Self-hypnosis is hypnosis applied to oneself.
It is an increasingly popular technique for dealing with certain stressful situations or pain, for example.
What is self-hypnosis?
Self-hypnosis consists of practising hypnosis on oneself without the help or guidance of another person.
Many people consider all forms of hypnosis to be self-hypnosis, because inducing the hypnotic state requires good cooperation from the subject and special concentration.
Self-hypnosis can be considered a technique of deep relaxation or meditation, although there are significant differences.
The concepts are similar: it is about connecting with yourself, being able to relax and listening to your body.
The benefits of self-hypnosis
Self-hypnosis, like hypnosis, uses processes of visualisation and suggestion to help you cope better with a situation, be it
- Pain
- Anxiety
- Sleep disorders
- Depressive disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Other problems or pathologies
Self-hypnosis can be practised during childbirth, for example, or taught to control migraines, phobias, anger or aggression problems in adolescents, etc.
It can also be combined with local anaesthesia for minor surgical procedures.
Hypnosis is also increasingly used to reduce the side effects of anaesthesia (anxiety, nausea, vomiting).
Self-hypnosis in practice
In hypnosis, or self-hypnosis, the aim is to achieve an altered state of consciousness through therapeutic suggestions designed to stimulate the imagination and facilitate the connection between body and mind.
We achieve a state of concentration and very focused attention that allows us to 'disconnect' from external stimuli.
The practice of self-hypnosis requires good self-awareness and a certain degree of mastery.
It is therefore advisable to start with a few sessions under the supervision of a hypnosis professional, which will allow you to explore the hypnotic state and become familiar with the technique.
There are many guides and manuals available to help people get started with self-hypnosis.
Before you start, you can practise deep relaxation techniques based on regular abdominal breathing.
Self-hypnosis is usually used for a specific purpose, for example to stop smoking or to reduce anxiety.
It is important to have a specific goal before you start.
Then there are different techniques, different "suggestions" that allow you to achieve mental serenity: imagining yourself going to a secret garden, concentrating on a part of your body, imagining yourself flying over landscapes, visualising relaxing places or objects, etc.
Everyone must find the technique that suits them best.
Does it work?
An increasing number of scientific studies show the effectiveness of hypnosis or other techniques, such as meditation and mindfulness, in various situations. The tools used in neuroscience allow neuroimaging or electrophysiological studies to understand the mechanisms involved in the hypnotic state and to visualise the effects of these practices.
Several studies have shown a change in brain activity, either in terms of awareness of the external environment or self-awareness, in people who practise hypnosis.
Although the neurological mechanisms involved are not all known, the idea is to act on the autonomic nervous system by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which plays a role in the stress response.
We also know that the mechanisms underlying the modulation of pain perception involve different regions of the brain, in particular the frontal cortex, whose activity can be modulated by hypnosis.
Thus, an increasing number of studies and literature reviews show clear genetic, epigenetic or neurological effects of practices that lead to the "meditative brain".
However, studies of hypnosis do not distinguish between hypnosis achieved by external suggestion and self-hypnosis, so it is difficult to decide on the effectiveness of self-hypnosis as such.
It is also known that there are large individual differences in the ability to achieve the hypnotic state.