Learn Instant Self-Hypnosis for Rapid Focus

“Instant” self-hypnosis? It sounds like one of those exaggerated claims that are too good to be true. But when you realise that self-hypnosis is simply the skill of focussing your attention narrowly for a particular purpose, learning to do that instantly becomes a very reasonable goal.
Narrowly focussed attention is like a narrow beam from a flashlight or a narrow stream of water from a hose – it’s intense and powerful. By shutting out distractions and focussing down, you’re able to exert more mental force over a smaller area.
With concentrated attention, you can direct your mind more readily to what you already know are the most important challenges to overcome for success. You can be calm in a crisis, change long-standing habits, deal with physical pain or improve your emotional state, among many other useful applications.
Rapid Self-Hypnosis: 3 Stepsr
Instant self-hypnosis requires practice. Initially, you’ll learn to self-hypnotise quickly, and then instantly, as you become used to the mental shift required.
Step 1: The Breathr
First, learn to associate entering hypnosis with taking in a deep breath and letting it slowly out. Start out using three deep breaths. Later on, you can drop it down to one.
As you take each deep breath in, draw in your mind from the distractions around you. And as you let each breath slowly out, relax easily into a calm, alert state.
(What’s actually happening under the hood is that your brain activity is synchronising and entering the “alpha” state, a state of focussed alertness also seen in meditation.)
Step 2: The Shiftr
While you’re learning to attain instant self-hypnosis, you need to train your brain into deliberately making the mental shift that’s required. The easiest way I know to do that is to use a simple visual image, preferably one involving movement. Movement and vision both cause your brain to coordinate its activity over a number of locations.
One familiar image that works well is descending a number of stairs, usually five to ten. If you have a disability that prevents you going down stairs easily, or for some other reason don’t want to use the stairs image, a good alte
ative is to imagine being in an elevator that is descending a tall building. Instead of counting stairs, you count floors.
Using the stairs or the elevator as your focus, count from one to the number you have decided on (five or ten). If you find that the number is too high or not high enough, adjust accordingly on your next attempt. As you imagine yourself descending gradually, draw your attention in further and focus on the image and your imaginary movement.
Step 3: The Pauser
The other thing this image does is portray a shift of location, which our brains tend to associate symbolically with a change of awareness or state.
At the bottom of the stairs or elevator, pause and find yourself in a new room and a new state of awareness.
When you have practiced enough to move on from rapid self-hypnosis to instant self-hypnosis, instead of the shift being a series of distinct steps or stages, it becomes one easy movement into the by-now-familiar calm alertness. In that focussed state, you can examine whatever challenge confronts you, and access all your resources to deal with just that problem, undistracted by peripheral issues.
Accessing that calm, resourceful state in a moment is a vital skill in a rapidly changing, always challenging world.