There are many ways to suspend the analytical side of your brain to produce an altered state of awareness.
"Brainwashing" occurs with an overload of words or arguments or demands for concentration -- thus exhausting the analytical side of your brain.
Deprivation of food or sleep or sensory stimuli can suspend your analytical brain.
Jogging, marching, dancing, swimming, rhythm, narcotics, cadence, music, chanting, flashing lights and the monotone of a hypnotist's voice can shift your awareness into a trance-like state.
Rally leaders, mobs, drill sergeants, politicians, preachers, hard sell salesmen, con artists and tough teachers shut down your evaluating left brain by loud, strong or persuasive language and hit the emotional right side of the brain by displaying authority, forcefulness or by creating a state of peer acceptance in you.
This exercise should be done with a partner to guide you at first, but later it can be achieved on your own.
Assume a comfortable position and relax all the muscles of your body from your feet to your head.
Breathe rhythmically and deeply during this process.
With your eyes closed and rolled upwards, imagine that you have a gigantic blackboard in front of you.
Now visualize writing your name on the blackboard with a piece of chalk.
Then write the word "trance" underneath it.
Now again write your name and the word "trance" underneath it.
Continue doing this over and over repeatedly until you start to feel like you are going into a trance.
Now inwardly write your name again, but this time write the word "deeper" underneath it.
Write your name and the word "deeper" over and over again.
For visual minded individuals, this internal writing process is an excellent way to create a deep, self-induced trance.
When you feel you are just about as deep as you can go, wait for a moment and experience a limitless, restful peace about you.
Now take your chalk and write some positive affirmations on your mental blackboard to create a desired change in your life.
For example, to curb the smoking habit, say to yourself, "My body no longer needs poisonous smoke in my lungs" or "My body is healthier as a non-smoker.
" Picture yourself to be strong, confident and at ease with yourself.
Visualize how glad that you'll feel as a non-smoker.
Imagine yourself in a situation where previously you would have had a cigarette in your fingers or your mouth and now you are content without one.
With practice, the whole visualization process can take less than 2 minutes.
Much of the belief that smoking is difficult to give up comes from all the attention and publicity given to it that it is so difficult.
You can practice this exercise to bring about any needed change in your life.
When you want to come out of the trance state, simply suggest to yourself that you will progressively wake up as you count backwards from 10 to 1.
When you reach 1, you will feel fully awake, fully refreshed and with a good happy feeling about yourself.