You are getting very sleepy...

Hypnosis is usually thought of as some trick where you put people under some sort of spell, at which point you're under their control... People in the self-hypnosis game, however, will tell you that a hypnotic state is merely one where you are calm, relaxed and more receptive to suggestion than usual as a result.

This week I got a language learning self-hypnosis mp3 from hynosisdownloads.com. The basic gist is that you are brought through some nice imagery that calms you down, then has you imagine making use of your new language without getting freaked out about or hung up on what you don't understand, instead allowing yourself to take in what you can and screen out or play with what you can't. After listening to the program, my self-talk in Spanish lasted about half an hour before I got worn out on it and started thinking in English again. Granted, if I start thinking in French, I do so until some outside event intervenes - it's just there - but Spanish has always been something I can call up if I have to, not something automatic. I've been listening, then reading from advanced readers and have found it much easier to plow through unfamiliar territory and come up with new words and phrases later, as well.

I studied French for years, and didn't speak a word till I'd lived there a few weeks. I have studied Spanish off and on for years, but even after several years in California, it's hard shifting gears, even though I speak it all the time. This latest is, simply put, a cheap download compared to what I usually spend on new books or programs for the language I'm studying. And it's made my study more enjoyable, if not more productive. If you're open to it and it sounds like fun, give it a try. If you think it's idiotic, it probably won't work for you.

Whatever approach you take to language, your goal is to get to where you're not thinking about the language so much anymore. Part of that is skill and exposure. But part of that is nerves. From self-talk in the language to prepare yourself for speaking, to listening to music in the language that evokes positive feelings for you to re-reading favorite stories in translation, an essential part of your program should be finding things that will keep you plugged in to the language and treating it less as a chore and more as fun or an opportunity.

I could go on, but if I did, you would find yourself getting very sleepy...