Clearing your mind

This self-hypnosis technique is ideal if you have lots of worries that have been playing on your mind. It will allow your creative mind to find solutions to problems, while at the same time stilling your conscious mind and preparing for sleep.

Close your eyes and begin to breathe very slowly and deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth. Make each circular breath long and deep, and breathe away any tension with every slow out breath. Allow the chatter of your mind to quieten and aim to let your mind go blank. An empty mind is key in this technique, so spend time getting your mind to be still. Don’t worry if you still get unwanted thoughts; just allow them to drift away again.

After 15 minutes or so, when you feel pleasantly relaxed and your mind is very still, begin to accept that your unconscious mind will find a solution to this problem. Avoid thinking about the actual problem itself or even thinking of a solution, as that will only stimulate you intellect. If at any time you feel yourself intellectualising, then allow your mind to go blank and take a few slow, deep breaths to return to that centred space.

Your aim is simply to focus on your creative mind’s ability to find solutions and affirm that it will – as though you are programming your mind to deliver a solution to you without thinking about the problem itself.

When you are in that deeply relaxed, still space, you can also repeat one or more of the affirmations below:

A solution will come soon to me at exactly the right time.

My creative mind will give me the answer.

I trust in my own judgement.

When using affirmations, remember to put your feelings into them, as this makes them stronger and anchors them more deeply in your unconscious mind. So really feel each statement is a reality as you affirm it. You can also add your own affirmations, but make sure they are along the same lines as these and that they are not mentioning the problem itself.

After affirming to yourself, you can let go and go to sleep with the knowledge that your unconscious mind will find a solution to your problem. This may materialise in the form of a new line of thought the next day, or you may suddenly experience some clarity out of the blue.