The Best Self Improvement CDs

Here is a look at five different kinds of self improvement CDs. I have a recommendation for each, based on my own experience and the feedback I have gotten from subscribers to both Self Help Weekly and the Brainpower Newsletter. If you buy one I am probably getting a commission, but I only recommend products I think are worth the money.

Self Hypnosis CDs

This is one of the few self improvement tools here that I have not tried. I do see my subscribers buying these and going back for more, so it seems they like the results.

My recommendation: Hypnosis Downloads

This company has an incredible range of products. They have hypnosis session for building self confidence, overcoming stage fright, weight loss, and quitting bad habits of every sort. In fact, they had over 450 different titles the last time I looked. They are very affordable too, and guaranteed. They have CDs, but mostly digital downloads, which you can put on a CD or MP3.

Brainwave Entrainment CDs

These self improvement CDs are meant to put you into an altered state using "binaural beats." Essentially you get to meditate without the usual effort and practice. Just put a CD in, put on your headphones and relax. The sounds or beats embedded in the background music (or rain or waves, etc) slow your brainwaves into an alpha state or deeper.

With time they are said to raise your threshold for stress. I can tell you that they are powerful. I use them not only for meditation, but for power-naps as well. They definitely clear my mind and take away stress.

My recommendation: The Meditation Program

These ones really work well for me (and I have tried about six different kinds). I got all eight levels at once with no expensive "upsells." I like the background music/sounds as well. I bought the downloads and put them on CDs as well as my MP3 player, but you can also have the CDs shipped to you (it costs a little more).

I still love my Holosync CDs from Centerpointe, but they get expensive after the first level. Great customer service though, so if you have the money to spend, don't rule this one out. Finally, if you have never tried brainwave entrainment and just want to see how it works you can buy one CD at a time from Binaural Beats.

You can read a full review of some of these products on the site: Best Meditation CDs .com.

Subliminal CDs

The idea behind subliminal messages is that our subconscious minds pick up a lot that our conscious minds are not aware of, and can be influenced by carefully crafted "suggestions" or repeated affirmations. You may have heard about the famous experiment that flashed "buy popcorn" on the movie screen for a few milliseconds (nobody was consciously aware of it) and increased popcorn sales. Though it was flawed and never replicated with the same results, there are certainly things that can influence us subliminally, meaning just below the threshold of consciousness.

The research is not as conclusive as people think, and I am skeptical of many of the supposed subliminal products out there. Does your mind really hear the "suggestions" in a CD? Are they even there? How would we know? Because of my doubts, I recommend only trying those that offer a clear money-back guarantee.

My recommendation: Subliminal Power

You can get this one as a download or have a CD sent to you. What I like about it is that it flashes the subliminal messages on your computer screen while you go about your normal work. I also like the fact that you know, and can even choose, the messages that are being displayed.

Affirmation CDs

Affirmations always made more sense to me than subliminals. At least you are certain you hear the messages (or speak them). Whether you just listen, or repeat the messages (or do so in your mind), the idea is this: Condition your mind with the thought and belief patterns as those who are successful and you'll feel like, act like, and get the same results as them.

I wondered if they had much real impact though. Then I tried a self improvement CD that was supposed to motivate me. My wife and I seem to have worked twice as much since we left it playing in the background for a week or two earlier this year. Maybe they do work.

My recommendation: Think Right Now

This is the one that we used. We just recently bought another from Mike Brescia's Think Right Now series. It is for better sleep. These CDs guide you into a relaxed state (you can skip that part if you are driving) and then repeat a series of statement three times each. They'll email you the actual transcript as soon as you order too.

Better Understanding CDs

These may be my favorite kind of self improvement CDs: Those that simply enlighten and remind me. We all can learn more, or be reminded of that which we so easily forget. Some of these are specific to a certain area, like teaching you how to set goals or stay motivated, while others are more about universal principles that change the whole way you approach life. I like the latter, if they are not full of mystical nonsense.

My recommendation: Secrets of Being Unstoppable

This 14-CD set by Guy Finley is truly unique. If you're a subscriber to one of my newsletters, you've seen me promoting this one a lot. Why? Because it has some of the most powerful and life-changing ideas I've heard. I listen again and again, and I never fail to learn more about the true nature of "self" and "success" and the ways in which we sabotage our own lives.

Guy might not use the term self improvement, and some might call this a course in spirituality, but whatever you call it, it is great stuff. You'll find no lessons on positive thinking or goal setting. Nothing about overcoming people or events with psychological powers, and certainly nothing on how to gain an advantage at the expense of anyone else. I'll leave it at that, except to say that these are my favorites of all the self improvement CDs I have listened to.

Go check it out here: Learn How to Be Unstoppable