A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis by Melvin Powers (best summer reads of all time TXT) 📕

you ever tried to make your mind a blank? Try it for a moment. It's an impossibility. Should the hypnotist persist along these lines, he'll never be successful. It is the wrong approach. The subject, because of his inability to comply with this suggestion, is fighting a losing battle. It is also almost impossible for the subject to concentrate only on what the hypnotist is saying. Any word the hypnotist says can start a conscious as well as unconscious train of thought. Therefore, in reality, this, too, is impossible. However, it really isn't necessary that the subject keep his thoughts concentrated solely on what is being said so long as they are kept in the general area. At times, the more you try to concentrate, the more your thoughts become scattered. Suppose I say to you, "Forget the address 8721 Sunset Boulevard." What happens? The more you try to forget it, the more you remember it. Therefore, don't be concerned if you experience stray thoughts during the induction and deepening of hypnosis. You are now ready to continue with further tests. The first five tests should be mastered before continuing.

Test No. 6 is referred to as the "fly" test. In this test, once under hypnosis, you picture that a fly is crawling on the back of your right or left hand. Once you feel the fly, you know you are deeply hypnotized. You might even get an urge to move your hand and flick the fly off your hand. When this happens, you know, of course, that you are deeply hypnotized. Here is a sample of the type of suggestions to give:

"As I count to ten and even before I reach the count of ten, I shall feel a fly crawling on the back of my right hand. This illusion will seem very real to me. One ... My right hand is completely relaxed. Two ... I feel completely at ease. Three ... I am beginning to feel a pleasant tingling feeling on the back of my right hand. Four ... This feeling is becoming strong. Five ... It feels as though a fly is moving on the back of my hand. Six ... I have had this same feeling before. Seven ... I can feel the fly. Eight ... The feeling is very definite. Nine ... As I flick my hand the fly will disappear (If you have felt the fly, move your hand). Ten ... It is gone."

Test No. 7 is known as the "cigarette" test and naturally is only for those of you who smoke. In this test, you give yourself posthypnotic suggestions during the hypnotic state, awaken yourself, and then note the effects of the posthypnotic suggestions. If the cigarette tastes bitter or has a repugnant taste or odor, and if you furthermore find it impossible to smoke more than three puffs, necessitating your putting out the cigarette, you know the posthypnotic suggestions are working perfectly and that you are an excellent hypnotic subject. Here are the suggestions to give yourself while you are under hypnosis:

"When I count to three, I shall open my eyes and wake up feeling wonderfully well and shall have a strong desire to smoke a cigarette. Upon lighting the cigarette, I shall notice that there is a very bitter, strong and repugnant taste to the cigarette. As I continue to smoke the cigarette, the distasteful effect will become stronger and stronger. Even though I realize that I have given myself these posthypnotic suggestions, they will exert a strong force outside of my conscious control, and I shall find it necessary to extinguish the cigarette after three puffs. As I now count to three, I shall open my eyes and wake up feeling fine. One, two, three."

Test No. 8 is called the "sun" test. In this test, you picture yourself in a bathing suit, shorts or playsuit at the beach or some other familiar place taking a sunbath. You imagine that it is a beautiful summer day. As you see yourself relaxed, you imagine that a cloud is blocking out the sun, but as you count to three, the cloud will move away and you will feel the warm, pleasant glow of the sun's rays on your face and hands. Here are the suggestions you can use:

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

A variation of this test is to see yourself lying comfortably in front of a fireplace. In this instance, you imagine someone is adding wood to the fire. As this is done, you feel the warm glow of the fire more and more. Should you use the fireplace technique, try to incorporate the sound of rain into the picture. If you "hear" rain you have created a positive auditory hallucination and can consider yourself an excellent subject.

You can also visualize a situation where you would be cold. This is not as pleasant as the picture that one can conjure up about a fireplace and thus creates a bit more resistance since no one wants to feel uncomfortable.

Test No. 9 is the "breeze" test. It can be combined with the previous test. After you attain the feeling of warmth, you give yourself a count of three (or whatever number you want), suggesting that you will feel the cool ocean breeze (if you are at the beach) on your face and hands. You can even carry this step further, suggesting that you'll even smell the odor of the salt water. This is known as an olfactory illusion and should you be able to create this effect, you can be sure that you are a somnambulistic subject. Here are suggestions you can use:

"As I count to three, I shall gradually feel the cool ocean breeze coming over the waves. It will be a very pleasant feeling. One ... I am beginning to feel the cool ocean breeze, especially on my face and hands. Two ... The breeze is becoming stronger and stronger. Three ... I can definitely feel the cool ocean breeze. As I continue to count to five, I shall smell the pleasant, healthy aroma of the salt water. Four ... I am beginning to smell the salt water. Five ... I can definitely smell the salt water."

Now you give yourself appropriate suggestions that the feeling (illusion) will vanish as you awaken or at a specific count. It can be as simple as this: "As I count to three, I shall open my eyes and awaken feeling very refreshed. The feeling of the cool ocean breeze and smell of the salt air will have vanished completely." At this point you count to three and open your eyes.

Test No. 10 is the "handclasp" test. This is used frequently to test the depth of hypnosis. You fold your hands with your fingers tightly interlocked and place your palms together. You then give yourself a hypnotic suggestion that at the count of three, it will be impossible for you to unlock your hands. After you try and are unable to unlock your hands, you continue counting to five, suggesting that you will be able to do so when you reach the count of five. Incidentally, you should remove any ring you may be wearing before trying this test. Here are the suggestions you can follow:

"As I complete the count of three, I shall try to unlock my hands but will be unable to do so until I count to five. One ... My hands are locked tightly together. Two ... My fingers are locked tighter and tighter. Three ... It is impossible for me to unlock my hands until I count to five. Four ... As I reach the count of five, I shall be able to unlock my hands very easily. Five ... I can now unlock my hands very easily."

Test No. 11 is the "arm" test. Here is another test used frequently to test the receptiveness to hypnosis. Make a tight fist and extend your arm in front of you as far as possible. Visualize your arm as one solid mass, as stiff and rigid as a bar of steel. After your arm is extended, give yourself a hypnotic suggestion that you will be unable to bend your arm when you complete the count of three. As you continue to count to five, you will be able to bend your arm very easily. Here is a form of suggestion you can use:

"As I reach the count of three, I shall try to bend my arm, but it will be impossible to do so until I count to five. No matter how hard I try, it will be absolutely impossible. One ... My arm is stiff and rigid as a bar of steel. Two ... I can feel the rigidity in my arm. Three ... It is impossible for me to bend my arm until I count to five. Four ... I can feel the stiffness slowly leaving. Five ... I can now bend my arm easily and it feels normal in every respect."

Test No. 12 is the "eye" test. This is probably the most widely used test in hypnosis. Many subjects equate the inability to open the eyes with hypnosis. Many assume that if they can open their eyes, they have not been hypnotized. I must emphatically point out that this is not true. The subject can fail the eye test and yet have been under hypnosis. In the deep, somnambulistic state, the subject can open his eyes without affecting the depth of the hypnotic state. In fact, this is done many times in getting the subject to do automatic writing, crystal gazing, mirror gazing, hypnodrama and revivification. In carrying out posthypnotic suggestions in any state, the subject is frequently told that he will open his eyes and carry out the suggestion.

I have found that there is more anxiety connected with the eye test than with any other test. I feel that it is a normal reaction and one that must be anticipated by the hypnotist as well as the subject. Occasionally, while hypnotizing a new subject, he will open his eyes. This can happen when the subject feels he is losing consciousness. His ability to open his eyes proves to him that he is in control. One of the main fears that the subject has is his belief that he will lose voluntary control of himself. The fact that he can open his eyes lessens his anxiety.

If there seems to be too much threat to the individual, I use a method that you can follow. Instead of suggesting that the subject will be unable to open his eyes at a specific count, I suggest that he will be so relaxed that it will be too much effort to open his eyes until a further count is given. Actually, what could take less effort? Here are suggestions you can use:

"As I count to three, I shall try to open my eyes, but I shall be unable to do so because I feel so relaxed. It will just take too much effort to open my eyes until I reach the count of five or tell myself to awaken. One ... My eyes