How a State of Trance Can Make You a Better Reader

by Lucy Adams

There are probably a lot of skeptics who, after reading the header, will be negatively disposed to the article. Let’s clarify that the claimed subject is the use of techniques of trance to focus, first and foremost, while reading, and has nothing in common with hypnosis that represents some popular TV shows.

And now let’s dig deeper into the issue along with Lucy Adams, an outsourcer from the best essay service.

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Trance as a Mental State

Trance is a state of the psyche that connects conscious and unconscious mental functioning of the person. An internal focus of attention—that is a focus on images, memories, dreams, and feelings (not on external factors, as in the case of conscious perception)—is one of the features of this condition.

A state of trance is known to every person; to get into it, you don’t need to have any special skills or carry out certain manipulations.

Think: have you ever had a situation when returning home after a hard day, you boarded the bus, started to think about something, and then it turned out that it’s time to go out? Has it ever happened that while reading a book or watching a movie, you thought that you were a direct participant of the events? Another similar condition (in physiological terms) is what a person feels for a few moments before sleep when the mind is still working.

The above examples perfectly illustrate the manifestations of trance, which is familiar to everyone. By nature, they are the stable form of focus and concentration that a person can achieve at will. Therefore, despite the fact that the process belongs to the unconscious, there are techniques to achieve a trance state consciously. We will talk about them later; first, let's understand how such a skill can be applied to self-development.

M. Erickson, an American psychiatrist who devoted his career to the study of medical hypnosis, and whose model became the basis of neuro-linguistic programming, assured that being in trance has a therapeutic effect. This condition is analogous to rebooting the computer and allows you to complete "unnecessary operations" and relieve stress.

J. Rider, a Ph. D., psychologist, and hypnotherapist is confident in the positive impact of trance on memory. The easiest example is when you can't find the right thing, but then you sit down, focus on the subject, and suddenly recall everything associated with it and finally, find it. This is a light form of self-hypnosis, characterized by orientation and internal focus. In this state, a person can much more effectively memorize information when reading.

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Below are two techniques of self-hypnosis. The first allows to concentrate better, for example, when reading; the second is for relaxation.

#1 Attention Focus When Reading

• Eyes fixation. Put the book in front of you and slightly above the line of sight. Focus all attention on the text and avoid any distractions.
• Visualization. This method lies in the ability to immediately transform every read word into the image before understanding the meaning. You even don’t have to guess the meaning; once you read a word, transform it into the image.Simply put, you must be a director making a film based on the book—not using a camera but your imagination. If you can do this, then you will recede into the background, because all your thoughts will be occupied by what is happening. In fact, this is the state of trance. It differs from the usual careful reading by the fact that you don't perceive the value of words but are focused on the action they described.
• Turn on other senses. An atmosphere that is close to what you read promotes the trance state. Although you can’t create it around, try to influence your feelings. For example, reading a summer novel, turn up the sound with the sound of the surf or read on the sun-drenched balcony, but don't concentrate on these things.

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#2 Relaxation When Reading

If you read a lot, sometimes you get overloaded and need to relax. Go through the steps below:

1. Sit in a lit place where nobody will disturb you. Remove shoes and tight clothing, sit comfortably.
2. Focus on the object at the other end of the room; it can be a bed, a picture, a chair—whatever—the key is that this object must be above a line of sight. It means when looking at it, your eyes are slightly upwards.
3. Then, start saying to your something like: "My eyelids are becoming heavier and will be closed soon." As you notice that you’re entering a state of trance, do not try to overcome it; as soon as the desire becomes overwhelming, close your eyes.
4. Slowly take a deep breath through your nose and hold it for 10 seconds. Exhale through slightly open lips with a slight whistle.
5. Repeat these breathing exercises until you feel relaxed. During the entire exercise, try to feel the wave of heat and gravity which passes through the body from head to toes.
   
   
   About the Author: Lucy Adams is a blogger and writer. She’s a generalist that never refuses to cover intriguing topics. Typically, Lucy is focused on education, writing, and books. But from time to time, she moves away from those niches to cover something burning and innovative. Feel free to share your ideas with the blogger and be sure, very soon you’ll get a high-quality piece in return.