ingredients that make a hypnosis session.
A hypnosis session is generally regarded to contain five elements. These are introduction, induction, deepener, therapy, and wakening. I will explain each of these elements in turn…
The introduction phase is where the hypnotherapist gains rapport with the subject. This is an extremely important stage, and can ultimately make or break the session.
A good clinical hypnotherapist will quickly gain the subjects trust and co operation.
The best clinical hypnotherapists are also good conversationalists, and can quickly put people at ease. Some of this is taught, but a lot is down to personality and experience. They may engage in light patter to begin with, before gently guiding the conversation to the patients’ problems, and what they would like to achieve as a result of this therapy.
Induction
The next phase is the induction phase. The main aim of this phase is to gain eye closure. In stereotypical terms, it is the part where the hypnotist swings their antique watch, suggesting that the patient is feeling sleepy, and wanting to close their eyes. This sort of thing is now outdated.
I prefer to give the patient some time to get comfortable, then ask them to close their eyes when they are ready to do so. I feel that people do not like being told what to do these days, and don’t always appreciate being told to close their eyes by a stern looking hypnotist. There are other techniques, such as gazing at a spot on the ceiling, or at your hand.
Deepening
Time To Get Deeper Into Trance!
The deepening stage is where you relax the patient into a trance. My personal favourite techniques to achieve this are meditative breathing techniques, as you can easily feel the physical effects of the relaxation through both your mind and body.
There are many other techniques that achieve this also, and you are only limited by your imagination. A hypnotherapist may, for example, guide you on a relaxing stroll in an imaginary garden, or a sunny beach.
Hypnosis works not because of the “power” of the hypnotherpist. It is the openness and receptivity of the subject.
Therapy
The next phase of the session is usually the therapy phase. With the patient in a trance, their conscious mind is quietened, so that the therapeutic suggestions are easily absorbed by their subconscious mind.
The subconscious part of your mind is where your habits and drives are formed. By talking to it, we can effect permanent change.
Your subconscious mind is more than able to reject suggestions that it does not wish to accept. I could not, for example, suggest that you transfer all of your savings to my bank account. Your subconscious mind would not buy that for a second. What it will accept is suggestions of changes that you have discussed in the introduction stage.
A good hypnotherapist will quickly get to know the patient in the introduction stage, and tailor the therapy for the individual.
Wakening
You Will ALWAYS Wake From Trance!
The final stage is the wakening stage. The aim is to gently lift the patient out of their trance, returning them to full waking consciousness. Sometimes in my recordings I will allow the patient to wake up at a time that is convenient for them. This isn’t always practical in my live sessions.
I would like to add that there has never been any reported problems of anyone ‘stuck in trance’. That’s not how hypnosis works. These are just urban legends and grossly distorted media hype.
Very occasionally, someone might not wake up straight away, simply because they are enjoying the trance so much. They always wake up after a few minutes, usually when they start getting bored, or when I tell them that I am charging for this time!
Final thoughts
To round up, a hypnotherapist gains rapport and trust before the hypnosis session begins in the introduction stage. The hypnotherapist will then ask the patient to close their eyes, and may use an induction to do so. The patient is then guided into a trance with a deepener. Once suitably relaxed, the hypnotherapist will perform the therapy, before waking the patient.
A hypnotic therapy session is a safe, gentle and relaxing experience. This form of therapy may not be everyone’s’ cup of tea, and I am fine with that.
What can be disheartening is when people miss out on this enjoyable and effective form of therapy because of fear caused by misinformation. I hope I have helped you to gain some knowledge about hypnotherapy, and have opened up the possibility of you benefiting from this form of therapy in the future.
Many self help and personal development movements have latched onto a technique known as positive self affirmations. The idea is to repeat to yourself phrases that promote self worth.
