Hello and welcome back to our current theme of looking at ways we can use self-hypnosis and other modalities of therapeutic intervention to overcome and let go of unwanted habits.

Today, we are going to use a version of the Swish pattern used in NLP to deal with the unwanted habit.

Please refer to my previous two blog entries and use the information gathering section to make sure that you have a good understanding of the conditions that the habit occurs.  When you have all that information about the unwanted habit, then get yourself into a comfortable position in a place where you are going to be undisturbed for the duration of the exercise, and we can get started with the process.

Six Steps To Use NLP’s Swish Pattern & Self-Hypnosis To Be Free Of An Unwanted Habit

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: Firstly, imagine and create the environment where the habit used to happen. Notice whereabouts in your body the feelings of compulsion are, see the sights of the place, hear the sounds and really engage in the feelings that precede the habit.

Make a really vivid mental note of this imagery and the sounds and feelings that go with it, put a frame all around the entire scene, step out of it and put the entire scene to one side of your mind ready to return to later, then move on to the next step.

Step Three: Now start to imagine how you would respond if you were in the same situations but were free of the habit altogether. Start to notice how you would talk, how you hold your body, how you think to yourself. Notice what is positive and easy about this scene now, and look at what is different despite so much being similar.

Make this scene and imagery really bright and compelling.

If you think about someone that you admire, what makes you admire them when you look at them? Start to adopt the same sense of admiration as you look at yourself in that new image where you have mastered your mind, taken control and are admirably dealing with this situation in a new way now.

Step into those shoes and be that version of you for a few moments, experience the enjoyment of being this way, experience how easy it is to be this way now, put a smile on your face and really bask in admiring yourself from the inside as you feel really good to be in this situation having taken control and being free of the old habit that you used to have.

Step out again, put a frame around it and with the image right there in front of you, now shrink it down into a really small grey dot. Then move on to the next step.

Step Four: Now bring back the old negative image of the old unwanted habit and put the grey dot right in the middle of it.

Then blow up the grey dot so that it expands and covers up the entire old, unwanted, negative imagery and as it fills up the image, notice it is brighter, more powerful, with clear sounds and notice how the image covers you in a deep rooted, wonderfully enjoyable sensation of self-assuredness and control. Notice the big smile on your face and notice that you are in control of this situation.

When it is absolutely dominating and overpowering and there is no trace of the old unwanted image and you feel really good, then blank it all out, imagine washing the colour white around inside of your mind and run through this step another 5-10 times, just repeating the process. Each time you expand and blow up the grey dot, say the word “swish” to yourself inside your mind (I also imagine the sound that the doors use to make on the Starship Enterprise in the original series of Star Trek, but you can use any sound you like).

Once you have repeated this step at least 5 times and ideally 10 times, then move on to the next step.

Step Five: Now with that dominant, controlled, new positive image having become an instant thought each time you imagine the old habit that you used to have, now we are going to spread the change into all those other aspects of your life too.

With that positive image in front of you, reach out and imagine taking hold of it, like you would a large framed painting, and as you lift it up you notice there are thousands of other situations and circumstances of your life and in each of them, you are in control, your happy, confident and free from the old habit. You have a smile on your face, you are happy, the images are bright and clear and vivid and as you lift the big image you created initially and throw it into the air…

As you throw it into the air, so all the thousands of tiny images go with it, they sparkle in the air and fall to the ground and surround you in a vast array of positive images of your future life; images of being free, images of being happy and in control, images that show you without a doubt that you have taken control of this aspect of your life once and for all.

Every direction you look in, there are aspects of your life which have changed and where you are free.

Keep looking, keep watching, going deeper inside your mind and then when you feel convinced that wherever you look in life, the change has been made, move on to the next step.

Step Six: Exit hypnosis by taking a deep, energising breath, wiggling your fingers and toes and opening your eyes.

Now you can ideally practice this process a couple of times, but then go and test what you have done and put yourself into that situation where the habit used to happen and let the new imagery and sensations dominate you and your thoughts and enjoy being free!

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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.