For all the mystery and myth surrounding the practice of hypnotism, this altered state of mind is, in reality, a safe and relatively easy thing to achieve on your own. With a little practice, you can get into a light hypnotic trance that can help you to relax, explore your subconscious mind, or help make some positive changes to your lifestyle and habits.
Induction
For a basic hypnotic induction, find a quiet place where you can sit alone and undisturbed for up to an hour or more. Sit or lie in a position where you can be comfortable and completely relaxed, as you would if you were going to sleep (for this reason, avoid trying hypnotism when you're tired, since you may fall asleep in this position).
If you like, listen to some soft, instrumental music while you attempt your trance (avoid music with words as this can cause a distraction). This will help relax your mind and is especially helpful if you can't avoid an area with some background noise distractions.
Close your eyes and start breathing deeply, taking air in through the nose and releasing it out of your mouth. Do a progressive relaxation of every muscle, starting with your feet and working upward. Don't move on to the next muscle until the one you're focusing on feels completely soft (some areas will have more tension than others).
This process of physical relaxation will start sending your mind into a light trance. Take yourself gradually, now, into a deeper trance by slowly counting to yourself and telling yourself that with each number, you will sink deeper into your subconscious mind. You can also use a visualization like swimming deeper into water or walking deeper into a dark, dense forest--choose whatever method appeals to you. Keep going with this process as long as you like, but bear in mind that the deeper you go, the more you will risk going into a deep trance, one that you won't be able to remember or direct, or falling asleep.
You may decide to hypnotize yourself through the use of professionally-made hypnosis audio tracks. Most of these will simply contain instructions to bring you through stages of induction similar to those described above (with, perhaps, some music). If you find this works better for you, try it, or record your own audio track.
Trance
Once you've entered a hypnotic trance, you can use this altered state of mind in many ways. You can simply decide to drift for a while to meditate and relax, or you can use this time to re-organize your thinking and implant some suggestions.
Hypnotic suggestions are effective because your mind is highly suggestible during a trance. While only you can decide which suggestions you want to take, more of your mind will be open to receiving the suggestion and with fewer reservations. Use your trance to tell yourself that you're going to make some changes in your life, such as better weight loss habits or giving up smoking. Give yourself direct, general instructions (such as "I will stop smoking cigarettes" or "I will exercise more regularly"), but also be sure to visualize yourself making the small, day-to-day decisions that will help you achieve your goal (such as deciding not to buy cigarettes when you see them at the store or choosing to take the stairs instead of the elevator). The more specific you get, the more effective your changes will be.
