People curious about hypnosis often ask how hypnotic auto-suggestions should be worded in order to maximise their effectiveness. Here are some basic principles and guidelines to follow. Remember, however, that self-hypnosis is an art form, there are exceptions to every rule when it comes to human communication and you may find that words or phrases which 'break' the rules below nevertheless strike a powerful chord within your unconscious mind -if they do, use them!

Realise you are Talking to a Real Person!
When I first began teaching people autosuggestion I would sit them in front of me and ask them to repeat their autosuggestions out loud to me, as if they were saying them to their unconscious. That allowed me to hear the same tone of voice they were using and observe the attitude they were adopting toward their unconscious when using suggestions in the privacy of their own mind. I found that people who are unsuccesful at using autosuggestion often sound like they are "talking to a brick wall", or at least they don't sound like they are talking to a real person. Ironically, we are more likely to talk to other people in a considerate manner, than to talk to ourselves in that way.

I noticed that there were two extremes: people would either repeat autosuggestions in a boring, detached, meaningless tone (depressed position), or in a tense, aggressive manner (anxious position). I therefore felt either bored or tense listening to them! I point out that if that is how their internal voice sounds, then they must be boring themselves, or putting themselves on the defensive. Strive instead for rapport with your inner mind, your unconscious, with yourself. Speak to yourself with consideration and respect, in a gentle but meaningful manner. In this respect your relationship with yourself is just like your relationship with anyone else, you have a good relationship or a bad relationship. Indeed, in the long term, doing self-hypnosis is about more than autosuggestion. It is about developing a good working relationship with your own unconscious mind, with another part of yourself, a sense of internal rapport, of being integrated and at one with other levels of your own mind. However, each suggestion which you deliver is another small step in the overall process of building that good relationship toward yourself. The recommendations which follow are designed to help you find your suggestion voice and gain the respect and attention of your unconscious self.

Phrase Suggestions Positively
Avoid phrases like "less anxious", "won't bite my nails", "not angry", etc. These all incorporate 'negative predicates' which the unconscious usually ignores. As Sigmund Freud once wrote 'There are in this system no negation, no doubt, no degrees of certainty [...] In the unconscious there are only contents, invested with greater or lesser strength." (Freud, The Unconscious). The clichéd example is that if you were to say: "Don't think of elephants. You can think of any animal you want but NOT elephants...", in order to understand the meaning of your words I will probably think precisely of elephants! Put simply, in order to understand a word you usually have to evoke some image or sensation from your own experience that gives it meaning, this happens spontaneously at the threshold of your awareness. You will imagine the content of the words, regardless of the meaning of the sentence, and your unconscious responds to the imagination more than to the grammar of the sentence. Hence, "I feel less anxious", is a bad suggestion more likely to conjure up anxious feelings than remove them. "I feel more confident", is much better because it encourages you to think about what confidence means.

Use the Present Tense
It is normally better to use present tense rather than past or future. "I am growing calmer", or "I am calm and confident", are better than "I will be calm." Suggestions about the future can be used but are best linked to specific situations and phrased in the present tense even though they are in the future. For example, "I am calm and confident as I stand to make my speech at the wedding." is better than "I will be calm at the wedding." Phrasing something in the present tense encourages identification with the experience, which is more likely to trigger an unconscious response than past or future tense which encourage a sense of distance and dissociation.

Suggestions phrased in what grammarians call the 'progressive' form of the present tense ("I am becoming...") are more indirect and 'permissive' than those in the 'simple' form ("I am..."), meaning they are often easier for the critical part of the mind to accept. Some people have told me that suggestions like "I am calm and confident" sometimes jar because the critical faculty retaliates by thinking"No I'm not!" "Every day I am growing more calm and confident" is less objectionable even to the most skeptical part of the mind. In most cases the unconscious will respond in roughly the same way because the different grammatical forms of this suggestion still contain the same basic concepts. As a rule, however, use the most direct form of suggestion that you feel comfortable with, i.e., the simple form of the present tense is best.

Suggest Realistic Action
Where possible suggest action rather than potentiality. For example, "I am now writing great fiction" is usually stronger than "I have the ability to write great fiction" or "I can write great fiction." Everyone has the potential to do things that they never actually do, the real step forward comes by turning your potential into action. Some people who have exceptional self-doubt or low self-esteem, however, may begin by using suggestions that help them to recognise their potential.

Also, suggestions like "I am now prospering financially and rapidly expanding my wealth" are better than "I win the lottery and people are giving me lots of money!" Suggest things which are realistic and , at least in principle, within your sphere of action. Autosuggestion is not magic, it is not a way of controlling other people or external events, except insofar as they are influenced by changes in your own patterns of behaviour. "I am now winning the world heavy-weight boxing championship of the world" is not realistic unless you are willing to put in the necessary time training and have the phsyical potential to achieve such a high ideal. That said, if you were an aspiring boxer, "I love training, and I box faster and stronger every day" would be a good suggestion as it refers to directly achievable changes.

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition...
People often ask: "How many times do I have to repeat a suggestion." Each time you repeat a suggestion imagine that you are looking for ways to make it more compelling, more powerful, and more meaningful. I would like to say that if you hit it just right you need only repeat a suggestion once but that is a high ideal. As a rough guide, in practice most people will repeat a suggestion as many times as is comfortable or convenient, in at least one sitting or session per day, for a total programme lasting a few weeks. Repetition is the mother of learning. However, repetition should be meaningful and not mindless, autosuggestion is not like chanting a mantra. (See the section on 'meaning')

Mean Everything you Say
Speak with faith and conviction in your voice, and continualy contemplate the meaning of your words. This is not the case in self-hypnosis, it is the meaning of the words that matters. Do not analyse your suggestions or comment upon them internally; it is natural and desirable for you to picture, sense, and feel the things which you are describing, so think about their meaning in that way. For example, if you choose to repeat a suggestion like "I am growing confident..." then be curious and wonder about the good associations which the word "confidence" inevitable conjures up for you. This should be a casual and natural exploration of the meaning. When mantras are used in meditation students are sometimes told to forget the meaning of the words and think only of their sound. Do not repeat suggestions in a mantra-style until they become a meaningless and brain numbing jumble of sounds. There are hypnotic methods which use a passive attitude to suggestion but for most traditional self-hypnosis it is best to adopt a "calm but firm" attitude or "gentle authority" toward the unconscious. Think of a loving parent instructing a small child with an attitude of combined gentleness and authority.

Excite the Imagination
Wherever possible, choose words and phrases which stimulate the imagination -which positively sizzle with meaning! Paint word-pictures and use emotive phrases charged with feeling and poetry. Not only do metaphors and images capture and focus the attention, they also stimulate unconscious processing. "Self-reliance, that iron-string to which the heart vibrates!" wrote the poet Emerson. This is a matter very much for personal taste and preference but it can be a great aid in using suggestion. A simple alternative is to use emphatic adjectives, e.g., "real confidence", "deep calm", "beautiful relaxation", etc. These help to focus the mind on the meaning of the words and to add intensity to them.