Today it is actually a joyous comfort to be sat still typing my blog entry. Mainly because I am struggling to walk with any semblance of normality due to completing the very tough Portsmouth Coastal marathon last weekend, but I’ll be writing about that in more depth over at my hypnosis for running hobby blog in the coming days… It was incredibly cold and lots of the tracks and trails were icy, and it is just not the same jumping through puddles filled with shards of ice rather than splashing everywhere.
There’ll be a couple of blog entries from me before Christmas and that’ll be it until the new year, Katie and I are going for some winter sunshine in faraway climes for most of the festive season and there is a strictly no working rule!
To round off the year here on the blog, I am going to be offering up a couple of self-hypnosis techniques for enhancing self-esteem.
That crucial ingredient that affects vast sections of our lives and how we live them.
Self-esteem is shaped by a person’s behaviour and actions, as well as by society, culture, and important individuals throughout a person’s life. Self- esteem is more than self-worth. It is a confidence in your own ability to think, to make decisions, to cope with life’s challenges, and to feel worthy of your success through happiness and enjoyment of your accomplishments.
I go into self-esteem itself in much more depth in my books and audio programmes on the subject, but I thought I’d offer up a couple of techniques this week to help you feel good in your own skin and give you a self-esteem lift. It is of course a very complex subject and everyone is unique and therefore I recommend that you look at it in more depth if you have struggled with self-esteem issues for a long time – ideally see a professional who can help you. This technique is simply a nice way to give yourself a lift and help you to practice enhancing how you feel about yourself.
And as I was on the subject of splashing about in puddles, then why not extend the theme… I do like to get my tenuous links in each week, don’t I?
7 Steps To Create The Reflection Of Self-Esteem
Find a comfortable place where you are going to be undisturbed for a while, and sit in a comfortable chair rather than lying down in bed. Now sit back and relax with both feet on the floor, and place your hands on the armrests of the chair or in your lap — whichever is comfortable for you. Ensure that our arms and legs are not touching each other and your head is comfortably balanced upon your shoulders, and proceed.
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, or just adopted the hypnotic mindset, move on to the next step.
Step Two: Using your imagination in whatever way is right for you, imagine you are walking by the sea or beside an ocean, or perhaps you are in the countryside – just pick somewhere in nature that you like the best and start to see the sights, hear the sounds and really engage with this place.
Allow the weather to be just as you like it, though you can tell from a number of signs that there has been some heavy rainfall in previous days.
Notice the puddles and pools of water and the colours of the pathways that show you it has rained.
Once you have got a vivid scene in your mind, see what you see; notice colours, textures and shades of light in the environment you are in. Hear what you hear; notice sounds that are near and others faraway in the distance, notice the kinds of noises of life and nature that are around you. Feel what you feel as you are in this place; enjoy feeling safe and secure in this place of your own creation.
Additionally, use this scene creation and development to deepen your hypnosis experience too, tell yourself that you go deeper as you imagine being in this place and as you become more absorbed and focused upon it, imagine that you are also going deeper inside your mind.
Once you have created this place in detail and made it as vivid as possible, then move on to the next step.
Step Three: As you walk along the pathway, or track or trail, you start to notice puddles and small pools of gathered water.
notice one that really stands out to you in some way. Look at how the surface of the water is calm and clear. Enjoy the reflection of light upon it’s surface and really engage with the surrounding area of this puddle or pool of water that is drawing your attention. Walk closer to it and as you get closer, you see more in its reflection, until you get close enough that as the sun reflects into the water you can see your own reflection in the water.
You notice that your reflection is slightly different to usual though…
As you look into the calm, still surface of the water, it becomes like a mirror and there is your reflection. Though this reflection is you as you deserve to be and are meant to be. Notice the expression on your face that tells you that you feel really good in your own skin, what it is about this mirror image of you that tells you that you look so self-assured.
Perhaps yo notice a sort of glow of natural, deep-rooted confidence, and with a large, genuine smile beaming all over your face.
Importantly, what is it that tells you that the mirror image reflection in the water is clearly feeling really safe and assured? Take some time and feed back to yourself how you can tell that is definitely the case with this image of yourself.
Also start to imagine and sense that you feel a growing sense of self within you as you look at your reflection upon the surface of the water. That’s the thing about reflections, isn’t it? They are actually just reflecting back what is there…
Take all the time you need to feel comfortable being you as you watch this reflection and guide it to show a deeply confident and assured version of you. Then start to think that as your reflection is looking and feeling that way, then surely you must be too, so start to imagine that you look and feel the same way – and the more you imagine it, the more you start to feel different.
When you start to notice some real difference in how you are feeling, then move on to the next step.
Step Four: Continuing to engage your imagination, now reach out a hand and softly touch the surface of the water and watch as the ripples you have created slowly increase and circle outwards… Watch them and tell yourself that you go deeper inside our mind as you watch that gentle movement.
As the water surface clams and become still again, now see that your reflection is showing you doing and being as you want to be. As you know you can be. Perhaps you see yourself doing that thing that you have put off in the past. Perhaps you see yourself living life that you want for yourself. Perhaps you see yourself being happier and enjoying life. Whatever it is you see, you notice that you look full of self-assuredness, you look like you chose to be this way and made it happen on purpose.
Notice that you feel increasingly good about your ability to make the life that you want for yourself. Tell yourself how very wonderful this feels! As you look at that, tell yourself that you are going to make this happen and that you feel capable of making it happen and start to look at this with some genuine belief. Really enjoy this moment, tell yourself that this is going to be fun to achieve and take all the time you need to really notice a change in sensation within yourself. Again, if the reflection is doing this, then you know you are doing this.
Once you have spent some time enjoying watching this scene in the reflection, move on to the next step.
Step Five: Now gently touch the surface of the water again and watch the ripples circle outwards again and let yourself go deeper inside your mind again.
As it stills and calms, you see that there are a number of people around you. Watch the people and start to notice what they look like and how you can tell that they absolutely accept you for who and how you are. Notice what it is that shows that they love you and want the best for you. They may be created people, or they may be real people from your life. Watch them, notice how they accept you and express love towards you.
As they demonstrate an acceptance of you, start to notice and imagine a developing and growing feeling within yourself that you are building and developing an acceptance and love toward yourself.
Know that of course, this love is coming from you and start to create more of that love and acceptance as you alter the image of yourself in the reflected image. Create an image that shows that you love yourself and accept who and how you are, perhaps even someone who is happy to celebrate their own true self.
You know that you are investing this time in yourself which is itself a wonderfully loving thing to do, you are caring for yourself and showing yourself that yo are important to you. Enjoy that feeling and feel good knowing just that.
Start to repeat some powerful affirmations to yourself now as you look at the loving image of yourself in the reflection of the water:
I love myself.
I enjoy being me.
I trust myself.
I feel comfortable in my own skin.
I am assured.
I accept me.
And anything else that you feel is right for you. Say these things to yourself with conviction, in an undeniable manner, with meaning and inspiration. Notice that as you repeat these things, you start to feel even better.
Take all the time you need to feel how confident you are right now. Notice how your thoughts and inner perceptions affect how you feel and how you experience being you. When you have repeated these suggestions to yourself for enough time that you really feel different, then move on to the next step.
Step Six: So finally now watch as the beautiful, uplifting and deeply self-assured image you have created throughout this exercise upon the surface of the water, now starts to merge with you. Imagine this happening in whatever way is right for you.
Imagine that all the qualities in that reflection are being taken on and absorbed by you. Start to imagine how things are going to be different, how you are going to behave and react to situations, start to think about things you are going to do and make a decision to take those actions. Filling you up with more and more confidence, joy, happiness. Enjoy filling yourself with trust and acceptance.
Maybe you can imagine the feelings as a colour or a sound or a specific sensation that you now spread through your body and mind. Take all the time you need to merge that image with you and spread it through every cell of your being. Take a few deep breaths and let these feelings radiate throughout you. When you feel that you have totally taken it all on board and enjoyed basking in the glow of self-esteem, then move on to the final step to bring this session to an end.
Step Seven: One more big deep breath, wiggle your toes and fingers, open your eyes, tune in to your surroundings. Now go and take some action that is undeniable proof to you that you are feeling better about yourself and plan to practice this process a few more times to really build a strong base for self-esteem development.
There you have it, a really lovely process. And despite what the seasonal films from Walt Disney may portray at this time of year, remember that a mirror never lies… So use your mind to make sure you create the most self-esteem enhancing reflection and you’ll really reap the rewards.
I’ll be back at the end of the week.
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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.Alternatively, go grab a copy of my Science of self-hypnosis book.
