Hypnosis for Procrastination: Research Findings and Personal Experience
Do you still find it hard to break out of habits that keep you from getting things done?
Maybe hypnosis is the answer you’ve been looking for.
There is mounting evidence that hypnotherapy may be a powerful tool for overcoming a wide range of issues.
I myself used hypnosis for procrastination in the past, and I can provide my opinion and feedback based on that experience.
In this article, we’ll explore the scientific literature behind hypnosis while focusing on its potential benefits in fighting procrastination and increasing productivity.
So, can hypnosis help with procrastination? Let’s dive right in.
Table of Contents
What is hypnosis?
According to the Mayo Clinic, hypnosis, also referred to as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion, is a trance-like state in which you have heightened focus and concentration.
It is usually done with the help of a therapist using verbal repetition and mental images. When you’re under hypnosis, you usually feel calm and relaxed, and are more open to suggestions.
When you enter into what’s known as a trance state, your mind and body become receptive to suggestion. This allows the therapist to influence various parts of your brain in order to help you achieve your desired outcome.
The most common types of suggestions given during hypnotherapy include:
- affirmations (positive statements that are repeated over and over again),
- visualization (picturing yourself achieving your goal),
- cognitive restructuring (changing negative thoughts about yourself or situations into more positive ones).
Hypnotherapy has been used since the 1700s, yet there are still some doubters in the medical field.
It is, nonetheless, gaining acceptance as a legitimate kind of therapy. Hypnotherapy is being used more and more in medical practices by doctors who are trained and licensed to do so.
More people are turning to hypnosis to solve their life’s difficulties and achieve their goals. The effects of this approach, according to its proponents, may include increased focus and productivity.
What is hypnosis used for ?
Hypnosis is used for a variety of purposes, including weight loss, anxiety relief, and depression .
Hypnotherapy is also believed to be a powerful tool for easing anxiety and managing pain in patients undergoing surgical procedures.
Conditions that can be treated with hypnosis include:
- Pain management: Pain from burns, cancer, childbirth, fibromyalgia, dental treatments, and headaches.
- Behavioral changes: insomnia, bed-wetting, smoking, and overeating.
- Mental disorders: anxiety, depression, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
How can hypnosis help with procrastination?
There is still much debate over the effectiveness of hypnosis for procrastination. Some people believe that it can be very helpful, while others are skeptical about its effects. However, there does seem to be some evidence that shows hypnosis may help people better manage their emotions and reduce the amount of time spent on negative or unhelpful activities.
Hypnosis may help with procrastination by making your mind more receptive to suggestions that are targeted towards helping you change negative thought patterns that lead to procrastination and enhance your productivity and motivation to get things done.
Let’s take a closer look at what science has to say about using hypnosis for procrastination.
What does research say about hypnotherapy for procrastination?
Hypnosis is a well-researched and approved kind of adjunct therapy for a variety of problems, and there is a growing body of evidence suggesting it can be an effective technique for reducing procrastination and related negative behaviors.
A 2012 study showed that hypnosis intervention leads to decreased procrastination and stress levels among patients with generalized anxiety disorder.
Research on the effects of hypnotherapy on behavioral change and procrastination-related issues has also produced promising results.
In terms of weight loss, research found that people who undergo cognitive behavior therapy coupled with hypnosis tend to lose more weight. After four to six months, those undergoing CBT + hypnosis dropped more than 20 pounds.
The hypnosis group also maintained that weight loss during an 18-month follow-up period.
For smoking cessation, a 2007 randomized trial on 286 smokers found that 20% of people who received hypnosis managed to quit, compared to 14% of those receiving standard behavioral counseling.
The benefits of hypnosis in smoking cessation were much more obvious in smokers with a history of depression, suggesting another advantage of hypnosis.
How can hypnosis accomplish this?
Research shows that hypnosis can affect a number of brain areas, including regions involved in sensory processing and emotional reactions. This is very relevant because it is now widely believed that procrastination is primarily an emotion regulation problem.
What about hypnosis as a self-help strategy? Self hypnosis for productivity
Unlike hypnotherapy, which is a clinical practice typically involving a trained professional, self-hypnosis, or auto-hypnosis, is a form of self-help therapy that involves using certain techniques to induce a hypnotic state.
Some of these techniques include deep breathing, visualization, autosuggestion, listening to a pre-recorded script, or a mix of these.
Putting yourself in a highly focused and suggestible condition is the essence of self-hypnosis. It resembles meditation and involves giving yourself positive affirmations on how to accomplish your goals while in a deep state of trance.
This can allow you to be more in control of your thoughts and actions while also benefiting from the physical and emotional effects of relaxation.
Thus, self-hypnosis may be very helpful in reducing your anxiety and depression, improving your sleep quality, and boosting your focus and productivity.
Some people believe that all hypnotherapy involve some form of self-hypnosis because you are allowing a therapist to guide you into a focused state of mind and accept suggestions to help achieve your goals. So, in that sense, you could say it is self-hypnosis.
My personal experience with self-hypnosis
Back in the days, I was very involved in self-hypnosis and used auto-suggestion to help overcome my procrastination and the lingering depression and anxiety I was suffering from.
The technique was easy to learn, I used deep breathing and visualization to induce the trance state and started to listen to pre-recorded scripts containing targeted positive suggestions.
Overtime, self-hypnosis resulted in an overall enhanced focus and decreased levels of stress and anxiety. Although I wouldn’t say that I saw dramatic results in terms of my unhelpful habits related to procrastination.
I think that self-hypnosis was moderately helpful for me, but not as a stand-alone approach for my chronic procrastination.
But again, this is my personal experience, and your experience may be different.
In fact, many people report that their procrastination and bad habits, like smoking or overeating, have significantly decreased, and that their focus has improved with the help of self-hypnosis.
Online resources for self-hypnosis recordings that target procrastination are widely accessible and offer a simple method to get started.
Takeaways
There is mounting evidence that hypnosis can be an effective option to help you overcome your procrastination, increase your focus and productivity, and lower your levels of stress and anxiety.
Hypnosis may be better utilized along with other strategies and interventions to produce substantial and long-lasting results.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, hypnosis is typically utilized in a comprehensive treatment plan in conjunction with other therapies and treatments.
You can also get started right away by using self-hypnosis.
This can help you learn about different self-induction and self-affirmation techniques and judge how well they work and how they affect your bad habits and negative ways of thinking.
Self-hypnosis recordings specifically targeting procrastination are readily available online and provide an easy way to get started.
So what do you think about hypnosis. Leave your comment below!
What makes a good candidate for hypnosis?
Almost anybody can benefit from hypnosis, though some people find it easier than others. It is estimated that 5–10% of the population are very receptive to hypnotic suggestion.
For instance, children and young adults make good hypnosis candidates.
Some academics argue that hypnosis-enabling personality traits are innate, while others contend that learning to be hypnotized is an acquired skill.
Having a good imagination, the capacity to focus and pay attention, and the ability to lose yourself in a film or a book may all be traits that make you more susceptible to responding to hypnosis.
What does hypnosis feel like?
A hypnotic state is not particularly strange or unique. It may remind you of countless times when you were absorbed in a zone, lost in thoughts, or just meditating.
Even though the hypnotic trance can be anywhere from very light to very deep, you may typically experience:
- Deep physical and mental relaxation
- Feelings of heaviness or lightness
- Mental clarity and enhanced focus
- Sensory changes, such as reduced pain perception
- Feelings of detachment from your body
How long does hypnosis last?
Your hypnotherapy session’s duration may vary depending on your problem, your capacity to enter a trance state, and your therapist. However, sessions typically last 60 minutes but might extend to more than 2 hours.
Regarding self-hypnosis, time is more flexible and depends on you. Most self-hypnosis pre-recorded sessions last around 20 to 30 minutes.
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About the author
My name is Sam David. I am the founder of "Proactivity Lab," a website that provides comprehensive strategies and resources for understanding and overcoming procrastination.
The website's resources are the culmination of more than 20 years of research and experience, during which I embarked on a long and gruelling journey of study and self-discovery.
Being a former procrastinator myself, it took me years of investigation and numerous trials and errors to gain a clear understanding of the underlying causes of procrastination and the most effective and scientifically supported strategies to permanently conquer the vicious cycle of procrastination.
I would like to share my knowledge with you, for free.
