Self-hypnosis is hypnosis applied to oneself. It is an increasingly popular technique to manage certain stressful or painful situations, for example.

Self-hypnosis consists of practicing hypnosis on oneself, without being helped or guided by another person.

Many people consider that all forms of hypnosis are self-hypnosis, since the induction of the hypnotic state requires good collaboration from the subject and special concentration.

Self-hypnosis can be thought of as a deep relaxation or meditation technique, although there are some notable differences. The concepts come together: it is about connecting with oneself, succeeding in relaxing and listening to one’s body.

Self-hypnosis, like hypnosis, involves processes of visualizations and suggestions, which make it possible to better manage a situation, whether it is:

• pain;
• anxiety;
• sleep disturbances;
• depressive disorders;
• phobias;
• post-traumatic stress disorder;
• other problems or pathologies.

Self-hypnosis can be practiced around the time of childbirth, for example, or taught to manage migraines, phobias, anger or aggression issues in adolescents, etc.

It can also be combined with local anesthesia for minor surgical procedures. Hypnosis is also increasingly used to reduce the side effects of anesthesia (anxiety, nausea, vomiting).

In hypnosis, or self-hypnosis, the goal is to achieve an altered state of consciousness by using therapeutic suggestions, intended to nourish the imagination and facilitate the connection between body and mind. We thus reach a state of concentration and very focused attention which allows us to “cut ourselves off” in a way from external stimuli.

Practicing self-hypnosis requires good self-knowledge and a certain mastery. It is therefore advisable to start with a few sessions supervised by a hypnosis professional, which will allow you to explore the hypnotic state and familiarize yourself with the technique.

There are many guides and manuals available to help people get started in self-hypnosis.

Before starting, you can practice deep relaxation techniques, based on regular abdominal breathing. Self-hypnosis is generally used for a particular purpose, to manage smoking cessation for example or to reduce anxiety. It is important to have a concrete goal before starting.

There are then several techniques, several “suggestions” to achieve mental serenity: imagine going to a secret garden, concentrating on a part of your body, imagining yourself flying over landscapes, visualizing soothing places or objects, etc.

It’s up to everyone to find the technique that suits them best.

More and more scientific studies show the effectiveness of hypnosis or other techniques, such as meditation and mindfulness techniques, in various situations. The tools used in neuroscience make it possible to carry out neuroimaging or electrophysiology investigations to understand the mechanisms involved in the hypnotic state and to visualize the effects of these practices.

Several studies have shown a change in brain activity, whether in awareness of the external environment or self-awareness, in people practicing hypnosis.

Even if the neurological mechanisms involved are not all known, the idea is to act on the autonomic nervous system by activating the parasympatic nervous system which plays a role in the stress response.

It is also known that the mechanisms underlying the modulation of pain perception involve different regions of the brain, in particular the frontal cortex, the activity of which can be modulated by hypnosis.

Thus, more and more studies and reviews of the literature show clear, genetic, epigenetic or neurological effects of practices leading to the “meditative brain”.

However, studies of hypnosis do not distinguish hypnosis achieved through external suggestions from self-hypnosis, so it is difficult to rule on the effectiveness of self-hypnosis as such. It is also known that there are great differences between individuals in the ability to achieve the hypnotic state.