self-hypnosis

[kosmic]

if i study and practice daily, is it possible to achieve every hypnotic phenomena at will through self-hypnosis? i.e. esdaile state, name amnesia, making an onion taste like an apple, accelerated healing, visual/auditory hallucinations, changing physical appearance(Merlin?), etc.

if so, should i consistently use self-hypnosis tapes or just give myself instructions before entering hypnosis?

or do i need a hypnotist present to achieve this?

or do i need to learn from an already experienced person?

i would be grateful if you could elaborate on the steps i need to take to learn these skills, especially if i'm just way off base.

[Marko]

Thats a good question , i also would like to know how effective self hypnosis is using internal dialogue,and how difficult/easy it is to achieve the hypnotic phenomena listed above^^ only using self hypnosis.

can anyone recommend good reading/media material on self-hypnosis?

I do believe that the best way to get the results your looking for would be to visit a qualified hypnotist who would guide you in the right direction, but what if that option wasnt available...

any replies of a helpful nature would be greatly appreaciated,
many thanks and good luck(with whatever you choose)

Marko

[Don]

I would contend (although others may disagree with me) that the answer is yes, you can achieve all those states with self-hypnosis, although the deeper states are more difficult to achieve.

The problem is that it is a myth that "practice makes perfect." If you practice something the wrong way, all you will get is perfection in your error. Indeed, it would be more accurate to say that "perfect practice makes perfect."

So the question is, how do you know you're doing it right and achieving your goals? There a many books on self-hypnosis at the library, so you don't have to buy anything. But how do you know if simply by reading something you will doing it right? So I agree with Marko that it would be good to go to a professional. In one session he or she should be able to teach you all you need to know to do self-hypnosis effectively and properly.

But my next question to you is why do you want to achieve these states? Why do you want to make an onion taste like an apple? Respectfully, you're sort of going about this backwards, learning methods and hoping that something will meet your goals rather than determining what your goals are and learning the methods to achieve them. But that's up to you.

[Merlin]

I find that very few people achieve such things on their own.
The reason is you don't really know where you're going, nor do you know what to expect when you arrive.
That's why I recomment that you hire a hypnotist 'guide'.

[Terry (existing)]

Much as I respect Don's knowledge and skills, I am one of those he reffers to as disagreeing with him, and agreeing with Merlin. To reach the goal you aspire to is possible yes, but it is only rarely achieved, and never to my knowledge by anyone not getting proper training first. I have met one young man in thirty seven years of practise, who reached such levels, but he was well trained to begin with, and was in his last year of University when we tested him, meaning he took the right road to begin with, and had the smarts to develope his skills under the guidance of several skilled practitioner members of HSA for several
years in order to reach that goal. Those who suggest they might be able to do it without proper guidance are whistling Dixie, and have no concept of what it entails... Other members of our University group never reached those heights because they didn't have the dedication, though they did have the guidance.

[Don]

I don't think Terry, Merlin or I are disagreeing. That's why I said the deeper states are more difficult to achieve.

[kosmic]

I want to achieve these states because they are a big part of my goal of understanding the mind/unconscious. Its much like Buddhism's goal of nirvana or enlightenment. I think becoming a hypnotherapist and the bodhisattva ideal coincide pretty well. I also think if I could enter all the states of hypnosis and experience all the phenomena, I would have a good enough understanding of hypnosis to be able to help others with it.

Perhaps i'm mistaken in a few areas of my thinking, and I would be grateful for your input on my philosophy. A few weeks ago I went to the library and found a wealth of information, including that pertaining to self-hypnosis, but I feel as if the progression of my success/understanding of self-hypnosis increases at a very slow pace.

On another note,

Has anyone here ever achieved, or can anyone at will, achieve such states (i'm mostly curious about Merlin, Don, Skip, and Terry)?

[chillowack]

This sounds like very wise advice.

[chillowack]

This sounds like very wise advice.

(What Merlin said, that is--forgot to quote it in my post.)

[Terry (existing)]

FYI I can use hypnosis for pain removal, anasthesia and analgesia, simply because that has value for me, but deeper trances no, I see no value in them, but also see no value in them contributing to my skills either. I suggest you may well be getting mixed up with priorities in wanting to be the perfect guinea pig. Not that I would discrourage you, but it is fair to say I see no value in it because that is the truth..... I set out to use hypnosis for myself until I learned it, then I saw the bigger picture, and began helping others. Until you take that first step, I suggest you have little idea of what you may want in time. Book a course, and then tell us what you have learned without going to such great depths to become a self hypnotising genious. On the other hand, I see no time wasted if you choose a self hypnosis course first, and a bigger one later...

[Merlin]

Yes. I can and have achieved such states.
(had good teachers (Mieriam of Magdah), *and I still learn*)

I still take trainings and practice!

[Merlin]

Kosmic,

I don't see a need to go to the moon or even fly a space shuttle in order to drive a car.

Yes it's nice to have such experiences, but I don't see a lot of value in it.

Many of the world's greatest hypnotists will never experience the 'Esdaile' state or other esoteric phenomina.
Yet they can do wonderous things to help people.

If you want to teach such skills to others, then learn them yourself. Then you can be the guide.

Otherwise, just get good at the basics.