In hypnosis, we must be in a state of trance before we are "suggestible". Being in a trance is often referred to as being in a state of "hypersuggestibility" (see trance).
When we are in a state of hypersuggestibility, we are more likely to act upon or believe words that are said to us. As the very name connotes, we are hyper-suggestible to anything that is said.
With self hypnosis, we are relying on ourselves to undergo the hypnotic process as opposed to using someone external such as a hypnotherapist. We must suggest to ourselves certain thoughts, beliefs or actions. This process is termed "autosuggestion".
One problem is that we can't actively suggest something to our subconscious. In order to think of a suggestion, we are using the conscious part of our mind. If we think of something with our conscious we're not using our subconscious.
In order for hypnotism to work, a suggestion must be made directly to our subconscious, without the conscious mind being able to critically analyse the suggestion. The question then arises - "How do you suggest something to your subconscious without thinking about it?"
We do so through the use of a pre-recorded suggestion - usually on an audio CD or mp3. When we enter into a state of trance whilst listening to this external recording, any suggestions that are made to us will flow directly into our subconscious. We will not be aware of the suggestions being made since we don't need to think of them - the audio recording is doing all that for us.
By having a suggestion bypass our conscious mind, we are preventing ourselves from critically analysing the suggestion. This can actually be a good thing as sometimes we are incapable of letting a suggestion pass through our critical mind, even if we want it to.
An example might be someone who has a fear of delivering a speech to a large crowd, and every time they approach an audience they experience a form of intense nervousness. The person may tell themselves "I don't want to be nervous" but their critical mind is saying "You must deliver a good speech or else people will not think highly of you". This critical part of the person's mind is placing unneeded fear and anxiety upon the person delivering the speech.
If the person uses the power of autosuggestion to speak to their subconscious and tells it "I will not experience nervousness when delivering a speech", then that person is bypassing their critical mind, and this suggestion will enter into their subconscious without it being critically analysed.
The next time the person approaches a large crowd, their subconscious will be telling their conscious "I will not experience nervousness" and thus the person should deliver the speech without experiencing undue anxiety.
This same principle of suggestion can be applied to overcome just about any personal ailment.
If you do plan on using audio recordings to practice self hypnosis on yourself, it is recommended you only use trusted and respected recordings. You want to be entirely certain that any suggestions that are planted within your subconscious will be positive and beneficial to your life.
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