Further to the theme that I have explored and written about throughout the month of November in my Adam Up ezine, I wanted to round that off with a technique which incorporates a number of different mental imagery techniques, self-suggestion and cognitive strategy.

It has a rather grand title this article, doesn’t it? It sounds a bit above it’s station perhaps, but let me explain.

The aim of this technique is to balance emotions and give you some control over them. A central notion throughout this session is the idea of balancing the electrochemicals in the brain which in turn influence how we feel, respond and behave etc. There have been very few studies to support this use and application of hypnosis, but the work of Feinstein & Morgan (1986) and Frumkin, Ripley & Cox (1978) have given much hope that hypnosis can influence and affect electrochemical regulation.

It makes sense therefore, that in addition to aiming to balance electrochemically, this type of session also include elements of relaxation and suggestions to balance emotions in general terms too, which have a bit more evidence supporting them as applications of hypnosis.

If you have a good understanding of or training in self-hypnosis, then you can be flexible and tweak some of the facets to suit you and your personal circumstances. You can additionally include a variety of good, positive, balancing self-suggestions towards the end of the session too, as I suggested previously. However, the process is just fine as it is too.

Get yourself in a good, comfortable, attentive, seated posture. Ideally with the crown of head pointed toward the ceiling, your feet flat on the floor and your hands by your sides or on your lap not touching each other. Before starting, have a good think as to what you believe to be a colour that represents balance. That is, if you were emotionally balanced, what colour would you be – and is it different from a colour that is imbalanced, for example. Keep that in mind for use later in this session.

Then follow these simple steps:

Step One:

Induce hypnosis. You can do so by any means you desire or know of. You can use the process in my Science of self-hypnosis book, use the free audio we give away on this website to practice or have a look at the following articles as and when you need them; they are basic processes to help you simply open the door of your mind:

Heavy Arm Self-Hypnosis Induction Method
Using Eye Fixation for Self-Hypnosis
The Chiasson Self-Hypnosis Method
Hand to Face Self-Hypnosis Induction
Using Magnetic Hands for Self-Hypnosis
The Coin Drop Self-Hypnosis Induction

However, with this process, an induction is potentially too much activity, so I teach my clients how to adopt a hypnotic mindset and simply have a mindset that is positive and expectant. Again, to really understand the cognitive set of the hypnotic mindset, go grab a copy of my Science of self-hypnosis book where it is explained in simple but comprehensive terms.

Once you have induced hypnosis, move on to step two.

Step Two:

Imagine yourself in nature, where you can see two rapidly moving, roughly flowing streams of water. Notice the colours of the surroundings, the details, notice the sounds, those that are nearby and those that are far away, notice a feeling of being relaxed and at ease.

Allow yourself to relax in the peaceful pace in nature, create the surroundings based upon your imagination, places you have been, or seen and let yourself feel more relaxed and at peace here.

Tell yourself that the more relaxed you become, the deeper you go into hypnosis. Also tell yourself and know that with each aspect of the scene you create, you go deeper into hypnosis. Absorb yourself in the place, be focused in it and relax there as much as you can.

When you have immersed yourself in this scene to your satisfaction and you feel notably different as a result of being immersed in it, move on to the next step.

Step Three:

As you watch the two channels of water, flowing in a rough, unpredictable fashion, notice that each of the streams has something floating and bouncing upon it’s surface. Using your imagination, notice if it is leaves that you see, or fallen twigs, or something else that is floating on the surface, travelling along each bubbling stream of water.

One thing you do notice is that each leaf/twig/other thing is a different colour. As each differently coloured item floats down each of these separate channels of water, tell yourself that you go deeper into hypnosis and that you relax more.

Then move on to the next step.

Step Four:

Look along the length of these channels of water, notice the point whereby the streams of water, these two channels meet each other and connect.

Then watch the two differently coloured items floating on the surface now travel along and meet. Watch them begin to swirl alongside each other, notice them merging and as they do, they begin to blend in a naturally harmonious way. As they blend, swirl and combine, so they join together as one and begin to turn into that balanced colour you thought of at the start of this session.

The newly coloured, balanced item floats down through gently moving waters, coluring the water slightly and influencing it as it moves further and further, creating a sense of harmony in the water… Notice how the waters here are smooth, balanced and have a sense of comfort and peace about them.

As you notice that, so every detail, every change in sound, all serve to take you deeper into hypnosis. When you have done this, then move on to the next step.

Step Five:

As the stream continues along in this balanced, soothing fashion… Notice your thoughts in response to the calming, balanced waters; be aware of yourself a bit more and move your focus towards yourself now. Be aware of your breathing, the rhythm of your being and tune into the area of your head and get a sense of the amazing organ that is your brain.

Imagine your brain and get a sense of it. Tune into it. Absorb yourself in the notion of all that your brain is doing in this moment. Perhaps imagine your brain in front of you, or imagine that you can see it where it is positioned in your head.

Notice one side of your brain is the colour of one of the leaves/twigs/items that was floating through the fast flowing waters, and the other side is the colour of the other item. As you watch, notice those colours begin to swirl gently together creating and resulting in the balanced, comfortable colour. Imagine it subtly and gently colouring the brain in a balanced way.

Now imagine that colour spreads through your entire body, giving you a sense of balance in both sides of your body. Notice the balance physically, how the rhythm of your body is serving you in a healthy fashion. Tune into your entire physical being and notice what it is that shows you and tells you that it is balanced as this flavor and colour moves deeply through it.

When this colour and sense of balance is felt throughout your body, remind yourself that this takes you deeper into hypnosis and then move on to the next step.

Step Six:

Having developed a sense of physical balance, now notice that balance at a deeper level…  Notice your thoughts being balanced, supportive, calm, stable and assured.

Repeat and affirm some positive, supporting, emotionally balanced thoughts to yourself. Feel in control of your thoughts and notice how these progressive thoughts influence your feelings further.

Tell yourself that you can access these thoughts and feelings anytime you like. You can relax, imagine the streams of water combining harmoniously and imagining the sides of your brain balancing and in turn effecting the entire body.

Imagine the balanced thoughts creating a sense of emotional balance in your body. Imagine that the electrochemicals being produced by the brain are now spreading healthily through the body, letting it feel wonderful. Remind yourself of how in control you are, remind yourself of times in the future when you can use this in real-life situations, then move on to the final step.

Step Seven:

Bring this session to an end and exit hypnosis by counting to five, taking some deeper breaths, wiggling your fingers and toes, opening your eyes and reorienting yourself to your surroundings.

Bring all the benefits, balance and good feelings with you, and also a sense of control and feeling equipped to deal with any future episodes that may test your emotional responses. It does not have to be used as a coping tool, it can simply be used as an antidote to life’s stresses or issues that can meddle with our emotions, but the more you practice, the better the results will be.

Enjoy that. I’ll be back soon.

References:

Feinstein, A. D., & Morgan, R. M. (1986). Hypnosis in regulating bipolar affective disorders. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 29(1), 29-38.

Frumkin, L. R., Ripley, H. S., & Cox, G. B. (1978) Changes in cerebral hemispheric lateralization with hypnosis. Biological Psychiatry, 13, 741-750.

Have some of themes here resonated with you? Then have a read of these pages:

1. Do you need help or support in a particular area of your life?
Coaching with Adam Eason Or Hypnotherapy with Adam Eason
2. Would you like a satisfying and meaningful career as a hypnotherapist helping others? Are you a hypnotherapist looking for stimulating and career enhancing continued professional development and advanced studies?
Adam Eason’s Anglo European training college.
3. Are you a hypnotherapist looking to fulfil your ambitions or advance your career?
Hypnotherapist Mentoring with Adam Eason.

Likewise, if you’d like to learn more about self-hypnosis, understand the evidence based principles of it from a scientific perspective and learn how to apply it to many areas of your life while having fun and in a safe environment and have the opportunity to test everything you learn, then come and join me for my one day seminar which does all that and more, have a read here: The Science of Self-Hypnosis Seminar.