Writing Your Own Hypnosis Screed
A ‘screed’, otherwise known as a script, speech or text is used to guide a hypnosis session. Screeds have clear parallels with prayer, positive affirmation and visualisation exercises. The aim of the screed is to influence the unconscious mind in its hypnotic state in much the same way that visualising success in a certain situation or repeating a phrase over and over can lead to a relaxed state I which confidence may be enhanced.
Methods of Writing
You may wish to write your own script if you are interested in the practice of self hypnosis. This will enable you to tailor your script to your needs and to accurately develop a hypnosis practice that will have maximum effect for you. Start first by writing down exactly what it is you wish to address. Be sure to focus on the phobia you wish to overcome or the achievement you wish to strive for. Remember not to be so hard on yourself and to allow for the time it will take to develop your skills or overcome your fears. For example, if you wish to overcome a fear of public speaking, remember that even very experienced speakers feel nervous: Try and learn to accept your fears and live them, rather than aiming to become ‘superhuman’ right away!
After focusing on what it is you wish to address, try and write down a few thoughts, as if you were talking to and calming yourself. Imagine talking yourself calmly into a relaxed state, and then talking yourself into normal consciousness, equipped now to face the world with a positive attitude. Write down as much as you can and take time to edit it into something that you would feel comfortable reading or having read to yourself. Be sure to remind yourself of your strengths and to forgive yourself for your failings, which are only challenges you will be sure to face soon.
Tips for Performing Your Script
Be sure to use repetition, expressing your goals in a number of ways over time to let them ‘sink’ in to your deepest consciousness. When you are reading the screed to yourself, or listening to it as you play back a recording of it, you will then be able to feel the ideas being embedded into your conscious. Try to begin your script with a standard relaxation technique, such as a meditation exercise, before counting yourself down and visualising yourself descending stairs. At his point let your screed enter your mind, leading yourself slowly through a scenario in which you feel empowered.
At the end feel yourself walking back up the stairs, once you have repeated your script over a few times and feel satisfied.
You will find that scripts will work best when they are written in your own language and are kept as simple as possible. Don’t try to create a mystic treaty or a poetic text – just say something powerful to you. Try either to remember your script or make a tape, C.D. or Mp3 from it. This will be more effective than reading from it, as reading requires a conscious focus that is at odds with the trance like state you wish to enter under hypnosis.
