I'm glad you made a post on this. I'm heavy into hypnosis. There are people that don't believe in it because of the mockery that's been made of it by the media. ((cartoons, movies, stage hypnosis, etc. all have inaccurately portrayed hypnosis.)) But, very few ((if any)) of these people have actually looked into the realities of hypnosis. Almost everyone who supports hypnosis publicly is an actual doctor.

Self-hypnosis takes alot of time, as well as patience. It also takes a very open mind. You might be better off using a pre-made hypnosis session. If you've got MSN messenger, I've got loads of self-hypnosis mp3's, including some for weight loss and sleep.

If you're looking for a good book for it though, my personal favorite has been "Self-Hypnosis: The Complete Manual For Health and Self-Change, second edition" by Biran M Alman. Ph.D. and Peter Lambrou Ph.D.

It's really well organized, includes references, and has a really good section on hypnotic language, that way you don't mess yo brain up while in a state of hypersuggestability.

To see any sort of drastic effects from self-hypnosis, the process needs to be repeated on a regular basis. Don't expect to listen to the sound file and lose 50 lb over the next couple weeks.