To understand self-hypnosis, you first need to learn about hypnosis. What is hypnosis? Also referred to as hypnotherapy, hypnosis uses intense focus and concentration through guided relaxation methods to reach a "trance" or a heightened state of awareness.

A hypnotist uses suggestions to get you into a hypnotic state. Examples of these suggestions include:

• Relax your entire body from head to toe.
• Imagine the most peaceful and relaxed place you have ever been to.
• Imagine hearing your beloved grandmother’s voice.

When you focus on any of these or other suggestions given by the hypnotist, then you tend to reach a hypnotic "trance". And if this process is done over a sustained period of time, like say 10-15 minutes, your mind tends to reach deeper levels of consciousness.

By the way, hypnosis is not something mysterious and indefinable. If you notice, all the great marketing and PR campaigns or political and religious propaganda are working on the idea of hypnotizing people into believing something. Most of us fall for these concepts, right?

Some people use this concept to mislead, delude, and misguide us while some others use it for our good. So, hypnosis works and therefore can be used for your own good through the practice of self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis is, therefore, using the "power'"of hypnosis on yourself to make positive changes in your life. By using self-hypnosis, you are suggesting certain desirable things for yourself.

The original word for hypnosis was mesmerism drawn from the root word "to mesmerize". So, have you found yourself totally mesmerized by the sound and sight of sea waves, a crackling fire, ripples in a pond, or the flame of a candle? This experience is nothing but self-hypnosis.