Self-hypnosis Against Insomnia (and Depression and Anxiety)

At the end of this post, you will find a self-hypnosis recording you can use tonight, when you go to bed. It will help you to fall asleep, and it can be helpful against both depression and anxiety.

It’s been a few years since I started with self-hypnosis. I was first motivated by curiosity. I had read a couple of books on the subject, and in addition, had used Paul McKenna’s hypnosis programs a lot. I fully recommend his recordings.

After experimenting with self-hypnosis for a while, I went to a doctor’s office in Oslo, where there is a psychiatrist who specializes in hypnosis. I had achieved a mild version of a trance (the state the brain is in when you are hypnotized) through my own self-hypnosis, but wanted to experience “the real thing”. And for me, there is no doubt that a specialist in hypnosis can take you much further into a trance than what you may experience on your own. And maybe that’s a good thing for those who are skeptical and a little anxious about trying self-hypnosis – you will probably not go into a very deep trance and it will feel a bit more like daydreaming. It’s simply very pleasant and very relaxing.

And that is part of the reason why self-hypnosis is so effective against insomnia. Most people who struggle to fall asleep, or who wake up during the night, do so because their mind is full of thoughts; concerns, plans, fears and other such things. The sleepless commonly ruminates; and loop the same thoughts over and over again. Worry triggers the production of adrenaline, cortisol and other stress hormones. These hormones raise your pulse and blood pressure in order for the body to get ready for “fight or flight”. No wonder it can be difficult to fall asleep.

Through meditation and self-hypnosis it’s easier to calm down and you reduce the thought activity and frequency of brain waves. You simply slow the speed of your brain. This can be measured by placing electrodes on the head; so-called electroencephalography (EEG). When you meditate or listen to a self-hypnosis tape you reduce the frequency of brain waves, typically from beta level (16 – 31 Hz) to alpha (8 – 15 Hz) or theta level (4 – 7 Hz). These levels are associated with an increased activity in the unconscious part of the brain; that is, brain activity you do not notice and which is related to learning.

It feels very relaxing to lie down for the night, turn on a self-hypnosis recording, and notice how your mind calms down, and your body becomes progressively more relaxed. Often, that is all it takes to fall asleep. Since my own brain is usually always operating in high gear when I’m awake, this is my main reason for using self-hypnosis. It calms my mind down, and I usually fall asleep easily after 10-15 minutes.

A great number of people who struggle with insomnia are not aware of this technique. I have therefore made a self-hypnosis recording that should be suitable for everyone. It is extremely easy for you to try this out. Simply click play on the audio recording below.

There are some rules you should follow. You should never listen to self-hypnosis when driving, operating machinery or when negotiating traffic. It’s a bad idea to take your brain down in frequency when it needs to be fully awake and focused. The self-hypnosis below is designed for sleep.

Furthermore, it is important that you actually listen to the recording. You may notice that your attention can easily jump from the recording back to your plans and worries. This is normal and quite ok. At the same time, you will get a much greater effect from self-hypnosis if you focus your attention on the recording and listen to each word that is said. That in itself is an important part of the positive effect – it’s a practice to let go of your worries. Listening to self-hypnosis is a form of meditation. When the recording asks you to visualize things, do it, and go for it one hundred percent. Then the benefits will be greater!

The third rule is that you should listen to the recording more than once. Before you evaluate its effect, attempt to listen to the recording every night for a week.

The recording will make it easier for you to fall asleep. In addition I have included some elements that work well in relation to anxiety and depression. If you do not struggle with anxiety or depression, this is not a problem. Everyone can benefit from an increased degree of calm and happiness. The self-hypnosis below is consistently oriented towards the positive; and that in itself is an important principle when writing a self-hypnosis script. You need to focus on what you want (peace, happiness, safety, and joy) and not on what you want to escape from (fear, anxiety and frustration).

In purely practical terms all you need to do to use this is to open this page on your mobile phone and press play below. In addition, I have uploaded the recording to Youtube, if that works better for you.

I hope the recording will bring you lots of great nights of sleep going forward.

Here is the YouTube version, if you prefer it. You can also find the recording on Spotify here.

Read more in Rise from Darkness and 14 Steps to Happiness.