possibly been asked before... but?

[tsd]

I find it VERY hard to relax full stop, let alone when thinking about going into hypnosis...

any hints as to what might help?

i seem to be one of these people who is on the go ALL the time...

i generally need to chill out... figuring self hypnosis is a good way to do it...
have interests in other uses for it too... but ill start at the beginning i think...

[nuit09]

It's mostly the breathing. slow that and your mind will follow.

Also you can tense your body and relax it part by part. that also helps.

Start at the feet curl your toes try to draw your heel and ball of foot together and then relax. not the differrence in feeling.

tense the calves then relax them.

then the thighs

clench your buttocks. then release them.

contract your abdominal muscles like you are starting to do a sit up or anticipating a punch if you have ever sparred as a boxer or martial artist.
Then release.

Tense your pectorals and release.

pull your shoulders and upper arms tight against your sides. release.

tighten your forearms clench your fists. and release. just relax. relax your fists. open your hands palms down relax the fingers.

tense your neck and relax.

tense your jaw muscles. clench and release them.

Frown. clench your eyes tightly shut. release your frown. relax your eyes rlease the clench. feel thedifference in your forehead, your eyes, your cheeks your mouth your jaws.

Do this sequence once or twice completely. if at any time in your session you feel part of your body tensing up again you now know the contrast between tense and relaxed feels and can just loosen up and let go.

[tsd]

not quite what i was looking for.... but thank you anyway

its my mind that wont relax... i can relax my muscles and slow the breathing just fine.... i dont have a short attention span, so its not that...

i get on marginally better if im tired (not overtired cause then im just wired) and have had a hot bath etc... but it doesnt make enough difference to really show...

[nuit09]

to slow the mind the best way for a non-meditator is to control the breathing. i mean really control it. not just slow it down generally, but to control every second of every inhale, every pause and every exhalation. make each last a certain count. and occupy your mind by counting that beat.

another way is to do a mantra. internally. repeat to your self "deeper and deeper" or "so deep, so blank" or similarly themed phrases or just repeat mentally everything the hypnotist says. keep your mind occupied and it will wander less. and if it strays to otehr thoughts bring it back as if nothing happened.

[Blink]

tsd,

You should know that relaxation is neither part of nor required for hypnosis. Most folks cross easily from one to the other, so it's a common theme, and it's so comfortable and easy that most people find it enjoyable. Sometimes it can be fun to start a guided imagery session with an instruction to "Tense up!" Maybe I'm just weird that way.

Since you're already physically relaxing with little effort, I'll chime in on the mind side.

If you've noticed that your internal dialogue (AKA internal monlogue, which is parts of your mind following and commenting on different transient thoughts; experienced as conversation inside your mind) is getting in the way, there are a few things you can do. First, I'd suggest to you that you need to pay very close attention to the stream of words. As you pay more and more attention, you might notice that they are coming in full sentences much of the time. It's OK for you to notice where the sentences end and to think the word Relax between them.

Try this for a minute or two and notice how different you feel. If you don't yet notice a change, try for another couple of minutes and check again. There is no time limit on this step, keep banging at it, no matter how monotonous, until you've got clear progress.

With that done, you're ready to move on. Because of the base you put down in the previous step, the next step will be much easier. It's just a variation on the same theme. Now you can adjust the pitch of the voice you hear downward. Bring it down to a relaxing baritone, deeper if it feels better to you. Only when you've got the voice pitched right into the sweet spot should you move on. Relax.

Now slow the speed with which the words come. Insert... longer... pauses... between... them... each... time.... Relax.

Nooowww... sslllooowww... theeee... wworrrrdssss.... Reelaax.

Doo... theee... saaame... wiithh... yooourr... eyeeesss.... Reelaax.

-- blink
... slowly.

(And I have a Plan B.)