"It's okay if you want to keep thinking for a little while longer. I know, it can be a hard habit to break. Even when you're trying to just relax and set down all those tiring thoughts for a little while, your mind won't stop. It keeps going and going, wearing you out with the burden of being required to have ideas and opinions about every little thing you notice. That constant narrative in your brain continues no matter how hard you try to let go of it, no matter how much you want to feel that blissful silence inside your head for a little while. It's not exactly a bad habit-there are times when thinking is important, we both know that. But you don't necessarily want to do it all the time. I understand. I can help with that.
"We can start by giving your conscious mind something to focus on. Perhaps that's going to be my words for you, but if you can also find something to watch or something to do that occupies your attention, that works too. You can look at something pretty and distracting, or tap your fingers on the table in a pattern that keeps your attention-really, whatever you want, so long as it requires at least a little bit of mental effort to maintain. The more you focus, the less you think. The first step in breaking that habit of thought is to shed the extra, distracting ones first.
"So if you're still thinking about my words for a little while, right here at the beginning, that's fine. That's normal. As long as you're paying attention to my words, you're already taking the first steps in getting away from your own thoughts. The more you listen to me, the less you're going to be distracted by anything going on inside your head. All those extra thoughts, all that fuzz of mental static that constantly buzzes around the back of your mind, that's fading away as you actively concentrate on your point of focus. You're paying more and more attention to one or two things, so naturally you're already thinking less. And you can already tell how good that feels.
"It's going to get easier and easier to let that focus keep your thoughts occupied, so that the stream of thoughts in your head gradually begins to narrow down and converge on your hypnotic focus. The narrative that forms your conscious mind is quieting down now, and more and more it's beginning to coincide with what I'm telling you. It's so much more simple to listen to my words and let them become your thoughts, so much more relaxing and nicer to allow yourself to simply follow along with me as your point of focus continually keeps your consciousness from intruding on that peace and quiet. Just keep concentrating, keep listening, keep focusing, and you'll find that those unwanted thoughts fall away all on their own.
"And as you do, you'll find that your body naturally relaxes right along with your mind. You might pay attention to it at times, when I direct you to think about it-maybe you'll notice your breathing getting slower and deeper as you relax more and more, maybe you'll notice the way that your shoulders let go of any tension in your muscles and go nice and loose and lazy under my direction. But otherwise, your body becomes less and less important, not really worth thinking about at all compared to your focus. And that's all hypnosis is. It's just a state of relaxation and focus, so if you're feeling relaxed right now and you're feeling focused right now then you're already hypnotized.
"And once you become aware that you're hypnotized, then it's even easier to let go of those silly thoughts and sink deeper into relaxation. Now that you know that you can let your mind center more and more on my words and let me direct your attention and awareness, you'll find that it gets more and more automatic and effortless to let your thoughts fall away and focus more deeply and more completely on the narrative I'm providing. The voice in your head that was your conscious mind is falling silent now, not simply speaking more quietly but talking less often as you get out of the habit of thinking. You're listening and relaxing, and it turns out it was never really necessary to think at all. Not when someone else can think for you.
"And of course, you know that your unconscious mind is aware of everything I'm saying. Your deeper self is listening to every word; it just doesn't feel the need to talk about it all. As long as you keep feeling safe and comfortable while you relax and focus and let everything I say become your next thought, there's no need for your conscious mind to wake up at all. You can just keep following along, letting me lead you along into deeper peace, deeper pleasure, deeper relaxation as you simply enjoy the feeling of freedom from thought. The less you think, the better you feel. And it feels so nice to know that you don't even have to think that thought. You just need to listen and accept it.
"And if you want, right now, you can feel that pleasure deepen and strengthen, more and more as you simply float on my words and relax into blank, unthinking acceptance. There's nothing to distract you from that pleasure, and so as long as you feel safe and comfortable doing so then you can let it continue to build and grow as you allow my words to fill your deep, dreamy mind. It feels good to stop thinking, and it feels good to let your mind empty out of everything except my words. Your deep self is listening right now to everything I'm saying, and your deep self is opening up to the pleasure that brings. It's okay to accept that pleasure. It's okay to feel good about being peaceful and relaxed.
