Latest / Non-Fiction Library / A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis - Melvin Powers
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- 0:00Speaker 1: A Practical Guide to self hypnosis by Melvin powers Forward.
- 0:06Speaker 1: All of us like to think that our actions and
- 0:09Speaker 1: reactions are a result of logical thought processes, but the
- 0:14Speaker 1: fact is that suggestion influences our thinking a great deal
- 0:18Speaker 1: more than logic. Consciously or unconsciously. Our feelings about almost
- 0:24Speaker 1: everything are largely molded by ready made opinions and attitudes
- 0:28Speaker 1: fostered by our mass methods of communication. We cannot buy
- 0:33Speaker 1: a bar of soap or a filtered cigarette without paying
- 0:37Speaker 1: tribute to the impact of suggestion. Right or wrong. Most
- 0:41Speaker 1: of us place more confidence in what they say than
- 0:45Speaker 1: what we do in our own powers of reason. This
- 0:48Speaker 1: is the basic reason why psychiatrists are in short supply.
- 0:52Speaker 1: We distrust our own mental processes and want an expert
- 0:56Speaker 1: to tell us what to think and feel. Despite this
- 1:00Speaker 1: tendency to adopt our attitudes from others, man has always
- 1:05Speaker 1: been dimly aware that he can influence his own destiny
- 1:08Speaker 1: by directing his thoughts and actions into constructive channels. He
- 1:14Speaker 1: has always, to some extent, known that his mind exerts
- 1:18Speaker 1: a powerful influence on his body, and that thoughts can
- 1:22Speaker 1: have harmful or helpful effects on his emotional and physical health.
- 1:27Speaker 1: The ancient Egyptian sleep temples and the attempts by early
- 1:31Speaker 1: physicians to drive evil spirits out of the body were
- 1:34Speaker 1: both attempts to influence the body through the mind. The
- 1:39Speaker 1: unprecedented sale of the Power of Positive Thinking by Norman,
- 1:43Speaker 1: Vincent Peel and other inspirational literature proves that millions of
- 1:48Speaker 1: modern people recognize the efficacy of constructive thoughts. What most
- 1:53Speaker 1: of them do not recognize is that they are capable
- 1:56Speaker 1: of implanning these beneficial thoughts in their own minds without
- 2:01Speaker 1: reference to any outside agencies. This can be done through
- 2:05Speaker 1: self hypnosis. In modern society, we have many cults, religions,
- 2:10Speaker 1: and methodologies which have mental discipline as their goal. The
- 2:15Speaker 1: best example of a methodology is psychosomatic medicine, which deals
- 2:20Speaker 1: with the inter relationship of the mind and body in
- 2:23Speaker 1: the production of mental or physical illness. The rapid growth
- 2:28Speaker 1: of hypnosis in the last few years is another example,
- 2:32Speaker 1: and it is gratifying to see that the emphasis in
- 2:34Speaker 1: this field is now shifting from hetero hypnosis to self hypnosis.
- 2:41Speaker 1: Self hypnosis is a highly suggestible state wherein the individual
- 2:45Speaker 1: can direct suggestions to himself. It is a powerful tool
- 2:49Speaker 1: in any therapeutic process, and highly motivated subjects can parallel
- 2:55Speaker 1: the success of hetero hypnosis through their own efforts. Self
- 3:00Speaker 1: hypnosis can be used as a palliative agent and can
- 3:03Speaker 1: even afford lasting results in many areas of the organism.
- 3:08Speaker 1: Self hypnosis can alleviate distressing symptoms, substitute strong responses for
- 3:14Speaker 1: weak responses, help overcome bad habits, create good habits, and
- 3:20Speaker 1: help one's power of concentration. The total personality is eventually
- 3:25Speaker 1: changed to the point where it can function adequately in
- 3:29Speaker 1: an increasingly difficult environment. In learning self hypnosis, the subject
- 3:34Speaker 1: does not relinquish control of himself as is commonly believed. Actually,
- 3:40Speaker 1: more control is gained. Self sufficiency and self confidence are
- 3:45Speaker 1: inevitable results. It is well to remember, however, that even
- 3:49Speaker 1: good things may be overdone, and good judgment is necessary
- 3:53Speaker 1: for favorable results. Neither hypnosis nor self hypnosis should ever
- 3:59Speaker 1: be used in discriminately. The effectiveness of self hypnosis depends
- 4:04Speaker 1: upon many factors. Strong motivation, intelligent application of suggestions, and
- 4:11Speaker 1: diligence are prerequisites. We are not suggesting that self hypnosis
- 4:17Speaker 1: can take the place of all forms of psychotherapy. We
- 4:21Speaker 1: do recommend it as an adjunct to therapy. When indicated,
- 4:25Speaker 1: used judiciously, it can contribute a great deal to the
- 4:28Speaker 1: individual's physical and emotional well being and happiness. As a
- 4:34Speaker 1: professional hypnotist, for many years, I have seen astounding and
- 4:38Speaker 1: apparently miraculous results by individuals using self hypnosis. Many of
- 4:44Speaker 1: these cases seem unbelievable to those not familiar with hypnotic phenomena.
- 4:49Speaker 1: It should be remembered, though, that many individuals see hypnosis
- 4:54Speaker 1: only when all other forms of therapy have failed. This
- 4:57Speaker 1: is so common that hypnosis has come to be known
- 5:00Speaker 1: as a port of last call. Yet despite the seeming
- 5:04Speaker 1: hopelessness of such cases, medical literature lists thousands of remarkable recoveries.
- 5:11Speaker 1: There is nothing hit or miss about hypnosis used intelligently.
- 5:16Speaker 1: The results are the same for all those who are
- 5:18Speaker 1: properly motivated, Nor are the results singular to modern hypnotists alone.
- 5:25Speaker 1: In reviewing the literature going back more than one hundred years,
- 5:29Speaker 1: the same gratifying results were obtained. The reader would do
- 5:33Speaker 1: well to scan some out of print books on hypnosis
- 5:36Speaker 1: at the library to understand the point further. This book
- 5:41Speaker 1: is written in terms that are comprehensible to the layman.
- 5:45Speaker 1: The step by step instruction should afford the reader a
- 5:48Speaker 1: means of acquiring self hypnosis. The necessary material is here.
- 5:53Speaker 1: The reader need only follow the instructions as they are given.
- 5:57Speaker 1: The author wishes to thank Rob S. Starlett, member of
- 6:01Speaker 1: the American Medical Writers Association, for his valuable help in
- 6:06Speaker 1: the editorial preparation of this book. It is the author's
- 6:11Speaker 1: hope that you will, through the selective use of self hypnosis,
- 6:15Speaker 1: arrive at a more rewarding, well adjusted, and fuller life.
- 6:20Speaker 1: Melvin Powers one, twenty fifteen, Sherman Road, North Hollywood, California,
- 6:28Speaker 1: nine one six o five, Chapter one. What You Should
- 6:33Speaker 1: Know about self hypnosis. Hypnosis has been defined as a
- 6:38Speaker 1: state of heightened suggestibility, in which the subject is able
- 6:41Speaker 1: to uncritically accept ideas for self improvement and act on
- 6:46Speaker 1: them appropriately. When a hypnotist hypnotizes his subject, it is
- 6:51Speaker 1: known as hetero hypnosis. When an individual puts himself into
- 6:56Speaker 1: a state of hypnosis, it is known as self hypnosis.
- 7:00Speaker 1: In both cases, the subject has achieved a heightened state
- 7:04Speaker 1: of suggestibility. Even in hetero hypnosis, the subject really controls
- 7:09Speaker 1: the response to suggestions. Actually, all hypnosis is really a
- 7:15Speaker 1: matter of self hypnosis. The subject enters into the hypnotic
- 7:19Speaker 1: state when he is completely ready to do so. This
- 7:23Speaker 1: may require from one to many attempts before it is achieved.
- 7:27Speaker 1: Even if the subject insists that he wants to be
- 7:30Speaker 1: hypnotized immediately, he may be resisting hypnosis unconsciously. In self hypnosis,
- 7:37Speaker 1: the same thing usually takes place. The subject is anxious
- 7:41Speaker 1: to achieve self hypnosis, but somehow the state eludes him.
- 7:46Speaker 1: What's wrong. It may be that he is unconsciously resisting it,
- 7:50Speaker 1: hasn't conditioned himself sufficiently, or has achieved the hypnotic state
- 7:55Speaker 1: and doesn't know he is in the state. This last
- 7:59Speaker 1: statement may be surprising, but we will examine it in
- 8:02Speaker 1: detail a little later on. Most experts agree that about
- 8:07Speaker 1: ninety percent of the population can be hypnotized. My own
- 8:12Speaker 1: feeling is that probably ninety nine percent can be hypnotized.
- 8:17Speaker 1: Who among us is not influenced by suggestion? Aren't we all,
- 8:21Speaker 1: as we have seen, influenced by the suggestions of advertising.
- 8:26Speaker 1: Don't we all have a tendency to believe what we
- 8:29Speaker 1: read in the paper, here, on the radio, or see
- 8:32Speaker 1: on television. Aren't we all convinced that a name brand
- 8:36Speaker 1: article is better than one that is not so well
- 8:39Speaker 1: known suggestion plays a tremendously important role in our daily lives.
- 8:45Speaker 1: It begins from naming the baby with an appropriate name
- 8:49Speaker 1: to securing a suitable place for interment. I would like
- 8:52Speaker 1: to call the reader's attention to a fascinating book dealing
- 8:56Speaker 1: with the unconscious reasons why we do so many of
- 8:59Speaker 1: the things that we do. You will be intrigued with
- 9:02Speaker 1: every page of the book. It is called The Hidden
- 9:06Speaker 1: Persuaders by Vance Packard. My contention is that we are
- 9:11Speaker 1: all suggestible, and therefore being hypnotized or hypnotizing ourselves is
- 9:17Speaker 1: just a matter of increasing the suggestibility that we already possess.
- 9:22Speaker 1: Doesn't the hypnotist begin by suggesting relaxation? Doesn't He usually
- 9:27Speaker 1: begin by requesting the subject to fix his attention on
- 9:31Speaker 1: a particular object. Next, he suggests to the subject that
- 9:36Speaker 1: his eyes are becoming heavy and tired. As soon as
- 9:39Speaker 1: the subject closes his eyes, he suggests that he will
- 9:43Speaker 1: be in a deep hypnotic state. I am sure that
- 9:46Speaker 1: you are familiar with this procedure. With each step, the
- 9:50Speaker 1: hypnotist is guiding the subject along directed lines to get
- 9:54Speaker 1: him to accept further suggestions without question or doubt. When
- 9:59Speaker 1: the subject to achieve the ultimate state. In this procedure,
- 10:03Speaker 1: he has been hypnotized. He then accepts suggestions without equivocation.
- 10:09Speaker 1: Let us continue with the same thought. Suppose I say
- 10:12Speaker 1: to you, I'm going to stick you with this pin.
- 10:15Speaker 1: It won't hurt. Would you let me stick you with
- 10:18Speaker 1: the pin? Obviously not. Let us suppose that you have
- 10:22Speaker 1: been hypnotized and I repeat the same suggestion. What happens?
- 10:27Speaker 1: Then you readily accept the suggestion as being factual. Should
- 10:32Speaker 1: I proceed to stick you with the pin, you do
- 10:34Speaker 1: not even flinch. In fact, you do not even feel
- 10:38Speaker 1: the pain. Does this sound incredible? Isn't this exactly the
- 10:42Speaker 1: same procedure that the dentist uses with his patient when
- 10:46Speaker 1: he has hypnotized him for the purpose of painless dentistry.
- 10:50Speaker 1: Achieving hypnosis, therefore, is a matter of directing this suggestibility
- 10:55Speaker 1: that we all possess into the channels that will finally
- 10:58Speaker 1: produce the hypnotic state. It can be much more complicated
- 11:03Speaker 1: than this explanation in many cases, but let us use
- 11:06Speaker 1: this as a working premise. Everyone can be hypnotized. The
- 11:11Speaker 1: time required for achieving hypnosis will vary from subject to subject.
- 11:17Speaker 1: We will discuss Some of the reasons for this in
- 11:19Speaker 1: a subsequent chapter, but for our discussion at this time,
- 11:23Speaker 1: we need to understand this point. I have encountered numerous
- 11:28Speaker 1: individuals who were extremely disappointed because they did not respond
- 11:32Speaker 1: to hypnosis immediately or after several attempts. They wanted to
- 11:37Speaker 1: know what was wrong. An explanation that nothing was wrong
- 11:41Speaker 1: somehow did not satisfy these individuals. After all, they argued,
- 11:46Speaker 1: didn't I go to a hypnotist, especially to be hypnotized?
- 11:51Speaker 1: Some insinuated that perhaps the hypnotist wasn't too good. Let
- 11:56Speaker 1: me explain that most subjects need to be conditioned for hypnosis,
- 12:00Speaker 1: and this conditioning is helped when the subject practices certain
- 12:04Speaker 1: conditioning exercises that I shall discuss in detail in chapter
- 12:08Speaker 1: six titled how to Attain Self Hypnosis. In my teaching,
- 12:14Speaker 1: I have found that about one out of ten subjects
- 12:18Speaker 1: responds to the first attempt at hypnosis. One cannot make
- 12:22Speaker 1: a definite statement as to the length of time necessary
- 12:25Speaker 1: to learn self hypnosis, but it is my experience that
- 12:29Speaker 1: this usually takes about one month. I have had subjects
- 12:33Speaker 1: learned self hypnosis in about thirty minutes. But I must
- 12:37Speaker 1: also relate that I have worked with subjects for one
- 12:40Speaker 1: year before they achieved it. For the most part, the
- 12:44Speaker 1: laws of learning apply to self hypnosis as with anything
- 12:48Speaker 1: else that one would want to learn. It can be
- 12:51Speaker 1: a relatively simple procedure, or it can be very perplexing.
- 12:55Speaker 1: The answer lies not so much with the hypnotist as
- 12:59Speaker 1: with the subject. One question that arises is if I'm
- 13:03Speaker 1: under hypnosis, how can I give myself suggestions? During the
- 13:08Speaker 1: hypnotic state, it must be remembered the subject is always
- 13:12Speaker 1: aware of what is going on. He hears what is said,
- 13:16Speaker 1: follows directions, and terminates the state when told to do so.
- 13:22Speaker 1: In the self hypnotic state, the subject is in full control. Therefore,
- 13:27Speaker 1: he can think, reason, act, criticize, suggest or do whatever
- 13:33Speaker 1: he desires. He can audibly give him self suggestions, or
- 13:38Speaker 1: he can mentally give him self suggestions. In either case,
- 13:42Speaker 1: he does not rouse from the hypnotic state unless he
- 13:46Speaker 1: gives himself specific suggestions to do so. Many feel if
- 13:50Speaker 1: they audibly give them self suggestions, they will awaken. In hypnoanalysis,
- 13:56Speaker 1: the subject answers questions during the hypnotic state. Having the
- 14:01Speaker 1: subject talk does not terminate the state. You can keep
- 14:05Speaker 1: the talkative subject under hypnosis as long as you want. Furthermore,
- 14:10Speaker 1: the subject can be sitting erect with his eyes open
- 14:14Speaker 1: and still be under hypnosis. Carrying this further the subject
- 14:19Speaker 1: may not even be aware that he is under hypnosis.
- 14:22Speaker 1: He can be given a cue not to remember when
- 14:25Speaker 1: the therapist makes a certain motion or says a certain word,
- 14:29Speaker 1: that he will go back into the hypnotic state, but
- 14:32Speaker 1: still keep his eyes open. Only an experienced hypnotists could
- 14:37Speaker 1: detect the change. Another frequent question is how do I
- 14:41Speaker 1: arouse myself from the self hypnotic state? You merely say
- 14:46Speaker 1: to yourself that upon counting to five, you will open
- 14:49Speaker 1: your eyes and wake up feeling fine. Many times the
- 14:53Speaker 1: subject falls asleep while giving himself post hypnotic suggestions. This
- 14:58Speaker 1: is not undesirable, since the suggestions will spill over into
- 15:03Speaker 1: the subconscious mind as he goes from consciousness to unconsciousness.
- 15:08Speaker 1: A popular opinion about hypnosis is that the subject surrenders
- 15:12Speaker 1: his will to the hypnotist in the process of being hypnotized. Furthermore,
- 15:18Speaker 1: many believe that once the subject is hypnotized, the hypnotist
- 15:22Speaker 1: has complete control of the subject and the subject is
- 15:25Speaker 1: powerless to resist suggestion. Both beliefs are erroneous. I believe
- 15:31Speaker 1: the first misconception comes from seeing techniques where the hypnotist
- 15:35Speaker 1: requests the subject to look into his eyes. The hypnotist
- 15:39Speaker 1: suggests to the subject that as he continues to look
- 15:42Speaker 1: into his eyes, he will fall into a deep hypnotic state.
- 15:46Speaker 1: This then becomes a matter of who can outstare whom.
- 15:50Speaker 1: The subject usually begins to blink his eyes, and the
- 15:53Speaker 1: hypnotist follows us up with rapid suggestions that the subject's
- 15:58Speaker 1: eyes are becoming watery and heavy, and that the subject
- 16:01Speaker 1: will fall into a deep hypnotic sleep just as soon
- 16:04Speaker 1: as he the subject closes his eyes. This procedure gives
- 16:09Speaker 1: the impression to the observer that the subject is willed
- 16:13Speaker 1: to go under hypnosis. It appears that once the hypnotist
- 16:17Speaker 1: concentrates or wills sufficiently, the subject succumbs. Actually, the hypnotist
- 16:23Speaker 1: in this technique is not looking into the eyes of
- 16:26Speaker 1: the subject. He fixes his attention on the bridge of
- 16:30Speaker 1: the nose of the subject. The concept that the subject
- 16:34Speaker 1: is a helpless automaton stems from the weird movies, where
- 16:37Speaker 1: the mad scientist has hypnotized subjects into behaving like zombies. Naturally.
- 16:43Speaker 1: There is usually a beautiful girl in the movie, and
- 16:46Speaker 1: she too has been hypnotized. Even though the audience is
- 16:50Speaker 1: sophisticated enough to realize that this science fiction drama is
- 16:54Speaker 1: purely entertainment, the theme is repeated sufficiently in novels, common
- 17:00Speaker 1: and television to make an indelible impression on the subconscious mind.
- 17:05Speaker 1: It's the technique of telling the big lie so many
- 17:08Speaker 1: times that it becomes believable. We are all influenced by
- 17:12Speaker 1: this procedure. There is an excellent book explaining this very premise.
- 17:17Speaker 1: It is called Battle for the Mind by William Sargent.
- 17:22Speaker 1: It describes in detail the technique by which evangelists, psychiatrists, politicians,
- 17:28Speaker 1: and advertising men can change your beliefs and behavior. Following
- 17:33Speaker 1: the reason that the subconscious mind can be affected, you
- 17:37Speaker 1: can see that a problem could present itself even though
- 17:40Speaker 1: the subject consciously wishes to be hypnotized. Unconsciously, there may
- 17:45Speaker 1: be a poor inner relationship with the hypnotist, which can
- 17:49Speaker 1: create an unfavorable climate for hypnosis. When this is the case,
- 17:54Speaker 1: the subject doesn't respond until such a time that he
- 17:57Speaker 1: relates well to the hypnotist. The most calculated procedures will fail.
- 18:02Speaker 1: Until a positive transference relationship is established. I am sure
- 18:08Speaker 1: that you sometimes have said, for some reason, I don't
- 18:11Speaker 1: like that person. If pressed for an answer, you'll probably
- 18:15Speaker 1: reply I can't explain it, but I just have a
- 18:19Speaker 1: feeling about him. Actually, your subconscious reactions are influencing your
- 18:24Speaker 1: thinking and you feel a certain way. The same thing
- 18:28Speaker 1: takes place in business transactions. You either like or dislike
- 18:33Speaker 1: the proposition presented to you. You may say I have
- 18:37Speaker 1: a certain feeling about this deal. You may not be
- 18:40Speaker 1: conscious of the reasons, but your subconscious has reacted automatically
- 18:45Speaker 1: because of previous experience along similar lines. In giving you
- 18:50Speaker 1: some insight into the hypnotic procedure, I am trying to
- 18:54Speaker 1: point out certain problems in regard to acquiring self hypnosis.
- 18:59Speaker 1: For the most it is not a simple procedure that
- 19:02Speaker 1: is accomplished immediately. You can't just will it. It requires
- 19:07Speaker 1: working toward a specific goal and following definite procedures which
- 19:12Speaker 1: eventually lead to success. The hypnotist is usually endowed by
- 19:16Speaker 1: the subject with an omnisence and infallibility, which logically is unjustified.
- 19:23Speaker 1: The subject is naturally extremely disappointed if he doesn't respond immediately.
- 19:29Speaker 1: If he loses confidence in the hypnotist, he may never
- 19:32Speaker 1: achieve hypnosis with this particular hypnotist. I have hypnotized subjects
- 19:37Speaker 1: who have been to several other hypnotists without success, and
- 19:41Speaker 1: I have had some of my unsuccessful subjects hypnotized by
- 19:45Speaker 1: other hypnotists. How and why does it happen? I believe
- 19:50Speaker 1: that some of the reasons are so intangible that it
- 19:52Speaker 1: would be impossible to explain all of them with any
- 19:55Speaker 1: degree of exactitude. I once saw an individual about twelve
- 20:00Speaker 1: times who wanted to learn self hypnosis and had been
- 20:03Speaker 1: unsuccessful in every approach. I asked him if he would
- 20:07Speaker 1: volunteer as a subject for a class in techniques of
- 20:11Speaker 1: hypnosis that I was teaching for nurses. He readily volunteered
- 20:16Speaker 1: and showed up at the designated time, Much to my
- 20:19Speaker 1: amazement as well as his own. He responded within a
- 20:23Speaker 1: relatively short time as one of the nurses hypnotized him
- 20:26Speaker 1: before the group. She had used a standard eye closure technique,
- 20:31Speaker 1: requesting him to look at a spinning hypnodisc that I
- 20:34Speaker 1: had previously used with him every time he was in
- 20:37Speaker 1: the office. Her manner was extremely affable. She had used
- 20:42Speaker 1: the identical technique I had used unsuccessfully, and the subject
- 20:46Speaker 1: responded excellently to cap the climax. He was the first
- 20:50Speaker 1: subject the nurse had ever hypnotized, since this was only
- 20:54Speaker 1: her third lesson. How would you account for it? Here
- 20:58Speaker 1: was one of my students, with two week's experience hypnotizing
- 21:01Speaker 1: a subject where I had failed while using every procedure
- 21:05Speaker 1: that I felt would work. Was it because she was
- 21:08Speaker 1: a better hypnotist? Perhaps? However, I'd like to recall at
- 21:13Speaker 1: this time our discussion about subconscious responses. I'm inclined to
- 21:18Speaker 1: feel that being hypnotized by a middle aged female nurse
- 21:22Speaker 1: created certain favorable unconscious responses which accounted for his going
- 21:26Speaker 1: under hypnosis at that time. It created the initial breakthrough
- 21:31Speaker 1: which was needed. I was able to hypnotize him easily
- 21:35Speaker 1: at his next appointment, and he acquired self hypnosis readily
- 21:39Speaker 1: from that time on. I have tried the same approach
- 21:42Speaker 1: with other subjects who did not respond favorably and have
- 21:46Speaker 1: failed to attain the success that I did in the
- 21:48Speaker 1: above case. Why the impasse? It is one of the
- 21:53Speaker 1: difficulties that we encounter in hypnosis, and as yet it
- 21:57Speaker 1: has not been resolved. We know that the easiest way
- 22:00Speaker 1: to achieve self hypnosis is to be hypnotized and given
- 22:04Speaker 1: a post hypnotic suggestion that you will respond to hypnosis
- 22:08Speaker 1: by a keyword, phrase, or gesture. I have tried to
- 22:12Speaker 1: point out some problems that can arise. Needless to say,
- 22:16Speaker 1: these problems do not always arise, and the attainment of
- 22:20Speaker 1: self hypnosis can be a relatively simple procedure. There is
- 22:25Speaker 1: usually some way of reaching a subject who does not
- 22:28Speaker 1: respond in a reasonable length of time. Now we come
- 22:32Speaker 1: to the point where the subject wishes to hypnotize himself.
- 22:35Speaker 1: What happens in this situation? It would appear that the
- 22:39Speaker 1: subject would go under hypnosis immediately after all, isn't he
- 22:44Speaker 1: controlling the hypnotic session. Of course, this does happen time
- 22:49Speaker 1: and time again, and the results seem miraculous. I receive
- 22:53Speaker 1: mail constantly from readers of several of my other books
- 22:56Speaker 1: on hypnosis telling me how they were able to achieve
- 23:00Speaker 1: certain goals that they never dreamed possible. They write that
- 23:04Speaker 1: they have achieved self confidence and complete self mastery, and
- 23:08Speaker 1: have been able to overcome problems that have plagued them
- 23:11Speaker 1: for many years. These problems not only include strictly psychological troubles,
- 23:17Speaker 1: but many psychosomatic symptoms as well. Many have remarked at
- 23:21Speaker 1: the ease in which they were able to achieve self
- 23:24Speaker 1: hypnosis and the results they wanted For them it was
- 23:28Speaker 1: as simple as following a do it yourself book. Others
- 23:32Speaker 1: write about the difficulty they encounter and ask what to
- 23:35Speaker 1: do about it. It is my hope that this book
- 23:38Speaker 1: will shed some light for those who have experienced difficulty
- 23:41Speaker 1: in learning self hypnosis. We shall discuss many phases of
- 23:46Speaker 1: hypnosis with the emphasis on self hypnosis, will discuss its
- 23:51Speaker 1: many ramifications, and try not to leave out anything helpful
- 23:55Speaker 1: in our discussion. If you follow the instructions and exercises
- 23:59Speaker 1: that I give assiduously, you will be able to achieve
- 24:03Speaker 1: a depth of self hypnosis suitable for solving many of
- 24:07Speaker 1: your personal problems. End of forward and chapter one, Chapter two.
- 24:14Speaker 1: What about the dangers of hypnosis? One of the objections
- 24:19Speaker 1: that you here to hypnosis is that it can be
- 24:21Speaker 1: dangerous in the hands of those not trained in psychodynamics
- 24:25Speaker 1: of human behavior. Inasmuch as psychiatrists and clinical psychologists are
- 24:31Speaker 1: the only ones who are thoroughly trained in the analysis
- 24:34Speaker 1: of human behavior. This objection, if valid, could limit hypnosis
- 24:39Speaker 1: to a comparative handful of therapists. Fortunately, it is not valid.
- 24:44Speaker 1: This was proved several years ago when the Bridey Murphy
- 24:48Speaker 1: craze gripped the country. Despite the fact that thousands of
- 24:52Speaker 1: amateur hypnotists were practicing hypnosis, little or no harm resulted.
- 24:57Speaker 1: I have personally instructed several thousand medical and non medical
- 25:01Speaker 1: individuals and have yet to hear of a single case
- 25:05Speaker 1: where a crisis was precipitated or anything of a dangerous
- 25:09Speaker 1: or detrimental nature occurred as a result of hypnosis. I
- 25:13Speaker 1: have also taught several thousand persons self hypnosis and can
- 25:17Speaker 1: report the same findings. Many patients who seek treatment from
- 25:21Speaker 1: competent psychiatrists, psychoanalysis and psychologists do not always obtain satisfactory results.
- 25:29Speaker 1: This doesn't mean that everyone should stop seeking help from
- 25:32Speaker 1: these specialists. Even a specialist doesn't have a perfect record
- 25:36Speaker 1: of successful therapy. What, then, is the objection to hypnosis?
- 25:41Speaker 1: The theory that if you get rid of one symptom,
- 25:43Speaker 1: another symptom will take its place really holds no truth
- 25:47Speaker 1: and is usually advanced by those who have had little
- 25:49Speaker 1: or no experience in the hypnosis field. However, a difference
- 25:54Speaker 1: of opinion does exist even with those practicing hypnosis. In
- 25:58Speaker 1: this area, some hipnists trade down symptoms by replacing a
- 26:03Speaker 1: serious symptom with a minor one, while others just remove
- 26:07Speaker 1: the symptom. The latter is what a doctor does when
- 26:10Speaker 1: he recommends aspirin for arthritis. He knows the aspirin will
- 26:14Speaker 1: not cure the arthritis, but he wants to alleviate the symptom.
- 26:18Speaker 1: To say that another symptom will replace the pain is
- 26:21Speaker 1: unscientific and untrue. The same is true of hypnosis. Lewis R. Wahlberg,
- 26:28Speaker 1: m D, Clinical Professor of psychiatry, New York Medical College
- 26:33Speaker 1: recently canvas thirty experts in the field of hypnosis and
- 26:37Speaker 1: found a few who felt symptom removal was irrational, temporary,
- 26:42Speaker 1: or outright dangerous. The large majority, however, employed symptom removal
- 26:47Speaker 1: where indicated and minimized or ridiculed any possible bad effects.
- 26:52Speaker 1: A further objection to hypnosis is that the results are
- 26:56Speaker 1: temporary as well as symptomatic. It is well to remark
- 27:00Speaker 1: that most medical therapy is specifically directed to symptom removal.
- 27:05Speaker 1: How permanent is most medical treatment Once you couple hetero hypnosis.
- 27:10Speaker 1: With self hypnosis, you afford the patient the opportunity of
- 27:14Speaker 1: utilizing suggestions for his own benefit any time they are needed. This,
- 27:19Speaker 1: of course, can make symptom relief permanent. As an example,
- 27:23Speaker 1: I would see no harm in teaching a patient self
- 27:26Speaker 1: hypnosis for symptomatic relief of a problem of insomnia. It
- 27:31Speaker 1: would certainly be better than physically depressing the higher brain
- 27:34Speaker 1: centers with sleeping pills to produce unconsciousness every night. I
- 27:38Speaker 1: needn't tell you that millions of dollars are spent every
- 27:41Speaker 1: year on sleeping pills, and patients become dependent upon them,
- 27:45Speaker 1: needing more and more pills in order to produce sleep.
- 27:49Speaker 1: Many accidental suicides stem from an overdose of sleeping pills. Yet,
- 27:53Speaker 1: despite the inherent dangers of sleeping pills, which are glaringly apparent,
- 27:58Speaker 1: they are prescribed by the million, to say nothing of
- 28:01Speaker 1: those that reach the market through illegal channels. Furthermore, how
- 28:05Speaker 1: much effort is really made to get the patient off
- 28:08Speaker 1: the sleeping pills. There are also more voluntary suicides by
- 28:13Speaker 1: sleeping pills than any other method. Perhaps, if these drugs
- 28:17Speaker 1: weren't so readily available, many of these unfortunate individuals would
- 28:21Speaker 1: be with us today. What about the often quoted statement
- 28:25Speaker 1: that you might need to do some damage. Let's explore
- 28:28Speaker 1: this area. I assume that the reader is somewhat familiar
- 28:32Speaker 1: with the work of Emil Koua, or at least has
- 28:34Speaker 1: heard of his famous auto suggestion formula of day by
- 28:38Speaker 1: day in every way, I am getting better and better
- 28:41Speaker 1: during our time. Thousands upon thousands of seemingly helpless and
- 28:46Speaker 1: hopeless cases have been cured by repeating this affirmation over
- 28:50Speaker 1: and over again, day after day as the individual falls asleep.
- 28:55Speaker 1: I think we should make it clear that whether we
- 28:57Speaker 1: call it autosuggestion, positive thinking, meditation, yoga affirmations, or self hypnosis,
- 29:05Speaker 1: we are in reality talking about the same thing. All
- 29:09Speaker 1: require certain basic prerequisites before they will work effectively for
- 29:13Speaker 1: the individual. We'll discuss these prerequisites in the next chapter.
- 29:18Speaker 1: What should be remembered is that the suggestions are being
- 29:21Speaker 1: filtered into the subconscious mind, which does not question, doubt, analyze,
- 29:26Speaker 1: or dispute the efficacy of these beneficial thoughts. You can
- 29:30Speaker 1: be sure that the constant repetition will have its effect.
- 29:34Speaker 1: Hasn't the mind in the past accepted the individual's diagnosis
- 29:38Speaker 1: when he said, I'm sick. I have an inferiority complex.
- 29:43Speaker 1: I can't stop smoking, I can't lose weight, I can't concentrate.
- 29:49Speaker 1: I can remember a person's face, but I can't remember names.
- 29:53Speaker 1: I have a difficult time falling asleep. I just can't
- 29:57Speaker 1: seem to relax. Isn't such a individual in effect using
- 30:02Speaker 1: self hypnosis? And hasn't the person convinced himself of the
- 30:06Speaker 1: validity of his present state? This is truly dangerous. It
- 30:11Speaker 1: is negative hypnosis. The question that I raise is why
- 30:16Speaker 1: shouldn't the subconscious mind be even more convinced and respond
- 30:20Speaker 1: strongly to suggestions which are in conformity with the natural
- 30:23Speaker 1: desire to be of sound body and mind. I have
- 30:27Speaker 1: never been able to find a logical answer. I think
- 30:30Speaker 1: this is what happens many times. A person seeks help
- 30:34Speaker 1: with a problem which in reality has nothing to do
- 30:37Speaker 1: with hypnosis. His cure is not contingent on being hypnotized
- 30:41Speaker 1: or on suggestion he or the hypnotist. Few are indicated.
- 30:46Speaker 1: You will read in nearly every book an article dealing
- 30:48Speaker 1: with hypnosis that hypnotism is not a cure all. No
- 30:52Speaker 1: one has suggested or implied that it should be used
- 30:56Speaker 1: exclusively for all emotional problems. You may read it newspaper
- 31:00Speaker 1: article warning about the dangers of hypnosis. It may tell
- 31:04Speaker 1: of a person who rid himself of one symptom and
- 31:07Speaker 1: developed another in its place. You usually get a grossly
- 31:11Speaker 1: distorted picture of what happened, with many aspects of the
- 31:14Speaker 1: case not included. It's a matter of taking what you
- 31:18Speaker 1: want to prove out of context. Propagandists use this technique
- 31:22Speaker 1: all the time to get across their message. It's the
- 31:26Speaker 1: old story of telling a half truth. Honest criticism and
- 31:30Speaker 1: a sincere difference of opinion are always welcome, but criticism
- 31:35Speaker 1: must be well founded from a scientific point of view
- 31:38Speaker 1: and not stem from an emotional reaction. You have probably
- 31:42Speaker 1: heard the remark I won't let anyone hypnotize me. What
- 31:46Speaker 1: are they really saying and what does hypnosis represent to
- 31:50Speaker 1: such an individual? To them, hypnosis represents some sort of
- 31:55Speaker 1: magic spell which invokes the state of complete helplessness and
- 31:59Speaker 1: dependency of upon the hypnotists. We previously discussed how this
- 32:03Speaker 1: erroneous conception can take place because of the manner in
- 32:06Speaker 1: which hypnosis is usually interwoven with bizarre fictional stories. For many,
- 32:12Speaker 1: the hypnotic state represents a period in which the conscious
- 32:16Speaker 1: guard is dropped, they feel they may compulsively reveal the
- 32:19Speaker 1: darker side of their nature, confess their hostility, or relate
- 32:24Speaker 1: information they would never voluntarily divulge to anyone. This is
- 32:28Speaker 1: the real danger they see in hypnosis. To protect themselves
- 32:32Speaker 1: from it, they attack it. It is much like the
- 32:35Speaker 1: fanatic vice crusader who militantly attacks sin in order to
- 32:39Speaker 1: alleviate his own feelings of guilt, stemming from the fact
- 32:42Speaker 1: that wes actually attracts him. Fear of hypnosis takes different forms,
- 32:48Speaker 1: but basically it is the fear of revealing one's true feelings.
- 32:52Speaker 1: An employee, for instance, at a gathering which included the
- 32:56Speaker 1: employer he dislikes, would never volunteer as a subject for hipisgnosis.
- 33:00Speaker 1: If the occasion arose. He would be afraid he would
- 33:04Speaker 1: do or say something which might endanger his position. Hypnosis
- 33:08Speaker 1: for him would be dangerous because he would be afraid
- 33:11Speaker 1: to take the chance. The truth is, however, that this
- 33:15Speaker 1: individual would be taking no chance. The hypnotic state is
- 33:19Speaker 1: not a confessional period. The subject is aware at all
- 33:22Speaker 1: times of what he is saying. If the subject does
- 33:25Speaker 1: not wish to pursue a line of questioning, he tells
- 33:28Speaker 1: the hypnotist. If the hypnotist persisted further along this line,
- 33:33Speaker 1: the subject would shake off the hypnotic state. Another misconception
- 33:37Speaker 1: about hypnosis is the widely held belief that the subject
- 33:40Speaker 1: is unconscious. This represents a threat to the security of
- 33:44Speaker 1: the individual. Actually, the hypnotic state is a period of
- 33:49Speaker 1: extreme awareness in which the subject is hyperacute. Furthermore, the
- 33:54Speaker 1: subject is not asleep, nor is he in a trance
- 33:58Speaker 1: state in the correct meaning of that term. He is
- 34:01Speaker 1: in an altered state of awareness, with his faculties and
- 34:05Speaker 1: reasoning ability intact, inducing hypnosis merely creates a mood or
- 34:10Speaker 1: state in which the powers of suggestibility are heightened. When
- 34:15Speaker 1: the general public and the medical profession become familiar with
- 34:19Speaker 1: the true state of hypnosis, we shall have a greater
- 34:22Speaker 1: acceptance and utilization of this power. It is a slow process,
- 34:26Speaker 1: but one which will finally evolve in the final analysis.
- 34:31Speaker 1: I believe the only danger that exists is in the
- 34:33Speaker 1: mind of the individual who fears hypnosis because of whatever
- 34:37Speaker 1: subjective qualms he has about his own emotional involvement in
- 34:41Speaker 1: the hypnotic process. Of course, all persons using hypnosis for
- 34:46Speaker 1: the alleviation of pain should consult their family physician. Pain
- 34:51Speaker 1: is nature's way of indicating that something is wrong with
- 34:53Speaker 1: the organism. It would be foolish to suggest that a
- 34:56Speaker 1: pain in the stomach will disappear when this may be
- 34:59Speaker 1: a s ive a needed appendix operation. The same may
- 35:03Speaker 1: be said of constant migraine headaches. It must be determined
- 35:06Speaker 1: that the headache is not a symptom of a brain
- 35:09Speaker 1: tumor or some other pathological condition. It may be of
- 35:13Speaker 1: interest to know that hypnosis is presently being used to
- 35:16Speaker 1: relieve pain in terminal cancer patients. There is an excellent
- 35:20Speaker 1: article on this subject, and I recommend it to doctors
- 35:23Speaker 1: reading this book. It is called the Use of Hypnosis
- 35:27Speaker 1: in the Case of the Cancer Patient, which appeared in
- 35:30Speaker 1: the January nineteen fifty four issue of Cancer. There are
- 35:34Speaker 1: at present several thousand dentists throughout the country using hypnosis.
- 35:38Speaker 1: They have formed their own society and published a quarterly journal,
- 35:42Speaker 1: the Journal of the American Society of Psychosomatic Dentistry. One
- 35:47Speaker 1: of the best books in this field is called Dental
- 35:51Speaker 1: Hypnosis Handbook by Jacob Stolzenberg DDS. An excellent article is
- 35:57Speaker 1: Danger Hypnotistic work by us M. Abramson. The author reviews
- 36:03Speaker 1: briefly the pros and cons regarding the medical use of hypnosis.
- 36:07Speaker 1: He concludes it is the author's opinion, based on extensive
- 36:12Speaker 1: personal experience of over fifteen years, that the use of
- 36:15Speaker 1: hypnotherapy by a physician or dentist who has been properly trained,
- 36:20Speaker 1: and who uses this technique strictly within his field of competence,
- 36:24Speaker 1: carries with it no more and probably less danger than
- 36:28Speaker 1: the use of many other techniques of treatment used in
- 36:31Speaker 1: medicine today. End of chapter two. Chapter three is hypnosis
- 36:38Speaker 1: the Answer? Doctor George Esterbrook's, professor of psychology at Colgate University,
- 36:44Speaker 1: an author of the book Hypnotism, made the following two
- 36:48Speaker 1: statements in a paper called the Future of Hypnosis, given
- 36:51Speaker 1: as part of a program on the nature of hypnosis
- 36:54Speaker 1: at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in
- 36:58Speaker 1: nineteen fifty nine. It would be well to sound a
- 37:02Speaker 1: word of caution against certain attitudes which have become prevalent,
- 37:07Speaker 1: and which can be well illustrated in the field of medicine.
- 37:10Speaker 1: In this respect, direct suggestion is under the ban, for example,
- 37:16Speaker 1: a dictum never remove the symptom unless the cause is
- 37:19Speaker 1: understood is much emphasized, its validity is greatly open to question,
- 37:25Speaker 1: since much of medical practice is direct symptom removal, as
- 37:29Speaker 1: only a little thought makes apparent. Another dictum generally followed
- 37:35Speaker 1: is that the unconscious background of symptom complexes must necessarily
- 37:40Speaker 1: be made conscious to affect a cure. Reasonable and thoughtful
- 37:44Speaker 1: consideration of the extensive role of the unconscious and daily
- 37:48Speaker 1: living and functioning renders this dictum much less credible. I
- 37:52Speaker 1: should like to discuss both of these statements in some detail,
- 37:56Speaker 1: as they invariably arise in the mind of the individual
- 37:59Speaker 1: seeking help through hypnosis. The first thought that comes to
- 38:03Speaker 1: mind is that all the religious healings cited in the
- 38:07Speaker 1: Bible involve direct symptom removal. The cures that are affected
- 38:11Speaker 1: by religious devotees traveling to sacred shrines are also in
- 38:16Speaker 1: the realm of direct symptom removal. I have yet to
- 38:19Speaker 1: hear a criticism of this type of treatment directed at
- 38:23Speaker 1: religious leaders or condemnation of the religious shrines. These cures
- 38:28Speaker 1: are accepted as evidence of the power of faith or
- 38:31Speaker 1: attributed to the supernatural. In these cases, nothing is ever
- 38:36Speaker 1: done to make the person cured understand the nature of
- 38:39Speaker 1: the unconscious mechanisms which contributed to his problem. Religious healing
- 38:45Speaker 1: cannot be dismissed by merely saying it isn't scientific. A
- 38:49Speaker 1: methodology is only scientific when it works. It is of
- 38:53Speaker 1: no value if it doesn't help the individual's seeking help.
- 38:57Speaker 1: We must face the fact that not all people can
- 39:00Speaker 1: be helped by the same psychological treatment. We can readily
- 39:04Speaker 1: see this in the following extreme example. An aborigine suffering
- 39:09Speaker 1: from a psychological problem certainly wouldn't be a candidate for
- 39:13Speaker 1: psychoanalysis as we know it. He could no doubt be
- 39:17Speaker 1: helped much more readily by a witch doctor. It also
- 39:21Speaker 1: stands to reason that the sophisticated Westerner would not be
- 39:25Speaker 1: influenced by the incantations of a tribal medicine man. Going further,
- 39:31Speaker 1: we find there are many schools of psychotherapy and many
- 39:35Speaker 1: approaches to solving man's emotional problems. The curate for all
- 39:39Speaker 1: of them, however, is approximately the same. I think we
- 39:43Speaker 1: must accept the fact that there is no one sound,
- 39:47Speaker 1: logical scientific approach. I believe that so long as the
- 39:51Speaker 1: end result is achieved, the methodology was scientific for that
- 39:55Speaker 1: individual's needs. The goal of all therapies is to help
- 40:00Speaker 1: the patient free himself from whatever emotional problems beset him.
- 40:04Speaker 1: This approach, to some readers may seem an oversimplification of
- 40:09Speaker 1: a very complex problem. But I think it's time that
- 40:12Speaker 1: we had a simple, workable formula devoid of technical jargon.
- 40:17Speaker 1: Too often, complex technical terms and theories had been glibly
- 40:21Speaker 1: used to explain away failures. I believe we need more
- 40:25Speaker 1: and more emphasis on measures to make the patient feel better,
- 40:29Speaker 1: rather than spending most of the time trying to find
- 40:32Speaker 1: out why he doesn't feel well. This, of course is
- 40:36Speaker 1: symptom removal. Again, I should like to point out an
- 40:39Speaker 1: interesting fact pertaining to Biblical healers. So long as the
- 40:44Speaker 1: fame of the healer preceded his arrival in any country,
- 40:47Speaker 1: he was able to heal the sick. However, where his
- 40:51Speaker 1: fame as a healer was either unknown or discredited, he
- 40:55Speaker 1: found no faith in subsequently no cure. The earliest reference
- 40:59Speaker 1: to hypnosis is in the Bible Genesis two twenty one,
- 41:04Speaker 1: and the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall
- 41:06Speaker 1: upon Adam, and he slept. Doctor William Malamud, eighty sixth
- 41:12Speaker 1: President of the American Psychiatric Association, in an address delivered
- 41:17Speaker 1: at the annual meeting in nineteen sixty stated the following
- 41:20Speaker 1: in a paper called Psychiatric Research Setting and Motivation. During
- 41:26Speaker 1: the last few years, we have witnessed a growing trend
- 41:30Speaker 1: of overemphasizing the value of exact methodology and uniformity of standards.
- 41:36Speaker 1: This trend, which could be characterized as a cult of objectivity,
- 41:41Speaker 1: has already had an important influence on psychiatric research. It
- 41:45Speaker 1: is true that in its emphasis on critical judgment and
- 41:49Speaker 1: valid criteria, it has helped to curb unrestrained flights of
- 41:53Speaker 1: imagination and slopping methodology. But the overglorification of objectivity and
- 42:00Speaker 1: the insistence on rigidly single standards of acceptable methods have
- 42:05Speaker 1: resulted in a concentration on certain phases of the science
- 42:08Speaker 1: of human behavior at the expense of other very important ones.
- 42:13Speaker 1: I believe that most individuals have a fairly good understanding
- 42:17Speaker 1: of how they came to have the problem that they have.
- 42:20Speaker 1: I have yet to encounter a person who protests he
- 42:23Speaker 1: has no idea why he doesn't function as he would
- 42:26Speaker 1: like to in a certain area. From a practical standpoint,
- 42:31Speaker 1: not many have the time nor money required to delve
- 42:34Speaker 1: into the unconscious background of the problem. The high cost
- 42:38Speaker 1: of treatment is a very real objection and cannot be
- 42:41Speaker 1: discounted lightly. People suffering from emotional problems usually suffer financial
- 42:47Speaker 1: reverses as well. Who is to help these people? There
- 42:51Speaker 1: are very few places in the country where they can
- 42:54Speaker 1: receive competent psychiatric help at a reasonable fee. Is there
- 42:58Speaker 1: this type of help in your own community? It is
- 43:01Speaker 1: only when the individual is destitute that the state provides
- 43:05Speaker 1: whatever help it can. However, at this point it's a long,
- 43:09Speaker 1: hard struggle back to good emotional health. The National Association
- 43:14Speaker 1: for Mental Health and its affiliates issue about ten million
- 43:18Speaker 1: copies of two hundred different pamphlets on various aspects of
- 43:22Speaker 1: mental health. To assess the value of these pamphlets, forty
- 43:26Speaker 1: seven mental hygiene experts held a conference at Cornell University.
- 43:31Speaker 1: A report on this outstanding conference has been published. It
- 43:35Speaker 1: is called Mental Health Education a Critique. A feature by
- 43:40Speaker 1: Ernest Taverman in the August eighth, nineteen sixty issue of
- 43:44Speaker 1: Life contains a very worthwhile article on this conference called
- 43:49Speaker 1: Who's normal? Nobody, but we all keep on trying. In
- 43:53Speaker 1: descent from mental health approach, experts decry feudal search for
- 43:58Speaker 1: an unreal goal. The following paragraph is taken from the
- 44:02Speaker 1: Life article What about psychiatry and psychoanalysis? This is a
- 44:07Speaker 1: different matter many unhappy and problem ridden people, though by
- 44:12Speaker 1: no means all who have tried it have profited from psychotherapy. Indeed,
- 44:17Speaker 1: all the mental health pamphlets as a PostScript to all
- 44:21Speaker 1: the self help methods they advocate, wind up by advising
- 44:25Speaker 1: the reader to seek professional care if his problems are
- 44:28Speaker 1: serious enough. But the skeptics at Cornell cited statistics which
- 44:34Speaker 1: to them show that psychiatric treatment is as remote for
- 44:37Speaker 1: the average person as a trip to the moon. Aside
- 44:41Speaker 1: from the expense, which most people would find prohibitive, there
- 44:44Speaker 1: simply are not enough therapists to go around. The US
- 44:48Speaker 1: has around eleven thousand psychiatrists and ten thousand clinical psychiatrists
- 44:54Speaker 1: in all, about one for every eighty five hundred citizens.
- 44:58Speaker 1: If every one with emotion problems decided to see a psychiatrist,
- 45:03Speaker 1: the lines at the doctor's offices would stretch for miles.
- 45:07Speaker 1: I assume that most readers of this book know that
- 45:10Speaker 1: state hospitals are understaffed and unable to provide proper care
- 45:14Speaker 1: for the mentally ill. Mike Gorman, Executive Director of the
- 45:18Speaker 1: National Mental Health Committee has written a crusading report on
- 45:22Speaker 1: this very theme called Every Other Bed. In this book,
- 45:26Speaker 1: he tells us that every other hospital bed in the
- 45:29Speaker 1: United States is occupied by a mental case. Mental illness
- 45:34Speaker 1: costs the country two and a half billion dollars a year,
- 45:37Speaker 1: besides the more important untold human suffering that can never
- 45:41Speaker 1: be equated in dollars. The book is a shocking story
- 45:45Speaker 1: of how we have let this happen, are still letting
- 45:47Speaker 1: it happen, and of how little, for the most part,
- 45:50Speaker 1: we the general public, as well as the medical and
- 45:53Speaker 1: psychological professions, are doing to correct this deplorable situation. It
- 45:59Speaker 1: is time that we re examine the dictums that say
- 46:02Speaker 1: a symptom can never be removed unless the cause is understood,
- 46:06Speaker 1: and the unconscious background of the symptom complexes must be
- 46:10Speaker 1: made conscious and understood before a cure is effected. There
- 46:14Speaker 1: are many positive thinking groups functioning in the religious field.
- 46:18Speaker 1: Many of these religious groups are in existence primarily because
- 46:22Speaker 1: of the dynamic philosophy or psychology they offer for every
- 46:26Speaker 1: day living. Couple this with a strong faith in God,
- 46:30Speaker 1: and you have a combination which approaches infallibility. Recently, we
- 46:35Speaker 1: have had a series of best selling books which expound
- 46:38Speaker 1: this very theme. Does it work? Of course it does
- 46:42Speaker 1: when used properly. You can be sure that there has
- 46:45Speaker 1: been criticism of this religious psychology. The criticism is that
- 46:50Speaker 1: the basic causes of the problem are never dealt with,
- 46:53Speaker 1: and the unconscious conflict is not resolved. It's the same
- 46:58Speaker 1: argument over and over again. What about the people helped?
- 47:02Speaker 1: They seem to have made tremendous strides and are leading
- 47:05Speaker 1: lives as well adjusted as any one else. Once imbued
- 47:09Speaker 1: with this spirit or feeling of well being, it permeates
- 47:12Speaker 1: every phase of their relationship in a constructive manner. The
- 47:17Speaker 1: only reason that there isn't more criticism is that this
- 47:20Speaker 1: type of psychotherapy is incorporated into the religious tenets of
- 47:24Speaker 1: these groups, and criticizing another man's religion makes the detractor's
- 47:30Speaker 1: entire philosophy unacceptable. I am strongly in favor of these
- 47:34Speaker 1: groups because I would prefer having a religion that keeps
- 47:38Speaker 1: pointing out the positive side of life and that life
- 47:41Speaker 1: can be beautiful if you put your faith in God
- 47:44Speaker 1: and practice positive thinking. It is certainly better than the
- 47:48Speaker 1: clinical philosophy of its detractors or the grim religions which
- 47:52Speaker 1: stress punishment, think of the guilt feelings involved in the latter.
- 47:57Speaker 1: No one can live up to such a formidable creed.
- 48:01Speaker 1: Of course, if you suggest to positive thinking religious individuals
- 48:05Speaker 1: that they are using a form of self hypnosis, they
- 48:08Speaker 1: will emphatically deny and debate the issue. Since we are
- 48:12Speaker 1: primarily interested in mental hygiene and not in winning a debate,
- 48:17Speaker 1: it is well to leave the matter as it stands.
- 48:20Speaker 1: The point to keep in mind is, so long as
- 48:23Speaker 1: a person feels that his methodology is the answer to
- 48:26Speaker 1: his needs, and so long as no one is being
- 48:28Speaker 1: hurt by his belief, I feel he should cling to
- 48:31Speaker 1: his conviction. He should not allow it to be destroyed
- 48:35Speaker 1: by those who are thinking in different semantic terms. I
- 48:38Speaker 1: would like to bring up another common example pertaining to
- 48:41Speaker 1: the two basic concepts that we have been discussing. It
- 48:45Speaker 1: is the example of the many individuals who have taken
- 48:48Speaker 1: public speaking courses to overcome stage fright. In most cases,
- 48:53Speaker 1: the person involved hasn't had too much opportunity to be
- 48:56Speaker 1: a public speaker. Because of this, he suddenly feels he
- 49:01Speaker 1: may not say the right thing or forget what he
- 49:03Speaker 1: wants to say. This anxiety can create the very situation
- 49:08Speaker 1: or block that he fears. What is the solution, certainly
- 49:12Speaker 1: not psychoanalysis to find out why he functions the way
- 49:16Speaker 1: he does. You could use this approach, but I don't
- 49:19Speaker 1: think it's the most constructive one. It's like asking what
- 49:24Speaker 1: am I doing that's wrong? Instead of what can I
- 49:27Speaker 1: do that's right? The most constructive approach is to take
- 49:31Speaker 1: a course of instruction to get the actual practice and
- 49:34Speaker 1: experience in the techniques of public speaking before proceeding further.
- 49:40Speaker 1: I believe it is necessary to point out that I
- 49:43Speaker 1: am not just being critical of the convictions of other
- 49:45Speaker 1: sincere and dedicated individuals engaged in the field of mental hygiene.
- 49:51Speaker 1: It is always good to reevaluate our present thinking on
- 49:54Speaker 1: any subject, no matter how sincere or convinced we may
- 49:57Speaker 1: be that what we are doing is correct. At times,
- 50:02Speaker 1: we can become so immersed in our convictions that we
- 50:05Speaker 1: cannot take criticism and respond emotionally to ideas or interpretations
- 50:10Speaker 1: that do not coincide with logical thinking. What, then, is
- 50:14Speaker 1: the answer to mental health problems? There is no single answer.
- 50:19Speaker 1: It is a very complex situation. There are many promising
- 50:23Speaker 1: drugs and treatments which, if adequately developed and widely used,
- 50:28Speaker 1: could do a great deal toward promoting good mental health. Fundamentally,
- 50:33Speaker 1: the problem will always be that of trying to understand
- 50:36Speaker 1: human behavior and helping those in distress with an efficacious formula.
- 50:41Speaker 1: What is that formula? I believe hypnosis can contribute in
- 50:46Speaker 1: part to the answer. Needless to say, hypnosis is contraindicated
- 50:51Speaker 1: in many emotional problems because of the very nature of
- 50:54Speaker 1: the problem itself. Some emotional difficulties must first be worked
- 50:59Speaker 1: out on a common After this, hypnosis can be instrumental
- 51:04Speaker 1: in achieving the final goal. Doctor Frank S. Caprio, a
- 51:09Speaker 1: prominent psychiatrist, in his book Helping Yourself with Psychiatry, states
- 51:14Speaker 1: the following, a whole new world of self confidence and
- 51:18Speaker 1: positive living is open to every person young and old
- 51:22Speaker 1: through hypnosis, self hypnosis, and self suggestion or auto hypnosis.
- 51:30Speaker 1: End of chapter three, Chapter four. How does self hypnosis work?
- 51:37Speaker 1: There's an old Chinese proverb that states one picture is
- 51:41Speaker 1: worth a thousand words. In conveying suggestions to the subconscious.
- 51:46Speaker 1: We have found that picture images are more effective than
- 51:49Speaker 1: words that are implanted. For example, it isn't sufficient to
- 51:54Speaker 1: say I will be confident. The words must be augmented
- 51:58Speaker 1: by a picture of yourself as the confident person you
- 52:01Speaker 1: want to be. If you say I can't visualize myself
- 52:05Speaker 1: as a confident person because I have never been that way,
- 52:09Speaker 1: you can borrow those personality traits that you want for yourself.
- 52:13Speaker 1: Imagine yourself endowed with the characteristics of some confident person
- 52:18Speaker 1: that you know. The qualities that you seek may even
- 52:22Speaker 1: be borrowed from a famous person. If this isn't possible,
- 52:26Speaker 1: make up a personality which is a composite of all
- 52:29Speaker 1: the things you want to be. See yourself walking, talking,
- 52:33Speaker 1: and carrying on activities. Keep fortifying this image with the
- 52:38Speaker 1: mental suggestions that are needed. It won't be long before
- 52:42Speaker 1: these mental impressions give rise to the confident feelings that
- 52:45Speaker 1: you seek. As you keep im planning these images, they
- 52:49Speaker 1: will become a natural part of your conscious personality. Doctor s. J.
- 52:53Speaker 1: Van Pelt, president of the British Society of Medical Hypnotists
- 52:58Speaker 1: and editor of the British Journal of Men Medical Hypnotism,
- 53:01Speaker 1: writes about this technique in his book Secrets of Hypnotism.
- 53:06Speaker 1: He calls it three D technique in medical hypnotherapy. As
- 53:10Speaker 1: you read the following paragraph, it would be well to
- 53:13Speaker 1: remember that it contains the essence of making the self
- 53:17Speaker 1: hypnosis technique work once you have achieved the hypnotic state
- 53:21Speaker 1: per se. Incidentally, the same procedure can be used in
- 53:25Speaker 1: attaining the hypnotic state itself. You see yourself entering the
- 53:29Speaker 1: state of hypnosis in your initial attempts. This in turn
- 53:33Speaker 1: sets up a conditioned response and a favorable emotional reaction,
- 53:37Speaker 1: which is necessary. The writer has found visualization of the
- 53:42Speaker 1: greatest value in the re education of the patient, which
- 53:46Speaker 1: is an essential part of hypnotherapy. In this method, after
- 53:50Speaker 1: the cause of the trouble has been discovered and as
- 53:53Speaker 1: a part of his re education, the patient is instructed,
- 53:57Speaker 1: while under only light hypnosis, to form a picture in
- 54:01Speaker 1: his mind. He is asked to imagine a movie screen
- 54:05Speaker 1: and to see himself just like an actor on this screen,
- 54:09Speaker 1: playing a part. He is told that the picture looks
- 54:12Speaker 1: very real, three D in fact, and that he can
- 54:15Speaker 1: see himself acting and looking the way he wants to
- 54:18Speaker 1: look and act. Various scenes are suggested, such as the
- 54:23Speaker 1: patient will have to face in real life. In each
- 54:27Speaker 1: he is instructed to see himself as in real life,
- 54:31Speaker 1: always succeeding. For instance, the stammerer might be asked to
- 54:36Speaker 1: picture himself speaking easily to people and feeling perfectly at ease.
- 54:41Speaker 1: The patient has also instructed how to form these success
- 54:44Speaker 1: pictures for himself, and it is stressed that he will
- 54:48Speaker 1: only be able to see himself as he wants to
- 54:51Speaker 1: be successful. Since the picture gives rise to the appropriate feelings,
- 54:57Speaker 1: it is not long before the patient begins to show
- 54:59Speaker 1: the benefit of his private three D film shows. After
- 55:03Speaker 1: explaining this technique to students, many have inquired, is that
- 55:08Speaker 1: all there is to it? It seems so simple. Of course,
- 55:12Speaker 1: there is more to it in that the individual must
- 55:15Speaker 1: follow through with the instruction. This is one of the
- 55:18Speaker 1: difficult aspects of this type of program. Let me enumerate
- 55:22Speaker 1: some of the problems I have encountered in teaching self hypnosis.
- 55:27Speaker 1: As mentioned, one of the difficulties is that the techniques
- 55:31Speaker 1: seem too simple. Students become skeptical. They feel it should
- 55:35Speaker 1: be more complicated and involved in order to get results.
- 55:39Speaker 1: I suppose people better appreciate something that comes only after
- 55:43Speaker 1: a hard struggle. This procedure is devoid of this. Of course,
- 55:48Speaker 1: I am not saying that once a person begins to
- 55:50Speaker 1: use this technique, his problems will automatically vanish and his
- 55:55Speaker 1: life will be cheery forever after. We have been conditioned
- 55:58Speaker 1: to think that success and anything can only come after
- 56:02Speaker 1: a long, hard struggle. This is the basic theme of
- 56:05Speaker 1: the American way of life. We have been accustomed to
- 56:09Speaker 1: believe that conflict and struggle are a part of life,
- 56:12Speaker 1: and large doses of it are necessary before we achieve
- 56:16Speaker 1: success in any field. I can only reiterate that the
- 56:20Speaker 1: information contained in this book is all you need to
- 56:23Speaker 1: get results. It is necessary that you follow through and
- 56:27Speaker 1: not give up after you have tried the program for
- 56:30Speaker 1: a short while and have attained no appreciable results. This
- 56:34Speaker 1: brings us to another point. Many persons expect immediate results
- 56:39Speaker 1: when they begin to use self hypnosis. If they don't
- 56:42Speaker 1: get the results they anticipated immediately, they want to know
- 56:46Speaker 1: what's wrong. My answer is usually that nothing is wrong
- 56:50Speaker 1: and that they need only keep steadily applying the instructions. Certainly,
- 56:55Speaker 1: one doesn't become a proficient typist, musician, actor, or sportsman
- 57:01Speaker 1: because he has mastered the basic techniques. It takes time
- 57:05Speaker 1: to acquire proficiency. Let me assure you that anyone using
- 57:09Speaker 1: and applying this technique can benefit from it. One of
- 57:13Speaker 1: the troubles in dealing with any problem is routing defeatism
- 57:17Speaker 1: and hopelessness. You can incorporate post hypnotic corrective measures in
- 57:22Speaker 1: the suggestions that you give yourself. However, I believe that
- 57:26Speaker 1: they must be dealt with on a conscious level as well.
- 57:30Speaker 1: You must believe that you can conquer your difficulties, no
- 57:33Speaker 1: matter how long you have had them. If you are
- 57:36Speaker 1: prepared to work with self hypnosis in an unremitting manner,
- 57:40Speaker 1: you will achieve the self help that you seek now
- 57:44Speaker 1: and then you can anticipate a setback in your progress,
- 57:48Speaker 1: but this needn't discourage you from your overall task. Recount
- 57:52Speaker 1: the progress already made. If you have a let down
- 57:56Speaker 1: because you expected quicker and more dramatic results, remember that
- 58:00Speaker 1: this is a common feeling shared by many with emotional problems.
- 58:04Speaker 1: Remember also how long you have had the problem. No
- 58:08Speaker 1: doubt you have tried other methods and became discouraged because
- 58:12Speaker 1: you weren't making the progress you had anticipated. You drop
- 58:15Speaker 1: the idea and landed back where you started. Make up
- 58:19Speaker 1: your mind consciously that you will work with untiring sincerity
- 58:23Speaker 1: and a perseverance that will not falter because your chosen
- 58:27Speaker 1: goal is not achieved immediately. I know of no therapy
- 58:31Speaker 1: that leads straight to positive results without obstacles and intermittent failure.
- 58:37Speaker 1: Success comes in spite of intervening failures because the ultimate
- 58:41Speaker 1: direction has been clearly thought out and charted. Self hypnosis
- 58:45Speaker 1: will finally work because you are constantly conditioning your subconscious
- 58:50Speaker 1: to react in a positive, constructive manner. The program must,
- 58:54Speaker 1: of necessity become automatic in nature. When it does, you
- 58:59Speaker 1: will suddenly find yourself feeling the way you wanted to
- 59:03Speaker 1: and doing the things that you've set out to do.
- 59:05Speaker 1: With the aid of self hypnosis, you actually cultivate those
- 59:10Speaker 1: feelings that you want. Hypnosis will not work with skeptics.
- 59:14Speaker 1: Every so often a person comes to my office seeking help.
- 59:18Speaker 1: He tells me that his family physician or his spouse
- 59:22Speaker 1: feels that he should take my course and self hypnosis.
- 59:25Speaker 1: I inquire if he feels he might benefit from the course.
- 59:29Speaker 1: If his answer is not positive, and if after talking
- 59:33Speaker 1: to him at length about the benefits of hypnosis, I
- 59:36Speaker 1: still feel he is not ready for the course, I
- 59:39Speaker 1: suggest another mode of treatment for him. The reason for
- 59:42Speaker 1: this is that unless the person is optimistic and enthusiastic
- 59:46Speaker 1: about self hypnosis, it just isn't going to work as
- 59:49Speaker 1: effectively as it would otherwise. The very nature of a
- 59:53Speaker 1: skeptical attitude limits the constructive forces that we wish to harness. Occasionally,
- 59:59Speaker 1: individual want indisputable proof that hypnosis is going to help them.
- 1:00:04Speaker 1: It is impossible to give them the proof and unqualified
- 1:00:07Speaker 1: reassurance that they seek. Yet these same people do not
- 1:00:11Speaker 1: require proof from their physicians. No one can guarantee success. However,
- 1:00:17Speaker 1: I do point out that the continued and intelligent use
- 1:00:20Speaker 1: of self hypnosis can be instrumental in directing the healing, curative,
- 1:00:26Speaker 1: constructive forces of nature. Many times a metaphysical rather than
- 1:00:31Speaker 1: a scientific approach is required. It's a matter of trying
- 1:00:34Speaker 1: to satisfy the patient's needs. At times, it is helpful
- 1:00:38Speaker 1: to allow the patient to attend a class in self hypnosis.
- 1:00:43Speaker 1: Being able to communicate and identify with other individuals seeking
- 1:00:47Speaker 1: self hypnosis often is enough to change his attitude. This
- 1:00:51Speaker 1: is especially true when one or more of the students
- 1:00:55Speaker 1: relates dramatic changes. Self hypnosis works because we are able
- 1:01:00Speaker 1: to condition ourselves to various stimuli. We condition ourselves consciously
- 1:01:05Speaker 1: and unconsciously to many activities. When we experience anxiety, it
- 1:01:11Speaker 1: stems from a condition process which could not have been
- 1:01:14Speaker 1: conscious or unconscious. In self hypnosis, the individual consciously works
- 1:01:20Speaker 1: toward implementing and strengthening his own inherent strength and resources.
- 1:01:25Speaker 1: These objectives, when attained, result in feelings of confidence, relaxation,
- 1:01:31Speaker 1: self mastery, and well being. Furthermore, hypnosis utilizes a natural
- 1:01:37Speaker 1: mental process. We all know that placebos work admirably in
- 1:01:41Speaker 1: numerous cases. The Dictionary defines the word placebo as an
- 1:01:46Speaker 1: inactive substance or preparation administered to please or gratify a patient,
- 1:01:52Speaker 1: also used in controlled studies to determine the efficiency of
- 1:01:57Speaker 1: medical substances. Many controlled experiments have shown that people achieve
- 1:02:02Speaker 1: similar results whether they take a placebo which they think
- 1:02:06Speaker 1: is the real medication or real medication that was prescribed
- 1:02:11Speaker 1: several years ago. Many tests were carried out with anahistamines
- 1:02:15Speaker 1: to prevent colds. The results were always the same. We
- 1:02:20Speaker 1: are interested in what makes the placebo act as efficiently
- 1:02:23Speaker 1: as the true medication. It stands to reason that a
- 1:02:26Speaker 1: chain reaction is set up actually causing a physiological result
- 1:02:31Speaker 1: from a psychological situation. The unsuspecting patient declares, I've never
- 1:02:36Speaker 1: felt so good in my life. Yet this would have
- 1:02:39Speaker 1: never happened if he didn't think he was taking the
- 1:02:42Speaker 1: marvelous new medicine. A recent scientific study by one of
- 1:02:47Speaker 1: the leading pharmaceutical houses concluded that one third of the
- 1:02:51Speaker 1: effectiveness of any medication depends upon the faith and trust
- 1:02:55Speaker 1: that the patient has in the prescribing physician. I am
- 1:02:59Speaker 1: sure that the placebo results and the patient's faith in
- 1:03:02Speaker 1: the physician as contributing factors to the effectiveness of medications
- 1:03:07Speaker 1: do not come as a revelation. We are all aware
- 1:03:11Speaker 1: of such information. Our problem is how to harness this
- 1:03:14Speaker 1: unconscious process for constructive goals. The answer is through self hypnosis.
- 1:03:21Speaker 1: Self hypnosis, as we have explained, it uses a technique
- 1:03:25Speaker 1: called visual imagery. This has been referred to by many
- 1:03:28Speaker 1: different names, but for our purposes we'll call it visual imagery.
- 1:03:33Speaker 1: Within this technique lies one of the keys for achieving
- 1:03:36Speaker 1: the goals that you want. There have been many famous
- 1:03:40Speaker 1: books written incorporating this technique as a basis for achievement.
- 1:03:45Speaker 1: Perhaps the most famous of all is called Think and
- 1:03:48Speaker 1: Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. In recent years, the Magic
- 1:03:53Speaker 1: of Believing by Claude M. Bristol and the Power of
- 1:03:57Speaker 1: Positive Thinking already mentioned have been become well known. The
- 1:04:01Speaker 1: book which gives direction to most of the books in
- 1:04:04Speaker 1: this field is called Self Mastery through Conscious Auto Suggestion
- 1:04:09Speaker 1: by doctor Emil Kuway. I am sure the older readers
- 1:04:12Speaker 1: of this book have heard the famous saying which I
- 1:04:15Speaker 1: will repeat here for emphasis. Day by day, in every way,
- 1:04:20Speaker 1: I am getting better and better invariably. In all these
- 1:04:24Speaker 1: books there is reference to the Biblical quotation as a
- 1:04:28Speaker 1: man thinketh in his heart, so is he. As the
- 1:04:33Speaker 1: reader can deduce, we are not theorizing at a startling
- 1:04:36Speaker 1: new discovery. The technique as ancient as man himself and
- 1:04:40Speaker 1: his dream of a better tomorrow. All books using the
- 1:04:44Speaker 1: visual imagery technique will tell you to paint a vivid
- 1:04:47Speaker 1: mental picture of the material things you wish to acquire.
- 1:04:51Speaker 1: If it is a case of material wealth. For personal improvement,
- 1:04:56Speaker 1: they tell you to paint a vivid picture of the
- 1:04:58Speaker 1: individual you want to be. In most cases, you are
- 1:05:02Speaker 1: told to do this in a relaxed or meditative state
- 1:05:05Speaker 1: with as few distractions as possible. The next two requirements
- 1:05:10Speaker 1: are constant repetition conditioning and a burning desire motivation to
- 1:05:16Speaker 1: achieve what you set out to do. Aren't these books
- 1:05:20Speaker 1: really talking about self hypnosis? Aren't they describing precisely the
- 1:05:24Speaker 1: techniques of self hypnosis. The terminology is different, but the
- 1:05:29Speaker 1: approach is the same. With these techniques, there is an
- 1:05:33Speaker 1: aim to direct thinking, picturization, positive thinking, suggestions, and constructive
- 1:05:39Speaker 1: thoughts or images to the inner self or real self.
- 1:05:43Speaker 1: Aren't they once again really talking about the sub conscious mind?
- 1:05:47Speaker 1: I have no argument with any workable approach to emotional maturity,
- 1:05:52Speaker 1: but in many cases we are actually becoming involved with
- 1:05:55Speaker 1: the meaning of words semantics. The quickest way to the
- 1:05:59Speaker 1: soul unconscious is through self hypnosis. In this self hypnotic state,
- 1:06:05Speaker 1: you are able to consciously direct suggestions to your subconscious mind.
- 1:06:11Speaker 1: End of chapter four, Chapter five, how to Arouse Yourself
- 1:06:16Speaker 1: from the self hypnotic state. You will note that this
- 1:06:20Speaker 1: chapter precedes instruction on how to attain self hypnosis. The
- 1:06:24Speaker 1: reason for this is to alleviate whatever anxiety you may
- 1:06:28Speaker 1: have in regard to the question, if I'm hypnotized, how
- 1:06:32Speaker 1: do I awaken myself? It is important to understand that
- 1:06:37Speaker 1: even though you are hypnotized, you are in control. You
- 1:06:40Speaker 1: are aware of your surroundings, what is going on about.
- 1:06:44Speaker 1: You can think clearly and can arouse yourself very easily.
- 1:06:48Speaker 1: It is only necessary to say or think, I shall
- 1:06:52Speaker 1: now open my eyes and wake up feeling fine. You
- 1:06:56Speaker 1: could also give yourself a specific count and say, as
- 1:07:00Speaker 1: I count to five, I'll open my eyes and wake
- 1:07:03Speaker 1: up feeling wonderfully well and refreshed. One, two, three, four five.
- 1:07:13Speaker 1: It should be remembered that while we sometimes use the
- 1:07:16Speaker 1: words sleep to describe the hypnotic state, we are not
- 1:07:20Speaker 1: actually referring to true sleep. This accounts for much of
- 1:07:23Speaker 1: the confusion. The individual thinks, if I'm asleep, how can
- 1:07:29Speaker 1: I awaken myself? If the subject were asleep in the
- 1:07:32Speaker 1: true sense of the word, this would be impossible. Actually,
- 1:07:37Speaker 1: the subject is in a special or heightened state of awareness.
- 1:07:41Speaker 1: In self hypnosis, he is extremely conscious, although his general
- 1:07:46Speaker 1: physical appearance is one of passiveness. In the self hypnotic state,
- 1:07:51Speaker 1: the individual consciously gives himself whatever suggestions he desires. This
- 1:07:56Speaker 1: proves he is conscious and therefore can't awaken himself with
- 1:08:01Speaker 1: the appropriate suggestions. Occasionally, the subject falls asleep while giving
- 1:08:07Speaker 1: him self suggestions or while relaxing to get into the
- 1:08:10Speaker 1: right psychological mood. Naturally, in this case, the subject will
- 1:08:16Speaker 1: awaken in due course. If the subject practices hypnosis when
- 1:08:21Speaker 1: he is normally set to fall asleep in bed, he
- 1:08:24Speaker 1: would awaken refreshed in the morning at his usual time.
- 1:08:28Speaker 1: Before beginning to give yourself therapeutic suggestions, you could give
- 1:08:32Speaker 1: yourself the following suggestions, which give you a specific length
- 1:08:36Speaker 1: of time that you will work with self hypnosis. I
- 1:08:40Speaker 1: shall work with self hypnosis for fifteen minutes. At the
- 1:08:44Speaker 1: end of that time, I shall open my eyes and
- 1:08:47Speaker 1: wake up feeling wonderfully well, wide awake, confident, cheerful, and optimistic.
- 1:08:52Speaker 1: The moment I open my eyes, I'll feel refreshed. In
- 1:08:56Speaker 1: case of any outside danger, I'll be able to awaken
- 1:08:59Speaker 1: a meeting idly, be fully alert, and act accordingly. You
- 1:09:04Speaker 1: will notice that these suggestions take into consideration the possibility
- 1:09:08Speaker 1: of something happening of danger to the individual, such as fire,
- 1:09:13Speaker 1: et cetera. These points arise in the minds of most
- 1:09:17Speaker 1: individuals attempting self hypnosis and are well taken. You could
- 1:09:21Speaker 1: also set an alarm clock to awaken you at a
- 1:09:24Speaker 1: designated time. Let us assume to arouse yourself, you gave
- 1:09:29Speaker 1: yourself a suggestion to open your eyes and be wide
- 1:09:32Speaker 1: awake at the count of five, you count to five,
- 1:09:35Speaker 1: and for some reason you are unable to open your eyes.
- 1:09:39Speaker 1: First of all, don't worry, remain relaxed and give yourself
- 1:09:43Speaker 1: the suggestions over again, emphasizing to yourself that at the
- 1:09:47Speaker 1: count of five you will absolutely, positively be able to
- 1:09:51Speaker 1: open your eyes very easily and will feel fine. You
- 1:09:55Speaker 1: then begin the count again, reiterating between each number that
- 1:10:00Speaker 1: you will positively open your eyes at the count of
- 1:10:03Speaker 1: five and be wide awake. This should do it? Should
- 1:10:06Speaker 1: this not do it? May I reassure you again, don't
- 1:10:10Speaker 1: become alarmed. Relax for a few minutes, and try again.
- 1:10:14Speaker 1: You'll be able to open your eyes and wake up.
- 1:10:18Speaker 1: I hope I haven't frightened you with the prospect of
- 1:10:20Speaker 1: not being able to awaken. I bring this up only
- 1:10:23Speaker 1: to acquaint you with the procedure to use. Actually, the
- 1:10:27Speaker 1: problem of dehypnotization is a rare one. I should point
- 1:10:31Speaker 1: out a very important fact. I have never had a
- 1:10:35Speaker 1: subject practicing or using self hypnosis tell me he had
- 1:10:39Speaker 1: the least bit of difficulty in awakening himself from the
- 1:10:42Speaker 1: self induced hypnotic state. I have had persons tell me
- 1:10:46Speaker 1: that they heard or read of a case where the
- 1:10:48Speaker 1: hypnotist could not bring the subject out of the hypnotic state,
- 1:10:52Speaker 1: and as a result, the subject slept for so many days.
- 1:10:56Speaker 1: Not one of those stories could be documented your ago.
- 1:11:00Speaker 1: For publicity purposes, stage hypnotists would have a subject sleep
- 1:11:05Speaker 1: in a store window for several days. This was on
- 1:11:09Speaker 1: a voluntary basis, though, and should not be confused with
- 1:11:12Speaker 1: what we are discussing. In working with subjects, I have
- 1:11:16Speaker 1: very rarely had a subject who did not awaken at
- 1:11:19Speaker 1: a specific count, but I have had this experience. I
- 1:11:23Speaker 1: have usually found that the subject is so relaxed that
- 1:11:27Speaker 1: he just didn't want to awaken for fear of losing
- 1:11:30Speaker 1: this pleasant sensation. When the subject doesn't awaken, I merely
- 1:11:34Speaker 1: ask him in a calm manner, why don't you wish
- 1:11:37Speaker 1: to wake up? You can answer me without awakening from
- 1:11:40Speaker 1: the hypnotic state. He usually replies he liked to remain
- 1:11:45Speaker 1: in this state for another five minutes or so. I
- 1:11:48Speaker 1: agree to this extended period while getting a firm commitment
- 1:11:52Speaker 1: from him that he will awaken after this period. This
- 1:11:55Speaker 1: is usually sufficient to bring the subject out of the
- 1:11:58Speaker 1: hypnotic state. Occasionally, the instructions to wake up are not
- 1:12:03Speaker 1: clear to the subject. If this is the case, clearer
- 1:12:07Speaker 1: instructions should be given. You could also deepen the hypnotic
- 1:12:11Speaker 1: state and then give suggestions to awaken at a specific
- 1:12:15Speaker 1: count in a very authoritarian manner. Every so often I
- 1:12:20Speaker 1: have found that the subject has fallen into a natural
- 1:12:22Speaker 1: sleep and just hasn't heard the instructions. In this case,
- 1:12:27Speaker 1: I raise my voice, which is usually sufficient, or gently
- 1:12:31Speaker 1: shake the subject, awakening him as you would any sleeping person.
- 1:12:36Speaker 1: I would like to relate a rather interesting experience that
- 1:12:39Speaker 1: I had with a male subject. I had worked with
- 1:12:42Speaker 1: this particular subject six times previous to this occasion. He
- 1:12:47Speaker 1: was a good hypnotic subject, and he failed to awaken
- 1:12:50Speaker 1: in the usual manner. Since he had carried out several
- 1:12:54Speaker 1: post hypnotic suggestions, it was rather perplexing to analyze what
- 1:12:58Speaker 1: had happened. After about ten minutes, he finally agreed while
- 1:13:03Speaker 1: he was under hypnosis to awaken at a given count.
- 1:13:07Speaker 1: I asked him what was the nature of the difficulty.
- 1:13:10Speaker 1: He replied, I wanted to see how you would react.
- 1:13:14Speaker 1: In conclusion, having difficulty in dehypnotizing yourself is extremely rare.
- 1:13:20Speaker 1: Should it happen, Keep calm and repeat the suggestions with emphasis.
- 1:13:26Speaker 1: Even in hetero hypnosis, where the hypnotist hypnotizes a subject,
- 1:13:31Speaker 1: it is extremely rare. There are explainable psychodynamic factors for this. However,
- 1:13:38Speaker 1: they can be met adequately while the subject is under hypnosis.
- 1:13:43Speaker 1: End of Chapter five, Chapter six, How to attain self hypnosis.
- 1:13:50Speaker 1: Let us begin with the hypothesis that anyone can learn
- 1:13:53Speaker 1: in practice to some degree, the science of self hypnosis.
- 1:13:58Speaker 1: We shall assume that you you have carefully thought out
- 1:14:01Speaker 1: what you want to accomplish. You have, through self analysis,
- 1:14:06Speaker 1: come up with reasonable goals of therapy and self improvement.
- 1:14:09Speaker 1: The next step is the acquisition of the hypnotic state
- 1:14:13Speaker 1: per se. Before giving you the specific instructions, I would
- 1:14:17Speaker 1: like to clarify a question which invariably arises in teaching
- 1:14:21Speaker 1: a student self hypnosis. It is are the suggestions that
- 1:14:26Speaker 1: I give myself as effective as the ones you would
- 1:14:29Speaker 1: give me in hetero hypnosis? It is natural to assume
- 1:14:33Speaker 1: that the suggestions of the hypnotist would be more effective
- 1:14:37Speaker 1: than those given by the subject himself, but both have
- 1:14:40Speaker 1: the same intrinsic value. It is well to remember that
- 1:14:43Speaker 1: all hypnosis is really self hypnosis, and all hetero suggestions
- 1:14:49Speaker 1: are transposed into self suggestions. If the hypnotist firmly suggests,
- 1:14:54Speaker 1: from this moment, you will feel very confident in all
- 1:14:57Speaker 1: life situations, the subject automatically and unconsciously rephrases the statement
- 1:15:04Speaker 1: from this moment, I will feel very confident in all
- 1:15:08Speaker 1: life situations. The subject, ordinarily mentally or allowed repeats all
- 1:15:15Speaker 1: suggestions using the pronoun I instead of you. The easiest
- 1:15:19Speaker 1: and quickest way to learn self hypnosis is to be
- 1:15:22Speaker 1: hypnotized and given a post hypnotic suggestion to the effect
- 1:15:27Speaker 1: that you will be able to put yourself into the
- 1:15:29Speaker 1: hypnotic state at a given stimulus whenever you desire to
- 1:15:33Speaker 1: do so. The hypnotist need not be a professional. Anyone
- 1:15:37Speaker 1: understanding the rudiments of hypnosis can do this. However, let
- 1:15:42Speaker 1: us assume you want to learn self hypnosis and cannot
- 1:15:45Speaker 1: find help. If you understand and consciously practice the instructions
- 1:15:49Speaker 1: that I shall outline, you will attain your goal. Sit
- 1:15:53Speaker 1: in an easy chair or recline on a sofa or bed. Next,
- 1:15:58Speaker 1: choose a point of eye fixation on the ceiling, preferably
- 1:16:02Speaker 1: a spot behind you, which would normally cause eye fatigue
- 1:16:05Speaker 1: or strain. Now, breathe very slowly, and deeply. As you
- 1:16:10Speaker 1: do this, repeat aloud or mentally the words sleep as
- 1:16:15Speaker 1: you inhale and deep sleep as you exhale. Do this
- 1:16:19Speaker 1: for several minutes in a very monotonous manner, until such
- 1:16:23Speaker 1: a time as you find yourself getting drowsy. Next, suggest
- 1:16:27Speaker 1: to yourself that your eyelids are becoming heavy and tired.
- 1:16:31Speaker 1: The goal is to acquire eye closure. Using this method,
- 1:16:35Speaker 1: you want to reach a state where it is uncomfortable
- 1:16:38Speaker 1: to keep the eyes open. Once you get your eyes
- 1:16:41Speaker 1: closing seemingly of their own volition, you have reached the
- 1:16:45Speaker 1: first step in achieving self hypnosis. You can repeat to
- 1:16:49Speaker 1: yourself such suggestions as my eyelids are becoming very heavy
- 1:16:54Speaker 1: and tired, my eyes are becoming very watery, my eyelids
- 1:16:59Speaker 1: are blinking. I just want to close my eyes. The
- 1:17:03Speaker 1: moment I close my eyelids, I shall fall into a deep,
- 1:17:07Speaker 1: sound hypnotic sleep. Even though in a deep state of hypnosis,
- 1:17:12Speaker 1: I shall be aware of my surroundings and be able
- 1:17:15Speaker 1: to direct post hypnotic suggestions to my subconscious mind. When
- 1:17:19Speaker 1: your eyelids actually become heavy, or when your eyes actually
- 1:17:23Speaker 1: begin to water, you intensify these feelings by repeating affirmative
- 1:17:28Speaker 1: suggestions along these very lines. This is known as the
- 1:17:32Speaker 1: feedback technique and helps to reinforce the actual condition that exists.
- 1:17:38Speaker 1: Proceeding in this way hastens the actual closing of the eyes,
- 1:17:42Speaker 1: an attainment of the hypnotic state. Per se let us.
- 1:17:46Speaker 1: Assume that you practice this procedure and seemingly nothing happens.
- 1:17:51Speaker 1: Continue to practice it again and again until such a
- 1:17:54Speaker 1: time as you are able to achieve an eye closure.
- 1:17:57Speaker 1: You will eventually be able to do this within an
- 1:17:59Speaker 1: our relatively short period of time. One of the best
- 1:18:03Speaker 1: times to practice the technique just given is when you
- 1:18:07Speaker 1: are falling asleep at night. The lights are out and
- 1:18:10Speaker 1: you are lying in bed. Choose an imaginary spot above
- 1:18:14Speaker 1: and behind your eye level so there is some strain
- 1:18:17Speaker 1: on the eye muscles. Now begin giving your self suggestions
- 1:18:21Speaker 1: that your eyelids are becoming heavy, etc. The reason this
- 1:18:25Speaker 1: period is such an excellent time to practice self hypnosis
- 1:18:29Speaker 1: is that the suggestions you give yourself spill over into
- 1:18:32Speaker 1: your subconscious as you drift from consciousness to unconsciousness. It's
- 1:18:38Speaker 1: like telling yourself to wake up at a certain time
- 1:18:40Speaker 1: in the morning. The suggestion reaches your subconscious and activates
- 1:18:45Speaker 1: you consciously to awaken. Using this approach, you can give
- 1:18:49Speaker 1: yourself dynamic constructive suggestions at this time, as well as
- 1:18:54Speaker 1: giving yourself the post hypnotic suggestion that the next time
- 1:18:57Speaker 1: you practice self hypnosis you fall into a deeper sound
- 1:19:01Speaker 1: hypnotic state at the count of three. You also emphasize
- 1:19:06Speaker 1: that your eyelids will close involuntarily whenever you relax for
- 1:19:10Speaker 1: five minutes and afterwards count to three. This conditioning process
- 1:19:15Speaker 1: will be augmented by the use of the sleep period.
- 1:19:19Speaker 1: The suggestions will tend to work unconsciously during this period
- 1:19:23Speaker 1: and hasten your attainment of the constructive goals as well
- 1:19:26Speaker 1: as the self hypnotic goal itself. Once you have achieved
- 1:19:31Speaker 1: eye closure, deepen the hypnotic state by the following suggestions.
- 1:19:35Speaker 1: As I count to three, I shall go deeper and
- 1:19:38Speaker 1: deeper into a profound hypnotic state. I count to three,
- 1:19:44Speaker 1: I shall find myself becoming more and more relaxed. As
- 1:19:48Speaker 1: I count to three, I shall fall into a deep
- 1:19:51Speaker 1: hypnotic state. You repeat these suggestions many times, actually trying
- 1:19:56Speaker 1: on a conscious level to feel sleepier or relaxed more
- 1:20:01Speaker 1: at ease. In doing this, you take on the characteristics
- 1:20:05Speaker 1: of a deeply hypnotized subject. Part of the difficulty in
- 1:20:10Speaker 1: learning self hypnosis is that the subject is aiming at
- 1:20:13Speaker 1: a state of mind in which he has no experience.
- 1:20:17Speaker 1: If I say act happy or act sad, there is
- 1:20:21Speaker 1: an immediate reaction from your experiential background, and you can
- 1:20:25Speaker 1: react accordingly. If you have never seen anyone hypnotized, and
- 1:20:30Speaker 1: I say act as though you were hypnotized, you must
- 1:20:34Speaker 1: of necessity act in a manner that you would assume
- 1:20:37Speaker 1: approximated that of hypnosis. If you had actually seen someone hypnotized,
- 1:20:43Speaker 1: you would naturally take on the characteristics you had observed.
- 1:20:47Speaker 1: This would either be done consciously or unconsciously. Some individuals
- 1:20:52Speaker 1: describe the hypnotic state as a state of complete relaxation.
- 1:20:56Speaker 1: Many get a feeling of detachment, Others feeling of dissociation,
- 1:21:01Speaker 1: as though their entire being was only thought. Some get
- 1:21:05Speaker 1: a floating or drifting feeling, likening the experience to line
- 1:21:10Speaker 1: deep clouds. Others experience a heavy, pleasant sinking feeling. Still
- 1:21:16Speaker 1: others get a feeling of peace and serenity. Many describe
- 1:21:21Speaker 1: the hypnotic state as being akin to the state just
- 1:21:24Speaker 1: prior to falling asleep or like daydreaming, and they experience
- 1:21:28Speaker 1: the same reactions. Yet there are some who do not
- 1:21:32Speaker 1: feel a definite change. They describe it by saying, I
- 1:21:36Speaker 1: just felt that I had my eyes closed, I heard
- 1:21:39Speaker 1: everything and was completely aware at all times. Since it
- 1:21:43Speaker 1: is possible to direct your feelings reactions, I would suggest
- 1:21:48Speaker 1: that you aim for a completely relaxed, comfortable state. You
- 1:21:52Speaker 1: have now reached the point where your eyes are closed
- 1:21:55Speaker 1: and you have given yourself further suggestions to deepen the
- 1:21:58Speaker 1: state of hypnosis. This has taken from about six to
- 1:22:02Speaker 1: ten minutes. You are not sure, though, that you are
- 1:22:05Speaker 1: under hypnosis. There are many ways to test this, and
- 1:22:09Speaker 1: I shall outline one of these tests later in this chapter. However,
- 1:22:14Speaker 1: for your initial attempts, it isn't too important whether or
- 1:22:18Speaker 1: not you are under hypnosis. You are still to give
- 1:22:21Speaker 1: yourself the post hypnotic suggestion that the next time you
- 1:22:25Speaker 1: attempt to hypnotize yourself you will fall into a deeper
- 1:22:28Speaker 1: and sounder state. After you have relaxed for about five
- 1:22:32Speaker 1: minutes and counted to three. In your initial attempts, you
- 1:22:36Speaker 1: will be trying to establish a conditioned response to the
- 1:22:40Speaker 1: count of three, which will subsequently cause your eyes to
- 1:22:43Speaker 1: close and put you under hypnosis. Eventually, you should react
- 1:22:48Speaker 1: instantly to the count of three or any other cue
- 1:22:52Speaker 1: you may use to trigger the response. The key words
- 1:22:56Speaker 1: or stimulus become associated with the action that you seek.
- 1:23:00Speaker 1: Through repetition, just thinking about the stimulus can bring on
- 1:23:04Speaker 1: the response. This is known as ideo motor action and
- 1:23:09Speaker 1: is present in the waking as well as the hypnotic state.
- 1:23:13Speaker 1: Pav Law's famous experiments, which induced dogs to salivate when
- 1:23:17Speaker 1: a bell was rung after previously having food fed to
- 1:23:21Speaker 1: them at the same time, are examples of this type
- 1:23:24Speaker 1: of conditioning. Don't we generally become hungry if someone tells
- 1:23:28Speaker 1: us it's noon and time for lunch, when in fact
- 1:23:32Speaker 1: it's only eleven o'clock. I had a common experience recently
- 1:23:36Speaker 1: that I'm sure many readers have shared. One of my neighbors,
- 1:23:40Speaker 1: seeing my car was parked in front of my house,
- 1:23:43Speaker 1: and knowing I was home, called to say he was
- 1:23:46Speaker 1: dropping in to see me. While working on the manuscript
- 1:23:50Speaker 1: of this book, I thought I heard the door bell
- 1:23:52Speaker 1: as I was typing. I went to the front door
- 1:23:55Speaker 1: and no one was there. I even walked around the
- 1:23:58Speaker 1: house looking for him. Because I was so certain I
- 1:24:01Speaker 1: heard the bell. This is another example of an ideomotor action.
- 1:24:06Speaker 1: I told my friend about it when he arrived approximately
- 1:24:10Speaker 1: thirty minutes later. He looked at me rather whimsically and
- 1:24:13Speaker 1: we both shared a laugh. Haven't you thought you heard
- 1:24:16Speaker 1: the phone ring when you were waiting for a call?
- 1:24:20Speaker 1: In the chapter how does Self Hypnosis Work? Stress was
- 1:24:24Speaker 1: laid on the importance of the visual imagery technique. During
- 1:24:27Speaker 1: every attempt to achieve some hypnosis, you attempt to visualize
- 1:24:31Speaker 1: yourself going into the hypnotic state. Once you have deepened
- 1:24:35Speaker 1: the state, you begin the process of visualizing yourself exactly
- 1:24:39Speaker 1: the way you want to be. You may experience difficulty
- 1:24:43Speaker 1: at first, but as you keep at it, you will
- 1:24:46Speaker 1: be able to picture yourself the way you want You
- 1:24:49Speaker 1: use the visual imagery technique. Whether you think you are
- 1:24:53Speaker 1: under hypnosis or not, these images become clear as you
- 1:24:57Speaker 1: constantly hammer home these suggestions. This is the exact procedure necessary,
- 1:25:02Speaker 1: and you needn't complicate it. Let us suppose that you
- 1:25:06Speaker 1: are getting your eyelids to close at the count of
- 1:25:08Speaker 1: three and have achieved a good state of relaxation. With
- 1:25:12Speaker 1: these prerequisites, you can't anticipate going deeper into the hypnotic state.
- 1:25:17Speaker 1: Actually being able to get the eyes to close at
- 1:25:20Speaker 1: a specific count is the first level in determining if
- 1:25:24Speaker 1: the subject has gone under hypnosis. If you have conditioned
- 1:25:28Speaker 1: yourself this far, then you can go to the next step.
- 1:25:31Speaker 1: The next test is called the swallowing test. You mentally
- 1:25:35Speaker 1: give yourself suggestions that as you slowly to yourself count
- 1:25:40Speaker 1: to ten, you will get an irresistible urge to swallow
- 1:25:44Speaker 1: one time. You further suggest that this will happen even
- 1:25:47Speaker 1: before you reach the count of ten. You then begin
- 1:25:50Speaker 1: to count. One My throat is parched, and I feel
- 1:25:55Speaker 1: an irresistible urge to swallow one time. Two, my lips
- 1:26:00Speaker 1: are becoming very dry, and I feel an irresistible urge
- 1:26:04Speaker 1: to swallow. Three, my throat feels very high, and I
- 1:26:09Speaker 1: feel an irresistible urge to swallow one time. Four, before
- 1:26:14Speaker 1: I reach the count of ten, the urge to swallow
- 1:26:17Speaker 1: one time will become irresistible because my lips and throat
- 1:26:21Speaker 1: are so dry. Five. Once I swallow, I shall no
- 1:26:26Speaker 1: longer have the urge to swallow again. And as I
- 1:26:29Speaker 1: swallow one time, I shall fall into a deeper and
- 1:26:33Speaker 1: sounder state of hypnosis, continue with similar suggestions, repeating and
- 1:26:38Speaker 1: affirming the suggestions about swallowing. Once you actually swallow, you
- 1:26:44Speaker 1: discontinue the suggestions and instead give yourself suggestions that you
- 1:26:49Speaker 1: are falling deeper and deeper into a sound hypnotic state,
- 1:26:53Speaker 1: and that the constructive suggestions you now give yourself will
- 1:26:56Speaker 1: work for you. Once again, you practice visual imagery, seeing
- 1:27:01Speaker 1: yourself the way you want to be, while fortifying this
- 1:27:04Speaker 1: image with forceful positive suggestions. You close by giving yourself
- 1:27:10Speaker 1: suggestions that you will enter the hypnotic state whenever you
- 1:27:13Speaker 1: relax for five minutes and count to three. The suggestions
- 1:27:18Speaker 1: are just as effective, whether given aloud or mentally. Many
- 1:27:22Speaker 1: subjects report that they are reluctant when it comes to
- 1:27:24Speaker 1: giving suggestions to themselves. I can only say that as
- 1:27:28Speaker 1: you continue to work with yourself, you will develop confidence
- 1:27:32Speaker 1: in giving yourself suggestions. In order for the suggestions to
- 1:27:36Speaker 1: be effective, they cannot be given in a reticent or
- 1:27:39Speaker 1: hesitant manner. They must be given with enthusiasm and anticipation.
- 1:27:45Speaker 1: If you assiduously follow these instructions, you will derive the
- 1:27:49Speaker 1: benefits you seek in the shortest possible time and witness
- 1:27:53Speaker 1: the positive tangible results of your suggestions and efforts. In
- 1:27:57Speaker 1: the next chapter, you'll learn how to deepen the self
- 1:28:01Speaker 1: hypnotic state. End of chapter six, Chapter seven Deepening the
- 1:28:08Speaker 1: self hypnotic state. For each progressive test, it is usually
- 1:28:12Speaker 1: necessary to have accomplished the preceding tests. However, this is
- 1:28:17Speaker 1: not an absolute rule. Frequently a subject responds to tests
- 1:28:22Speaker 1: at the beginning of the depth scale, and then to
- 1:28:25Speaker 1: others at the end of the depth scale. Certain tests
- 1:28:28Speaker 1: in between do not work. I have had the following
- 1:28:32Speaker 1: experience more than once while teaching one of my classes
- 1:28:36Speaker 1: in self hypnosis. In testing the depth of hypnosis, I
- 1:28:41Speaker 1: run the gamut of all the tests from light to deep,
- 1:28:44Speaker 1: and this way the subject can ascertain how far he
- 1:28:47Speaker 1: has progressed. One frequent test for the deep state is
- 1:28:52Speaker 1: to give the subject a post hypnotic suggestion to the
- 1:28:55Speaker 1: effect that the next cigarette he smokes will have a
- 1:28:59Speaker 1: vile taste and it will be absolutely impossible for him
- 1:29:03Speaker 1: to take more than three puffs. It is further suggested
- 1:29:07Speaker 1: that after the third puff, the cigarette taste will be
- 1:29:10Speaker 1: so unbearable it will become necessary for him to extinguish
- 1:29:14Speaker 1: the cigarette. We can expect an excellent hypnotic subject to
- 1:29:19Speaker 1: comply with these post hypnotic suggestions. But a subject who
- 1:29:23Speaker 1: hasn't even passed the eye closure test, test number one
- 1:29:28Speaker 1: or any other test may unexpectedly react perfectly to the
- 1:29:32Speaker 1: cigarette test, which we know as a standard test for
- 1:29:36Speaker 1: determining if the subject has entered into a deep state
- 1:29:39Speaker 1: of hypnosis. How can you account for it? There is
- 1:29:43Speaker 1: no simple or positive answer. If we hadn't given him
- 1:29:47Speaker 1: this particular test, he would have felt that he wasn't
- 1:29:50Speaker 1: making progress in his determination to become a good hypnotic subject.
- 1:29:55Speaker 1: Because of this, he might not have given himself therapeutic
- 1:29:59Speaker 1: suggestion questions because he wouldn't feel he had reached a
- 1:30:02Speaker 1: state of hypnosis which would benefit him. Remember the following
- 1:30:07Speaker 1: instructions of giving yourself whatever therapeutic suggestions you want, regardless
- 1:30:12Speaker 1: of the fact that you feel that nothing has happened.
- 1:30:16Speaker 1: I have seen many subjects who were bewildered because certain
- 1:30:20Speaker 1: tests did not work, yet were pleased because of very
- 1:30:23Speaker 1: gratifying overall results from using self hypnosis. They were baffled
- 1:30:29Speaker 1: because of their inability to pass certain tests, which they
- 1:30:32Speaker 1: felt were a prerequisite to the success of constructive suggestions.
- 1:30:36Speaker 1: They gave themselves. It is commonly felt that the deeper
- 1:30:40Speaker 1: the state of hypnosis, the better the results. In actual practice,
- 1:30:46Speaker 1: I have not found this to be so. I have
- 1:30:48Speaker 1: had excellent results in a relatively short period of time
- 1:30:52Speaker 1: with subjects who only achieved a light state, and it
- 1:30:56Speaker 1: has been necessary to work with others who achieved a
- 1:30:59Speaker 1: deep statue hypnosis for a longer period before lasting results
- 1:31:04Speaker 1: were in evidence. Naturally, each individual presents a different set
- 1:31:09Speaker 1: of needs, and even though the symptoms may be basically
- 1:31:13Speaker 1: the same, each will respond favorably when his requirements are met.
- 1:31:18Speaker 1: This happens on a conscious as well as an unconscious level.
- 1:31:22Speaker 1: For example, the mere assurance by a physician that the
- 1:31:26Speaker 1: patient is all right and has nothing to worry about
- 1:31:30Speaker 1: is often sufficient to bring about desirable results. Another example
- 1:31:35Speaker 1: is the mother who stops the sobbing of her hurt
- 1:31:37Speaker 1: child by a loving kiss. A logical approach pointing out
- 1:31:43Speaker 1: to the child that he really didn't hurt himself would
- 1:31:46Speaker 1: never have worked. We have all heard stories of primitive
- 1:31:50Speaker 1: tribesmen who have died because they knew they were the
- 1:31:53Speaker 1: object of death wishes by another member of the tribe.
- 1:31:57Speaker 1: The key to achieving a greater depth of self hypnosis
- 1:32:01Speaker 1: lies in the use of the visual imagery technique. You
- 1:32:05Speaker 1: see yourself going into the hypnotic state deeper and deeper.
- 1:32:10Speaker 1: You even picture yourself using this technique passing various progressive
- 1:32:15Speaker 1: hypnotic tests. The second part of the key lies in
- 1:32:19Speaker 1: giving yourself a post hypnotic suggestion that each succeeding attempt
- 1:32:24Speaker 1: will put you into a deeper state as a result
- 1:32:27Speaker 1: of a given stimulus, such as the count of three.
- 1:32:31Speaker 1: The following instruction should not be attempted, usually unless you
- 1:32:35Speaker 1: have been successful in achieving the two basic tests, the
- 1:32:39Speaker 1: eye closure as well as the uncontrollable urge to swallow,
- 1:32:44Speaker 1: followed by the physical act of swallowing at a specific count.
- 1:32:48Speaker 1: If the conditioning process works for these two tests, you
- 1:32:52Speaker 1: have achieved the lethargic state of hypnosis. This is the
- 1:32:56Speaker 1: first state of hypnosis and is generally referred as the
- 1:33:00Speaker 1: light state. Therapeutic suggestions can work admirably in this state.
- 1:33:06Speaker 1: The next state of hypnosis is known as the cataleptic
- 1:33:10Speaker 1: state and is referred to as the medium state. Generally,
- 1:33:15Speaker 1: hypnosis is divided into three states, the lethargic light state,
- 1:33:20Speaker 1: the cataleptic medium, state and the somnambulistic deep state. As
- 1:33:27Speaker 1: you deepen the hypnotic state, you can accomplish the progressive
- 1:33:31Speaker 1: tests that I shall outline for you. I'll also number
- 1:33:35Speaker 1: these tests for the convenience of having a reference. Deepening
- 1:33:39Speaker 1: the hypnotic state requires the same type of practice or
- 1:33:43Speaker 1: conditioning as the first two steps. Let us call eeclosure
- 1:33:48Speaker 1: number one and swallowing number two. We are now ready
- 1:33:53Speaker 1: to proceed to the hand tangling test number three. You
- 1:33:58Speaker 1: have just completed tests number one and two. You are
- 1:34:01Speaker 1: in a completely relaxed state. Now give yourself the following suggestions.
- 1:34:07Speaker 1: As I count to ten, and even before I reach
- 1:34:10Speaker 1: the count of ten, I shall feel light, tingling or
- 1:34:14Speaker 1: numb feeling in my right hand. As you slowly begin
- 1:34:18Speaker 1: the count of ten, you keep repeating suggestions to the
- 1:34:21Speaker 1: effect that your right hand is beginning to tingle. Once again,
- 1:34:26Speaker 1: you practice the technique of visual imagery, tapping your experiential
- 1:34:31Speaker 1: background for this feeling. You can recall how it feels
- 1:34:35Speaker 1: when your hand goes to sleep. Once you get an
- 1:34:38Speaker 1: initial feeling of lightness, tingling, or numbness, reinforce this feeling
- 1:34:43Speaker 1: by the feedback technique, as you did with the eye
- 1:34:47Speaker 1: closure test. As you practice this procedure, it will work
- 1:34:51Speaker 1: with greater effectiveness. The following is a very important point
- 1:34:56Speaker 1: to remember. Be sure that you give yourself a post ti,
- 1:35:00Speaker 1: not a suggestion that the tingling, light or numb sensation
- 1:35:04Speaker 1: will disappear as you continue to count to fifteen. For example,
- 1:35:10Speaker 1: as I count to fifteen, the tingling feeling in my
- 1:35:13Speaker 1: right hand will disappear and I shall experience only normal sensations. Eleven,
- 1:35:20Speaker 1: the tingling feeling is leaving. Twelve, Now it is leaving faster. Thirteen,
- 1:35:29Speaker 1: I can feel my hand returning to normal. Fourteen the
- 1:35:34Speaker 1: tingling has left. Fifteen My right hand feels perfectly normal.
- 1:35:41Speaker 1: You could try a variation of this test by saying
- 1:35:44Speaker 1: your nose or one of your toes will itch at
- 1:35:48Speaker 1: a specific count. Once this test is accomplished, you are
- 1:35:52Speaker 1: ready for the foot test number four. You will remember
- 1:35:57Speaker 1: that the key to achieving a greater depth of hypnosis
- 1:36:00Speaker 1: lies in visualizing yourself going deeper with each attempt and
- 1:36:04Speaker 1: accomplishing progressive hypnotic tests. Keep this in mind for a moment.
- 1:36:10Speaker 1: Let us go back to the hand tingling test number three.
- 1:36:15Speaker 1: Once you have been successful in accomplishing this test, use
- 1:36:18Speaker 1: the visual imagery technique to see yourself successfully responding to
- 1:36:23Speaker 1: the foot test. Once you have actually accomplished test number four,
- 1:36:28Speaker 1: you see yourself accomplishing the hand levitation test number five.
- 1:36:33Speaker 1: In other words, you use each step to enhance a
- 1:36:37Speaker 1: greater receptivity for the following progressive test. As you couple
- 1:36:42Speaker 1: this approach with post hypnotic suggestions that you will go
- 1:36:46Speaker 1: deeper and deeper into the hypnotic state at a given stimulus,
- 1:36:50Speaker 1: you set into motion a conditioned response mechanism which must
- 1:36:54Speaker 1: ultimately guide you into a profound state of hypnosis. The
- 1:36:59Speaker 1: foot test can be accomplished while sitting or lying down.
- 1:37:02Speaker 1: The idea of this test is to imagine that your
- 1:37:06Speaker 1: feet are stuck to the floor, or that your legs
- 1:37:08Speaker 1: are so heavy that they are impossible to raise until
- 1:37:12Speaker 1: you reach a certain count. It is best to begin
- 1:37:16Speaker 1: this test by trying to capture a heavy, relaxed feeling
- 1:37:19Speaker 1: in your legs. You give yourself specific suggestions along these lines.
- 1:37:25Speaker 1: As I count to five, I shall notice a very heavy, relaxed,
- 1:37:30Speaker 1: pleasant feeling in both legs. It will be a very
- 1:37:34Speaker 1: comfortable feeling, a feeling of complete relaxation. You then begin
- 1:37:39Speaker 1: the count of ten, following out the idea of the
- 1:37:43Speaker 1: other tests that you have successfully accomplished. You should remember
- 1:37:47Speaker 1: that there is no time limit, and you take as
- 1:37:50Speaker 1: much time as you need in order to get to
- 1:37:52Speaker 1: the relaxed heavy feeling. Once you get the relaxed heavy feeling,
- 1:37:57Speaker 1: you use the visual imagery technique to try to picture
- 1:38:01Speaker 1: your legs stuck to the floor. If you are lying down,
- 1:38:05Speaker 1: imagine you are covered by a heavy blanket which is
- 1:38:09Speaker 1: tightly tucked under the mattress, making it impossible for you
- 1:38:12Speaker 1: to raise your legs if sitting up, I tell the
- 1:38:16Speaker 1: subject to imagine that his shoes are stuck to the
- 1:38:19Speaker 1: floor with iron glue, and since his feet are in
- 1:38:23Speaker 1: the shoes, it is impossible to lift them until the
- 1:38:26Speaker 1: specific count which will enable him to do so. Here
- 1:38:30Speaker 1: are the suggestions you can use for the second part
- 1:38:32Speaker 1: of this test. As I continue to count to ten,
- 1:38:36Speaker 1: I shall find that it will be impossible for me
- 1:38:39Speaker 1: to raise my legs. I shall try at the count
- 1:38:42Speaker 1: of ten, but it will be absolutely impossible to raise
- 1:38:46Speaker 1: my legs until I count to fifteen. At that time
- 1:38:50Speaker 1: I shall be able to raise my legs easily, and
- 1:38:53Speaker 1: the heavy feeling will leave as well. You then continue
- 1:38:57Speaker 1: with the count, giving yourself appropriate suggestion. Once this test
- 1:39:02Speaker 1: is accomplished, you use the visual imagery technique to see
- 1:39:06Speaker 1: yourself accomplishing the hand levitation test number five. Be sure
- 1:39:12Speaker 1: you give yourself the post hypnotic suggestion that the next
- 1:39:15Speaker 1: time you hypnotize yourself, you will fall into a deeper
- 1:39:19Speaker 1: and sounder state. I'll assume that you have been able
- 1:39:23Speaker 1: to get a relaxed, heavy feeling in your legs. You
- 1:39:26Speaker 1: have reached the count of five and are ready to
- 1:39:29Speaker 1: proceed further. Here are sample suggestions you can use. Six,
- 1:39:35Speaker 1: my legs are becoming extremely heavy. Seven, I'll be unable
- 1:39:41Speaker 1: to lift them until I count to fifteen. Eight, I
- 1:39:46Speaker 1: feel very comfortable. My legs are becoming heavier and heavier.
- 1:39:52Speaker 1: Nine my entire body is completely relaxed and my legs
- 1:39:57Speaker 1: are so heavy that they are impossible to lift. Ten
- 1:40:02Speaker 1: I'm in a very deep hypnotic state and it is
- 1:40:05Speaker 1: absolutely impossible for me to move my legs until I
- 1:40:09Speaker 1: count to fifteen. At this point, you actually try to
- 1:40:14Speaker 1: raise your legs. If you can't do it, you have
- 1:40:17Speaker 1: reached the cataleptic state. Should you not be able to
- 1:40:21Speaker 1: raise your legs don't become frightened. All you need to
- 1:40:25Speaker 1: say is I can now move my legs. You could
- 1:40:29Speaker 1: also say, as I count to three, I'll be able
- 1:40:33Speaker 1: to move my legs. However, since we have elected originally
- 1:40:37Speaker 1: to be able to move the legs at the count
- 1:40:40Speaker 1: of fifteen, it would be best to follow out this pattern.
- 1:40:44Speaker 1: You could at this time merely count to fifteen, at
- 1:40:48Speaker 1: which time you would be able to move your legs.
- 1:40:51Speaker 1: I prefer giving suggestions between each count as follows. Eleven,
- 1:40:57Speaker 1: the heavy feeling is leaving, and I shall I'll be
- 1:41:00Speaker 1: able to raise my legs at the count of fifteen. Twelve,
- 1:41:05Speaker 1: I can feel the heavy, relaxed feeling leaving. Thirteen, I
- 1:41:11Speaker 1: am beginning to move my legs. Fourteen, I am lifting
- 1:41:16Speaker 1: my legs more and more. Fifteen I have perfect control
- 1:41:22Speaker 1: over my bodily functions and legs. I am lifting and
- 1:41:26Speaker 1: moving my legs. The heavy feeling is dissipating. I am
- 1:41:30Speaker 1: in complete control. I can now give myself post hypnotic
- 1:41:34Speaker 1: suggestions that will be very effective and beneficial. Give yourself
- 1:41:39Speaker 1: whatever suggestions you want at this time. Let us suppose
- 1:41:44Speaker 1: that you tried the foot tests for some time and
- 1:41:46Speaker 1: were unsuccessful. Perhaps this puzzles you and you wonder why
- 1:41:51Speaker 1: it didn't work. Perhaps you were able to get a
- 1:41:54Speaker 1: heavy feeling in the legs, but the second part of
- 1:41:57Speaker 1: the test didn't work. The falling information will help you
- 1:42:01Speaker 1: to understand why you were unable to complete this cataleptic test.
- 1:42:06Speaker 1: Either you had not conditioned yourself sufficiently, or you weren't
- 1:42:10Speaker 1: really letting go enough to enter into a deeper state
- 1:42:14Speaker 1: of hypnosis. Most subjects need to test themselves and feel
- 1:42:18Speaker 1: secure every step of the way. They don't just plunge
- 1:42:22Speaker 1: into the cataleptic or somnambalistic stages immediately. In this connection,
- 1:42:29Speaker 1: I believe it can be compared with the bather who
- 1:42:32Speaker 1: goes into the water one step at a time. Even
- 1:42:35Speaker 1: the playful splashing directed at him by friends does not
- 1:42:39Speaker 1: compel him to duck under the water. Instead, he continues
- 1:42:43Speaker 1: to slowly go deeper and deeper until he is completely submerged.
- 1:42:48Speaker 1: Wouldn't it have been easier to duck under all at once, perhaps,
- 1:42:53Speaker 1: But I'm sure you have either experienced the same thing
- 1:42:56Speaker 1: yourself or seen it happen. The analogy should be clear.
- 1:43:01Speaker 1: The subject is reluctant to do what he considers as
- 1:43:05Speaker 1: giving up his control, when in reality he is really
- 1:43:09Speaker 1: more and more in control of himself as he penetrates
- 1:43:12Speaker 1: the deeper levels of hypnosis. In reality, the subject who
- 1:43:17Speaker 1: does not or cannot raise his feet really could move
- 1:43:21Speaker 1: in case of emergency, even without counting to fifteen. He
- 1:43:26Speaker 1: has in effect entered into a state in which it
- 1:43:29Speaker 1: is too much a bother to lift his feet. A
- 1:43:33Speaker 1: common example of this frame of mind is when you
- 1:43:36Speaker 1: remain in bed in the morning, even though you know
- 1:43:38Speaker 1: you will be late for work. You are just too
- 1:43:41Speaker 1: comfortable to move and your initiative seems to be paralyzed.
- 1:43:46Speaker 1: Let us assume at this point that you have finally
- 1:43:49Speaker 1: succeeded in getting the foot test to work. You are
- 1:43:53Speaker 1: now ready for the hand levitation tests number five. In
- 1:43:58Speaker 1: this test, the goal is to get your hand to
- 1:44:00Speaker 1: slowly rise and touch your chin. Once it touches your chin,
- 1:44:05Speaker 1: you enter into a still deeper state and lower your
- 1:44:09Speaker 1: hand slowly to your side. This test is actually combined
- 1:44:13Speaker 1: with the hand tingling test number three. Since you have
- 1:44:17Speaker 1: been successful with test number three, the rest is rather simple.
- 1:44:22Speaker 1: This time. As you work test number three, aim for
- 1:44:26Speaker 1: a light, pleasant feeling in your right hand. Once you
- 1:44:29Speaker 1: get this reaction, you give yourself suggestions that your right
- 1:44:33Speaker 1: hand will now rise and touch your chin. As soon
- 1:44:37Speaker 1: as it does, you will fall into a deeper state
- 1:44:40Speaker 1: and lower your hand. Here are the suggestions that you
- 1:44:44Speaker 1: can use. As I count to ten, and even before
- 1:44:48Speaker 1: I reach the count of ten, I shall have an
- 1:44:51Speaker 1: irresistible impulse to slowly raise my hand to my chin.
- 1:44:56Speaker 1: As I progress with the counting, my hand will slowly rise,
- 1:45:00Speaker 1: and the impulse will become stronger and stronger. As soon
- 1:45:04Speaker 1: as my hand touches my chin, the impulse will leave.
- 1:45:09Speaker 1: I will then lower my hand and fall into a
- 1:45:12Speaker 1: very deep hypnotic state. I shall be fully aware of
- 1:45:16Speaker 1: what is happening my surroundings and will be able to
- 1:45:20Speaker 1: give myself beneficial post hypnotic suggestions. At this point, you
- 1:45:26Speaker 1: start counting to ten, giving yourself suggestions that your right hand,
- 1:45:31Speaker 1: which already has a light feeling, will begin to slowly
- 1:45:34Speaker 1: rise to your chin. Time the counting to coincide with
- 1:45:38Speaker 1: the actual physical act of raising your hand. You are
- 1:45:42Speaker 1: trying to feel an involuntary urge to raise your hand.
- 1:45:46Speaker 1: The movement itself should also be of an unconscious rather
- 1:45:50Speaker 1: than conscious nature. A conscious raising of your hand to
- 1:45:54Speaker 1: your chin is not what you are looking for in
- 1:45:56Speaker 1: this test. Should you experience difficult in attaining the first
- 1:46:01Speaker 1: movement of your hand, you can give yourself assistance by
- 1:46:05Speaker 1: consciously and slowly raising your hand just to get it started.
- 1:46:10Speaker 1: The rest of the movement, as mentioned, must be automatic.
- 1:46:14Speaker 1: Should you find it necessary to start your hand rising,
- 1:46:18Speaker 1: use the feedback technique to continue the movement. You can
- 1:46:22Speaker 1: give yourself the following suggestions. One my right hand is
- 1:46:28Speaker 1: beginning to rise. Two my right hand is very very light,
- 1:46:34Speaker 1: and I am getting an irresistible urge to slowly raise it.
- 1:46:39Speaker 1: Three This feeling is getting stronger and stronger. Four my
- 1:46:46Speaker 1: right hand is rising more and more. Five my hand
- 1:46:52Speaker 1: is rising toward my chin. Six as soon as my
- 1:46:57Speaker 1: hand touches my chin, I shall fall in to a
- 1:47:00Speaker 1: deeper and sounder state of hypnosis. Seven my hand is
- 1:47:06Speaker 1: rising closer and closer toward my chin. Eight the feeling
- 1:47:12Speaker 1: of lightness is becoming stronger and stronger. Nine my right
- 1:47:19Speaker 1: hand is about to touch my chin. As soon as
- 1:47:22Speaker 1: it does, I'll fall into a very deep hypnotic state.
- 1:47:27Speaker 1: Ten my right hand is touching my chin, I'm falling
- 1:47:32Speaker 1: deeper and deeper into a sound hypnotic state. I'll now
- 1:47:37Speaker 1: slowly lower my hand and continue falling into a deep, sound,
- 1:47:42Speaker 1: pleasant state of hypnosis. The light feeling has left my hand.
- 1:47:47Speaker 1: You should not attempt to memorize the exact phraseology for
- 1:47:50Speaker 1: any of the tests. You are to merely use the
- 1:47:54Speaker 1: suggestions that have been written out for you as a guide.
- 1:47:57Speaker 1: The timing of the suggestions is the paramount consideration in
- 1:48:02Speaker 1: attaining successful results. Don't be impatient. Take as much time
- 1:48:07Speaker 1: as you need. Should you find yourself unsuccessful after ten
- 1:48:12Speaker 1: or fifteen minutes, drop the test and come back to
- 1:48:16Speaker 1: it another day. I haven't found that working at a
- 1:48:19Speaker 1: specific test all day long accomplishes the end result. It
- 1:48:24Speaker 1: is best to work for a specific period every day.
- 1:48:28Speaker 1: In this way, the condition response pattern is established for
- 1:48:32Speaker 1: the success of the tests, as well as the success
- 1:48:35Speaker 1: of the post hypnotic suggestions that you have given yourself.
- 1:48:40Speaker 1: You should bear in mind that if you have been
- 1:48:42Speaker 1: successful in achieving the first five tests, you have reached
- 1:48:46Speaker 1: a medium state of hypnosis, and post hypnotic suggestions will
- 1:48:50Speaker 1: be extremely effective. In the next chapter, you'll learn psychologically
- 1:48:56Speaker 1: how to go even deeper into hypnosis. You'll learn those
- 1:49:00Speaker 1: psychological factors that are important to know and that can
- 1:49:04Speaker 1: contribute to your development into an excellent hypnotic subject. Following this,
- 1:49:10Speaker 1: the subsequent chapter will give you further tests and instructions
- 1:49:14Speaker 1: for developing into a somnambalistic subject. End of chapter seven,
- 1:49:21Speaker 1: Chapter eight. What you should know about becoming an excellent subject.
- 1:49:27Speaker 1: Becoming an excellent subject follows the same general rules for
- 1:49:31Speaker 1: becoming proficient in any other endeavor. It depends upon your motivation, persistence,
- 1:49:37Speaker 1: and willingness to devote time and study to the subject.
- 1:49:41Speaker 1: Let us agree that most individuals can learn to play
- 1:49:44Speaker 1: a musical instrument to some degree. This degree is usually
- 1:49:48Speaker 1: sufficient for their own needs. To become a virtuoso. However,
- 1:49:53Speaker 1: it is necessary to study the instrument and devote a
- 1:49:56Speaker 1: great deal of energy and time to practice. The same
- 1:50:00Speaker 1: example could be given for most undertakings. Anyone can learn
- 1:50:05Speaker 1: to hit a golf ball, but being able to control
- 1:50:07Speaker 1: the direction and distance and become a skilled golfer is
- 1:50:11Speaker 1: quite another matter. If you have been successful in accomplishing
- 1:50:16Speaker 1: the first five tests, you can consider yourself a good
- 1:50:19Speaker 1: hypnotic subject. Becoming an excellent subject entails following the same
- 1:50:25Speaker 1: procedure used in accomplishing the first five tests. Some may
- 1:50:30Speaker 1: proceed very easily into the somnambulistic state, and others may
- 1:50:34Speaker 1: have a difficult time reaching this deepest stage. Understanding some
- 1:50:39Speaker 1: of the psychology involved and assuming the right psychological frame
- 1:50:43Speaker 1: of mind for the attainment of the somnambulistic state is
- 1:50:48Speaker 1: more important than just working blindly in an attempt to
- 1:50:51Speaker 1: get the somnambulistic tests to work. Being irritable, disgusted, and
- 1:50:57Speaker 1: despondent because of your inability to go first into hypnosis
- 1:51:01Speaker 1: is not the answer and will only lead to frustration
- 1:51:05Speaker 1: and failure. The reader is not to assume he will
- 1:51:08Speaker 1: be a difficult subject. If you have come this far,
- 1:51:12Speaker 1: you'll be able to continue in the same manner. The
- 1:51:15Speaker 1: topic under discussion now is brought up to prepare readers
- 1:51:19Speaker 1: for any contingency that may arise. It's like having a
- 1:51:23Speaker 1: life preserver on a boat. You hope you never need it,
- 1:51:27Speaker 1: but you should be prepared to use it in case
- 1:51:29Speaker 1: of an emergency. It is natural to assume that if
- 1:51:33Speaker 1: you are willing and trying to go into the lethargic,
- 1:51:36Speaker 1: cataleptic or somnambulistic state you will be able to do
- 1:51:41Speaker 1: so in a relatively short period of time. Unfortunately, this
- 1:51:45Speaker 1: is by no means the case. Many of the principles
- 1:51:49Speaker 1: of learning and conditioning can be applied to hypnosis, but
- 1:51:52Speaker 1: with many subjects these laws do not seem applicable. Let
- 1:51:57Speaker 1: us assume you wanted to learn to become an excellent typists.
- 1:52:01Speaker 1: This is a reasonable goal, and all that is necessary
- 1:52:04Speaker 1: is to continue practicing until you have reached the proficiency
- 1:52:08Speaker 1: you set out to achieve. This proficiency would, as a rule,
- 1:52:13Speaker 1: follow application of the laws of learning and conditioning. This
- 1:52:17Speaker 1: isn't always so in the subject's attempt to become somnambilistic.
- 1:52:22Speaker 1: When the subject progresses from one stage to another in
- 1:52:25Speaker 1: a classical manner, the theory works admirably. But what happens
- 1:52:29Speaker 1: when a subject cannot seem to progress any further. He
- 1:52:33Speaker 1: has reached a plateau and is unable to climb higher.
- 1:52:37Speaker 1: He seems to have reached a psychological impasse or stalemate.
- 1:52:41Speaker 1: It is easy to say that the subject is thwarted
- 1:52:44Speaker 1: by a subconscious block and let it go at that. This, however,
- 1:52:49Speaker 1: doesn't stop him in his dilemma. It's like telling the
- 1:52:52Speaker 1: stranded motorists that the reason his car is stalled is
- 1:52:56Speaker 1: because the motor isn't running. The following information will be
- 1:52:59Speaker 1: held helpful to those who haven't been able to reach
- 1:53:02Speaker 1: the first stages of hypnosis, as well as those who
- 1:53:05Speaker 1: apparently can only go so far. Actually, the same principles
- 1:53:10Speaker 1: are involved. If the subject doesn't respond or response to
- 1:53:14Speaker 1: a limited degree, there evidently is a cause or reason
- 1:53:18Speaker 1: for this poor response. In order to continue this discussion,
- 1:53:23Speaker 1: it will be necessary for us to agree that the
- 1:53:26Speaker 1: resistance can be either conscious or unconscious. If the subject
- 1:53:30Speaker 1: insists that he is trying to let go, has nothing
- 1:53:34Speaker 1: to hide, is not afraid of hypnosis, understands what is involved,
- 1:53:38Speaker 1: and has strong motivation, we can only assume that the
- 1:53:42Speaker 1: resistance must be unconscious. Usually, it will be necessary to
- 1:53:47Speaker 1: work through this unconscious resistance before the subject responds. If
- 1:53:52Speaker 1: the subject is conditioning himself, this will involve a great
- 1:53:56Speaker 1: deal of introspection, and even then it is an extremely
- 1:54:00Speaker 1: difficult job. One doesn't usually have proper insight into one's
- 1:54:05Speaker 1: own emotional make up. The end result is that one
- 1:54:08Speaker 1: can only rationalize about his behavior. Let us explore some
- 1:54:13Speaker 1: interesting aspects of hypnosis with a view toward helping you
- 1:54:17Speaker 1: if you are having difficulty responding the way you desire.
- 1:54:21Speaker 1: I have had the following paradoxical situation happen many times.
- 1:54:26Speaker 1: A subject calls my office requesting to be conditioned for
- 1:54:29Speaker 1: self hypnosis. He further requests that he be allowed to
- 1:54:33Speaker 1: bring along a member of his family or a friend
- 1:54:36Speaker 1: for the hypnotic session. These individuals usually ask if I
- 1:54:40Speaker 1: object to this procedure. I interpreted this request as a
- 1:54:45Speaker 1: sign of distrust during my early career as a professional hypnotist.
- 1:54:49Speaker 1: I was affronted by the idea of the unspoken insinuation
- 1:54:53Speaker 1: verbalized by this request. Didn't they trust me? Between trying
- 1:54:58Speaker 1: to defend myself and in assuring them that there was
- 1:55:01Speaker 1: no need for another person being present since my secretary
- 1:55:04Speaker 1: could observe the procedure, I usually won the argument, but
- 1:55:09Speaker 1: lost the client. As I developed understanding into the needs
- 1:55:13Speaker 1: of these persons, I began to realize that the request
- 1:55:16Speaker 1: was not directed at my integrity, but was a safeguard
- 1:55:20Speaker 1: for their ego. Here is an interesting sidelight that has
- 1:55:23Speaker 1: happened frequently in regard to the foregoing situation. I would
- 1:55:28Speaker 1: request the subject to sit near my desk and tell
- 1:55:31Speaker 1: the onlooker to sit and back and to the side
- 1:55:34Speaker 1: of the subject, away from the subject's view so as
- 1:55:38Speaker 1: not to distract him. In this situation, I invariably placed
- 1:55:43Speaker 1: the hypnodisc on a spinning portable phonograph turntable and turn
- 1:55:48Speaker 1: it upright for the subject to look at. The hypnodisc,
- 1:55:52Speaker 1: which is made of stiff cardboard, looks like a twelve
- 1:55:55Speaker 1: inch phonograph record and has concentric heavy lines drawn on it.
- 1:56:00Speaker 1: As it spins, the subject feels he is being pulled
- 1:56:04Speaker 1: toward the center. At the same time, it causes his
- 1:56:08Speaker 1: eyes to become very tired. I have included a drawing
- 1:56:12Speaker 1: of it on this page for those who are not
- 1:56:14Speaker 1: familiar with this hypnotic device. The revolving hypnodisc causes a
- 1:56:19Speaker 1: physiological reaction and must work with everyone you feed back
- 1:56:25Speaker 1: certain known physiological responses for the successful attainment of hypnosis.
- 1:56:31Speaker 1: The onlooker has had no choice but to look at
- 1:56:34Speaker 1: the hypnodisc as well as I suggest to the subject
- 1:56:37Speaker 1: that his eyes are becoming heavy and tired, and that
- 1:56:40Speaker 1: soon he'll have an irresistible impulse to close them. The
- 1:56:44Speaker 1: onlooker is naturally hearing the same suggestion. Because this person
- 1:56:48Speaker 1: feels a part of the hypnotic situation, there can be
- 1:56:52Speaker 1: no conscious resistance. Since these defenses are not hampering the
- 1:56:56Speaker 1: attainment of hypnosis, the onlooker may readily fall under hypnosis
- 1:57:02Speaker 1: more than once. The onlooker has confided to me that
- 1:57:06Speaker 1: he was getting a better night's sleep, was feeling wonderfully well,
- 1:57:10Speaker 1: or had derived other benefits since coming to my office
- 1:57:13Speaker 1: as an observer. The exact situation happens when the stage
- 1:57:17Speaker 1: hypnotist is hypnotizing subjects on the stage. Many times a
- 1:57:22Speaker 1: person in the audience who had no intention of becoming
- 1:57:26Speaker 1: hypnotized becomes influenced in the same manner. Incidentally, these individuals
- 1:57:32Speaker 1: make the best subjects. There are interesting theories as to
- 1:57:36Speaker 1: why a subject responds or does not respond to hypnosis.
- 1:57:41Speaker 1: I think the reader would find some of these theories
- 1:57:43Speaker 1: interesting and perhaps gain some insight into his own hypnotic behavior.
- 1:57:48Speaker 1: These theories are based primarily on the psychoanalytical approach to hypnosis.
- 1:57:55Speaker 1: The most prevalent theory is that the hypnotist represents either
- 1:57:59Speaker 1: the father image paternal or fear hypnosis, or the mother
- 1:58:03Speaker 1: image maternal or love hypnosis. The father usually represents an
- 1:58:09Speaker 1: authoritarian figure. The subject's identification can be on a conscious
- 1:58:14Speaker 1: or subconscious level. Let us suppose the subject has ambivalent
- 1:58:18Speaker 1: feelings towards his father. Because of this, he may not respond.
- 1:58:24Speaker 1: Here is an opportunity to frustrate the authoritative father figure.
- 1:58:29Speaker 1: The only trouble with this theory is that if there
- 1:58:32Speaker 1: is an excellent relationship between the father and subject, it
- 1:58:35Speaker 1: doesn't necessarily mean that the subject will respond easily. The
- 1:58:40Speaker 1: stage hypnotist invariably uses a strong, authoritative approach with a
- 1:58:44Speaker 1: great deal of success, but this approach generally does not
- 1:58:48Speaker 1: work best in private practice. I have found that for
- 1:58:52Speaker 1: the majority of subjects, the maternal approach works best. Perhaps
- 1:58:57Speaker 1: the process of hypnosis awakens early unconscious memories of being
- 1:59:01Speaker 1: put to sleep as a child. Some techniques that are
- 1:59:05Speaker 1: used in hypnosis are quite similar to this. The subject,
- 1:59:09Speaker 1: who is lying down is told to close his eyes
- 1:59:12Speaker 1: and is spoken to in a quiet, reassuring, monotonous tone
- 1:59:16Speaker 1: of voice. The hypnotist is seated near him. The hypnotist
- 1:59:21Speaker 1: even uses the same words that the subject has heard
- 1:59:24Speaker 1: as a child. Sleep, Go to sleep. When you awaken,
- 1:59:29Speaker 1: you'll feel wonderfully well. In fact, I use some special
- 1:59:33Speaker 1: music that I have recorded for inducing hypnosis. The first
- 1:59:38Speaker 1: musical selection is Brahm's Lullaby. Children's music boxes invariably contain
- 1:59:44Speaker 1: this selection, and the melody cannot help but activate a
- 1:59:47Speaker 1: pleasant nostalgia. It is a memory associated with love and tenderness.
- 1:59:53Speaker 1: This brings us to the fact that hypnosis may offer
- 1:59:56Speaker 1: the subject a chance to escape from the reality of
- 1:59:59Speaker 1: pressing propert problems into a state of complete irresponsibility. In
- 2:00:04Speaker 1: fact one, theory of hypnosis equates the hypnotic state as
- 2:00:08Speaker 1: a form of unconscious regression and need for submission. The
- 2:00:13Speaker 1: male subject may have a strong positive identification with his
- 2:00:17Speaker 1: mother rather than his father. It is part of the
- 2:00:21Speaker 1: unresolved odopus complex. He sees his mother as a kind,
- 2:00:25Speaker 1: loving individual, always ready to help. Even if the mother
- 2:00:30Speaker 1: did something socially unacceptable, the individual would defend her vehemently.
- 2:00:35Speaker 1: The father, who might do something wrong, would rarely be excused.
- 2:00:40Speaker 1: Just the opposite is true with the female subject. When
- 2:00:44Speaker 1: asking the female child, whose girl are you, the answer
- 2:00:48Speaker 1: is invariably Daddy's girl. When asking the male child, whose
- 2:00:54Speaker 1: boy are you, the answer is invariably Mama's boy. We
- 2:00:59Speaker 1: accept this transference of identification as a normal process of
- 2:01:03Speaker 1: growing up. When it isn't normally resolved, it can account
- 2:01:07Speaker 1: for severe personality problems. One might assume, therefore, that a
- 2:01:12Speaker 1: woman hypnotist could better hypnotize a male subject, and a
- 2:01:16Speaker 1: male hypnotist could better hypnotize a female subject. But this
- 2:01:21Speaker 1: is not true except for cases such as we have
- 2:01:24Speaker 1: just mentioned. One school of thought feels that there is
- 2:01:28Speaker 1: a strong submissive tendency in all of us, and hypnosis
- 2:01:32Speaker 1: gratifies this wish. The individual's need for dependence has also met.
- 2:01:37Speaker 1: In this case, the hypnotist becomes omnipotent, being able to
- 2:01:42Speaker 1: alter feelings that ordinarily distress the individual. Normally, adults, when
- 2:01:48Speaker 1: confronted by a particularly upsetting experience, might want to be
- 2:01:52Speaker 1: held closely by an intimate friend or member of the family.
- 2:01:57Speaker 1: Don't We frequently put our arm around a friend and
- 2:02:00Speaker 1: in grief, trying to comfort him. The inner strength which
- 2:02:04Speaker 1: is created by hypnosis within the total personality structure of
- 2:02:08Speaker 1: the subject lessons dependency upon the hypnotist, much in the
- 2:02:12Speaker 1: same fashion as we need the doctor less as we
- 2:02:16Speaker 1: start to recover from an illness. Self hypnosis further lessons
- 2:02:20Speaker 1: dependency for no authoritarian figure is used. The subject's attitude
- 2:02:26Speaker 1: toward authority is important to know. It is well known
- 2:02:29Speaker 1: that officers in the army are more difficult to hypnotize
- 2:02:33Speaker 1: than non commissioned men. The enlisted man, by a process
- 2:02:38Speaker 1: of indoctrination and conditioning, is taught to obey and follow
- 2:02:42Speaker 1: orders without reasoning. The transference of authority to the hypnotist
- 2:02:46Speaker 1: is readily accomplished because of this conditioning process. The army doctor,
- 2:02:52Speaker 1: when treating patients psychologically replaces his army jacket with a
- 2:02:56Speaker 1: regular white medical jacket to increase rapport. One interesting theory
- 2:03:02Speaker 1: is that the subject responds as he thinks the hypnotist
- 2:03:05Speaker 1: would like him to. This is termed role playing. When
- 2:03:09Speaker 1: asking a subject under hypnosis his name, you usually get
- 2:03:12Speaker 1: a very slow, deliberate answer, as though the subject were
- 2:03:16Speaker 1: in a trance. You tell him that he can answer
- 2:03:19Speaker 1: in a normal speaking voice in tempo, and his further
- 2:03:22Speaker 1: replies are to be in the same manner as his
- 2:03:24Speaker 1: waking state. Another theory along these lines is that the
- 2:03:28Speaker 1: subject acts as he believes a hypnotized person would act.
- 2:03:33Speaker 1: This too, is role playing, but it does not explain analgesia,
- 2:03:37Speaker 1: such as when the denis hypnotizes the patient and proceeds
- 2:03:41Speaker 1: to drill a tooth. No one with the possible exception
- 2:03:45Speaker 1: of a highly neurotic psychic masochist, is going to endure
- 2:03:50Speaker 1: excruciating pain just to please the doctor. One theory about
- 2:03:54Speaker 1: hypnosis states that it allows the subject and opportunity of
- 2:03:58Speaker 1: identifying with the hypnotist, whom he sees as a powerful figure.
- 2:04:03Speaker 1: Through this identification, the subject is able to gain inner strength.
- 2:04:08Speaker 1: On the other hand, the subject might rebel against the
- 2:04:11Speaker 1: submissive nature of the hypnotic setting. This could easily create anxiety,
- 2:04:17Speaker 1: which in turn could create hostility, resulting in resistance of
- 2:04:21Speaker 1: various kinds. As a result of this, the subject might
- 2:04:25Speaker 1: begin to criticize the hypnotist, find fault with the way
- 2:04:29Speaker 1: he the subject is being handled, question the judgment of
- 2:04:33Speaker 1: the hypnotist, or doubt the effectiveness of the hypnotic procedure.
- 2:04:39Speaker 1: Many investigators assert that the rapport, meaning the relationship between
- 2:04:43Speaker 1: the subject and hypnotist, is all important. This is true,
- 2:04:48Speaker 1: and the relationship can and does have many ramifications. In psychotherapy,
- 2:04:54Speaker 1: the term transference is used to denote this relationship. The
- 2:04:59Speaker 1: relationship further described as a good or bad transference. There
- 2:05:04Speaker 1: is also a counter transference, which indicates the reaction of
- 2:05:08Speaker 1: the therapists to the patient. Naturally, in order for the
- 2:05:12Speaker 1: subject to respond, there must be good rapport. I have
- 2:05:17Speaker 1: tried to indicate that there are complexities that may arise
- 2:05:20Speaker 1: in the hypnotic setting. There are many conflicting theories as
- 2:05:24Speaker 1: to why a subject does or does not respond. There
- 2:05:28Speaker 1: are no set rules to follow, and one's intuition, experience,
- 2:05:32Speaker 1: and judgment help solve any problem that arises. Let me
- 2:05:37Speaker 1: relate another frequent incident. I have had subjects come to
- 2:05:41Speaker 1: me after they were unable to be hypnotized by several
- 2:05:45Speaker 1: other professional hypnotists. They have complained that the hypnotists weren't
- 2:05:50Speaker 1: good hypnotists because they couldn't hypnotize them. After all, they
- 2:05:54Speaker 1: ask hadn't they been willing subjects? My usual answer is
- 2:05:59Speaker 1: that the fault, if there is one, is not with
- 2:06:01Speaker 1: the hypnotists and really not with the subjects. It is
- 2:06:05Speaker 1: a matter of exploring what has happened and then deciding
- 2:06:08Speaker 1: on a course of action to ensure success. I am
- 2:06:12Speaker 1: firmly convinced that the subject response when he is positively
- 2:06:16Speaker 1: without equivocation, ready to do so. He keeps testing the
- 2:06:21Speaker 1: response to make sure he is in control. He fears
- 2:06:24Speaker 1: a reduction in his voluntary level of reality, attachment and control.
- 2:06:30Speaker 1: Unresponsiveness proves to him that he has this control. As
- 2:06:35Speaker 1: long as he does this, which is a natural response,
- 2:06:38Speaker 1: he never lets go sufficiently to attain hypnosis. Hypnosis, as
- 2:06:43Speaker 1: we know, is a very sensitive state. It requires complete
- 2:06:48Speaker 1: faith and trust in the hypnotist. If it is lacking,
- 2:06:52Speaker 1: the subject never does respond. The phenomenon of hypnosis is
- 2:06:56Speaker 1: entirely subjective in nature, and its success lies within the
- 2:07:00Speaker 1: total personality structure of the subject. If there is resistance
- 2:07:05Speaker 1: to hypnosis itself or to the deepening state, the subject,
- 2:07:09Speaker 1: by his own honest evaluation and verbalization of his resistance,
- 2:07:14Speaker 1: can do much to become a better subject. Hypnosis must
- 2:07:18Speaker 1: begin with the acceptance by the subject of certain basic
- 2:07:22Speaker 1: fundamentals that we have already discussed, rather than of the
- 2:07:26Speaker 1: forcefulness of the hypnotist. The deepening of the hypnotic state
- 2:07:31Speaker 1: lies in the intensification of the condition response mechanism. Once
- 2:07:35Speaker 1: it has been initiated, you should not expect to achieve
- 2:07:39Speaker 1: immediate results, although sometimes this does happen. As you continue
- 2:07:44Speaker 1: to work with perseverance, intelligence and enthusiasm. You will definitely
- 2:07:49Speaker 1: achieve the goals that you have set for yourself. It
- 2:07:52Speaker 1: is well to remember that you guide yourself toward the
- 2:07:55Speaker 1: somnambulistic state depending upon your belief and accept of those
- 2:08:00Speaker 1: principles that have been outlined for you. I have attempted
- 2:08:04Speaker 1: to point out some of the salient points and theories
- 2:08:08Speaker 1: to keep in mind in your attempt to develop into
- 2:08:11Speaker 1: an excellent hypnotic subject. Some of these only pertain to
- 2:08:15Speaker 1: the situations where the hypnotist works with the subject. Many
- 2:08:19Speaker 1: of the problems inherent in this setting are not applicable
- 2:08:23Speaker 1: to the situation where the subject is hypnotizing himself. Both
- 2:08:28Speaker 1: settings have their advantages and disadvantages. As long as you
- 2:08:32Speaker 1: proceed to follow the instructions given you, you can feel
- 2:08:35Speaker 1: assured that you will finally achieve self hypnosis. It should
- 2:08:40Speaker 1: be emphasized that it is vital to adopt the right
- 2:08:42Speaker 1: frame of mind and your attempt to achieve self hypnosis,
- 2:08:46Speaker 1: particularly a deep state. If you approach hypnosis with approve
- 2:08:51Speaker 1: it to me attitude, nothing is going to happen. Self
- 2:08:55Speaker 1: hypnosis requires practicing a set of mental exercises or mental
- 2:09:00Speaker 1: gymnastics to acquire The ultimate from this training requires systematic conditioning.
- 2:09:07Speaker 1: The word training is used quite extensively in hypnotic literature.
- 2:09:12Speaker 1: The use of the word implies that hypnosis can be
- 2:09:14Speaker 1: attained by a training period. The literature speaks frequently of
- 2:09:19Speaker 1: a subject being trained to respond in a certain way. Obviously,
- 2:09:24Speaker 1: this means over a certain period of time. It also
- 2:09:28Speaker 1: means you train yourself to become a good hypnotic subject.
- 2:09:31Speaker 1: It is a skill that all can acquire. There are
- 2:09:35Speaker 1: four books dealing specifically with self hypnosis that I would
- 2:09:38Speaker 1: recommend to you for further reading. They are What Is
- 2:09:43Speaker 1: Hypnosis by Andrew Salter, Hypnosis and Self Hypnosis by Bernard Hollander, MD,
- 2:09:52Speaker 1: Autogenic Training by Johannes H. Schultz, m D. And Self
- 2:09:57Speaker 1: Hypnosis Its Theory, Technique in Application by Melvin Powers end
- 2:10:04Speaker 1: of chapter eight. Chapter nine. Techniques for reaching the somnambulistic state.
- 2:10:11Speaker 1: As indicated in the last chapter, the attainment of the
- 2:10:15Speaker 1: somnambulistic stage of hypnosis can represent an extremely intricate procedure.
- 2:10:21Speaker 1: Because of certain inherent characteristics of this stage, it is
- 2:10:24Speaker 1: easier to attain by hetero hypnosis. However, this does not
- 2:10:29Speaker 1: preclude the fact that it can be reached without the
- 2:10:32Speaker 1: aid of a hypnotist. More important than the testing and
- 2:10:35Speaker 1: deepening procedures that I shall outline for you in this
- 2:10:39Speaker 1: chapter are an understanding and an awareness of some of
- 2:10:42Speaker 1: the complexities involved first in achieving the hypnotic state, then deepening,
- 2:10:49Speaker 1: and finally reaching somnambolism. There are no absolute or final
- 2:10:54Speaker 1: answers to the many problems that can arise. You can
- 2:10:57Speaker 1: become entangled with rationalizations so easily when you want the
- 2:11:01Speaker 1: facts to fit a particular theory. I point this out
- 2:11:05Speaker 1: to the reader because as the subject goes deeper, the
- 2:11:09Speaker 1: procedure can become more complicated. There are many interesting phenomena
- 2:11:13Speaker 1: which can be elicited in the somnambalistic state. They are
- 2:11:18Speaker 1: of interest, for the most part to students of abnormal behavior,
- 2:11:22Speaker 1: and are pertinent from an academic viewpoint. They do not
- 2:11:26Speaker 1: fall within the province of this book or of hypnosis
- 2:11:30Speaker 1: for therapeutic purposes, and might lead the reader astray. Should
- 2:11:34Speaker 1: readers be interested in further hypnotic phenomena, I refer them
- 2:11:38Speaker 1: to Modern hypnosis by Leslie Kuhn and Salvador Russo, pH d.
- 2:11:45Speaker 1: Experimental hypnosis by Leslie Lecron time distortion in hypnosis by
- 2:11:52Speaker 1: Milton Ericsson, m d. And Lynn F. Cooper, m d.
- 2:11:56Speaker 1: And hypnotism an objective study of suggestive ability by Andre M. Weitzenhoffer, PhD.
- 2:12:04Speaker 1: As discussed previously, some individuals experience difficulty in attaining the
- 2:12:10Speaker 1: deeper hypnotic states. My advice is to be patient and
- 2:12:14Speaker 1: to continue working with yourself. It is not imperative or
- 2:12:18Speaker 1: vital to reach the somnambulistic stage for therapeutic results. It
- 2:12:23Speaker 1: is a misconception on the part of many students that
- 2:12:26Speaker 1: they must go into the deepest state possible to obtain results.
- 2:12:31Speaker 1: Dramatic changes can come about at all levels of hypnosis.
- 2:12:35Speaker 1: The somnambulistic stage is necessary in hypnotherapy when there is
- 2:12:40Speaker 1: a need for the patient to relieve some traumatic episode.
- 2:12:43Speaker 1: It is also useful when the patient is reluctant to
- 2:12:47Speaker 1: consciously discuss certain aspects of his problem. Many hypnotherapeutic techniques
- 2:12:53Speaker 1: such as amnesia, hypernesia progression, paranesia, automatic rite, dream induction, regression,
- 2:13:03Speaker 1: production of experimental conflicts, and crystal or mirror gazing require
- 2:13:08Speaker 1: a somnambulistic state. For those of you interested in hypnotherapy.
- 2:13:14Speaker 1: I can recommend no finer book than Hypnotherapy of war
- 2:13:18Speaker 1: Neurosis by John G. Watkins, pH d. In this book,
- 2:13:23Speaker 1: the theory of hypnotherapy has been diagrammamatically presented for easy comprehension,
- 2:13:29Speaker 1: and shown to be an amalgamation of concepts and practices
- 2:13:33Speaker 1: from various schools of thought. Most students of hypnosis equate
- 2:13:38Speaker 1: the phenomenon of amnesia with the sombalistic state. The mistake
- 2:13:43Speaker 1: they make is in trying to achieve amnesia. It's similar
- 2:13:47Speaker 1: to the dog trying to catch his tail. It is
- 2:13:50Speaker 1: impossible for the subject to effectively suggest amnesia to himself
- 2:13:55Speaker 1: if he remembers what he was supposed to forget. He
- 2:13:58Speaker 1: has failed, truly doesn't remember what he was supposed to forget.
- 2:14:03Speaker 1: He doesn't even remember the amnesious suggestion, and can take
- 2:14:06Speaker 1: no satisfaction from his success because he is not aware
- 2:14:10Speaker 1: that he has accomplished the post hypnotic suggestion. Unless an
- 2:14:14Speaker 1: elaborate set of post hypnotic suggestions are worked out, it
- 2:14:18Speaker 1: is an impossible test for self hypnosis. I know the
- 2:14:22Speaker 1: reader is anxious to begin his conditioning for the somnamblistic state,
- 2:14:27Speaker 1: but there are still a few pertinent remarks which should
- 2:14:29Speaker 1: be remembered before proceeding further. The reader should not memorize
- 2:14:34Speaker 1: verbatim any of the tests involved in proving the somnambalistic state.
- 2:14:39Speaker 1: All that is necessary to remember is the general form
- 2:14:43Speaker 1: and the goal you seek. The goal is to increase
- 2:14:46Speaker 1: your suggestibility, which in turn means deepening of the hypnotic state.
- 2:14:52Speaker 1: After each step, you are to give yourself suggestions that
- 2:14:56Speaker 1: you will go still deeper the next time. You should
- 2:14:59Speaker 1: also designate a specific length of time to work with
- 2:15:02Speaker 1: self hypnosis. The suggestions are as follows. I shall work
- 2:15:07Speaker 1: with self hypnosis for fifteen minutes. At the end of
- 2:15:11Speaker 1: that time, I shall open my eyes and wake up
- 2:15:14Speaker 1: feeling wonderfully well. I'll be wide awake and refreshed. In
- 2:15:19Speaker 1: case of any danger, I'll be able to awaken immediately
- 2:15:23Speaker 1: and act accordingly. Some hypnotists tell their subjects to make
- 2:15:28Speaker 1: your mind a blank. I suppose that what they really
- 2:15:31Speaker 1: mean is that you must try to think of only
- 2:15:33Speaker 1: what the hypnotist is saying. Have you ever tried to
- 2:15:37Speaker 1: make your mind a blank? Try it for a moment.
- 2:15:41Speaker 1: It's an impossibility. Should the hypnotist persist along these lines,
- 2:15:46Speaker 1: he'll never be successful. It is the wrong approach. The subject,
- 2:15:51Speaker 1: because of his inability to comply with this suggestion, is
- 2:15:54Speaker 1: fighting a losing battle. It is also almost impossible for
- 2:15:58Speaker 1: the subject to concentrate only on what the hypnotist is saying.
- 2:16:03Speaker 1: Any word the hypnotist says can start a conscious as
- 2:16:06Speaker 1: well as an unconscious train of thought. Therefore, in reality,
- 2:16:12Speaker 1: this too is impossible. However, it really isn't necessary that
- 2:16:17Speaker 1: the subject keep his thoughts concentrated solely on what is
- 2:16:20Speaker 1: being said, so long as they are kept in the
- 2:16:22Speaker 1: general area. At times, the more you try to concentrate,
- 2:16:27Speaker 1: the more your thoughts become scattered. Suppose I say to you,
- 2:16:32Speaker 1: forget the address eighty seven twenty one Sunset Boulevard. What
- 2:16:36Speaker 1: happens the more you try to forget it, the more
- 2:16:39Speaker 1: you remember it. Therefore, don't be concerned if you experience
- 2:16:44Speaker 1: stray thoughts during the induction and deepening of hypnosis. You
- 2:16:49Speaker 1: are now ready to continue with further tests. The first
- 2:16:52Speaker 1: five tests should be mastered before continuing. Test number six
- 2:16:57Speaker 1: is referred to as the fly test. In this test,
- 2:17:01Speaker 1: once under hypnosis, you picture that a fly is crawling
- 2:17:05Speaker 1: on the back of your right or left hand. Once
- 2:17:07Speaker 1: you feel the fly, you know you are deeply hypnotized.
- 2:17:12Speaker 1: You might even get an urge to move your hand
- 2:17:14Speaker 1: and flick the fly off your hand. When this happens,
- 2:17:18Speaker 1: you know, of course that you are deeply hypnotized. Here
- 2:17:22Speaker 1: is a sample of the type of suggestions to give.
- 2:17:25Speaker 1: As I count to ten, and even before I reach
- 2:17:28Speaker 1: the count of ten, I shall feel a fly crawling
- 2:17:31Speaker 1: on the back of my right hand. This illusion will
- 2:17:35Speaker 1: seem very real to me. One my right hand is
- 2:17:39Speaker 1: completely relaxed. Two I feel completely at ease. Three I
- 2:17:47Speaker 1: am beginning to feel a pleasant, tingling feeling on the
- 2:17:51Speaker 1: back of my right hand. Four this feeling is becoming strong.
- 2:17:58Speaker 1: Five it feels as though a fly is moving on
- 2:18:01Speaker 1: the back of my hand. Six I have had this
- 2:18:06Speaker 1: same feeling before. Seven I can feel the fly. Eight
- 2:18:14Speaker 1: the feeling is very definite. Nine as I flick my hand,
- 2:18:20Speaker 1: the fly will disappear. If you have felt the fly
- 2:18:24Speaker 1: move your hand, ten it is gone. Test number seven
- 2:18:30Speaker 1: is known as the cigarette test, and naturally is only
- 2:18:33Speaker 1: for those of you who smoke. In this test, you
- 2:18:37Speaker 1: give yourself post hypnotic suggestions. During the hypnotic state awaken yourself,
- 2:18:43Speaker 1: and then note the effects of the post hypnotic suggestions.
- 2:18:47Speaker 1: If the cigarette tastes bitter or has a repugnant taste
- 2:18:50Speaker 1: or odor, and if you furthermore find it impossible to
- 2:18:54Speaker 1: smoke more than three puffs, necessitating you're putting out the cigarette,
- 2:18:58Speaker 1: you know the post hypnotic suggestions are working perfectly and
- 2:19:02Speaker 1: that you are an excellent hypnotic subject. Here are the
- 2:19:06Speaker 1: suggestions to give yourself while under hypnosis. As I count
- 2:19:10Speaker 1: to three, I shall feel the warm, pleasant rays of
- 2:19:13Speaker 1: the sun on my face and hands. One the cloud
- 2:19:18Speaker 1: is moving and I can begin to feel the warm,
- 2:19:21Speaker 1: pleasant rays of the sun. Two the cloud is moving
- 2:19:26Speaker 1: more and more, exposing more and more of the sun.
- 2:19:30Speaker 1: I can feel the warmth of the sun's rays. Three
- 2:19:35Speaker 1: the cloud has moved away from the sun and I
- 2:19:38Speaker 1: can feel the full warm strength of the sun. It
- 2:19:41Speaker 1: is a pleasant feeling, but as I continue to count
- 2:19:45Speaker 1: to five, the warm feeling will dissipate. Four the warm
- 2:19:50Speaker 1: feeling is leaving. Five the warm feeling has left, and
- 2:19:56Speaker 1: I feel perfectly normal in every respect. A variation of
- 2:20:01Speaker 1: this test is to see yourself lying comfortably in front
- 2:20:04Speaker 1: of a fireplace. In this instance, you imagine someone is
- 2:20:08Speaker 1: adding wood to the fire. As this is done, you
- 2:20:12Speaker 1: feel the warm glow of the fire more and more.
- 2:20:16Speaker 1: Should you use the fireplace technique, try to incorporate the
- 2:20:19Speaker 1: sound of rain into the picture. If you hear rain,
- 2:20:24Speaker 1: you have created a positive auditory hallucination and consider yourself
- 2:20:29Speaker 1: an excellent subject. You can also visualize a situation where
- 2:20:34Speaker 1: you would be cold. This is not as pleasant as
- 2:20:37Speaker 1: the picture that one can conjure up about a fireplace,
- 2:20:41Speaker 1: and thus creates a bit more resistance, since no one
- 2:20:44Speaker 1: wants to feel uncomfortable. Test number nine is the breeze test.
- 2:20:50Speaker 1: It can be combined with the previous test. After you
- 2:20:53Speaker 1: attain the feeling of warmth, you give yourself a count
- 2:20:57Speaker 1: of three or whatever number you want, suggesting that you
- 2:21:00Speaker 1: will feel the cool ocean breeze if you are at
- 2:21:03Speaker 1: the beach on your face and hands. You can even
- 2:21:07Speaker 1: carry this step further, suggesting that you'll even smell the
- 2:21:11Speaker 1: odor of the salt water. This is known as an
- 2:21:14Speaker 1: old factory illusion, and should you be able to create
- 2:21:18Speaker 1: this effect, you can be sure that you are a
- 2:21:20Speaker 1: somnambalistic subject. Here are suggestions you can use as I
- 2:21:26Speaker 1: count to three, I shall gradually feel the cool ocean
- 2:21:30Speaker 1: breeze coming over the waves. It will be a very
- 2:21:33Speaker 1: pleasant feeling. One. I am beginning to feel the cool
- 2:21:38Speaker 1: ocean breeze, especially on my face and hands. Two The
- 2:21:44Speaker 1: breeze is becoming stronger and stronger. Three. I can definitely
- 2:21:50Speaker 1: feel the cool ocean breeze. As I continue to count
- 2:21:53Speaker 1: to five, I shall smell the pleasant, healthy aroma of
- 2:21:57Speaker 1: the salt water. Four I am beginning to smell the
- 2:22:02Speaker 1: salt water. Five I can definitely smell the salt water.
- 2:22:08Speaker 1: Now you give yourself appropriate suggestions that the feeling illusion
- 2:22:14Speaker 1: will vanish as you awaken or at a specific count.
- 2:22:18Speaker 1: It can be as simple as this. As I count
- 2:22:21Speaker 1: to three, I shall open my eyes and awaken feeling
- 2:22:24Speaker 1: very refreshed. The feeling of the cool ocean breeze and
- 2:22:28Speaker 1: smell of the salt air will have vanished completely. At
- 2:22:32Speaker 1: this point, you count to three and open your eyes.
- 2:22:36Speaker 1: Test number ten is the hand clasped test. This is
- 2:22:40Speaker 1: used frequently to test the depth of hypnosis. You fold
- 2:22:44Speaker 1: your hands with your fingers tightly interlocked, and place your
- 2:22:48Speaker 1: palms together. You then give yourself a hypnotic suggestion that
- 2:22:53Speaker 1: at the count of three, it will be impossible for
- 2:22:56Speaker 1: you to unlock your hands. After you try and are
- 2:22:59Speaker 1: eyes unable to unlock your hands, you continue counting to five,
- 2:23:04Speaker 1: suggesting that you will be able to do so when
- 2:23:06Speaker 1: you reach the count of five. Incidentally, you should remove
- 2:23:11Speaker 1: any ring you may be wearing before trying this test.
- 2:23:15Speaker 1: Here are a few suggestions that you can follow. As
- 2:23:18Speaker 1: I complete the count of three, I shall try to
- 2:23:21Speaker 1: unlock my hands, but will be unable to do so
- 2:23:24Speaker 1: until I count to five. One my hands are locked
- 2:23:29Speaker 1: tightly together. Two, my fingers are locked tighter and tighter.
- 2:23:37Speaker 1: Three it is impossible for me to unlock my hands
- 2:23:41Speaker 1: until I count to five. Four. As I reach the
- 2:23:46Speaker 1: count of five, I shall be able to unlock my
- 2:23:49Speaker 1: hands very easily. Five I can now unlock my hands
- 2:23:55Speaker 1: very easily. Test number eleven is the arm test. Here
- 2:24:00Speaker 1: is another test used frequently to test the receptiveness to hypnosis.
- 2:24:06Speaker 1: Make a tight fist and extend your arm in front
- 2:24:08Speaker 1: of you as far as possible. Visualize your arm as
- 2:24:13Speaker 1: one solid mass, as stiff and rigid as a bar
- 2:24:16Speaker 1: of steel. After your arm is extended, give yourself a
- 2:24:21Speaker 1: hypnotic suggestion that you will be able to bend your
- 2:24:24Speaker 1: arm when you complete the count of three. As you
- 2:24:28Speaker 1: continue to count to five, you will be able to
- 2:24:31Speaker 1: bend your arm very easily. Here is a form of
- 2:24:34Speaker 1: suggestion you can use. As I reach the count of three,
- 2:24:39Speaker 1: I shall try to bend my arm, but it will
- 2:24:41Speaker 1: be impossible to do so until I count to five.
- 2:24:46Speaker 1: No matter how hard I try, it will be absolutely impossible.
- 2:24:51Speaker 1: One my arm is stiff and rigid as a bar
- 2:24:55Speaker 1: of steel. Two, I can feel the rigidity in my arm. Three,
- 2:25:03Speaker 1: it is impossible for me to bend my arm until
- 2:25:06Speaker 1: I count to five. Four, I can feel the stiffness. Slowly,
- 2:25:12Speaker 1: leaving five, I can now bend my arm easily, and
- 2:25:17Speaker 1: it feels normal in every respect. Test number twelve is
- 2:25:22Speaker 1: the eye test. This is probably the most widely used
- 2:25:26Speaker 1: test in hypnosis. Many subjects equate the inability to open
- 2:25:30Speaker 1: the eyes with hypnosis. Many assume that if they can
- 2:25:34Speaker 1: open their eyes, they have not been hypnotized. I must
- 2:25:38Speaker 1: emphatically point out that this is not true. The subject
- 2:25:41Speaker 1: can fail the eye test and yet have been under hypnosis.
- 2:25:45Speaker 1: In the deep somnambulistic state, the subject can open his
- 2:25:49Speaker 1: eyes without affecting the depth of the hypnotic state. In fact,
- 2:25:54Speaker 1: this is done many times in getting the subject to
- 2:25:57Speaker 1: do automatic writing, crystal gazing, mirror gazing, hypnodrama and revivification,
- 2:26:06Speaker 1: and carrying out post hypnotic suggestions. In any state. The
- 2:26:09Speaker 1: subject is frequently told that he will open his eyes
- 2:26:13Speaker 1: and carry out the suggestion. I have found that there
- 2:26:16Speaker 1: is more anxiety connected with the eye test than any
- 2:26:19Speaker 1: other test. I feel that it is a normal reaction
- 2:26:23Speaker 1: and one that must be anticipated by the hypnotist as
- 2:26:27Speaker 1: well as the subject. Occasionally, while hypnotizing a new subject,
- 2:26:32Speaker 1: he will open his eyes. This can happen when the
- 2:26:35Speaker 1: subject feels he is losing consciousness. His ability to open
- 2:26:40Speaker 1: his eyes proves to him that he is in control.
- 2:26:43Speaker 1: One of the main fears that the subject has is
- 2:26:46Speaker 1: his belief that he will lose voluntary control of himself.
- 2:26:50Speaker 1: The fact that he can open his eyes lessens his anxiety.
- 2:26:55Speaker 1: If there seems to be too much threat to the individual,
- 2:26:58Speaker 1: I use a method that you can follow. Instead of
- 2:27:01Speaker 1: suggesting that the subject will be unable to open his
- 2:27:04Speaker 1: eyes at a specific count, I suggest that he will
- 2:27:07Speaker 1: be so relaxed that it will be too much effort
- 2:27:10Speaker 1: to open his eyes until a further count is given. Actually,
- 2:27:16Speaker 1: what could take less effort? Here are suggestions you can use.
- 2:27:21Speaker 1: As I count to three, I shall try to open
- 2:27:24Speaker 1: my eyes, but I shall be unable to do so
- 2:27:27Speaker 1: because I feel so relaxed. It will just take too
- 2:27:31Speaker 1: much effort to open my eyes until I reach the
- 2:27:34Speaker 1: count of five. Or tell myself to awaken. One my
- 2:27:39Speaker 1: eyes are closed and I am in a very deep
- 2:27:42Speaker 1: state of hypnosis. Two my eyelids are stuck tightly together.
- 2:27:50Speaker 1: Three it is now impossible for me to open my eyes.
- 2:27:55Speaker 1: I shall be able to open them though at the
- 2:27:57Speaker 1: count of five. Four I shall be able to open
- 2:28:02Speaker 1: my eyes very easily. At the count of five five,
- 2:28:08Speaker 1: I can now open my eyes and wake up feeling
- 2:28:10Speaker 1: alert and fully refreshed. In accomplishing the eye test, you
- 2:28:15Speaker 1: try to create a vivid picture of yourself being completely
- 2:28:18Speaker 1: and fully relaxed. If you really exerted a great deal
- 2:28:22Speaker 1: of effort, you can open your eyes, but because of
- 2:28:26Speaker 1: the pleasantness of the completely relaxed state, you prefer not
- 2:28:30Speaker 1: to do so. It can be likened to your enduring
- 2:28:33Speaker 1: the cold winter air when you are half asleep in bed.
- 2:28:36Speaker 1: Instead of getting up to close the window which has
- 2:28:39Speaker 1: been left open too much. You can, of course get
- 2:28:42Speaker 1: up and close the window, but it becomes a matter
- 2:28:45Speaker 1: of expending too much energy. Instead, you choose to endure
- 2:28:49Speaker 1: the discomfort or suggest that your spouse closed the window.
- 2:28:54Speaker 1: For the following three tests, you give yourself the suggestions
- 2:28:58Speaker 1: as outlined in the previous tests. It should be pointed
- 2:29:01Speaker 1: out again that at the conclusion of the test you
- 2:29:04Speaker 1: give yourself a suggestion that you will feel normal in
- 2:29:07Speaker 1: every respect. Test number thirteen is the music test. This
- 2:29:13Speaker 1: involves creating an auditory hallucination. Give yourself the suggestion that
- 2:29:18Speaker 1: at a specific count you will hear your favorite song.
- 2:29:22Speaker 1: It will last for one minute and then fade out.
- 2:29:26Speaker 1: Test number fourteen is the dream test. It is incorporated
- 2:29:30Speaker 1: in a great deal of hypnotherapy. The subject is told
- 2:29:34Speaker 1: that as the hypnotist counts to three, the subject will
- 2:29:37Speaker 1: have a dream lasting for several minutes which he will remember.
- 2:29:41Speaker 1: The dream furthermore, will call his attention to an important
- 2:29:45Speaker 1: incident that he has long forgotten yet which will be
- 2:29:49Speaker 1: relevant to his problem. In self hypnosis, you suggest to
- 2:29:53Speaker 1: yourself that at a specific count you will have a
- 2:29:56Speaker 1: very pleasant dream lasting for several minutes at the end,
- 2:30:00Speaker 1: which time you will awaken feeling refreshed. For those readers
- 2:30:05Speaker 1: further interested in producing dreams, I can highly recommend a
- 2:30:09Speaker 1: very fascinating book called The Experimental Production of Dreams during
- 2:30:13Speaker 1: Hypnosis by Professor David bowen Klein. Test number fifteen is
- 2:30:19Speaker 1: the anesthesia test. This is conducted by telling yourself that
- 2:30:24Speaker 1: you will not feel the pain associated with the act
- 2:30:27Speaker 1: of pinching yourself. You suggest that you will feel the
- 2:30:30Speaker 1: pressure of your fingers, but will not feel the pain involved.
- 2:30:34Speaker 1: I urge the reader not to stick pins in himself
- 2:30:37Speaker 1: to test the anesthesia. This can be dangerous, lead to infection,
- 2:30:42Speaker 1: and cause other harmful results. You should also not dig
- 2:30:46Speaker 1: your nails into your skin to make sure that you
- 2:30:48Speaker 1: don't feel pain. End of chapter nine, Chapter ten A
- 2:30:55Speaker 1: new approach to self hypnosis when all else fails. Let
- 2:30:59Speaker 1: us assume that you have tried diligently to learn self
- 2:31:02Speaker 1: hypnosis for a month or more but have failed. You
- 2:31:05Speaker 1: have worked faithfully following the instructions outlined in this book
- 2:31:09Speaker 1: and other books on self hypnosis, but somehow the state
- 2:31:12Speaker 1: of hypnosis elude you. Should you give up in despair
- 2:31:16Speaker 1: or is there still hope for you. Let me assure
- 2:31:19Speaker 1: you that you can still become an excellent subject. Let
- 2:31:22Speaker 1: us examine several areas of this problem and a new
- 2:31:25Speaker 1: approach that will help you achieve your ends. You must,
- 2:31:29Speaker 1: first of all, ask yourself if you are feeling better
- 2:31:32Speaker 1: and whether you have made strides in the direction you
- 2:31:35Speaker 1: desire while giving your self suggestions in whatever stage of
- 2:31:38Speaker 1: hypnosis you have achieved. If your evaluation is affirmative to
- 2:31:43Speaker 1: any degree, you can expect even greater results. But you
- 2:31:47Speaker 1: may say, how can I expect greater results when I
- 2:31:50Speaker 1: haven't achieved self hypnosis. My answer is you may be
- 2:31:54Speaker 1: achieving self hypnosis and not know it. The change to
- 2:31:58Speaker 1: the self hypnotic state from the wakeing state can be
- 2:32:01Speaker 1: very imperceivable. Many times, prior to testing subjects under hypnosis,
- 2:32:06Speaker 1: I ask them if they think they are in the
- 2:32:08Speaker 1: hypnotic state. The answer is invariably no. When asking the
- 2:32:12Speaker 1: subjects for a cogent reason for this answer, they usually
- 2:32:16Speaker 1: exclaim that they are aware of what is going on
- 2:32:19Speaker 1: and do not feel any different than they did before
- 2:32:21Speaker 1: I started working with them. They are amazed to find
- 2:32:24Speaker 1: that various tests work so perfectly. Some subjects do not
- 2:32:28Speaker 1: respond to hypnotic tests no matter how long you work
- 2:32:31Speaker 1: with them. For these persons, I usually deemphasize the need
- 2:32:35Speaker 1: for passing the tests and concentrate on the therapeutic results which
- 2:32:39Speaker 1: are desired. This approach lessons anxiety and usually results in
- 2:32:44Speaker 1: a deepening of the hypnotic state. It is my feeling
- 2:32:48Speaker 1: that many subjects resist any tests, as the implication is
- 2:32:51Speaker 1: that once the tests work, the subject is under complete
- 2:32:54Speaker 1: control of the hypnotists. The subject may fear this supposed
- 2:32:58Speaker 1: subjection on one hand, and yet want it on the
- 2:33:01Speaker 1: other hand. These forces can work unconsciously, and thus the
- 2:33:05Speaker 1: attainment of hypnosis becomes a very intricate, perplexing and trying procedure.
- 2:33:11Speaker 1: Even though this may be so, I can assure you
- 2:33:14Speaker 1: that the problem and attainment of hypnosis can be resolved.
- 2:33:18Speaker 1: It is only a matter of motivation on the part
- 2:33:20Speaker 1: of the subject. This is the main ingredient necessary for
- 2:33:24Speaker 1: successful hypnosis. Let me now explain a technique which has
- 2:33:28Speaker 1: worked admirably for many who have been frustrated because of
- 2:33:32Speaker 1: their inability to achieve self hypnosis. It involves pretending you
- 2:33:36Speaker 1: are hypnotized and going through the motions of the various
- 2:33:40Speaker 1: tests as though you were a perfect subject. You will
- 2:33:43Speaker 1: recall that one theory of hypnosis is that the subject
- 2:33:47Speaker 1: behaves in a manner that he believes is in keeping
- 2:33:50Speaker 1: with hypnotic behavior. This role playing is the basis for
- 2:33:53Speaker 1: our unique approach. As the subject continues this procedure, he
- 2:33:58Speaker 1: takes on the condition response mechanism necessary for self hypnosis.
- 2:34:03Speaker 1: Let us look at the following examples of role playing.
- 2:34:06Speaker 1: During the war, many soldiers who wanted to leave the
- 2:34:09Speaker 1: army would pretend something was wrong with them. They would
- 2:34:12Speaker 1: convince the authorities of the authenticity of their illness, and
- 2:34:16Speaker 1: since nothing seemed to make them better, they eventually were
- 2:34:19Speaker 1: separated from the service because of the incapacitating disorder. But
- 2:34:24Speaker 1: what happened to many of these malingerers after they were
- 2:34:28Speaker 1: released from the service. I'm sure you know the rest
- 2:34:31Speaker 1: of the story. The constant malingering was transformed by this
- 2:34:34Speaker 1: role playing into a condition response pattern, eventually bringing about
- 2:34:39Speaker 1: the very undesirable condition responsible for their leaving the service.
- 2:34:43Speaker 1: I saw some of these individuals, and more than once
- 2:34:46Speaker 1: they told me that they had unwittingly hypnotized themselves into
- 2:34:50Speaker 1: having the ailment. They wanted me to dehypnotize them. They
- 2:34:55Speaker 1: actually turned out to be very easy subjects as they
- 2:34:58Speaker 1: had become highly suggestible. Unfortunately, their super ego structure was weak,
- 2:35:04Speaker 1: they had difficulty in identifying strongly with any one, and
- 2:35:08Speaker 1: the relationship in hypnosis was superficial and without depth. I
- 2:35:13Speaker 1: am going to relate another example which I hope will
- 2:35:15Speaker 1: help you understand the role playing technique for self hypnosis.
- 2:35:20Speaker 1: I have had the following experience many times in giving
- 2:35:23Speaker 1: hypnotic demonstrations before various organizations. For some reason, even though
- 2:35:29Speaker 1: I carefully ask that only those who desire to be
- 2:35:32Speaker 1: hypnotized volunteer as subjects for the hypnotic demonstrations, an individual
- 2:35:37Speaker 1: who has no intention of cooperating comes up on the
- 2:35:40Speaker 1: stage to poke fun at the hypnotist. In giving public demonstrations,
- 2:35:45Speaker 1: I usually work with about ten subjects and simultaneously give
- 2:35:49Speaker 1: them the same suggestions and post hypnotic suggestions. Once the
- 2:35:53Speaker 1: subjects are hypnotized, I work with them with their eyes open.
- 2:35:57Speaker 1: Using this technique, with each sub carrying out a post
- 2:36:01Speaker 1: hypnotic suggestion intensifies the responses of other subjects. There is
- 2:36:06Speaker 1: also competitiveness to become the best subject in the meantime,
- 2:36:11Speaker 1: the individual who is really not under hypnosis has let
- 2:36:14Speaker 1: the audience know about it by winking or making a
- 2:36:17Speaker 1: grimace when I was not looking at him. Observing laughter
- 2:36:20Speaker 1: and other audience reactions which are not in keeping with
- 2:36:24Speaker 1: what is happening at the precise moment during my lecture
- 2:36:27Speaker 1: is my cue that I have an egocentric person on stage.
- 2:36:31Speaker 1: You might ask yourself, can't you tell when someone is faking?
- 2:36:35Speaker 1: It is extremely difficult many times to do so once
- 2:36:39Speaker 1: you are aware of it. However, you give certain tests
- 2:36:42Speaker 1: to the group. The exhibitionist doesn't know how to respond
- 2:36:45Speaker 1: each time, and you soon pick him out. Even when
- 2:36:49Speaker 1: I know specifically who it is, I do not dismiss him. Interestingly,
- 2:36:54Speaker 1: it is invariably a man. I continue with the lecture demonstration,
- 2:36:59Speaker 1: but I let the audience know that I am aware
- 2:37:01Speaker 1: of the situation. This is the interesting part of this example.
- 2:37:06Speaker 1: The bumptuous subject, by giving himself auto suggestions to comply
- 2:37:11Speaker 1: with various post hypnotic suggestions, is actually engaging in our
- 2:37:15Speaker 1: technique of role playing. The inevitable happens he finds him
- 2:37:19Speaker 1: self hypnotized, despite his obvious intention not to be affected
- 2:37:24Speaker 1: in any way. Any hypnotist can recount similar incidents. What
- 2:37:29Speaker 1: can you learn by the example just presented? What if
- 2:37:32Speaker 1: you purposely set about doing the same thing and your
- 2:37:35Speaker 1: attempt to achieve self hypnosis? The obvious answer is that
- 2:37:39Speaker 1: the technique has a good chance of working and as
- 2:37:42Speaker 1: a result, you will achieve self hypnosis. This method has
- 2:37:46Speaker 1: worked with many recalcitrance subjects. To follow this plan, go
- 2:37:51Speaker 1: back to chapter six how to attain self hypnosis and
- 2:37:55Speaker 1: use the role playing technique. You'll be pleasantly surprised at
- 2:37:59Speaker 1: how this approach will act as a catalyst. Remember, once
- 2:38:03Speaker 1: you obtain the eye closure, give yourself whatever therapeutic suggestion
- 2:38:08Speaker 1: you desire, plus the post hypnotic suggestion that the next
- 2:38:12Speaker 1: time you will fall into a deeper and sounder state
- 2:38:14Speaker 1: of hypnosis at the count of three or any other
- 2:38:18Speaker 1: queue you desire. I know you may protest using the
- 2:38:21Speaker 1: role playing technique with the question if I'm not under hypnosis,
- 2:38:26Speaker 1: why give myself therapeutic post hypnotic suggestions to condition myself
- 2:38:30Speaker 1: to go under hypnosis at a specific count. You may
- 2:38:34Speaker 1: further protest that you are only fooling yourself. My answer is,
- 2:38:39Speaker 1: what if you are? What is lost by doing it
- 2:38:42Speaker 1: you have everything to gain and nothing to lose? Are
- 2:38:46Speaker 1: you not really interested in the end result and not
- 2:38:48Speaker 1: the means? The attainment of the self hypnotic state is
- 2:38:52Speaker 1: not in itself the n result. It is a means
- 2:38:55Speaker 1: to help you achieve your goal. Don't many people carry
- 2:38:59Speaker 1: or wear good luck charms of a religious or non
- 2:39:01Speaker 1: religious nature. Don't we accept these items in our society?
- 2:39:06Speaker 1: The four leaf clover and rabbit's foot as symbols of
- 2:39:09Speaker 1: good luck have been part of our culture for a
- 2:39:12Speaker 1: long time. We are all sophisticated enough to know that
- 2:39:16Speaker 1: they do not have an intrinsic value, but don't they
- 2:39:19Speaker 1: do something for our mental attitude? This same problem is
- 2:39:23Speaker 1: precisely what you are to follow in using the role
- 2:39:26Speaker 1: playing technique. If you believe, expect, and imagine that you
- 2:39:30Speaker 1: will be successful in this approach to self hypnosis, I
- 2:39:34Speaker 1: can assure you that you will. May I urge you
- 2:39:37Speaker 1: not to reject this novel and unorthodox approach. Many have
- 2:39:41Speaker 1: had excellent results when other methods, even those of a
- 2:39:45Speaker 1: professional hypnotist, have failed. Some of you may recognize this
- 2:39:50Speaker 1: approach as another means of applying the visual imagery technique.
- 2:39:54Speaker 1: Whatever you choose to call it. I reiterate, you can't
- 2:39:58Speaker 1: expect good results. It is only necessary that you follow
- 2:40:02Speaker 1: the instructions and adopt the right attitude. By the right attitude,
- 2:40:07Speaker 1: I mean that you should adopt the conviction that you
- 2:40:10Speaker 1: are going to achieve self hypnosis, even though you might
- 2:40:13Speaker 1: have experienced difficulty up to now. Hypnosis is a conviction phenomenon.
- 2:40:19Speaker 1: It is possible that you may say you are not suggestible. Actually,
- 2:40:24Speaker 1: your lack of response proves your suggestibility. You have been
- 2:40:28Speaker 1: influenced by negative suggestions. Every one is suggestible to some degree.
- 2:40:33Speaker 1: You have become extremely suggestible to conscious or unconscious stimuli,
- 2:40:38Speaker 1: which are definitely affecting your ability to respond. You need
- 2:40:42Speaker 1: only use this latent suggestibility and make it work for you.
- 2:40:47Speaker 1: What would you say about the suggestibility of a person
- 2:40:50Speaker 1: who doesn't want to talk about hypnosis? This person has
- 2:40:54Speaker 1: never read a book on hypnosis and absolutely doesn't want
- 2:40:58Speaker 1: you or any one else to HYPNOTI him. Would you
- 2:41:01Speaker 1: believe this person is a potentially good hypnotic subject. I
- 2:41:05Speaker 1: can tell you by practical experience that once this person
- 2:41:09Speaker 1: allows himself to be hypnotized, he turns out to be
- 2:41:12Speaker 1: a perfect subject. Responding to either end of the suggestibility
- 2:41:16Speaker 1: scale is indicative of success with hypnosis. It becomes a
- 2:41:21Speaker 1: matter of manipulating this suggestibility skillfully in order to achieve results.
- 2:41:27Speaker 1: Let me give you another example which may help. Which
- 2:41:30Speaker 1: one of these two lines drawn on this page is
- 2:41:33Speaker 1: longer line A B or line CD? What is your answer?
- 2:41:39Speaker 1: Did you think both were the same? Take a ruler
- 2:41:42Speaker 1: and actually measure them. You'll find line A B longer
- 2:41:46Speaker 1: than CD, but you reply every other time both lines
- 2:41:51Speaker 1: were the same. This is a familiar optical illusion which
- 2:41:55Speaker 1: is used many times in basic courses in psychology. It
- 2:41:59Speaker 1: is no as the Muller Liar illusion. My contention is
- 2:42:03Speaker 1: that if you said both of the same size, you
- 2:42:06Speaker 1: are potentially a good subject. You respond perfectly to previous conditioning.
- 2:42:12Speaker 1: Thus you are responding as anticipated. If, on the other hand,
- 2:42:16Speaker 1: you picked line A B, you are normally suggestible. If
- 2:42:21Speaker 1: you honestly picked line CD, you are extremely cautious and
- 2:42:25Speaker 1: respond best to reverse psychology. Once again, you are highly suggestible,
- 2:42:30Speaker 1: but toward one extreme. Here's another interesting experiment. Would you
- 2:42:35Speaker 1: say that lines A, B and CD were perfectly straight.
- 2:42:39Speaker 1: I'll let you figure out what your response means to
- 2:42:42Speaker 1: this test by yourself. You can take a ruler to
- 2:42:45Speaker 1: determine if the lines are straight. We all respond unconsciously
- 2:42:49Speaker 1: to stimuli of some sort. Word association tests are based
- 2:42:53Speaker 1: on this principle. Aren't your reactions automatic to the following terms? Democratic,
- 2:43:01Speaker 1: Republican Party, Communist Party, mother, father, movie star? If I
- 2:43:08Speaker 1: mention the name of a famous person, city, or country,
- 2:43:12Speaker 1: the same immediate unconscious reaction takes place. Let's try it.
- 2:43:18Speaker 1: Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy,
- 2:43:26Speaker 1: Albert Einstein, Albert Schweitzer, Eleanor Roosevelt, Boston, New York City, Hollywood,
- 2:43:37Speaker 1: Miami Beach, United States, England, France, Italy, Israel, Africa, Russia, China, India,
- 2:43:53Speaker 1: and South America. The response and image keep changing, don't they.
- 2:43:58Speaker 1: I am trying to point out that this reaction is
- 2:44:01Speaker 1: automatic because of previous conditioning. I could mention almost anything
- 2:44:06Speaker 1: and the same automatic reaction would take place. The reaction
- 2:44:10Speaker 1: would always be the same, unless something had happened to
- 2:44:13Speaker 1: change or alter your response. Let us mention the word hypnosis.
- 2:44:18Speaker 1: Some sort of reaction must take place. This can either
- 2:44:22Speaker 1: be positive, negative, or neutral. For our purposes, you really
- 2:44:26Speaker 1: don't have to think about your response, as it is automatic.
- 2:44:30Speaker 1: The point to remember is that a definite response has
- 2:44:33Speaker 1: taken place, which will either help or hinder your attainment
- 2:44:37Speaker 1: of hypnosis. If the response should be negative, it can
- 2:44:41Speaker 1: be changed by gaining knowledge in actual experience in hypnosis.
- 2:44:46Speaker 1: It is natural to have a bit of uneasiness when
- 2:44:49Speaker 1: first experiencing or thinking about being hypnotized. After all, you
- 2:44:55Speaker 1: haven't been exposed to hypnosis in a therapeutic setting and
- 2:44:58Speaker 1: couldn't have formed a face favorable reaction. Your response is
- 2:45:02Speaker 1: probably derived from a fictionalization of hypnosis. The initial task
- 2:45:07Speaker 1: of the hypnotist is to create, by educating the perspective subject,
- 2:45:13Speaker 1: a favorable attitude so that the subject allows himself to
- 2:45:16Speaker 1: be hypnotized. What does this mean specifically to you? If
- 2:45:21Speaker 1: you are having difficulty learning self hypnosis, It means that
- 2:45:25Speaker 1: through repeated exposures, you will finally respond. You will realize
- 2:45:30Speaker 1: there is no need for anxiety in regard to your response.
- 2:45:34Speaker 1: This inner feeling will in turn have a cumulative favorable
- 2:45:38Speaker 1: effect upon your unconsciousness, which will result in your finely
- 2:45:42Speaker 1: responding to hypnosis. Suppose you still maintain and insist that
- 2:45:49Speaker 1: you are not suggestible, and wonder if you will ever
- 2:45:52Speaker 1: respond to hypnosis. Furthermore, the assurance I have given you
- 2:45:57Speaker 1: up to this point doesn't seem to convince you. If
- 2:46:00Speaker 1: you have tried diligently to achieve self hypnosis, you cannot
- 2:46:04Speaker 1: be blamed. But let's try an experiment to test your suggestibility.
- 2:46:09Speaker 1: It is well to ponder my statement that if you
- 2:46:12Speaker 1: do not respond, it is a sign of being suggestible,
- 2:46:16Speaker 1: but in a negative sense, lack of response is a
- 2:46:19Speaker 1: manifestation of this negative suggestibility. My contention is that you
- 2:46:24Speaker 1: are definitely suggestible. Let us see what happens to you
- 2:46:28Speaker 1: in trying the following classical experiment. It is called Chevroule's
- 2:46:33Speaker 1: pendulum test. Draw a circle with about a six inch
- 2:46:37Speaker 1: diameter and mark it has shown in the illustration. Next,
- 2:46:42Speaker 1: take a ring and attach a string to it. If
- 2:46:44Speaker 1: you have a locket, it will do as well. The
- 2:46:47Speaker 1: hypnotist uses a crystal ball and chain for this experiment.
- 2:46:52Speaker 1: Hold the end of the string or chain and keep
- 2:46:54Speaker 1: the ring or whatever object you are using about three
- 2:46:58Speaker 1: inches above the center of the circle. Now concentrate and
- 2:47:02Speaker 1: fix your gaze on the ring, crystal ball or lock it. Mentally,
- 2:47:07Speaker 1: suggest to yourself that the object will begin to revolve
- 2:47:10Speaker 1: in a circular manner following the numbers one, two, three,
- 2:47:16Speaker 1: and four. Picture in your mind's eye that this circular
- 2:47:20Speaker 1: motion is becoming wider and wider. Work at this image
- 2:47:24Speaker 1: for several minutes. Did the object begin turning to the
- 2:47:28Speaker 1: right following the numbers? Did the circle become larger and larger?
- 2:47:33Speaker 1: If it did, you are absolutely suggestible, are influenced by
- 2:47:37Speaker 1: your own suggestions, and therefore, if you follow instructions, can
- 2:47:42Speaker 1: learn self hypnosis. You can be trained to acquire this skill.
- 2:47:47Speaker 1: If the experience did not work, try it again. Concentrate harder,
- 2:47:52Speaker 1: and try to visualize more intently the object revolving in
- 2:47:56Speaker 1: a circular manner. You are not to rotate the eyes
- 2:48:00Speaker 1: object consciously or help it in any way. The action
- 2:48:03Speaker 1: must stem from your subconscious The thought of the crystal
- 2:48:07Speaker 1: ball or ring revolving in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction
- 2:48:13Speaker 1: invariably causes an involuntary muscle reflex action to take place.
- 2:48:18Speaker 1: This phenomenon is known as ideomotor action. Usually, as the
- 2:48:24Speaker 1: subject concentrates more intensely, the reflex action becomes more profound,
- 2:48:29Speaker 1: causing greater unconscious movement. Of the hand, which in turn
- 2:48:34Speaker 1: is transmitted to the object in the form of larger
- 2:48:37Speaker 1: circles and greater momentum. The time required for the successful
- 2:48:41Speaker 1: accomplishment of this test depends upon the degree of suggestibility
- 2:48:46Speaker 1: of the subject. An interesting action is to see the
- 2:48:50Speaker 1: object revolve in an opposite direction than suggested. It gives
- 2:48:54Speaker 1: a clue to the personality structure of the individual. The
- 2:48:59Speaker 1: Ruegia board world work on the same principle as Chevroull's
- 2:49:02Speaker 1: pendulum test. Many times the aspirant will remark I swear
- 2:49:06Speaker 1: I didn't make it move. Mentalists find hidden objects in
- 2:49:10Speaker 1: the audience using basically the same approach, combined with clever
- 2:49:15Speaker 1: techniques of distraction. The term given for this is muscle reading.
- 2:49:21Speaker 1: This is the point in question. If the crystal ball
- 2:49:24Speaker 1: ring or lock it moves without conscious direction, you have
- 2:49:28Speaker 1: successfully influenced your subconscious mind. Self hypnosis involves the same procedure.
- 2:49:35Speaker 1: The goal is to consciously cause a subconscious reaction. If
- 2:49:39Speaker 1: the experiment does not work with your eyes open, try
- 2:49:43Speaker 1: it with your eyes closed for about five minutes. You
- 2:49:46Speaker 1: will be pleasantly surprised with the results. Should you want
- 2:49:50Speaker 1: to prove to yourself that you are suggestible with your
- 2:49:53Speaker 1: eyes open. Practice the technique every day for a week
- 2:49:57Speaker 1: or two. The idea of the practice session is to
- 2:50:00Speaker 1: reinforce and increase the response of the unconscious movement until
- 2:50:05Speaker 1: you develop proficiency. It follows the laws of the condition
- 2:50:09Speaker 1: reflex theory expounded by doctor Ivan P. Pavlov, the famous
- 2:50:14Speaker 1: Russian psychologist. If after several weeks you should still not
- 2:50:19Speaker 1: be successful, use the role playing technique consciously make the
- 2:50:24Speaker 1: object revolve. After a while, it will move automatically whenever
- 2:50:29Speaker 1: you attempt the experiment. When this happens, you will have
- 2:50:33Speaker 1: proof of your suggestibility. It is highly improbable that you
- 2:50:37Speaker 1: will not be successful. It would be a rare occurrence.
- 2:50:42Speaker 1: By the same systematic efforts, I can assure you that
- 2:50:45Speaker 1: you can achieve self hypnosis. If you are still not
- 2:50:49Speaker 1: affected favorably, you might consider one of the psychological means
- 2:50:53Speaker 1: of inducing hypnosis. The next chapter will discuss this topic.
- 2:50:58Speaker 1: I would recommend Pavlov's book called condition Reflexes. Pavlow's book
- 2:51:04Speaker 1: will further explain and clarify the concept of the conditioned
- 2:51:08Speaker 1: response mechanism. It covers necessary conditions for the development of
- 2:51:13Speaker 1: condition responses their formulation by means of conditioned and direct stimuli,
- 2:51:20Speaker 1: plus a tremendous amount of material which will help you
- 2:51:23Speaker 1: in your understanding of the significance of the role playing
- 2:51:27Speaker 1: technique in relationship to learning self hypnosis. End of Chapter ten.
- 2:51:33Speaker 1: Chapter eleven. Psychological aids and their function. Psychological or mechanical
- 2:51:40Speaker 1: aids are used to help put the subject in a
- 2:51:43Speaker 1: state of hypnosis. The use of the aids helps increase
- 2:51:47Speaker 1: the suggestibility of the subject toward hypnosis. The two most
- 2:51:52Speaker 1: widely used hypnotic aids are the crystal ball and chain
- 2:51:55Speaker 1: and the twelve inch hypnodisc. One reason is that these
- 2:51:59Speaker 1: two items have no other use or function outside of
- 2:52:03Speaker 1: the area of hypnosis. Therefore, when the hypnotist proceeds to
- 2:52:08Speaker 1: use one of these hypnotic devices, it must follow that
- 2:52:11Speaker 1: a certain mental set, readiness, or receptivity must follow as
- 2:52:16Speaker 1: a result of its introduction into the hypnotic setting. If
- 2:52:20Speaker 1: the subject is uneasy about the hypnotic setting or his response,
- 2:52:25Speaker 1: the introduction of the hypnotic aid can mobilize the subject's defenses,
- 2:52:30Speaker 1: which may be on a conscious or unconscious level. Generally,
- 2:52:35Speaker 1: the mental set which follows helps augment whatever hypnotic suggestions
- 2:52:39Speaker 1: are given. Certainly, the same mental set would not follow
- 2:52:44Speaker 1: if the hypnotists used a paper clip as a means
- 2:52:47Speaker 1: of helping with the induction of hypnosis. It would only
- 2:52:50Speaker 1: start the subject wondering about the relationship of the paper
- 2:52:53Speaker 1: clip to hypnosis. It obviously isn't in keeping with what
- 2:52:57Speaker 1: the subject expects. It is important to utilize the subject's
- 2:53:02Speaker 1: expectation as to what he believes takes place in the setting,
- 2:53:05Speaker 1: as long as this expectation does not hinder the induction
- 2:53:09Speaker 1: of hypnosis. The mere act of turning down the lights
- 2:53:13Speaker 1: or drawing the curtains before the hypnotist begins to work
- 2:53:16Speaker 1: with the subject is a nonverbal suggestion which can be
- 2:53:20Speaker 1: considered as a psychological aid. The subject knows that the
- 2:53:24Speaker 1: hypnotist is ready to begin at this point. Actually, it
- 2:53:28Speaker 1: isn't necessary to darken the room at any time to
- 2:53:31Speaker 1: induce hypnosis. Doesn't the stage hypnotist work with glaring lights
- 2:53:36Speaker 1: the room is darkened, And I might add that I
- 2:53:39Speaker 1: use this procedure myself mainly for the psychological effect. If
- 2:53:44Speaker 1: I feel that this procedure might cause anxiety, I proceed
- 2:53:48Speaker 1: with the room undarkened. In discussing psychological aids, it is
- 2:53:53Speaker 1: agreed that we are primarily interested in seeing the subject
- 2:53:57Speaker 1: feel better or achieve whatever goals he needs seeks through
- 2:54:00Speaker 1: the intelligent application of hypnosis. If a hypnotic aid will
- 2:54:05Speaker 1: help the subject achieve hypnosis, we can concur it is justified.
- 2:54:10Speaker 1: It is not to be considered a subterfuge. If the
- 2:54:14Speaker 1: physician administers a placebo to a patient with the remark,
- 2:54:18Speaker 1: here is a new medicine that can help your condition,
- 2:54:21Speaker 1: and if this technique does help alleviate the patient's condition,
- 2:54:25Speaker 1: it is considered good medicine. You must know beforehand that
- 2:54:29Speaker 1: in using the twelve inch hypnodisc, the subject's eyes must
- 2:54:33Speaker 1: begin to water, his eyelids must get heavy, and eventually
- 2:54:37Speaker 1: he must close them. Even before you begin to use
- 2:54:40Speaker 1: the hypnodisc, you suggest that these conditions will take place
- 2:54:45Speaker 1: during the induction of hypnosis. As these reactions are noted
- 2:54:49Speaker 1: by the subject, a favorable psychological attitude automatically develops, which
- 2:54:55Speaker 1: in turn helps further suggestions. If the subject react acts
- 2:55:00Speaker 1: favorably to suggestions A, B, and C, it follows that
- 2:55:03Speaker 1: he is more prone to accept suggestions D, E, and F,
- 2:55:08Speaker 1: which are therapeutic in nature. The subject can better relate
- 2:55:12Speaker 1: to the latter suggestions when he has seen proof of
- 2:55:14Speaker 1: his initial suggestibility. This approach works better than beginning immediately
- 2:55:19Speaker 1: with the latter suggestions. The build up of suggestions convinces
- 2:55:24Speaker 1: the subject he is in a heightened state of suggestibility
- 2:55:27Speaker 1: and can benefit from the therapeutic suggestions of the hypnotists
- 2:55:31Speaker 1: or his own. Perhaps his needed assurance is so helpful
- 2:55:35Speaker 1: because it eliminates the anxiety of the subject concerning his suggestibility.
- 2:55:41Speaker 1: He seeks and needs the satisfaction of knowing he has
- 2:55:44Speaker 1: attained the prerequisites necessary before any therapeutic program can benefit him.
- 2:55:49Speaker 1: The subject's prerequisites need not be actually related to the
- 2:55:53Speaker 1: hypnotic process per se, but merely match his preconceived ideas
- 2:55:58Speaker 1: about what is necessary. Let me give you an example.
- 2:56:02Speaker 1: Many subjects feel that they must experience amnesia before they
- 2:56:06Speaker 1: can benefit from hypnotic suggestions. This premise is inaccurate, since
- 2:56:11Speaker 1: favorable and lasting results can be achieved in any degree
- 2:56:14Speaker 1: of hypnosis, depending of course, on the nature of the problem.
- 2:56:19Speaker 1: Let me relate several interesting occurrences that take place every
- 2:56:23Speaker 1: so often in my own practice as a professional hypnotist.
- 2:56:27Speaker 1: A subject who is responding well to hypnosis but not
- 2:56:31Speaker 1: to the point of amnesia. Insists that he will not
- 2:56:34Speaker 1: benefit until he is knocked out and doesn't remember what happened.
- 2:56:39Speaker 1: Trying to convince him otherwise proves fatal. He just refuses
- 2:56:43Speaker 1: to accept whatever explanation you give him. My own method
- 2:56:47Speaker 1: is not to insist that the subject is wrong, but
- 2:56:50Speaker 1: somehow to use his misconception in a constructive manner. After
- 2:56:54Speaker 1: getting him into the cataleptic state, I suggest that I
- 2:56:58Speaker 1: am going to stop talking for five minus, during which
- 2:57:01Speaker 1: time he is to mentally repeat sleep as he slowly
- 2:57:05Speaker 1: and deeply inhales, and deep sleep as he slowly exhales.
- 2:57:10Speaker 1: At the end of this time, he'll be in a
- 2:57:13Speaker 1: very deep hypnotic state. Instead of remaining quiet for five minutes,
- 2:57:18Speaker 1: I take ten minutes. I then begin to whisper suggestions
- 2:57:22Speaker 1: to the subject to determine if he is still under
- 2:57:24Speaker 1: hypnosis or asleep. If he is asleep, I let him
- 2:57:29Speaker 1: remain asleep for a still longer period of time, after
- 2:57:33Speaker 1: which interval I awaken him. I ask him if he
- 2:57:36Speaker 1: remembers what I said to him during the time he
- 2:57:39Speaker 1: was deeply hypnotized. If he says no, I remark very good.
- 2:57:45Speaker 1: I further point out to him that he has now
- 2:57:47Speaker 1: experienced amnesia and will now make rapid strides. The subject,
- 2:57:52Speaker 1: on the other hand, is pleased to see that I
- 2:57:54Speaker 1: now agree with him, and in fact, the interesting result
- 2:57:58Speaker 1: is that he does make excellent in progress because his
- 2:58:01Speaker 1: preconceived requirements have been met. It should be pointed out
- 2:58:06Speaker 1: that I keep working with the subject until such a
- 2:58:08Speaker 1: time that he falls asleep. The transition from hypnosis to
- 2:58:12Speaker 1: sleep is normal. It is easy for the subject to
- 2:58:16Speaker 1: fall asleep because he is so relaxed. Let me tell
- 2:58:20Speaker 1: you of a similar experience before telling you of this
- 2:58:23Speaker 1: psychological technique. It is only fair to point out that
- 2:58:27Speaker 1: the professional hypnotist varies his approach from subject to subject,
- 2:58:31Speaker 1: not only to suit the needs of the subject, but
- 2:58:34Speaker 1: to break the monotony of using only a few successful procedures.
- 2:58:38Speaker 1: His experimentation helps develop not only new procedures, but new
- 2:58:43Speaker 1: concepts relative to the general nature of hypnosis and its
- 2:58:47Speaker 1: many ramifications. I was interested to see what would happen
- 2:58:51Speaker 1: to a subject if he thought he was deeply hypnotized
- 2:58:54Speaker 1: without ever giving him verbal suggestions or reassurance that he
- 2:58:58Speaker 1: would feel better or over his problem. Of course, if
- 2:59:03Speaker 1: the technique did not work quickly, I would drop the
- 2:59:06Speaker 1: procedure for a more orthodox approach. Instead of trying to
- 2:59:10Speaker 1: really hypnotize the subject, my aim is to get him
- 2:59:13Speaker 1: to sleep. Once he is asleep, I let him remain
- 2:59:17Speaker 1: so for about thirty minutes, without having ever given him
- 2:59:20Speaker 1: a therapeutic suggestion. I awaken him and inquire if he
- 2:59:25Speaker 1: remembered what happened. If the answer is no, I tell
- 2:59:29Speaker 1: him I'll hypnotize him again next week, and this concludes
- 2:59:33Speaker 1: the visit. When he returns next week, I ask him,
- 2:59:37Speaker 1: how did you feel during the week. The answer is
- 2:59:40Speaker 1: generally much better. I keep repeating this procedure until such
- 2:59:45Speaker 1: a time that the individual has attained the goals that
- 2:59:48Speaker 1: he seeks. I know that the reader may be surprised
- 2:59:51Speaker 1: that I would divulge such an unconventional procedure. The principle
- 2:59:55Speaker 1: is the same as the physician using a placebo. I
- 2:59:58Speaker 1: do so to illustrate the point that I made earlier
- 3:00:01Speaker 1: in this chapter that so long as certain of the
- 3:00:03Speaker 1: subject's requirements are met, whether valid or invalid, the subject's
- 3:00:08Speaker 1: suggestibility is greatly enhanced. Naturally, the unsuspecting subject equated the
- 3:00:14Speaker 1: period of not remembering which was, as we know, true
- 3:00:18Speaker 1: sleep with the somnambulistic state. Actually, he was helped by
- 3:00:23Speaker 1: self hypnosis because he felt he would now make progress
- 3:00:27Speaker 1: because he proved to be such an excellent subject. It
- 3:00:31Speaker 1: is true he was not using self hypnosis as has
- 3:00:34Speaker 1: been outlined in this book, but he had now achieved
- 3:00:37Speaker 1: a heightened state of suggestibility hypnosis and was using this
- 3:00:42Speaker 1: state to further his own ends. The attainment of self
- 3:00:46Speaker 1: hypnosis can be an intricate and elusive procedure. As I
- 3:00:49Speaker 1: have already pointed out, the purpose of the entire book
- 3:00:53Speaker 1: is to instruct, point out, and give you the necessary
- 3:00:57Speaker 1: understanding and knowledge required to achieve this weak. Without this understanding,
- 3:01:02Speaker 1: this can become a very frustrating effort. It is hoped
- 3:01:06Speaker 1: that by understanding and being aware of some of the
- 3:01:09Speaker 1: ramifications of hypnosis, you will be able to achieve your
- 3:01:13Speaker 1: goal in the quickest possible time. It should also be
- 3:01:16Speaker 1: pointed out that no two subjects react in the same way,
- 3:01:20Speaker 1: and that different methods and requirements are necessary to suit
- 3:01:23Speaker 1: the individual. It is a mistake to try to make
- 3:01:26Speaker 1: the subject adhere to origid methodology. The greater flexibility of
- 3:01:31Speaker 1: the hypnotic procedures, the greater the chance for success. Let
- 3:01:36Speaker 1: me at this time further discuss some of the hypnotic
- 3:01:39Speaker 1: aids that are used in the induction of hypnosis. We
- 3:01:43Speaker 1: have already discussed the use of the hypnodisc and the
- 3:01:46Speaker 1: crystal ball and chain. The same principles are involved in
- 3:01:50Speaker 1: any other object which is used as a means of
- 3:01:53Speaker 1: fixation or of tiring the eyes. Hypnotic phonograph records and
- 3:01:58Speaker 1: hypnotic taper coars represent new devices that have been instrumental
- 3:02:03Speaker 1: in conditioning subjects for self hypnosis. The subject plays the
- 3:02:07Speaker 1: record or tape on his phonograph or tape recorder and
- 3:02:11Speaker 1: is conditioned over a period of time to respond to
- 3:02:14Speaker 1: hypnosis at a given signal or phrase. He in turn,
- 3:02:18Speaker 1: can change this key phrase to one of his own, choosing.
- 3:02:21Speaker 1: Should you own or have access to a tape recorder,
- 3:02:24Speaker 1: I would suggest recording an induction of hypnosis and playing
- 3:02:28Speaker 1: it back to yourself in this manner, as though you
- 3:02:31Speaker 1: were hypnotizing someone else. I have produced three different hypnotic
- 3:02:35Speaker 1: records and a thirty minute hypnotic tape containing the three records,
- 3:02:40Speaker 1: which are sold commercially. One record, called the Musical Hypnosis
- 3:02:44Speaker 1: record has a very pleasant, relaxing musical background as the
- 3:02:48Speaker 1: voice of the hypnotists induces hypnosis. The second record, called
- 3:02:54Speaker 1: the Metronome Hypnotic Record, incorporates the monotonous and lulling beat
- 3:02:58Speaker 1: of an electric metric in the background. The subject is
- 3:03:02Speaker 1: instructed to mentally repeat sleep as he slowly inhales, and
- 3:03:07Speaker 1: deep sleep as he slowly exhales in rhythm with the
- 3:03:11Speaker 1: beat of the metronome. While the subject is concentrating on
- 3:03:14Speaker 1: this activity, the voice of the hypnotist induces hypnosis. The
- 3:03:19Speaker 1: third record, called self Hypnosis Record number three, contains only
- 3:03:24Speaker 1: the voice of the hypnotist inducing hypnosis. It features a
- 3:03:28Speaker 1: unique approach and technique. I have had a great deal
- 3:03:32Speaker 1: of correspondence with those who have used these phonograph records
- 3:03:36Speaker 1: and the hypnotic tape for conditioning themselves for self hypnosis.
- 3:03:40Speaker 1: The results are quite interesting and run the range of
- 3:03:43Speaker 1: immediate results to no results. One person wrote that one
- 3:03:47Speaker 1: of the records hypnotized him at the first playing and
- 3:03:51Speaker 1: conditioned him for self hypnosis, whereas he had failed to
- 3:03:54Speaker 1: respond to hypnosis after many visits to one of the
- 3:03:57Speaker 1: country's foremost authorities. I have had similar experiences after having
- 3:04:03Speaker 1: failed to hypnotize a subject despite many attempts, I can
- 3:04:07Speaker 1: only speculate that the subjects in these cases unconsciously resist
- 3:04:11Speaker 1: the hypnotist because they feel a personal threat. Since the
- 3:04:15Speaker 1: record is impersonal, they are better able to relax and
- 3:04:19Speaker 1: subsequently be hypnotized. Interestingly, this occurred when the subject was
- 3:04:24Speaker 1: convinced that he was a very difficult subject. It would
- 3:04:27Speaker 1: seem that only then was the condition response pattern finally established.
- 3:04:32Speaker 1: The basic function of the hypnotic records and hypnotic tape
- 3:04:36Speaker 1: is to establish a conditioned response pattern to a given
- 3:04:39Speaker 1: stimulus in time. Most subjects are conditioned by the intelligent
- 3:04:44Speaker 1: and systematic use of these recordings. Let me describe another
- 3:04:48Speaker 1: varied approach to achieving self hypnosis. One of the chief
- 3:04:53Speaker 1: assets of a good hypnotist is to be flexible in
- 3:04:56Speaker 1: his approach in hypnotizing his subjects. As I have already reread,
- 3:05:00Speaker 1: he pointed out, it is necessary many times to adopt
- 3:05:03Speaker 1: a technique that is suitable to the subject, and not
- 3:05:06Speaker 1: to make the subject adapt himself to the method of induction.
- 3:05:10Speaker 1: We know that with the somnambalistic subjects, any procedure will
- 3:05:14Speaker 1: put the subject under hypnosis. Immediately, the hypnotist gains complete
- 3:05:18Speaker 1: control of his subject, as the subject is able to
- 3:05:21Speaker 1: put himself in the proper psychological frame of mind for hypnosis. Unfortunately,
- 3:05:27Speaker 1: most subjects do not respond at the first session or
- 3:05:31Speaker 1: sessions because of conscious or subconscious fears that must be
- 3:05:35Speaker 1: gradually eliminated. Once you get the subject to relax or
- 3:05:40Speaker 1: let go, he will naturally succumb to hypnosis. This is
- 3:05:44Speaker 1: the problem that confronts all hypnotists. Merely suggesting to the
- 3:05:49Speaker 1: subject to relax is not sufficient as a rule to
- 3:05:53Speaker 1: bring about this desired mental state. The subject at this
- 3:05:57Speaker 1: point cannot easily turn on or off his mental and
- 3:06:00Speaker 1: physical feelings. Even if we have the subject lie down,
- 3:06:04Speaker 1: this does not assure the hypnotic state, as the subject
- 3:06:07Speaker 1: can still be tense. Our main problem is to get
- 3:06:11Speaker 1: the subject relaxed. Our situation is similar to the physician
- 3:06:15Speaker 1: telling his patient to go home and forget about a
- 3:06:18Speaker 1: certain problem. I'm sure you will agree that the advice
- 3:06:21Speaker 1: is virtually impossible to follow. One of the major stumbling
- 3:06:25Speaker 1: blocks in hypnotizing a subject or in self hypnosis lies
- 3:06:30Speaker 1: in the fact that although we use terms such as relax,
- 3:06:33Speaker 1: let yourself go and others. The subject cannot readily put
- 3:06:37Speaker 1: the meaning of these words into effect. It is difficult
- 3:06:41Speaker 1: for most people to let go when we live in
- 3:06:43Speaker 1: a society that beckons us to look sharp, be sharp,
- 3:06:47Speaker 1: be alert, be on the ball, and make every minute count.
- 3:06:52Speaker 1: Emphasis on productivity does not lend to a society of
- 3:06:56Speaker 1: relaxed individuals. In my long experience as a professonal hypnotist,
- 3:07:01Speaker 1: I have tried many novel innovations for inducing hypnosis and
- 3:07:05Speaker 1: teaching individuals self hypnosis. Some have met with a great
- 3:07:10Speaker 1: deal of success, and others have failed. It is furthermore
- 3:07:15Speaker 1: difficult to determine the causal nature for success or failure.
- 3:07:19Speaker 1: We can only theorize. I have used the following unorthodox
- 3:07:23Speaker 1: technique for about a period of fifteen years. Exceptionally good
- 3:07:28Speaker 1: results have been attained with it, although it must be
- 3:07:31Speaker 1: admitted that it is not infallible. It is suggested to
- 3:07:35Speaker 1: you as another good technique in order to help the
- 3:07:38Speaker 1: subject relax, I have been using a phonograph record or
- 3:07:42Speaker 1: tape that I recorded containing the continuous sound of various
- 3:07:46Speaker 1: degrees of rain. One side has a half hour of
- 3:07:49Speaker 1: very soft light rainfall, such as you have experienced in
- 3:07:53Speaker 1: listening to rainfalling on grass, canvas or a tent top.
- 3:07:58Speaker 1: The other side or track contains a half hour of
- 3:08:01Speaker 1: rain effects, such as one would hear in a heavy
- 3:08:04Speaker 1: downfall with loud splatterings of water on the pavement. The
- 3:08:08Speaker 1: record and tape were originally designed to help insomnia sufferers
- 3:08:13Speaker 1: and later incorporated into the hypnotic procedure. The subject is
- 3:08:18Speaker 1: instructed to close his eyes and listen to the sound
- 3:08:21Speaker 1: of the rain while picturing himself relaxing near a warm,
- 3:08:25Speaker 1: glowing fireplace. As you can note, the subject again incorporates
- 3:08:30Speaker 1: the visual imagery technique. The relaxing effect, thus produced over
- 3:08:35Speaker 1: a period of time, enhances his chances of success in
- 3:08:39Speaker 1: attaining a deep hypnotic state. There are many other interesting
- 3:08:43Speaker 1: and unique devices and aids you can use for inducing hypnosis.
- 3:08:48Speaker 1: Rather than present them all in this book, I have
- 3:08:50Speaker 1: fully described them in their techniques of operation on one
- 3:08:54Speaker 1: hundred and forty four page illustrated catalog. This catalog not
- 3:08:58Speaker 1: only contains a list of hypnotic aids, but a description
- 3:09:02Speaker 1: and listing of over four hundred and fifty hypnotism and
- 3:09:05Speaker 1: self help books. Upon request, I shall be pleased to
- 3:09:09Speaker 1: send it to you write two Melvin Powers one twenty
- 3:09:15Speaker 1: fifteen Sherman Road, North, Hollywood, California, nine one six o
- 3:09:20Speaker 1: five and ask for hypnotic catalog number seven. Should you
- 3:09:25Speaker 1: have any questions on self hypnosis or hetero hypnosis, I
- 3:09:29Speaker 1: shall be pleased to answer you. End of Chapter eleven.
- 3:09:34Speaker 1: Chapter twelve The Nature of hypnosis. Although the nature and
- 3:09:39Speaker 1: phenomena of hypnosis are still incompletely understood, there are a
- 3:09:44Speaker 1: multitude of theories which attempt to explain its mechanism and results.
- 3:09:49Speaker 1: The most that can be done at this time is
- 3:09:51Speaker 1: to explore various views which are held by leading authorities.
- 3:09:55Speaker 1: At present. It can be said, however, that a majority
- 3:09:59Speaker 1: of authoritiesies agree that hypnosis ensues as a result of
- 3:10:03Speaker 1: natural laws which have been incorporated in the human organism
- 3:10:07Speaker 1: since the beginning of man as he is today. The
- 3:10:11Speaker 1: older theories show almost as much disparity as today, But
- 3:10:14Speaker 1: for the purposes of history, it is probably necessary to
- 3:10:18Speaker 1: enumerate only the animal magnetism of Frederic Anton Mesmer and
- 3:10:23Speaker 1: a mention of the hysteria syndrome by Jean Martin Charcot.
- 3:10:28Speaker 1: Both names loom large in the history of hypnosis. Mesmer
- 3:10:32Speaker 1: an eighteenth century physician believed that hypnosis occurred as a
- 3:10:36Speaker 1: result of vital fluids drawn from a magnet or lodestone,
- 3:10:41Speaker 1: and which drew their unique qualities from the sun, moon,
- 3:10:44Speaker 1: and stars. Charcot, as well as Pierre Janet and others,
- 3:10:49Speaker 1: was convinced that hypnosis was a form of hysteria, and
- 3:10:53Speaker 1: that only hysterics could be hypnotized. The former Mesmer thought
- 3:10:58Speaker 1: further that metal became viewed by the solar qualities, and
- 3:11:02Speaker 1: his system is also known as metology, by which he
- 3:11:06Speaker 1: meant the proper application of metals naturally. These theories have
- 3:11:10Speaker 1: been largely abandoned today, although there are still a few
- 3:11:14Speaker 1: who think that hypnosis is a form of hysteria. Some pioneers,
- 3:11:19Speaker 1: notably doctor William S. Kroger, a psychiatrically oriented obstetrician and
- 3:11:24Speaker 1: gynecologist who limits his practice to hypnotherapy, believes hypnosis is
- 3:11:30Speaker 1: a conviction phenomenon which produces results that parallel the phenomena
- 3:11:35Speaker 1: produced at lords and other religious healing shrines. His formula
- 3:11:39Speaker 1: is that faith, hope, belief, and expectation, all catalyzed by
- 3:11:44Speaker 1: the imagination, lead inevitably to hypnosis. He, like Emo Koue
- 3:11:50Speaker 1: before him, is convinced that you cannot will yourself to
- 3:11:53Speaker 1: be hypnotized, and that whenever the will and the imagination
- 3:11:56Speaker 1: come into conflict, the imagination will win out. This fits
- 3:12:01Speaker 1: in perfectly, of course, with the authors already discussed visual
- 3:12:05Speaker 1: imagery techniques which require a high degree of imagination. Doctor Kroger,
- 3:12:10Speaker 1: like a few others, has proved to his own satisfaction
- 3:12:14Speaker 1: that all hypnotic phenomena can be produced at a non
- 3:12:17Speaker 1: hypnotic level. A large number of hypnotists, including the author,
- 3:12:23Speaker 1: has come to believe that hypnosis is a semantic problem
- 3:12:26Speaker 1: in which words are the building blocks to success. Not
- 3:12:30Speaker 1: just any words, but words which ring a bell or
- 3:12:34Speaker 1: tap the experiential background of the subject. This is why
- 3:12:38Speaker 1: sleep continues to be in the lexicon of the hypnotist,
- 3:12:42Speaker 1: even though hypnosis is the anti thesis of sleep. The
- 3:12:45Speaker 1: word is used because hypnosis superficially resembles sleep inasmuch as
- 3:12:50Speaker 1: the eyes usually are closed, the body in a posture
- 3:12:53Speaker 1: of complete relaxation. Actually the mind is hyperacute. Pavlov, however,
- 3:13:00Speaker 1: believe that there was an analogy between sleep and hypnosis
- 3:13:03Speaker 1: in that each involved cerebral inhibition. Words, of course, would
- 3:13:08Speaker 1: be of little use without the added effect of his
- 3:13:11Speaker 1: condition reflexology. Probably the most widely held theory is that
- 3:13:16Speaker 1: hypnosis is a transference phenomenon in which the prestige of
- 3:13:20Speaker 1: the hypnotist and his relationship to the subject play an
- 3:13:24Speaker 1: important role. This theory is bolstered by the fact that
- 3:13:28Speaker 1: all schools of psychotherapy yield approximately the same results, even
- 3:13:32Speaker 1: though the methods differ. This would logically indicate that the
- 3:13:36Speaker 1: relationship between the therapist and the subject was the determining factor.
- 3:13:41Speaker 1: The only trouble with this theory is that it does
- 3:13:43Speaker 1: not explain self hypnosis. On the other hand, we know
- 3:13:47Speaker 1: that a strong interpersonal relationship is necessary for hypnosis. In
- 3:13:52Speaker 1: the opening chapter of the book, I explained that hypnosis
- 3:13:56Speaker 1: was a state of heightened suggestion and which the subject
- 3:13:59Speaker 1: adopted an unco critical attitude, allowing him to accept suggestions
- 3:14:03Speaker 1: and to take appropriate action. This is excellent as far
- 3:14:07Speaker 1: as it goes, but it does not explain how suggestion works.
- 3:14:11Speaker 1: This is the crux of the hypnotic dilemma, and the
- 3:14:14Speaker 1: answer is far from solved. Hypnotists are much like those
- 3:14:18Speaker 1: who use electricity every day of their lives but have
- 3:14:21Speaker 1: no idea of the nature of electricity, it is enough
- 3:14:24Speaker 1: for them to know it has been harnessed for their use.
- 3:14:27Speaker 1: If there is one thing virtually certain about hypnosis, it
- 3:14:31Speaker 1: is that some parts of the brain are inhibited and
- 3:14:34Speaker 1: other parts expanded by the process. Pinpoint concentration is given
- 3:14:39Speaker 1: as the reason for this selective procedure, which narrows the
- 3:14:42Speaker 1: horizon of the subject to what the hypnotist or he
- 3:14:46Speaker 1: himself is saying, screening out all other stimuli. But why
- 3:14:51Speaker 1: is this high order of concentration so easy under hypnosis
- 3:14:55Speaker 1: when Asians, notably the Chinese, have been trying for centuries
- 3:14:59Speaker 1: to concent trade on one subject for as long as
- 3:15:02Speaker 1: four or five seconds. We do not know the mechanics
- 3:15:05Speaker 1: of this metamorphis of an ordinary brain into an organ
- 3:15:09Speaker 1: of concentrated power. According to Janet, this is accomplished through
- 3:15:13Speaker 1: the formation of a group of unconscious memories and activities
- 3:15:17Speaker 1: which takes over the usual stream of consciousness type of thinking.
- 3:15:21Speaker 1: It is implied that the process may be atavistic. One
- 3:15:25Speaker 1: of the newer theories, one held by doctor Lewis R. Wohlberg,
- 3:15:29Speaker 1: a psychoanalyst, is that hypnosis is a psychosomatic process, in
- 3:15:34Speaker 1: that it is both physiological and psychological in character. Physiologically,
- 3:15:40Speaker 1: Wohlberg believes that hypnosis represents an inhibition of the higher
- 3:15:45Speaker 1: cortical centers and a limitation of sensory channels, such as
- 3:15:49Speaker 1: takes place in sleep. He also believes that the psychological
- 3:15:53Speaker 1: process operates through transference. Others agree that it is a
- 3:15:58Speaker 1: transference process, but that it is more of an extension
- 3:16:02Speaker 1: of the subject's own psychic processes, which is enlarged to
- 3:16:06Speaker 1: include the voice of the hypnotist or his own thoughts
- 3:16:09Speaker 1: or voice. Incidentally, an excellent book along these theoretical lines
- 3:16:14Speaker 1: is Hypnotism An Objective Study and Suggestibility by Andre M. Weitzenhoffer,
- 3:16:21Speaker 1: pH d. The newest theory in the field is of
- 3:16:24Speaker 1: particular interest to those reading this book inasmuch as it
- 3:16:28Speaker 1: postulates that all hypnosis is self hypnosis, that the patient
- 3:16:32Speaker 1: always hypnotizes himself, and that it is a wise hypnotist
- 3:16:36Speaker 1: who knows who is hypnotizing whom. This is a logical conclusion,
- 3:16:40Speaker 1: and it disperses any ideas that hypnotic patients become dependent
- 3:16:45Speaker 1: on their therapists. Actually, hypnotists today always teach their subject
- 3:16:50Speaker 1: self hypnosis, so that any chance of dependency is obliviated.
- 3:16:55Speaker 1: Milton V. Klein, professor of psychology at Long Island University,
- 3:17:00Speaker 1: postulates that hypnosis is primarily retrogressive. He has written that
- 3:17:05Speaker 1: the organism functions differently on various levels of behavior regression,
- 3:17:10Speaker 1: and that the behavior breaks down into component parts. The
- 3:17:14Speaker 1: theory that regression can spotlight personality disorders found in more
- 3:17:18Speaker 1: infantile states is also widely held. He is also a
- 3:17:22Speaker 1: proponent of the idea that hypnosis is an abnormal manifestation
- 3:17:26Speaker 1: of a normal process. In opinion he shares with many.
- 3:17:30Speaker 1: Doctor Klein thinks that retrogression and regression alter perceptions and feelings, and,
- 3:17:36Speaker 1: in the case of the latter, causes us to go
- 3:17:39Speaker 1: backward in time to a point where re education may
- 3:17:42Speaker 1: be employed. This is a legitimate use of regression, although
- 3:17:46Speaker 1: it is not used so much these days to uncover
- 3:17:49Speaker 1: past traumatic incidents. Actually, regression, by duplicating the exact earlier
- 3:17:56Speaker 1: age manner of speech, and thought, et cetera, makes us
- 3:17:59Speaker 1: once more as little children, a condition to be desired
- 3:18:03Speaker 1: for certain forms of therapy, an atavistic theory held to
- 3:18:07Speaker 1: some extent by doctor Jerome M. Schneck, Clinical Associate Professor
- 3:18:12Speaker 1: of psychiatry, State University of New York College of Medicine,
- 3:18:16Speaker 1: is that hypnosis should be equated with states of immobilization.
- 3:18:20Speaker 1: On the basis of his observation that some subjects equate
- 3:18:24Speaker 1: hypnosis with death, he suggests that it is comparable to
- 3:18:27Speaker 1: the death feinate of animals to avoid danger. Others, primarily Europeans,
- 3:18:34Speaker 1: have pointed out the analogy between the hypnotic state of
- 3:18:37Speaker 1: animals and man. Another widely held theory is that hypnosis
- 3:18:41Speaker 1: is a state of dissociation, meaning that it constitutes a
- 3:18:45Speaker 1: group of unconscious memories and activities which may be dredged
- 3:18:48Speaker 1: up to replace the stream of consciousness. Automatism, of course,
- 3:18:53Speaker 1: is inherently part of this view and is presumed to
- 3:18:56Speaker 1: negate volition. Activity of the cerebrum, which controls the conscious
- 3:19:01Speaker 1: and voluntary system is rendered non operational. My own thoughts
- 3:19:05Speaker 1: on the matter are that hypnosis results from, first of all,
- 3:19:09Speaker 1: a good transference, secondly from a conditioned reflex, thirdly from
- 3:19:16Speaker 1: the person acting as a hypnotized person role playing, and
- 3:19:20Speaker 1: fourthly from a suspension of the critical faculties. Along the
- 3:19:25Speaker 1: last name line, I believe that hypnotic suggestions have an
- 3:19:29Speaker 1: autonomy of their own, which supersede all else in the
- 3:19:33Speaker 1: hypnotic situation. There are many more theories I believe are
- 3:19:37Speaker 1: partially correct, but the ones named will do for the
- 3:19:40Speaker 1: purposes of this volume. Incidentally, all the hypnosis theories presented
- 3:19:45Speaker 1: here are equally applicable to self hypnosis, except where as
- 3:19:50Speaker 1: in transference, it is obvious a therapist is needed. In conclusion,
- 3:19:56Speaker 1: the author would like to take issue with those who
- 3:19:59Speaker 1: believe that it is the monotonous intonations of the therapist
- 3:20:02Speaker 1: that cause the subject to lapse from the deeply relaxed
- 3:20:06Speaker 1: state into true sleep. I have observed many times by
- 3:20:10Speaker 1: comparing verbalization with silence, that the former gives the subject's
- 3:20:14Speaker 1: mind a focal point of attention, which prevents him from
- 3:20:17Speaker 1: entering a deep state where hypnotherapy is impossible. Like the
- 3:20:22Speaker 1: man who cannot sleep because of an active mind. Sleep
- 3:20:25Speaker 1: in mere thoughts and suggestions are incompatible, and I believe,
- 3:20:30Speaker 1: once a hypnotic state has been attained, that the subject
- 3:20:33Speaker 1: is kept awake unless definite sleep suggestions are given by
- 3:20:37Speaker 1: the therapist's series of suggestions. We have discussed the effect
- 3:20:41Speaker 1: of the experiential background at length, and surely nothing connotates
- 3:20:46Speaker 1: sleep more than closing one's eyes test number one, and
- 3:20:51Speaker 1: so in my view, you are doing two things. When
- 3:20:54Speaker 1: you talk to the subject. You are giving him helpful suggestions,
- 3:20:58Speaker 1: but you are also keeping him awake and hyperacute, so
- 3:21:02Speaker 1: that these suggestions will sink in end of Chapter twelve.
- 3:21:08Speaker 1: Chapter thirteen, Practical Applications of self hypnosis. With hypnosis on
- 3:21:15Speaker 1: the March, there is practically no limit to its uses
- 3:21:18Speaker 1: in the field of medicine, and new applications are being
- 3:21:21Speaker 1: discovered every day. It should not be necessary to add, however,
- 3:21:26Speaker 1: that some of these uses should remain as they are
- 3:21:29Speaker 1: in the hands of professionals with years of experience in
- 3:21:33Speaker 1: the area. One of the themes of this book has
- 3:21:36Speaker 1: been that laymen should use hypnosis discriminately and intelligently. No
- 3:21:41Speaker 1: responsible therapist would ever recommend masking or removing a symptom
- 3:21:46Speaker 1: which was indicative of organic disease. For that reason, the
- 3:21:51Speaker 1: practical uses of self hypnosis will be limited to measures
- 3:21:55Speaker 1: that can be taken safely by the layman. The only
- 3:21:58Speaker 1: possible exception to them will be instruction on how to
- 3:22:02Speaker 1: curb obesity. But even here it is suggested that a
- 3:22:05Speaker 1: physician be consulted before embarking on a weight reducing program.
- 3:22:10Speaker 1: The foremost use of hypnosis has been for relaxation, and
- 3:22:13Speaker 1: it becomes more and more important as world tensions, anxiety,
- 3:22:18Speaker 1: and strain increase daily and millions seek vainly to get
- 3:22:21Speaker 1: away from it all. Inasmuch as all methods of hypnosis
- 3:22:25Speaker 1: discussed in this book utilized relaxation as the first step,
- 3:22:30Speaker 1: it should not be necessary to go over this material
- 3:22:33Speaker 1: simply review the many induction techniques. Lung cancer has become
- 3:22:38Speaker 1: a very real threat to many people today, and the
- 3:22:41Speaker 1: professional hypnotist is besieged with men and women who wish
- 3:22:44Speaker 1: to curtail or quit smoking. This is easier said than
- 3:22:48Speaker 1: done because smoking, although there are no physical withdrawal symptoms
- 3:22:53Speaker 1: when one stops, is a strong condition reflex and cannot,
- 3:22:58Speaker 1: except in rare instances, be accomplished by the will alone.
- 3:23:02Speaker 1: The best way to stop smoking is to make it
- 3:23:05Speaker 1: an impossibility, and that is exactly what you do when
- 3:23:09Speaker 1: you follow the method touched on in an earlier chapter.
- 3:23:13Speaker 1: All of us have tasted or smelled certain foods or
- 3:23:16Speaker 1: medicines that nauseate us. The subject who wishes to quit
- 3:23:20Speaker 1: smoking is asked to conjure up the vision and the
- 3:23:23Speaker 1: actual taste and smell of the substances which upset his
- 3:23:26Speaker 1: stomach and offend his nostrils, transferring its properties to cigarettes. This,
- 3:23:32Speaker 1: of course, must be done under hypnosis. The subject then
- 3:23:36Speaker 1: conditions himself in the following manner. One, this cigarette tastes
- 3:23:42Speaker 1: and smells just like mention name of repugnant substance. Two,
- 3:23:48Speaker 1: it is the most vile and repugnant taste I have
- 3:23:51Speaker 1: ever encountered, and I shall not be able to continue
- 3:23:54Speaker 1: after the third puff. At the third puff, I will
- 3:23:58Speaker 1: develop a paroxysm of costing. Three, I cannot smoke the
- 3:24:03Speaker 1: cigarette any longer, and I will have to put it out.
- 3:24:07Speaker 1: This sounds like a simple procedure, and yet it has
- 3:24:10Speaker 1: worked for thousands. Some switch to chewing gum or candy,
- 3:24:14Speaker 1: but the cure essentially lies in substituting one condition reflex
- 3:24:19Speaker 1: for another. This is comparatively easy with hypnosis because, unlike narcotics, barbituates,
- 3:24:25Speaker 1: or alcohol, smoking is purely a psychological addiction. There is
- 3:24:30Speaker 1: no need for tapering off stopping drinking. Unlike smoking doesn't
- 3:24:35Speaker 1: involve merely the creation of physical aversion to the drug.
- 3:24:39Speaker 1: The patient's entire personality should be changed and more mature
- 3:24:43Speaker 1: viewpoints substituted for the unrealistic and infantile viewpoints which led
- 3:24:48Speaker 1: to the addiction in the first place. The subject should
- 3:24:51Speaker 1: give himself suggestions that he will be able to face
- 3:24:54Speaker 1: up to the problems of everyday life without recourse to
- 3:24:58Speaker 1: the crutch of alcohol. It is is a well known
- 3:25:00Speaker 1: fact that nothing is as bad as we think it
- 3:25:02Speaker 1: is going to be once we confront it. One of
- 3:25:06Speaker 1: the strange aspects of drinking is that it is actually
- 3:25:09Speaker 1: a form of self hypnosis, and the cure lies in
- 3:25:12Speaker 1: substituting a new viewpoint for the old. This fact can
- 3:25:16Speaker 1: be demonstrated by the fact that drinking is begun in
- 3:25:19Speaker 1: the first place so that the individual can be one
- 3:25:22Speaker 1: of the boys, or because it is the thing to do.
- 3:25:26Speaker 1: Those who do not drink at least as a social lubricant,
- 3:25:30Speaker 1: according to this code, are squares. Because of this, self
- 3:25:35Speaker 1: hypnosis must be directed toward reorienting one sense of values.
- 3:25:40Speaker 1: Sober reflection should convince anyone that the truly intelligent person
- 3:25:44Speaker 1: does not drink to excess. Nail biting is an unsightly habit,
- 3:25:50Speaker 1: one that may even hinder one's social acceptance. The help
- 3:25:54Speaker 1: lies in a therapeutic approach similar to that for cigarettes.
- 3:25:59Speaker 1: It is not hard to predict that many of those
- 3:26:01Speaker 1: reading these pages are suffering from overweight. With thirty million
- 3:26:06Speaker 1: Americans in this category, it has become one of the
- 3:26:09Speaker 1: nation's chief health problems, and it is the predisposing factor
- 3:26:13Speaker 1: in many other diseases, such as heard trouble, diabetes, hypertension,
- 3:26:19Speaker 1: and atherosclerosis. If you are overweight, it is well to
- 3:26:24Speaker 1: remember that, unless you are one in a million, you
- 3:26:28Speaker 1: cannot blame your glands. The plain truth is that you
- 3:26:31Speaker 1: eat too much. We know today that overeating for some
- 3:26:35Speaker 1: is an emotional problem, stemming from feelings of rejection and insecurity.
- 3:26:40Speaker 1: Individuals who feel unloved, whether this is truly the case
- 3:26:44Speaker 1: or not, make up for this lack to themselves by
- 3:26:48Speaker 1: stuffing in large quantities of food. It would even appear
- 3:26:52Speaker 1: that these people are masochistic, making themselves even more unloved
- 3:26:56Speaker 1: by their gross gastronomical habits. A factor in overweight in
- 3:27:01Speaker 1: women is rating the refrigerator while doing their housework. Many
- 3:27:06Speaker 1: of them do this so unconsciously that they swear they
- 3:27:09Speaker 1: eat less than most people. There are a number of
- 3:27:12Speaker 1: appetite curbing drugs on the market today, but they should
- 3:27:16Speaker 1: not be necessary for anyone who has acquired self hypnosis.
- 3:27:20Speaker 1: If you have learned to visualize yourself visual imagery in
- 3:27:24Speaker 1: different situations, you will have no trouble in picturing yourself
- 3:27:28Speaker 1: having a slim, attractive figure exactly as you were when
- 3:27:31Speaker 1: you felt you looked your best. Keep this figure ever
- 3:27:35Speaker 1: in mind, and use it along with conditioning yourself against
- 3:27:39Speaker 1: certain fatty and starchy foods. A trick used by some
- 3:27:43Speaker 1: hypnotherapists is to have the subject purchase a dress or
- 3:27:47Speaker 1: suit several sizes too small, and then work toward being
- 3:27:51Speaker 1: able to wear it. This actually has worked in many
- 3:27:54Speaker 1: cases because it adds the element of petitiveness to the procedure.
- 3:27:59Speaker 1: Not all people overeat because of emotional problems. Some come
- 3:28:03Speaker 1: from families where licking the platter clean was the rule
- 3:28:07Speaker 1: because food was scarce. Others come from rich families where
- 3:28:11Speaker 1: overeating by the parents established a habit pattern in the children.
- 3:28:16Speaker 1: Certain races and nationalities look on fat as a badge
- 3:28:20Speaker 1: of wealth in prestige, and children in such an environment
- 3:28:23Speaker 1: are likely to be deliberately overfed, regardless of the reason
- 3:28:27Speaker 1: for overweight. However, the use of self hypnosis is one
- 3:28:31Speaker 1: of the answers to the problem. Simple headaches, arthritis, neritis,
- 3:28:36Speaker 1: and other painful symptoms yield readily to hypnotic suggestion. If
- 3:28:41Speaker 1: physicians have given up on the problem and placed a
- 3:28:44Speaker 1: subject on a maintenance drug dosage for pain, hypnosis can
- 3:28:48Speaker 1: potentiate the drugs or even obliviate them. Two of the
- 3:28:53Speaker 1: major uses of hypnosis are in childbirth and for intractable
- 3:28:58Speaker 1: pain of cancer or some other incurable diseases. Although patients
- 3:29:03Speaker 1: usually start with hetero hypnosis, they are put on self
- 3:29:06Speaker 1: hypnosis as soon as possible, and there are many cases
- 3:29:09Speaker 1: of women waiting too long and having their babies at
- 3:29:12Speaker 1: home painlessly through self hypnosis. The father invariably is the
- 3:29:17Speaker 1: only one excited. In such cases, the mother knows that
- 3:29:21Speaker 1: she is an excellent subject and has been instructed in
- 3:29:23Speaker 1: prenatal classes about every contingency that could arise. Inasmuch as
- 3:29:29Speaker 1: stopping the birth pangs is similar to stopping other pain,
- 3:29:33Speaker 1: the method should be learned so that it can be
- 3:29:35Speaker 1: accomplished in a minimum of time. The best way to
- 3:29:38Speaker 1: stop pain is to let your right arm slowly rise
- 3:29:42Speaker 1: while you are under hypnotic suggestion. Do not help it.
- 3:29:46Speaker 1: If the suggestions are strong enough, it will float up.
- 3:29:49Speaker 1: As soon as the arm is straight overhead, you should
- 3:29:52Speaker 1: give yourself the suggestion that it is as rigid and
- 3:29:55Speaker 1: unbending as a bar of steel. Following this, a suggest
- 3:30:00Speaker 1: question is given that the hand is beginning to tingle
- 3:30:03Speaker 1: and become numb. As soon as the numbness has spread
- 3:30:06Speaker 1: throughout the entire hand, it will be insensible to pain.
- 3:30:10Speaker 1: The hand is then placed against the part of the
- 3:30:13Speaker 1: body where the pain exists, and you will feel the
- 3:30:16Speaker 1: numbness flowing from the hand to the affected area. This
- 3:30:20Speaker 1: happens as a result of your suggestions and is the
- 3:30:23Speaker 1: method followed by most subjects. Only a deep somnambalistic subject
- 3:30:28Speaker 1: is able to remove pain by direct suggestion to the
- 3:30:31Speaker 1: painful part. There are many people today using self hypnosis
- 3:30:36Speaker 1: in the realm of sports, and an entire book has
- 3:30:39Speaker 1: been written on improving one's golf game with this method.
- 3:30:43Speaker 1: It is called How You Can Play Better Golf Using
- 3:30:46Speaker 1: Self Hypnosis by Jack Heis will Shire Book Company publishers.
- 3:30:53Speaker 1: Doctor Huber Grimm, team physician of the Seattle University basketball team,
- 3:30:58Speaker 1: recently related the ross results when Dave Mills, a six
- 3:31:02Speaker 1: foot five inch junior forward asked for his help because
- 3:31:06Speaker 1: he froze during competition. He had been benched on the
- 3:31:10Speaker 1: eve of the West Coast Athletic Conference tournament in San Francisco.
- 3:31:15Speaker 1: Spectators made Mills so fearful that he was afraid he
- 3:31:18Speaker 1: would make mistakes, and in this frame of mind, of course,
- 3:31:22Speaker 1: he did. Under hypnosis, Doctor Grimm suggested to Dave that
- 3:31:27Speaker 1: he would be unaware of the spectators, be completely relaxed,
- 3:31:31Speaker 1: and would play exceedingly well. Doctor Grimm asked coach Vince
- 3:31:35Speaker 1: Cazetta to allow Dave to play, and the result was astounding.
- 3:31:41Speaker 1: Mills scored sixty points and cleared sixty three rebounds, and
- 3:31:45Speaker 1: his brilliant play led to his selection on an all
- 3:31:48Speaker 1: tournament team. All I did was free his spirit, Doctor
- 3:31:52Speaker 1: Grimm reported. He was in need of confidence, and I
- 3:31:55Speaker 1: gave it to him through hypnosis. The Associated Press told
- 3:31:59Speaker 1: the story follows Dave Mills, a vacuum cleaner off the backboards,
- 3:32:05Speaker 1: led a fast breaking Seattle University team to victory last night.
- 3:32:09Speaker 1: It was hard to recognize Mills as the same player
- 3:32:12Speaker 1: who has been with the Chieftains all year. Doctor william S. Kroger,
- 3:32:16Speaker 1: a pioneer in hypnosis, undertook to improve the batting of
- 3:32:20Speaker 1: a professional baseball player with equally sensational results. The player
- 3:32:26Speaker 1: had been banned, and his fear of a reoccurrence was
- 3:32:29Speaker 1: so strong that he became plate shy. He had changed
- 3:32:33Speaker 1: his batting stance so that he always had one foot
- 3:32:36Speaker 1: in the bucket so that he could back away from
- 3:32:39Speaker 1: the plate more quickly. He was given a post hypnotic
- 3:32:42Speaker 1: suggestion that such an event happening again was exceedingly remote,
- 3:32:47Speaker 1: and this was amplified by suggestions of confidence that he
- 3:32:51Speaker 1: would immediately start slugging as well as ever, his batting
- 3:32:54Speaker 1: average soared immediately. Doctor Mitcheo Akeia, professor of physiotology at
- 3:33:00Speaker 1: Tokyo University, and doctor Arthur H. Steinhauss of the George
- 3:33:05Speaker 1: Williams Laboratory of Physiologic Research in Physical Education, Chicago, have
- 3:33:12Speaker 1: proved that track men can far surpass their best previous
- 3:33:15Speaker 1: times under hypnosis. Their tests incidentally prove that there is
- 3:33:20Speaker 1: no danger of an athlete going beyond his physiologic limit
- 3:33:25Speaker 1: while bettering his former marks. They attribute the superior performances
- 3:33:30Speaker 1: to the removal of inhibitions which psychologically prevent an athlete
- 3:33:34Speaker 1: from doing his best. This report was made before the
- 3:33:37Speaker 1: International Congress on Health and Fitness in the Modern World
- 3:33:41Speaker 1: held in Rome during the last Olympic Games. All reports,
- 3:33:45Speaker 1: as a matter of fact, show that athletic performances are
- 3:33:49Speaker 1: improved by psychological, not physical means, and that built in
- 3:33:54Speaker 1: automatic reflexes protect the athlete against the danger of overexertion
- 3:33:59Speaker 1: at all levels of awareness. Hypnotic or non hypnotic psychologists
- 3:34:04Speaker 1: are using hypnosis more and more to facilitate concentration and learning,
- 3:34:09Speaker 1: and it is likely this use of the ancient science
- 3:34:12Speaker 1: will become even more popular than its medical applications. The
- 3:34:16Speaker 1: reason one learns so quickly under hypnosis is because of
- 3:34:20Speaker 1: time distortion, which allows you to obtain the equivalent of
- 3:34:24Speaker 1: many hours of study in a relatively short length of time.
- 3:34:28Speaker 1: Undoubtedly you have had experience with time distortion in your
- 3:34:32Speaker 1: daily life. Remember how slowly time goes when you are
- 3:34:35Speaker 1: not interested in what you are doing, and how fast
- 3:34:38Speaker 1: it speeds by when you are. And the drowning man
- 3:34:42Speaker 1: who sees his whole life go by is an excellent
- 3:34:45Speaker 1: example of this. Enough people have been saved to know
- 3:34:48Speaker 1: that this actually happens. The point is that the subconscious
- 3:34:53Speaker 1: mind does not record the passage of time the same
- 3:34:55Speaker 1: way as the conscious mind. The conscious mind records time
- 3:34:59Speaker 1: fit physically by means of a clock. It is objective,
- 3:35:03Speaker 1: and it tells you that a thought or movement requires
- 3:35:06Speaker 1: a certain number of seconds, minutes, hours, or days. Your
- 3:35:10Speaker 1: subconscious mind has an entirely different concept of time that
- 3:35:14Speaker 1: has nothing to do with the physical world. It is
- 3:35:17Speaker 1: called subjective because your own sense of the passage of
- 3:35:20Speaker 1: time is used. Personal time varies according to the circumstances
- 3:35:25Speaker 1: in which you find yourself. Haven't you noticed that when
- 3:35:29Speaker 1: you are happy or extremely interested in something, time passes quickly.
- 3:35:34Speaker 1: On the other hand, if you are sad or anxious,
- 3:35:38Speaker 1: time seems to drag. This is called time distortion. When
- 3:35:42Speaker 1: you continue in a happy state, time is automatically shortened.
- 3:35:47Speaker 1: When you are in a state of unhappiness, pain, or anxiety,
- 3:35:51Speaker 1: time automatically lengthens. This explains while the drowning man can
- 3:35:56Speaker 1: review his entire life within seconds, psychologist know this is
- 3:36:00Speaker 1: possible because your subconscious mind contains a complete record of
- 3:36:05Speaker 1: everything that has happened to you since birth. Therefore, in
- 3:36:09Speaker 1: moments of extreme distress, your subconscious has the ability to
- 3:36:13Speaker 1: distort and manipulate time. If you have ever encountered danger
- 3:36:18Speaker 1: or had a narrow escape, you probably experienced time distortion.
- 3:36:23Speaker 1: Everything about you went into slow motion and time seemed
- 3:36:26Speaker 1: to stand still until the action was over. At that point,
- 3:36:31Speaker 1: objective time started up again, and everything returned to normal.
- 3:36:36Speaker 1: Many of you, no doubt read an Associated Press report
- 3:36:40Speaker 1: from Chicago on February eleventh, nineteen fifty eight, which reported
- 3:36:44Speaker 1: how movie actress Linda Darnell had used hypnosis to help
- 3:36:48Speaker 1: her with her first stage roll. She had been asked
- 3:36:51Speaker 1: to do the part on short notice and had no
- 3:36:54Speaker 1: time for preparation. Miss Darnell telephoned her California physician for aid,
- 3:37:00Speaker 1: he flew to Chicago overnight. Through hypnosis, Miss Darnell learned
- 3:37:05Speaker 1: her part and astounded the cast by knowing everyone's lines.
- 3:37:09Speaker 1: Not only did she learn the part, but she was
- 3:37:12Speaker 1: coached in the character of the artist she was portraying.
- 3:37:15Speaker 1: As a result, Late Love was a hit play. Miss
- 3:37:20Speaker 1: Darnell was under the impression she had been learning the
- 3:37:22Speaker 1: part for a week, although only about forty eight hours
- 3:37:26Speaker 1: were involved and these hours were not continuous. After her
- 3:37:30Speaker 1: first performance, she said, I never felt so secure about
- 3:37:34Speaker 1: playing a role in my life. Hypnosis has helped me
- 3:37:37Speaker 1: feel the part completely. Imagine how much more we are
- 3:37:41Speaker 1: going to be able to learn when study under hypnosis
- 3:37:44Speaker 1: becomes widespread. And the best part of it is that
- 3:37:47Speaker 1: the learning is in your mind for a long time.
- 3:37:51Speaker 1: Forgetting our mental blocks that interfere with your recall of
- 3:37:54Speaker 1: information at any time are reduced to a minimum, incncluellusion.
- 3:38:00Speaker 1: I should like to recommend the entire field of self
- 3:38:03Speaker 1: hypnosis to everyone. It is a therapy which is positive, dynamic,
- 3:38:07Speaker 1: and constructive. An excellent example of this is contained in
- 3:38:11Speaker 1: the autobiography Rochmanoff's Recollections. In this book, a Mortal Rochmanof
- 3:38:18Speaker 1: describes in detail his success in overcoming a severe case
- 3:38:22Speaker 1: of mental depression. He had stopped composing and kept to himself,
- 3:38:27Speaker 1: seldom leaving his room. After meeting with failure using the
- 3:38:31Speaker 1: available therapeutic remedies available at that time, he was persuaded
- 3:38:35Speaker 1: by his relatives, the Satins, to seek the help of
- 3:38:39Speaker 1: a hypnotist called doctor Dohl. With much reluctance, he agreed
- 3:38:43Speaker 1: to see doctor Dahl and be treated specifically with hypnosis.
- 3:38:48Speaker 1: Rachmanoff's own words read as follows. Although it may sound
- 3:38:52Speaker 1: incredible hypnosis really helped me. Already at the beginning of
- 3:38:57Speaker 1: the summer, I began again to compose. The material grew
- 3:39:00Speaker 1: in bulk, and new musical ideas began to stir within me,
- 3:39:05Speaker 1: far more than I needed for my concerto. I felt
- 3:39:08Speaker 1: that doctor Dall's treatment had strengthened my nervous system to
- 3:39:12Speaker 1: a miraculous degree. Out of gratitude, I dedicated my second
- 3:39:17Speaker 1: concerto to him. As the piece had a great success
- 3:39:20Speaker 1: in Moscow, everyone began to wonder what possible connection it
- 3:39:25Speaker 1: could have with doctor Dahl. The truth, however, was known
- 3:39:28Speaker 1: to doctor Dahl, the Satins and myself. Does this story
- 3:39:33Speaker 1: sound incredible? You have the word of one of the
- 3:39:36Speaker 1: world's greatest musical composers that hypnosis alleviated his severe despondency.
- 3:39:42Speaker 1: This is proof that the emotions of the individual can
- 3:39:45Speaker 1: be changed by the ideas he builds up about himself.
- 3:39:49Speaker 1: Doctor leland E. Hinsey, Professor of psychiatry, Columbia University, writing
- 3:39:55Speaker 1: in his book The Person in the Body W. W.
- 3:39:59Speaker 1: Norton Company, states, in some persons, the fear of disease
- 3:40:04Speaker 1: is often the only damaging evidence of disease. Yet it
- 3:40:08Speaker 1: can be so strong as to disable the person in
- 3:40:11Speaker 1: all his daily activities. The entire field of psychosomatic medicine,
- 3:40:16Speaker 1: which deals with the inner relationship between body and mind,
- 3:40:19Speaker 1: has as one of its basic tenets that suggestion not
- 3:40:23Speaker 1: only can cause psychological personality disorders, but many physical disorders
- 3:40:29Speaker 1: as well. It is therefore logical to conclude that the
- 3:40:33Speaker 1: systematic use of positive mental attitudes in an organized, progressive
- 3:40:38Speaker 1: self improvement program can be a vital influence in helping
- 3:40:41Speaker 1: you lead a healthier life, both emotionally and physically. Many
- 3:40:46Speaker 1: people in need of help are at a loss as
- 3:40:49Speaker 1: to where they can locate reputable hypnotherapists in their area.
- 3:40:53Speaker 1: You may insult your family physician, county medical society, or
- 3:40:57Speaker 1: mental hygiene society. The chairman of the psychology department at
- 3:41:02Speaker 1: your nearest college or university would usually have this information.
- 3:41:07Speaker 1: I maintain a file of over four thousand doctors located
- 3:41:11Speaker 1: all over the world who practice hypnosis and would be
- 3:41:14Speaker 1: pleased to refer you to doctors located in your locality.
- 3:41:19Speaker 1: The following national organizations maintain a specialized list. American Academy
- 3:41:25Speaker 1: of Child Psychiatry, three thirty five South Franklin Street, Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania,
- 3:41:33Speaker 1: American Academy of Psychoanalysis, seven fifty Park Avenue, New York,
- 3:41:39Speaker 1: twenty one, New York American Group Psychotherapy Association, to East
- 3:41:47Speaker 1: one hundred and third Street, New York, twenty nine, New
- 3:41:50Speaker 1: York American Psychiatric Association, seventeen hundred eighteenth Street, Northwest Washington,
- 3:42:00Speaker 1: d C. American Psychological Association thirteen thirty three sixteenth Street,
- 3:42:08Speaker 1: Northwest Washington, d C. American Speech and Hearing Association, one
- 3:42:15Speaker 1: hundred and eighth one Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, two eight
- 3:42:20Speaker 1: five two National Association for Mental Health, ten Columbus Circle,
- 3:42:27Speaker 1: New York, nineteen, New York National Association for Retarded Children, Incorporated.
- 3:42:35Speaker 1: Ninety nine University Place, New York. Three New York National
- 3:42:41Speaker 1: Council on Alcoholism, Incorporated. Two East one hundred and third Street,
- 3:42:47Speaker 1: New York, twenty nine, New York National Health Council, seventeen
- 3:42:54Speaker 1: ninety Broadway, New York, nineteen, New York National Institute of
- 3:43:01Speaker 1: Mental Health, U S Public Health Service, Bethesda, fourteenth. Maryland
- 3:43:09Speaker 1: Veterans Administration Psychiatry and Neurology Service, Department of Medicine. End
- 3:43:17Speaker 1: of Chapter thirteen recording by Andrea Fiori. End of A
- 3:43:22Speaker 1: Practical Guide to Self Hypnosis by Melvin Powers,