1. Every thought affects the body as well.

In other words, although the mind and the body are understood to be separate in practice it doesn't work that way. Mental stress can create knots in your back or even give you ulcers. Therefore, Be aware of your thinking. If you are negative all the time to yourself or about your surroundings it is the same as negative self hypnosis.

2. What you expect tends to be realized.

If you wake up telling yourself you will have a bad day you probably will. In other words your expectations drive your results. Negative expectations is the same as negative self hypnosis.

3. Imagination is stronger than knowledge.

You ?know? that ghosts and monsters do not exist. Yet hearing ghost stories at night will create fear. Especially if sitting around a campfire in a forest. There is no contest. Imagination will always win. Another point for the importance of positive thoughts and visualizations in your practice of self hypnosis.

4. What you resist the most stays with you.

Have you ever had to stop doing something and found that its more difficult than you realized? Maybe you have had occasion to go on a diet and suddenly foods that you couldn't have cared less about start looking very appetizing? Maybe there was/is someone who irritates you and you know there is no reason to. So you try to keep the irritation away but it gets to you even more?

I could go on and on with examples. Basically, when you resist something it tends to stick. This happens because when you resist you have to think of the very thing you are trying to resist, so it's continuously on your mind.

It's as if someone told you that they would give you a $1000 if you don't think of a pink elephant all day. I'm sure you don't spend your time thinking of something as random as a pink elephant. However, trying to resist that image of a pink elephant with a $1000 on the line would be impossible.

In other words, what you resist tends to stay with you. Which means that in focusing on an affirmation for self hypnosis you have to phrase the affirmation in the positive. I.e. affirm what you want to achieve and NOT on what you don't want.

Follow these four laws of the mind and your day to day thoughts will be more guided in a positive direction. Of course, your thoughts create your internal emotional states which is the same as self hypnosis. So you have to be aware of your thoughts to create the state of being that you desire.