My commute is about 30 minutes each way. Every month I can’t wait till I get the latest audio recording from The Genius Network. Over the next two days I look forward to starting my commute so I can listen to these CDs. Each month I get an interview with Joe Polish, the founder of the Genius Network and some renowned expert on business, self esteem, personal development or some other topic of interest. I’ve been listening to these for about a year and a half and have loved all but two or three of them. Recent audio recordings have been about the E-Myth revisited book, Tim Ferriss and the 4 hour Work Week (now I love that book and concept) and Joe Sugarman on how to write ad copy and how human behavior science can be used to get people to respond to direct mail offers.

You see, I have an intense interest in personal development, business success and goal planning. Most of these CDs provide great insight into some aspect of these topics. If you want to check Joe’s audios out, go to 6 free CDs and get some free ones to listen to. That hooked me and I’m still a willing participant in these monthly mailings. My wife love to listen to them as well and I’ve had my oldest daughter listen to a few.

BTW – I don’t have any interest in Joe’s business. I just love the audio programs and wanted to share them with you.

I’ve tried for years to meditate effectively. Once in a while I’m effective at quieting down my brain, but usually the self speak goes crazy as soon as I try to get quiet.

Now the strange thing is I’ve been using self-hypnosis for 3+ years to achieve focus, reduce stress and achieve some of my personal goals. I was lucky enough to be trained by a certified hypnotherapist when I tried to use hypnosis for weight loss. Well the pounds did not shed, but I learned that, other than with weight issues, I was easily hypnotized. In fact the therapist said, you’d be great at self-hypnosis, let me teach you how. So with a little instruction and on the recommendation of the following book of self-hypnosis scripts I got started:

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Self Hypnosis for a Better Life

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Using the scripts in the book as guides and knowing what I wanted each session to accomplish, I set out to write my own scripts. Then I recorded them using audacity, a free audio recorder. No music, just my own voice. I put these on my iPod and had instant hypnotherapy wherever I went. Over time I improved the scripts and made them shorter.

I also practice self-hypnosis without the aid of audio. I now use my iPod versions only when I’m unable to get to a completely safe and quiet location. Otherwise I can go deep without the aid of my trusty and beloved iPod. As long as I’m not completely stressed out or hopped up on too much coffee (rare these days) I can play these scripts in my head and go deep fast. Usually an 8 to 12 minute session has me refreshed and able to focus again on life’s challenges.

Now to the meditation! Last Tuesday I started taking a meditation class at the University of Richmond, taught by Mark. The first thing he said was meditation and self hypnosis are one and the same thing. They both get you to the Alpha and occasionally Theta brain wave states . I thought wow that is weird, why didn’t I connect the dots before and understand this? So now after two classes with 4 guided sessions and some practice I can meditate really well using self-hypnosis. I get to the trance state and tell myself I will be there for a certain time limit and then suggest to myself that my conscious brain just needs to be patient and wait and not interrupt. After a few repeats of the suggestions my brain is quiet and relaxed. In fact I got in a 30 minute mediation early this morning using this technique. I’m so thrilled to be able to get this quiet. If you are having trouble meditating you might want to try using self-hypnosis to get you there!

After writing and posting this article I found a post on litemind.com on creating a mental sanctuary. That is in fact the technique that I used this past week to get to a meditative state. My sanctuary is a beach and is not a building divided into rooms. Since I love the beach I think for now I will achieve the same affect as the rooms with different mindful imagery.