How Affirmations Help Alongside Hypnotherapy

When you are looking to make a positive change in your life, there are lots of things that can help you keep on track through your journey to a healthy and happier you. If you have found your way to this blog, then we can assume that you are interested in trying hypnotherapy or know a bit about what it can do. However, have you considered adopting affirmations? Using the two together has the potential to really kickstart positive change. Let’s look a little closer at hypnosis and affirmations before we get stuck into how this dynamic duo can help you.

Hypnotherapy

If you already are familiar with hypnotherapy then skip ahead, but for those who want to know the basics then here they are! Hypnosis, as we understand it today, is achieving a state of focused attention, wherein you become more open to suggestions and can have a greater connection to the subconscious part of your mind. Your hypnotherapist will be there to guide and support you during your session. You’ll be awake and alert the entire time, and the sensation won’t be unpleasant or unfamiliar. If you have ever gotten lost in a really good book or arrived at work without paying attention during the route, then you will have experienced a form of hypnosis already.

The benefits of hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy can be hugely helpful with a wide range of problems that many of us face in our lives. Some examples of what hypnosis can help with are below:

• Improving your confidence and self-esteem
• Fears and phobias
• Getting rid of unwanted behaviours and habits
• Helping with anxiety and stress
• Addressing painful memories that are holding you back

Affirmations

These are the assertion that something exists or is true, or a confirmation of the perceived truth or validity of a prior judgement or decision. For example, a positive affirmation may be “I know that I tried my hardest” after getting a disappointing exam result, whereas a negative affirmation in that scenario may be “I knew that I wasn’t smart enough, I don’t belong on this course.” It is important to pay attention to the way that you communicate with yourself. The majority of us have an inner narrator, an internal voice that can be influential on our mood and perceptions of ourselves and the world around us. While some of us are blessed with a kind inner voice, some are less fortunate and may need some help to fine-tune their inner monologue to be more supportive. While some changes to how we speak to ourselves may be obvious, there are also some clever little ways to make a really positive impact on yourself with the right kinds of affirmations.

The benefits of affirmations

There are a great many ways that getting into the habit of using positive affirmations can help you in your day-to-day life or when working towards a long-term goal. Some examples are below:

• To support learning during education
• To help maintain focus during a task
• To boost self-confidence and self-esteem
• To help alongside weight management efforts
• For personal development
• To increase motivation during challenges
• As a way of healthily coping

Examples of positive affirmations

There are an endless variety of positive affirmations at your disposal, with many to be found online or through a therapist, or you can create your own. There are a few things to note for what makes a more impactful affirmation: avoid negative language such as “I will not” and language that highlights a lack of something, such as “I won’t smoke cigarettes anymore.” It is also wise to avoid using absolutes such as “I won’t snack ever again” so that you can avoid feelings of failure if you don’t stick to your plans that day. Let’s look at some examples below:

• I will feel better tomorrow if I exercise today
• I am grateful for my good health
• I will get stronger each day
• I believe in myself to try my hardest
• I’m going to be okay (I use this one often myself)

How they blend together

Now that we know a little bit more about hypnosis and positive affirmations, how do they work together? In short, remarkably well. Many approaches to hypnotherapy involve teaching clients to re-program how they think or react to certain situations, such as a phobia of spiders, or battling cravings to smoke. While one aspect of hypnotherapy can be to address any root causes that lead to an unwanted behaviour, such as a client being bitten by a dog as a child or seeing a role model smoking and wanting to emulate them. However, to cultivate lasting success in our present and future actions, positive affirmations can be a wonderful way to teach ourselves to look at ourselves and the world in a more productive, positive light. The smoker may benefit from repeating affirmations of “I want to be a positive role model to others,” and the person who fears dogs may be able to better manage her fears with affirmations like “I am growing stronger than my fear.”

For those who do not have an inner narrator, positive affirmations can also be utilised in other ways. Leaving positive messages in places you frequent like your workspace or on the kitchen fridge may be a way to create positive impressions. There are even some smartphone apps that can be programmed to send you positive messages throughout the day. Imagery can also be a way of creating a positive affirmation, such as an image of a phoenix rising from ashes to symbolise growth, an image of cycling outdoors to symbolise balance and moving forward, or even an image of the future self that you want to be.

If you work with your hypnotherapist to instil positive affirmations during hypnosis, then the impression can be embedded in your subconscious so that the affirmations become more entrenched in your mindset, and they hold more power over your actions and mood. This dynamic duo is a force to be reckoned with, and if you’re seeking help from a hypnotherapist for a problem, you may as well get a head start on retraining your brain to get along with itself. If you want to speak to a hypnotherapist about getting started on your journey to better health and happiness, then take a look at our accredited register of skilled hypnotherapists to see who may be right for you.