Part Two – Self Hypnosis
There are several lines of thought that an effective way to work with the subconscious is to employ Self Hypnosis. The ability to disconnect the working consciousness and operate with the subconscious gives the Spirit supported by the Will, a direct line of communication with the Subconscious Mind.
Self-Hypnosis Roots in Auto Suggestion
Folks who have worked in the field of Auto Suggestion and use it as a tool to assist in the amelioration of some of the more common neuroses have reported differing levels of success. The trained psychologist who uses hypnotism to assist in reaching the innermost working of the subconscious mind are available to the public but not necessarily abundant. Information on self-hypnosis has become available most recently to fulfil a void in the education of the everyday person. There seems to be a predisposition of these sources to reference the teachings of the early Hindu Masters. Surprisingly those early teachings never put a name to the process. Most of the training was one on one, Student to Master. In the early 1900’s some of these Hindu Masters chose to enrich the larger population by publishing their techniques and processes.
As these publications made their way to the United States they were reviewed, and sections criticized and sometimes used. Some saw opportunities to employ portions to assist their work in Clinical Psychology. There developed a movement to utilize the power of suggestion and to create processes for the user / student to use Auto – Suggestion on themselves.
The work of Frederick Pierce as compiled in the work Mobilizing the Mid-Brain. Copywrite 1924 offers to the reader his process for using autosuggestion. In his words after years of exhaustive work he hit upon the concept that the conscious mind interferes with the ability of the subconscious to absorb suggestions. Eventually after wading through the self-serving academic language of the early 1920’s, one reaches the section in his book where Pierce has his students prepare mental images of their future success. This image is to be what remains after changing their current mind set. The student works with these images to the point where they can be automatically brought into the mind during a moment of complete physical relaxation and loss of conscious awareness of the physical body. Pierce has termed his process “Decubitus”. Here is a link to the entire process. https://silentaffirmations.us/decubitus/
In the process of development of the use of Autosuggestion Pierce championed the use of suggestion to help improve one’s view of oneself. He rails against the grifters that sell quick fixes for inherently psychological issues. Early on in his book he takes exception to the use of “Affirmations” finding them to essentially miss the point and that they cannot reach the critical areas of the mind and subconscious.
Pierce stated: “The weakness of autosuggestion (in the form of repeated verbal affirmations) has always been that it was purely assertive and formulistic.” He was firmly in the court of Auto Suggestion as applied by his process.
Self-Hypnotism
Moving forward through time there is the advent of Hypnosis applied by trained psychologists, doctors, psychiatrists, and others in the medical field. As the popularity of hypnosis as a help in “Quitting Smoking”, “Losing Weight”, “Improving a poor self-image” etc. grew there was the additional movement to self-help through self- hypnosis.
An often referred to source is the seminal work by Leslie M. Lecron, Self-Hypnotism: the Technique and its Use in Daily Living. Copywrite 1964. He has also authored additional books: Techniques of Hypnotherapy, Hypnotism Today, Complete Guide to Hypnosis, Clinical Hypnotherapy, Make Your Magic Mind Power Work for You, Experimental Hypnosis, How to Stop Smoking Thru Self-Hypnosis.
As a trained Clinical Psychologist, Lecron, in his writings has referenced Frederick Pierce’s work “Decubitus”. He sees the ability to completely relax the body as a starting place to put oneself into a hypnotic trance.
Lecron starts by defining three different depths of the hypnotic trance that are typically produced by trained hypnotists: Light, Medium and Deep.
- The Light State is observed by limited movement, eyelid fluttering if closed, acceptance of suggestion to do or not do some action, and a partial regression in age level.
- The Medium can be observed by greater relaxation, body catalepsy, ability through suggestion to stop bleeding and / or salivation.
- The Deep trance is observed by complete age regression, complete anesthesia, complete amnesia, hallucinations, and time distortion.
He mentions that there is continuing rapport between the subject and the operator in all stages.
Lecron then suggests that the light trance with some age regression is best used in psychotherapy and in self-help. He then states, “You’ve been self-hypnotized many times.” (Bold By the Lecron). Examples put forth: intent concentration, reading, watching television, the Fear or Anger emotion, religious ceremonies that includes music or ritual.
Lecron’s method for self-hypnosis. (Self-Induction)
- Eye fixation: staring intently at an object like the flame of a burning candle.
- Affirmation of desire to self-hypnotize.
- A trigger phrase like “relax now”. “Now” is important to signal immediately. Can / should be repeated several times.
- Start relaxation process similar to Decubitus. When the body is totally relaxed then start forming images like riding an escalator or descending stairs to assist in deepening the trance state.
- Following the above steps will put the subject into one of the three trance states.
Once the subject / you have attained a trance state it is time to start processing “suggestions”.
Lecron offers: “suggestions may be permissive or commanding, direct or indirect, positive or negative. Auto-suggestions will always be direct. Repetition is the main rule in making suggestions work.”
Lecron offers a quote from a 1920’s investigator of auto suggestion a colleague of Pierce, Emil Coue,
“When the imagination and the will are in conflict, the imagination always wins”
Can we say at this point that a trance state self-induced, accompanied with positive suggestions is a methodology for self- realization and self-improvement? Stay tuned!