Learn and practice self-hypnosis to gain greater control over your perception, motor functions, focus, and self-conception. This state enhances your inherent capacity to manage your body and mind.
Apply self-hypnosis to effectively manage anxiety, stress, pain, sleep issues, and habits like smoking or eating. It offers quick, free relief, often within minutes.
To initiate self-hypnosis, look up high towards the top of your head, slowly close your eyes while maintaining the upward gaze, then take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Allow your eyes to relax (while remaining closed) and imagine your body floating comfortably in a safe space.
When worried about flying, engage in self-hypnosis and consistently apply three key reframing techniques: floating with the plane, viewing the plane as an extension of your body, and distinguishing between possibility and probability. Practice this protocol multiple times daily and during flights to master your physiological and mental reactions.
Upon boarding and buckling up, enter self-hypnosis and visualize yourself floating with the plane, embracing the movement during takeoff as an enjoyable roller coaster ride. This helps prevent physical tension and reframe the experience positively.
During self-hypnosis, reconceptualize the airplane as an extension of your body, and the pilot as an extension of your brain. This perspective shifts your feeling from being trapped to actively utilizing the plane and pilot for efficient travel.
In a self-hypnotic state, consciously differentiate between what is merely possible and what is probable, understanding that vivid negative imaginings do not reflect actual likelihood. Apply this to fears like panic attacks on a plane, recognizing their low probability.
When experiencing panic, perform cyclic sighing by taking a deep inhale through the nose, followed by a significantly longer (three to four times) exhale through pursed lips, as if blowing through a straw. This breathwork calms the nervous system and promotes physical relaxation.
Incorporate five minutes of cyclic sighing into your daily routine. Regular practice helps reduce your average respiratory rate, counteracting shallow breathing, and fostering a calmer physiological state.
When feeling anxious, ask your anxiety, “What are you trying to protect me from?” This question can help reframe your anxiety and uncover its underlying protective intention, potentially altering your response.
If your goal is to solve a specific problem or intentionally change a behavior, consider hypnosis as a more direct and efficient approach compared to some forms of meditation. Hypnosis allows for intentionality in altering your mental state.
To conclude a self-hypnosis session, count backwards from three to one; on “two,” roll your eyes up (while eyelids remain closed), and on “one,” open your eyes, let your hand float down, and make a fist. This structured exit helps transition back to a normal state of consciousness.
Download the Reverie app (from reverie.com, App Store, or Google Play) for guided self-hypnosis instructions and programs. The first week is free, allowing you to explore its benefits for stress, insomnia, pain, and phobias.
Participate in weekly live guided meditation and Q&A sessions on video, held every Tuesday afternoon starting in September. These sessions offer a group experience to enhance your meditation practice and leverage the benefits of collective practice.
Find companion guided meditations for all full-length Monday-Wednesday podcast episodes on danharris.com. These resources are available to support and deepen your meditation practice related to the podcast’s topics.
Consider attending the in-person Meditation Party retreat at the Omega Institute from October 24th-26th. This offers an immersive group meditation experience.