Grounded at Any Height

Feel the weight of your body against the surface supporting you. [3 second pause] Notice the temperature of the air on your skin, the coolness or warmth wherever it touches. [4 second pause] In a moment, we'll use a simple experiment of imagination to help your body settle, and your mind discover a new experience of height. [4 second pause] You don't need to do anything correctly. [3 second pause] Just let whatever happens, happen.

Let your hands rest wherever they are, palms down, and without moving them at all, simply imagine that a soft string is being tied gently around the wrist of one hand. [6 second pause] At the other end of that string, a large, light balloon, gently tugging upward. [7 second pause] You don't need to feel it right away. [5 second pause] Just hold the image, or the sense, of that balloon floating above your hand. [8 second pause] And as you imagine it, you might begin to notice a tingling in your fingers. [6 second pause] A lightness spreading across the back of your hand. [8 second pause] That's right. [5 second pause] Imagining it is enough. [7 second pause] The mind and body respond to imagination just as they respond to reality. [8 second pause] And as that hand grows lighter, as it begins to drift upward in your imagination, the rest of your body grows heavier. [7 second pause] Sinking deeper into the surface beneath you. [9 second pause] Heavier and more relaxed. [6 second pause] The hand floats, the body sinks. [8 second pause] A pleasant tingling, a floating sensation in the wrist. [7 second pause] And the shoulders dropping. [6 second pause] The chest softening. [8 second pause] The whole body settling, sinking, growing loose and limp. [10 second pause] You might notice your eyelids growing heavier, too, as the body sinks. [7 second pause] Allow them to close whenever they're ready. [9 second pause] Hypnosis is a state of mind, not a state of eyelids. [6 second pause] Whether they're open or closed, you're drifting deeper. [10 second pause] The hand floats gently higher, and the body sinks deeper and deeper. [12 second pause]

And now, bring your awareness to the feeling of the surface beneath you. [8 second pause] Solid. [4 second pause] Unmoving. [6 second pause] Supporting every part of you completely. [10 second pause] Notice the places where your body makes contact. [8 second pause] Your back, your hips, your legs, your feet. [7 second pause] Each point of contact a reminder that you are held. [10 second pause] Now imagine that beneath the surface supporting you, the earth itself extends down. [8 second pause] Solid ground, reaching far below. [7 second pause] Rock and stone, dense and ancient and completely stable. [10 second pause] You are connected to that groundedness right now. [8 second pause] No matter how high the imagination might travel, the body remains here, safe and supported. [12 second pause]

I'm going to count down from ten to one. [6 second pause] With each number, your relaxation doubles, and you sink deeper into that feeling of solid ground beneath you. [8 second pause] Ten. [8 second pause] Sinking deeper. [7 second pause] Nine. [7 second pause] Heavier, more relaxed. [6 second pause] Eight. [6 second pause] Drifting down, safe and supported. [8 second pause] Seven. [7 second pause] Deeper still. [6 second pause] Six. [6 second pause] The body loose and limp. [8 second pause] Five. [7 second pause] Halfway there. [6 second pause] Four. [6 second pause] Sinking into pure calm. [8 second pause] Three. [7 second pause] Deeper and deeper. [6 second pause] Two. [6 second pause] Almost there. [8 second pause] One. [10 second pause] Deeply relaxed, deeply grounded, completely safe. [15 second pause] And in this deep, calm state, imagine yourself standing in a wide, open meadow. [10 second pause] The ground beneath your feet is firm and dry. [8 second pause] You can smell fresh grass and warm earth. [8 second pause] The sky above is a wide, pale blue. [10 second pause] And the most remarkable thing about this meadow is the feeling in your feet. [8 second pause] Roots. [5 second pause] As if your feet have roots extending deep into the earth below. [10 second pause] Thick, strong, unbreakable roots, gripping the soil and stone. [12 second pause] You feel utterly stable. [8 second pause] Immovable. [10 second pause] The wind could blow, the ground could shake, and you would remain standing. [12 second pause]

Your mind may accept the suggestions that serve it now and set aside any that do not. [8 second pause] And as you stand in this meadow, feeling those roots beneath you, know that this groundedness is not something you need to create. [8 second pause] It has always been there. [7 second pause] A natural capacity within you, waiting to be remembered. [10 second pause] Your breath continues on its own. [6 second pause] Your heart beats without effort. [7 second pause] And your body knows how to feel safe, just as it knows how to breathe. [10 second pause] In the past, high places triggered a response in you. [8 second pause] A freezing. [6 second pause] A tightening. [7 second pause] The body locking, as if to protect you. [10 second pause] And that response made sense, in its way. [8 second pause] The mind trying to keep you safe. [10 second pause] But that old response was built on a miscalculation. [8 second pause] Because the truth is, your safety does not depend on the distance between you and the ground. [10 second pause] Your safety depends on the groundedness you carry within you. [10 second pause] And right now, in this meadow, you can feel it. [8 second pause] Those roots. [6 second pause] That stability. [8 second pause] That unshakeable connection to the earth. [12 second pause] Now, in your imagination, the meadow gently transforms. [10 second pause] You find yourself standing on a wide balcony. [8 second pause] A sturdy railing in front of you. [7 second pause] Open air above and around. [10 second pause] And below, a view stretching out. [8 second pause] But something is different. [7 second pause] Those roots are still there. [8 second pause] Extending down through the balcony floor, through the structure, all the way to the earth. [12 second pause] You feel the solidity of the structure beneath you. [8 second pause] Engineered to hold. [7 second pause] Built to support your weight. [10 second pause] Your hands rest on the railing, and they feel steady. [8 second pause] Your legs feel strong and planted. [10 second pause] The old freeze does not come. [8 second pause] Because the body remembers its roots. [10 second pause] You breathe easily, looking out at the view. [8 second pause] And the view is not a threat. [7 second pause] It is simply distance. [8 second pause] Beautiful, open distance. [12 second pause] You see through the eyes of someone who feels grounded at any height. [10 second pause] Calm and clear. [6 second pause] Steady and safe. [12 second pause] Now the scene shifts again. [8 second pause] A bridge. [6 second pause] A wide, solid bridge spanning a river below. [10 second pause] You step onto it. [6 second pause] Your feet meet the surface. [8 second pause] Firm. [5 second pause] Stable. [7 second pause] The roots extend down through the bridge, grounding you completely. [12 second pause] You walk forward. [6 second pause] Each step sure and confident. [8 second pause] The railing is there if you want to touch it, but you don't need to grip it. [10 second pause] You can see the water below, the open air around you, and it's simply part of the experience. [10 second pause] Not a danger. [6 second pause] Just a view. [12 second pause] Your confidence is steadily building. [8 second pause] Calm, clear thinking replacing any old worry. [10 second pause] You are someone who can stand at height and feel the earth's support. [12 second pause]

And now, let your mind drift forward to a time in the near future. [10 second pause] A day when you find yourself on a balcony, or approaching a bridge. [10 second pause] See yourself in that moment, through your own eyes. [8 second pause] Notice the feeling in your feet first. [8 second pause] That immediate sense of connection. [7 second pause] Roots. [6 second pause] Groundedness. [10 second pause] You take a breath. [6 second pause] A slow, easy breath. [8 second pause] And your body remains loose and comfortable. [10 second pause] No freezing. [6 second pause] No tightening. [8 second pause] Just a calm awareness of the solid surface beneath you. [12 second pause] You look out at the view. [8 second pause] And you feel a quiet pride. [8 second pause] A recognition that you can do this. [10 second pause] That you are safe. [8 second pause] That you are grounded. [12 second pause] See yourself weeks from now, months from now, moving through high places with ease. [10 second pause] Each time you do, it becomes more natural. [8 second pause] More automatic. [10 second pause] The old response fading, like a memory of something that no longer concerns you. [12 second pause] And each time you listen to this session, you go deeper, more easily. [10 second pause] The groundedness becoming more a part of who you are. [12 second pause]

Before you return to full awareness, know that you can access this feeling of groundedness anytime you wish. [10 second pause] Simply take a slow breath, silently count three, two, one, and touch your thumb to your forefinger. [8 second pause] Your body will remember this calm, this stability. [10 second pause] Now, I'll count from one to five. [6 second pause] At five, you'll be fully aware, refreshed, and grounded. [8 second pause] One. [6 second pause] Returning to awareness. [5 second pause] Two. [6 second pause] Your whole body comfortable and relaxed. [5 second pause] Three. [6 second pause] Refreshed in mind and body. [5 second pause] Four. [6 second pause] Your eyes feeling sparkling and clear. [5 second pause] Five. [6 second pause] Fully aware. [4 second pause] Take a deep breath. [4 second pause] And stretch. [8 second pause]

You carry this groundedness with you now. [8 second pause] It is part of you. [7 second pause] Feeling better each and every day. [8 second pause] Calm and confident. [7 second pause] Steady and safe. [10 second pause] Until next time.