advanced self hypnosis melvin powers

A PRACruCAL

Melvin Powers

GUIDE

___.__.._ It.ooOther recommbnded books on HYPN0SiS .-,,.

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THE THEORYAND PRACTICEOF HYPNOTISMWilliam J. Ousby

€1.00 net

This book gonsritures a practical course of instruction forchose whoifuish to become hypnotists or to use hypnotism.No more theory is included than is essential to explain thehypnotic techniques. The emphasis throughout is on HOWrather than WHY. Fourteen different methods of inducingtrances are described in simple, non-technical languageoThereis also a summary of the fields in which the reader can makeuse.of his newly acquired skills. Some of these are: helpingone's family_ or friends; being more effective in business;achievini_ personalityalmprovements; research into Extra)ensory ferception.

* SELF.HYPNOSISANDSC IE NTIFICSELF-SUGGESTIONWilliam J. Ousby

€1.00 net

Mainly concerned with the principles of hypnosis,.this bookis an indispensable companion-volume to The Theory ondProctice of Hypnotism.Mr. Ousby furthered his own researches by training in yogain lndia. He also visited numbers of healers, fakirs, Sadhus andwitch doctors to study their methods at first hand. The com-mon factor of these experiences proved to be a form of self-hypnosis which he developed and adapted for the averageman or woman. The result is a complete course of instructionthat is invaluable in the treatment of neurosis and that can beused to achieve countless obiectives, from giving up smokingto obtaining a better iob.

SELF-HYPNOSISIts Theory,Techniqueand Application

Melvin Powersf 1.00 net

The technique of self-hypnosis can be used to achieve success,personal satisfaction, happiness and self-realization However,to use this force to the utmost effect it is necessary to under-stand the basic ideas underlying the vital power of suggestion.This book explains exactly how mind and brain operate inboth the conscious and subconscious states.

SECRETS OFSELF.HYPNOSIS

Gilbert Oakleytrf 1.50 -net\

Explains how hypnosis can be developed by the ordinary per-son and its application in the broad field of common humanfears (claustrophobia, etc.), functional ills (sleeplessness, etc.),and how it can be used as an aid to positive thinking andpersonal achievement. The author reveals several self-hypnosistechniques.

Complete cotologue sent on reguest .

THORSONS PUBLISHERS LIMITEDDenington Estate, Wellingborough,Northam ptonshire

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ADVANCED SELF"HYPNOSIS

COI\TTEI\TS

""^'1: wner You snourp Kxow Anour serr-HypNosls

II. Wner Asour rHE DexcensHypNosrs ?

III. Is HvpNosrs rHE ANswrn?

IV. How Does Serr-HYPNosrs

V. How to Anousn YouRSELFSrr,r-HYPNorrc Srnrn

PACE

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VI. How ro Arrnw SBrr-HYpNosrs

VII. DmpENTNG THE Sn,rr-HypNorrc Srarn

VIII. Wner You Snourp KNow AsouTBnconrryc AN ExcrnENT Sun;ncr

IX. TecnNreuEs ron RnACHTNG THESouNnnrBulrsrrc Starp

X. A Nrw Appnoacn ro Sprr-HypNosrsWrrBN Arr, Er.sn Ferr,s

XI. Psvcnor,ocrcAr, Ams AND TnrrnFuNcrroN

XII. Tm NeruRn or HypNosrs

XIII. Pnecrrcer AppucarroNs oF Snrr-FfypNosls

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OF

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FOREWORD

All of us Iike to think that our actions and reactions area result of logical thought processes, but the fact is thatsuggestion influences our ihinking a great deal morethan logic. consciously or ,rrcorrrcioully, our feelingsabout almost everything are-rargery *ouid.a ur;il;-made opinions and aitituder -fostered by ,,r, *"'r,methods of communication. we cannot biy u uu, orloap or a filtered cigarette without paying tribute to theimpact of suggeslion.

-Right- or -wrong, m-ost of us pracemore confidence in whaf "they', *uy-thu. we do in ourown powers of reason. This is the basic reason whypsychiatrists are in short supply. we distrust ou o*r,r.n9n1al processes and want an expert to tell us what tLthink and feel.

-Despite this tendency to adopt our attitudes fromothers, man has always been dimly aware that he caninfluence his own destiny by directirrg his though; ;Jactions into constructive cLannels. fre has

"riuyr, iolome extent, known that his mind exerts a powerr"f in_fluence on his_body, and that thoughts can have harm-ful ,o1 h3lnful effects on his emo"tional and prryri.urhealth. The ancient Egyptian sleep temples l"a trr.attempts by early phy.picians to driie evil spirits out oitlr. bo_dr were bolh'attempts to influencl the b"Jtthrough the mind.

ADVANCED SELF-HYPNOSIS

The unprecedented sale of The Power of PositiueThinkins by Norman Vincent Peale and other inspira-tional liierature proves that millions of modern peoplerecognize the efficacy of con.structive thoughts. Wha,tmost of them do not recognize is that they are capableof implanting these beneficial thoughts in their ownminds without reference to any outside agencies. Thiscan be done through self-hypnosis.

In modern society we have many cults, religions andmethodologies which have mental discipline as theirgoal. The best example of a methodology is psychgsg-

matic medicine which deals with the interrelationshipof the mind and body in the production of mental orphysical illness. The rapid growth of hypnosq in theiari f.* years is another example, and it is gratifying tosee that the emphasis in this field is now shifting fromhetero-hypnosis to self-hypnosis.

Self-hypnosis is a highly suggestible state wherein theindividual can direct suggestions to himself. It is a

powerful tool in any therapeutic Process, ut q highlyhotivated subjects can parallel the success of hetero-hypnosis through their own efforts. Self-hypnosis can

be used as a palliative agent and can even afford lastingresults in many areas of the organism. Self-hypnosis can

alleviate distressing symptoms, substitute strong re-

sponses for weak responses, help overcome bad habits,

Create good habits and help one's power of concentra-tion. The total personality is eventually changed to thepoint where it can function adequately in an increas-

irrgly difficult environment.In learning self-hypnosis, the subject does not relin-

quish control of himself as is commo4y. believed. Act-ually, more control is gained. Self-sufficiency and self-

B

FOREWORD

confidence are inevitable results. It is well to remember,however, that even good things may be overdone, andgood judgment is necessary for favourable results.Neither hypnosis nor self-hypnosis should ever be usedindiscriminately. The effectiveness of self-hypnosis de-pends upon many factors. Strong motivation, intelligentapplication of suggestions and diligence are prerequi-sites.

We are not suggesting that self-hypnosis can take theplace of all forms of psychotherapy. We do recommendit as an adjunct to therapy when indicated. Used judi-ciously, it can contribute a great deal to the individual'sphysical and emotional well-being and happiness.

fu a professional hypnotist for many years, I haveseen astounding and apparently miraculous results byindividuals using self-hynosis. Many of these cases seemunbelievable to those not familiar with hypnoticphenomena. It should be remembered, though, thattnany individuals seek hypnosis only when all otherforms of therapy have failed. This is so common thathypnosis has come to be known as a port of last call.Yet, despite the seeming hopelessness of such cases,medical literature lists thousands of remarkable re-coveries.

There is nothing hit or miss about hynosis. Used in-telligently, the results are the same for all those who areproperly motivated. Nor are the results singular tomodern hypnotists alone. In reviewing the literaturegoing back more than r oo years, the same gratifyingresults were obtained. The reader would do well toEcan some out-of-print books on hypnosis at the libraryto understand the foint further.

This book is written in terms that are comprehensible

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Hollywood 46, Catilornia

ADVAIYCED SELF-HYPNO S"IS

t1 th_e layman. The srep-by-step insrructions shouldafford the reader u *.urr: of aiquiring serf-hyp;";il.The necessary material is here. Tire ,.ia., #A ;;i;follow the inslructions as they are given.

The author wishes to thank RobJrt S. starrett, mem-ber of the American Medical writers, Associatitn, forhis valuable help in the editorial preparation of thisbook.

It is the "*ho.{r- hope -that you will, through the

selective use of self-hypnosis, urrirr. at a more reward-ing, well-adjusted and-fuller life.

CHAPTER I

What You Should Know About Setf-Hypnosis

I{yplglis has been defined as a state of heightened sug-gcstibilill i" which the subject is able tJuncriticaliyaccept ideas for self-improvement and act on them3p.propriately. When a hypnotist hypnotizes his subject,it is krrown as hetero-hypn-osis. when an individual "p"t,

himself into a state of hypnosis, it is known as ielf-lrypnosis. In both cases, the subject has achieved aheightened state of suggestibility. Even in hetero-hypnosis, the subject really controls the response tost'r,gestions. Actually, all hypnosis is really u matter ofself-hypnosis. The subject enters into the hypnotic statewhen he is completely ready to do so. This *uy requirefrom one to many attempts before it is achieved. Evenif the subject insists that he wants to be hypnotizedimmediately, he may be resisting hypnosis uncon-sciously.

seJf;hypnosis the same thing usually takes place.The subject is anxious to achieve seH-hypnosis, butsomehow the state eludes him. What's *rong ? It maybe that he is uncqpsciously resisting it, hasn't condi-tioned himself sufficienily, or has achieved the hypnoticstate and doesn't know he is in the state. This last

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April 196r

87zr Sunset Bouleaard

MnrvrN Pownns

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ADVANCED SELF-HYPNOJSIS

statement may be surprising, but we will examine it indetail a little later on.

Most experts agree that about ninety per cent of thepopulation can be hypnotized. My own feeling is thatprobably ninety-nine per cent can be hypnotized. whoamong us is not influenced by .suggestion ? Aren't we all,, *.Jruve seen, influenced by ttiJ.rrggestions of adver]tising ? Don't we all have a tendency to believe what weread in the paper, hear on the radio or see on television ?Aren't we all convinced that a name-brand article isbetter than one that is not so well known ?

Suggestion plays a tremendously important role inour daily lives. It begins from naming the baby withan appropriate name to securing a suitable place forinterment. I would like to call the reader's atiention toa fascinating book dealing with the unconscious reasonswhy we do many of the things that we do. You will beintrigued with every page of the book. It is called rheHidden Persuaders by Vance Packard.

My contention is that we are all suggestible and,therefore, being hypnotized or hypnoti zing ourselves isj*t a matter of increasing the suggestibility that we aI-ready possess. Doesn't the hypnotist begin by suggestingrelaxation ? Doesn't he usually begin by requesting thesubject to fix his attention on a particular object? Next,he suggests to the subject that his eyes are becomingheavy and tired. fu soon as the subject closes his eyes,he suggests that he will be in a deep hypnotic state. fam sure that you are familiar with this procedure. Witheach step, the hypnotist is guiding the subject alongdirected lines to get him to accept further suggestionswithout question or doubt. When the subject achievesthe ultimate state in this procedure, he has been hypno-

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WIIAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SELF-HYPNOSIS

tiz.erl. He then accepts suggestions without equivocation.I.,et us continue with this same thought. Suppose I

;ny to you, "I'm going to stick you with this pin. Itwon't hurt." Would you let me stick you with the pin ?

C)bviously not. Let us suppose that you have been hyp-turtized and I repeat the same suggestion. What happensthen ? You readily accept the suggestion as being fact-unrl. Should I proceed to stick you with the pin, you donot even flinch. In fact, you do not even feel the pain.I)oes this sound incredible ? Isn't this exactly the sameprocedure that the dentist uses with his patient when heha.s hypnotized him for purposes of painless dentistry ?

Achieving hypnosis, therefore, is a matter of directingthi.s suggestibility that we all possess into the channelsthat will finally produce the hypnotic state. It can bemuch more complicated than this explanation in many(:a.ses, but let us use this as a working premise.

Iiveryone can be hypnotized. The time required forachieving hypnosis will vary from subject to subject.We will discuss some of the reasons for this in a subse-quent chapter, but for our discussion at this time weneed to understand this point. I have encounterednumerous individuals who were extremely disappointedbecause they did not respond to hypnosis immediatelyor after several attempts. They wanted to know "whatwas wrong." An explanation that nothing was wrongsomehow did not satisfy these individuals. "After all,"they argued, "didn't I go to a hypnotist especially to behypnotized?" Some insinuated that perhaps the hypno-tist wasn't too good.

Let me explam tlrat most subjects need to be con-ditioned for

-hypt o.is, and this conditioning is helped

when the subject practises certain conditioning exercises

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that I shall discuss in detail in chapter six, titled ,.HowTo Attain self-Hypnosis." rn rrry t.u.hing, I have foundthat about one out of ten subjects responds to the firstattempt at hypnosis. one cannot maki a definite state-ment as to the length of time necessary to learn self-hypnosis, bur it is. my e*perience that thL ,rsruriy trloabout one month. I have had subjects learn self-lvpnosis in about thirty minutes, but I must also relatethat I have worked with subjects for one year beforethey achieved it.

For the most-part, the laws of learning apply to self-lrlRrroris as with anything erse that orr. iuorrid want toIearn. It can be a relatively simple procedure, or it can!e v_ery perplexing. The answei rier not so much withthe hypnotist as with the subject.

. one qu_estion that arises is: "If I,m under hypnosis,hoy can I give myself suggestions?,, During ,t. frvp_notic state, it must be remembered, the subjec"t is "l;;;,aware of wh.at is going on. He hears what is said,follows directions arrd teiminates the state when told todo so. In the self-hypnotic state, the subject i* i" i"}control. Therefore, he can think, reason, act, criticize,luggest or do whatever he desires. He can audibly givehimself. sugg_estions, or he can mentally give rrirri.risuggestions. In either case, he does rrot ro,Ire from thehypnotic state until he gives himself specific ,rrgg.rtio*to do so. Many feel if they audibly give thiixelvessuggestions, they will "awaken." In hypno-analysis, thesubject answers. questions during thl' hypnotit siate.Having the subject talk does rroi terminate the state.,Yo" can keep the talkative subject under rryp"ori, ,,lgrs as you want. Furthermore, the subject can be sit-ting erect with his eyes open and still be under rryprrorir.

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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SELF.HYPNOSIS

Carrying this further, the subject may not even belware that he is under hypnosis. He can be given a cuenot to remember when the therapist makes a certainmotion or says a certain word that he will go back intothe hypnotic state but still keep his eyes open. Only anexperienced hypnotist could detect the change.

Another frequent question is: "How do I arousemy.self from the self-hypnotic state?" You merely sayto yourself that upon counting to five you will open youreye.s and wake up feeling fine. Many times the subjectfall.s asleep while giving himself post-hypnotic sugges-tions. This is not undesirable since the suggestions willlpill over into the subconscious mind as he goes fromconsciousness to unconsciousness.

A popular opinion about hypnosis is that the subjectsurrenders his will to the hypnotist in the process ofbeing hypnotized. Furthermore, many believe that oncethe subject is hypnotized, the hypnotist has completecontrol of the subject and the subject is powerless tore.sist suggestion. Both beliefs are erroneous. I believethe first misconception comes from seeing techniqueswhere the hypnotist requests the subject to look into hiseyes. The hypnotist suggests to the subject that as hecontinues to look into his eyes he will fall into a deephypnotic state. This, then, becomes a matter of who canoutstare whom. The subject usrrally begins to blink hiseyes and the hypnotist follows this up with rapid sugges-tions that the subject's eyes are becoming watery andheavy and that the subject will fall into a deep hypnoticsleep just as soon as he (the subject) closes his eyes. Thisprocedure gives lhe impression to the observer that thesubject is "willed" to go under hvpnosis. It appears thatonce the hypnotist concentrates or wills sufficiently, the

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subject succumbs. Actually, the hypnotist in this tech-{q,r. is not looking into the eyes of irr. subject. He fixeshis attention on the bridge of the subject,. ,ror..

The concept that the subject is a hilptess automatonstems from the weird movies where the "mad scientist,'h_as hypnotized subjects into behaving Iike zombies.Naturally, there is usuall y a beautiful girl in the movieand she, too, has been hypnoti zed. E'u.r, though theaudience is sophisticated enough to realize thlt thisscience-fiction drama is p,rrely entertainment, thetheme^ is repeated sufficiently in novels, comics, andtelevision to make an indelible impression on the sub-conscious mind. It's the technique of telling the ,,biglie" so many times that it becomes believable. we areall influenced by this procedure. There is an excellentbook explaining this very premise. It is called BattleFor The Mind by william Sargent. It describes indetail the technique by which evangelists, psychiatrists,politicians and advertising men canlharrgi io,rr beliefsand behaviour.

Following the reasoning that the subconscious mindcan be affected,,you can see that a problem could pre-sent itself even though the subject consciously wishes tobe hypnotized. LJnconsciously, there may be a poor in-terrelationship with the hypnotist which can create anunfavourable climate for'irypnosis. when this is thecase, the subject doesn't respond until such time that herelates well to the hypnotist. Even the most calculatedprocedures will fail until a positive transference relation-ship is established. I am sure that you sometimes havesaid, "For some reason I don't like that person.,, Ifpressed for an answer, you'll usually reply, ,,f can,texplain it, but I just have a feeling about him.', Act-

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ually, your subconscious reactions are influencing yourthinking and you "feel" a certain way. The same thingtnkes place in business transactions. You either like ordislike the proposition presented to you. You may s?Y,

"I have a certain feeling about this deal." You may notbe conscious of the reasons, but your subconscious has

reacted automatically because of previous experiencealong similar lines.

In giving you some insight into the hypnotic pro-cedure, I am trying to point out certain problems inregard to acquiring self-hypnosis. For the most part, itis not a simple procedure that is accomplished im-mediately. You can't just will it. It requires workingtowards a specific goal and following definite Pro-cedures which eventually lead to success.

The hypnotist is usually endowed by the subject withan omniscience and infallibility which logically is un-justified. The subject is naturally extremely disappointedif he doesn't respond immediately. If he loses confidencein the hypnotist, he may never achieve hypnosis withthis particular hypnotist. I have hypnotized subjectswho have been to several other hypnotists without suc-cess, and I have had some of my unsuccessful subjectshypnotized by other hypnotists. How and why does ithappen ? I believe that some of the reasons are so in-tangible that it would be impossible to explain all ofthem with any degree of exactitude.

I once saw an individual about twelve times whowanted to learn self-hypnosis and had been unsuccessfulin every approach. I asked him if he would volunteeras a subject for anclass in techniques of hypnosis that Iwas teaching for ntiises. He readily volunteered andshowed up at the designated time. Much to my amaze-

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ment as well. as his own, he responded within a rera-.d"-.ly shorr time as one of the il;;;r;yp";i;; ni_bef.org the group. She had used , ,rrr,aurh .f. .ior"r.technique, requesting him to look ut irpi""iig ffi;"-disc that I h* prwi,ousry used with hi; every time hewas in the office. Her manner was extremery afiabre,she had used the identicar t..rr"iq";-i had used un_successfully, and the subject ..rporrd.d .**il."tly*tocap the climax. He was tire first subjeci the nurse had.r:I hypnoti zed, since this was only irer third lesson.-

How would you account for it ? hJ; was one of mystudents with two weeks' experience hypnotizing u ,,ru-ject where I had failed *irir9 ,ri;; .r"ery procedurethat I felt would work. was it becaG ,h. *u, a betterhypnotist ? Perh?ps t However, I,d like to recall at thistime our discussion about subtonscious responses. r,minclined to feel that being hypnotizedby u *iaa.-ug.afemale nurse created cErtain r."o"ruLt.

"".;;;;;responses which accounted {o1 his going under hyfiJ,

at that time. It created the initial 6r.uf-thro,rgh';il;ilwas needed- r was able to hypn otize him .uri"ly at hisnext appointment, and he acquired self-hyp.rori, ,.uaityfrom that time on.

I have tried the same approach with other subjectswho did not respond favourably and--have failed toattain the success that I did in the above case. why theimpasse ? It is one of the difficulties ,il we encounterin lyn-nosis, and as yet it has not been resorved.

we know that the easiest way to achieve self-hypnosisis to be hypnotized and given a post-hypnoti. ,rggi;ti""that vou will respond ,.o hyplosis by ; i;.t word, phraseor gesture. I h?y. tried to point out some problems thaican arise. Needless to s2y, ihere problem, do ;;t;ilt;

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lrlse, and the attainment of self-hypnosis can be arelatively simple procedure. There is usually some wayof reaching a subject who does not respond in a reason-able length of time.

Now we come to the point where the subject wishesto hypnotize himself. What happens in this situation?It would appear that the subject would go under hyp-tlosis immediately. After all, isn't he controlling thehypnotic session ? Of course, this does happen time andtirne again, and the results seem miraculous. I receivenrnil constantly from readers of several of my otherbrxrks on hypnosis telling me how they were able torchieve certain goals that they never dreamed possible.They write that they have achieved self-confidence andcomplete self-mastery and have been able to overcomeproblcms that have plagued them for many years. Theseproblems not only include strictly psychologicaltroubles but many psychosomatic symptoms as well.Many have remarked at the ease in which they werenllle to achieve self-hypnosis and the results theywirnted. For them it was as simple as following a do-it-yourself book.

Others write about the difficulty they encounter andnsk what to do about it. It is my hope that this bookwill shed some light for those who have experiencedrlifficulty in learning self-hypnosis. We shall discuss

nlnny phases of hypnosis with the emphasis on self-hypnosis. We'll discuss its many ramifications and trynot to leave out anything helpful in our discussion.

I f you follow the instructions and exercises that Igive you assiduously, you should be able to achieve adepth of self-hypnosis suitable for solving many of yourpersonal problems.

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CHAPTER II

What About The Dangers Of Hypnosis?

one of the objections that you hear to hypnosis is thatit can be dangerous in the hands of those not trainedin the psychodynamics of human u.rrariour. Inasmuchas psychiatrists and clinical ps.ychologists are the onlyones who are. thoroughly trained iJ the u"uiyri.-orhuman behaviour, this oLjection, ir-"uiia, .ouid-ii*i,hypnosis to a comparative handful or- irr.rupirr;. F;;-tunately, it is not valid. This was pro'r.a ,.rrirur ;;;,ago when the. "Bridey Murphy, i ,ru* gripp.i th.country. Despite the fact thit iho,rru.rds "of' u,,ut.r,hypnotists were practising hypno.ir, tiiit. or no harmresulted. I have personatty i'iJtructed several thousandmedical and non-medical'individuals and have il;;hear. gf u single case where a crisis *u, pr..ipit^iJ oianythinq of a dangerous or detrimental ,rut.rr. occurredas a result of hypnosis. I have also taught several thou-sand persons self-hypnosis and can repo"rt the sam. fi;J-lngs.

Yuty patients who seek treatment from competentpsychiatrists, psychoanalysts and psychologists d;;;;always obtain satisfactory results. This dJesn,t -.u,that everyone should stop seeking help from irr*.

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WHAT ABOIJT THE DANGERS OF TTYPNOSTS ?

tpecialists. Even a specialist doesn't have a perfect re-cord of successful therapy

What then is the objection to hypnosis ? The theorythat if you get rid of one symptom another symptomwill take its place really holds no truth and is usuallyadvanced by those who have had little or no experienceln the hypnosis field. Flowever, a difference of opiniondoes exist even with those practising hypnosis in thisBrea. Some hypnotists "trade down" symptoms by re-pl:rcing a serious symptom with a minor one, whileothcrs just remove the symptom. The latter is what adoctor does when he recommends aspirin for arthritis.He knows the aspirin will not cure the arthritis, but hew:rnts to alleviate the symptom. To say that anotherlymptom will replace the pain is unscientific-and un-true. The same is true of hypnosis.

Lewis R. Wolberg, M.D., clinical professor of psy-chiatry, New York Medical College, recently canvassedthirty experts in the field of hypnosis and found a fewwho felt symptom removal was "irrational, temporary

-or outright dangerous." The large majority, however,"employed symptom removal where indicated, andminimized or ridiculed any possible bad effects."

A further objection to hypnosis is that the results aretemporary as well as symptomatic. It is well to remem-ber that most medical therapy is specifically directedto symptom removal. How permanent is most medicaltreatment ? Once you couple hetero-hypnosis with self-hypnosis, you afford the patient the opportunity ofutilizing suggestions for his own benefit any time theyare needed. Thig of course, can make symptom reliefpermanent. As an ixample, I would see no harm inteaching a patient self-hypnosis for symptomatic relief

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ADVANCED SELT-HYPNOSIS

from a problem of insomnia. It wourd certainly bebetter than physicalry-_depressing rh. higher--draincentres with sleeping pills io proi,rce unconsciousnessevery night. I needn't tell you that millions of doilarsare spent every year on sleeping pills and patients be_

"?pg dependent upon them, ,r..airrg nlore and more

pills in order to produce sledp. Many fccidental suicidesstem from an overdose of sleeping pilrs. yet, despite theinherent dangers of sreeping'pilL^which

";. gi;;;;iyapparent, they are prescribed by the milionJ, to ;ynothing of those that reach the market thro,rgi, ilegarchannels. Furthermore, how much efiort is ,ea"lly -Ja.to get the patient off the sreeping pills ? There are alsomore voluntary suicides by ri..pi"g pils than by ;;yother method. Perhaps if tires. di,rgi ieren,t so readilyavailable, many of these unforturui. individuals wouldbe with us today.

what about the often-quoted statement that ,,yo.,might do some damage" i Let's exprore this area. Iassume that the reader is somewhat familiar with thework of Emile cou6 or at reast has heard of his famousauto-suggestion formula of "plr by day, in every wdy,Im-getting better and better." b,rrirrg o,r, timej thorr-sands_upon thousands of seemingly heliless and hopelesscases have been cured by repeatiog this affirmation o".,and over again, day after

-duy, as the individual falls

asleep.I think we should make it clear that whether we caIIi[ zruto-suggestion, positive thinking, meditatio", yogu,

affirmations or self-hypnosis, *. u*, in reality, iuir.ii[about the same thjng. All require certain basic pr.lrequisites before they will work effectively for 'the

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WHAT ABOUT THE DANGERS OF TTYPNOSTS ?

lndividual. We'll discuis these prerequisites in the nextehapter.

What should be remembered is that the suggestionsare being filtered into the subconscious mind which does

not question, doubt, analyse or dispute the efficacy ofthese beneficial thoughts. You can be sure that the con-rtant repetition will have its effect. Hasn't the mind, inthe past, accepted the individual's diagnosis when hemid, "I'm sick," "I have an inferiority complexr" "Icon't stop smokingr" "I can't lose weightr" I can't con-centrate," "I can remember a person's face, but I can'tretnember names," (6I have a difficult time falling&nleep," "I just can't seem to relax." Isn't such an in-dividual, in effect, using self-hypnosis ? And hasn't theperson convinced himself of the validity of his presentItate ? This is truly dangerous. It is negative hypnosis.

The question that I raise is: "Why shouldn't thelubconscious mind be even more convinced and respondItrongly to suggestions which are in conformity with thenatural desire to be of sound body and mind?" I havenever been able to find a logical answer.

I think this is what happens many times. A personteeks help with a problem which, in reality, has nothingto do with hypnosis. His cure is not contingent on beinghypnotized or on suggestions he or the hypnotist feel are

lndicated. You will read in nearly every book andarticle dealing with hypnosis that "hypnotism is not a

cure-all." No one has suggested or implied that it shouldbe used exclusively for all emotional problems. You mayread a newspaper article warning about the "dangers"of hypnosis- It lnay ""tell of a person who rid himselfof one symptom and developed another in its place.You usually get a grossly distorted picture of what

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ADVANCED SELF.HYPNOSIS

happened, with many aspects of the case not included.rt's a matter of taking what you want to prove out ofcontext. Propagandists use this techniqu. utt the timeto get across their message. It's the old itory of telling ahalf truth.

Honest criticism and a sincere difference of opinionare always welcome. But criticism must be well foindedfrom a scientific point of view and not stem from anemotional reaction. You have probably heard the re-mark, "I won't let anyone hypn otize me.,, What arethey really sayi"gz and what does hypnosis represent tosuch an individual ? To them, hypnoiis represents some

:olt of "magic spell" which involies a stati of completehelplessness and dependency upon the hypnotist. wepreviously discussed how this erroneous conception cantake _place because of the manner in which hypnosis isusually interwoven with bizarre fictional stories.

-To-. Tury, the hypnotic state represents a period inwhich the conscious guard is dropped. They ieel theymal compulsively reveal the darker side of their naturi,confess their hostility or relate inforrnation they wouldnever voluntarily divulge to anyone. This is in. realdanger they see in hypnosis. To protect themselves fromit, they attack it. It is muctr- like the fanatic vicecrusader who militantly attacks sin in order to alleviatehis own feelings of guilt stemming from the fact thatvice actually attracts him.

. {ear- of hypnosis takes different forms, but basicallyit is the fear of revealing one's true feelings. A"employee, for instance , at a gathering which inlludedthe employer he dislikes, would ne'rer volunteer as asubject for hypnosis if the occasion arose. He would beafraid he would do or say something which might

24

WHAT ABOUT THE DANGERS OT TTVPNOSTS ?

cnrlanger his position. Hypnosis for him would bettclangerous" because he would be afraid to take the

ehnnc.. The truth is, however, that this individualwoukl be taking no chance. The hypnotic state is not aConfcssional peiiod. The subject is aware at all times ofwhat he is sayi.rg. If the subjectdoes not wish to pursue

a line of questioning, he tells the hypnotist. If the

hypnotist plrsisted further along this line, the subjectwould shake off the hypnotic state.

Another misconception about hypnosis is the widelyheld belief that the subject is unconscious. This repre-

rcnLs a threat to the security of the individual. Actually,the hypnotic state is a period of extreme awareness inwhich ihe subject is hyperacute. Furthermore, the sub-ject is not ur[..p, nor-is he in a trance state in theLorrect meaning of that term. He is in an altered state

of ilwareness with his faculties and reasoning abilitylnt:rct. Inducing hypnosis merely creates a mood or state

ln which the poweri of suggestibility are heigttened. -

When the general public and the medical profession

become familiar witti the true nature of hypnosis, we

rhall have a greater acceptance and utilization of thispower. It is i slow process but one which will finallyevolve. In the final inalysis, I believe ttre only danger

that exists is in the mind of the individual who fears

hypnosis because of whatever subjective qrlalms he has

abort his own emotional involvement in the hypnotic

Process.Of course, all persons using hypnosis for the allevia-

tion of pain shouid consult their family physician. Pain

ir natuie's way Of irldicating that something is wrongwith the organism. It'would be foolish to suggest that apain in theitomach will disapPear when this may be a

25

ADVATICED SELr-HypNOSrS

sign of a needed appendix-operation. The same may besaid of constant migraine headaches. It must be deter-mined that the headache is not a symptom of a braintumour or some other pathological condition. It may beof interest to klow that hypnoiis ii presently being usedto relieve pain in terminal cancer patients.'There" is anexcellent article on this subject, anh I recommend it todoctors reading this book. It is called "The use ofHypnosis in the case of the cancer patient" whichappeared in the January rys+ issue of Cancer.x

There are at present several thousand dentiststhroughout America using hypnosis. They haveformed their o-wn society and- publish a quarterlyjournal, The lournal of _ the American siciety itPsychosomatic Dentistry. one of the best books in thisfield is called Dental Hypnosis Hand,book by JacobStolzenberg, D.D.S.

An excellent article is "Danger ! Hypnotherapist at}-vork" by M. AbramsT.t rh; author-reviews triefly1!e pros and cons_regarding the medical use of hypnosis.He concludes: "It is the author's opinion, based^on anextensive p-ersonal experience of over fifteen years, thatthe use of hypnotherapy by a physician or dlntisi whohal b.een .p-rgpgrJr _trained and-who uses this techniquestrictly within his field of competence carries with it nomore (""-d probably less) 'danger' than the use of manyother techniques of treatment used in medicine today.;,

* At the same time, I would highly recommend the booklet, Helbinpthc Dying !qt1e\t and His Familj, pubtished by the Nationai G;.i;:tion of social workers, 95 Madis6n-Avenue, N6w york ,0, nl"r"-Vor[.Price: 75 cents.

tBull. Hennepin Co. Med. Soc., 196o,3r:ror-ro6.

CHAPTER III

Is tlypnosis the Answer?

Dr. George Estabrooks, professor of psycholo_gy at Col-

Bate University and arrthor of the book, Hypnoti:-*,.

iliade the following two statements in a Papgr called

"The Future of Hypnosis" given as part of a pro:

g**-. on "Th. Nitrrre of Hypnosis" at the annual

ilreetit g of the American Psychological Association in

r959:"ilit would be well to sound a word of caution against

certain attitudes which have become prevalent and

which can be well illustrated in the field of medicine' Inthis respect, direct suggestion is under the ban. For

c*ut"pf., a dictum, 'Niver remove the syqpto.m ynlgss

air; .urs. is understood,' is much emphasized-- Its

validity is greatly open to question, since much of

medicat praitice is direct symptom removal, as only a

little thought makes aPParent."Another dictutt g.n"rally followed is that the un-

conscious backgrorrt a of symptom-complexes must

nl.*utily be *Iud. conscious to effe ct a cure' Reason-

.Ut. and ihoughtful consideration of the extensive role

of the ,rr.orrf"ioui in daily living and functioning

renders this dictum much less creditable'"27zG


I should like to discuss both of these statements insome detail as they invariably arise in the mind of theindividual seeking help through hypnosis.

The first thought that comes to mind is that all thereligious healings cited in the Bible involve direct symp-tom removal" The cures that are effectecl by religiousdevotees travelling to sacred shrines are also in therealm of direct symptom removal. I have yet to hear acriticism of this type of treatment directed at religiousleaders or condemnation of the religious shrines. Thesecures are accepted as evidence of the power of faith orattributed to the supernatural. In these cases, nothingis ever done to make the person cured understand thenature of the unconscious mechanisms which contri-buted to his problem.

Religious healing cannot be dismissed by merelysaying, "It isn't scientific." A methodology is onlyscientific when it works. It is of no value if it doesn'thelp the individual seeking help. We must face the factthat not all people can be helped by the same psycho-logical treatment. We can readily see this in the follow-ing extreme example: An aborigine suffering from apsychological problem certainly wouldn't be a candi-date for psychoanalysis as we know it. He could, nodoubt, be helped much more readily by u witch doctor.It also stands to reason that the sophisticated Westernerwould not be influenced by the incantations of a tribalmedicine man.

Going further, we find there are many schools ofpsychotherapy and many approaches to solving man'semotional problems. The cure rate for all of them, how-ever, is approximately the same. I think we must acceptthe fact that there is no one sound, logical, scientific

zB

IS HYPNOSIS THE ENSWNN?

approach. I believe that so long as t!. end result is

,,thi.'r.d, the methodology was scientific for that indi-vidual's needs. The goal for all therapies is to help the

patient free himself from whatever emotional problems

beset him.This approach, to some readers, may seem an over-

sirnplilicitiot of a very complex problem, but I think it'stiml that we had a simple, workable formula devoid oftechnical jargon. Too often, complex technical terms

and theories have been glibly used to explain away

failures. I believe we need more and more emphasis on

measures to make the patient feel better rather thanspending most of the time trying -to find out why he

doesn't feel well. This, of course, is symptom removalagain.

I should like to point out an interesting fact pertain-ing to Biblicat healers. So long as the-fame of the healer

pieceded his arrival in any country, he_was able to heal

ihe sick. However, where his fame as a healer was eitherunknown or discredited, he found no faith and subse-

euently no cure. The earliest reference to hypnosis is-in

t'he Bible, Genesis ii. 2I. "And the Lord God caused a

deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept-.-. ."fir. Witliam Malamud, eighty-sixth president of the

American Psychiatric Association, in an address deliv-

ered at the annual meeting in I 96o, stated in a Papercalled "Psychiatric Research: Setting and Motivation":

"During the last few years we have witnessed agrowing tiend of over-emphasizing th-e value of 'exact'

methoJology and uniformity of standards. This trend,

which "orl.i

be char4cterized as a 'cult of objecti-vit1,'

has already had an important influence on psychratric

research. it is true that in its emphasis on critical29


judgment and valid criteria, it has helped to curb un-restrained flights of imagination and sloppy method-glosy. But the over-glorification of objectiviiy and theinsistence on rigidly- single standards of

"...piuut.methods has resulted in a concentration on ..rtuinphases of the science of human behaviour at the e*penseof other very important ones.,,

I believe that most individuals have a fairly goodunderstanding of how they came to have the pio6l.*that they have. I have yet to encounter the p.rior, *rroprotests he has no idea why he doesn,t function as hewould like to in a certain area. From a practical stand-goint, not many have the time nor -or"y required todelve into the unconscious background of ihe irout.*.The high cost of treatment is a iery real objection urracannot be dis.counted lightly. people suffering fromemotional problems usually suffer financial revErses aswell. who is to help these people ? There are very fewplaces in the country where they can receive comp.t*tpsychiatric help at a reasonable-fee. Is there this type ofh:lp in-your own community? It is only when the indi-vidual is destitute that the siate provides whatever helpit can. However, 1t this- point iis a rong hard rtr"ggr'.back to good emotional health.

The National Association for Mental Health and itsaffiliates issue about ten million copies of zoo diff.r*tpamphlets on various aspects of mental health. To assessthe value of these pamphlets, forty-seven mentalhygiene experts held a conlerence at Cornell univer-sity._ A report on this outstanding conference has beenpublished. It is called "Mental Health Education: Acritique." A fe1ty19 by Ernest Havemann in the August8, 196o, issue of Life contains a very worthwhile art"icle

3o

IS HYPNOSIS THE ENSW.rN?

on this conference called "Who's Normal ? Nobody, ButWe All Keep On Trying. In Dissent From 'MentalHealth' Approach, Experts Decry Futile Search For AnUnreal Goal." The following paragraph is taken fromthe Lif e article:

"What about psychiatry and psychoanalysis ? This isa different matter. Many unhappy and problem-riddenpeople, though by no means all who have tried it, haveprofited from psychotherapy. Indeed, all the mentalhealth pamphlets, as a postscript to the self-helpmethods they advocate, wind up by advising the readerto seek professional care if his problems are seriousenough. But the sceptics at Cornell cited statistics whichto them show that psychiatric treatment is as remote forthe average person as a trip to the moon. Aside from thecxpense, which most people would find prohibitive,there simply are not enough therapists to go around.The U.S. has around r r,ooo psychiatrists and ro,oooclinical psychologists-in all, about one for every B,5oocitizens. If everybody with emotional problems decidedto see a psychiatrist, the lines at the doctors' officeswould stretch for miles."

Readers of this book may not know that in Americastate hospitals are understaffed and unable to provideproper care for the mentally ill. Mike Gorman, execu-tive director of the National Mental Health Committee,has written a crusading report on this very theme calledEuery Other Bed. In this book he tells us that everyother hospital bed in the United States is occupied bya mental case. Mental illness costs the country two anda half billion dollar$ a yrar besides the more importantuntold human suffering that can never be equated indollars. The book is a shocking story of how we have

3r

ADVANCED SELF.HYPN.OSIS

let this happen; are still letting it happen; and of howlittle, for the most part, we, the general public as wellas the medical and psychological professions, are doingto correct this deplorable situation.

It is time that we re-examined the dictums that saya symptom can never be removed unless the cause isunderstood and the unconscious background of symp-tom-complexes must be made conscious and understoodbefore a cure is effected.

There are many positive thinking groups functioningin the religious field. Many of these religious groups arein existence primarily because of the dynamic philo-sophy or psychology they offer for everyday living.Couple this with a strong faith in God, and you havea combination which approaches infallibility. Recentlywe have had a series of best-selling books which ex-pound this very theme. Does it work ? Of course it doeswhen used properly.

You can be sure that there has been criticism of thisreligious psychology. The criticism is that the basiccauses of the problem are never dealt with and theunconscious conflict is not resolved. It's the same argu-ment over and over again. What about the peoplehelped ? They seem to have made tremendous stridesand are leading lives as well adjusted as anyone else.Once imbued with this spirit or feeling of well-being,it permeates every phase of their relationships in a con-structive manner. The only reason that there isn't morecriticism is that this type of psychotherapy is incor-porated into the religious tenets of these groups, andcriticizing another man's religion makes the detractor'sentire philosophy unacceptable. I am strongly in favourof these groups because I would prefer having a religion

32

IS HYPNOSIS THE EIqSWNN?

that keeps pointing out the positive side of life and that"life can be beautiful" if you put your faith in God andpractise positive thinking. It is certainly better than thecynical philosophy of its detractors or the grim religionswhich stress punishment. Think of the guilt feelingsinvolved in the latter. No one can live up to such aformidable creed.

Of course, if you suggest to positive thinking, religiousindividuals that they are using a form of self-hypnosis,they will emphatically deny and debate the issue. Sincewe are primarily interested in mental hygiene and notin winning a debate, it is well to leave the matter as itstands. The point to keep in mind is that so long as aperson feels that this methodology is the answer to hisneeds and so long as no one is being hurt by his belief, Ifeel he should cling to his conviction. He should notallow it to be destroyed by those who are thinking indifferent semantic terms.

I would like to bring up another common examplepertaining to the two basic concepts that we have beendiscussing. It is the example of the many individualswho have taken public speaking courses to overcomestage fright. In most cases, the person involved hasn'thad too much opportunity to be a public speaker.Because of this, he suddenly feels he may not say theright thing or forget what he wants to say. This anxietycan create the very situation or block that he fears.What is the solution ? Certainly not psychoanalysis tofind out why he functions the way he does. You coulduse this approach, but I don't think it's the most con-structive one. It is,likepsking, "What am I doing that'swrong?" instead of "What can I do that's right?" Themost constructive approach is to take a course of in-

2-AsH 33


struction to get the actual practice and experience inthe techniques of publi" speikirrg.

Before proceeding furt[rer, I blteve it is necessary topoint out that I am not just being critical of the ioo-victions of other sincerl and didicated individualsengaged in the field of mental hygiene. It is always goodto re-evaluate our present thinking on any subjecl, nomatter how sincere or convinced we may Le thit whatwe are doing is correct. At times, we can become soimmersed in our convictions that we cannot take criti-cjsm ?nd respond emotionally to ideas of interpretationsthat do not coincide with logical thinking._ what, then, is the ans*er1o mentat rreatttr probrems ?There is no single answer. It is a very complei situation.There are many promising drugs and treaiments which,if adequately developed ind *iaety used, could do agreat deal toward promoting good mental health.Fundamentally, th9 problem will ilways be that of try-irs !o understand human behaviour and herping thosein distress with an efficacious formula.

what is that formula ? I believe hypnosis can con-tribute in part to he answer. Needlesr'io ruy, hypnosisis contraindicated in many emotional probl.r becauseof _the very nature of the problem ircef. some emotionaldifficulties must first be worked out on a conscious level.After thT, hypnosis can be instrumental in achieving thefinal goal.

Dr. Frank s. caprio, a prominent psychiatrist, in hisFooF, Helping Yourself with Psychiitry, srates the fol-Iowing: "A whole new world-of self-confidence andpositive living is open to every person, young and old,through hypnosis, self-hypnosis and seff-r,rglertion oiauto-hypnosis."

CHAPTER I\I

How Does Self-Hypnosis Work?

There's an old Chinese proverb that states: "Onepicture is worth a thousand words." In conveyingsuggestions to the subconscious, we have found thatpicture images are more effective than the words thatare implanted. For example, it isn't sufficient to say, "Iwill be confident." The words must be augmented by upicture of yourself as the confident person you want tobe. If you say, "I can't visualize myself as a confidentperson because I have never been that wayr" you can"borrow" those personality traits that you want foryourself. Imagine yourself endowed with the character-istics of some confident person that you know. Thequalities that you seek may even be borrowed from afamous person. If this isn't possible, make up a person-ality which is a composite of aU the things you want tobe. See yourself walking, talking and carrying onactivities. Keep fortifying this image with the mentalsuggestions that are needed. ft won't be long beforethese mental impressiorrs give rise to the confident feel-ings that you seek. *As you keep implanting theseimages, they will bdcome a natural part of yourconscious personality.

3534


_ D_1 S, J. Van Pelt, president of the British Society ofMedical E_yp"otists and editor of the British Journal ofMedical Hypnotism, writes about this technique in hisbook, Secrets of Hypnotism. He calls it " '3-b' Tech-nique in Medical Hypnotherapy." As yo; read thefollowing paragraph, it would be well to remember thatit contains the essence of making the self-hypnosis tech-nique work once you have achieved the hypnotic state,per se.Incidentally, the same procedure can be used inattaining the hypnotic state itself. You see yourselfentering the state of hypnosis in your initial attempts.This, in turn, sets up a conditioned response arrd afavourable emotional reaction which is necess ary.

"The writer has found [visualization] of the greatestvalue in the re-education of the patient, which is anessential part of hypnotherapy. In this method, afterthe cause of the trouble has been discovered and as apart of his re-education, the patient is instructed whileunder only light hypnosis to 'form a picture' in hismind. He is asked to imagine a movie screen and to seehimself 'just like an actor' on this screen playing a part.He is told that the picture looks 'very 1.s41'-(3-D' inf act-and that he can see himself acting and looklng theway he really wants to look and act. Various scenes aresuggested such as . . . the patient will have to face inreal life. In each he is instructed to see himself-'as inreal life'-always succeeding. For instance, the stam-merer might be asked to picture himself speaking easilyto people, and feeling perfectly at ease. The patient isalso instructed how to form these 'success piCtures' forhimself, and it is stressed that he will only be able to seehimself as he wants to be-successful. Since the picturesgive rise to the appropriate feelings, it is not lon[ before

36

HOW DOES SELF.HYPNOSIS WONT?

the patient begins to show the benefit of his private'g-D' film shows."

After explaining this technique to students, manyhave inquired, "Is that all there is to it? It seems sosimple." Of course, there is more to it in that the indi-vidual must follow through with the instruction. Thisis one of the difficult aspects of this type of programme.Let me enumerate some of the problems I haveencountered in teaching self-hypnosis.

As mentioned, one of the difficulties is that the tech-nique seerns too simple. Students become sceptical.They feel it should be more complicated and involvedin order to get results. I suppose people better appre-ciate something that comes only after a hard struggle.This procedure is devoid of this. Of course, I am notsaying that once a person begins to use this techniquehis problems will automatically vanish and his life willbe cheery forever after. We have been conditioned tothink that success in anything can only come after along, hard struggle. This is the basic theme of theAmerican way of life. We have been accustomed tobelieve that conflict and struggle are part of life andlarge doses of it are necessary before we achieve successin any field. I can only reiterate that the informationcontained in this book is all you need to get results. Itis necessary that you follow through and not give upafter you have tried the programme for a short whileand have obtained no appreciable results. This bringsus to another point.

Many persons expect immediate results when theybegin to use self-hypnosis. If they don't get the resultsthey anticipated imitrediately, they want to know"what's wrong?" My answer is usually that "nothing

37

ADVAT.ICED SELF-HYPNOSIS

is wrong" and that they need only keep steadily apply-ing the instructions. certainly, one dbesn't become'aproficient typist, musician, actor or sportsman becausehe has mastered the basic techniques. It takes time toacquire proficiency.

Let me assure you that anyone using and applyingthis technique can benefit from it. onJof the tr,-o.iut.iin dealing with any problem is routing defeatism andhopelessness. You can incorporate post-hypnotic cor-rective measures in the suggestions that you give your-self. However, I believe that they must be dealt wiih ona conscious level as well. You must believe that youcan conquer your difficulties no matter how long youhave had them. If you are prepared to work with self-hypnosis in an unremitting manner, you will achieve theself-help that you seek. Now and then, you can antici-pate a setback in your progress, but this needn't dis-courage you from your overall task. Recount theprogress already made. If you have a "let-down,,because you expected quicker and more dramaticresults, remember that this is a conlmon feeling sharedby many with emotional problems. Remembir, also,how Iong you have had the problem.

No doubt, you have tried other methods and becomediscouraged because you weren't making the progressyou had anticipated. You dropped the idea and landedback where you started. Make up your mind, con-sciously, that you will work with ,rntiiing sinceriiy anda perseverance that will not falter because your choseng-oal is not achieved immediately. I know of no therapythat leads straight to positive results without obstaclesand intermittent failure. Success comes in spite of inter-vening failures because the ultimate direction has been

gB

HOW DOES SELF-HYPNOSIS WONr?

clearly thought out and charted. Self-hypnosis willfinally work because you are constantly conditioningyour subconscious to react in a positive, constructivemanner. The programme must, of necessity, becomeautomatic in nature. When it does, you will suddenlyfi:rd yourself feeling the way you wanted to and doingthe things that you set out to do with the aid of self-hypnosis. You actually cultivate those feelings that youwant.

Hypnosis will not work with sceptics. Every so oftensuch a person comes to my office seeking help. He tellsme that his family physician or his spouse feels heshould take my course in self-hypnosis. I inquire if hefeels he might benefit from the course. If his answer isnot positive, and if after talking to him at length aboutthe benefits of hypnosis, I still feel he is not ready for thecourse, I suggest another mode of treatment for him.The reason for this is that unless the person is optimisticand enthusiastic about self-hypnosis, it just isn't going towork as effectively as it would otherwise. The verynature of a sceptical attitude limits the constructiveforces that we wish to harness.

Occasionally, individuals want indisputable proofthat hypnosis is going to help them. It is impossible togive them the proof and unqualified reassuiance that!h.y seek. Yet, these same people do not require prooffrom their physicians. No one can guarantee success.However, I do point out that the continued and intelli-gent use of self-hypnosis can be instrumental in direct-ing the healing, curative, constructive forces of nature.

Many times, a metaphysical rather than a scientificapproach is required. ft's a matter of trying to satisfythe patient's needs. At times, it is helpful to allow the

39


patient to attend a class in self-hypnosis. Being able tocommunicate and identify with other individuals seek-ing self-hypnosls often is enough to change his attitude.This is especially true when one or more of the studentsrelates dramatic changes.

Self-hypnosis works because we are able to conditionourselves to various stimuli. We condition ourselves con-sciously and unconsciously to many activities. When weexperience anxiety, it stems from a conditioning processwhich could have been conscious or unconsciouC. In self-hypnosis, the individual consciously works towardimplementing and strengthening his own inherentstrength and resources. These objectives, when attained,result in feelings of confidence, relaxation, self-masteryand well-being.

Furthermore, hypnosis utilizes a natural mental pro-cess. We all know that placebos work admirably innumerous cases. The dictionary defines the wordplacebo as "an inactive substance or preparation,administered to please or gratify a patient, also used incontrolled studies to determine the efficiency of medici-nal substances." Many controlled experiments haveshown that people achieve similar results whether theytake a placebo (which they think is the real medication)or real medication that was prescribed. Several yearsago many such tests were carried out with antihista-mines to prevent colds. The results were always thesarne.

We are interested in what makes the placebo act aseffectively as the true medication. It stands to reasonthat a chain reaction is set up, actually causing a physio-logical result from a psychological reaction. The un-suspecting patient declares, "I've never felt so good in

40

Horlr DOES SELF.HYPNOSIS WONrc ?

my life." Yet, this would never have happened if hedidn't think he was taking the marvellous new medi-cine. A recent scientific study by one of the leadingpharmaceutical houses concluded that one-third of thieffectiveness of any medication depends upon the faithand trust that the patient has in the prescribingphysician.

I am sure that the placebo results and the patient'sfaith in the physician as contributing factors to theeffectiveness of medications do not corrre as a revelation.we are all aware of such information. our problem ishow to harness this unconscious process for constructivegoals. The answer is through self-hypnosis.

Self-hypnosis, as we have explained it, uses a tech-nique called visual-imagery. This has been referred toby many different names, but for our purposes we'll callit visual-imagery. within this technique lies one of thekeys for achieving the goals that you want. There havebee_n many famous books written incorporating thistechnique as a basis for achievement. Perliaps thJ mostfamous of all is called Think and Grow Rich byNapoleon Hill. rn recent years, The Magic of Betieuin'gby Claude M. Bristol andrhe Power of Positiue Thinle-ing, already mentioned, have become well known. Thebook which gives direction to most of the books in thisfield is called self-Mastery Through conscious Auto-Suggestion by Dr. Emile Cou6. I am sure the olderreaders of this book have heard of his famous saying,which I will repeat here for emphasis. "Duy by day, in9very yay, I am getting better and better." Invariably,in all these booksi,there is reference to the Biblical quo-tation, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

As the reader can deduce, we are not theorizing about

4r

ADVAIYCED SELF-HYPNOSIS

a startling n9w discovery. The technique is as ancient asman himself and his dream of a better tomorrow. Allbooks *i.g the visual-imagery technique teil you topaint a vivid,. mental picture of the material things youwish to acquire, if it is a case of material wealtf,. irorpersonal improvement, they tell you to paint a vividpicture of the individual you *ant to be. In most cases,yor,

"re told to do this in a relaxed or "r;ai;;,i-r.;;with as few distractiors as possible. The next two

requirements are constant repetition (conditioning) anda "burning desire" (motivation) to achieve what y-ou setout to do.

Aren't these books really talking about self-hypnosis ?Aren't -th.y describing precisely the techniques bf self-hypnosis ? The terminology is differeni but theapproach is the same. With these techniques there is anaim to direct thinking, picturization, poiitive thinking,lgssestions and constructive thoughts-or imager to thi"inner self" or "real self." Aren't they once ugiin reallytalking about the subconscious mind ? I

- have noargument with any workable approach to emotionalmaturity, br! in many cases we are actually becominginvolved with the meaning of words (semantics). ThIquickest yay to the subconscious ii through self-hypnosis In this self-hypnotic state, you ar. uble toconsciously direct suggestions to your subconsciousmind.

CHAPTER V

How to Arouse Yoursetf from the self-Hypnotic state

You will note that this chapter precedes instruction onhow to attain self-hypnosii. The reason for this is toalleviate whatever ?nxiety you may have in regara iothe qu_estion, "If I'm hypnoti zed, how do I iwakenmyself ?" rt is important to understand that even thoughyou are hypnotized, you are in control, are aware ofyour surroundings, what is going on about you, canthink clearly and can arouse youlself very .urily.' It isonly necessary to say or think, "I shall now open myeyes and wakg^rrp feeling fine." you could uiro givlyourself a specific count and say, "As r count to fiver"I,[oPgn py eyes and wake up feeling wonderfully well andrefreshed. One . . . two . . . thre. . . . four . . . hve.,,

It should be remembered that while we sometimestxe the word "sleep" to describe the hypnotic state, weare not actually referring to true sleep. This accountsfor much of rhe confusion. The individual thinks, ,,iiI'm asle_ep, how can I awaken myself ?" If the subjectyele asleep in the true sense of the word, this wouldbe. impossible. Acttlatly, the subject is in a special orheightened state of awareness. in self-hypnosis, he isextremely conscious although his genlial pfrysical

4342


appearance is one of passiveness. In the self-hypnoticstate, the individual consciously gives himself whateversuggestions he desires. This proves he is conscious and,therefore, can awaken himself with the appropriatesuggestions.

Occasionally, the subject falls asleep while givinghimself suggestions or while relaxing to get into theright psychological mood. Naturally, in this case, thesubject will awaken in due course. If the subject prac-tises hypnosis when he is normally set to fall asleep inbed, he would awaken refreshed in the morning at hisusual time.

Before beginning to give yourself therapeutic sugges-tions, you could give yourself the following suggestionswhich give you a specific length of time that you willwork with self-hypnosis : "I shall work with self-hypnosisfor fifteen minutes. At the end of that time, I shall openmy eyes and wake up feeling wonderfully well, wideawake, confident, cheerful and optimistic. The momentI open my eyes, I'll feel refreshed. In case of any out-side danger, I'll be able to awaken immediately, befully alert and act accordingly."

You will notice that these suggestions take into con-sideration the possibility of something happening ofdanger to the individual, such as fire, etc. These pointsarise in the minds of most individuals attempting self-hypnosis and are well taken. You could also set analarm clock to awaken you at a designated time

Let us assume to arouse yourself you gave yourself asuggestion to open your eyes and be wide awake at thecount of five. You count to five and for some reason youare unable to open your eyes. First of all, DON'TWORRY. Remain relaxed and give yourself the suggesr

4+ r-

HOW TO AROUSE FROM THE SELF.HYPNOTIC STATE

tions over again, emphasizing to yourself that at thecount of five you will absolutely, positively be able toopen your eyes very easily and will feel fine. You thenbegin the count again reiterating between each numberthat you will pobitively open your eyes at the count offive and be wide awake. This should do it. Should thisnot do it, may I reassure you again, DON'T BECOMEALARMED. Relax for a few minutes and try again.You'll be able to open your eyes and wake up.

I hope I haven't frightened you with the prospect ofnot being able to awaken. I bring this up only toacquaint you with the procedure to use. Actually, theproblem of dehypnotization is a rare one. I should pointout a very important fact. I haue net)er had a subjectpractising or using self-hypnosis tell me he had the leastbit of difficulty in awakening himself from the self-induced hy pnotic state.

I have had per.sons tell me that they heard or read ofa case where the hypnotist could not bring the subjectout of the hypnotic state, and, as a result, the subjectslept for so many days. Not one of the stories could bedocumented. Years zgo, for publicity purposes, stagehypnotists would have a subject sleep in a store windowfor several days. This was on a voluntary basis, though,and should not be confused with what we are discussing.

In working with subjects, I have aery rarely had asubject who did not awaken at a specific count, but Ihave had this experience. I have usually found that thesubject is so relaxed that he just didn't want to awakenfor fear of losing this pleasant sensation. When thesubject doesn't awa\,en, I merely ask him in a calmmanner, "Why don't' you wish to wake up ? You cananswer me without awakening from the hypnotic state."

*5

ADVA}.ICED SELF-HYPNOSIS

He usually replies he'd like to remain in this state foranother five minutes or so. I agree to this extendedperiod while getting a firm commitment from him thathe will awaken after this period. This is usuallysufficient to bring the subject out of the hypnotic state.

Occasionally, the instructions to wake up are notclear to the subject. If this is the case, clearer instruc-tions should be given. You could also deepen the hyp-notic state and then give suggestions to lwaken at- aspecific count in a very authoritarian manner. Every sooften, I have found that the subject has fallen inio anatural sleep and just hasn't heard the instructions. Inthis case I raise my voice which is usually sufficient orgently shake the subject awakening him as you wouldany sleeping person.

I would like to relate a rather interesting experiencethat I had with a male subject. I had worked with thisparticular subject six times previous to. this occasion.He was a good hypnotic subject, and he failed toawaken in the usual manner. Since he had carried outseveral post-hypnotic suggestions, it was rather perplex-ing to analyse what had happened. After aboui tenminutes, he finally agreed while he was under hypnosisto awaken at a given count. I asked him what was thenature of the difficulty. He replied, "f wanted to seehow you would react."

In conclusion, having difficulty in dehypnotizingyourself is extremely rare. Should it happen, keep calm,and repeat the suggestions with emphasis. Even inhetero-hypnosis, where the hypnotist hypnotizes a sub-ject, it is extremely rare. There are explainable psycho-dynamic factors for this. f{owever, they can be metadequately while the subject is under hypn,csis.

46

CHAPTER VI

How to Attain Self-Hypnosis

Let us begin with the hypothesis that anyone can learn1rrd practise, to some degree, the r.i.n.. of self-llprotir. we shall ass,rme that you have carefullythought out what you want to accomplish. you have,through self-analysis, come up with ,.ironable goah oftherapy and- self-improvement. The next step- is theacquisition of the hypnotic state, per se.

--_ Before giving you the specific-instructions, I would

Iike to clarify a question- which invariably arises inteaching a student self-hypnosis. It is: "Are ih. .uggo-tions _th?t I give myself

-as effective as the oner-!o,

wo_uld give me in hetero-hypnosis?,'It is natural to assume that the suggestions of the

lypnotist would be more effective than ihose given bythe subject himself, but both have the same lntrinsitvalue. It is well to remember that all hypnosis is reallyself-hypnosis, and all hetero-suggestiors are transposeii*o self-suggestions. If the hypnotisr firmly r,rggerts,"From this moment, you will feel very confideniin alilife situations,'r' the subject automatiially and uncon-sci-ously rephrases the statement, "From this moment, rwill feel very confident in all life situations." rh.

+7


subject, ordinarily, mentally or aloud, repeats allsuggestions using the pronoun "I" instead of "yo.r."

The easiest and quickest way to learn self-hypnosis isto be hypnotized and given a post-hypnotic suggestionto the effect that you will be able to put yourself intothe hypnotic state at a given stimulus whenever youdesire to do so. The hypnotist need not be a professional.Anyone understanding the rudiments of hypnosis cando this. However, let us assume you want to learn self-hypnosis and cannot find help. If you understand andconsciously practise the instructions that I shall outline,you will attain your goal.

Sit in an easy chair or recline on a sofa or bed. Next,choosd a point of eye fixation on the ceiling, preferablya spot behind you which would normally cause eyefatigue or strain. Now, breathe very slowly and deeply.As you do this, repeat, aloud or mentally, the word"sleep" as you inhale and "deep sleep" as you exhale.Do this for several minutes in a very monotonous man-ner until such time as you find yourself getting drowsy.Next, suggest to yourself that your eyelids are becomingheavy and tired. The goal is to acquire eye closure usingthis method. You want to reach a state where it is un-comfortable to keep the eyes open. Once you get youreyes closing, seemingly of their own volition, you havereached the first step in achieving self-hypnosis.

You can repeat to yourself such suggestions as, "Myeyelids are becoming very heavy and tired . . . My eyesare beco*it g very watery . . . My eyelids are blinking. . . I just want to close my eyes . . . The moment I closemy eyelids, I shall fall into a deep, sound, hypnoticsleep . . . Even though in a deep state of hypnosis, Ishall be aware of my surroundings and be able to direct

48

I/

/

HO\^/ TO ATTAIN SELF.HYPNOSIS

post-hypnotic suggestions to my subconscious mind."When your eyelids actually become heavy or when

your eyes actually begin to water, you intensify thesefeelings by repeating affirmative suggestions along thesevery lines. This is known as "the feed-back technique"and helps to reinforce the actual condition that exists.Proceeding in this way hastens thb actual closing of theeyes and attainment of the hypnotic state, per se.

Let us assume that you practise this procedure andseemingly nothing happens. Continue to practise itagain and again until such time as you are able toachieve an eye closure. You will eventually be able todo this within a relatively short period of time.

One of the best times to practise the techniQue justgiven is when you are falling asleep at night. The lightsare out and you are Iying in bed. Choose an imaginaryspot above and behind your eye level so there is somestrain on the eye muscles. Now begin giving yourselfsuggestions that your eyelids are becoming heavy, etc.

The reason this period is such an excellent time topractise self-hypnosis is that the suggestions you giveyourself spill over into your subconscious as you driftfrom consciousness to unconsciousness. It's like tellingyourself to wake up at a certain time in the morning.The suggestion reaches your subconscious and activatesyou consciously to waken. Using this approach, youcan give yourself dynamic, constructive suggestions atthis time as well as giving yourself the post-hypnoticsuggestion that the next time you practise self-hypnosis,you will fall into a deeper, sound, hypnotic state at thecount of threel,Ye-u also emphasize that your eyelidswill close involuntarily whenever you relax for five min-utes and afterwards count to three. This conditioning

49

ADVATYCED SBLF-HYPNOFTS

process will be augmented by the use of the sleepp.t-od. The suggestions will tend to work unconsciouslyduring this period and hasten your attainment of theconstructive goals as well as the self-hypnotic goal itself.. once you have achieved eye closlre, dJepen thehypnotic state by the following rrgg.rtions: "6j I countto three, I shall go deeper and dJeper into a profound,lrypnotic state. As I count to three, I shall nna myseflec-on-rlng more and more relaxed. As I count to three,I shall fall into a deep, hypnotic sleep." you repeatthese s-uggestiols many-times, actually trying on a Lorr-scious level to feel sleepier, more relaxed, more at ease.In doing this, y9u take on the characterisiics of a deeplyhypnotized subject.

Part of the difficulty in learning self-hypnosis is thatthe subject is aiming at a state of mind in which he hasno experience. If I say, "A9, huppy,, or ,,Act sad,,, thereis an immediate reaction from your experiential back-ground, and you can react accordingly. If you havenever seen anyone hypnotized and I say, "Act as thoughyou were-hypnotized," you must, of necessity, act in amanner that you would assume approximated that ofhypnosis. rf you had actually seen romeone hypno tized,,y,ou would naturally take on the characteristi.r you hadobserved. This would either be done consciously oruncortsciously.

some individuals describe the hypnotic state as astate of "complete_ relaxation." Many get a feeling of"detachment" l others a feeling of 1'dissociation,;

as

Ilo"s! their q."Iilg being was only thought. some ger a"floating" or "drifting" feeling, likening the .*p.riirr".to lying on {e-ep 9!ouds. ot6ers .*p.ri.t ce ; heavy,pleasant, "sinking" feeling. still others get a feeling of

5o

HOl^r TO ATTAIN SELF-HYPNOSIS

"peace and serenity." Many describe the hypnotic stateas being akin to the state just prior to falling asleep orlike daydreadrg, and they experience the same re-actioru. Yet, there are some who do not feel a definitechange. They describe it by saying, "I just felt that Ihad my eyes closed. I heard everything and was com-pletely aware at all times." Since it is possible to directyour feelings (reactions), I would suggest that you aimfor a completely relaxed, comfortable state.

You have now reached the point where your eyesare closed, and you have given yourself further sugges-tions to deepen the state of hypnosis. This has takenfrom about six to ten minutes. You are not sure, though,that you are under hypnosis. There are many ways totest this, and I shall outline one of these tests later inthis chapter; however, for your initial attempts, it isn'ttoo important whether or not you are under hypnosis.You are still to give yourself the post-hypnotic sugges-tion that the next time you attempt to hypnotize your-self you will fall into a deeper and sounder state afteryou have relaxed for about five minutes and counted tothree.

In your initial attempts, you will be trying to estab-lish a conditioned response to the count of three whichwill subsequently cause your eyes to close and put youunder hypnosis. Eventually, you should react instantlyto the count of three or any other cue you may use totrigger the response. The key words or stimulus becomesassociated with the action that you seek. Through repe-tition, just thinking about the stimulus can bring on theresponse. Thfu is, known as ideomotor action and ispresent in the wiking as well as the hypnotic state.Pavlov's famous experiments which induced dogs to

5r

ADVAI{CED SELF-HYPNOSE

salivate when a bell was rung after previously havinghad food fed to them at the ,ame timi is an exampre ofthis typg of conditio$rg. Don,L ;; ;;"eralty becomehungry if someone tells ,i, it,, ,roor, ;rr-d- time fo, t,rrrlfr,when, in fact, it's only eleven o,clock ?I had a common experience recentry that I am suremany readers have shared. one of 'my

neighbours,seeing my car

-was parked in front or my ho"use urraknowing I *?1 Lo*., phoned to say h. *u, dropping-i"to see me. while working on the manuscript'fi ?rri,book, I thougrrt I heara tfe doorbeil as I *^'tvpi"g. rwent to the front door and no one was there.'i .i.r,walked around the house looking for hi; because I ;;so certain I heard the bell. Thd is another example ofan ideomotor action. I told my friend about it when hearrived approximately thirty minutes later. He lookedat me rather whimsically, and we both shared ; I;G.fraven't you thought you heard the pt o". ring *rr-.r,you were waiting for a call ?

In the chapter "frow Does serf-Hypnosis work?,,stress was laid on the importance of the'visurr-irug.rytechniq-ue. During e'ueiy attempt to achieve serf-\wnosis, y9u attem_pt to vis uarize yourserf going i"*"the hypnotic state. onc3 you -hav. d..p.nedthe-state,you begin the process of visualizing yourserf .*;"tt;h.way you want to be. You may experience difficuliy atfirst, b.r1t

-as you keep at it, you *ill b. abre ," pi"i"r.

yourself the way you want. you use the uisual-iinoniritechnique whether yo.u think you are under iyp"ri, ,i,,not. These images become

-clear as you constantly

hammer home these suggestions. This is ,h. ;;;;ffiJcedure necessary, ald yo,, needn't compricate it. I

Let us suppose that you are getting your eyerids to52

HOW TO ATTAIN SELF-HYPNOSIS

close at the count of three and have achieved a goodstate of relaxation. with these prerequisites, you cananticipate going deeper into the hypnotic state. Act-ually, being able to get the eyes to Llose at a specificcount is the first test in determining if the subject hasgone under hypnosis. If you have conditioned yourselfthis far, then you can go to the next step. The next testis called the "swallowing" test. You mentally give your-self suggestions that as you slowly, to yourself, count toten, you will get an irresistible urge to swallow one time.You further suggest that this will happen even beforeyou reach the count of ten. You then begin the count."One . . . My throat is parched, and I feel an irresistibleurge to swallow one time. Two . . . My lips are becom-ing very dry, and I feel an irresistible urge to swallow.Three . . . My throat feels very dry, and I feel an irre-sistible urge to swallow one time. Four . . . Before I reachthe count of ten, the urge to swallow one time will be-come irresistible because my lips and throat are so dry.Five . . . Once I swallow, I shall no longer have the urgeto swallow again, and as I swallow one time, I shall faltinto a deeper and sounder state of hypnosis." Continuewith similar suggestions, repeating and affirming thesuggestions about swallowing. Once you actuallyswallow, you discontinue the suggestions and, instead,give yourself suggestions that you are falling deeper anddeeper into a sound hypnotic state and that the con-structive suggestions you now give yourself will work foryou. Once again you practise visual-imagery, seeingyourself the waf you want to be, while fortifying thisimage with forceful, positive suggestions. You closeby giving yourself suggestions that you will enter the

53

ADVANCED SELF-HYPNO'SIS

hypnotic state whenever. you relax for five minutes andcount to three.

, T!. suggestig,"r 3I. just as effective whether givenaloud or mentully. Many subjects report that tn.| u..reluctant when it comes-to givirrg r,rggestions to tir.*-selves. r can only say that ar yo,, iont-iiue to work withyourself, yoq will develop-confidence in giving yo,rrr.lfsuggestions. rn order for the suggestio* io bJeirectivet.y cannot be given in a retiiit or hesit;;;;;;;:Ih.v must be given with enthusiasm and anticipali;.Ij you assiduously follow these instructions, d; ;iilderive the benefits you seek in the shortest porribl. timeand witness the positive, tangible results of your ,rggo-tions and efforts. In the n.*i chapter, yo.r,il t.ur."fro*to deepen the self-hypnotic state.

CHAPTER VII

Deepening The Self-Hypnotic State

For each progressive test, it is usually necessary to haveaccomplished the preceding tests. However, this is notan absolute rule. Frequently, a subject responds to testsat the beginning of the depth scale and then to othersat the end of the depth scale. Certain tests in betweendo not work. I have had the following experience morethan once while teaching one of my classes in self-hypnosis. In testing the depth of hypnosis, I run thegamut of all of the tests from light to deep. In this wzy,the subject can ascertain how far he has progressed.One frequent test for the deep state is to give the subjecta post-hypnotic suggestion to the eflect that the nextcigarette he smokes will have a vile taste and it will beabsolutely impossible for him to take more than threepuffs. It is further suggested that after the third puff,the cigarette taste will be so unbearable it will becomeneces-sary for him to extinguish the cigarette.

We can expect an excellent hypnotic subject to com-ply with these post-hypnotic suggestiom, but a subjectwho hasn't even pdssed the eye closure test (test No. r )or any other test may unexpectedly react perfectly tothe cigarette test which we know is a standard test for

g 55


determining if the subject has entered into a deep stateo.f hypnosis. Y9* can you account for it ? There is nosimple or positive ans#er. If *e hudr,;t girr.n him thisy_ltfcutar rest, he wourd have f.rt;h;t he wasn,t mak-mg progress in his determination to u..o*.--" g"rahypnotic subject. Because of this, h. *ight not havegiven himself therapeutic suggestions because he wouldfeel he hadn't reached a staf,"of hypnosis which wourdbenefit him. Remember, foilo* thl'instructions of giv-ing yourself whatever thlrapeutic sug;e.tions you wint,regardless of the fact that you f.el"ihat ,,noihil;^happened." I have seen many subjects who were be-wildered because certain tests did not work, yet werepleased because gf r-ry gratifying *.ruil resurts from,:lls,self-hypnosis. Thi/were biffied because of theirmaDrhty to pass certain tests which they felt were aprerequisite to the success of constr,r.iir. ;;g;;;^they gave themselves.

It is commonly fert that the deeper the state of hyp-nosis, the better the resurts. t' u.t'"ut fractice, r havenot found this to be so. I have hacl .*..ll.rrt results in arelatively short period of time *itr, ,rujects *rr" ""ryachieved a lightitate, and it hur be."-rrJ..rrury to workwith others who achieved a deep ,t"i.

"] hyp;ri, i;;"Ionger period before turiirrg resurts were in evidence.Naturally, each individuur "pr.r.";

; -iiff.r.rrt

set ofneeds and even tho_ugh the s-ynlptoms may be basicailythe same, each wilr resnond f*o,r."bilil;ffi; *:quirements are met. Trris hupperr, ;; conscious aswell as unconscious lever. For ixampre, the mere assur-"r"...by "

physician that the pati.rrii"uii right uJrr^nothing to worry about is often."ffi.i;;io Erirrg ;;;desirable results. Another example is the mother who56

DEEPENING THE SELF-HYPNOTIC STATE

stops the sobbing of her hurt child by u loving kiss. Alogical approach, pointing out to the child that he reallydidn't hurt himself, would never have worked. We haveall heard stories of primitive tribesmen who have diedbecause they knew they were the objects of "deathwishes" by another member of the tribe.

The key to achieving a greater depth of self-hypnosisIies in the use of the visual-imagery technique. You"see" yourself going into the hypnotic state deeper anddeeper. You even picture yourself, using this technique,passing various progressive hypnotic tests. The secondpart of the key lies in giving yourself a post-hypnoticsuggestion that each succeeding attempt will put youinto a deeper state as a result of a given stimulus-suchas the count of three.

The following instructions should not be attemptedusually unless you have been successful in achieving thetwo basic tests-the eye closure as well as the uncon-trollable urge to swallow followed by the physical act ofswallowing at a specific count. If the conditioning pro-cess works for these two tests, you have achieved thelethargic state of hypnosis. This is the first state of hyp-nosis and is generally referred to as the "light" state.Therapeutic suggestions can work admirably in thisstate. The next stage of hypnosis is known as the cata-leptic state and is referred to as the "medium" state.Generally, hypnosis is divided into three states: thelethargic (light state) ; the cataleptic (medium state);and the somnambulistic (deep state).

As you deepeg the hypnotic state, you can accomplishthe progressive tesb that I shall outline for you. I'lIalso number these tests for the convenience of having ateference. Deepening the hypnotic state requires the

s7

ADVAIYCED SELF.}IYPNOSIS

same type of practice or conditioning as the first twosteps. Let us call eye crosure-No. i, I"a ,*"ilt*i"s_No. z. We are now ready to proceed to the ,ihara tiig-6ngi' test-No. S. l -- r- vvvvs L\''

You have lTi""fpleted tests Nos. r and 2; you arein a compleiely reraxed state. Now give yourself thefollowing r"ggotions: 'i{s r count tolen and even be-fore I reach the count of ten, r sha[ f..i u Iight tingringor numb feeling in my right irand.:, A" ,o, io*f1U1[i'the count of ter', .yoo}.Je repeating suggestions to the:f:,.j ,111 ro"r risht hand i,I.*i-di"f'ro tinsle. onceagarn, you practise the technique oi *ri.rar]i*rs.ri,tapping your experientiar backd;;"J for this feerinEYou can recatl irow it feers-ryfrqfiJ,,,"H? *".r'T;sleep. once vou get an initial fg+d "oi'righr*;;";-Iing or numbness,-reinforce trri, r..1irig ;y the feed-backtechnique as you did with t|9 eye ;i;#. test. As youpractise this procedure, it wil *trr*irr, gr.uter effec-tiveness. The fo[o*in; ir

" .very important point to re_member. Be sur: that yo,, Siy. yo"rLff-l port_frypnoticsuggestion that the tinglingllight or;;.,,t sensation willdisappear as you cont}rrrJ'to count to fifteen. For ex-ample, "As f count to fiftee", grg iq"_.lr* f;;iiil;; ;;right hand will disappear, and I ,rrit .lp.ri.nce onrynormal sensations. Eleven ., . Ih.. ;iiliffi

'Iffi"g' *Ieaving. Twelve . . . Now it is t."uirrg Faster, Thirteen

' ' ' r can feel my-hand returning ,"?or*ar. Fourteen. . . The tingring feering has leftl Fift;;; . . . My righth:qd. feets perfeitly ,orlrur.,, i;; ;;;il;.y a variationof this test bv, saying your nose or one of your toes wilritch at a*p..ifi"'"oirit. orr.. this tesi i, u..o*prished,you_are re-1!f for the ,,foot,, test_No. 4.You wilI remember that the t.y-to achieving a

58


greater - depth of hypnosis lies in visualizing yourself

going dgepe-r with each attempt and acco-rrrplishingprogressive hypnotic tests. Keep this in mind. For amoment, Iet us go back to the hand tingling test-No. 3.once you_ have been successful in acio*plishing thLtest, use the visual-imagery technique to iee yourselfsuccessfully responding to the foot teit. when you haveactually accomplished test No. 4, you see yourself ac-complishing the "hand levitation" test-No. S. In otherryo1ds,- you use each step to enhance a greater recep-tivity for the following progressive test. Ar yo, coupleth.iq approach with post-hypnotic suggestions that youwill go deeper and deeper into the hypnotic state at agiven stimulus, you set into motion a- conditioned re-sponse mechanism which must ultimately guide you intoa profound state of hypnosis.

The foot test can be accomplished while sitting orlfinS down. The idea of this tesi is to imagine that yo,rtfeet are stuck to the floor or that your legi are so heavythat they are impossible to raise until you reach a cer-tain count. It is best to begin this test by trying to cap-ture a heavy, relaxed feeling in your legs. You giveyourself specific suggestions along these lines: "As Icount to five, I shall notice a very heavy, relaxed, plea-qant feeling in both legs. It will be a very comforiablefeeling; a feeling of complete relaxation." You thenbegin the count of ten, following out the idea of theother tests you have successfully accomplished. Youshould remember that there is no time limit and youtake as much ti,gre as you need in order to get the re-

laxgd, heary feeiing. Once you get the relaied, hearyfeeling, you use the visual-imagery technique to try topicture your legs stuck to the floor. If you are lying

59

ADVANCED SELF-}IYPNOSTS

d?yT, ]m1Sln9 you are covered by a heavy blanketwhich is tightly tucked under trr. -uitress, making itimpossible io, you to raise yo_ul legs. If sittins up, I terlthe subject to imagine that his sfroes are stuck to thefloor with "i1on gluI," and since his r..t-u.. in the shoes,it is impossible to rrr them until trr. ,p.lific count whichwill enable him to do so.

Here are the s.y$gestions you can use for the secondpart of this test. "Ai I continue to .o,.*t to ten, I shallfind that it wilr be impossibre for me io ,rir. "ri,

r.sr. rshall try at the couni of ten, but it will be ubsor,r?r,impossible to rT-. my regs until r count to fifteen. Atthat time, I shalr be aLIe t"o raise *y I.g, easily, and theh:1"r. feeling will reave as weil.,,'yoir then conrinuewith the count, giving yourserf "ppr";;te suggestions.once this test ls uJ.o-prisrreJ',-yoI-

".. the visual-imagery technique to see yourse# accomplishing thehand levitation test-No. 5: 89 r"r. yo,, give yourserf

ll.::::llhll"otic^suggestion that tf,e next time yourrypnotrze yourself, you will fall into a deeper andsounder state.r'il assume that you have been abre to get a reraxed,h:uyv feeling in your regs. you have ,.u.rr.a the countof five and are ready

"to proceed further. Here aresample suggestions- you carl use: ,,Six

. . . My I;g; ;;.becoming extremery heavy. seven . . . titt be unabre toIift them until I count to'fifteen. pigh, . . . I feei ;;,comfortable; my legs are becoming h.;.r and heavier.Ning . . . My entire body ir_ .orrip-t-.t.if ,.h*.d, andmy legs are so heavy that they ur. i-possibre to lift.Ten ' ' .I'm in u.-u_.iy deep tvp"*i.-*Iut., and it isabsolutell-impossible'for me to move my legs until Icount to fifteen." At this point, you actuariy ,ry ," ,"L.6o


your legs. If you can't do it, you have reached thecataleptic stage.

Should you not be able to raise your legs, don't be-come frightened. All you need to say is: "I can nowmove my legs." You could also say: "As I count tothree, I'll be able to move my legs." However, since wehave elected originally to be able to move the legs atthe count of fifteen, it would be best to follow out thispattern. You could at this time merely continue tocount to fifteen, at which time you would be able to moveyour legs. I prefer giving suggestions between eachcount as follows: "Eleven . . . The heavy feeling is leav-ing, and I shall be able to raise my legs at the count offifteen. Twelve . . . I can feel the heavy, relaxed feelingleaving. Thirteen . . . I am beginning to move my legs.Fourteen . . . I am lifting my legs more and more. Fif-teen . . . I have perfect control over my bodily functionsand legs; I am lifting and moving my legs; the heavyfeeling is dissipating; I am in complete control; I cannow give myself post-hypnotic suggestions that will bevery effective and beneficial." Give yourself whateversuggestions you want at this time.

Let us suppose that you tried the foot test for sometime and were unsuccessful. Perhaps this puzzles you,and you wonder why it didn't work. Perhaps you wereable to get a heavy feeling in the legs, but the secondpart of the test didn't work. The following informationwill help you to understand why you were unable tocomplete this cataleptic test. Either you had not con-ditioned yourself, sufficiently, or you weren't really"letting go" enough' to enter into a deeper state ofhypnosis. Most subjects need to test themselves andfeel secure every step of the way. They don't just plunge

6r

ADVANCED SELT.Hy'PNOSIS

into the cataleptic or sornnambulistic stages immed-iatelv. In this connection, r berieve ii L" # ;;pur.awith the bather wJro -gd into the *ater one step at atime. Even the prayfir splashing air."t.a at him byfriends does rrot io*pel him to iuch rrnder the water.Instead, he continues to srowry ;;..p.. and deeperuntil he is compretely r,rb*.rgEd. l[orrrdn,t it havebeen easier to dutk ,rrrd., all at 6rr.. ? perhapr, lrr imsure you have,either experienced the same ,hi"s your-self or seen it happen. '

The analogy s[ould be crear. The subject is reructantto do what he considers as "giving

"p hi, control,, when,in realitY, he is really more ind rilore in control of him-

self as he penetrates'the deeper Ievels of hypnorir. ----

, . IT reality, the subj."t *ho does ,oi o, cannot raisents teet really could move in case of emergency, evenwithout counting to fifteen. He has, i; efiJct, .rrt.r.ainto a state in wtiich it is too much bother to lift his feet.A common example of this frame of -i"a is *hen ,r"remain in bed in the morning even though y; il;you will be late to work. yoriare just too comfortableto move, and your initiative seerns paralysed.

Let us assume: at this point, that ,2" have finalrysucceeded in getting the foot test to work. y;;;;rgady for the hand levitation test-No. 5. In this tlri,the goal is to get your hand to srowry ,ire and touchyour chin. once it touches your chin, yo,, enter into as[tt Sgper state and lower'your hand ,l;r; ;;";side. This test is actualry combined with trr. rr""J ii"g_Iing

-t-est-No. 3. Since you have been successful withtest.No- s._the rest is rather simpre. Thi, time as youwork test No. 3, aim for a light, pi.uru., f..-ri"g ili;right hand. once you get trrir r.^"tio", yt" gir."y*irJi

Gz

DEEPENING THE SELT-HYPNOTIC STATE

suggestions that your right hand will now rise and touchyour chin. As soon as it does, you will fall into a deeperstate and lower your hand. Here are the suggestionsthat you can use: "As I count to ten and even beforeI reach the count of ten, I shall have an irresistible im-pulse to slowly raise my hand to my chin. As I progresswith the counting, my hand will slowly rise, and theimpulse will become stronger and stronger. As soon asmy hand touches my chin, the impulse will leave. I willthen lower my hand and fall into a very deep hypnoticstate. I shall be fully aware of what is happening, mysurroundings, and will be able to give myself beneficialpost-hypnotic suggestions. "

At this point you start counting to ten, giving your-self suggestions that your right hand which already hasa light feeling will begin to slowly rise to your chin.Time the counting to coincide with the actual physicalact of raising your hand. You are trying to feel an in-voluntary urge to raise your hand. The movementitself should also be of an unconscious rather thanconscious nature. A conscious raising of your hand toyour chin is not what you are looking for in this test.Should you experience difficulty in attaining the firstmovement of your hand, you can give yourself assis-tance by consciously and slowly raising your hand j,rstto get it started. The rest of the movement, as men-tioned, must be automatic. Should you find it necessaryto start your hand rising, use the feed-back techniqueto continue the imovement. You can give yourself thefollowing suggestior,h :

"One . . . my right hand is beginning to rise. Two . . .My right hand is very, very light, and I am getting an

63


irresistible urge to slowly raise it. Three . . . This feelingis getting stronger and rirorrg.r. Four . . . My ,ight h;rrJrs nsrng more and more.. Five . . . My hand ls risingtoward my chin. six . . . As soon as my hand touchespv chin, I shall fall into a deeper and sounder state ofhypnosis. seven . . . My hand is rising closer and closertoward my chin. Eight . . . The feeling of lightness isbecoming stronger ind stronger. Niile . . . tly righthand is about to touch my chiri; as soon as it at.r, i;itfall into a very. deep hypnotic siate. Ten . . . My ,igrrthand is touching my irrirr; I'm falling deeper uiradeeper into a, sound hypnotic state; I'Il rro* slowlyIower my hand and corriirrre falling into a deep, ;;";d,pleasant state of hypnosis. The ligh"t feeling rr"ri.rir"yhand."

You should not attempt to memorize the exactphraseologl for any of the tests. you are to merely usethe sugggstions that have been written out for you ,r-"guide. The timing of the suggestions is the paiu*o,rrrtconsideration in attaining rric.ssful results. Don,t beimpatient. Take as muchliTe as you need. should yo,,find yourself unsuccessful after ten or fifteen -i""1."grop the test and come back to it another j;t f h;;;;;found that working ut ? specific test all day lons

".-complishes the end result.It is best to wo1\ for

-a specific period every day. In

this way, the conditioned response pattern is establishedfor the success of the tests as well as the success of thePgtt-lvpto_tlc suggestions that you have given yourself.You should bear in mind that ii you havJ been success-ful in achieving the first five tests, you have reached amedium state of-hyplosis, and posi-hyprrotic suggestionswitl b1 extremely effecrt.;;* the nexr chaptJr", you,li

DEEPENING THE SELF.HYPNOTIC STATE

learn, psychologically, how to go even deeper intohypnosis. You'll learn those psychological faciors thatare important to know and that can contribute to yourdevelopment into an excellent hypnotic subject. Follow-ing this, the subsequent chapter will give you furthertests and instructions for developing into a somnambu-listic subject.

6q

CHAPTER VIU

what You shoutd Know About Becoming AnExcellent Subject

Becominq an excellent subject follows the same generalrules for becoming proficient in any othl, endeavour. Itdepends

Ypon yorrr-motivation, p.rri.t.rce and wilring-ness to devote time and study'to the subject. r.t X,agree that most individuals can learn to play u -,rri.rtinstrument to some degreeJhi, J.gr; i.

"r"rrif *m-cient for their own rr.Jd.. To becori* u virtuoso, h;*_ever, it is necgFary to study trr. i"rir.r*.rrt and devotea great deal of .energy and time to practise. The ,u*.example could

-be given for most undertar.ing.. A"*;.

can learn to hit -a golf ball, but being abre to controlthe direction and distance and beco*". a skilled ;;ff*is quite another matter.

If you have been successful in accomplishing the firstfiyt. tests, you can consider yourserf a good iyprroti"subject. Becoming an excellent subject Lntails follow-1ng the same procedure used- i" ,.*-flishing the firstfive tests. some may proceed very .uriiy into the som-nambulistic state, and others may ha.ve; Jtfd;i ;tr".reaching this deepest stage. understu"Ji"g some of thepsychology involved ur,J assuming the i"ight pry.h;:logical frame of mind for the attJinm.r,t of the som-

66

BECOMING AN EXCELLENT SUBJECT

nambulistic state is more important than just workingblindly in an attempt to get the somnambulistic tests towork. Being irritable, disgusted and despondent be-cause of your inability to go further into hypnosis is notthe answer and will only lead to frustration and failure.The reader is not to assume he will be a difficult sub-ject. If you have come this far, you'll be able to con-tinue in the same manner. The topic under discussionnow is brought up to prepare readers for any contin-gency that may arise. It's like having a life preserveron a boat. You hope you never need it, but you shouldbeprepared to use it in case of an emergency.

It is natural ro assume that if you ire willing andllvi"g to go into the lethargic, cataieptic or romrrumbu-Iistrc s-tat9,

-you will be able to do so in a relatively shortperiod of time. unfortunately, this is by no means thecase. Many of the principles of learning and condition-ing can be applied to hypnosis, but with many subjectsthese laws do not seem applicable. Let us assume youwanted to learn to become an excellent typist. This is areasonable .goal and all that is ,....ruiy is to con-tinue practising until you have reached the proficiencyyou set out to achieve. This proficiency would, as arule, follow application of thi laws of- learning andconditioning.

This isn't always so in a subject's attempt to becomesomnambulistic. When the subject progreJser from onestage to another in a classical manner, the theory worksadmirably, but what happens when a subject cannotseem to progress any further ? He has reached a plateauand is unable tb elimb hieher. He seems tb havereached-a psychological impasse or stalemate. It is easyto say that the subject is thwarted by u subconscious

67


block and let it go at that. This, however, doesn'thelp him in his dilemma. It's like reling the strandedmotorist that the reason his car has stalled is becausethe motor isn't running. The following informationwill be helpful to those who haven't been able to reachthe- first stages of hypnosis, as well as those who appar-ently can go only so far. Actually, the same prinliplesare involved.

- If the subject doesn't respond or responds to a limiteddegree, there evidently is a cause or reason for this poorresponse. In order to continue this discussion, it will benecessary for us to agree that the resistance can beeither conscious or unconscioius. If the subject insists

4ut he is trying to "let go," has nothing to hide, is notafraid of hypnosis, understands what ii involved andhas strong motivation, we can only assume that the re-sistance must be unconscious. Usually, it will be necessaryto work through this unconscious resistance before thesubject responds. If the subject is conditioning himself,this will involve a great deal of introspection, and eventhen it is an extremely difficult job. one doesn't usuallyBr. proper insight into one's own emotional make-up.The end result is that one can only rationalize about hisbehaviour.

!., us explore some interesting aspects of hypnosiswith a view toward helping you if you are tiavingdifficulty responding the way you desire. I have had thefollowing paradoxical situation happen many times. Asubject calls my office, requesting to be conditioned forself-hypnosis. He further requests that he be allowedto bring along a member of his family or a friend forthe hypnotic session. These individuals usually ask ifI object to this procedure. I interpreted this requesr as

6B


a sign of distrust during my early career as a profes-sional hypnotist. I was affronted by the idea of the urr-spoken insinuation verbalized by this request. Didn'tthey trust me ? Between trying to defend myself andassuring them that there was no need for another per-son beine present, since my secretary could observe theprocedure, f usually "won" the argument but lost theclient. As I developed understanding into the needs ofthese persons, I began to realize that the request wasnot directed at my integrity, but was a safeguard fortheir ego.

Here is an interesting sidelight that has happenedfrequently in regard to the foregoing situation. I wouldrequest the suhject to sit near my desk and tell the on-looker to sit behind and to the side of the subject, awayfrom the subject's view so as not to distract hirn. Inthis situation, I invariably place the hypnodisc on aspinning, portable gramophone turntable and turn itupright for the subject to look at. T'he hypnodisc, whichis made of stiff cardboard, looks like a twelve-inchgramophone record and has concentric heavy linesdrawn on it. fu it spins, the subject feels he is beingpulled towards the centre. At the same time, it causeshis eyes to become very tired. The revolving hypnodisccauses a physiological reaction and must work witheveryone. You feed back certain known physiologicalresponses for the successful attainment of hypnosis.

The onlooker has no choice but to look at the hypno-disc as well. As I suggest to the subject that his eyesare becoming heavy and tired and that soon he'll havean irresistible imtpuhe to close them, the onlooker isnaturally hearing the same suggestion. Because thisperson feels apart from the hypnotic situation, there can

69


be no conscious resistance. Since these defences are nothampering the attainment of hypnosis, the onlookermay readily fall under hypnosis. More than once, theonlooker has confided to me that he was getting a betternight's sleep, was feeling wonderfully well or hadderived other benefits since coming to my office as an"observer." The exact situation happens when the stagehypnotist is hypnotizing subjects on the stage. Manytimes a person in the audience who had no iniention ofbecoming hypnotized becomes influenced in the samemanner. Incidentally, these individuals make the bestsubjects.

There are interesting theories as to why a subject re-sponds or does not respond to hypnosis. I think thereader would find some of these theories interesting andperhaps gain some insight into his own hypnotil Ue-haviour. These theories are based primarily-on a psy-choanalytical approach to hypnosis.

The most prevalent theory is that the hypnotist re-presents either the father image (paternal or fear hyp-nosis) or the mother image (maternal or love hypnosii).The father usually represents an authoritarian-figure.The subject's identification can be on a conscious orsubconscious level. Let us suppose the subject has am-bivalent feelings towards his father. Because of this, hemay not respond. Here is an opportunity to frustrate theauthoritative (father) figure. The only trouble with thistheory is that if there is an excellent relationship be-iween the father and subject, it doesn't necessarilymean that the subject will respond easily. The stagehypnotist invariably uses a strong, authoritative up-proach with a great deal of success, but this approachgenerally does not work best in private practice.

7o

/


I have found that for the majority of subjects thematernal approach works best. Perhaps the process ofhypnosis awakens early unconscious memories of beingput to sleep as a child. Some techniques that are usedin hypnosis are quite similar to this. The subject, who islying down, is told to close his eyes and is spoken to ina quiet, reassuring, monotonous tone of voice. The hyp-notist is seated near him. The hypnotist even uses thesame words that the subject has heard as a child:"Sleep. Go to sleep. When you awaken, you'll feelwonderfully well." In fact, I use some special musicthat I had recorded for inducing hypnosis. The firstmusical selection is Brahms' "Lull aby )' Children'smusic boxes invariably contain this selection, and themelody cannot help but activate a pleasant nostalgia. Itis a memory associated with love and tenderness. Thisbrings us to the fact that hypnosis may offer the subjecta chance to escape from the reality of pressing problemsinto a state of complete irresponsibility. In fact, onetheory of hypnosis equates the hypnotic state as a formof unconscious regression and need for submission.

The male subject may have a strong, positive identi-fication with his mother rather than his father. It ispart of the unresolved Oedipus complex. He sees hismother as a kind, loving individual, always ready tohelp. Even if the mother did something socially un-acceptable, the individual would defend her vehe-mently. The father who might do something wrongwould rarely be excused. Just the opposite is true withthe female subject. When asking the female child,"Whose girl arc you ?", the answer is invariably,"Daddy's girl." When asking the male child, "Whoseboy are you?", the answer is invariably, "Mummy's

7t

ADVANCED SELT.HYPNOSIS

boy." we accept this transference of identification asa normal process of growing up. When it isn't normallyresolved, it can account for severe personality problems.Or9 might assume, therefore, that a woman hypnotistcould better hypnotize a male subject, and a malehynotist could better hypnotize a female subject, butthis is not true except for cases such as we have justmentioned.

One school of thought feels that there is a strongsubmissive tendency in all of us and hypnosis gratifiesthis wish. The individual's need for dependence is alsomet. In this case, the hypnotist becomes omnipotent,being able to alter feelings that ordinarily distress theindividual. Normally, adults, when confronted by aparticul arly upsetting experience, might want to be heldclosely by an intimate friend or member of the family.Don't we frequently put our arm round a friend in grieftrying to comfort Lrirn ? The inner strength which iscreated bv hypnosis within the total personality struc-ture of the subject lessens dependency upon the hypno-tist, much in the same fashion that we need the doctorle.ss as we start to recover from an illness. Self-hypnosisfurther lessens dependency for no authoritarian figureis rrsed.

The subject's attitude towards authority is importantto know. It is well known that officers in the army aremore difficult to hypnotize than non-commissioned men.The enlisted man, by u process of indoctrination andconditioning, is taught to obey and follow orders with-out reasoning. The transference of authority to thehypnotist is readily accomplished because of this condi-tioning process. The army doctor, when treating

72


patients psychologically, replaces his army jacket with aregular white medical jacket to increase rapport.

One interesting theory is that the subject responds ashe thinls the hypnotist would like him to. This istermed "role playing." When asking a subject underhypnosis his name, you usually get a very slow, deliber-ate answer, as though the subject were in a trance. Youtell him that he can answer in a normal speaking voiceand tempo and his further replies are to be in the samemanner as his waking state.

Another theory along these lines is that the subjectacts as he believes a hypnotized person would act. This,too, is role playing, but it does not explain analgesia,such as when the dentist hypnotizes the patient andproceeds to drill a tooth. No one (with the possible ex-ception of a highly neurotic psychic masochist) is goingto endure excruciating pain just to please the doctor.

One theory about hypnosis states that it allows thesubject an opportunity of identifying with the hypno-tist, whom he sees as a powerful figure. Through thisidentification, the subject is able to gain inner strength.On the other hand, the subject might rebel against thesubmissive nature of the hypnotic setting. This couldeasily create anxiety which, in turn, could create hosti-lity resulting in resistance of various kinds. As a resultof this, the subject might begin to criticize the hypnotist,find fault with the way he (the subject) is being handled,question the judgment of the hypnotist, or doubt theeffectiveness of the hypnotic procedure.

Many investigators assert that the "rapportr" mean-ing the relationship,between the subject and hypnotist,is all-important. This is true and the relationship canand does have many ramifications. In psychotherapy,

73

ADVANCED SELF-HYPNO.STS

the term "transference" is used to denote this relation-ship. The relationship is further described as a good orbad transference. There is also a counter-transferencewhich indicates the reaction of the therapist to thepatient. Naturally, in order for the subject to respond,there must be good rapport.

I have tried to indicate that there are complexitiesthat may arise in the hypnotic setting. There are manyconflicting theories as to why a subject does or does notrespond. There are no set rules to follow, and one'sintuition, experience and judgment help solve anyproblem that arises.

Let me relate another frequent incident. f have hadsubjects come to me after they were unable to be hypno-tized by several other professional hypnotists. They havecomplained that the hypnotists weren't "good hypno-tists" because they couldn't hypnotize them. After all,they ask, hadn't they been willing subjects? My usualanswer is that the fault, if there is one is not with thehypnotists and really not with the subjects. It is a matterof exploring what has happened and then deciding ona course of action to ensure success.

I am firmly convinced that the subject responds whenhe is positively, without equivocation, ready to do so.He keeps testing the response to make sure he is incontrol. He fears a reduction in his voluntary level ofreality attachment and control. Unresponsivenessproves to him that he has this control. As long as hedoes this, which is a natural response, he never lets gosufficiently to attain hypnosis. Hypnosis, as we know, isa very sensitive state. It requires complete faith andtrust in the hypnotist. If it is lacking, the subject neverdoes respond. The phenomenon of hypnosis is entirely

"', 7+


subjective in nature, and its success lies within the totalpersonality structure of the subject. If there is resistanceto hypnosis itself or to deepening the state, the subjectby his own honest evaluation and verbalization of hisresistance can do much to become a better subject.Hypnosis must begin with the acceptance by the sub-ject of certain basic fundamentals that we have alreadydiscussed rather than of the forcefulness of the hypno-tist. The deepening of the hypnotic state lies in the in-tensification of the conditioned response mechanismonce it has been initiated.

You should not expect to achieve immediate resultsalthough sometimes this does happen. As you continueto work with perseverance, intelligence and enthusiasm,you will definitely achieve the goals that you have setfor yourself. It is well to remember that you guide your-self toward the somnambulistic state, depending uponyour belief and acceptance of those principles that havebeen outlined for you.

I have attempted to point out some of the salientpoints and theories to keep in mind in your attemptto develop into an excellent hypnotic subject. Some ofthese only pertain to the situations where the hypnotistworks with the subject. Many of the problems inherentin this setting are not applicable to the situation wherethe subject is hypnotizing himself. Both settings havetheir advantages and disadvantages. As long as you pro-ceed to follow the instructions given you, you can feelassured that you will finally achieve self-hypnosis.

It should be emphasized that is is vital to adopt theright frame of rhind in your attempt to achieve self-hypnosis, particularly a deep state. If you approachhypnosis with a "prove-it-to-me" attitude, nothing is

7s


going to happen. Self-hypnosis requires practising a setof mental exercises or mental gymnastics. To acquire,,the ultimate from this training requires systematic con-ditioning. The word "training" ir used quite extensivelyin hypnotic literature. The use of the word implies thathypnosis can be attained by a training period. The liter-ature speaks frequently of a subject being trained torespond in a certain way. Obviously, this means over acertain period of time. It also means you train yourselfto become a good hypnotic subject. It is a skill that allcan acquire.

There are four books dealing specifically with self-hypnosis that I would recommend to you for furtherreading. They are: What is Hypnosis? by AndrewSalter, Hypnosis and Self -Hypnosis by BernardHollander, M.D., Autogenic TraininS by Johannes Ff.Schultz, M.D., and Self-Hypnosis-Its Theory, Trrlr-nique and Application by Melvin Powers.

CHAPTER TX

Techniques For Reaching The Somnambulistic State

As indicated in the last chapter, the attainment of thesomlambulistic stage of hypnosis can represent an ex-tremely intricate procedure. Because of certain inherentcharacteristics of this stage, it is easier to attain byhetero-hypnosis. However, this does not preclude thefact that it can be reached without the aid of a hypno-tist. More important than the testing and deepeningprocedures that I shall outline for you in this cha_pter

ite at understanding and an awareness of some of thecomplexities involved, first in achieving the hypnoticstate, then deepening, and, finallv, reaching somnam-bulism. There are no absolute or final answers to manyof the problems that can arise. You can become en-

tangled with rationalization so easily when you wantthe facts to fit a particular theory. I point this out to the

reader because, as the subject goes deeper, the pro-cedure can become more complicated.

There are many interesting phenomena which can

be elicited in tlre somnambulistic state. They are_ ofinterest for the'hroSt part, to students of abnormal be-

haviour and are pertinent from an academic viewpoint.They do not fall within the province of this book or

7776

l:


of hypnosis for therape"lig purposes and might leadthe reader astray. should i.ud.r. be interested infurther lvRnotic phenomena, I refer them to M od.ernll4no.tis by Leslii Kuhn and salvadore Russo, ph.D.,E.xperimental Hypnosis by Leslie Lecron , Timi Distor_t:o\in Hltpnosis by Milton Erickson, tvt.O., urrJi;;"f. 9ooper, N{,D.1urg Hypnotism-A'n Ob je'ctiri S}Layin suggestibility by Andrc u. weitzenhofier, ph.b.

fu discussed previous-ly, some individuals .*p.ri*..difficulty in attaining ttre deeper hypnotic states. Myadvice is to be patient and to contir,r. *orking withyourself. It is not imperative or vital to reach thI som-nambulistic stage for therapeutic results. It is a miscon_ception on the part of many students that th./ *or, fointo the deepest state possible to obtain ,..,rIL.Dramatic changes can come about at all r.".il Jffi-nosis. The somnambulistic state is necessary i" rrypirl-therapy when there is a need for the patient to relivesome traumatic episode. It is also uieful when thepatient is reluctant to consciously discuss certai, u.p..i*of his problem.

- Many hypnoiherapeutic ,..r*iqu.,

such as amne:i?, hypermnesia, progr.rsion, paramnesia.automatic writing, dream induCtion, r"gr.sion, prod,r.-tion of experimental conflicts u.rd ciystal oi^ mirro,gazing require a somnambulistic state. For thor. ;i t;;interested in hypnotherapy, I can reconunend no finer!.:"\ than_Hypn_oth-eyly ?f War Neuroses by John C.watkins, Ph.D. In this book, the theory of rryp"oirr.rrpylr". been dia.qramatically presented ior easy compre-hension and shown to be an aSralsamation or .or.iplan_d_practices from various schooli of thought. I --

Most students of hypnosis equate the pir.rro-enonof amnes the somnambulLtic state. The mistake

REACHING THE SOMNAMBULISTIC STATE

they make is in trying to achieve amnesia. It,s similarto the- dog tryin_g to catch his tail. It is impossible forthe subject to effectively suggest amnesia to himself. Ifhe remembers what he was r,rppor.d to forget, he hasfailed. If he truly doesn't remember what h"e was sup-posed to forget, he doesn't even remember the u*rroiusuggestion and can take no satisfaction from his successbecause he is not aware that he has accomplished thepost-hypnoric suggestion. unless an elaboiate set ofpost-hypnotic suggestions are worked out, it is an im-possible test for self-hypnosis.

I know the reader is anxious to begin his conditioningfor the somnambulistic state, but tf,ere are still a fewpertinent remarks which should be remembered beforeproceeding further. The reader should not memorizeverbatim any of the tests involved in proving the som-nambulistic state. All that is necessury to remember isthe general form and the goal yo,, r.ik. The goal is torncrease your suggestibility which, in turn, meins deep-ening of the hypnotic state. After each step, you are tosjve yourself suggestions that you will go riiil deeperthe next time. You should airo desigriate a rp..ifi"Iength of time to work with self-hyprrolir. The *gso-tions are as follows: "r shall work with self-hyprrorlJfo,fifteen minutes. At the end of that time, I shaif open myeyes and wake up feeling wonderfully well. I'll be widlawake and refreshed. In case of any danger, I'll be ableto awaken immediately and act accordingly.,,

.so-*.- hypnotists tell their subjects tJ ;'make yourmind a blank." {.rrppose what they really mean is ihatyou Aust try to think of only what the hypnotist is say-ing. Have you ever tried to make your mirra a blank ?Try it for a moment. rt's an impossibility. shoulcl the

79


hypnotist persist along these lines, he'll never be success-ful. It is the wrong approach. The subject, because ofhis inabi-lity ro comply with this sugg..tior, is fightinga losing battle. It is also almost impoisible for the sub-ject to concentrate only on what the hypnotist is saying.Ary word the hypnotist says can start a conscious iswell as unconscious train of thought. Therefore, in rea-lity, this, too, is impossible. However, it ,.uily isn,tnecessary that the subject keep his thoughts concen-trated solely on what is being said so long as they arekept in the general area. At times, the more you try toconcentrate, the more your thoughts become scatteied.suppose I say to you, "Forget thi address B7e r sunsetBoulevard." what happens? The more you try to forgetit, the more you remember it. Therefore, don't be cJn-ccrned if you experience stray thoughts during the in-duction and deepening of hypnosis. You are no* readyto continue with further tests. The first five tests shouldbe mastered before continuing.

Text No. 6 is referred to as the "fly" test. In this test,once under hypnosis you picture that a fly is crawlingon the back of your right or left hand. once you feel thlfly, you know you are deeply hypnoti zed. you mighteven get an urge to move your hand and flick the fly offyour hand. When this happens, you know, of course,that yo-u are deeply hypnoti zed. Here is a sample of thetype of suggestions to give:

"As r count to ten and even before I reach the countof ten, I shall feel a fly crawling on the back of my righthand. This illusion will seem very real to me. One . . .

My right hand is completely relaxed. Two . . . I feelcompletely at ease. Three . . . I am beginning to feel apleasant tingling feeling on the back of my right hand.

Bo


Four . . . This feeling is becoming strong. Five . . . ftfeels as though a fly is moving on the back of my hand.Six . . . I have had this same feeling before. Seven . . .

I can feel the fly. Eight . . . The feeling is very definite.Nine . . . As I flick my hand the fly will disappear (Ifyou have felt the fly, move your hand). Ten . . . It isgone."

Test No. 7 is known as the "cigarette" test andnaturally is only for those of you who smoke. In thistest, you give yourself post-hypnotic suggestions duringthe hypnotic state, awaken yourself, and then note theeffects of the post-hypnotic suggestions. If the cigarettetastes bitter or has a repugnant taste or odour, and ifyou furthermore find it impossible to smoke more thanthree puffs, necessitating your putting out the cigarette,you know the post-hypnotic suggestions are workingperfectly and that you are an excellent hypnotic subject.Here are the suggestions to give yourself while you areunder hypnosis:

"When I count to three, I shall open my eyes andwake up feeling wonderfully well' and shall have astrong desire to smoke a cigarette. Upon lighting thecigarette, I shall notice that there is a very bitter, strongand repugnant taste to the cigarette. As I continue tosmoke the cigarette, the distasteful effect will becomestronger and stronger. Even though I tealize that Ihave given myself these post-hypnotic suggestions, theywill exert a strong force outside of my conscious control,and I shall find it necessary to extinguish the cigaretteafter three pufft As I now count to three, I shall openmy eyes and wake tlp feeling fine. One, two, three."

Test No. B is called the "sun" test. In this test, youpicture yourself in a bathing suit, shorts or playsuit at

Br


the beach or some other familiar place taking a sun-bath. You imagine that it is a beautiful summeiday. fuyou see yourself relaxed, you imagine that a doud isblocking out the sun, but as you count to three, thecloud will move away and you will feel the warm,pleasant glow of the sun's rays on your face and hands.Here are the suggestions you can use:

"As f count to three, I shall feel the warm, pleasantrays of the sun on my face and hands. One . . Thecloud is moving, and I can begin to feel the warm,pleasant rays of the sun. Two . . . The cloud is movingmore and more, exposing more and more of the sun.I can feel the warmth of the sun's rays. Three . . . Thecloud has moved away from the sun, and I can feel thefull, warm strength of the sun. It is a pleasant feeling,but as I continue to count to five, the warm feeling willdissipate. Four . . . the warm feeling is leaving. Five . . .The warm feeling has left, and I feel perfectly normalin every respect."

A variation of this test is to see yourself lying com-fortably in front of a fireplace. In this instanCe, youimagine someone is adding wood to the fire. As this isdone, you feel the warm glow of the fire more and more.Should you use the fireplace technique, try to incorpor-ate the sound of rain into the picture. [f you "hear"rain you have created a positive auditory hallucinationand can consider yourself an excellent subject.

You can also visualize a situation where you wouldbe cold. This is not as pleasant as the picture that onecan conjure up about a fireplace and thus creates a bitmore resistance since no one wants to feel uncomfort-able.

Test No. g is the "breeze" test. It can be combined


with the previous test. After you attain the feeling ofwarmth, you give yourself a count of three (or whatevernumber you want), suggesting that you will feel thecool ocean breeze (if you are at the beach) on your faceand hands. You can even carry this step further, sugges-

ting that you'll even smell the odour of the salt water.This is known as an olfactory illusion and should you be

able to create this effect, you can be sure that you area sonurambulistic subject. Here are suggestions you canuse:

"As f count to three, I shall gradually feel the coolocean breeze coming over the waves. It will be a verypleasant feeling. One . . . I am beginning to feel the coolocean breeze, especially on my face and hands. Two . . .

The breeze is becoming stronger and stronger. Three. . . f can definitely feel the cool ocean breeze. As I con-

tinue to count to five, I shall smell the pleasant, healthyaroma of the salt water. Four . . . I am beginning tosmell the salt water. Five . . . I can definitely smell thesalt water."

Now you give yourself appropriate suggestions thatthe feeling (illusion) will vanish as you awaken or at aspecific count. It can be as simple as this: "As I counttb three, I shall open my eyes and awaken feeling veryrefreshed. The feeling of the cool ocean breeze and

smell of the salt air will have vanished completely." Atthis point you count to three and open your eyes.

Tist No. I o is the "handclasp" test. This is used

frequently to test the depth of hypno{s. You fold yourhands wilh your fingers tightly interlocked and place

your palms togtther. You then give yoursel! q t Vpnoticiugge.stion that at the count of three, it will be im-pos-

sible for you to unlock your hands. After you try and are

B3

I('1il

IIllI

ADVANCED SELF-HYPNdSIS

unable to unlock your hands, you continue counting tofive,-suggesting that you will be able to do so when ioureach the count of five. Incidentally, you should re-move_ gny ring you may be wearing before trying thistest. Here are the suggestions you can follo*:-

"As I complete the count of three, I shall try tounlock my hands but will be unable to do ro rrrriil Icount to five. one My hands are locked tightrytogether. Two . . . My fingers are locked tightei andtighter. Three . . . It is impossible for me to Jnlock myhands until I count to five. Four . . . As I reach thlcount o!five, I shall be able to unlock *y hands veryeasily. Five . I can now unlock my hands veryeasily."

Test No. r r in the "arm" test. Here is another testyq.9 frequently to test the receptiveness to hypnosis.Make a tight fist and extend your arrn in front 6f yo,,as far as possible. Visualize your arm as one solid mass,as stiff and rigid as a bar of steel. After your arm isextended, gi-ve yourself a hypnotic suggestion that youwill be unable to bend your arm when y-ou complete thecount of three. fu you continue to count to five, you willbe able to bend your arm very easily. Here is a form ofsuggestions you can use:

"As I reach the count of three, I shall try to bendmy arm, but it will be impossible to do so until I countto five. No matter how hard I try, it will be absolutelyimpossible. one . . . My arm is stiff and rigid as a barof steel. Two . . . I can feel the rigidity in my arm.Three . . . It is impossible for me to bend my arrn untilr count to five. Four . . . I can feel the stiffness slowlyleaying. Five . . . I can now bend my arm easily and itfeels normal in every respect."


Test No. r e is the "eye" test. This is probably themost widely used test in hypnosis. Many subjects equatethe inability to open the eyes with hypnosis. Manyassume that if they can open their eyes, they have notbeen hypnotized. I must emphatically point out thatthis is not true. The subject can fail the eye test and yethave been under hypnosis. In the deep, somnambulisticstate, the subject can open his eyes without affecting thedepth of the hypnotic state. In fact, this is done manytimes in getting the subject to do automatic writing,crystal gazing, mirror gazing, hypnodrama and revivifi-cation. In carrying out post-hypnotic suggestions in anystate, the subject is frequently told that he will open hiseyes and carry out the suggestion.

I have found that there is more anxiety connectedwith the eye test than with any other test. I feel that itis a normal reaction and one that must be anticipatedby the hypnotist as well as the subject. Occasionally,while hypnotizing a new subject, he will open his eyes.

This can happen when the subject feels he is losingconsciousness. His ability to open his eyes proves to himthat he is in control. One of the main fears that thesubject has is his belief that he will lose voluntary con-trol of himself. The fact that he can open his eyes lessens

his anxiety.If there seems to be too much threat to the individual,

I use a method that you can follow. Instead of suggest-

ing that the subject will be unable to open his eyes at aspecific count, I suggest that he will be so relaxed thatit will be too m$ch,effort to open his eyes until a furthercount is given. Actually, what could take less effort ?

Here are suggestions You can use:

B5

I


"As I count to three, I shall try to open my eyes, butI shall be unable to do so because I feel so relaxed. Itwill just take too much effort to open my eyes until Ireach the count of five or tell myself to awaken. One . . .My eyes are closed, and I am in a very deep state ofhypnosis. Two . . . My eyelids are stuck tightly together.Three . . . It is now impossible for me to open my eyes.

I shall be able to open them though at the count offive. Four . . . f shall be able to open my eyes very easilyat the count of five. Five . . . I can now open my eyes

and wake up feeling alert and fully refreshed."In accomplishing the eye test, you try to create a

vivid picture of yourself being completely and fullyrelaxed. If you really exerted a great deal of effort, youcould open your eyes, but because of the pleasantness ofthe completely relaxed state, you Prefer not to do so. Itcan be likened to your enduring the cold winter airwhen you are half asleep in bed instead of getting up toclose the window which has been left open too much.You can, of course, get up and close the window, but itbecomes a matter of expending too much energy. In-stead, you choose to endure the discomfort or suggestthat your spouse close the window.

For the following three tests, you give yourself thesuggestions as outlined in the previous tests. It should bepointed out again that at the conclusion of the test, yougive yourself a suggestion that you will feel normal inevery respect.

Test No. I3 is the "music" test. This test involvescreating an auditory hallucination. Give yourself thesuggestion that at a specific count you will hear yourfavourite song. It will last for one minute and then fadeout.

B6

REACHING THE SOMNAMBULISTIC STATts

Test No. 14 is the "dream" test. It is incorporated ina great deal of hypnotherapy. The subject is told thatar th. hypnotist counts to three, the subject will have adream lasting for several minutes which he will remem-ber. This dream, furthermore, will call his attention toan important incident that he has long forgotten, yetwhichwill be relevant to his problem. In self-hypnosis,you suggest to yourself that at a specific count you willha'ne Jrrety pleasing dream lasting for several minutes,

at the end of which time you will awaken feelingrefreshed. For those readers further interested in Pro-ducing dreams, I can highty recommend a very fascin-

ating book called The Experimental Production --ofDreims During Hypnosis by Professor David BallinKlein.

Test No. r 5 is the "anaesthesia" test. This is con-

ducted by telling yourself that you will not feel the painassociated with the act of pinching yourself. You sugges!

that you will feel the pressure of your fingers but willnot feel the pain involved. I urge the reader not to stickpins in himsetf to test the anaesthesia. This can be

Tongtrous, lead to infection and ca,use other harmful,rtiltt. You should also not dig your nails into your skinto make sure that you don't feel pain.

B7

CHAPTER X

A New Approach to self-Hypnosis when Att Etse Fails

Let us assume that you have tried diligently to learnself-hypnosis for a rnonth or more but hive failed. youhave worked faithfully following the instructions out-Iined in this book and other books on self-hypnosis, butsomehow the state of hypnosis eludes you. Should yougive up in despair, or is there still hope for you ? Let meassure you that you can still become an excellentsubject. Let us examine several areas of this problem

"rrq a new approach that will help you achieve your

ends.

- You must, first of all, ask yourself if you are feelingbetter and whether you have made strides in the direc-tion you desire while giving yourself suggestions inwhatever stage of hypnosis you have achieved. If yourevaluation is affirmative to any degree, you can expecteven greater results. "But," you may say, "how can Iexpect greater results when I haven't achieved self-hypnosis?" My answer is that you may be achievingself-hypnosis and not know it ! The change to the self-hyplolic state from the waking state can be imper-ceptible. Many times, prior to testing subjects underhypnosis, I ask them if they think they are in the

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SELF-HYPNOSIS WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS

hypnotic state. The answer is invariably no. When ask-ing the subjects for a cogent reason for this answer, theywually exclaim that they are aware of what is going onand do not feel any different than they did before Istarted working with them. They are amazed to findthat various tests work so perfectly.

Some subjects do not respond to hypnotic tests nomatter how long you work with them. For these persons,I usually de-emphasize the need for passing the tests

and concentrate on the therapeutic results which aredesired. This approach lessens anxiety and usuallyresults in a deepening of the hypnotic state. It is myfeeling that many subjects resist any tests as the impli-cation is that once the tests work, the subject is undercomplete control of the hypnotist. The subject may fearthis supposed subjection on one hand and yet want it onthe other hand. These forces can work unconsciously,and thus the attainment of hypnosis becomes a veryintricate, perplexing and trying procedure. Even thoughthis may be so, I can assure you that the problem andattainment of hypnosis can be resolved. It is only a

matter of motivation on the part of the subject. This is

the main ingredient necessary for successful hypnosis.Let me now explain a technique which has worked

admirably for many who have been frustrated because

of their inability to achieve self-hypnosis. It involvespretending you are hypnotized and going through themotions of the various tests as though you u)ere a perf ectsubiect. You will recall that one theory of hypnosis isthat the subject behaves in a manner that he believes isin keeping with.hypnotic behaviour. This role playingis the basis for oui unique approach. As the subjectcontinues this procedure, he takes on the conditioned

B9


response mechanism necessary for self-hypnosis. Let ruIook at the following examples of role-playing._ During the war, many soldiers who wantEd to leave

the army would pretend something was wrong withthem. They would convince the "authorities 6r theauthenticity of their "illnessr" and since nothing seemedto make them better, they eventuaily were separatedfrom the service becaure oi the incapacitatirrg dirorJ.r.But what happened to many of these maling"e..r, uf,.,t!r.y were released from the service? I'm surl you knowthe rest of ,!. rlory. The constant maling.rirrg wastransformed by this role playing into a conditionedresponse pattern, eventually bringing about the veryundesirable condition- responsible for their leaving thlservice. I saw some of these individuals and more"thano-nce thgv told me that t!.y had unwittingly hypnotizedthemselves into having the ailment. They wanted me todehypnotize them. The-y actually turned out to be veryg3sl subjects as- they had become highly suggestible.unfortunately, th.eir syper-ego structure was *[it, they\ud difficultf.i". identiiying-strongly with uryo.g ,rrithe relationship in hypnosiJwas s,rpirficial and wiihoutdepth.

.l 3T going to relate another- example which I hopewill help you understand the role-playing techniqu. fi,self-hypnosis. I have had the followinf exlperien.. .ru.rytimes in giving hypnotic demonstrations ^before

,u.iorsorganizations. For some reason, even though I carefullyask that oIrl-y those who desire to be hypnttized volun-Ie._I 3! subjects_ for the hypnotic dembnstrations, 3Dindividual who has no intention of co-operating comes

"p.91 the stage to-poke fun at the hypnotist. Ii giving

public demonstrations, r usually wort with uboit t.i9o

SELF.HYPNOSIS WHEN ALL ELSE TAILS

subjects and simultaneously give them_the same sugges-

tions and post-hypnotic suggestions. Once the subjects

are hypnoiized, I work with them with their eyes open.

Using ifrir technique, with each subject carrying out aport-"hypnotic sufgestion, intensifies the responses ofother i,rnj..t*. There is also competitiveness to become

the best subject.In the mlantime, the individual who is really not

under hypnosis has let the audience know about it bywinking'or making a grimace when I was not looking athim. CiLser.ring laughter and other audience reactions

which are not in t..ping with what is happening at theprecise moment duiing *y lecture is_rny cue .that.Iiruu. an egocentric person on stage. You mi_gh! ask,

"Can't you tell when someone is faking ?" It is ex-

tremely difficult many times to do so. Once you are

aware of it, however, you give certain tests to the group.

The exhibitionist doesn't-know how to respond each

time and you soon Pick him out.Even when I know specifically who it is, I do not

dismiss him. Interestingly, it is invariably a man. I con-

tinue with the lecture-demonstration; but I let the

audience know that I am aware of the situation. Thisis the interesting part of this example. The bumptioussubject by giving himself auto-suggestions to comply

witlr 'rutio,it post-hypnotic suggestigro, is actuallyengaging in orrt technique or role-playiqg. flt '."-evi"ta6le"hupp.rrs. He finds himself hypnotized despite

his obvio,x irrt.ntion not to be affected in any way. Atyhypnotist can recount similar incidents''What

can you learn by the example just presented?

What if you prrtpodely set about doing the same thing in

your attempt to achieve self-hypnosis ? The obvious

9r


answer is that the technique has a good chance ofworking, urrq 3. u result you will achieie self-hypnosis.This method has worked with many recalcitrant sub-jects. To follorTllr plan, go back to chapter Six, "HoH,To Attain

f .l{:l{-Vpno1is,,, and use th. role_playingtechnique. You'll be pleasantly surprisecl at ho* thisapproach will act as a catalyst" Remember, once youobtain the eye closure, give yourself whatever thera-peutic .suggestion you desire plus the post-hypnoticsuggestion that the nexr time you will falllnto u'd..p..and sounder state of hypnosis at the count of three orany other cue you desire.

. I know yoy may prorest using the rore-praying tech-nique with the queition, "If Iim ,rot ,rrrier'hylnosis,why giy". myself therapeutic post-hypnotic r"ggfrtiortto condition myself Io go .rnder hypnosis at Jipecificcount?" You yay further protest ihut yo., ur. onlyfooling yourself. My urr*.i ir, "what if yo,, are ?i'what is lost by- doing it ? you have everything to gainand nothj"s to lose. Are you not really interertid iritheend result and not the means ? The attainment of theself-hypnotic state is not in itself the end result; it is ameans to help you achieve your goal.

Don't many people caffy or wear good-ruck charmsof a religiour

-oi ,or-religious nature f Don,t *. u...pt

these items in our socieiy ? The four-leaf clover urrarabbit's foot as symbols of good luck have been part ofour culture for 1 long time. We are all sophisiicatedenough to know that they do not have an intrinsic value,but don't they do something for our mental attitude ?This same_pattern is precisiy what you are to followin using the role-playing technique. If you believe,expect and imagine that you will be successful in this

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SELF-HYPNOSIS WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS

approach to self-hypnosis, I can assure you that youwill.

Muy I urge you not to reject this novel and unortho-dox approach. Many have had excellent results whenother methods, even those of a professional hypnotist,have failed. Some of you may recognize this approachas another means of applying the visual-imagery tech-nique. Whatever you choose to call it, I reiterate youcan expect good results. It is only necessary that youfollow the instructions and adopt the right attitude. Bythe right attitude, I mean that you should adopt theconviCtion that you are going to achieve self-hypnosiseven though you might have experienced difficulty upto now. Hypnosis is a conviction phenomenon.

It is posiible you may say you are not suggestible.Actually, your lack of response proves your sugges-

tibility. You have been influenced by negative sugges-

tions. Everyone is suggestible to some degree. You havebecome extremely suggestible to conscious or uncon-scious stimuli which are definitely affecting your abilityto respond. You need only use this latent suggestibilityand make it work for you. What would you say aboutthe suggestibility of a person who doesn't want to talkabout Liypnosis ? This person has never read a book onhypnosis ind absolutely doesn't want you 9r anyone else

to hypn otize him. Would you believe this person is- a

potenlially good hypnotic subject? I can tell you.bypractical experience that once this person allows him-self to be hypnotized, he turns out to be a perfect sub-ject. Responding to either end of the suggestibiliry scale

is indicative of, sqccess with hypnosis. It becomes amatter of manipulhting this suggestibility skilfully inorder to achieve results.

93


_. _!..t me give you another example which may help.which one of the two lines drawn on this pug. itlonger ? Line AB or line CD ?

^t

what is your answer ? Did you think both were thesame ? Take a ruler and actually measure them. you'llfind line AB longer than CD. "But," you reply, ,'everyother time both lines were the same." This is a familiaioptical illusion which is used many tirnes in basiccourses in psychology. It is known as the Muller-Lyerillusion. My contention is that if you said, "Both arethe same size," you are potentially a good subject. yourespond perfectly to previous conditioning; thus, youare-responding as anticipated. If, on the other hand, youpicked line AB, you are normally suggestible. If youhonestly picked line CD, you are extremely cautious

SELF.HYPNOSIS WHEN ALL ELSE TAILS

and respond best to "reverse psychology." Once againyou are highly suggestible, but toward one extreme.

Ffere's another interesting experiment. Would yousay that lines AB and CD were perfectly straight ? I'lllet you figure out what your response means to this testby yourself. You can take a ruler to determine if thelines are straight.

We all respond unconsciously to stimuli of some sort.Word association tests are based on this principle.Aren't your reactions automatic to the following terms:democratic party, republican PartY, communist party,mother, father, movie star ? If I mention the name of afamous person, city or country, the same immediateunconscious reaction takes place. Let's try it. TheodoreRoosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower,

John F. Kennedy, Albert Einstein, Albert Schweitzer,Eleanor Roosevelt, Boston, New York City, Hollywood,Miami Beach, United States, England, France, Italy,Israel, Africa, Russia, China, India and South America.The response and image keep changing, don't they ?

I am trying to point out that this reaction is auto-matic because of previous conditioning. I could mentionalmost anything and the same automatic reaction wouldtake place. The reaction would always be the sameunless something had happened to change or alter yourresponse. Let us mention the word hypnosis. Some sortof reaction must take place. This can either be positive,negative, or neutral for our purposes. You really don'thave to think about your response as it is automatic.The point to remember is that a definite response has

taken place which will either help or hinder your attain-ment of nyprrori* If'rthe ,"rporr. should be negative, itcan be changed by gaining knowledge and actual exper-

95


ience in hypnosis. It is natural to have a bit of uneasiness

ryhen fir1t experiencing or thinking about being hypno-tized. After all, you haven't been exposed to hypnosis ina therapeutic setting and couldn't have formed afavourable reaction. Your response is probably derivedfrom a fictionization of hypnosis. The initial task of thetrypnotilt i* to create, by educating the prospective sub-ject, a favourable attitude so that the subject allowshimself to be hypnotized.

What does this mean specifically to you if you arehaving difficulty learning self-hypnosis ? It means thar1lrrough repeated exposures, you will finally respond.You will realize there is no need for anxiety in rlgardto your response. This inner feeling will, in turn, havea cumulative, favourable effect upon your unconsciouswhich will result in your finally responding to hypnosis.

Suppose you still maintain and insist that you are notsuggestible and wonder if you will ever respond tohypnosis. Furthermore, the assurance I have given youIp to this point doesn't seem to convince you. If youhave tried diligently to achieve self-hypnosis, you can-not be blamed, but let's try an experiment to test yoursuggestibility. It is well ro ponder my statement that ifyou do not respond, it is a sign of being suggestible, butin a negative sense. Lack of response is a manifestationof this negative suggestibility. I\ y contention is that youare definitely suggestible. Let us see what happens toyou in trying the following classical experiment. It iscalled the Chevreul's Pendulum test.

Draw a circle with about a six-inch diameter andmark it as shown in the illustration.

Next, take a ring and attach a string to it. If youhave a locket, it will do as well. The hypnotist uses a

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SELF.HYPNOSIS WHEN

1

ALL ELSE TAILS

3

crystal ball and chain for this experiment. Hold the endof the string or chain and keep the ring or whateverobject you are using about three inches above the centreof the circle.

Now, concentrate and fix your gaze on the dtg,crystal ball, or locket. Mentally suggest to yourself thatthe object will begin to revolve in a circular mannerfollowing the numbers, r, 21 3, and 4. Picture in yourmind's eye that this circular motion is becoming widerand wider. Work at this image for several minutes. Didthe object begin turning to the right following thenumbers ? Did the circle become larger and larger ? Ifit did, you are absolutely suggestible, are influenced byyour own suggestions and, therefore, if you followinstructions, can learn self-hypnosis. You can be trainedto acquire this skill.

If the experience did not work, try it again. Concen-trate harder and try to visualize more intently theobject revolving in a circular manner. You are not torotate the object consciously or help it in any way. Theaction must stdn f.qom your subconscious. The thoughtof the crystal ball or ring revolving in a clockwiseor counter-clockwise direction invariably causes an

4-AsH 97


involuntary muscular reflex action to take place. Thisphenomenon is known as an ideomotor action. Usually,as the subject concentrates more intensely, the reflexaction becomes more profound, causing greater uncon-scious movement of the hand which, in 1urn, is trans-mitted to the object in the form of larger circles andgreater momentum. The time required for the success-ful accomplishment of this test depends upon the degreeof suggestibility of the subject. An interesting action isto see the object revolve in an opposite direction thansuggested. It gives a clue to the personality structure ofthe individual.

_ The Ouija board works on the same principle as theChevreul's Pendulum test. Many times the aspirant willremark, "f swear I didn't make it move ! " Mentalistsfind hidden objects in an audience using basically thesame approach, combined with clever techniques ofdistraction. The term given for this is "muscle reiding."

This is the point in question. If the crystal ball, ringor locket moves without conscious direction, you havisuccessfully influenced your subconscious mind. Self-hypnosis involves the same procedure. The goal is toconsciously cause a subconscious reaction. If the experi-ment does not work with your eyes open, try it withyour eyes closed for abo.rf fir. minufes. You will bepleasantly surprised with the results. Should you wantto prove to yourself that you are suggestible with youreyes open, practise the technique every day for a weekor two. The idea of the practice sessions is to reinforceand increase the response of the unconscious movementuntil you develop proficiency. It follows the laws of theconditioned reflex theory expounded by Dr. Ivan P.Pavlov (1849-1936), -n.

?;"ous Russian psychotogist.

SELF.HYPNOSIS WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS

If, after several weeks, you should still not be successful,use the role-playing technique. Consciously make theobject revolve. After a while, it will move automaticallywhenever you attempt the experiment.

When this happens you will have proof of yoursuggestibility. It is highly improbable that you will notbe successful. It would be a rare occurrence. By the samesystematic efforts, I can assure you that you can achieveself-hypnosis. If you are still not affected favourably,you might consider one of the psychological means ofinducing hypnosis. The next chapter will discuss thistopic.

I would recommend Pavlov's book called Condi-tioned reflexes. Pavlov's book will further explain andclarify the concept of the conditioned response mechan-ism. It covers necessary conditions for the developmentof conditioned responses, their formation by means ofconditioned and direct stimuli, plus a tremendousamount of material which will help you in your under-standing of the significance of the role-playing tech-nique in relationship to learning self-hypnosis.

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CHAPTER XI

Psychological Aids and Their Function

Psychological or mechanical aids are used to help putthe subject in a state of hypnosis. The use of the aidshelps increase the suggestibility of the subject towardhypnosis. The two most widely used hypnotic aids arethe crystal ball and chain and the twelve-inch hypno-disc. One reason is that these two items have no otheruse or function outside of the area of hypnosis. There-fore, when the hypnotist proceeds to use one of thesehypnotic devices, it must follow that a certain mentalset, readiness, or receptivity must follow as a result ofits introduction into the hypnotic setting. If the subjectis uneasy about the hypnotic setting or his response, theintroduction of the hypnotic aid can mobilize the sub-ject's defences which may be on a conscious or uncon-scious level. Generally, the mental set which followshelps augment whatever hypnotic suggestions are given.Certainly the same mental set would not follow if thehypnotist used a paper clip as a means of helping withthe induction of hypnosis. It would only start the sub-ject wondering about the relationship of the paper clipto hypnosis. It obviously isn't in keeping with what thesubject expects.

IOO

PSYCHOLOGICAL AIDS AND THEIR FLINCTION

It is important to utilize the subject's expectation as

to what he believes takes place in the setting as long as

this expectation does not hinder the induction ofhypnosis. The mere act of turning down the lights ordrawing the curtains before the hypnotist begins towork with the subject is a non-verbal suggestion whichcan be considered as a psychological aid. The subjectknows that the hypnotist is ready to begin at this point.Actually, it isn't necessary to darken the room at anytime to induce hypnosis. Doesn't the stage hypnotistwork with glaring lights ? The room is darkened (and Imight add that I use this procedure myself) mainly forthe psychological effect. If I feel that this proceduremight cause anxiety, t proceed with the room un-darkened.

In discus.sing psychological aids, it is agreed that weare primarily interested in seeing the subject feel betteror achieve whatver goals he seeks through the intelli-gent application of self-hypnosis. If a hypnotic aid wiflhelp the subject achieve hypnosis, we can concur it isjustified. It is not to be considered a subterfuge. If thephysician administers a placebo to a patient with theremark, "Here is a new medication that can help yourcondition" and if this technique does help alleviate thepatient's condition, it is considered good medicine.-

You know beforehand that in using the twelve-inchhypnodisc, the subject's eyes must begin to water, hiseyelids must get heavy, and eventually he must close

them. Even before you begin to use the hypnodisc, yousuggest that these conditions will take place. During theinduction of hypngsis, as these reactions are noted bythe subject, a favotrrable, psychological attitude auto-matically develops which, in turn, helps further sugges-

IOI


tions. If the subject reacts favourably to suggestions A,B, and C, it follows that he is more prone to acceptsuggestions I), E, and F which are therapeutic in nature.The subject can relate better to the latter suggestionswhen he has seen proof of his initial suggestibility. Thisapproach works better than beginning immediatelywith the latter suggestions. The build-up of suggestionsconvinces the subject he is in a heightened state ofsuggestibility and can benefit from the therapeuticsuggestions of the hypnotist or his own. Perhaps thisneeded assurance is so helpful because it eliminates theanxiety of the subject concerning his suggestibility. Heseeks and needs the satisfaction of knowing he hasattained the prerequisites necessary before any thera-peutic programme can benefit him. The subject's pre-requisites need not be actually related to the hypnoticprocess, per se, but merely match his preconceived ideasabout what is necessary. Let me give you an example.

Many subjects feel that they must experienceamnesia before they can benefit from hypnotic sugges-tions. This premise is inaccurate since favourable andlasting results can be achieved in any degree ofhypnosis, depending, of course, on the nature of theproblem. Let me relate several interesting occurrencesthat take place every so often in my own practice as aprofessional hypnotist. A subject who is responding wellto hypnosis, but not to the point of amnesia, insists thathe will not benefit until he is "knocked out" and doesn'tremember what happened. Trying to convince himotherwise proves fatal. He just refuses to accept what-ever explanation you give him. My own method is notto insist that the subject is wrong, but somehow to usehis misconception in a constructive manner. After

r02

PSYCHOLOGIQAL AIDS AND THEIR FUNCTION

getting him into a cataleptic state, I suggest that I amgoing to stop talking for five minutes, during which timehe is to mentally repeat "sleep" as he slowly and deeplyinhales and "deep sleep" as he slowly exhales. At theend of this time, he'll be in a very deep hypnotic state.lnstead of remaining quiet for five minutes, I take tenminutes. I then begin to whisper suggestions to thesubject to determine if he is still under hypnosis orasleep. If he is asleep, I let him remain asleep for a stilllonger period of time, after which interval I awakenhim. I ask him if he remembers what I said to himduring the time he was deeply hypnotized. If he says,

"No," I remark, "Very good." I fulttrer point out tohim that he has now experienced amnesia and will nowrnake rapid strides. The subject, on the other hand, ispleased to see that I now agree with him, and, in fact,the interesting result is that he does make excellentprogress because his preconceived requirements havebeen met. It should be pointed out that I keep workingwith the subject until such time that he falls asleep.The transition from hypnosis to sleep is normal. It iseasy for the subject to fall asleep because he is sorelaxed.

Let me tell you of a similar experience. Before tellingyou of this psychological technique, it is only fair topoint out that the professional hypnotist varies hisapproach from subject to subject, not only to suit theneeds of the subject but to break the monotony of usingonly a few successful procedures. His experimentationhelps develop not only new procedures, but new con-cepts relative to t[re general nature of hypnosis and itsmany ramifications. I was interested to see what wouldhappen to a subject if he thought he was deeply

r03

ADVANCED SELT-HtPNOSIS

hypnotized without ever giving hirh verbal suggestionsor reassurance that he would feel better or overcome hisproblem. Of course, if the technique did not workquickly, I would drop the procedure for a more ortho-dox approach. Instead of trying to really hypnotize thesubject, my aim is to get him to sleep. Once he is asleep,

I let him remain so for about thirty minutes. Withouthaving ever given him a therapeutic suggestion, Iawaken him and inquire if he remembered what hup-pened. If the answer is, "No," I tell him I'll "hypn_glize"hi* again next week and this concludes the visit. Whenhe returns next week, I ask him, "FIow did you feelduring the week?" The answer is generally, "Muchbettei" I keep repeating this procedure until such timethat the individual has attained the goals that he seeks.

I know that the reader may be surprised that I woulddivulge such an unconventional procedure. The prin-ciple is the same as the physician using a placebg. t

-a-oro to illustrate the point that I made earlier in thischapter that so long as certain of the subject's require-ments are met, whether valid or invalid, the subject'ssuggestibility is greatly enhanced. Naturally, the un-suifecting subject equated the period of not remem-beiing, *t icf, was, as we know, true sleep, with theso*itttbulistic state. Actually, he was helped by self-hypnosis because he felt he would now make-Prog-repbeiause he proved to be such an excellent subject. It is

true, he wal not using self-hypnosis as has been outlinedin this book, but he had now achieved a heightenedstate of suggestibility (hypnosis) and was using this state

to fu.rther his own ends.The attainment of self-hypnosis can be an intricate

and elusive procedure as I have already pointed out.

", ro{

PSYCHOLOGICAL AIDS AND THEIR FUNCTION

The purpose of the entire book is to instruct, point outand give you the necessary understanding and know-Iedge required to achieve this end. Without this under-standing, this can become a very frustrating effort. It ishoped that by understanding and being aware of someof the ramifications of hypnosis, you will be able toachieve your goal in the quickest possible time. It shouldalso be pointed out that no two subjects react in thesame way and that different methods and requirementsare necessary to suit the individual. It is a mistake totry to make the subject adhere to a rigid methodology.The greater flexibility of the hypnotic procedures, thegreater the chance for success. Let me, at this time,further discuss some of the hypnotic aids that are usedin the induction of hypnosis.

We have already discussed the use of the hypnodiscand crystal ball and chain. The same principles areinvolved in any other object which is usedas a means offixation or of tiring the eyes. Hypnotic gramophonerecords and hypnotic tape recordings represent newdevices that have been instrumental in conditioningsubjects for self-hypnosis. The subject plays the recordor tape on his gramophone or tape recorder and is con-ditioned over a period of time to respond to hypnosis ata given signal or phrase. He, in turn, can change thiskey phrase to one of his own choosing. Should you ownor have access to a tape recorder, I would suggestrecording an induction of hypnosis and playing it backto yourself in this manner as though you werehypnoti zingsomeone else.

I have prcidueed three different hypnotic records anda thirty-minute hypnotic tape containing the threerecords which are sold commercially. One record, called

r05

ADVANCED SELT-HYPI{OSIS

the Musical . Hypnotic Record, has a very pleasant,

relaxing musical background as the voice of thl hypno-tist induces hypnosis. The second record, called' theMetronome Hypnotic Record, incorporut.r the mono-tonous and lulling beat of an electric metronome in thebackground. ^fh. subject is instructed to mentallyrepeat 'tleep" as he slowly inhales and ,,deep sleep,, ashe slowly exhales in rhythm with the beat of themetronome. While the subject is concentrating on thisactivity, the voice of the hypnotist induces typnosis.The third record, called self-Hypnosis Record No. 3,contains 9"ly the voice of the hypnotist inducirighypnosis. It features a unique approach and technique.

I have had a great deal of coirespondence with thosewho have used these gramophone records and thehypnotic tape for conditioning themselves for self-hypnosis-. The results are quite interesting and run therange of immediate results to no resul*. one personwrote that one of the records hypnotized him it thefi5t playing

_ and conditioned hiin for self-hypnosis,

whereas he had failed to respond to hypnosis afterTany visits to one of the country's foremost authorities.I have had similar experiences after having failed tohypnotize a subject {espite many attempts. -I

""r onlyspeculate that the subjects in these caseJ unconsciouslyresist the hypnotist because they feel a personal threai.since the record is impersonal,.they ari better able torelax and subsequently be hypnoti zed. Interestingly,this occurred when the subject was convinced thaiheyas a very difficult subject. It would seem that onlythen was the conditioned response pattern finally estab-lished. The basic function of the liypnoti" r."oids andhypnotic tape is to establish a conditioned response

ro6

PSYCHOLOGICAL AIDS AND TIIEIR TUNCTION

pattern to a given stimulus. In time, most subjects areconditioned by the intelligent and systematic use ofthese recordings.

Let me describe another varied approach to achiev-irrg self-hypnosis. One of the chief assets of a goodhypnotist is to be flexible in his approach in hypnotizinghis subjects. As I have already pointed out, ir is neces-sary many times to adopt a technique that is suitable tothe subject and not to make the subject adapt himselfto the method of induction.

We know that with somnambulistic subjects any pro-cedure will put the subject under hypnosis immediately.The hypnotist gains complete control of his subject asthe subject is able to put himself in the proper psycho-logical frame of mind for hypnosis. Unfortunately, mostsubjects do not respond at the first session or sessionsbecause of conscious or subconscious fears that must begradually eliminated. Once you get the subject to relax,or "let go," he will naturally succumb to hypnosis. Thisis the pioblem that confronis all hypnotists.

Merely suggesting to the subject to relax is notsufficient, as a rule, to bring about this desired mentalstate. The subject, at this point, cannot easily turn on oroff his mental and physical feelings. Even if we have thesubject lie down, this does not assure the hypnotic stateas the subject can still be tense. Our main problem isto get the subject relaxed. Our situation is similar to thephysician telling his patient to go home and forgetabout a certain problem. f'm sure you'll agree that theadvice is virtually impossible to follow.

One of the frrajer stumbling-blocks in hypnotizing asubject or in self-hypnosis lies in the fact that althoughwe use terms such as "relaxr" "let yourself go," and

ro^7

ADvANoED sEr.r-HYpivosrs

others, the subject cannot readily put the meaning ofthese words into effect. It is difficult for most people tolet go when we live in a society that beckons us to "looksharpr" "be shafpr" "be alertr" "be on the ball" and"make every minute count." Emphasis on productivitydoes not lend to a society of relaxed individuals.

In my long experience as a professional hypnotist, Ihave tried many novel innovations for inducing hyp-nosis and teaching individuals self-hypnosis. Some havemet with a great deal of success and others have failed.It is, furthermore, difficult to determine the casualfactors for success or failure. We can only theorize.

I have used the following unorthodox technique forabout a period of fifteen years. Exceptionally goodresults have been attained with it, although it must beadmitted that it is not infallible. It is suggested to youas another good technique. In order to help the subjectrelax, I have been using a gramophone record or tapethat I recorded containing the continuous sound ofvarious degrees of rain. One side has a half-hour of verysoft, light rainfall such as you have experienced inlistening to rain falling on grass, canvas or a tent top.The other side or track contains a half-hour of raineffects such as one would hear in a heavy downfallwith loud splatterings of water on the pavement. Therecord and tape were originally designed to helpinsomnia sufferers and later incorporated into thehypnotic procedure.

The subject is instructed to close his eyes and listento the sound of the rain while picturing himself relaxingnear a warm, glowing fireplace. As you can note, thesubject again incorporates the visual-imagery tech-nique. The relaxing .O..rrr}rs produced over a period

PSYCHOLOGICAL AIDS AND THEIR FUNCTION

of time enhances his chances of success in attaining a

deep, hypnotic state.Theri are many other interesting and unique devices

and aids you can use for inducing hypnosis. Ratherthan present them all in this book, I have fully des-

cribed them and their technique of operation in a I38-page illustrated catalogue. The catalogue not otJy. c9n-

iui* a list of hypnotic;ids, but a description and listingof over 45o hypnotism and self-help books.

- Upon

request, t-sfraU bi pleased to send it to you. Write to:Milvin'powers, BTir Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood 46,California, and ask for Hypnotic Catalogue No' 7'Should you have any questions on self-hypnosis orhetero-hypnosis, I shall be pleased to answer you'

. .,h

I

r09

CHAPTER XII

The Nature of Hypnosis

Although the nature and phenomena of hypnosis arestill incompletely understood, there are a multitude oftheories which attempt to explain its mechanism andresults. The most that can be done at this time is toexplore various views which are held by leadingauthorities at present. It can be said, however, that amajority of authorities agree that hypnosis ensues as aresult of natural laws which have been incorporated inthe human organism since the beginning of man as he istoday.

The older theories show almost as much disparity as

today, but for the purposes of history it is probablynecessary to enumerate only the "animal magnetism"of Frederick Anton Mesmer, and a mention of the"hysteria syndrome" of Jean Martin Charcot. Bothnames loom large in the history of hypnosis. Mesmer,an eighteenth-century physician, believed that hypnosisoccurred as a result of "vital fluids" drawn from a

magnet or lodestone and which drew their uniquequalities from the sun, moon and stars. Charcot, as wellas Pierre Janet and others, was convinced that hypnosiswas a a":* of hysteria and

rr:^, only hysterics could be

THE NATURE OF HYPNOSIS

hypnoti zed. The former (Mesmer) thought further thattrr.tul became imbued by the solar qualities, and his

system is also known as metalogy by which he meantthe proper application of metals. Naturally, -

these

theories have 6i., largely abandoned today, althoughthere are still a few *ho think that hypnosis is a formof hysteria.

Some pioneers, notably Dr. William S. Kroger,. apsychiatrically-oriented obstetrician and g-ynaecologist

*fro fimits his practice to hypnotheraPy, believe hyp-nosis is a conviction phenomenon which produces re-

sults that parallel the phenomena produced at Lourdesand other religious heiling shrines. His formula is thatfaith, hope, UJief and expectation, all catalysed by theimagination, lead inevita6ly to hypnosis. He, like EmileCouZ before him, is convinced that you cannot "will"yourself to be hypnoti zed, and that whenever the willand the imagination come into conflict, the imaginationwins out. ft ir fits in perfectly, of course, with the

author's already discuJsed visual-imagery techniquewhich requires' a high degree of imagination. Dr.Kroger, like a few otliers, has proved to his own satis-

facttn that all hypnotic phenomena can be producedat a non-hypnotic level.

A large number of hypnotists, including tlr. author,has comi to believe that hypnosis is a semantic problem;n which words are the building blocks to success. Notjust any words, but words which "ti-rg a bell" or tapih. .*p.riential background of the subject. This is why.,sleep;, continues to be in the lexicon of the-hypttgfteven though hypnosis is the antithesis of- sleep. Theword is uJed belause hypnosis superficially resembles

sleep inasmuch as the eyei usually are closed, the body

III


in a posture of complete relaxation. Actually, the mindis hyper-acute. Pavlov, however, believed that therewas an analogy between sleep and hypnosis in that eachinvolved cerebral inhibition. Words, of course, would beof little use without the added effect of his conditionedreflexology.

Probably the most widely held theory is that hypnosisis a transference phenomenon in which the prestige ofthe hypnotist and his relationship to the subject playsan important role. This theory is bolstered by the factthat all schools of psychotherapy yield approximatelythe same results even though the methods differ. Thiswould logically indicate that the relationship betweenthe therapist and the subject was the determiningfactor. The only trouble with this theory is that it doesnot explain self-hypnosis. On the other hand, we knowthat a strong interpersonal relationship is necessary forhypnosis.

In the opening chapter of the book, I explained thathypnosis was a state of heightened suggestion in whichthe subject adopted an uncritical attitude, allowing himto accept suggestions and to take appropriate action.This is excellent as far as it goes, but it does not explainhow suggestion works. This is the crux of the hypnoticdilemma and the answer is far from solved. Hypnotistsare much like those who use electricity every day oftheir lives, but have no idea of the nature of electricity.It is enough for them to know it has been harnessed fortheir use.

If there is one thing virtually certain about hypnosisit is that some parts of the brain are inhibited and otherparts expanded by the process. Pin-point concentration's giv: as the reason a, ,:irrselective procedure which

TIIE NATI'RE OF IIYPNOSIS

narrows the horizon of the subject to what the hypnotist(or he, himself) is saying, screening out all other stimuli.But why is this high order of concentration so easyunder hypnosis when Asians, notably the Chinese, havebeen trying for centuries to concentrate on one subjectfor as long as four or five seconds. We do not know themechanics of this metamorphosis of an ordinary braininto an organ of concentiated power. According toJanet, this is accomplished through the formation of agroup of unconscious memories and activities whichtakes over the usual stream-of-consciousness tyPe ofthinking. It is implied that the process may be atavistic.

One of the newer theories-one held by Dr. LewisR. Wolberg, a psychoanalyst-is that hypnosis is a Psy-chosomatic process in that it is both physiological andpsychological in character. Physiologically, Wolbergbelieves that hypnosis represents an inhibition of thehigher cortical centres, and a limitation of sensorychannels such as takes place in sleep. He also believesthat the psychological process operates through trans-ference. Others agree that it is a tranference process,

but that it is more of an extension of the subject's ownpsychic processes which is enlarged to include the voiceof the hypnotist or his own thoughts or voice. Incident-ally, an excellent book along these theoretical lines isHypnotism-An Objectiue Study in Suggestibility byAndr6 M. Weitzenhoffer, Ph.D.

The newest theory in the field is of particular interestto those reading this book inasmuch as it postulates thatall hypnosis is self-hypnosis, that the patient alwayshypnotizes himself and that it is a wise hypnotist whoknows who is hypnotizing whom. This is a logical con-clusion and it disperses any ideas that hypnotic patients

' I 13


become dependent on their therapists. Actually, hypno-tists today always teach their subj ects self-hypnosis sothat any chance of dependency is obviated.

Milton V. Kline, professor of psychology at Longlsland University, postulates that hypnosis is primarilyretrogressive. He has written that the organism func-tions differently on various levels of behaviour (regres-sion), and that the behaviour breaks down into compo-nent parts. The theory that regression can spotlightpersonality disorders found in more infantile states isalso widely held. He also is a proponent of the idea thathypnosis is an abnormal manifestation of a normal pro-cess, an opinion he shares with many.

Dr. Kline thinks that retrogression and regressionalter perceptions and feelings, and, in the case of thelatter, causes us to go backward in time to the pointwhere re-education may be employed. This is a legiti-mate use of regression although it is not used so muchthese days to uncover past traumatic incidents. Act-ually, regression, by duplicating the exact earlier age,manner of speech and thought, etc., makes us once moreas little children, a condition to be desired for certainforms of therapy.

An atavistic theory, held to some extent by Dr.Jerome M. Schneck, clinical associate professor of psy-chiatry, State University of New York College of Medi-cine, is that hypnosis should be equated with states ofimmobilization on the basis of his observation that somesubjects equate hypnosis with "death." He suggests thisis comparable to the death-feint" of animals to avoid.danger. Others, primarily Europeans, have pointed out'the

analogy between the hypnotic state of animals andman.

tt+

THE NATURE OT HYPNOSIS

Another widely held theory is that hypnosis is astate of dissociation, meaning that it constitutes a grouPof unconscious memories and activities which may be

dredged up to replace the stream of consciousness.

Automaticiim, of course, is inherently part of this view,and is presumed to negate volition. Activity of the cere-

brum, which controls the conscious and voluntarysystem, is rendered non-operational.-

My own thoughts on ihe matter are that hypnosisresults from, firsf of all, a good transference; secondly,from a conditioned reflex; thirdly, from the person act-ing as a hypnotized person (role-playing), and, fourthly,from a s,rtpension of the critical faculties. Along thelast-named line, I believe that hypnotic suggestions have

an autonomy of their own which supersede all else inthe hypnotic situation. There are many more theoriesI believe are partially correct, but the ones named willdo for the puiposes of this volume. Incidentally, all the

hypnosis theoiies presented are equally ]Pplicable torif-nypnosis e*cept where, as in transference, it is

obvious a therapist is needed.In conclusion, the author would like to take issue with

those who believe that it is the monotonous intonationsof the therapist that cause the subject to lapse from thedeeply relaied state into true sleep. I have observed

murry times, by comparing verbalization with silence,

that the former gives the subject's mind a focal pointof attention which prevents him from entering a sleep

state where hypnotherapy is impossible. Like the manwho cannot slelp because of an active mind, slegP and

myriad thoughts and suggestions are incompatible, ?t d

I believ., orie a hypnotic state has been attained, thatthe subject is kept awake (unless definite sleep

I15


suggestions are given) by the therapist's series of sug-gestions. We have discussed the effect of the experientialbackground at length, and surely nothing connotatessleep more than closing one's eyes-test No. l. And so,in my view, you are doing two things when you talk tothe subject; you are giving him helpful suggestions, butyou are also keeping him awake and hyper-acute sothat these suggestions will sink in.

CHAPTER XIII

Practical Applications Of Self-Hypnosis

With hypnosis on the march, there is practically nolimit to its uses in the field of medicine, and new appli-cations are being discovered every duy. It should not benecessary to add, however, that some of these usesshould remain as they are-in the hands of professionalswith years of experience in the area. One of the themesof this book has been that laymen should use hypnosisdiscriminately and intelligently. No responsible thera-pist would ever recommend masking or removing asymptom which was indicative of organic disease. Forthat reason, the practical uses of self-hypnosis will belimited to measures that can be taken safely by thelayman. The only possible exception to this will be in-structions on how to curb obesity, but even here it issuggested that a physician be consulted before embark-ing on a weight-reducing programme.

The foremost use of hvpnosis has been for relaxation,and it becomes more and more important as world ten-sions, anxiety and strain increase daily and millions seekvainly to "g.t away from it all." Inasmuch as allmethods of hypnosis discussed in this book utilized re-laxation as the first step, it should not be necessary to

r17r 16

ADVANCED SELF-HYPNpSrS

go over this material. simply review the many induc-tion techniques.

Lu-ns cancer has become a very rear threat to manypeople today,. and the professiorui hypnotist is besiegedwith men and women who wish to cuitail or quit ,*ik-Tg. This is easier said than done because rrr-t irrg , al-though there u1e no physical withdrawal ry*fro*when one stops, is a strong, conditioned refl.* urrd can-not (exc.pt_1; rare instariies) be accomplished by Gwill alone. The best way to stop smoking is to *uk. itan impossibility, uld that is exictly whai you do whenyou follow the method touched on in ur, .uilier chapter.

All of us have tasted or smelled certain foods or medi-cines that nauseate us. The subject who wishes to quitsmoking is asked to conjure up the vision and the actualtaste and smell of the substances which upset hisstomach and oflend his nostrils, transfering its'proper-ties to cigarettes. This, of course, must be-dorr. ,rrrd.thypnosis. The subject then conditions himself in thefollowing manner: one . . . This cigarette tastes andsmells just like- (mention name of repugnant substance).Two . . . rt is the most vile and r.prrgrrant taste I haveever encountered, and I shall not be able to continueafter the third puff. At the third puff, I will develop aparoxysm of coughing. Three . . - r cannot smoke ihecigarette any longer, and I will have to put it out.

This sounds like a simple procedure, and yet it hasworked for thousands. some switch to chewing gum orcandy, but the cure essentially lies in substit,rting oneconditioned reflex for another. This is comparaiivelyeasy with hypnosis because, unlike narcotics, barbitur-ates or alcohol, smoking is purely a psychological addic-tion. There is no need for tapering off.

r lB

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF SELF.HYPNOSIS

Stopping drinking, unlike smoking, doesn't involvemerely the creation of a physical aversion to the drug.The patient's entire personality should be changed andmore mature viewpoints substituted for the unrealisticand infantile viewpoints which lead to the addiction inthe first place. The subject should give himself sugges-tions that he will be able to "face up" to the problems ofeveryday life without recourse to the crutch of alcohol.lt is a well-known fact that nothing is as bad as wethink it is going to be once we confront it.

One of the strange aspects of drinking is that it isactually a form of self-hypnosis, and the cure lies insubstituting a new viewpoint for the old. This fact canbe demonstrated by the fact that drinking is begun inthe first place so that the individual can be "one of theboys" or because it is the thing to do. Those who do notdrink, at least as a social lubricant, according to thiscode, are "squares." Because of this, self-hypnosis mustbe directed towards reorienting one's sense of values.Sober reflection should convince anyone that the trulyintelligent person does not drink to excess.

Nail biting is an unsightly habit, one that may evenhinder one's social acceptance. The help lies in a thera-peutic approach similar to that for cigarettes.

It may well be that many of those reading these pagesare suffering from overweight. In the United States,with thirty million Americans in this category, it hasbecome one of the nation's chief health problems, and itis a predisposing factor in many other diseases suchas heart trouble, diabetes and hypertension. If youare overweight, it is well to remember that (unlessyou are one in a million) you cannot blame your glands.The plain truth is that you eat too much.

I I9

*ril


we know today that overeating for some is an eino-tional problem, stemming from feEfings of rejection andinsecurity. Individuals who feel unloired, w-hether thisis -truly the case or not, make up for this lack to them-selves by stuffing in large quantities of food. It woulde-ven appear that these people are masochistic, makingthemselves even more unloved by their gross gastrono-mical habits. A big factor in overweighi in iomen is"raiding the refrigerator" while doing ih.ir housework.Most of them do this so unconsciously that they swearthey eat less than most people.

There are a number of appetite-curbing drugs on themarket today, but they should not be ...Jrrury-for any-one who has acquired self-hypnosis. If you have Iearnedto visualize yourself (visual-imagery) in different situa-tions, you will have no trouble irpicturing yourself hav-irg u slim, attractive figure, exaitly ur you were whenyou felt you looked your best. Keep thii figure ever inmind and use it along with conditioning youiself against 'certain- fatty and starchy foods. A trilk used bylomehypnotherapists is to have the subject purchase a dressor suit several sizes too small and then work towardsbeing able to wear it. This actually has worked in manycases because it adds the element of competitiveness tothe procedure.

Not all people overeat because of emotionalproblems. Some come from families where "licking theplatter clean" was the rule because food *u. ,."ur.a.others come from rich families where overeating by theparents established a habit pattern in the children. Cer-tain races and nationalities look on fat as a badge ofwealth and prestige, and children in such u, .rrrlron-ment are likely to be deliberately overfed. Regardless

r20

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF SELF-HYPNOSIS"of the reason for overweight, however, the use of self-hypnosis is one of the answers to the problem.

Simple headaches, arthritis, neuritis and other pain-* ful symptoms yield readily to hypnotic suggestion. If

physicians have given up on the problem and placed asubject on a maintenance drug dosage for pain, hypno-sis can potentiate the drugs or even obviate them.

Two of the major uses of hypnosis are in childbirthand for intractable pain of cancer or some other incur-able diseases. Although patients usually start withhetero-hypnosis, they are put on self-hypnosis as soonas possible, and there are rnany cases of women waitingtoo long and having their babies at home painlesslythrough self-hypnosis. The father invariably is the onlyone excited in such cases. The mother knows that she isan excellent subject and has been instructed. in prenatalclasses about every contingency that could arise. Inas-much as stopping the birth pangs is similar to stoppingother pain, the method should be learned so that it canbe accomplished in a minimum of time.

The best way to stop pain is to let your right armslowly rise while you are under hypnotic suggestion. I)onot help it. If the suggestions are strong enough, it will"float" up. fu soon as the arm is straight overhead, youshould sive yourself the suggestion that it is as rigid andunbending as a bar of steel. Following this, a suggestionis given that the hand is beginning to tingle and becomenumb. As soon as the numbness has spread through theentire hand, it will be insensible to pain. The hand isthen placed against the part of the body where painexists, and you rarill feel the numbness flowing from thehand to the affected area. This happens as a result ofyour suggestions and is the method followed by most

r2l

$.tADVANCED SELF.HYPNOSIS

subjects. only a deep somnambulistic subject is ableto remove pain by direct suggestion to the painful part.

There are many people today using self-hypnosis inthe realm of sports, and an entire book has been writtenon improving one's golf game with this method. It iscalled How You Can Play Better Golf tJsing Self-Hypnosis by Jack Heise (Wilshire Book Company-Publishers).

Dr. Huber Grimm, team physician of the Seattle Uni-versity basketball team, recently related the resultswhen Dave Mills, a six-foot five-inch junior forward,asked for his help because he "froze" during compe-tition. He had been benched on the eve of the WestCoast Athletic Conference tournament in San Fran-cisco. Spectators made Mills so fearful that he wasafraid he would make mistakes-and in this frame ofmind, of course, he did. Under hypnosis, Dr. Grimmsuggested to Dave that he would be unaware of thespectators, be completely relaxed and would play ex-ceedingly well. Dr. Grimm asked coach Vince Cazzetato allow Dave to play and the result was astounding.Mills scored sixty points and cleared sixty-three re-bounds, and his brilliant play led to his selection on theall-tournament team.

"All I did was free his spirit," Dr. Grimm reported."He was in need of confidence, and I gave it to himthrough hypnosis." The Associated Press told the storyas follows: "Dave Mills, a vacuum cleaner off theback-boards, Ied a fast-breaking seattle universityteam to victory last night. It was hard to recognize Millsas the same player who has been with the Chieftainsall year."

t22

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF SELF.HYPNOSIS

Dr. William S. Kroger, a pioneer in hypnosis, under-took to improve the batting of a professional baseballplayer with equally sensational results. The player hadbeen "beanedr" and his fear of a recurrence was so

strong that he became "plate shy." He had changedhis bitting stance so that he always had "one foot inthe bucket" so that he could back away from the platemore quickly. He was given a post-hypnotic suggestionthat such an event happening again was exceedinglyremote, and this was amplified by suggestions of con-fidence that he would immediately start slugging as

well as ever. His batting average soared immediately.Dr. Michio Ikai, professor of physiology at Tokyo

[Jniversity, and Dr. Arthur H. Steinhaus of the GeorgeWilliams Laboratory of Physiologic Research in Physi-

cal Education, Chicago, have proved that track men

can far surpass their best previous times under hypnosis.Their tests; incidentally, proved that there is no dangerof an athlete going beyond his physiologic limit whilebettering his former marks. They attribute the superiorperforminces to the removal of inhibitions, which ry11-Lhologically prevent an athlete from doing his best. Thisreport was made before the International Congress onHialth and Fitness in the Modern World held in Rome

during the last Olympic games.All reports, as a matter of fact, show that athletic

performinces are improved by psychological, not phy-sical, means, and that built-in automatic reflexes prg-

tect lhe athlete against the danger of overexertion at alllevels of awareness-hypnotic or non-hypnotic'

Psychologists aye using hypnosis more and more tofacilitate

"6tt".tttration ind learning, and it is likely

this use of the ancient science will become even more

t23


popular than its medical applications. The reason onelearns so quickly under hypnosis is because of time dis-tortion which allows you to obtain the equivalent ofmany hours of study in a relatively short length of time.

Undoubtedly, you have had experience with tirrredistortion in your daily life. Remember how slowly timegoes when you are not interested in what you are doing'and how fast it speeds by when you are ? And thedrowning man, who sees his whole life go by, is an ex-cellent example of this. Enough people have been savedto know that this actually happens. The point is that thesubconscious mind does not record the passage of timethe same way as the conscious mind.

The conscious mind records time physically, bymeans of a clock. It is objective and tells you that athought or movement requires a certain number bfseconds, minutes, hours or days.

Your subconscious mind has an entirely different con-cept of time that has nothing to do with the physicalworld. It is called subjective because your own sense ofthe passage of time is used. :

Personal time varies according to the circumstancesin which you find yourself. Haven't you noticed thatwhen you are huppy or extremely interested in some-thing, time passes quickly ? On the other hand, if youare sad or anxious, time seems to drag.

This is called time distortion. When you continue ina happy state, time is automatically shortened. Whenyou are in a state of unhappiness, pain or anxiety, timeautomatically lengthens. This explains why the drown-ing man can review his entire life within seconds. Psy-chologists know this is possible, because your subcon-scious mind contains a complete record of everything

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PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF SELT.HYPNOSIS

that has happened to you since birth. Therefore, inmoments of e*tte*. distress your subconscious has theability to distort and manipulate time.

If you have ever encountered danger or had a narrowescape, you probably experienced time distortion.

Eveiything about you went into slow motion, and timeseemed toitand still until the action was over. At thatpoint, objective time started up again and everythingreturned to normal.

Some of you may have read an Associated Press

report from Chicago on February I I, r 95Bt which re-ported how movie actress Linda Darnell had used hyp-nosis to help her with her first stage role. She had been

asked to do the part on short notice and had no timefor preparation. Miss Darnell telephoned her Californiaphysician for aid. He flew to Chicago._' O'r.*ight, through hypnosis, Miss Darnell learnedher part ind astounded the cast by knowing everyone's

lines. Not only did she learn the part, but she was

coached in-the character of the artist she was portray-ing. As a result, Late Loue was a hit play. Miss Darnell*it under the impression she had been learning the partfor a week although only about forty-eight hours w_ere

involved and the.Jhorrtt were not continuous. After her

first performance, she said : "I never felt so secure aboutplaying a role in my life. Hypnosis helped me feel thepart completely."

Imagine how much more we are going to p-. able tolearn *h.t, study under hypnosis becomes widqpread.And the best parr of it is that the learnils- p 1" yourmind for a long trme. Forgetting or mental blocks thatinterfere with !o.rt recall of the information at any

time, are reduced to a minimum.125

ADVANCE,D SELF-HYPNOSIS

rn conclusion, I should like to recommend the entirefield of self-hypnosis to everyone. It is a therapy whichis positive, dynamic and constructive. An .*cili.rrt ex-ample of this is contained in the autobiography, Rach-maninof's Recollectiom. In this book, immortal Rach-maninoff describes in detail his success in overcominga severe case of mental depression. He had stoppedcomposing and kept to himself, seldom leaving his rbom.After meeting with failure, using the avaitible thera-peutic remedies available at that time, he was per-suaded by his relatives, the Satins, to seek the help of ahypnotist called I)r. Dahl. With much reluctanie, heagreed to see Dr. Dahl and be treated specifically withhypnosis. Rachmaninoff's own words read as foilows:"Although it may sound incredible, hypnosis reallyhelped me. Already at the beginning of the summer Ibegan again to compose. The material grew in bulk,and new musical ideas began to stir within me-farmore than I needed for my concerto. I felt that Dr.Dahl's treatment had strengthened my nervous systemto a miraculous degree. Out of gratitude, I dedicatedmy second concerto to him. As the piece had a greatsuccess in Moscow, everyone began to wonder whatpossible connection it could have with Dr. Dahl. Thetruth, however, was known to Dr. Dahl, the Satins, andmyself ?"

Does this story sound incredible. You have the wordof one of the world's greatest musical composers thathypnosis alleviated his severe despondency. This is proofthat the emotions of the individual can be changed bythe ideas he builds up about himself.

Dr. Leland E. Hinsie, professor of psychiatry, Colum-bia University, writing in his book, The Person in the

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PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF SELT.HYPNOSIS

Body, (W. W. Norton & Co.) states, "In some persoruithe fear of disease is often the only damaging evidenceof disease, yet it can be so strong as to disable the per-son in all his daily activities." The entire field of psycho-somatic medicine, which deals with the interrelation-ship between body and mind, has as one of its basictenets that suggestion not only can cause psychologicalpersonality disorders, but many physical disorders aswell.

It is, therefore, logical to conclude that the systematicuse of positive mental attitudes in an organized, pro-gressive, self-improvement programme can be a vitalinfluence in helping you lead a healthier life, both emo-tionally and physically.

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advanced self hypnosis melvin powers

Documents

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