Meditation is NOT what you think it is!

Written By Dr Stephanie Lipnicki, DACM, LAc

Are you the person who thinks I just can’t meditate? I am here to tell you, I think you are wrong!

Guess what? You might already be getting into the trance-like state that meditation and hypnosis holds and not even realize it!

If you have ever driven somewhere and arrived and thought ‘wait, I don’t even remember getting here?’ - you have actually achieved the trance-like state of meditation and hypnosis without even trying! 

Meditation does not have to be sitting still in silence for an hour with your mind completely shutting down the first time you try it!

For some people, being guided through relaxing their body from the top of their head down to their toes - which is a favorite method of mine when I take people through meditation and hypnosis sessions - allows for the ability to relax and achieve that state of trance. You get to strategically move through areas of your body section by section and let go of tension in these areas.

Did you know that it is actually common to get distracted when you are trying to quiet your mind? 

Contrary to what you might think about meditation and hypnosis - this is the norm. More so for meditation than hypnosis because hypnosis takes you into a deeper state of trance because you are always being guided by the person taking you through the session. 

THAT IS HOW YOU QUIET YOUR MIND! By allowing thoughts to slip into your mind and then letting those thoughts go! And please, don’t start by thinking you have to sit still for an hour with your mind completely blank. 

My first experiences with meditation where when I was 17. I had just started Massage School at night, during my senior year of high school.

Every class started with a meditation. 

Eventually I started leading my own meditations at my office, and then I deepened my practice when I taught massage school and led each of my classes with a meditation, and then I sort of stopped leading group classes because life got in the way.

When I had my near death surgeries in 2017 - it was getting myself into deep states of relaxation that allowed me to minimally use patient controlled analgesic. 

Then the pandemic hit and I made the decision to take the practice to the next level by studying hypnosis - if you are not familiar with hypnosis you can check out a previous blog post about that,( Why Hypnosis? )AND you can always ask me more about that - or anything else that I practice. 

And with life always seeming busier than ever, virtual meditation classes are a way to unwind without having to leave your home - which is why I started online meditation classes. 

Not convinced you can meditate or reach a deep state of hypnotic trance? You should give this a try. A very simple technique - and this one is a technique I use when I am walking - count. 

Now you are probably saying what do you mean count?

Start counting. Let the goal be to count to 100 and then start again. What will ‘probably’ happen (and I say probably because it often does for me) is that at some point you will say Fuuuuuuucccckkkkk (or maybe that is just me, you may have your own favorite expletive) I am not counting. 

When you catch your mind wandering, no judgment, take a breath and start at the number one again. And so on and so forth. 

This is my favorite technique to use when I am walking as it allows me a point to come back to and focus on. AND if you do it during a walk, bonus extra mind body bank account points!

And while I hope that you ARE convinced now, if you aren’t, schedule yourself for one of the in-person or at-home zoom meditation classes I offer.

Meditation is just one of the many ways I can help you on the path to wellness! And it is a way I can help you right from the comfort of your home or office or even while you are on vacation!

For more information about all the things I do, how you can work with me, about my practice, visit the other pages here on the website, follow me on social media (IG + Facebook - NaturalAlternativesCenter, TikTok DrStephanieDACM) where you can join me for my Tuesday Time Out weekly series where I do quick meditative moments to help you pause during the day. You can listen to them any time.

Until I see you on the treatment table! Be well!

Dr Stephanie Lipnicki, DACM, LAc

© 2023 Dr Stephanie Lipnicki, DACM, LAc