The cultural origins of the concept of hypnosis

The creation of a distinct concept of hypnosis owes its existence mostly to a charismatic 18th century healer named Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815).

Mesmer had a deep interest in Paracelsan astrological principles, and the supposed direct influence of heavenly bodies on human health, by means of what were believed by Mesmer and others to be measurable physical forces (as opposed to the subtle forces of later occult doctrines interpreting Mesmerism).

Mesmer first applied magnets to patient's bodies in elaborate theatrical rituals that often resulted in expected spasmodic muscular contractions and collapse, and often the cure of various kinds of illness. Mesmer favored the rationalist views of his time, taking on terms like gravitation and magnetism to originally describe his theories of his healing work, and how the subtle fluids within the body could be influenced by him.

Mesmerism caught on widely, attracting followers to many spiritualist, religious, and scientific variations of mesmerism, as well as to 'mesmerism' as a dramatic form of entertainment for its own sake ('stage hypnosis').

It was highly influential in a number of popular movements, some of which are still very popular today.

The clearest transition between Mesmer's animal magnetism and modern therapeutic hypnosis was represented by Manchester surgeon James Braid, who coined the term hypnosis (from previous use by French researchers) in 1843. The term refers to Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep, because most forms of mesmerism at that time involved the production of an apparently sleep-like condition.

Braid, as many scientists and physicians before and after him, recognized in hypnosis certain legitimate psychological phenomena of interest, but requiring much more systematic investigation to understand. Mesmer had come to believe that it was not physical forces via magnets but he himself that was producing the cures he produced. Others not long after Mesmer soon began to suspect that the human imagination played a much larger role in the process than did any physical forces or capacities of the mesmerist. This was important, because mesmerism went through a number of periods of great disrepute due to associations with occultism and various kinds of blatant charlatanism.

A split arose between those interested in hypnosis as a subject of scientific investigation and as an adjunct to medical treatment, and those who considered it a tool for personal or spiritual fulfillment, or for esoteric investigations of religious or 'magical' nature. Faith healing, mind cure, and Christian Science were all heavily influenced by hypnosis, and derived much of their impetus in the late 19th century from the reputation of Mesmer and later mesmerists. Various followers of the highly influential Theosophical Society and of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn magical fraternity found great affinity for the magnetic theories of mesmerism, which they often interpreted in a semi-metaphorical way rather than as literal electromagnetism.

In the early scientific study, Braid at first thought that hypnotic induction would yield a unique condition of the nervous system that was linked somehow to certain cures by suggestion. He later rejected this, and other physiological explanations of hypnosis, and emphasized "mental" factors almost exclusively. The theory of neural inhibition has never been completely rejected as applicable, however, though often considered insufficient by itself. Ivan Pavlov later greatly expanded on the neural inhibition theory in his concept of the physiology of sleep (as a progressive cortical inhibition, which turns out to be fairly accurate - in general if not in detail).

This neurological explanation of hypnosis was strongly rejected by Charcot, who believed that the best hypnotic subjects were 'hysterics,' and that hypnosis was therefore a manifestation of what was then considered the mental illness of hysteria. His belief turned out to be wrong, and his view of hysteria as a distinct mental illness as well, and his psychopathological view was rejected by the end of the 19th century. Two legacies of the neurological pathological theories of Charcot and the so-called "Paris school" of hypnosis that have endured are cortical inhibition theory and the later development of dissociation theory, though neither one serves as a complete theory of hypnosis on its own.

In the early 20th century, the foundation for most hypnotic theory was laid by the members of the so-called "Nancy school" of hypnosis (such as Liebault and Bernheim) who elaborated a theory of hypnotic suggestion based onideomotor action.

This theory had eventually replaced not only the early neuro-pathological view, but also Braid's early psychological theory, "monoideism," the theory that un-conflicted ideas automatically lead to actions. Ideomotor action theory says that ideas suggested by the hypnotist lead automatically to actions, which are then experienced by the subject as unwilled. Ideomotor action is another example of a useful but incomplete model of hypnotic responding. The Nancy school was perhaps most notable in their de-emphasis of hypnotic ritual and their strong emphasis on suggestion as a mundane though useful psychological process.

Sigmund Freud had originally studied under Charcot and had a deep interest in hypnosis for much of his life. In 1889, he shifted from Charcot's view to that of the Nancy school's emphasis on suggestion rather than hysteria, believing that patients often remembered repressed memories in a beneficial process under hypnosis. Freud was reportedly a very poor hypnotist, being limited to a simple authoritarian style of induction, and in 1896, he rejected hypnotic induction ritual as unnecessary and too likely to foster unwanted amorous advances by patients ('transference,' and the theory of hypnosis as an eroticized dependent relationship). Freud replaced the hypnotic procedure with simply placing his hand on the subject's forehead to help establish what he believed was the proper social relationship of doctor in dominance over patient.

What qualified acceptance of hypnosis in medicine that we have today is largely due to the efforts of pioneers in the experimental study of hypnosis, starting in the 1920's and 30's. Foremost early researchers were Clark Hull and his then student, Milton Erickson. Hull's 1933 discussion of scientific research into hypnosis (Hypnosis and Suggestibility) is still considered a classic.

Erickson later came to disagree with Hull on the important issue of fundamental approach, stressing the complex subjective inner processes operating in hypnosis, rather than the measurable correlates and standardized procedures promoted by Hull. Hull went on to make important contributions in learning theory, while Erickson went on to become the name most closely associated with clinical hypnosis today.

Milton Erickson died in 1980, but left a legacy of often zealous followers, a number of important contributions to the field, and several offshoot schools of applied psychology based on his core principles of indirect strategic therapy and suggestion, and based on hypothetical unconscious processes and indirect forms of human communication. Examples include Jay Haley's strategic model of therapy, the MRI Interactional model, the Erickson-Rossi hypnotic theories, Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), and a number of later frameworks such as that of Lankton (1983) and Gilligan (1987). The 'Ericksonian' models deliberately blur the traditional distinction between hypnosis and other forms of therapy, and share this basic idea with the 'skeptical' view of hypnosis, which we will consider in the next section.

In addition to Erickson and Hull, modern scientific research into hypnosis is often associated with a period of intense experimental research in the late 1950's and early 1960's by notables such as J.P Sutcliffe, T.X. Barber, M.T.Orne, E.R. Hilgard, R.E. Shor, and T.R. Sarbin. The work of these researchers had been particularly influential on the current scientific view of hypnosis, especially as viewed in medicine

Hypnotic Induction Techniques

Deepening

Relaxation Method I

Spoken to the subject

Turn loose now, relax. Let a good, pleasant feeling come all across your body. Let every muscle and every nerve grow so loose and so limp and so relaxed. Arms limp now, just like a rag doll. That's good.

Now, send a pleasant wave of relaxation over your entire body, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Just let every muscle and nerve grow loose and limp and relaxed. You are feeling more relaxed with each easy breath that you take.

Droopy, drowsy and sleepy. So calm and so relaxed. You're relaxing more with each easy beat of your heart ... with each easy breath that you take ... with each sound that you hear.

Relaxation Method II

Spoken to the subject

Your arms are loose and limp, just like a rag doll. As I raise your hand, just let all of the weight hang limply in my fingers. An when I drop it, send a wave of relaxation all across your body. As you feel you hand touch your body, send that wave of relaxation from the top of your head all the way down to the very tips of your toes.

And as you do, you find that you double your previous level of relaxation.

Now, once again, with the other hand. (Repeat with other hand)

Staircase Method

Spoken to the subject

In a moment I'm going to relax you more completely. In a moment I'm going to begin counting backwards from 10 to 1.

The moment I say the number 10 you will allow your eyelids to remain closed. The moment I say the number 10, you will, in your minds eye, see yourself at the top of a small set of stairs.

The moment I say the number 9, and each additional number, you will simply move down those stairs relaxing more completely. At the base of the stairs is a large feather bed, with a comfortable feather pillow.

The moment I say the number one you will simply sink into that bed, resting your head on that feather pillow.

Number 10, eyes closed at the top of those stairs. Ten ...

Nine, relaxing and letting go. Nine ...

Eight, sinking into a more comfortable, calm, peaceful position ...

Seven ....

Six ... going way down ...

Five ... moving down those stairs, relaxing more completely.

Four ...

Three ... breathe in deeply ...

Two ... On the next number, number one, simply sinking into that bed, becoming more calm, more peaceful, more relaxed ...

One ... Sinking into that feather bed, let every muscle go limp and loose as you sink into a more calm, peaceful state of relaxation.

Stiff Arm Method

Spoken to the subject

Raise and stiffen you arm. Make a fist. (Help subject achieve this position, then let go) That's good. Just like a steel bar, stiff and powerful. So stiff and rigid and so powerful that the more you try to lower or bend your arm, the stiffer and tighter it becomes. Try to lower or bend your arm and find it locking stiff; stiff and rigid. The harder you try, the stiffer it becomes.

That's fine. When I touch your forehead, your arm drops limply down and you go deeper in sleep. (Tap forehead)

Induction

Arm Levitation Method I

Instructions to Hypnotist

This induction (or deepening) technique requires that the hypnotist gauge the pace of the suggestions to the response of the subject.

Spoken to subject

I'm going to count from one up to twenty. As I do, a light, easy, pleasant feeling moves into your right hand and into your right arm. As I continue counting, that feeling grows stronger and stronger. Soon you'll feel the first slight movement of your fingers, a twitching of the muscles. (At this point, grasp the subjects arm and demonstrate how it will move as you continue with the following suggestions). Then your hand begins to lift. Your arm begins to lift. It continues moving, lifting, and rising until it comes to rest upon your body.

Now when you feel the movement in your hand and in your arm, don't try to resist. You could resist if you chose to, that is not why you are here. Just let your subconscious mind do its perfect work. All right, now we are ready to begin.

Number One - The first light, easy sensation moves into the fingertips of your right hand.

Number Two - The feeling is spreading around beneath the fingernails.

Number Three - It is moving up to the first joint of the fingers.

Number Four - Spreading to the large knuckle across the back of the hand.

Number Five - the first slight movements begin to start taking place. Slight movements of the fingers, a twitching of the muscles.

Number Six - The light sensation spreads all across the back of your hand.

Number Seven - Spreading over and into your thumb.

Number Eight - Moving now all through the palm of your hand.

Number Nine - The light sensation spreads up and into your wrist. Think of your left hand now. You'll see by comparison, your left hand is beginning to feel very, very heavy.

While on Number Ten your right hand grows lighter and lighter with each number I count; just as light as a feather floating in the breeze and even lighter. As light as a gas-filled balloon. Just as a gas-filled balloon will rise and float towards the ceiling, in the same way, by the time I reach the count of twenty, your right hand is moving, lifting, rising and floating.

Number Eleven - The light sensation has moved beyond your wrist now, spreading into your forearm.

Number Twelve, Thirteen - Once again, think of your left hand. Your left hand has grown so heavy, it feels as though it were made of marble or stone.

Number Fourteen - That light sensation is spreading up toward your elbow.

Now on Fifteen - From the fingertips all the way up to the elbow your hand has grown light, light and free. It's beginning to lift. It's moving, lifting, rising and floating.

(At this point, if the hand is not moving, gently lift the hand to get it started)

All right, Sixteen - Now your arm is moving and lifting and rising. And as your arm is lifting, you're going deeper and deeper into hypnosis.

Seventeen - Your hand continues moving, lifting and rising now until it comes to rest over on your body.

Eighteen - Moving, lifting, rising, floating. Right on over now and when your hand comes to rest upon your body, at that time your eyelids lock tightly closed. Your eyelids lock so tightly closed at that point, the more you try to open them the tighter they're locking closed.

Nineteen - Your hand is getting ready to come down and rest upon your body.

Twenty - Now your hand has come to rest upon your body and at the same time, your eyelids are locked so tightly closed, the more you try to open your eyelids the tighter they are locking closed.

That's fine, stop trying and go deeper into trance.

Arm Levitation Method II

Spoken to the subject

As soon as you are ready to go into a deep hypnotic state, you will close your eyes and begin inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly ... (Pause and observe a moment)

Breathing deeply and slowly brings more oxygen into your system, and each time you exhale your body keeps relaxing more and more ...

Each time you inhale and exhale you can become more aware of the natural rhythms of your body and the feelings of comfort that develop ... (Pause)

As you continue sitting there, you will find yourself becoming more relaxed and comfortable ...

Can you feel even more comfortable letting your hands rest very gently on the arms of the chair? (Pause until subject's arms and hands are on the arms of the chair)

That's good ... just have your hands barely touching the arms of the chair ... notice that your hands can rest so lightly that your fingertips are barely touching the arms of the chair ...

You're doing good ... as your hands are resting and lightly touching the arms of the chair, do you notice that they tend to lift up a little bit all by themselves with each breath you take?

Does it seem like they keep feeling lighter and lighter so that they are now lifting up easily toward your face as the rest of your body continues relaxing ... (Pause, and give hands time to begin lifting)

As that continues on, does one hand or the other or maybe both continue lifting even more? (Pause)

It's really interesting the way that hand continues feeling lighter, and keeps lifting up toward your face without any conscious effort ...

As that hand keeps lifting toward your face, does the other hand want to keep lifting and catch up, or does the other hand want to rest lightly on the arm of the chair?

Does that hand keep lifting up toward your face smoothly, or does it want to lift with slight jerking movements?

It may want to lift more quickly ... or more slowly as it gets closer to your face ... and it may need to pause briefly before it finally touches your face, so you will know you are going into a really deep hypnotic trance ...

And your hand will not touch your face until your subconscious mind is really ready for you to go into a deep hypnotic trance ...

When your hand touches your face, you will take a real deep breath as you relax and experience yourself going into a much deeper, more peaceful hypnotic trance ...

(Note: continue with suggestions of that type until hand touches the face. After hand touches the face, proceed with the following suggestions:)

You may not even notice yourself going into an even deeper hypnotic trance as your hand slowly returns to the arm of the chair all by itself ...

Arm-Drop Method

Instructions to Hypnotist

The subject is asked to raise an arm so that the hand is slightly above the head and given suggestions. There are a number of aspects of this induction which are worthy of special notice. First, the arm is placed in such a position that fatigue will eventually bring it down. The downward movement is tied into going "down" into a "deep state of relaxation." The harder the individual keeps fighting to hold it up, the more he is committed to the proposition implied by the statement that, "You will not go into a deep state of relaxation until the arm is all the way down." This means, of course, that, "You will go into such a state when the arm comes all the way down."

Spoken to subject

(Have subject raise arm so that hand is slightly above head) Stare at one of the fingers, either the index or the middle finger. You may continue to look at it, or, if you wish, close your eyes and visualize it in your mind's eye. As you fixate your gaze on it you will notice that the other fingers tend to fade out of focus and that your entire arm begins to feel heavier and heavier. The longer you concentrate on that finger the heavier and heavier your arm becomes. But you will not go into a deep state of relaxation until the arm has come all the way down. Keep concentrating on that finger while the arm gets heavier and heavier and heavier. (When downward movement become apparent) Notice that as the arm is getting heavier it is slowly coming down, down, down. But you will not relax into a deep and profound state of relaxation until the arm is all the way down. Going down, down, down, deeper, deeper, deeper. (Continue deepening comments: The suggestions must be timed with the actual movement of the arm)

Association Method

Spoken to the subject

You can close your eyes now ... And begin breathing deeply and slowly ... Before you let go completely, and go into a deep hypnotic state, just let yourself listen carefully to everything I say to you ...

It's going to happen automatically ... So you don't need to think about that now ... And you will have no conscious control over what happens ...

The muscles in and around your eyes will relax all by themselves as you continue breathing ... Easily and freely ...

Without thinking about it, you will soon enter a deep, peaceful, hypnotic trance, without any effort ... There is nothing important for your conscious mind to do ...

There is nothing really important except the activities of your subconscious mind ... And that can be just as automatic as dreaming ... And you know how easily you can forget your dreams when you awaken ...

You are responding very well. Without noticing it, you have already altered your rate of breathing ... You are breathing much more easily and freely ... And you are revealing signs that indicate you are beginning to drift into a hypnotic trance ...

You can really enjoy relaxing more and more, and your subconscious mind will listen to each word I say ... And it keeps becoming less important for you to consciously listen to my voice ...

Your subconscious mind can hear even if I whisper ...

You are continuing to drift into a more detached state as you examine privately in your own mind ... Secrets, feelings, sensations, and behavior you didn't know you had ... At the same time, letting go completely ... Your own mind is solving that problem ... At your own pace ... Just as rapidly as it feels you are ready ...

You continue becoming more relaxed and comfortable as you sit there with your eyes closed ...

As you experience that deepening comfort you don't have to move, or talk, or let anything bother you ...

Your own inner mind can respond automatically to everything I tell you ... and you will be pleasantly surprised with your continuous progress ...

You are getting much closer to a deep hypnotic trance ... And you are beginning to realize that you don't care whether or not you are going into a deep trance ...

Being in this peaceful state enables you to experience the comfort of the hypnotic trance ...

Being hypnotized is always a very enjoyable, very pleasant, calm, peaceful, completely relaxing experience ...

It seems natural ... to include hypnosis in your future ...

Every time I hypnotize you it keeps becoming more enjoyable, and you continue experiencing more benefits ... So you will really enjoy having me hypnotize you ...

You will always enjoy the sensations ... Of comfort ... Of peacefulness ... Of calmness ... And all the other sensations that come automatically from this wonderful experience ...

You will be really happy that you decided to have me hypnotize you ...as you continue experiencing progressive understanding on your part ...

You are learning something about yourself ... You are developing your own techniques of therapy ... Without knowing you are developing them ...You can have it as a surprise sooner or later ... a very pleasant surprise ...

Imagine yourself in a place you like very much ... By a lake, or by the ocean ... Perhaps you are floating gently on a sailboat on a peaceful lake ... On a warm, summer day ... You are continuing to relax even more now ... And you continue becoming more comfortable ...

This is your own world that you like very much ...

You are going to find that any time you want to spend a few minutes by yourself, relaxing, and feeling very comfortable and serene, you can automatically go back to this feeling you're experiencing now ...

You can put yourself into this world anytime you like ... There are times when you will want this serene feeling ... And it is yours whenever you want it ...

Continue enjoying this pleasant experience as your subconscious mind is receiving everything I tell you ... And you will be pleased the way you automatically respond to everything I say.

Bionic Arm Method

Bionic Arm Method (For Children)

Spoken to the subject

Have you ever heard of a bionic arm? (Pause for response)

(if the child hasn't heard about the million dollar man on TV, explain something about it, especially about his unusual, powerful arm)

I want to tell you something else about the million dollar man that most people don't know, but you'd probably go around telling everyone else. (Pause for response)

(Usually you get the child going, and he/she promises to keep it a secret)

Would you really like to know something special about his arm? (Pause for response)

(Optional: If using music, start it at this point)

One day the million dollar man was sitting at home, listening to music on his radio, and all of a sudden he noticed something very unusual about his arm, (watch to see if his/her eyes move left or right. Then use the arm on the side towards which his/her eyes moved)

(Lift his/her arm) Yes, that's it. It's that arm. It started becoming very stiff, and soon became as stiff as a board, (stroke the arm and say) notice that it keeps becoming stiffer ... As stiff as a board.

That's a very special arm, as it keeps becoming stiffer your eyes close, and you begin having a very pleasant dream, because that's your dreaming arm.

You can hear the music playing as you are beginning to have a very pleasant dream ... Watch the whole dream, and your arm will go down only as fast as you see the whole dream.

(Note: The following sections are for performing therapy)

You can tell me all about the dream, and every time I lift your dreaming arm you can have another dream.

(Note: You can then use the dreaming arm to have the child dream about the cause of the problem and get any information needed to help overcome the problem)

Example: When I lift your dreaming arm, you will have a replay, a very clear dream of the entire experience that has been causing (Describe the problem)

Confusion Method

The basic message to this induction is the conscious forgetting, and the subconscious knowing. This message is drawn out and repeated. Separate directions for the conscious mind, and separate directions for the subconscious mind. Maintain the subconscious attention, while dismissing the conscious attention both by the suggestions and the pauses and mental fatigue.

Have the subject sit or lay in a relaxed position, with their eyes closed. Read the text slowly and rhythmically

Spoken to the subject

(Read only first time, do not repeat) Just close your eyelids and let your mind drift where it will.

You are aware of everything, and yet you are not aware. You are listening with your subconscious mind, while your conscious mind is far away, and not listening. Your conscious mind is far away, and not listening. Your subconscious mind is awake, and listening, and hearing everything while your conscious mind remains very relaxed and peaceful. You can relax peacefully because your subconscious mind is taking charge, and when this happens, you close your eyes and let your subconscious do all the listening. Your subconscious mind knows, and because your subconscious mind knows, your conscious mind does not need to know and can stay asleep, and not mind while your subconscious mind stays wide awake.

You have much potential in your subconscious mind which you don't have in your conscious mind. You can remember everything that has happened with you subconscious mind, but you cannot remember everything with your conscious mind. You can forget so easily, and with forgetting certain things you can remember other things. Remembering what you need to remember, and forgetting what you can forget. It does not matter if you forget, you need not remember. Your subconscious mind remembers everything that you need to know and you can let your subconscious mind listen and remember while your conscious mind sleeps and forgets. Keep your eyes closed, and listen with your subconscious mind, and when you're listening very, very carefully, your head can now "yes".

As you continue to listen to me, with your subconscious mind, your conscious mind sleeps deeper and deeper, and deeper, and deeper. Let your conscious mind stay deeply asleep, and let your subconscious mind listen to me.

(Repeat. Begin at paragraph two)

(Use a deepening technique and test subject)

Dave Elman Method

Dave Elman Method Gil Boyne Version (Two-Finger Technique)

Spoken to the subject

For the moment, rest your arms limply on your thighs, just like this (demonstrate position to subject). Now I want you to look out here at my hand. In a moment I'm going to bring my hand up in front of your eyes like this. (Demonstrate bringing index and middle finger of right hand, in a pointing V position, to a position just above their eyebrows) When I do, I'll pass my hand down in front of your eye. Keep your eyes fixed on my fingers. As I pass my hand down, let your eyelids close down. (Bring hand straight down, one finger moving down over each eye)

(Move fingers to a pointing V position just above eyebrows so they have to look up at an angle to see fingertips) All right, now fix your eyes on my fingers. Now I'm passing my hand down in front of your eyes, and as I do, let your eyelids close down. (Move hand straight down, one finger moving down over each eye)

Now your eyelids are closed down. I want you to relax every tiny muscle and nerve in and around your eyelids. I want you to relax them so much that they wouldn't work even if you wanted them to.

Now, when you know that you've relaxed them that much that they wouldn't work even if you wanted them to, test them; you'll see you've been completely successful. Now, relax them so much that they wouldn't work even if you wanted them to. Now test them; you'll see you've been completely successful. (If they open their eyes, tell them to relax them again, this time more completely and test again. If they don't open their eyes, pause three seconds and continue)

All right, that's fine. Now, stop trying and just relax and go deeper now. Now I'm going to raise your hand. I will do it by grasping your right thumb in my fingers like this. (Grasp thumb between thumb and index finger -- make sure you grasp the correct thumb) As I lift your hand, just let it hang limply in my fingers (Optional: slightly rock arm back and forth) Then, when I drop it, let it drop like a wet, limp rag. When you hand touches your body, as it drops, send a wave or relaxation from the top of your head all the way down to the tips of your toes. That will double your present level of relaxation.

(Lift hand, optionally rocking it) Now, I'm raising your hand. That's it, let it hang limply. That's good. Now, when I drop it, let it drop like a limp, wet rag, and as it touches your body, send a wave of relaxation from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. (Drop hand) That's good.

Now, we'll do that again with the left hand. Now I'm going to pick up your left hand, and as I take your thumb, just let it hang limply. (Optional: slightly rock arm back and forth) That's good; now you're getting the idea. When I drop it, let it drop like a wet, limp rag. When it touches your body, send another wave or relaxation from the top of your head to the tips of your toes and double your present level of relaxation. (Drop hand) That's good.

Now, your body is relaxed and I'm going to show you how to relax your mind. Listen very carefully. The next time I touch your forehead, I want you to begin counting from one hundred backward in this way: One hundred, deeper asleep. Ninety-nine, deeper asleep. Ninety-eight, deeper asleep, and so on. After counting just a few numbers, by the time you reach ninety-seven, or ninety-six, or maybe, at the most, ninety-five, you will find those numbers disappearing. You will find your mind has become so relaxed that you'll just relax them out of your mind.

All right, get ready now, three, two, one. (Tap subject on forehead) Begin counting. (Listen to them count down. Based upon the rate of speed, you may say the following statement) Good, slow them down now. (After each count, say one of the following) good/fine. (After the count of ninety-seven say) Start relaxing them out of your mind. (After several more counts, based on how the subject is performing, say) Let them relax out of your mind right now. (After another count) Let them fade away completely.

(After subject has stopped counting, continue with) That's fine, You've relaxed your body; you've relaxed your mind; you've gone into a much deeper state of hypnosis.

(Use a deepening technique and test subject)

Direct Gaze Method

This process is the Direct Gaze Induction Technique. This is the most powerful technique of all, and also the most difficult to use because you have to express perfect confidence. If you have any doubt, hesitation, or fear, it will show in your eyes; the subject will read it and it will inhibit their response.

If the subject is standing, you say to them, "All right, I want you to fix your eyes right here." Take the index finger of your right hand and bring it up under your right eye. If they're seated, or lying down on their back, say exactly the same thing.

When you're looking the subject in the eye, it is important for you not to blink. Narrow your eyes slightly, enough to keep your eyeballs from drying out. Time your counting in response to what you see happening in the subject's eyes. If you don't see any response, stretch out the suggestions. (ex. Five -- eyelids heavy, droopy, drowsy and sleepy, your eyelids feel so heavy. Four -- your heavy lids begin to feel as though they're getting ready to close. Three -- the very next time ....) The moment you see the subject beginning to blink, pick up the tempo and say 'And now they begin closing, closing ...'

Spoken to the subject

Now I want you to look right here. Don't take your eyes from mine. Don't move or speak or nod your head or say "uh-huh" unless I ask you to. I know that you hear and understand me just as you know it. If you follow my simple instructions, there is nothing in this world that can keep you from entering into a very deep and pleasant state of hypnosis, and doing it injust a fraction of a second. Now, take a deep breath and fill up your lungs. (Take a deep breath and take your right hand and move it in an upward motion in the air). Now exhale. (Bring hand down as they exhale) That's fine. Now a second and deeper breath. (Bring hand up) Exhale. (Bri ng hand down) Relax. Now a third deep breath. (Bring hand up) Exhale. (Bring hand down)

(Note: The following sections are for performing therapy)

(Raise your hand up over their head, about three feet in front of them, two feet above their head, pointing finger) And now, I'm going to count from five down to one. As I do, your eyelids grow heavy, droopy, drowsy and sleepy. By the time I reach the count of one, they close right down and you go deep in hypnotic slumber. Deeper than ever before. All right, Five (Start moving finger down) -- Eyelids heavy, droopy, drowsy and sleepy. Four (Moving finger down) -- Those heavy lids feel ready to close. Three (Moving finger down) -- The next time you blink that is hypnosis coming on you then. Two (Moving finger down) -- They begin closing, closing, closing, closing, closing, closing, closing, closing them, close them, close them.

They're closing, closing, closing, closing .. One

(Place right hand behind subjects head at base of skull. Grasp subjects left arm at elbow. With a sudden forward pulling movement of the right hand, say) Sleep now.

(Use a deepening technique and test subject)

Drop Object Method

Drop Object Method (Good for Hypnotizing A Group)

Instructions to hypnotist

This technique can be employed using either a pen, a pencil or a coin. In many cases individuals will have coins but will not have a pen or pencil available to them. It is suggested that the subjects can use either a pen or pencil interchangably, but if you're using coins, all the subjects should use coins.

Spoken to the subject

(Ask the subject or the group to get a pen, pencil or coin and hold it out in front of the body between the thumb and index finger. Tell them to grip it in a secure way. If hypnotizing a group, at the appropriate time, you can drop the appropriate object in order to get the process started)

Now close your eyes and think of that (pen or pencil, coin) between the thumb and index finger of your right hand ... Now breathe in deeply and exhale slowly five times ... Each time you inhale you bring more oxygen into your lungs. It passes from your lungs into your heart, and your heart pumps it into your circulatory system. It moves through your whole body, and each time you exhale you keep relaxing, becoming more calm and more peaceful.

That relaxation is moving through your whole body, and through your right shoulder, down your arm into your hand and fingers ... soon the fingers on your right hand will become so relaxed that the (pen or pencil, coin) will slip from your hand and drop to the floor.

As you hear the (pens or pencils, coins) dropping to the floor, it may seem a little humorous at first, but it will cause you to continue relaxing even more ... you'll enjoy the feelings of relaxation that are coming over your whole body.

Other sounds and noises are fading away and you are listening only to my voice ...

That relaxation is continuing to move through your whole body. You are relaxing from the top of your head to the tip of your toes ...

You are continuing to relax and feel more at ease. You are sensing, feeling and imagining peacefulness, comfort, and calmness all through your system ... You are relaxing in a way that is just right for you ...

Now take your left thumb and press it tightly against the index finger on your left hand ... You will notice the rest of your body relaxing even more now, and soon the thumb and finger on your left hand will relax and your finger and thumb will begin to move apart ... As the finger and thumb on your left hand relax, the finger and thumb holding the pen continue relaxing and the pen will soon slip from your hand and drop to the floor ...

When the (pen or pencil, coin) drops from your fingers, you will move into an even deeper hypnotic state, and you will keep your eyes closed until I ask you to open them ...

Eye Fixation with Imagery Method

Eye Fixation with Imagery Method (For Children)

Instructions to hypnotist

A tactile technique, such as holding a stuffed animal, may be appropriate for a 2-year-old. A 4-year-old may respond better to a rag-doll and a 6-year-old to a coin or television technique. Developmentally, a school child (7-11 years of age) may respond best to a favorite place technique and adolescent to sports imagery.

Spoken to subject

(Child's name) I would like to teach you something very special that you can learn, and with practice, you can get better and better. The first thing I would like to do is to have you hold this coin (give the child a quarter) up here. (Hypnotist puts coin between the child's thumb and index finger and moves the arm and hand slightly above eye level) I would like you to stare at the coin and concentrate all of your attention on some special part of that coin, and as you do, just let yourself get more and more relaxed. As you get more and more relaxed, the coin will get heavier and heavier. As the coin gets heavier and heavier, you arm will also get heavier and heavier. In a moment, the coin will drop from your fingers and your eyes will close and your arm will come back down to rest in your lap. (Wait for response, and reinforce statements if necessary) We can now talk about some other pleasant things that can help you to become even more relaxed and comfortable. I would like you to imagine yourself at a wonderful picnic. This is the best picnic you have every attended - the sky is blue and clear, the clouds are just the way you like them, it's just as cool and as warm a day as you would like it; just let it be the kind of day you would want it to be.

You might want to be at this picnic by yourself or by sharing it with some of your favorite friends and playing some of your favorite games. Somebody at this picnic (child's name) has laid a very special blanket on the ground. I would like you to sit down on that blanket by yourself or with a friend. You find out that this is a very special blanket because you can make that blanket fly. You can make it go as high as you wish or as low, as fast or as slow; you can make it turn left or right, you can do anything you want the blanket to do. You are the pilot and you are in control. You can fly anywhere you wish and see anything you want to see. It is a wonderful feeling to fly along on your blanket, enjoying the day and being in control.

(Note: The following two paragraphs can be used when performing therapy)

Just enjoy what you are doing on this beautiful day, as you fly along, you might think for a moment (therapeutic suggestions and talk can occur here with the use of ideomotor signals).

(Continue to reinforce that the child is the pilot and in control) Anytime you want to go to this very special picnic and to fly on your blanket, you can do it - always remembering that you are the pilot and are in control. Every time you practice, it will get easier and easier to (therapeutic goal).

(Note: Return here for trance termination)

And now, (child's name), I would like you to land your blanket in a place that you like very much - a place back at the picnic where you feel comfortable and very relaxed and safe. When your blanket gently touches the ground, you can open your eyes, feeling refreshed, relaxed, and comfortable. That's right. You did a swell job (child's name). (Spend a few moments processing the child's experience)

Favorite Place Method

Favorite Place Method (For Children Ages 7 - 11)

Instructions to hypnotist

A tactile technique, such as holding a stuffed animal, may be appropriate for a 2-year-old. A 4-year-old may respond better to a rag-doll and a 6-year-old to a coin or television technique. Developmentally, a school child (7-11 years of age) may respond best to a favorite place technique and ad adolescent to sports imagery.

During the pre-hypnotic interview, as much information as possible should be gathered about the child's favorite place. This information will be fed back during the session.

Spoken to subject

Just make yourself nice and comfortable in the chair. Now I would like you to put your hands on your lap and to use your eyes to find a spot on one of your hands on which you would like to focus all of your attention. It might be a wrinkle or a fingernail. Now that you have found that spot - that special spot on which you have chosen to focus all of your attention - let yourself really concentrate on that one spot; let yourself totally concentrate on that spot that was special for you, concentrate on it just as hard as you can. As you do that, you can still be aware of my voice and you can let all of your body become very relaxed and comfortable. Now in a little time - I'm not exactly sure when, but soon - your eyes will become so relaxed and comfortable that they will want to close.

You pick the time that feels just right for you. And when that happens, you can feel even more relaxed and comfortable than you are feeling right now. When that happens, when your eyes close, we can talk about some other very pleasant things that are relaxing and comfortable for you. (Reinforce as needed for eye closure) That's it - so comfortable and peaceful from the top of your head all the way down to the bottom of your toes. And when you are feeling so relaxed and comfortable, like you feel right now, you might like to imagine that you are in your favorite place in the whole world. Being there right now. Now, that favorite place might be a place you have really been to before, or a place you have only read about, or a place you have dreamed about. But everything about that favorite place is just the way you want it to be. You might be there by yourself or maybe with some very special friend. Of course, you are doing your favorite activities and everything about the day is just the way you would like it to be. I am not sure where your favorite place is - I imagine it might be (Information obtained from child in interview) I know that you know where your favorite place is and that you are enjoying it right now. You can continue to enjoy your favorite place and all of the things you would like to do while we talk about special things you can do when you are relaxed and in your favorite place - things that can help you.

(Note: If performing therapy, the therapist begins to work on treatment goals with appropriate suggestions and questioning with ideomotor signaling)

Now you can continue to be in your favorite place for a moment longer. In the next minute or so, it will be time for you to return to the room here with me, feeling refreshed and relaxed and very good about what you have learned and what you can do when (reinforce therapeutic suggestions) Just let yourself gradually return feeling refreshed and relaxed, ready to open your eyes and to be back here with me. You can go back to your favorite place any time you want.

Fixation Object Method

Instructions to hypnotist

This is the traditional method of inducing hypnosis. The subject is asked to direct their gaze at the fixation object and not shift their focus. The hypnotist can intensify the induction by observing the subjects reactions and timing his suggestions very closely with them. For example, the remark, "Occasionally, they are going to blink," might be made immediately after he perceives a blink.

Spoken to subject

Stare at the shiny part of (fixation object). Fix your eyes on it. Take a few deep breaths. Just keep breathing deeply. Listen to the sound of my voice. You will find that your eyelids have a tendency to get heavy. Almost as if they had a heavy weight attached to them. And the longer you stare at this, the more your eyelids get heavy, and you blink, and they have a feeling like something is pulling them down, as if they wanted to slowly close, and get drowsier and sleepier and heavier. And you have a feeling as if they were slowly closing, slowly closing, getting drowsier and more tired, and when they finally do close, how good you'll feel. Drowsy, heavy, pulling down, down, down, slowly closing, getting harder and harder to see, and you feel good. Very, very hard to keep them open, feel that very soon they will close tightly, almost tightly closing, almost tightly closing, tightly closing. Your eyes are tightly closed; you feel good; you feel comfortable; you're relaxed all over; just let yourself drift and enjoy this comfortable relaxed state. You will find that you head will get heavier; tends to nod forward some, and you just let yourself drift in an easy, calm, relaxed state.

Forest and Stream Method

Instructions to Hypnotist

For this induction it is helpful to have background sounds of water, birds, and other forest sounds, but do not start the sounds until indicated in the induction

Spoken to the subject

To prepare yourself for this enjoyable, helpful experience, be sure you have all tight clothes loosened, and then get yourself in just as comfortable a position as you can ...

Now close your eyes and inhale deeply and hold it for three or four seconds and then exhale slowly ... (Pause as subject responds)

Again breathe in deeply and exhale slowly ... keep doing that 5 or 6 more times ...

As you inhale, you bring more oxygen into your body, and as you exhale it causes your body to keep relaxing more and more ... (Pause and observe)

Now you can continue breathing easily and freely, and can feel yourself becoming more calm and peaceful ...

You are revealing signs that indicate you are moving into a very deep, peaceful state of relaxation ... as I continue talking to you, you can keep relaxing more peacefully ... not caring how deeply you relax, just happy to continue becoming more calm, more peaceful, and more at ease ... continuing to breathe easily and freely ...

Your subconscious mind will always be aware of what I'm saying to you, so it keeps becoming less and less important for you to consciously listen to my voice ...

Your subconscious mind, and all levels of your inner mind can hear and receive everything I tell you, and your conscious mind can relax completely ...

You are continuing to experience perfect peace of mind, and can feel yourself moving into the situation I describe to you ... it's going to happen automatically, and you don't even need to think about it consciously ...

(Optional: Start background tape of birds and water. Pause about 30 seconds after starting background sounds)

Now I want you to imagine yourself lying in a comfortable position near a stream of fresh, clear water, in a beautiful forest on a perfect summer day ...

There is a warm, gentle breeze, and the air is fresh and clean, the sound of the peaceful stream is very relaxing ...

It keeps becoming less important for you to consciously listen to my voice because your subconscious mind and all levels of your inner mind are hearing and receiving everything I say ...

In your mind, you are enjoying the beauty of nature, as the sunlight shines through the trees and you listen to the gentle flow of water and the birds singing cheerfully ...

You are lying there, comfortably relaxing ... it is so peaceful that you continue feeling more relaxed than ever before in your entire life ...

As you continue enjoying this peaceful, pleasant experience, a soothing drowsiness is coming over your whole body, from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet ...

You continue feeling calmer, more relaxed and more secure ...

And now, as you lie there with your eyes closed, you are so relaxed and comfortable and happy that you continue moving into a more peaceful, more detached state ...

It may seem like you are drifting into a state of sleep ...

There may be times when it seems like my voice is a long distance away ... and there may be times, when I'm talking to you, that you will not be consciously aware of my voice, and that's okay, because your subconscious mind is still receiving every word I say, and is making true everything I tell you ...

From now on you will be influenced only by positive thoughts, ideas and feelings ...

The following thoughts come to you ... I am calm, secure, and relaxed ... I am comfortable and at ease ... I am in control of myself at all times ... I am responsible for my body, and will always treat my body well ... my mind enables me to be relaxed and calm as I go about the activities of my daily life ...

(Note: The following paragraphs can be used for therapy)

Your subconscious mind, and all levels of your inner mind can now review and examine what has caused that problem, and can assess that information and work out a solution that is pleasing to you ...

And you will be pleased to notice yourself improving more each day, and you can be sure it is permanent and lasting ...

When your inner mind understands what has caused that problem and realizes that it is okay for you to get rid of that problem, one of the fingers on your right hand will lift up towards the ceiling and will remain up until I tell it to go back down.

(Note: as the subjects mind is reviewing the information and you are waiting for finger to lift, give suggestions from an appropriate prescription pertaining to the problem)

Gil Boyne Method of Conditioning

Spoken to the subject

You are about to enjoy a very pleasant and a very beneficial experience.

First, be sure that you will not be disturbed.

Second, remove your shoes or any apparel that will interfere with your physical comfort in any way.

Third, now stretch out on your back, with your legs separated, so that no part of your calves or thighs are touching. Keep feet separated at least 8 to 10 inches; arms extended loosely and limply alongside your body, palms facing downward and fingers limply outstretched.

Once we begin, you can help by remaining quiet and passive. Our first goal is for you to become unaware of your body. You can best achieve that goal by avoiding movement.

The first thing that I want you to do is to fix your eyes at a spot on the ceiling overhead. Pick out an imaginary spot, and stare at that spot without moving a muscle.

Now, take a deep breath and fill up your lungs. Exhale slowly. Sleep now.

Now, take a second and even deeper breath. Take in all the air that your lungs can hold. Exhale slowly. Sleep now.

Now, let your eyelids close down. Now, your eyelids are closed down. Please leave them closed down until I ask you to open them again. You will always be able to open your eyes, unless I were to give you a direct command and tell you that your eyelids are locked closed. And I don't intend to do that. Hypnosis is a state of mind, not a state of eyelids.

Now, I want you to mentally picture and imagine that you are looking at the muscles in the tips of the toes of your left foot. In your imagination, follow those muscles as they move back into the ball of the foot. In your imagination, follow those muscles as they move back into the ball of the foot. Back into the arch, and all the way back into the heel. Now, turn all those muscles loose. Let them grow limp and lazy, just like a handful of loose rubber bands.

Now, as the muscles begin to relax, just let your mind relax, too. Let your mind drift where it will. Let your mind drift off to pleasant scenes in you imagination.

And now, let the relaxation move on up, into the ankle now. From the ankle, all the way up to the left knee. The calf muscles begin to grow loose and limp -- heavy, and so relaxed.

All of your tensions are fading away. You're relaxing more with each easy breath that you take. Begin breathing more deeply, now, just as you breathe each night, when you are deep and sound in slumber. Just imagine that you can see your breath as a white mist, coming from your nostrils. Each and every time that you exhale this white mist, you are freeing yourself of tension, and going deeper, deeper into drowsy relaxation.

Now, from the knee, all the way to the left hip, the long thigh muscles are turning loose, easing off, and just relaxing now. Now, as those muscles relax, just let go a little more, and gently, calmly, easily, drift on over, into a pleasant state of easy relaxation.

Now let the wave of relaxation that started from the toes of your left foot just a few seconds ago -- let it move over now into the toes of the right foot, back into the arch, and all the way back to the heel. Turn all of those muscles loose, and go deeper and deeper into relaxation.

Into the ankle, the muscles let go. From the ankle, all the way up to the right knee. The calf muscles are turning loose and letting go.

You're relaxing more with each easy breath that you take. With each sound that you hear. Each sound carries you deeper, deeper and sounder in sleep.

From the knee, all the way up to the right hip. The long thigh muscles grow limp and lazy. Now, as those muscles relax, just go all the way down, deeper and deeper in drowsy slumber.

Turn them all loose and go deeper in sleep.

Now, the wave of relaxation moves on up, into the stomach now. Into the solar plexus, the center of nervous energy. Each muscle and nerve lets loose the tensions, relaxing. You're drifting down, deeper and deeper in sleep. Down, deeper in slumber.

Up through the ribs, the muscles relax. Into the broad muscles of the chest. The muscles of the chest grow limp and loose, and so relaxed. All of your tensions are fading away.

You're relaxing now, more with each easy beat of your heart, and going deeper in drowsy slumber.

Into the neck, the muscles let go. All around the neck, the muscles relax, just as they relax each night when you you are deep and sound in sleep. Turn them all loose, and go deeper and deeper in slumber. Now let the relaxation start down your back. From the base of the skull to the base of the spine. Each muscle and nerve along the spine lets loose the tension, relaxing, your drifting down. Deeper and deeper in sleep. down deeper in drowsy slumber.

And the wave of relaxation spreads out into the broad muscles of the back. All across the small of the back. All across the back of the shoul ders. Turn loose every muscle and every nerve in the back, and go deeper and deeper in sleep.

Into the shoulder, the muscles let go. From the shoulders, down to the elbows of both arms. The upper arm muscles are turning loose, easing off, and just relaxing now.

From the elbows, down to the wrists on both arms, the forearm muscles grow limp and lazy.

From the wrists to the fingertips of both hands, each muscle and nerve lets loose the tensions, relaxing, you're drifting down. Deeper and deeper in sleep.

Into the jaws, the muscles relax. The jaws are parting slightly, teeth not quite touching. All around the mouth, the muscles let go.

Up through the nose, each nerve gives way. All around the eyes, the muscles are heavy, and so relaxed. Even your eyebrows are relaxing now. Across the forehead, the muscles smooth out. Across the top of the skull. Down the back of the neck. Down through the temples, back around the ears, all of the muscles are loose, and lazy -- just like a handful of loose rubber bands.

And you may feel now, a pleasant tingling sensation in the tips of your toes, or in your fingertips -- a pleasant tingling sensation, growing stronger and stronger now, as your entire body is being bathed in the pleasant glow of complete and utter relaxation.

Now you are completely relaxed. Each muscle and nerve in your body is loose and limp and relaxed, and you feel good.

Hand Shake Method

Instructions to hypnotist

The following hypnotic induction utilizes all three of the learning modes. The subject will be responding through hearing, seeing, and feelings. Begin with the subject sitting in a comfortable chair.

Spoken to subject

Would you like to experience the state of hypnosis? (After a yes response, have the subject extend his or her arm to you as though you were going to be shaking hands)

(Take the subjects hand with your right hand while making sure the subjects arm is straight)

I would like you to look at me for just a moment. As you focus your eyes on me, and listen to my voice, I would like you to allow things to take place.

(Slowly begin raising and lowering the subjects arm. The up and down movement of the arm should be about three inches each way)

As I raise and lower your arm, I wonder if you have noticed yet that there is a drowsy, heavy feeling beginning to occur in and around your eyes.

Each time I raise your arm upward, that heavy feeling in those eyes will keep becoming stronger.

As the eyes begin to close down, it becomes increasingly more desirable to allow them to remain closed.

They are closing down all the way now. Let it happen. Want it to happen. Feel it happening now.

(Make a special note to when the eyes begin to blink or start to close. This will be a signal to reinforce the feeling by raising the arm higher into the air. The subject will quickly associate the raising of the arm with closing of the eyes)

Hand to Face Method

Instructions to hypnotist

Tell subject to get as comfortable as possible with their arms resting on the arms of the chair. Show subject how you would like them to hold their hand in front of their face. Palm of their hand facing in towards their face, with fingers pointing upward pressed lightly together. Hand should be about eye level. Have subject close their eyes and begin with progressive relaxation and then proceed with the Hand To Face induction.

Spoken to subject

In just a moment, when I ask you to, I am going to have you bring one of your hands up in front of your face, fingers extended upwards and pressed together. I am then going to have you try to open your eyes, and pick a spot on your hand. It may seem difficult to open the eyes, and keep them open, which is only natural since you have been relaxing so far. I am going to want you to try, and open your eyes, and with a little effort you will at least be able to get them open.

Now, the one thing that you must accomplish is that I want you to remain totally relaxed, and at ease even with your eyes open, and your hand in this position.

Remaining relaxed, and at ease, move your hand up in front of your face with the fingers pointed upward, and pressed together.

Now, attempt to open your eyes, and pick one spot on your hand, and begin to concentrate on it.

As you concentrate on that one spot, and one spot only, your fingers are going to spread apart.

You do not have to make them spread, but do not try and stop them ... concentrate, and allow things to take place.

Feel them spreading apart now. Automatically separating now ... It is beginning to feel as though there was a string tied to each finger pulling them apart. Separating further, and further.

(Once the fingers have separated, proceed in the following way)

Now, please do not let it disturb you that the drowsy, heavy feeling in your eyes is becoming stronger now that your fingers have spread apart.

It is a very normal, natural sensation. As I begin to count from 5 down to 1 that heavy, drowsy feeling will continue to grow stronger.

(Continue with deepening technique)

Hands Closing Together I

This technique is the Gil Boyne version of the "hands closing together." Although you can do this with the subject lying on their back with their arms extended upward toward the ceiling, or standing in front of them and having them extend their arms toward you, the best position is to have your subject seated in a chair. Stand in front of them, about six feet in distance, extend both of your arms out toward them. With the palms of your hands facing each other, your fingers held together, and your thumbs pointing upward, speak to them in this manner:

Spoken to the subject

Extend both of your arms out in front of you like this. Stiffen your arms, lock your elbows; palms of your hands facing each other. Your thumbs up, your fingers held together. Now in a moment, I am going to bring my fingers in between your two hands. Until I do, I want you to look right here into my eyes. (Move index finger to right eye) Keep looking at me. Just as soon as I bring my index finger in between your two hands, take your eyes from mine and fix them on my fingertips. Then I will move my finger; when I do, do not move your eyes. Keep looking straight ahead between your hands. (Mo ve hand with extended index finger to between their hands) All right, now bring your eyes down here to my fingertips. Now I am going to move my finger, and when I do, do not move your eyes. Keep looking straight ahead between your hands. Then as I count from three down to one close your eyelids down. Now, the very moment that your eyelids close down (grasp their hands and slowly push them together), your two hands begin drawing together. Just imagine there is a magnet on the palm of each hand which is drawing them in closer, closer, closing and moving in until your two hands touch. (separate their hands) All right, when I count from three to one, close your eyelids down. (Position each of your hands under each of their hands with your index finger pointing outward)

(Begin sweeping your fingers in towards the center so that the last thing they see visually are your hands moving in toward each other) All right, three, two, one, close your eyelids down. Now they're closing, closing, closing, closing, closing, closing, closing, closing and almost touching, closing and almost touching.

Picture the magnet in the palm of each hand. They are closing and moving in, closing and moving in. They are closing, closing, closing, closing, closing and moving, moving in and closing, closing, closing and moving in, moving in and closing, until your two hands touch. They're closing and almost touching. Picture the magnets in the palm of each hand as they are closing, closing and moving in.

(If the hands get very close but do not touch, simply take your hands and push their hands together and say 'Sleep now') The moment your two hands touch, a wave of relaxation will move all across your body. The moment you feel your two hands touch, every muscle and every nerve in your body will completely relax. All right, now they are closing, closing almost touching, closing, closing, closing and almost touching, closing and almost touching, closing and almost touching, now they are touching. Let your head come forward on your chest; let your arms drop limply into your lap; let every muscle and every nerve now grow loose and limp and relaxed and feel good all over now.

Additional instructions

Pull their hands down into their lap and say, "Let your head come forward on your chest and continue going easily, pleasantly, fully into a wonderfully pleasant state of hypnotic relaxation."

The following are several suggestions you may choose to use during this process should you see resistance on the part of the subject: "Just as a magnet get stronger, the closer your hands get, the stronger the pull" or "In a moment, I'm going to tap you on the forehead, the moment I do, the magnets become 10 time stronger, pulling you hands together" (Tap subject on the forehead)

(Use a deepening technique and test subject)

Hands Closing Together II

This induction is very similar to the previous induction. The primary differences is the method by which trance is achieved once the hands are locked or touch.

Spoken to the subject

Extend both of your arms out in front of you like this. Stiffen your arms, lock your elbows; palms of your hands facing each other. Your thumbs up, your fingers held together. Now in a moment, I am going to bring my fingers in between your two hands. Until I do, I want you to look right here into my eyes. (move index finger to right eye) Keep looking at me. Just as soon as I bring my index finger in between your two hands, take your eyes from mine and fix them on my fingertips. Then I will move my finger; when I do, do not move your eyes. Keep looking straight ahead between your hands. (Mo ve hand with extended index finger to between their hands) All right, now bring your eyes down here to my fingertips. Now I am going to move my finger, and when I do, do not move your eyes. Keep looking straight ahead between your hands. Then as I count from three down to one close your eyelids down. Now, the very moment that your eyelids close down (Grasp their hands and slowly push them together), your two hands begin drawing together. Just imagine there is a magnet on the palm of each hand which is drawing them in closer, closer, closing and moving in until your two hands touch. The moment your fingers, touch you will allow them to interlock and you'll clasp your hands down tightly together. (Interlock their fingers and push hands together, wait three seconds) Now separate your hands. ( Separate their hands) All right, when I count from three to one, close your eyelids down. (Position each of your hands under each of their hands with your index finger pointing outward)

(Begin sweeping your fingers in towards the center so that the last thing they see visually are your hands moving in toward each other) All right, three, two, one, close your eyelids down. Now they're closing, closing, closing, closing, closing, closing, closing, closing and almost touching, closing and almost touching.

Picture the magnet in the palm of each hand. They are closing and moving in, closing and moving in. The moment your two hands touch, your hands lock down, sealed shut, fingers tightly interlocked together. They are closing, closing, closing, closing, closing and moving, moving in and closing, closing, closing and moving in, moving in and closing, until your two hands touch. The moment your two hands touch, your hands lock down, sealed shut, fingers tightly together. They're closing and almost touching. Picture the magnets in the palm of each hand as they are closing, closing and moving in.

(If the hands get very close but do not touch, simply take your hands and push their hands together) The moment your two hands touch, your hands lock down and seal shut, fingers tightly together. All right, now they are closing, closing almost touching, closing, closing, closing and almost touching, closing and almost touching, closing and almost touching, now they are touching. Your hands are locking down, sealing shut, clasping down tighter and tighter together.

(Do not start this section until the fingers are interlocked) In a moment I'm going to count backwards from three to one. When I say the number one you will try to unclasp your hands. The moment that I do, you will find that the harder you try, the more your hands lock down, seal shut and clasp down tighter and tighter together. Number three, your hands are locking down, sealing shut, clasping tighter and tighter together. Number two, it feels as if your hands are carved from a single block of wood. On the next number, number one you'll try to unclasp your hands, the more you try the more secure they become. Number one. Try to unclasp your hands, the more you try, the more secure they become, tighter and tighter together. (Wait three seconds) Stop trying to unclasp your hands, allow your hands to remain straight out in front of you.

In a moment I'm going to touch your hands, the moment I touch your hands they will easily and readily unlock. The moment I touch your hands you will relax every muscle in your body and become limp and loose as if you were made from a hand full of loose rubber bands. When I touch your hands relax and let go.

Additional instructions

Pull their hands down into their lap and say, "Let your head come forward on your chest and continue going easily, pleasantly, fully into a wonderfully pleasant state of hypnotic relaxation."

Should you encounter resistance, you may chose to add the following statements: "Just as a magnet get stronger, the closer your hands get, the stronger the pull" or "In a moment, I'm going to tap you on the forehead, the moment I do, the magnets become 10 time stronger, pulling you hands together" (Tap subject on the forehead)

(Use a deepening technique and test subject)

Hands Pressing down Method

Spoken to subject

Put your hand on mine. When I count to four, press down as hard as you can.

One, look at me.

Two, pressing down harder. Press it down harder.

Three, eyelids heavy, droopy, drowsy and sleepy.

Four, close them and sleep (Pull hand away now)

(Use a deepening technique)

Instantaneous Method

Spoken to the subject

Stand facing me. That's right. Now step forward. (Place right hand on subjects head, supporting the base of the skull. Grasp subjects right arm at elbow with left hand)

Bring your feet closer together. Closer. That's right. Breathe in deeply. (With a sudden forward pulling movement of the hands, lightly jerk the subject towards you) Sleep now.

(If the subject's legs begin to buckle) Just as a horse can stand and sleep without losing its balance, so too your legs are strong beneath you. You can stand and sleep.

(Alternate to horse description) Your legs are stiff and rigid beneath you, supporting your body as you stand straight and erect.

magic Shape Method

Magic Shape Method (For Children Ages 5 to 10)

Spoken to the subject

I want you to listen closely to what I'm saying to you now without moving your head. Just lean back in the chair and get real comfortable, and then I want you to look up toward the ceiling, and look for a tiny spot. That spot will have special meaning to you. It will help relax you, and you may notice as you watch that spot it may begin to change its shape. Tell me when you notice that spot magically changing its shape ... (Pause for response)

Now keep watching that spot and you may soon notice it begin to magically change its color. Tell me when you notice that spot begin to change its color ... (Pause for response)

As you watch that spot, you are continuing to relax even more and you will soon notice your eyelids relaxing, and your eyes will feel like they want to close ...

Without moving your head, just move your eyes now and find another magic spot on the ceiling, and notice how your eyelids keep closing more and more as soon as you notice the other magic spot, and notice also how you can still see the spot after your eyes have closed ...

As you keep your eyes closed notice that you can see that spot beginning to change its shape, it is very pretty. It may even sparkle or shine, and it keeps changing its shape as you keep your eyes closed and continue to watch it ...

The more you watch that spot with your eyes closed, the more you continue to relax ... and you will soon notice the magic spot becoming smaller and smaller ... tell me when you notice it getting smaller ... (Pause for response)

Now notice that it is disappearing completely, and you are becoming drowsier as the spot disappears ...

Magic Television Method

Magic Television Method (For Children 5 to 10)

Instructions to hypnotist

You don't really need any introductory preparation for using this induction with a child. Simply have the child get in a comfortable position and close his eyes and listen to the suggestions you tell him.

Spoken to the subject

Just keep your eyes closed now until I tell you to open them. And I want you to tell me about your favorite TV program. As you are continuing to feel more calm and relaxed, I want you to tell me about the TV program that you enjoy most of all ... (Pause for response)

In just a moment, with your eyes closed, you will begin seeing your favorite TV program ... you will keep feeling more calm, and relaxed, and peaceful, and safe and secure ...

Okay, I'm turning on the TV now, and in your mind you will see your favorite program on the screen. You will hear the sounds and have the feelings and really enjoy watching your favorite program ... You can continue watching that program, by keeping your eyes closed ... You don't need to pay any attention to what I'm saying ... You're just continuing to relax and enjoy that special program by keeping your eyes closed until I tell you to open them and awaken from the hypnotic state ...

(At this point you may want to test the state of the child, you can achieve this by saying 'As your watch your show, one of your fingers on your right/left had moves straight out,' Wait for response)

(The following lines can be used for general therapy .. fill in the specific problem)

In just a moment that program will finish, and we will change the channel ... you will continue moving into an even deeper, drowsier state ... you will be seeing a program that will show you how to overcome that problem and get rid of it completely ...

Your favorite program has ended now, and I'm changing the channel ... you're continuing to feel more peaceful, and now you are seeing a program that is showing what has been causing that problem, and how easily you are getting rid of that problem ...

The picture is becoming more clear ... you are understanding it, and realizing that you are overcoming the problem completely ...

Later on, when you open your eyes, you will be back in a wide awake, fully alert state, feeling confident and happy. You will notice the improvement, and will keep improving more each day ...

Make Believe Friend Method

Make Believe Friend Method (For Children Ages 5 to 10)

Instructions to hypnotist

This induction is best used when performing therapy. The use of an all knowing and understanding friend is very helpful in getting a child to discuss their problems. (Have the child close his or her eyes and pretend they are visiting with a new friend. Maybe their friend is a cuddly puppy or kitten, or it may be a little rabbit that likes to be cuddled)

Spoken to the subject

Now just keep your eyes closed and pretend that you are enjoying the company of your friend. You are a very special person, and you can really relax and enjoy yourself, feeling calm, and peaceful and safe in the company of your friend ...

As you are having an enjoyable time with your friend, you are listening only to my voice ... Now I want you to tell me a little bit about your friend ... (Pause as subject describes friend)

Now ask your friend what name we should use when we talk to him or her ... Tell me your friend's name ... (Pause for response)

(The following lines can be used for general therapy .. fill in the specific problem)

Okay that's good ... Now you can relax even more, and I want you to ask your friend to help you ... Your friend knows about the problem you've been experiencing, and your friend will be able to tell you how you can get rid of that problem completely ...

As soon as your friend tells you how to get rid of that problem, I want you to lift one of your hands up toward the ceiling ... (Pause for response)

Let yourself continue relaxing ... Bring your friend along now as you begin feeling a peaceful drowsiness all over your body.

Now you are beginning to see yourself improving ... You are getting rid of that problem ... You are experiencing some pleasant changes right now, and you will keep improving even more later on after I tell you to open your eyes and come back to a wide awake, fully alert state.

You are learning more and more from your friend ... You are aware now that your friend really loves you and cares for you, and is doing everything to help you get rid of that problem completely ...

And you will know that you can go back and be with your friend anytime you want to in the future, and your friend will always be there to help you.

Misdirection Method

This technique is used when the subject is too tense or subconsciously doesn't wish to be hypnotized. The idea is to get the subject to take his/her mind off of hypnosis all together and then perform a rapid induction. The misdirection stems from fact that it is physically impossible to open one's eyes when the eyeballs are rolled back in the head.

To sell this technique you may choose to describe this testing as a requirement for a relaxation exercise that will help the subject to be hypnotized in the future. Describe the mythical exercise as one that requires several weeks of daily practice and a good imagination. Describe the following induction as a "imagination test".

Spoken to the subject

Just sit and relax. (Have subject sit and relax, hands on knees, body relaxed and passive) Do you have a good imagination? (If subject responds "Yes", continue, If the subject responds "No", simply state that they are are too hard on themselves and continue) In other words, can you close your eyes and imagine a scene, visualize a scene and see it in front of your eyes? (Once again, continue on "Yes", deal with "No") Good. Let's test your imagination in a few ways. I'll describe what I want you to visualize and then after you close your eyes and you visualize it, I'll ask you a few questions about what you see.

(The following is a sample scene and questions. If the subject doesn't drive, use something that the subject is familiar with) Do you drive a car? (if "Yes", continue, else find another topic) Alright, close your eyelids down and imagine you're standing in front of your car. Now when you see it very clearly, just nod your head (Wait for nod) Fine, now your looking at your car, what color is it? (Wait for response) Good. Open the door of the car and get in behind the wheel. Now look straight ahead. Is the speedometer in the center or to your right or to your left? (Wait for response) Is the speedometer circular, semi-circular, horizontal or vertical? (Wait for response) Alright, what color is the needle that indicates the speed on the speedometer? (Wait for response)

Alright, fine. Open your eyes. Could you see all that clearly? (Wait for response) Now lets test your imagination in another way. We learned a couple of things about your imagination right then. This time when you close your eyelids right down, imagine your at a swimming place, a beach, a pool, a lake or at the ocean. Close your eyelids down.

Now I want you to imagine that you're at a swimming place. When you see the scene clearly in your minds eye, nod your head (Wait for head to nod) Alright, fine. Now look around you at this place and tell me what you see (Wait for description) Do you see any people there? (If "Yes", say the following "Pick out one of the persons and describe them to me", if "No", have subject describe some item that he saw at scene)

(This section is the actual misdirection) That's very good, open your eyes. Could you see all that clearly as a mental picture? That showed that you have a good imagination to create, because in that instance I asked you something where you had to create the scenes in the picture. Now we'll go to the other extreme and find out how well you can imagine a simple, single object. This time when you close your eyelids down, imagine that you're looking at a full moon.

Close your eyelids down. Now then I want you to imagine that you are either seated outside or in a car, or at the beach, or maybe looking out your bedroom window. Its night time and you're looking up at a full moon. To help you to see the full moon, I want you to now to roll your eyeballs back up, with you eyelids remaining closed down. Roll your eyeballs backup in your head as if you could see the full moon right up here (Touch subjects forehead lightly) backup in the center of your forehead.

(Pick up the pace slightly and read this section as one flowing sentence) Roll your eyeballs way back up in your head and as you do your eyelids lock tightly closed the more you try to open them the tighter they are locking closed try now to open your eyelids they're locking tighter and tighter, now stop trying, just relax and sleep. Let a good and pleasant feeling now come all over your body. Let every muscle and nerve in your body go limp and loose. Breathe easily and deeply and send a way of deep relaxation from the top of your head to the top of your toes.

Mountain Trip Method

Spoken to the subject

Before you go into a hypnotic state, be sure that you have your clothes loosened in any areas where they may be tight, and then get yourself into a very comfortable position, close your eyes and begin inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly ...

Continue inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly about five or six times ... each time you exhale your whole body keeps relaxing more, you continue feeling more calm, more peaceful and more at ease ...

As you continue relaxing, I want you to use your imagination. Imagine yourself lying on the grass in a soft, green meadow, the sun is shining gently, and there is an easy breeze blowing over your body ... you continue feeling more comfortable and at ease ...

Beautiful flowers are blooming all around you ... you can see the flowers moving gently in the breeze ... notice the wonderful fragrance of the flowers ...

Now, in your mind I want you to stand up ... look to the north and see the beautiful mountain at the end of this meadow ... let's take a trip up that mountain ... you look around and notice an easy flowing stream to the right of you ... you are walking over to the stream, and you bend over and put your hand in the water. You notice the water is pure, clean, cool and refreshing. Listen to the gentle flow of the rapids ...

Since the stream seems to come from the mountains, let's follow the stream up into the mountains ... as we walk along, following the stream, we come to a pond at the head of the stream ... you bend over and put your hand into the water and you notice it is nice and warm ... since at this level of your mind you are an excellent swimmer, we decide to get in the water and swim for a brief time ... you can feel the warm water surrounding your body as you quietly move through the water ... it feels so refreshing and so enjoyable, but it's time to get out now and continue moving up the mountain ... as we climb, you can hear the birds chirping ... you smell the pine trees ... once in awhile you can still see the meadow in small openings between the trees ... we're halfway up the mountain now ... we notice a fallen tree over on the left and we decide to stop and rest ... the meadow below is in full view from here ... the scene is really beautiful ... now it's time to continue on up the mountain ... you can imagine how beautiful it will be to be at the top to be able to look down into the meadow below ...

The breeze is blowing gently, and you can notice the smell of small cedar trees as we are nearing the top of the mountain ... just a few more steps and we will be at the top ... we finally made it ... you can see the deep canyon on the other side ... and from this side you can see the meadow below ...

Just ahead, you notice a sign there on top of the mountain ... you walk over to it and you notice that it says, "Speak the questions you want answered most into the canyon below, and you will see the answer written in the sky above" ...

You are deciding the most important question that you want to speak into the canyon below ... as soon as you make that decision, you ask the question and then look to the sky above for your answer ... (Pause for a minute or two for subject to receive answer)

Now it's time to go back down the mountain and return to the meadow ... you can notice the sun beginning to set on the hills on the left ... we still have plenty of time to get down before it gets dark, but we need to be on our way down ...

As we're going down, we notice a few deer off in the forest ... we're halfway down now ... we pause for a few minutes and sit on the fallen tree again ... we can see the beautiful sunset as it is forming ... now we continue moving on down ... you can hear the birds chirping ... now we come to the pond, and we can see the reflection of the sunset on the surface of the water ... we continue on, following the beautiful, refreshing stream ... now we're back in the meadow, and you lie down in the comfortable grass again ... you can smell the fragrance of the flowers ... and now you are ready to receive some additional suggestions I will be giving you before you awaken from the hypnotic state.

Non-verbal Method I

Instructions to hypnotist

The subject is seated in a chair and instructed to hold both arms out in front of him and upward so that the hands are above eye level. They should be parallel, the hands being about two feet apart. The hypnotist now moves back and forth in front of the subject from one side to the other, making a small postural change in the subject's right arm first, then over to the other side to make a similar charge in the left arm.

First the right arm is bent at the elbow so that the hand comes a bit inward and downward (the right elbow simultaneously extending more outward). The hypnotist then moves over to the left side and repeats the movement of the subject's left arm in the same way. After each movement he pauses a few seconds and observes the posture. This permits him both to observe the subject's reaction and to allow time for adjustment to the new change in posture.

Once again he moves to the subject's right side and adjusts the right arm again slightly downward. This is then matched in a few seconds with a similar adjustment in the left hand. The postural adjustments of the arms and hands are constantly transmitting the message of "inward and downward," inward into one's self, and downward toward a more unconscious level of awareness.

Finally, when the hands are almost together and are barely above the lap the hypnotist grasps both of them firmly by the wrist and forcibly lowers them rapidly all the way down. At this point the subject's eyes will usually close and his head slump forward on his chest. If this does not happen the hypnotist can pull the eyelids down, and by a push on the back of the head, administer this final forceful suggestion which implies, "Go inward and downward, close your eyes and enter a deep relaxed, hypnotic state!"

No words have been spoken, but the induction has been accomplished by the series of progressively spaced changes in posture. To remove the hypnotic state which has been so achieved the hypnotist simply reverses the movements. First, he lifts up the head. Then he lifts up both arms to the position they held just prior to the forcible lowering of them. Next, one arm and hand at a time the movements are reversed. The movements are now outward and upward, "Come up out of yourself and back into the conscious state," is the message. Finally, the arms are back in their original position; the patient's eyes are fully open, the head is up.

Non-verbal Method II

Instructions to hypnotist

A non verbal induction may be accomplished with any individual that is ready to experience hypnosis. One of the keys to the induction of hypnosis is correct use of pre-hypnotic suggestions. The following is an example of pre-induction suggestions.

Hypnotist: Would you like to experience hypnosis?

Subject: Yes

Hypnotist: I would like you to simply allow things to take place. Do not try to make anything happen, but do not try to stop things from taking place. Is this agreeable to you?

Subject: That would be fine..

Take the subject's hand as if you were going to be shaking hands. Have the subject's arm stretched straight out.

With the subject looking directly in your eyes, begin slowly raising, and lowering the arm about three to four inches each way. Keep your eyes fixed on the clients eyes.

As the subject begins to blink their eyes, interrupt your up, and down movement of the arm, and begin pushing the arm down slightly.

Return to the up, and down movements of the arm until the client blinks again. Once again, when the subject blinks their eyes push the arm down slightly.

You will discover that with in a few movements the eyes will close completely. Drop their arm to their side.

Rapid Method

Instructions to hypnotist

Begin by having the subject hold their arms stretched out directly in front of them, so that the palms of the hands are facing each other. Have the hands about 6 inches apart.

Spoken to the subject

You may now lower your hands back to your side. In just a moment I am going to have you bring your hands back to this position, and you will find it very easy to go into a deep pleasant level of hypnosis in just a matter of seconds. Would this be alright with you? (You must have the subjects consent before proceeding any further)

Now close your eyes, and take in a couple of deep easy breaths. Hold each breath for a moment and then exhale slowly.

In just a moment I am going to have you extend your arms in front of you, just as you had them a moment ago. When I ask you to move your hands to this position I am then going to have you open your eyes, and follow my simple instructions.

Remaining relaxed, and at ease, I want you to extend your arms out in front of you just as you had them earlier.

(After subject extends their arms adjust the distance between the hands to about six inches. Hold your index finger at eye level, and instruct subject to follow the movement of your finger. Slowly move your index finger between their hands)

Now I want you to concentrate on my finger. In just a moment I am going to move my finger away, and I want you to begin to concentrate on the spot where my finger was.

(Quickly move your finger in a downward motion)

You are doing good. Keep concentrating on the spot where my finger used to be.

I am going to begin to count from 3 down to 1. On the count of one allow your eyes to close.

Three, your eyes are feeling heavy, and tired.

Two, they are beginning to water, and tear slightly.

One, so heavy just allow them to close, and relax.

Even with your eyes closed you can still imagine that spot between your hands.

I am now gently touching your hands, and as I do notice that your hands are beginning to move together.

In just a moment your hands will touch. As they touch your entire body will feel loose, and limp. You will be going into a very deep hypnotic state. The hands are moving closer, and closer. The moment that they touch the whole body becomes lose and limp. You will be going into a very special kind of sleep. Almost there get ready to let go. The moment that they touch you go into a very deep special type of sleep.

(As the hands move together, have your hands in a position that will allow you to lightly slap the outside of the subjects hands, and thus pushing them together. You must be ready the moment that the subjects hands touch. At the exact moment when the subjects hands touch, rapidly, and firmly slap the two hands together while giving the command to sleep. At the same moment lightly apply a downward motion to the subjects hands. This will cause the subject to bend at the waist. Allow the arms to dangle at the subjects side)

Rapid Method for Children

Rapid Method (for Children)

Instructions to hypnotist

Most children will enter hypnosis very quickly and easily; while an eye closure technique is suitable for most children, some smaller children will object to it. It is always wise to enquire from the child whether it will be O.K. for him to close his eyes.

Spoken to the subject

Do you like to pretend games, (child's name)? I would like you to pretend something for me, will you? Good. All right, now close your eyes please and while you have them closed, I want you to pretend that they just won't open no matter how hard you try and, so long as you keep pretending, they won't open at all. That's good. Keep pretending until I ask you to stop. Do you have a television at home? O.K., will you switch in on please? What's on? ... Can you turn it up a little? Good. What's happening now?

Commentary

The exact wording is not important here and should be adapted to the circumstances. The objective is to invoke the child's imagination, which normally he/she is using continually in his/her games of pretence, to gain eye closure. When futile attempts to open the eyes are observed, hypnosis has already begun. It is important to secure the child's agreement to maintain the pretence until you direct him/her to stop pretending. With an easy extension of his/her pretence, the child transports himself/herself to his/her home and regresses to a favorite TV programme. He/she can be asked to describe in detail all that he/she sees and hears going on. Hypnosis is established. The body relaxation normally associated with adult hypnosis is often less in evidence with children who remain physically active through hypnosis.

Rapid Method Permissive I

Instructions to hypnotist

Begin with subjects sitting in a straight back chair.

Spoken to the subject

Are you ready to go into a hypnotic sleep ? (Subject just respond with 'Yes')

Close your eyes and take in a few deep breaths and relax with each breath that you take. I am now picking up your right hand. (Pick up subjects hand as if you were going to shake hands)

In just a moment I am going to have you open your eyes and look at me. I will then count from three down to one. On the count of one your eyes will close again and your whole body will feel loose and limp. You will quickly enter a hypnotic sleep. Do you understand? (Wait for a nod or a yes signal)

Now, I want you to open your eyes and try to keep them open until I reach the number one.

Three, your eyes are feeling heavy, try to hold them open.

Two, almost there, on the count of one they may close and feel wonderful.

One, eyes closing and sleep.

(At the moment that the eyes close, firmly pull the right arm in a downward movement, while delivering the command of sleep)

Rapid Method Permissive II

Instructions to hypnotist

It is important to realize that the ability to go into the hypnotic state is the subjects ability, and not related to the hypnotist.

After accepting the fact that the ability to enter hypnosis the subjects ability, and not the hypnotists, we see that the time spent on induction should be related to the subjects willingness to enter hypnosis quickly.

Spoken to the subject

I would like you now, to take in three deep, easy breaths. As you exhale each time, I would like you to relax the muscles in, and around your eyes.

By the third breath you will have relaxed the muscles in, and around the eyes to the point that the eyes no longer want to open.

Now, take in three deep, easy breaths, and relax the eye muscles totally as you exhale. (Allow the subject to take in three breaths, and proceed)

Good, you have now relaxed the eyes to the point that they no longer want to open. I would like you now to relax the eyes to the point that they will not open. Once you have relaxed them, make sure that they will not open. (Allow a test )

Television Imagination Method

Television Imagination Method (For Children Ages 7 - 11)

Instructions to hypnotist

A tactile technique, such as holding a stuffed animal, may be appropriate for a 2-year-old. A 4-year-old may respond better to a rag-doll and a 6-year-old to a coin or television technique. Developmentally, a school child (7-11 years of age) may respond best to a favorite place technique and ad adolescent to sports imagery.

Spoken to subject

I would like to show you and teach you how you can use your "make believe" ability in areas of your life to help yourself. Would you like to learn how you can help yourself with (child's presenting problem)? (Child responds Yes) You already have your own imagination. I cannot give you any imagination. I can show you, however, how to use your imagination in a very special way. First, I would like you to get into a very comfortable position. Just put your legs in front of you, with your hands resting comfortably in your lap. You might notice that, in this position, your while body feels nicely supported, with every part of your body being held up by something. And now, I would like you to close your eyes - that's right - and with your eyes closed, you can enjoy the darkness and the quietness, the peacefulness, and the calmness. You can become more aware of your breathing. Just feel how cool your breath feels as it comes into your body, bringing with each breath energy and oxygen that spread to every corner of your body. With each breath out, you can feel warmth, and your body can just relax all of the muscles in your body. Every time you breathe out, you go deeper and deeper into relaxation and comfort.

As you relax deeper and deeper, I would like you to imagine that a TV screen has appeared before your eyes - a very special TV that would only be found in a very special place. This TV has been made especially for you. Just see the dials on the TV and examine them very carefully and find the ON switch. Just turn on that TV and turn the dial around until you find the program that seems just right for you. It may be a program that you have already seen before, or one that you would only imagine that you would like to see. What is the program that you are seeing right now (child's name)? (Get response from the child and then ask additional questions to increase and enhance image)

You can continue to enjoy that picture for a moment more and then I would like you to turn the dial until you reach a channel where you can see yourself on TV and you find yourself in (wherever the therapist wants the therapeutic environment to be) and you are the star in that program. Have you found that channel? (Child responds) Good. What are you doing right now in that picture on the TV? (Child responds) Just continue to watch that program because that is a special TV and you are in control of that TV. (Use therapeutic suggestions related to the presenting problem - stress achievements and positive feelings. Use a posthypnotic suggestions that the child can go back to that special channel whenever the child wishes. The therapist can also ask the child to use "slow motion" suggestions at any time)

Now turn your dial to any channel you would like to end with that gives you a nice feeling of being you and a nice feeling of being comfortable and peaceful, of being strong and wise, and knowing what is best for yourself and how to find it. You can thank yourself that you have this special TV in your mind and that you can use it any time you wish.

Now it's time for your to turn your set off and to let yourself gradually return to the room here with me, feeling refreshed and relaxed and ready for a nice day - ready to open your eyes now. That was very nice (child's name).

Testing

Eye Catalepsy

Spoken to the subject

(Optionally, place your right thumb on the bridge of the subjects nose and apply slight pressure) I'm going to count from five down to one. As I do, you're eyelids lock so tightly closed that the more you try to open them, the tighter they're locking closed.

Five, your eyes are pressing down tightly.

Four, pressing down and sealing shut.

Three, sealing as if they were glued.

Two, they're locked shut. The more you try to open them, the tighter they're locking closed.

Okay, try to open your eyelids now and find them locking tighter and tighter. That's fine. You can stop trying now. Just relaxed and go deeper.

Spinning Hands

Spoken to the subject

This time I'm going behind you to raise your hands ... and start moving them around each other. (Start spinning their hands around each other) Now, as I release your hands, continue the motion of your own accord. (Release their hands)

Moving, spinning, turning.

Moving, spinning, turning. Even faster now.

Moving, spinning, turning. That's good.

As your hands are turning, I want you to think about your heart. Your heart beats automatically in response to the needs of your body. In the same way, your hands are turning automatically so that the more you try to stop the motion, the faster they're turning.

I'm going to touch your forehead. The instant I do, your hands spin in the opposite direction. (Touch forehead) Back the other way, moving, spinning, and turning. And as they're turning, you're going much deeper in sleep.

This time I touch your forehead, your left arm drops limply down to your side; Your right arm continues the movement. (Touch forehead) Left arm drops; right arm continues, and as it's moving you're going deeper and deeper into hypnosis.

This time I touch your forehead; right arm drops limply down; you go much deeper. (Touch forehead) Drop it down and go deeper. That's fine.

Trance

Creating Mental Nothingness/Amnesia

Instructions to hypnotist

This technique can be used for both mind clearing or amnesia. The "Room of Nothingness" can become the "Room of Forgetfulness." The suggestion is given that any suggestions given in the "Room of Forgetfulness" will not be remembered by the conscious mind, but the subject will act upon them none the less. The suggestion is also given that the more the subject tries to remember the suggestions, the suggestions will be forgotten.

Spoken to the subject

I want you now to imagine that you are standing in front of a house. This is an unusual house. It's twelve feet high, twelve feet wide, thirty-six feet long. There are three rooms, one behind the other. And this structure stands over a basement. There are three steps that lead up to the house.

I want you to walk up and open the front door. As you do, you step into the first room. It's a very unusual room because there is only one piece of furniture in the room, a reclining chair.

The carpeting, the walls, the ceiling, and the upholstery on the chair are all a beautiful sunny yellow. This is the Yellow Room.

The chair looks so inviting that you walk over to it, sit down in it, and push it back into a reclining position.

You feel so relaxed, and as you do, you let your mind drift to a pleasant experience of the past thirty days. A pleasant experience of the past thirty days. [Fifteen second pause]

And now that memory causes you to feel even more relaxed. But it's time to get up from the chair and move on to the second doorway and step inside.

This room is almost identical to the first, except the color is gold. This is the Gold room, and there is that reclining chair in the center of the room.

Since your experience was so good the first time, you walk to that reclining chair again, sit down in it, and now you just lean back. As you do, you bring into your mind the memory of a very pleasant experience of the past twelve months - the past year. (Fifteen second pause)

Alright, it's time to get up from that chair, and you move into the third room.

This is the Blue room. It's exactly like the first two, except for the color.

You walk to that chair, you sit down in it, and you lean back. But as you lean back, there's something very interesting occurring. What's occurring is that the chair now is on a hydraulic hoist, and it begins to slowly move down. It's going down into that lower level, passing right down through the floor. As you're going right down, deeper, sitting in a very relaxed, comfortable position. Now it stops, and you're down into the basement.

Now as you stand up from the chair, there's one door ahead with a sign that says, "The Room of Nothingness." You walk to the door, turn the knob, and step inside.

As you do, your eyes narrow down and you hesitate, because it's very dim in this room and the door closes behind you. There a strange feeling beneath your feet, because you're standing on a foam rubber pad which is three inches thick.

Now the door is closed and your eyes slowly become accustomed to the gloom. There is a kind of a rosy glow in the room. You take a few more steps in and you decide to just sit down. Now you sit down and you feel this soft foam, three inches thick, cradling you so comfortably that you just decide to lay back.

Now all the light is gone and the room is filled with nothingness. As you like there, that nothingness moves across your mind. You mind is filled with nothingness. [Five second pause]

Reinduction

Spoken to the subject

I am going to give you a signal so you can enter into hypnosis more easily.

I am going to count from one to three. At the count of three, you will open your eyes, remaining deeply relaxed. When I say "Sleep now" and snap my fingers, that will be the signal for your eyelids to close down and you will go deeper into hypnosis.

All right. One. Two. Three. Open your eyes. (Snap finger)

Sleep Now! Close them down and go deeper asleep. (Repeat both several times)

Signs of Trance

Instructions to hypnotist

There are several outward signs of trance that can be observed in all subjects. These signs can not be simulated by the subject. The subject will exhibit at least one, and in many cases, multiple signs.

1. Body warmth Many subjects note a distinct change in body temperature. Many subjects feel cold, and others feel warm. This is attributed to the lower pulse rate and extreme relaxation of the subject.

2. Fluttering eyelids (R. E. M.) Virtually all subjects in trance exhibit a 'fluttering of eyelids'. The subject is actually in R. E. M. state. (Rapid Eye Movement)

3. Reddening of the eyes All subjects will demonstrate a reddening of the eyes once they've entered trance. This phenomenon is attributed to the relaxation of the muscles in the eyes of the subject, allowing a greater flow of blood through the veins.

4. Increased lacrimation Many subjects, upon entering trance, will exhibit an increased 'tearing of the eyes.' This is attributed to the relaxation of the muscles surrounding the tear ducts.

5. Eyes rolling back Many subjects, upon entering trance, will experience their eyes rolling back in their head. It will appear as if the subject is looking up through the top of his head.

Termination

Spoken to the subject (Based on the type of session, you may care to skip this paragraph) Each time that you use this method for easy relaxation, you relax more easily, more quickly, and more deeply. Relaxation is a skill that you are easily developing with trance.

Now, I'm going to count from one to five, and then I'll say, "Fully aware." At the count of five, your eyes are open, and you are then fully aware, feeling calm, rested, refreshed, relaxed.

All right. One: slowly, calmly, easily you're returning to your full awareness once again.

Two: each muscle and nerve in your body is loose and limp and relaxed, and you feel wonderfully good.

Three: from head to toe, you are feeling perfect in every way. Physically perfect, mentally perfect, emotionally calm and serene.

On the number four, your eyes begin to feel sparkling clear. On the next number I count, eyelids open, fully aware, feeling calm, rested, refreshed, relaxed, invigorated, full of energy.

Number five: You're fully aware now. Eyelids open. Take a good, deep breath, fill up your lungs, and stretch.

Drug Addiction Session I

Now as you go deeper and deeper relaxed, deeper and deeper on down, in your mind's eye, I want you to imagine the symptoms of withdrawal. I want you to feel the nausea. Feel your stomach turning. Feel all your muscles tighten. Like you're tied up in knots and you feel terrible all over and I want you to take those feelings, take those feelings and you're going to associate them with the drug itself. You associate those feelings which represent the withdrawal symptoms with the drug itself, with the heroin or whatever you retaking. From now on instead of the withdrawing causing the symptoms, the drug itself will bring the symptoms about. For you're conditioned just as much as if I'd said a nice thick juicy steak smothered in mushrooms or if I asked you to concentrate on a lemon, you'd feel the saliva, the organs would respond, and now I say that the organs respond to the drug heroin or whatever you're taking. The organs respond by producing very uncomfortable symptoms so from now on whenever you take a fix these very uncomfortable symptoms begin to show themselves. As they show themselves, you feel them, you feel them deeply, very deeply. They are very uncomfortable. On the count of three as you withdraw from the heroin, the symptoms, instead of getting worse, get better. You feel better. More alert. More awake, more vital, more full of life. More full of pep and energy than you have had for a very long time. You feel as though you are full of vitamins. It's going to be very easy for you to withdraw because the withdrawing makes you feel good, and the taking of the drug makes you feel bad. You're going to be surprised about the reverse effect, but it's becoming a permanent part of your subconscious mind, never to be removed. Your need for heroin is gone. But you have a tremendous need to withdraw for if you don't then you feel the symptoms. Now starting right at this moment, you're going to begin a new phase of withdrawal. A withdrawal without pain, without nausea, without vomiting, and without troubles. Now I want you to feel good all the time, and the drug is the thing that makes you feel bad. The thing that gives you the nausea and the problems is the thing that ties up your guts, that's heroin. Now as you go deeper and deeper relaxed, and as all of the sounds fade away in the distance, all of these suggestions take complete and thorough effect upon your mind, body, and spirit. And you sink deeper and deeper and deeper. Nothing disturbs you. For you've begun your withdrawal right now. Now, sleep deeply and let these suggestions seal themselves in the deepest part of the subconscious mind. Way down.

Drug Addiction Session II

As you go deeper and deeper relaxed, deeper and deeper with every breath you take.

I'm now going to talk to you about the convalescent stage in treating the problem of drug addiction. Now, as you go deeper and deeper and I give you these suggestions, they take complete and thorough effect upon you. (Just as your suggestions took effect upon you in the treatment of your drug addiction problem.) Your drug problem is over, that's been straightened out completely and furthermore you know it. You're cured and you're completely cured. You have no desire for drugs in any way, you don't needthem, you don't want them and they're no longer a part of your life. Most of all, you're proud. Proud because you're on top. You're really on top now. You don't have anything you have to prove, you've proved it. You proved yourself an adult, you've proved yourself mature. You've proved that you can function in society. You've proved that you can earn a living. You've proved that you can study, that you can think, that you can read, that you can be a human being in every way, not just any human being, but one that is effective. But even more than that, you've proved your ability to conquer the most difficult problem on earth. A drugproblem which is something that if other people, who were not aware of that problem, were faced with it, they might not be able to surmount this problem at all. Yet, you have done it. You have proved yourself even more than most people. Now, it's important, now that you have proved yourself, now that you have obtained a cure and you are on top, to stay there. The maintenance of the cure is important, is just as important as getting the Cure itself. When a person has pneumonia or tuberculosis, even though they are completely well, even though the bugs are already killed and the disease one-hundred percent, no doctor would ever advise that patient to take a job as a sand-hog and expose themselves to silicosis, because there's too many other things to do, too many other ways to be effective and to put an individual right back in the environment where the disease processed, could start again. For this reason it's very important that even though you're completely cured and you are completely cured one-hundred percent, you can go anywhere, you can do anything, you can be anything, but the very best climate for you to be effective in is not that climate in which you would be constantly exposed to drugs. Not because there's any danger to you, because you're already cured, but simply because you don't put a patient who just recovered from an illness back in the ward with all the sick people. You segregate the sick from the well. You give the patient time to convalesce even though they are well, time heals all wounds and makes us strong. Stronger and stronger with every day that passes. Strong in body, strong in mind and strong in spirit. Better able to withstand disease. Dis-ease. And that's very important to you, extremely important because that's exactly what's going to happen. Namely, you're going to be very happy and contented because you have licked this problem, completely and thoroughly, one-hundred percent and because of this, you are going to avoid drugs like the plague, and places where drugs are, like the plague. It's important that you have a certain amount of time to develop a complete stability in every area of your life, because that's what you really want to be and you're going to be, and that's stable, adequate, and effective. Your cure is permanent in every way and it's going to stay that way. Your cure is final and you are safe. Stable, Adequate, Final and Effective. Those four words, the initials spell "SAFE" and you're going to remember it and never forget it. You're never going to forget it! You're going to remember it and it's going to become a permanent part of your mind. You're going to be safe. You're going to safe, SAFE, SAFE. "S" stand for stable, you're going to be stable, more stable than you ever have been in your life. "A" stands for adequate. You're going to be adequate very adequate in every way, all the time. Nothing can throw you. "F" stands for final, your cure is permanent and final in every way. And "E", "E" is the most important of all because you're going to be effective. What good is it to be stable and have a permanent cure if you just sit there and don't do anything? You re going to be effective, effective in your work. Effective in your play, effective in every single area of life and you put them together and they spell safe, SAFE, and that's what you are, SAFE. Now sleep, sleep, and let that suggestion take complete and thorough effect upon your mind, body and spirit, sealing itself in the deepest part of your subconscious mind, never to be removed. You are safe, SAFE, stable, adequate, final and effective. Safe, and every single time that you have any difficulty whatsoever, you feel depressed in the least way or anything comes up that bothers you, you are going to see that word right in front of your eyes, SAFE, and that's going to tell you in every way and re-enforce those suggestions over and over. That word SAFE is going to take the place of all the problems you had in the past because SAFE is going to solve them. Drugs never solved anything for you, they're gone, they're finished. It's a final and permanent cure. (now you're going to convalesce for a few months, or as long as you need to, and in a climate, and I'm speaking of social and political climate, where drugs have no part, and after you have convalesced, you'll be as strong as anyone ever was, mentally, physically, and spiritually. You can go where you want and do what you want. But until then, you're now permanently and completely cured and you are in a convalescent period and you're going to do wonderfully in every way.) Now sleep deeply and be safe in every way. I'm going to give you a few moments of silence, during these moments of silence all these suggestions take complete and thorough effect upon you, mind, body and spirit. This period of silence begins now.

Drugs

You are relaxed now and because you are so relaxed you begin to feel free from all tension, anxiety and fear. You now realize that you are more confident and sure of yourself because you have taken this enormous step toward helping yourself.

You begin to feel this strength from within, motivating you to overcome any and every obstacle that may stand in the way of your happiness and your freedom from drugs.

You will find that from this moment on you are developing more self control. You will now face every situation in a calm, relaxed state of mind. Your thinking is very clear and sharp at all times.

You begin to feel that your self respect and confidence are expanding more and every day in every way. You now realize that in the past, drug use was an escape and a control. You are becoming a happy person now with a positive attitude toward life. You are succeeding now and you have all the abilities necessary for you to break the drug pattern.

You now choose to be free from drugs. This is your decision. You can do it. You can easily do it. You have my help (and the help of your partner) and you will find it easy to do.

As of now you have a very strong determination to be free of drugs. With each passing day your determination to be free of the drug habit becomes stronger and stronger.

Your desire to be free of drugs is so important to you that if someone should suggest a party to you, you will find that their reasons for having a party are not good enough and that your reasons for stopping this drug habit are more important.

You are always free to make choices and decisions for your own well being and you choose now to be free of drugs. You know that it was unhealthy and brings a lot of unhappiness into your life. At one time you felt that it was a good idea to get into the drug scene. It served a purpose in your life at that time. It no longer serves that purpose.

Now the only purpose it serves is to bring you further away from health and true happiness. You realize that drugs are a deadly trap and ultimately, no real good can come to you while you are using drugs. You are now making a new decision for yourself. You choose the path to real health and happiness. You now choose to be free from drugs and you are determined to make this happen for you.With each passing day and with each passing moment you realize that your desire and your self determination to be free of drugs is stronger than the hold that the drugs had on you. You know that you can be free of drugs for short periods of time and you are now moving away from drugs for longer and longer periods of time and you are doing less each time you do drugs.

You have great confidence in yourself that you can in fact be free of drugs and that you can do it. Whenever you avoid the use of drugs in situations where you would have done drugs before, you feel very, very proud of yourself and very sure that you did the right thing for yourself.

You have watched others lose their health and physical well being and you are now realizing that you do not want this to happen to you.

You are now so determined to regain your health and get back to your normal weight, the weight that you should be, that you now gain complete control over your habit. Control means that you not only have the power to walk away from a line, but that in fact you do just that. You can do it. And each time you do walk away from doing a line, you will find it easier to walk away from the next temptation. You are getting stronger and stronger and very proud of your new strength to walk away from drugs.

You are now proving your inner strength to yourself and to others each and every time that you refuse to do a line. You know that this is only a bad habit and you can overcome a habit. So you are changing this habit.

You are beginning to find that there are two things which give you more pleasure than your drugs. First you find that you want to take a nice long deep breath whenever you think of doing drugs. This nice long deep breath will help you to feel more calm, more relaxed, and you will feel very peaceful inside. Your mind and body will become calm and relaxed, too calm and relaxed to need to do a line. You will decide to put off doing drugs until some time in the future and you will forget to do drugs at that time. Taking a nice long deep breath makes you feel so good, so calm and so relaxed that you will no longer have any desire to do a line. Rather you will put it off to some time in the future and you will forget to do the drugs at that time.

You will now find that you are getting hungry at meal times and you find a great deal of enjoyment in the food you eat. You find that you want to eat good nutritional food and so you eat and satisfy any craving for drugs. You never eat to excess, but you find that by eating three good meals daily, you feel better physically and this reduces your need for drugs.

(You now have a strong feeling of responsibility to your partner, and you are feeling responsible for your partners health and well being. Since you know that drugs are not good physically, mentally or emotionally for your partner, you help him/her by gently reminding him/her to stay away from the drugs. You set an example for your partner by not doing a line at a time when you easily could. You show him/her how you can do it and encourage your partner to do the same. You help your partner to postpone doing a line for an hour or so and then maybe even another hour after that. You find ways to help him/her forget to do drugs. You find that you can easily forget to do drugs because it offers you nothing but problems in the future.

You are now working as a team to help each other to move away from drugs. Working as a team, you are very strong and determined to forget drugs. You find ways to avoid doing a line and find good reasons for not doing that line.

You help each other away from drugs by doing things which you mutually enjoy and which do not involve drugs. You feel that it now is your responsibility to gently help your partner to forget about doing drugs and your responsibility to cooperate and to feel good about what he/she is doing for you. You are never upset when your partner tells you to take a deep breath and forget doing a line at this time. You appreciate it and you know your partner is on your side. You are now getting the help you need and you are proud of yourself for having reduced your drug habit. You feel good.)

Fridgidity

Sex is no longer an inconvenience to you. You can easily reach a climax when you choose. You are just as good as any other woman sexually. You are a confident and competent lover. Sex is for both men and women to enjoy. Between consenting adults any expression of love and sex is okay.

You feel no guilt about enjoying sex. You experience no pain or humiliation with sex. Nothing is wrong with you mentally because you have had difficulty in the past reaching a climax.

It is easy for you to express your love physically. Sex is a beautiful, natural expression. You can reach climax as quickly as you choose.

At night you sleep soundly and deeply. During the night you find that your sleeping hours relieve you of much stress and strain and when you awaken in the morning you feel refreshed, invigorated and you find that you look forward to a new day. You feel good because you deserve to feel good. You go to sleep easily and quickly now.

When you put your feet on the floor in the morning you automatically tell yourself "I feel good". You find that now your days are more calm, more relaxed and you handle situations easily without letting them upset you. You take a deep breath often and realize that this is helping you get through each and every day with less and less tension and you feel good about that and yourself.

Alcohol

You are relaxed now, and because you are so relaxed you begin to feel free from all tensions, anxiety and fear. You now realize that you are more confident and sure of yourself because you have taken the enormous first step toward helping yourself.

You begin to feel this strength from within, motivating you to overcome any and every obstacle that may stand in the way of your happiness, social life and home life.

You will find that from this moment on you are developing more self control. You will now face every situation in a calm, relaxed state of mind. Your thinking is very clear and sharp at all times.

You begin to feel that your self respect and confidence are expanding more and more each and every day in every way. You now realize that in the past drinking was an escape and weakness that you are replacing with confidence, strength and self control. You are becoming a happy person now, with a positive attitude toward life. You are succeeding now, and you have all the abilities for success.

Alcohol Session I

Now as you sink deeper and deeper relaxed ... deeper and deeper and deeper, all the sounds fade away in the distance and you pay attention only to the sound of my voice. Going deeper and deeper and deeper ... There are five steps in the elimination of any alcoholic problem... The first step is relaxation. You must obviously be relaxed so that the adequate communication can take place between yourself and the hypnotherapist ... Therefore, if for any reason at this moment you are not completely relaxed I want you now to completely relax ... let go of everything ... Let all your arms and your legs and your entire body completely let go and relax completely ... Now that you are relaxed ... relaxed more than you have ever been before, we come to this second point ... The second point is realization ... You are now going to be made to realize the cause of your drinking problem ... and understand it completely ... First of all, in almost every case of a drinking problem ... in your mind the person with the drinking problem, including yourself was formulated in your own mind ... the deficient father figure or a deficient authorization figure ... maybe your own father was an alcoholic, or at least a heavy drinker, or maybe your mother on frequent occasions accidentally placed either you or someone else in a trance like state, screaming at you that you are nothing but a bum, a no good bum ... And that you are going to be a bum just like your father or a drunk like your father ... If this hasn't happened a suggestion similar to it has been planted deep into your subconscious mind somewhere in childhood ... It may be frequently one of multiple causes ... But you recognize that somewhere along the line you have a deficient father figure if it isn't your own father, then you felt that God the Father was deficient in your life, or that your prayers weren't answered, or somehow or another you've got it connected up that if your father was a drunk then maybe God's no good either. Whatever it is, someone in the position of authority somewhere has let you down. And your mind has picked this up and has become an integral part of your personality even though you don't even say it ... even alcoholic's anonymous recognize that this deficient father figure as being an integral part of every alcoholic personal program ... and in their twelve-suggested steps for a cure they say that in step two that cure can result only when an authoritarian or power greater than themselves can be inserted into their lives ... the easiest and most frequently used and more helpful authoritarian or father figure is that of God the Heavenly Father of us all ... and if one of the main causes of alcoholism is a deficient father figure then obviously the formation of the father figure should promote a cure. Since the insertion of an adequate father figure does promote a cure, we can assume that part of the cause of alcoholism is a deficient father figure. And the second most frequently observed cause of alcoholism which also appears in over 95% of all cases is a great deficiency of ego. The alcoholic always says, "I'm no good. I'm a bum." And if you argue with him when he's drunk, and you say, you're alright, he'll say, "No, I'm not." And somewhere in an incident in the past, an alcoholic has almost always been physically kicked. Certainly nothing is more damaging to the ego for and individual than physical abuse from the foot of another individual. And further more, since emotion concentrates the mind, and since a particular incident in which one is being physically kicked, is very likely also to be one caught with deep emotions. It's easy to understand other suggestions of heavy ego damage can be implanted in the mind with great force at a time such as this. And so, we are giving you a number of suggestions of realization. First, you will realize how you became an alcoholic, how you accepted a deficient father figure, and why the father figure doesn't need to describe you. You're not like your father, you never were your father and your father or your father figure is not God in Heaven, God the Father, there's a difference, We use the same words, but there's a difference. And even the Bible says "Call no man your father on this earth just for fear of that one thing that they might be confused." Regarding your deficiency of ego, we're going to build it up, from this moment on you're going to think well of yourself in every way. You're going to be surprised and amazed at what a better person you are, not so much because of what you do but because of what you are; your composition, the fact that you are ... From this moment on it is important to completely re-educate you, to get rid of the habit pattern because you finished with the relaxation and you finished with the realization and now comes the re-education. As so from this moment on, you have no compulsion to drink, that's been removed. You're going to be surprised and amazed at how much better you feel. You've lost all desire to turn into a bar. The bottle is gone for you. You're no longer interested in alcohol in any form ... And all those suggestions take complete and thorough effect on you ... The fourth point in hypnotherapy of the alcoholic is rehabilitation. That consists of breaking the habit pattern and strengthening the ego. The habit pattern is only part of yesterday and yesterday's habit pattern with regard to alcohol is gone. And your damaged ego has been repaired. For this is a dynamic way with dealing with alcoholics. And it's a dynamic pattern in dealing with you. For we removed your habit pattern, and alcohol to you is distasteful, you have no desire for it in any form and should you even taste it, it will be distasteful to you. Your faith in your own religion is built up, your faith in God is strengthened, your ego is strengthened and these suggestions are reinforced which is the fifth point ... over and over again at regular intervals in you life. Now you sink deeper and deeper and deeper ... And your alcoholic problem vanishes leaving you sound in mind, sound in spirit, sound in body and sound in health.

Alcohol Session II

As you go deeper and deeper relaxed all of the sounds fade away in the distance and you pay attention only to the sound of my voice. As you listen carefully to the sound of my voice, we are going to remove a number of suggestions which have been in your mind. We are going to remove them completely and as you listen carefully to them we're simply going to dissolve them ... throw them out of your mind completely and forever ... Nothing disturbs you and nothing bothers you and nothing can distract you in any way from listening to the sound of my voice ... and from completely accepting everything I tell you ... for everything I tell you is the absolute truth to you ... and we're going to remove all suggestions from your mind that have been detrimental to you in the past. The first suggestion you had in your mind is that somehow or another that alcohol, a bottle, has been of some use to you. Drinking alcohol is of no use to you and you know it. You're through drinking alcohol for any reason. It doesn't make you relax, it doesn't make you sleep well, it doesn't do anything for you. As a matter of fact it ruins your efficiency ... and consequently you're through with it. The fact that alcohol has ever been beneficial to you in any way is completely removed from your mind. I am going to count to five and that suggestion is completely removed from your mind never to return. One, Two, Three, Four, Five. The next suggestion that you may have accepted is that alcohol is a good means of punishing yourself. In the first place, you're through punishing yourself and in the second place you're through using alcohol as a means to do it. The only reason anyone ever punishes himself is because somewhere deep in his mind he feels guilty and you're through allowing yourself to feel guilty. And so with one count we're going to remove the guilt, whatever it is and from whatever source the punishment, the need for punishment, and that alcohol could be used as a vehicle to achieve it. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Those ideas are all gone. Alcohol to you is a poison and a lousy inefficient poison at that ... just enough poison to make you sick and ineffective. But then you're through poisoning yourself and you're through using alcohol and so that need is also removed from your mind. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Now we're going to remove any and all connection that alcohol has in your mind. The only kind of alcohol that you care about or know anything about anymore is rubbing alcohol. And the only use it which you put rubbing alcohol is to rub it on you. That's wonderful for that. It's a nice back rub. That's all it means to you. As a beverage it's out. And so you remove all connections in your mind that have to do with alcohol as a beverage or any beverage containing alcohol, so that you don't even think of it, you don't ask for it, you don't desire it, you don't want it, you don't need it, you don't desire it in any form. Even if offered it, you'd refuse it, because you think of it as disgusting, foul tasting and vomit producing. And so the negative suggestions are now removed from your mind and those suggestions which i have given you now replace them. At the count of five. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. From this moment on you are free, free from the alcohol, free from it's entangling octopus like tentacles, free from it's degrading self-punishing nature, free from from its ruination, free from it's ability to wreck your life. You're completely free because all the connections in your mind with the alcohol beverages have been completely removed. The wires have been pulled out and you are unable to restore them even if you should want to. Just imagine that a big telephone switchboard exists in your head and that we pulled out all of the wires connected to the hole marked "alcohol" so that even if something is plugged into it nothing will happen. You don't want it. You can't buy it. You don't drink it and if offered you'd refuse it. It's disgusting to you. Tastes foul. Has a terrible effect and makes you sick to your stomach to even think about it. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Now you are going to be completely successful in every way and surprised and amazed at the self discipline and confidence that you have in yourself knowing that you've licked the problem and that it will stay licked. Now sleep. Sleep deeply. And your mind concentrates on the sound of my voice and you go deeper and deeper and deeper. Relax.

Alcohol Session III

Now as you sink deeper and deeper relaxed all of the sounds fade away in the distance. You pay no attention to any other sound but the sound of my voice. You sink deeper and deeper with every breath you take. Deeper and deeper and deeper, way down, deeper and deeper relaxed. In the past alcohol may have been to you something that meant life. In your mind you may have accepted a suggestion that alcohol saves your life or alcohol protects you from being injured, alcohol is good for you in some manner or another. But that was yesterday and we are in the future. All that was yesterday, because alcohol may have protected you from injury in the past, it could have even saved your life. Alcohol to some people is a medicine so terribly necessary. And those suggestions may have been good suggestions at one time, but they have outlived their usefulness and if any of those suggestions are present to any degree in your mind,they are completely removed as of now. And that suggestion takes complete and thorough effect upon your mind, body and spirit. Now to other people alcohol means death. It's a way of punishing oneself. It's a poison and some people want to poison themselves. It's a method of slow suicide. Well, you don't need that now. If alcohol ever meant death and suicide to you and you have a need to punish yourself, that need is now long gone and we remove that suggestion. The truth of the matter is that alcohol is just alcohol. It's not life. It's not death. As a matter of fact, it's not anything to you anymore. It's nothing, neutral feelings. It's a beverage that you don't need nor do you want. You've lost all desire for alcohol in any form. You're interested in water. You love tea, hot or iced, and especially when it's good. And there are many other beverages that you like and that you can drink. There's milk and cocoa, hot chocolate, and many soft drinks, a number of which you enjoy. But the one that doesn't do you any good and that you don't even care about anymore is alcohol. Now that was yesterday when alcohol may have saved your life or protected you or when it was a means of self punishment. That was when you ran yourself down and lost your ego. That was yesterday when you thought ill of yourself. That was yesterday when you made yourself into a failure. And today is when you put alcohol aside forever. And when you put it aside, you put it aside with all the other failures. You put it aside with all the other means of self punishment, with all the fears and anxieties, and everything else. Because you don't need any of that. Today is the day in which you make yourself successful. Today is the day in which you set goals and strive towards those goals. Today is the day in which you have a nice clean cut appearance, in which you feel sober and can think straight and reason and make decisions upon good judgement and past experience. Today is the day in which you start loving yourself and appreciating yourself for the really good and intelligent individual that you are. Today is the day in which you turn yourself over and turn your life over to something higher than just you, not only to a higher principle, but to a higher power. Let that power run your life. Today is the day that you'll bury your past mistakes and make something out of yourself. Today is the day that you wipe failure out of your book of life and that success becomes really meaningful to you in a very personal way. To be completely succinct about this, today is the day that you throw alcohol away. You throw it away for good. You don't need it and you'll never need it. You don't want it and you'll never want it. You can't desire it and you don't. You're through with alcohol. You don't need it, you don't want it, and you can't drink it. It tastes terrible. It acts terrible. And it makes you feel terrible. You're going to enjoy life fully in every way and feel happy, live, laugh, love, and be happy for that's what today means to you. Now all these suggestions take complete and thorough effect upon you mind, body and spirit as you sink deeper and deeper relaxed and they seal themselves into your subconscious mind and they reinforce themselves over and over again. I'm going to give you a period of silence in which all this takes effect and that period of silence begins now. ...

Alcohol Session IV

To an individual who has had a drinking problem, alcohol is poison. It's poison in two ways. First of all it's poison because it breaks down the very will power, the very ego, the very faith in oneself that the individual is able to build up. And so it is a psychological poison because having once conquered the alcohol problem, if you ever allow it to get back into you again then you begin thinking about yourself all the thoughts that you thought about yourself before, namely, well I really am no good anyway, I really didn't lick it and so on. So it's a psychological poison. Now in addition to that for anyone who has ever had an alcoholic problem, it's a physical poison. It actually poisons your system. Because you're allergic to alcohol just like other people are allergic to other things. And so if you're allergic to something, even penicillin, it's poison to you and you must never take it. The same is true with alcohol. If you're allergic to it, you're through with it. Now you've been allergic to alcohol. Alcohol is a poison to you. What's even more fascinating is that usually the reason why one is drawn to alcohol is not for most of the reasons that most people reiterate, namely that it makes me feel good, I like the taste of it, all these things. On the contrary, almost every person who has an alcoholic problem will tell you just the opposite. I don't like it. It's ruining my life. It's terrible. And if that's true, then why are they drawn to it? For precisely that reason. Because it is a poison and because they in their subconscious mind need to commit suicide, and so they do it the slow tortuous way. And so that's way it's so important that the underlying cause of the problem be completely removed so that you don't need to punish yourself again with alcohol. And that's why we have removed them. That's why you don't need to punish yourself anymore. Because you realize you're not guilty to begin with. And if you're not guilty you don't have to punish yourself. That's God s domain and you have no right to take it over. He does the judging and the punishing according to His laws and His ideas. And since you're through punishing yourself, you're through poisoning yourself. One particular patient of mine took his first drink when he stole some whiskey from his father. When a word association test was given him under hypnosis, one of the most fascinating associations, which was very revealing, was when asked why he associated glass and drink he said, "Every time I assassinate glass and drink, I mean associate glass and drink they just seem to go together." I t was pointed out that he had used the word assassinate instead of associate, a Freudian slip that told what he really did with the alcohol and what he really subconsciously intended to do, namely poison himself, he said then, "Well, I guess you're right. I suppose I am assassinating myself with booze." And so alcohol is a poison. It's important that you realize that it's a poison and you are leaving poisons alone. Because you don't need poison any more. You don't need to poison yourself. You don't need to punish yourself. You're through with all that. You're going to appreciate yourself. That's what you're going to do, appreciate yourself for the talents that you have, for the fact that you're God's creation, for the fact that you've got a good life, for all the good that you can do in that life for yourself and others. In talking about alcohol we frequently say "He certainly got stiff" but we use that same term to describe a corpse. We say gee, he's dead drunk. Interesting how dead and drunk go together. You're through with alcohol. You don't even smell it. You're just beginning to appreciate yourself, to value yourself, your mind and your body and to make them really work for you. You're going to make yourself happy and you're going to make others happy by staying sober, by avoiding completely like the plague any compound which you are allergic to and alcohol especially for you're most allergic to that. You have obtained a great victory in forever placing alcohol behind you for you have now placed a beautiful future before you. For no matter what may befall you, good, bad, indifferent, it's still better and easier and happier to face the future sober rather than drunk. Indeed, you're going to have twice the fun sober than you ever had drunk because drunk you never had any fun. You were only using alcohol to assassinate yourself, to poison yourself, to get rid of yourself, to stiffen yourself, and to become dead drunk. And you almost succeeded in that. But you removed all those thoughts from your mind. You're through punishing yourself. You're through beating yourself down. You're now going to build yourself up. You're through assassinating and you're going to appreciate and as you start appreciating instead of assassinating you're going to build yourself up more and more and more with every breath you take as you go deeper and deeper relaxed, deeper and deeper and deeper. And all these suggestions are going to be reinforced in your mind every single day of your life. Now sleep.

Anger/Temper

See yourself in a situation where you might have lost your temper in the past. This time see yourself in control You no longer respond with anger. You respond with understanding and are calm. You no longer fee a need to retaliate.

You can now allow people to be themselves and allow them their own priorities. You no longer get angry because they do not agree with you. The only value someone else's opinion has, is the value you give it. You no longer get angry because their opinion is different from yours. You are in control of your own emotions and reacting with anger is negative. You are now choosing to be positive. You will never again react with uncontrolled anger.

Instead of becoming angry, you can now see their view. You now react with understanding and care and are calm. You react with positive thoughts and emotions.

(Find what triggers anger most and have client visualize a similar situation while maintaining a calmness.)

Depression I

You are a totally positive being. You have a shield of protection, others do not bother you. Any negativity bounces off of you. Love is what you are. You are peace and tranquility. Complete compatibility with divine love.

As easily as the negativity bounces off, so easily too you are like a sponge for positive thoughts and emotions. You are in total control of your thoughts and emotions. You easily maintain positive thoughts.

As you become aware of any negativity, you may take 3 deep breaths and renew your positive shield. Everyone has negative thoughts, but from this time forward, you will let any negativity flow from you and dissipate into the air.

Anytime nervous tensions comes into your day, you will release it with 3 deep breaths and replace it with positiveness. You are no longer concerned about how others receive you. It is their responsibility to decide what they think of you, not yours. Love is what you are, not what you do or say.

Your shield protects you. You are completely compatible with the divine love. You now approach everyone with love and a smile unconcerned with their reactions.

Depression II

Think of the most peaceful scene you can remember. Let your mind's eye rove over the scene as you recall the things that made it peaceful or beautiful or memorable. Let your mind become permeated with the colorful serenity of the scene. Think about each thought I share with you and let it sink into your consciousness on all levels.

I am made in the image of God. Therefore, the peace that is God's nature must likewise be at the heart and center of my being.

Nothing was ever intended to interfere with this peace. Whatever is at the bottom of my distress has no place in the Infinite plan.

I let myself sink into the arms of the Eternal like a tired child in its mother's arms. Peace steals over me and the quiet of the Eternal wraps itself around me.

Be still soul and know that I am God. Father, I become still in Thy presence. I feel now the Infinite stillness. Even though the storm rages without, I feel thy peace within. I am quiet, relaxed, passive in Thy unruffled peace.

I am adequate to anything that can happen. Nothing is too much for me because nothing is too much for God, whose thoughts now dwell in my mind.

I and the Father are one: therefore I surrender my imperfect thinking. I am going to let this Mind that was in Jesus Christ be in me, thinking Its thoughts through Me. These thoughts are thoughts of fulfilled desire since all of Gods desires are always being fulfilled. The Lord is my Shepherd: I shall not want for any good thing. He restoreth my soul, my thinking; I will fear no evil and I will choose to dwell in this house of the Lord forever. Think on what you have, not on what you have lost for blessings counted multiply and every lost thing can be restored or compensated for.

Depression: That Was Yesterday

As you continue to drift and float, all other sounds fade away into the distance. You pay attention only to the sound of my voice. I want three points about depression to become firmly established in your mind. For that is what we are going to discuss, and each point about depression is the absolute truth to you. Now the first point is, that you have a right to be here. You are as good as anyone. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees or the stars. You have a right to be here, and whether or not it is clear to you, the universe is unfolding the way it should be. Therefore, you can accept that there is a universal plan, greater than any man, greater than any one of us, and so, you can be at peace with yourself. You can be at peace with yourself if you want to be ... and that comes to the second point.

For in that plan that affects everyone in this universe, outside of natural disasters, all depression is subconsciously self-inflicted. That is the second point. All depression is subconsciously self-inflicted. Now, each emotion of the mind is reflected in the electro-chemical balance of the brain. Prolonged feelings of depression can cause chemical imbalance that, most times, corrects itself. With my clinical experience, I can usually tell who will respond successfully if I place them on medication right away, and who can respond successfully without it. In either case, you will be successful in conquering depression. When you do feel well again, you may do so for only a matter of minutes or hours, and then depression may return, and it may be another several days or even weeks before you again feel well. There may be a half dozen of such ups and downs before the symptoms are gone for good.

Now the third point has to do with time and the absolute necessity to live, not just in the present, but the moment of here and now. The third absolute truth has to do with the necessity to live each moment of the here and now. For example, yesterday you were depressed but today is a new day. Every day is a fresh beginning. Every day is a fresh beginning, and every morning is a world made new. Today is our most important day. Yesterday is gone. We cannot live in the past, else we cannot go forward, because living in the past dulls the keen edge of our imagination. The past, even yesterday, can be of value only as we glean lessons and profits from our experiences. For as Longfellow wrote, "Nor deem the irrevocable past as wholly wasted, as wholly vain, if rising on its wrecks, at last, to something nobler we attain." Have you ever felt circumstances crowding in upon you because of failure and disappointment and depression and said, "If I can only get a break, an opportunity to start all over again?" Well, then, remember what Walter Mallone wrote about opportunity - "They do me wrong who say I come no more, when once I knock and fail to find you in, for every day, I stand outside your door and bid you wake and rise, to fight again. Though deep in mire, ring not your hands and weep. I lend my aid to those who say, 'I can'. No shame-faced outcast ever sank so deep, but yet, might rise again and be a man." Yesterday, the sun sank behind the horizon at the close of the day. The sky was overcast, no stars appeared within the firmament, and you were downcast, depressed, because the day had brought only frustration. Today, you awaken with the sunlight pouring in through the window, a new day is at hand, a new opportunity to build upon the lessons learned from yesterday's failures. Now, each of us is here to accomplish something, some particular phase of the universal plan that is greater than man, greater than each and every one of us. This universal plan or life force goes on whether we like it or not. When we face life as a whole, and try to realize that every experience is leading us towards fulfillment of that plan, when we take each day and endeavor to make the most of it, then, things come out alright. Someone has said we must listen for life to happen, listen expectantly. Now, you have not been listening expectantly. You really have not been listening at all. You have been concentrating on your problems and as long as you concentrate on a problem, then you have a problem, because you are what you concentrate your mind upon.

You are what you are greatly concerned with. Now, when you let go of that concern, when you let go of that problem, by changing your thinking, when you say, "To heck with the problem!" then you begin to see the solution to your problem, because your mind is free, and therefore, when your mind is free, you can utilize it to be effective to make it work. You must say from now on, "I let go of my depression. I develop and maintain a happy disposition each day. Each day I reject the negative and see the positive in all things." Because the only reason that you have been staying depressed is that you have not learned yet how to deal with your negative thoughts, to allow in the positive thoughts of truth and love and hope. Every day is a challenge, a new opportunity to prove yourself in reality, to be a believer in truth, and love and hope, that you do not need to feel helpless and hopeless, that you can separate off and distinguish the vast difference between those events in your life and your reaction to them, for they are vastly different. They are not the same at all and you must separate off from those events in your life and your reaction to them. The problem is not whether you need a new job, whether your wife or your husband has gone or left, or that someone else did right or wrong, or that you did right or wrong, or the terrible things that occurred in your life. It is not any of those things at all. It is your reaction to them. It is the sentences you say in your head, such as, "Oh, my husband is gone! I cannot live without him!" Or, "I've got a terrible pain in my back! I'll never live a normal life again!"

That is really the problem for when you give yourself those negative thoughts, then you are bound to feel depressed so you have to learn how to turn those sentences around, turn them around completely: "OK, so I made a mistake, but I won't again" Or, "OK, so my wife died and I miss her but I can start over with a new life." Whatever it is that you say to yourself about those past things makes you depressed because you have not learned to turn them around and when you are depressed, when you are in this frame of mind, you are dead! That is death! Remember Lot's wife was told, "Don't look back for you will turn into a pillar of salt!" But, she just had to look back. Now, you must not look back. You are through looking back. You can only live the very moment you are living, and you can live that to the fullest, and enjoy it by the proper thinking. Hasn't there ever been a desire, an urge, to accomplish something you never attained? Think about that. Take each day as it comes, and enjoy the sunshine, the song of the birds, the laughter of the children. See all those positive things.

Let each day crowd out yesterday's sorrows completely. Remember that "he that climbs the ladder must begin at the first rung" - Robert Scott said that. The Chinese say, "A thousand miles journey begins with one step." As we seek higher and wider vision, each new day becomes the next rung upwards, a new opportunity to rise above yesterday's sorrows, frustrations, depressions and failures, to a world made new, so that the Oriental poet urges us: "Look well, therefore, to this day." Look well, to this day.

Now, in your mind's eye, I want you to visualize a sign, a sign, hanging right in front of you, and that sign has three words on it, and the words are: That was yesterday. That was yesterday, when things didn't go right. That was yesterday, when you failed to turn your negative thoughts around. That was yesterday when you gave up hope. That was yesterday, when you didn't decide to start over, like you should have, and that was yesterday, when you were only thinking of yourself, instead of the happiness of others, and what you could do for them. That was yesterday, when you made a mistake. That was yesterday, when you know you said the wrong thing. That was yesterday, when you know you did the wrong thing. That was yesterday. That was yesterday, when you hated yourself, but every day is a fresh beginning, and every morning is a world made new, and the past is not wholly wasted. It is not in vain, rising on its wrecks at last, there is something nobler you will attain. By replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts, every new moment is a new opportunity, and as you accept this truth, you feel the warmth of truth and love and hope course through your heart, you relax completely, confident that there IS a plan for you, and that, even though you can't understand, you must go through these learning experiences that you are going through, in order to satisfy that plan. You are, nevertheless, perfectly willing to go through whatever experiences you need to go through, so that you can allow yourself to be the master of your own fate, to be in control of your own feelings, for this dawn of a new day only comes after the night. You cannot have a mountain without valleys, otherwise, everything is all a plateau.

The brightness of the sun would mean nothing, except by comparison to the darkness of the night. It's only by contrast that we can understand life, and so, instead of reacting adversely to the problems and frustrations of yesterday, you hang on them that sign. That sign that says, That was yesterday - you see the sign in your mind's eye. You lift those problems from your shoulders and hang them upon that sign and leave them there, because, as a result of the faithful practice of your self-hypnosis, and the learning to control your thinking in a positive way, every day, as a fresh beginning, and every morning is the world made new, and this is a new day for you, and a new morning - a day without depression, a day without frustration, a day without failure, a day in which you are more effective in every single area of your life, than you have ever been before, and why? Because you have let go of your problems. You have stopped letting them handle you. You are handling it, by turning those negative thoughts around, because it is not the events of your life that are affecting you. It is your reaction to them, and you are through letting negative thoughts create negative reactions to the experiences of your life, which depress you and run you ragged, run your every moment, every moment of your life. You are going to learn to relax comfortably, in the knowledge that you can and will do your part and will continue to do your part.

Goal Accomplishment

You are a self-confident winner who accomplishes your goals. Your life is a series of successes. All of your experiences are potentialopportunities. You can literally accomplish anything. Your only limitation is your imagination and you now let your imagination go free. You are very clear about what you want out of life and you get what you want out of life. You have the self-discipline to stick with your goals until they are accomplished. You allow only positive and winning thoughts to flow through your mind. You are filled with optimism and enthusiasm in pursuing your goals to fruition. You are a goal oriented winner. You accomplish all of your goals. You feel an intense inner drive to reach your goals, to accomplish and to win.

Healing

You are surrounded by a divine blue healing light which is flowing through all of your cells, healing you quickly and completely. You have the power and ability to accelerate the healing of your body. Your body is filled with positive healing energy and your healing is now accelerated.

Each breath of air that you take into your body contains the divine healing prana. Your mind is all powerful and you now use it to heal yourself of all imperfections which are now in your body (, such as .......). You are now healed and your body has returned to a perfect state.

From this moment forward you choose only perfect health, mentally, physically and spiritually. Perfect health is your divine right and you now manifest perfect health. Each moment, each second, each hour you move rapidly toward total healing of yourself. You are healed.

You now focus upon the healing power of the universe mentally, physically and spiritually.

Hypnotherapist: Being a Professional

Hypnosis brings to you emotional, intellectual, social and financial eminence among your peers.

You are rapidly moving towards the satisfaction of your deepest needs, and the realization of your highest goals. And so be it.

Now each of these ideas continue making a permanent, deep, vivid impression on your subconscious mind. Each day in you daily life, you will become more and more aware of the full, powerful, positive creative expression of these ideas.

From this time forward, with each passing day, you become more and more aware of a personal feeling of well-being and confidence. Confidence that each day brings you one step closer to each of your goals.

Your clients respond strongly to you. You are an exceptional hypnotist. Your past experiences and your present studies serve you well.

You are fully alert to your client's responses. With rapid and sharp perception, you observe changes in their posture, their voice quality, their breathing, and emotional tone. You listen and carefully observe your client's verbal responses and body language.

During an induction, you speak fluently and melodiously, creating an atmosphere of safety and comfort. You trust yourself as you confidently allow your own unique style to surface and flourish. Because you are relaxed and poised, you speak clearly and easily.

Life is good and the present moment commands your focused attention. You are relaxed and interested as you begin the therapeutic interview. You ask about previous experiences with hypnosis. You search out your clients attitudes, beliefs and questions about hypnosis.

You readily enter into the world of your client. You listen openly and with focused attention to what your client has to present. Because you are competent, skilled and knowledgeable, you speak easily and with authority.

Your clients are eager to be hypnotized by you. They appreciate your poise, your skill and your caring. Your clients expectations make you feel good.

You plan and arrange your daily schedule with care. You allow yourself time for personal recreation and relaxation. It is easy for you to keep to your schedule because you plan it so well.

Each time you hypnotize a client you feel an exhilarating surge of confidence and enthusiasm. You easily remember your many successful and rewarding experiences in helping other clients. You are highly skilled at understanding and guiding others, and you easily accept the praise and approval that others give to you.

From deep within your own center, your confident voice calmly resonates. Your eyes radiate strength, courage, and compassion. Your appearance, your voice, and your methods of communication all express confidence in yourself, in your skills and in your ability to help others. Your manner is relaxed and assured. You easily express the right word, the right phrase, the right gesture, and the appropriate feeling when communicating with your client.

Your clients are relaxed and trusting of you for they sense your deep interest in them. You are positive, persuasive and a force for good. Your highest desire is to bring joy and happiness into the lives of others. You stimulate wonderful, positive and exciting thoughts and feelings in the people you counsel. You now realize that you are an exceptionally talented and highly creative person. You use what you have chosen from all that you have learned.

I Would If I Could

Now as you begin to listen to my voice I would like you to close your eyes, relax, let go and let my voice make all the effort necessary. As you relax for the next few minutes you let it be a pleasure. Begin now to enjoy the feeling of being able to choose to relax, to let go, and to be able to go inside and turn the world off.

As you relax for the next few minutes you are going to learn to enjoy, gradually, effortlessly, and settle into a feeling called hypnotic sleep. It is an ability your mind already has inside to relax, to settle into a neutral state.

When you came in today, you had a dream in mind; something you wanted to make happen in your life. "I would if I could" has an ending now. The words that will go through your mind, many times a day, comfortably, is "I can". You believe it, You begin to feel the pride, the confidence that makes it all happen.

You begin to feel comfortable with your past, and your past is a very valuable piece of education. A very important piece of experience that has use to you. So as you relax and as you let your body go, you refuse to build your life on any form of guilt. It has no value to you. What you did in the past was the best you could do at the time. The very best effort you were able to make. The only reason you know that is because you are better now. You are better now because you see yesterday through today's eyes. You have matured and grown. You understand that there is no value in guilt. Only education and experience has value for you.

Your childhood programming and experiences were controlled by circumstantial accidents. You are going to keep the pieces you like and agree with, but any feelings, any doubts or fears that might live inside you, anything you don't like about your feelings and attitudes, those things are not yours. They happened to you by accident. You are not going to take them. You are going to reject them as over and done and gone.

Now you are going to make each day happen, your way. You are going to mature into that attitude easily. New experiences are going to help you mature into that kind of person that you want to be. You honestly believe that you are all you need to be to succeed, that you can have all the things you need to compliment you success. You feel this now and increasingly everyday.

For now, relax and experience that attitude. For what you are doing right now is choosing to turn the world off, to go inside, to relax, to feel a sense of control better that you have ever had. That is a reality. Keep it. Use it.

You are going to begin to believe that positive, successful experiences from the past contain valuable emotional strength and depth that you have earned. Those feelings, those emotions belong to you. Just like any old familiar song, or personal photograph, positive emotions will bring back buried emotion. Bring back feelings you think you have forgotten about. Spontaneously, they will come back by accident throughout your day. Realize that positive memory pictures can flash into your mind and carry with them the same pride, the same happiness you felt with the original experience of months or years ago.

Those feelings belong to you. Begin to enjoy feeling the best pieces of memory as they begin to come to you. For now relax, let your body go. Feel your body relaxing easily. A melting sensation floods your body. Relax deeper and deeper as you listen to me and let the world fade away. As you listen to me, some of those positive images will flow through your mind. You are going to use the best within you. If you ever felt pride, confidence, courage, success and a need to be something special you can still own those feelings and attitudes. Let them come forward as an honest active part of your life, on purpose. You must use your best, use your best feelings or you are going to lose them. They are too valuable. Don't let them go.

I want you to begin to practice seeing things as they really are. You are maturing and you will find great pride in that emotion. You begin to realize the final choice, as to how you are going to feel in any situation, is always yours, no one can make it for you. No one does anything to you, it is your choice as to whether you are going to allow them to control your life in any way, shape or form. It is your choice, not theirs. You are unique as a person. You are one of a kind. You will find that people may do what you do but no one can do anything, no one can ever do it the way you do things. You are and have been very special at birth and there is no reason in the world to doubt your individual value at any point in your life. Enjoy that feeling. It is real.

Failure does not exist. There is no such thing. Only your degree of success ever needs to be measured by you. Even your most pitiful degree of success is a seed for the future. It will grow with any kind of attention at all that you give it. Fear is always a fantasy. There again so is success.

You alone are going to choose which one of these the world will see as being real. Relax now. Remember "I would if I could". "I would" is a dream and a very good dream. "If I could" is the search for a plan or a way to make it happen for yourself. "I can" is the harmony of all the feelings and thoughts that make your life happen, on purpose, successfully.

When you hear my voice, relax, let it feel good, believe it. Don't waste my time or yours. Make it happen. Make your life happen on purpose. Each and every suggestion you have heard on this tape will register deep within your subconscious mind.

On the count of five, your eyes will open sparkling clear, your mind feeling alert.

Memory: Recall at Will

You have a protective shield that neutralized the "I cant's". You now have total recall at will. Reach in now and remove any block to your memory. Anytime you feel the block coming back, take a deep breath and the block melts away.

Remembering is now a priority for you. It is no longer a battle to remember: it is easy and natural for you to remember. It doesn't have to be difficult to be worthwhile. What you need to remember is easy to remember.

As you receive new information you have total recall of this information at will. All information that you have ever seen, heard or felt is now totally available to you.

All information is recorded in your subconscious mind and you now have the ability to retrieve that information at will. It is and has always been and will always be there for your easy access.

Problem Solving (3 Step)

(Ask the client to review the history and nature of the problem. When the client looks expectantly to the therapist for an "answer" you are ready to start the formula.)

Now that you are ready to continue therapy on an even deeper level, you can begin by simply becoming more sensitive to yourself. (pause). When a deep part of your inner mind knows it can resolve that problem (pause) you will find yourself getting more and more comfortable and your eyes will close.

(If the client does not close his eyes after a reasonable amount of time continue with the following.) I wonder if there are any other questions or problems you need to deal with first, before you do the inner work? (Wait, discuss if necessary, and then give suggestion again.)

When a deep part of your inner mind knows it can resolve that problem (pause) you will feel yourself getting more and more comfortable and your eyes will close.

Now your inner mind can continue working all by itself to solve that problem in a manner that fully meets all of your needs. (pause) There are memories, life experiences, and abilities that your inner mind can use in many ways you may not have realized before.

When your inner mind knows that you have resolved that problem to the fullest extent at this time, and that you can deal effectively with it, you will find yourself wanting to move a bit. (pause) You will open your eyes and come fully alert.

Migraine Headaches

(Make sure you are not dealing with tumor, poor eyesight, tooth decay, infectious disease, high blood pressure, head injury, etc.)

Relax and shape and form the headache and throw it away. As you relax you do not need the headache. Anytime you feel a headache coming on, you release it. Place the tips of your fingers on the back of your neck and apply a very gentle pressure and the tension goes away.

Whenever the muscles start to tighten or you start to squint your eyes, you become aware of it immediately and relaxation begins immediately.

If you have pressure behind the eyes, very gently use your fingertips to brush your eyelids with an outward motion and the pressure will subside.

A deep breath will relax the muscles and the headache cannot materialize.

(Deepen by having the client go down a staircase.)

At the bottom of your staircase design a release valve for the escape of the tension or nervousness. Anytime you are in a situation that tension is building, see yourself at the bottom of your stairs and pull the release valve. Do not let the tension build

Self Confidence I

You are relaxed now, and because you are so relaxed you begin to feel free from all tension, anxiety, and fear. You now realize that you are more confident and sure of yourself because you have taken the enormous first step to helping yourself.

You begin to feel this strength from within, motivating you to overcome any and every obstacle that may stand in the way of your happiness, social life and home life. You will find that from this moment on you are developing more self control. You will now face every situation in a calm and relaxed state of mind. Your thinking is very clear and sharp at all times

You begin to feel that your self respect and confidence are expanding more and more each day in every way. You now realize that in the past you felt helpless and overwhelmed and you are replacing that with confidence, strength and self control. You are becoming a happy person now with a positive attitude towards life. You are succeeding now in all that you do and you have all the abilities necessary for success.

(Explain value judging and resisting.) Realize that unhappy relationships are caused by value judging and resisting yourself and others. Love is a natural state of being and you are naturally in a state of loving when you accept yourself and others totally and unconditionally. Realize that you do not have to approve of anyone's actions, behavior or appearance in order to willingly accept and love them. Our actions are but the means we choose to satisfy our dominant needs to feel good. You feel warm and loving towards yourself and others, despite any undesired actions, behavior or appearance.

Self Confidence II

Realize that your number one responsibility is to fulfill you fundamental human need to feel good mentally, physically and emotionally. Realize that you have the freedom and the authority to do anything you feel necessary to satisfy this basic need. Realize that you are in charge of your own life and well-being, for you benefit or suffer, feel good or bad, according to the consequences of everything you think, say, do and feel. You are in charge of your own life. Your number one responsibility is to fulfill your fundamental need to feel good mentally, physically and emotionally. You do not resist the reality of any unwanted circumstances and you accept the unwanted realities in your life and willingly allow them to be.

Self Confidence/Fear

You now become aware of the self confidence within you. You are self reliant, self confident and filled with independence and determination. You have opened your mind to the inner security that was laying dormant within you. You are transformed ... you are self confident. You think confidently, you talk confidently, and you project an image of self confidence. You are independent and filled with inner security. You are self confident internally and externally. You inner confidence has emerged.

You are creating a new positive reality. You now experience all the warmth and joy in life while detaching from the negativity. From this moment on you see the positive side of everything that happens in your life. You see positive opportunities in everything you experience. You positive thinking now results in a more positive life. You experience a feeling of overall well-being and mental calm. You are at peace with yourself, the world, and everyone in it. Each and every day you experience more and more positive results of your positive thinking.

Your self esteem is increasing. Your self confidence is increasing. You feel enthusiastic about your life and look forward to the challenges. You now breathe life with new optimism ... with new enthusiasm. A happy, self assured inner you has emerged. You are a positive individual who sees the problems only as opportunities. You are patient, calm and harmoniously centered at all times.

You let go of all fear-based emotions such as blame, jealousy, guilt, anger and possessiveness. These negative emotions are now part of your past and you use them only as building blocks for a more positive future. You are independent and self responsible and you fully realize that you are unlimited in you ability to create your own reality.

You keep your mind like calm water. You remain centered at all times; this means to be physically relaxed, emotionally calm, mentally focused and alert. You are confident and secure about everything. You maintain a calm mind and you think only positive thoughts. You no longer worry about things you cannot change. You are confident and secure, mentally at peace.

Sexual Male

In the future you will have more will power and greater self control. Also you will feel an increase in your power of endurance to the extent that you will be able to reach one or more satisfactory climaxes. In the future you will be satisfied with the amount of time you spend in the sex act and you will be less concerned as to when you have an ejaculation.

(Regress back to a time when all was well and he did good.) You will have the same sexual power in the future as you had then. In the future you will have more will power and greater self control. Also you will feel an increase in your power of endurance to the extent that you will be able to reach one or more satisfactory climaxes. In the future you will be satisfied with the amount of time you spend in the sex act and you will be less concerned as to when you have an ejaculation.

Whenever you consider having sex, you find you are calm and relaxed and begin to anticipate both the pleasure you will give and also the pleasure you will receive. You truly enjoy giving pleasure and as you concentrate on that you make your partner feel happy and you will succeed in giving and receiving the pleasure and enjoyment in the future that you had in the past when all was at its peak for you.

You will notice the improvement no matter how slight it will be at first and you will be well pleased with the amount of improvement that you will notice. Your improvement will be progressive and so you will look forward to each new sexual experience with positive anticipation and wonder just how much better it will be next time. Your improvement will be lasting and permanent and you will be well pleased with yourself and your progress.

Smoking Addendum

The following recommendations should be included in the post hypnotic interview. Cut down coffee and liquor ... that will be help you control the urges for nicotine. In four days, all the nicotine will be gone from your body. (leave your system). Every time you urinate, the nicotine and poisons will be leaving your system, drink water to move poisons out. As the nicotines are leaving your systems, so is the calcium, so for the first four days chew calcium rich tums or rolaids. As the nicotines leave the system, the sugar also drops, this causes the craving for nicotine. For each of the first four days, eat three oranges or pink grapefruits per day. Because smoking is a nervous habit, the nicotine settles the nerves, you may feel stress. Take vitamin B-Complex for stress. Continue these for ten days. On the fourth day, you'll feel great because the nicotine is gone from system. On the tenth day, you'll feel real good because all your bloods cells will be oxygenated. All the residual smoke, nicotine and poisons will be cleansed from your body.

Stop Smoking Session I

First of all, you are aware that we have already completely uncovered the underlying cause of your compulsive smoking habit. You no longer feel the compulsion to smoke at all. We are now only dealing with a habit pattern -- the hollow shell of your original problem.

Habits can be broken as easily as they are created. One of the ways to do that is to make you aware of your smoking. From the very moment you reach for a cigarette, you will be extremely conscious of what you are doing. If you light it and start to smoke, you will be unusually aware of every moment of the time you are involved in smoking that cigarette. The main reason you have continued to smoke is because you are doing it unconsciously -- you have not really been aware of what you were doing. But now you are. Each time you reach for a cigarette, you attention will be drawn to that cigarette and focus uncomfortably upon it. When you are aware of what you're doing, you are no longer in the unconscious habit. You already have no need to continue smoking; you know that. So this will be easy and effortless. There will be none of the struggle and fight with will power you may have experienced in the past, no guilt of smoking as you do it. The awareness may make you annoyed with smoking, disgusted and bored by it. You may even want to put the cigarette out when you are only half-finished.

It will not taste as good as it used to. You simply will not wish to continue. You have already made up your mind. You have found the reason you smoke and you have already made up your mind -- a final decision to stop smoking altogether. You have already made up you mind to stop smoking altogether. You have already made up you mind that you are going to stop now, not tomorrow, not the next day, but you are going to stop this very moment. You have made a final decision to stop smoking.

You want to stop smoking as of this very minute. You know why you want to. Think about that reason. Form it clearly in your mind. Think about the problems smoking causes. You have no need of smoking because of that, you are giving it up. You're giving up coughing; you're giving up pain; you're giving up trouble; you're giving up all the things you don't want, including smoking. You are giving up the things you don't want in order to get the things you do want: relaxation, rest, a feeling of security, happiness.

You will forget about cigarettes altogether. You have no need to buy them because you have no need to smoke them. Consequently, your purchase of cigarettes will immediately cease. And should you perhaps accept a cigarette without realizing it, you will immediately be aware of it and will be overcome with an uncontrollable compulsion to break it in two as soon as it enters you hand. Whenever you touch the cigarette, you will instantly break it in two. It will remind you of all the bad things you're giving up and all the good things that are in store for you. You realize how much greater the proportion of good you are receiving is than the portion of bad you are giving up. It will seem as small thing to you to give up smoking, considering the tremendous benefits you will be receiving for giving it up. It is easy to give up things you don't like. And you don't like to smoke.

You will begin to feel proud of yourself, very proud. You will find it easier to conquer other habits. It makes it easier for you to conquer life in general. It fills your ego, making you self-confident, self-assured and self-reliant.

You will keep a record in the beginning of your progress. Every single day, you will remind yourself how successful you have been as an abstainer. How many days, how many weeks and months you have been an abstainer and how wonderful it has made you feel. You will continue to keep this record and it will encourage you and fortify you as a tangible record of your success. And soon you will no longer feel the need to keep such a record because you will know that you are an abstainer permanently. That this record will go on unblemished for the rest of your life.

You already know that no habit is stronger than the power of you mind which created it in the first place. It is now you versus tobacco. You will easily win for you are stronger. Your have patience, great patience now, perseverance, great perseverance, calm and relaxed determination. Nothing can shake it. You will go on patiently day to day. Every day will be a success. You will become accustomed to success. And soon that feeling of success will be far more important to you than any habit could possible be.

Stop Smoking Session II

You pay attention only to the sound of my voice. Sink further and further down, deeper and deeper. Sleep deeply. Sleep. Deeper and deeper. As you listen to the sound of my voice, your mind concentrates on it. It is easy for your mind to concentrate, concentrating to a pinpoint. You find you are going to be able to concentrate on your work and concentrate on your play and concentrate at all times. It makes you feel good and feel relaxed. For when your mind is concentrating on other things, there is no room for the smoking to even get into it. When you become fatigued or tired, you can lie down for a couple of minutes, go into a state of self-hypnosis and relax completely. Because concentrating the mind does not make it tired. The mind becomes fatigued out of confusion, not concentration.

Smoking has been a form of self-punishment, a form of feeding yourself poison, that you neither like nor need. You only feel a need for this when you make yourself tired and tell yourself that consciously you are on your way to death. That is not true. Tiredness is merely a sign that you need to rejuvenate yourself, which can be done easily with self-hypnosis. Smoking is more than a crutch - it is a hindrance, a block in your path. We are removing that block. We are wiping it out completely so you can go on to success as if it had been erased. The wall is no longer there. You walk straight ahead and wipe out smoking completely so that it has no place in your life.

It is not a substitute for anything - not for death or self-punishment or anything else. It is a nonentity. It does not exist for you. It has been wiped out by your concentrating on other beneficial things. As you think of your goals, your work, your play, the entire idea of smoking never appears. It vanishes completely. You have no use for it. It is a good substitute for nothing. Indeed, you are surprised and amazed at how easily it is for you to concentrate your mind on everything you want to. Your goals, your aspirations, your desires, your needs, your work and relaxation.

Smoking is gone from your thoughts. And with it is gone all the poison, all the negative suggestion, all the self-punishment and degradation and all the problems. A cycle for good has been established. The more you hear these words, the more they will take effect on you, for even as you hear them in the deepest part of you subconscious mind, these suggestions take effect, complete and thorough effect in every way -- sealing themselves into the deepest part of your subconscious mind,and becoming an integral part of each and every cell of your brain and body, making you more healthy and more satisfied in every way and feeling good all over.Now I want you to take five very deep breaths. I want you to breathe in the very deepest, cleanest, most wonderful air into you lungs. There's one. Now let it out. Feel how wonderful that feels. There's no smoke there. Nothing to do with it. Two -- take a deep breath -- all the way in, all the way out. Feel the air reach the very distant recesses of every single part of your lungs. Three - and as this happens, you gain a tremendous, tremendous desire - breathe way out - tremendous desire, what wonderful clean, fresh air. Four - and the wonderful feeling it gives you as you breathe in all the way in and all the way out. And on this last breath that is coming in, you realize how much you enjoy breathing clear, pure, fresh air without smoke or irritants of any kind. It's wonderful to you. All the way in, all the way in, all the way in, further and further and further - the deepest breath you have ever taken in your life, all the way down, that develops in you a desire for deep, comfortable, wonderful breathing such as accomplished in healthy, comfortable, satisfied people like yourself. As you continue in this way, continue to breathe comfortably, feel good, concentrate your mind on those things that need concentrating on. Every day, in every way, you are getting better and better and better.

Now I'm going to give you a short period of silence during which each one of those suggestions will take complete and thorough effect upon you, sealing themselves into the deepest part of your subconscious mind and reinforcing themselves over and over again. All these suggestions and any other suggestions I have given you, are now reinforced. Again and again and again. That time begins now...

Stop Smoking Session III

Now as you sink deeper and deeper into relaxation, further and further down, all the sounds fade away in the distance and you pay attention only to the sound of my voice, listening carefully to the sound of my voice, for all the suggestions that I am going to give you take complete and thorough effect upon you - mind, body and spirit.

You know that nicotine is poison. It is one of the most powerful poisons on the face of the earth. A very tiny amount would be enough to kill a horse, let alone a human being. Fortunately, nicotine is not too concentrated in cigarettes, but it is present and you are taking poison every time you suck on a cigarette.

In the past, you may have told yourself, "If I didn't smoke, I'd do something else. I might drink or take pills or overeat. I would poison myself in some other way." In other words, you are claiming that "if I didn't take this poison, I'd take another poison." This is the lesser of two poisons. Now that is ridiculous! How ridiculous can you get? Can you believe you have tried to put such a ridiculous idea over on yourself? "If I didn't take one poison, I'd take another"? It's ridiculous - a ridiculous idea. For the first time in you life, you can see how ridiculous that concept is. You don't need any poison. That attitude implied that you did - you needed some kind of poison. You need poison like you need a hole in the head.

From now on you are going to do positive things. There are numerous positive things you can do and positive things you can eat and drink. You can eat good fruits and vegetables. You can exercise moderately and comfortably. You can take brisk walks. You can relax and enjoy yourself. There are literally millions of things you can do to maintain a wonderfully relaxed, peaceful, calm, tranquil existence without taking any poison at all. Poison is good for some things - things we want to kill off. Like rats.

Unless you think of yourself as a scroungy, bothersome rat, you don't need poison. And you don't think of yourself that way. You know now that you are a wonderful, valuable human being, entire the opposite of rats. You don't need to punish yourself. You are not guilty of anything. You are not guilty of anything at all. Now those ideas are gone and finished once and for all. You don't have to think about them ever again. And just as those ideas are gone, the ridiculous ideas you have had whole thing has just wiped out. You can see it go. Drifting away from you once and for all.

You don't need any poisons. Cigarettes, pills, liquor - nothing. What you do need is relaxation, comfortable, cool relaxation. During this time, you are glad to sink deeper and deeper. You feel more and more comfortable in every way and you completely release the desire for tobacco in every and any form. It is all gone - drifted away.

Now sleep deeper and deeper. Relaxed. Deeper and deeper. The need for smoking has disappeared. You will be surprised and amazed to find out that you no longer require tobacco in any form. You do not need any type of poison in its place. You are through with poison. You literally turn you back on it and it drifts away from you. Now sink deeper and deeper into relaxation. All of these suggestions take complete and thorough effect upon you, mind, body and spirit, as you go deeper and deeper and deeper. Nothing disturbs you. A period of silence now begins as these suggestions take deep and profound effect.

Stop Smoking Session IV

Now as you sink deeper and deeper relaxed, all other sounds fade away in the distance. You pay no attention to any other sound but the sound of my voice and you sink deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper.

You are surprised and amazed at how well you have done. Not only can you stop smoking, but there are no ill effects from stopping smoking. You have made wonderful progress. Not only have you stopped smoking, but the urge is gone. You couldn't care less about it any more. There is no point debating about it. You don't smoke. It's completely set and finished: you are through with smoking. You hate cigarettes. You can't stand them. If fact, you stubbornly refuse to smoke. You stubbornly refuse to smoke no matter what urges, no matter what ideas, no matter what things may happen, what feelings come up, what nervousness or anything else that happens to you. You deal with all your problems effectively whatever they are and in no case do any of these cause you to smoke. Not any more. There is no situation that could possibly arise in you life that could break down your stubborn efusal to smoke.

How refreshing it is to be so stubbornly strong. This is a good kind of stubbornness and you stubbornly refuse to smoke. You won't even listen to the other side. You are through arguing. You've realized that you don't like to smoke, so why would you possibly every consider doing it? You hate it. Because that's the way it is, it is set that you are through with smoking. It is set that you are through with cigarettes. It's set that you are through with tobacco in any form. You hate it. It's filthy. It nauseates you. It's dirty. It's expensive. You don't need it and, furthermore, you don't like it. No one can tempt you. No one can change you. You are far happier without smoking. No matter what people may imply, this is not an endurance contest for you. It's easy. It's a simple matter of not doing something you don't want to do any way. What could be hard about that?

It makes you feel better and enjoy life more. The time you used to spend poisoning yourself with tobacco is now more interesting. Your lungs are healthier. The air is cleaner and your body is more vigorous and full of life because you have gotten rid of all that poison. Nothing can ever make you take it back. You are too stubborn. You refuse. You are through with poison. You hate it, you'll never do it again.

All these suggestions seal themselves now in the deepest part of you subconscious mind and take complete and thorough effect upon you mind, body and spirit, making you feel relaxed, clear-headed, vivacious, vigorous, completely restored in every way. Full of pep and vitality. I am going to give you a few moments of silence again and during those moments, these ideas are reinforced over and over again.

That period of silence begins now.

Stop Smoking Session V

Now as you sink deeper and deeper, relaxed, peaceful, all your attention is focused on the sound of my voice. You pay attention only to that sound.

Every person who has smoked a cigarette has connected smoking with other activities. Some people feel that they have to smoke when they first open their eyes in the morning or when they go to bed at night or while watching TV or in some other situations. They associate smoking with some activity and that triggers a mechanism which causes one to reach for a cigarette.

We are breaking all of those mechanisms now. We destroy every last one of them right now. From this moment on, whatever those activities were, smoking will suddenly seem outrageously out of place in connection with them - particularly with those activities. The idea of smoking while doing that is revolting to you. You can not imagine doing it.

Visualize yourself eating a wonderful dinner, then killing the whole taste with a cigarette. It's a terrible idea. Nothing could be worse than that. The one thing you don't want with those activities is a cigarette. Smoking to you is not only undesirable, it's stupid. And you don't like it. Whatever special situations are connected with cigarettes in your past are now completely revised. There is no situation that calls for a cigarette. Those activities have nothing to do with smoking and smoking in them is distinctly out of place. When you are working, cigarettes get in your way and take time and concentration from your work. When you are relaxing, they keep you from relaxing. And you are now relaxed completely, going deeper and deeper down, letting these suggestions take complete and thorough effect.

From this moment on, there is no activity in you life that goes with smoking. In fact, all activities, whether it's walking, sleeping, work or play - all go better without smoking. They go better with lungs full of fresh air. They go better with a good blood supply. Everything goes better without cigarettes.

All of those old connections are broken and new connections are made. And it is going to be very easy for you. Now you go deeper and deeper. Relaxed. Deeper and deeper and deeper. All of the sounds fade away into the distance. You listen only to the sound of my voice ... and sink farther and farther down. Deeper and deeper relaxed ... deeper and deeper relaxed ... deeper and deeper relaxed ... listening to the sound of my voice and going way, way down. Each and every suggestion that I have given you is reinforced ten times over during the period of silence which now begins.

Asthma

Now, for years you've been stricken with a disease which you have labeled asthma. The interesting part about asthma is that asthma really is not a disease at all; asthma is merely the symptom. Asthma is caused by the constriction of the bronchi and this is in turn caused by little messages that are sent from the subconscious mind from the thalamus area of the brain down to the muscles the surround the bronchi and they tell the muscles to constrict. The muscles constrict, the bronchi constrict and the bronchial's constrict and the individual has difficulty breathing out. Usually, a person with a symptom of asthma can breathe in, but when they breathe out they wheeze, they make a noise. This noise was called, or named by Freud as a cry for help. It represents the time in an individual's life in which they were very, very frightened, so frightened they don't want to remember that incident at all. They cried out for help, they thought that they were really going to die or something terrible was going to happen and they cried out for help and nobody came. Well, they lived through the incident all right, but in the process, they repressed into the deepest part of their subconscious mind this incident, this incident where there was a cry for help. Sometimes, this happens in an operation; sometimes it happens at the time of war. It can happen almost anytime, but it's generally a time where the individual feels very, very threatened, very, very threatened. They cry for help and none is answering the cry. And so they keep right on crying for help by wheezing because the wheeze in merely a symptom of the underlying problems still deeply implanted in the subconscious mind. Therefore, still giving rise, still giving rise to nervous energy that goes down the nerves to the muscles and keeps the bronchi and bronchial's constricted. Now, there is still another reason for this cry for help because this cry for help is reassuring to the patient, even though no help has come, and if nothing else, it does remind the patient of one thing, that is, that the patient is still alive. After all, if he can hear himself breathe, he knows he's breathing and he knows he's alive.

It has still a third function. That third function is this: It punishes the patient so that if the patient feels guilty in any way about the incident that happened, it served as a means of self-punishment. And so, therefore, we have three things that the asthmatic wheeze does do for the patient. It summons help in a situation where help seems to be desperately needed; it reassures the patient that he is still breathing because he can hear himself breathe, and it punishes the patient in case the patient has guilt feelings about the situation. Now one or more applies to you. Only the deepest part of your subconscious knows exactly how much each of these reasons applies to you for you have repressed into that subconscious mind this particular incident.

But you're going to get rid of asthma completely and we're going to see it that you do because we're going to eliminate the need for these three things. First of all, you don't need to punish yourself anymore. Whatever you felt you may have done, caused a divorce, killed somebody, maybe you just wished somebody would die and they did, whatever you did, it's fantasy, but regardless of that, whenever you feel guilty, you certainly don't need asthma any more to punish yourself because you really don't need those feelings in the first place. It's God's domain to punish us if He thinks we need it and He'll handle it, and when we try to take it over then what we really are doing is interfering with God's work.

Now, secondly, regardless of when you may have thought you did or that you were going to die or that you were very, very sick or that something happened which frightened you completely, you are breathing all right now, and you're going to breathe better and better and better and you don't have to hear yourself breathe in order to know that you re still breathing. No longer do you need to listen to that to know that you re still breathing. You are still breathing and that's all there is to it.

Now, thirdly, the cry for help itself, regardless of how severe that incident may have seemed to you at the time, regardless of how severe that incident may have seemed to you at that moment, that moment was yesterday. It's gone. You're not in danger now. The danger is over and you don't need to cry for help anymore. And so, your reasons, your needs to wheeze, your needs to utilize the symptom of asthma is rapidly disappearing so that very soon you re going to dilate those bronchi and bronchial's, you're going to relax and let them open up w-i-d-e, very w-i-d-e and breathe deeply, all the way in and all the way out. Breathe all the way in, feel your lungs open up and fill with air better than you ever have before as you let all the air out easily and comfortably and all the muscles surrounding the bronchi and bronchial's and lungs. Let go, and let yourself relax completely and with certainty. And you breathe deeper and deeper, on and on, one breath after the next, more and more comfortably with every moment that passes, reassuring yourself that already the asthma is leaving you, being replaced by confidence, great breathing, more and more normal with every day that passes.

Now, I want you to sink into a very deep and relaxing sleep and breathe deeply for the next few moments, allowing this feeling of being free, free from tension, nervousness and asthma, allowing that feeling of freedom to circulate throughout your entire mind and body, making you sound in mind, sound in body, sound in spirit and sound in health and I'm going to give you those few moments of silence ... begin ... now ...

Creating

I am in the process of creating a new individual. No matter what my age, no matter what my talents I can create the exact person I want to become.

If I want to become more successful, I will mentally create a more successful person. If I want to become more calm, more relaxed, I will mentally create a relaxed person. I will write down all the characteristics I want to develop such as self confidence, good self image, ambition, active body, good health, loving attitude, thinness, happiness, friendliness, etc. I'll list them all. I will write them down as continuous reminders that I can become the person I choose to become because within me are all the traits that make it possible to know and believe that I will become what I think about.

Once I decide what I want to be I will become that individual. I now realize that what I think about is what my subconscious accepts, and I will recognize those traits within my own inner being. My subconscious accepts everything I put into it. I tell my subconscious exactly what I want and it will do exactly as I suggest. I realize that I am continuously developing, growing and becoming and that every thought and every suggestion given to my subconscious is acted upon.

I recognize I am a creature of habit and the more often I tell my subconscious of the habits I want to develop, those are the habits I possess. It has been proven that if you begin telling a child how smart they are, how intelligent, they will accept that belief and express intelligence. If I tell that same child how dumb they are they will express that belief also. They will become what I expect them to become. I am the same way. I become what I expect to become so it is very important that I feed myself good positive expectations and desires so that I may have in my life exactly what I desire.

I will eliminate all self defeating thoughts. I will never tell myself that there is something I cannot do. I must be valid, but never tell myself I am not good enough, I am not smart enough, nor talented enough or that there is some goal I cannot accomplish.

If I believe it is realistic I can accomplish it. I will remember to write my desires down and then refer to them often so can allow my subconscious to learn exactly what I want, for if I want it my subconscious will accept it if I think on it and feel about it long enough, often enough.

I will wear a rubberband around my wrist every day for 30 days until I can develop a new habit. If I am eating incorrectly or thinking in a negative way I will give the rubberband a sharp snap to remind myself that I am driving out the old habit. I am everyday in every way becoming more and more positive.

I am creating a whole new positive individual. An individual who loves life, who feels good, who is mentally and emotionally on an up beat. I refused to be negative, discouraged or depressed. With every snap of that rubberband I am driving out the old traits and habits. With every snap I am reminded that I am creating a whole new person who has all the traits I want them to have.

Few people in life realize that the creation process never stops. I will not be the same tomorrow as I am today. I will not be the same today as I was yesterday. Nowhere is it written that I cannot change. I can change anything about my make-up any time I choose to. I will make it a point to read the book by James Allen. "As A Man Thinketh".

Man holds the key to every situation for within himself is the creative power to make himself what he wills. I am as a stalk of corn growing in a garden and I keep the weeds out. Positive thoughts equal positive results. The crop I choose to plant is positive thoughts. I how reap the harvest.

I am the exact reproduction, thus far, of all the thoughts I have had all my life. I can change my whole being anytime I decide to dictate the exact type of being I wish to create for all time and eternity. Once I have decided what I want, I find a way of receiving it. I am to becoming the most outstanding person I have ever met. I mentally see and feel excited about creating that being and then the physical being will come forth.

Creative Abilities

You are now becoming all that you are capable of being. You are here on this physical earth in physical form as a result of your desire to learn, grow and evolve. You have a mission in life. Let your subconscious new tap into your superconscious and universal levels of mind to physically manifest your latent abilities and potentials so that you may fulfill your destiny on this earth plane.

Your creative abilities are now being activated. Your latent creative abilities are beginning to emerge and intensify with each passing day. You now draw upon all subconscious knowledge from your past to intensify you creative abilities. New fields of creative activity are now open to you. You draw from the universe unlimited creative inspiration and energy. You now activate the creative abilities given to you by the Divine Mind. You now utilize the unlimited powers of you superconscious mind. The wisdom of the universe is within and you now draw upon this unlimited divine inspiration. You have the ability to tap knowledge that you have nevertapped before. You solve situations in a creative manner. You feel creative and you are creative.

ESP Development

You are unaffected by negativity and retain the ability to enjoy all of the warmth and joy that life has to offer. You are totally detached from negativity. You are open and receptive to love. You do not complain. You accept other people as they are without expecting them to change. You are patient, calm and harmoniously centered at all times. You let go of all fear-based emotions such as blame, jealousy, guilt and possessiveness. These negative emotions are now a part of your past.

You are independent and self-responsible and fully realize that you have unlimited ability to create your own reality. You are rapidly developing perception and psychic powers. The psychic power is within and is your divine right. Infinite Spirit gives you the wisdom to increase your psychic powers and awareness. You trust you intuitive processes. Your thoughts have psychic validity and you now trust your thoughts.

You have extra-sensory and precognitive abilities. You listen to that inner self. You follow the magical path of intuition and your psychic powers increase tenfold. Everyday your awareness increases and you receive many premonitions of things. You have the total ability to concentrate totally upon the subject of your immediate focus, whether business, pleasure or meditation. You keep your mind calm like water. You remain centered at all times, physically relaxed, emotionally calm, mentally focused and spiritually aware.

Inner Advisor

Take a few slow, deep, abdominal breaths ... Inhale ... Exhale ... Inhale ... Exhale ... Focus your attention on your breathing for a few minutes ... And recognize how easily slow, deep breathing alone can induce a nice state of deep relaxation. Let the body breath itself ... according to its own natural rhythm ... slowly ... easily ... and deeply ... Now take a signal breath ... a special message that tells the body you are ready to enter a state of deep relaxation ... Exhale ... Breathe in deeply through your nose ... and blow out through your mouth...

Remember your breathing ... slowly and deeply ... As you concentrate your attention on your breathing, imagine a ball of pure energy or white light that starts at your lower abdomen and as you inhale, it rises up the front of your body to your forehead ... and as you exhale, it moves down your spine, down your legs, and into the ground ... Again ... imagine this ball of pure energy or white light rise up the front of your body to your forehead as you inhale ... and as you exhale, it goes down your spine, down your legs, and into the ground ... Circulate this ball of energy around for a few moments ... and allow its circulation to move you into even relaxation and comfort ...

Each time you inhale and exhale, you may be surprised to find yourself twice as relaxed as you were a moment before ... Twice as comfortable ... Twice as peaceful ... For with each breath, every cell of your body becomes at ease ... as all the tension, tightness, pain, or discomfort drains down your spine, down your legs and into the ground ... Continue to circulate this ball of energy around for a few moments ... As you allow yourself to enjoy this nice state of deep, peaceful relaxation, return in your mind's eye to your personal place ... (Describe the characteristics of a personal spot if the subject does not already have one.) Let your imagination become re-acquainted with every detail of this beautiful spot ... Sense the peaceful beauty all around you ... Stretch out ... Relax ... And enjoy it.

As you relax in your favorite spot, put a smile on your face ... and slowly look around ... Somewhere, nearby, some living creature is waiting for you ... smiling and waiting for you to establish eye contact ... This creature may immediately approach you or it may wait a few moments to be sure that you mean it no harm ... Be sure to look up in the trees or behind bushes, since your advisor may be a bit timid ... But even if you see nothing, sense his or presence and introduce yourself ... Tell your advisor your name, and that you mean no harm, for you have come with only the friendliest intentions. Find out your advisors name ... The first name that comes to your mind ... Right now ...

Sprinkle some food out before you ... and ask your advisor if he or she is willing to come over and talk with you for a few moments ... Don't be alarmed if your advisor becomes quite excited and starts jumping up and down at this point ... Often advisors have been waiting a long time to make this kind of contact ... Until now your advisor has only been able to talk to you sporadically through your intuition ... Tell your advisor you are sorry you have not listened more in the past, but that you will try to do better in the future...

If you feel silly talking in this way, tell your advisor that you feel silly ... that it is hard for you to take this seriously ... but if you sincerely want your advisor's help, make that very, very clear ... Tell your advisor that you understand that like in any friendship it takes time for feelings of mutual trust and respect to develop ... Although your advisor knows everything about you, since your advisor is just a reflection of your inner life, tell your advisor that you won't push for any simple answers to important questions that you may be dealing with ... Rather, you'd like to establish a continuing dialogue ... so that any time you need help with a problem, your advisor can tell you things of great importance ... things that you may already know, but you may have under estimated their significance ...

If there is a problem that has been bothering you for awhile, ask your advisor if he or she is willing to give you some help with it ... Yes or no? ... Your advisor's response is the first answer that pops into your mind ... Pose your questions as you exhale ... And the first response that comes into your mind as you inhale is your advisor reply ... An inspiration ... Ask your question now ... (pause) ...

What did your advisor reply? ... Ask any other questions that are on your mind (pause) ... Continue your dialogue for a few moments ... asking your questions as you exhale ... and listening to the response that pops into your mind as you inhale ... (pause) ...

Remember, your advisor knows everything about you, but sometimes, for a very good reason, he or she will be unwilling to tell you something ... This is usually to protect you from information you may not be ready to deal with ... When this occurs, ask your advisor what you need to do in order to make this information available to yourself ... Your advisor will usually show you the way ... (pause) ... If there is something that you would like your advisor to be thinking about between now and the next time you meet, tell this to your advisor now ... (pause) ... If there is anything your advisor would like you to think about between now and the next time you meet, find out what that is now ... (pause) ...

Set up a time to meet again ... a time that is convenient for you and a time that is convenient for your advisor ... Be specific as to exact time and place ... Tell your advisor that although these meetings are important to you, part of you is lazy or even reluctant to follow through ...

One way your advisor can help motivate you to continue to meet periodically is by giving you a clear demonstration of the benefits you can gain ... a demonstration so powerful that you will be moved to work even harder in getting to know yourself ... If you are in pain, for example, ask your advisor if he or she will be willing to take away that pain completely ... right now, just for a few moments, as a demonstration of power ... If so, tell your advisor to do it ... now ...

(long pause)

Notice any difference? If you are willing to do your share of the work, by relaxing yourself and meeting periodically to set things straight, there is no limit to your advisor's power ... Ask for any reasonable demonstration that will be undeniably convincing to you of this power...

You might be, for example, somewhat forgetful ... and although you want to continue these meetings with your advisor, you might forget the exact time and place that you agreed to meet ... If so, ask your advisor to help you by coming into your consciousness just a few moments before it is time to meet, to remind you of the meeting.

Before leaving, tell your advisor you are open to having many different kinds of advisors ... And that you will leave this totally up to your advisor's discretion ... If your advisor wants to bring other advisors along the next time you meet, fine ... is there anything your advisor would like you to bring along with you the next time you meet? ... If so, find out what that is ... (pause) ...

See if your advisor will allow you to establish physical contact ... This is very important ... just about every animal on the face of the Earth loves to have its face stroked and its back scratched ... see if your advisor will allow you to make this contact now ... (pause) ... While making this contact, find out if there is anything else that your advisor would like to tell you ... If so, what is it? ... (pause) ...

Is there anything that you would like to tell your advisor before you leave ... If so, do it now ... (pause)...

In a moment, you will take the signal breath to return from this meeting ... But before you do, tell yourself that each time you make contact with your advisor the communication will flow more and more smoothly ... more and more easily ... more and more comfortably ... Tell yourself that when this experience is over, you will feel not only relaxed, rested, and comfortable, but also energized with such a powerful sense of well being that you will be able to respond easily to any demands that may arise ...

To end this exercise for now, take the same signal breath that you used to begin it ... Exhale ... Breathe in deeply through your nose ... Blow out through your mouth ... And be well.

Protective Shield

And drifting way down relaxed now ... and just allowing your entire body to rest and relax ... and as you go even deeper all distractions just seem to disappear ...

I want you to concentrate on your breathing ... breathing in pure relaxation and exhaling all the tension in the body ... feel all of the tension leaving the chest area as you exhale ... feel yourself relaxing even deeper with each and every breath ... and your breathing is so regular ... so easy and effortless and you are relaxing more and more ... and your entire body is completely and totally relaxing as you drift even deeper down with each and every breath ... and you feel a warm wonderful sense of relaxation and going even deeper down ...

And you may have noticed that some areas of the body are more easy to relax ... and concentrating on the areas of the body that you find to be the most comfortable, very relaxed and concentrating on these areas now you are recognizing and realizing what there is about those areas that makes you so comfortable and so very relaxed ... and feeling all the sensations in those areas ... the most relaxed and comfortable parts of your body ...

And allowing ... and feeling the comforting sensations of the most relaxed areas of the body begin to spread ... and as this marvelous warm wonderful feeling of relaxation spreads to other parts of the body the feeling of relaxation becomes stronger and the relaxation spreads out beyond those areas ... and continuing to spread to all the parts of the body you desire to relax deeper and even deeper ...

Picture and imagine the relaxation spreading like the rays of sun ... gently warming and relaxing ... like the rings of water spreading from a pebble tossed into a gentle pond ... and the relaxation spreading to every muscle, cell, fiber and bone in you body ... and you are enjoying this tranquil and peaceful relaxation in every part of your body ... and with every passing moment this feeling of deep, tranquil and comforting relaxation becomes stronger and every cell, nerve and part of you body knows and enjoys this wonderful sensation ... and this wonderful feeling now goes out beyond the physical confines on your body ... spreading out beyond the skin to form a protective shield around you ... and you can let this feeling spread far ... far ... beyond your physical body ... or keep it close like a second skin ...

And since this protective bubble or shield is your own creation you can do with it what you wish ... you can use this shield in any way you want to ... the uses of this shield are limitless ... it can act as a filter, to filter out those feelings or things going on around you ... and filtering situations that are uncomfortable and allowing you to let in those feelings you wish to let in and experience ... and it can act as an amplifier to help you understand people and to help people understand you ...

And this protective bubble can be invisible or visible to a few people or as many people as you want it to be ... and you are using this protective shield any way you choose to use it ... and that is okay ... because this shield is your own creation ... and you are using this shield and enjoying comfort in every part of your body ... practicing and using this shield ... and allowing it to spread ... and allowing it to go beyond the confines of your physical body ... and you can experiment with it ... making it as large as you like ... using it as a transport to another place or time ... and the more you use it the stronger it becomes.

And realizing now that when I awaken you ... you can return to this place of peace, tranquility and deep relaxation and use this shield any time you desire to do so ... and you are using this shield and feeling the relaxation spread to all the parts of your body ...

Rainbow Garden

In this exercise you will practice deep self communication. You will use relaxation and imagery to stimulate your imagination. By increasing your self awareness, you will heal, balance, and center yourself. Sit or lie comfortably. Take three deep breaths and relax.

Use the power of your mind to stimulate your imagination and increase your self awareness. You will travel through the Rainbow Garden awakening many levels of human experience and come to know yourself in completeness.

So now, begin to visualize yourself near a beautiful hillside that stretches gently upward in front of you. There will be no allergy problems. Find yourself at the foot of this gentle hill just following a spring shower and see a beautiful rainbow of many colors stretching up over a hill and coming to rest just in front of you. At the end of the rainbow that comes to just in front of you, see a beautiful pouch.

Pick up this pouch and look inside and see there are many magical seeds. Magical seeds that you can scatter on your way. And now begin to walk forward to the bottom of the hill. Reach inside your pouch and scatter some of the magical seeds. In just a moment, see these magical seeds begin to grow and bloom. See a profusion of red blooming flowers. See the bright red poppies growing near the ground. Smell the rich odor of red roses nearby. See red tulips opening to the morning sun. Experience the feeling of red all around you. And as you walk forward through the deep red flowers, appreciate your own physical nature. Remember the physical sensations which bring you comfort and pleasure. Appreciate all of your physical senses, which allow you to be part of life and to experience the fullness and joy of living. (red stimulates the five senses, builds the liver and blood and cleanses and purifies the skin.)

Continue to walk upward along the gentle slope of your hill, reaching again into your rainbow pouch and scatter more seeds. Feel the sense of expectancy for a new birth of orange blossoms, bursting into bloom around you. Cast your eyes on the field of orange surrounding you. See tufts of orange marigolds. Watch the birth of crocuses - orange buds opening to the light. See birds of paradise growing profusely and filling your awareness with the color orange. Visualize an increased growth of the color orange. Reflect for a moment on the value of contact with your fellow human beings. Appreciate the importance of interaction with others. Realize that you gain through social activities and contact with other people. Recognize the beautiful ability you have to interact with fellow human beings. Now allow yourself to move into the next region of the garden (orange: builds lungs, thyroid, and bones. Relieves cramps and muscle spasms.)

Feel your awareness glow with anticipation as you scatter your magic seeds. Experience the strong bold essence of yellow. See sunflowers growing strong and tall - yellow light reflected from their petals. Pass through the daffodils and feel their yellow cups caressing you. Walk gently forward and experience and appreciate the beauty and fragrance of the yellow roses. See their delicate petals unfolding before your eyes. Scatter your seeds with assurance that the growth of yellow will flourish. For the moment appreciate your ability to be discriminating - to flow with change and to make decisions which will make your life and those around you have more meaning. Relax and flow with the feeling of gratitude for change, knowing that change for a soul walking towards the light always denotes growth. Know that through change real growth can take place. (yellow stimulates the lymph system, intestines, pancreas, and balances out melancholy. The combination of yellow/green for a lemon color activates the thymus, stimulates the brain and helps to dissolve blood clots.)

Begin to move upward where you reach the next region of the hillside garden. Reach into your pouch again and with your magical seeds you feel a deep sense of inner peace as you scatter seeds which bring forth a lush green growth. See new grasses and new clover springing up around you. Experience the fresh scent of green pine needles. See the tiny green leaves of aspen trees fluttering beyond number and sounding like spring rain in the gentle breeze. As you scatter your seeds which promise a continuing expansion of green, feel the security of the presence of life and light deep within you. Get in touch with the health of your body. Feel strength grow deep within you. Know that you are in control of your health (green stimulates and balances the pituitary, stimulates building of muscle tissue, destroys germs and prevents decay.)

Continue to travel onward to the next region of your grassy knoll and scatter your magic seeds with a marvelous appreciation for the bluebells springing up to greet you as you walk. Feel yourself saturated with the feeling of blue blossoms. Look around at the bushes of lilacs and take another handful of seeds and scatter them, growing blue flowers. Anticipate the lush growth of blue. Take a moment and revel at your ability to take a look inside yourself. Feel yourself stopping by a pool of water where irises grow in lush abundance. Look into the water and see the hue of the irises brilliantly reflected. Take a drink from this fresh stream. (Feel and appreciate the Spirit of the Christ within.) Be grateful for your ability to know that this is the energy and nature of your true being which you allow to be expressed every day in love, peace and harmony. When you close your eyes for sleep, this is also the beautiful, peaceful place you go for renewing, restoring and revitalizing your being. Assure yourself now that every day in your awareness of this beautiful blue energy you trust intuition and knowledge to magnify more and more (blue stimulates the pineal gland, builds vitality, removes fever, and is a mild sedative.)

In continuing your upward path you reach inside your pouch spreading more seeds to find yourself in a vast expanse which surrounds your feet and legs in a lovely field of violets. Feel yourself experiencing lavender and violet and let the color permeate your being. Gaze and let your eyes fill with this color of the uppermost part of the garden. Cast the seeds which will allow an endless growth of violet. Appreciate your ability to create powerful images and to be totally in charge of your life (violet builds the spleen, tranquilizes the nervous system, decreases sensitivity to pain and allows the heart muscle to work less.)

From this region of the garden, look to the sky and see the pure light of the sun, visualize rays of sunshine showering the entire garden and feel ripples of vibration as drops of pure brilliant light shower the garden with God's energy. Move upward to the very top of the hill and scatter the remaining seeds around you. Now see and feel a beautiful profusion of white roses growing close to you. Look around and see the lush growth of gardenias. In the trees around you are the delicate blossoms of dogwood. Feel a great joy in the knowledge that every one of the colors and essences you have experienced in the Rainbow Garden are a necessary part of your being and in experiencing the colors and forms you identify with the oneness of all life energy. All aspects of your being vibrate on the various colors, energy frequencies and all are open to your demand and control for change. All of life's colors and energies needs are open to your recognition and appreciation. Being a new awareness of life's beauty and life's love that surrounds you. (white holds all the other colors within it and motivates man as a balanced unit to function in a loving, peaceful and positive mode.)

As you begin to walk back down life's hillside, through the violet, the blue, the green, the yellow, the orange and the red flowers, know that you can return to this hillside garden any time you wish and that each time you do return your inner being and your outer being will have a new awareness of the hillside.

As you grow and develop in all aspects of your being, the world around you will change and beauty will surround you.

Stage Inductions

We are indebted to Journi Smed, who has been instrumental in setting up these pages, and for his permission to use them at hypnosis.com. As you probably have already noticed there is a lot of information here at hypnosis.com. This server also has information about: trainings, books, audios and videos about your questions about hypnosis. If you really want to practice hypnosis with other people, there is no substitute for reading about it, and taking trainings in hypnosis.

Enjoy these pages!

Clasp Induction

(Marshall Sylver) - (Transcribed From An Actual Show)

Look at me now ... do not look away

In a moment Im going to continue relaxing you further

(show subjects)

In a moment Im going to tell you to extend you hands straight out in front of you

The moment that you do you'll place your palms approximately 12 inches apart.

After that I will tell you to close your eyes. The moment you close your eyes you'll feel as if there are magnets in your palms

Your hands will begin pulling and tugging together

The moment those fingers touch you will allow them to interlock and you'll clasp your hands down tightly

Extend your hands in front of you now, palms 12 inches apart, fingers spread

Your doing fine, your doing perfectly

In a moment I'm going to tell you to close your eyes, the moment you close your eyes it will feel as if there are magnets in your palms

As I count backwards from 3 to 1 the pull get stronger

Close your eyes ... close your eyelids down tightly ... your hands become tugging and pulling [t & p] ... close your eyelids down tightly (t&p) (p&t) as if there were magnets in your palms your hands are being drawn together (t&p) (p&t)

Just as a magnet gets stronger the closer it gets, the closer your hands get the stronger the pull (t&p) (p&t) locking down, sealed shut, fingers tightly together the moment they touch (t&p) (p&t)

As I count backwards from 3 to 1 the pull gets stronger ... number 3 (t&p) (p&t), 3, 2 (t&p) (p&t), the next number, number 1 has lock down, sealed shut, clasp down tighter and tighter together.

3, 2, 1, locking down, sealing shut, clasping tighter and tighter together

Thats fine, your doing perfectly

In a moment I'm going to count backwards from 3 to 1 again.

The moment I say the number 1 you will try to unclasp your hands.

The moment you try to unclasp your hands you will find that there is nothing you can do, say or think that will allow your hands to separate.

The moment I say the number 1 you'll try to unclasp your hands.

The more you try to unclasp your hands the more securely locked down they become.

On number 3 your hands are locking down, sealing shut, clasping tighter and tighter together.

On number 2 it feels as if your hands are carved from a single block of wood.

On the next number, number 1 you'll try to unclasp your hands, the more you try the more secure they become, number 1.

Try to unclasp your hands, the more you try, the more secure they become, tighter and tighter.

Thats fine, your doing perfectly.

Stop trying to unclasp your hands, allow your hands to remain straight out in front of you.

In a moment I'm going to touch your hands, the moment I touch your hands they will easily and readily unlock.

In fact, the moment I touch your hands you will relax every muscle in your body and become limp and loose as if you were made from a handfull of loose rubberbands.

The moment I touch your hands you will relax every muscle in your body and become limp and loose as if you were made from a handfull of loose rubberbands.

When I touch your hands relax and let go. (The hypnotist goes from subject to subject pushing their clasped hands down into their laps and commanding "sleep")

(Move to staircase relaxation)

Deep Relaxation Induction

(Chuck Milligan) - (Transcribed From An Actual Show)

Place your feet down on the floor. Place one hand on each leg with your palms down.

Now look down on one of your hands, it doesn't matter which one, just look down at one of your hands. I want you to watch that hand. I want you to concentrate on your hand. Do not remove your eyes from your hand.

Now notice the tightness of the skin on your hand. Notice the feel of the material that's underneath your hand, notice any rings and any jewelry that might be on your hand, just watch that hand, just concentrate on that hand and listen, listen to my voice only.

Think of relaxation only, any sound about this room other than my voice, let drift into the background, any thoughts other than relaxation that come about, just let them come and pass.

Just watch that hand, concentrate on that hand, experience everything that you can about that hand and soon, soon this pleasant drowsiness will come about, perhaps your eyes might begin to sting and burn, or perhaps they may begin to water. Do not deliberately close your eyes, but don't make any effort to keep your eyes open, Just let your eyes close whenever they want to, and you'll drift to a wonderful pleasant place of relaxation. Just let yourself go, as you watch your hand it might become dark. It might become blurry, it may even disappear from your sight altogether, do not refocus your eyes on your hand, just let your eyes close whenever they want to and you'll drift to this wonderful, pleasant place, just let yourself go, as we go along I want you to be aware of your breathing and each breath you take, each time that you exhale, let your neck relax and let your shoulders drop, just let them go, it will feel wonderfully good,

I'm going to count from one to three and when I reach three, if you haven't closed your eyes down, I want you to close your eyes at that time. Now you will always be able to open your eyes if you really want to, but leave them closed until I ask you to open them. One, two, and three, letting your eyes close, letting your neck relax, letting your shoulders drop, just let them go, as we go along you're going to find that your mind has a tendency to wander around to other thoughts and other places, any time you find your mind wandering about, simply bring it back and focus your attention on my voice, and you'll drift a little faster and a little more deeply relaxed than you were the moment before.

To ensure that you're totally relaxed I'm going to mention several muscle groups of your body, as I mention these groups of muscles I want you to focus your attention there, I want you to concentrate, focus you attention and relax each group of muscles that I mention.

Concentrate on your face now and let your face muscles relax, you've relaxed your face, now relax the tiny, tiny muscles around your eyes, you've relaxed your face and your eyes and now your neck, let your neck relax, you've relaxed your neck and now your shoulders, let your shoulders drop, just let them go. You've relaxed your shoulders, and now your arms and your hands are beginning to feel so heavy, so heavy as though lead weights were pulling down on them. Relax your arms and your hands and yourfingers, you've relaxed your arms and your hands and your fingers, and now your chest, let your chest go, you've relaxed your chest, and now your stomach, you've relaxed your stomach and now your hips, your hips and your thighs, your thighs and your knees, your knees and your calves, your calves and your ankles, your ankles and your feet. Every nerve, every muscle, every fiber of your body is more relaxed right now than you've ever been in your entire life, and you're going to continue to relax even more as we go along.

I'm going to count to three and when I reach three I want everyone to take a deep breath and hold it. One, two and three, a deep breath filling your lungs up and now exhale slowly, as you exhale slowly let all of your muscles relax, just let them go and melt down farther and farther and farther, just let them all relax and melt.

Let's do that one more time, one, two and three, a deep breath, filling your lungs up with air and exhale slowly, as you exhale let all of your muscles melt right down farther and farther and farther.

To ensure you're totally relaxed I'm gong to go through that relaxation of your body one more time, very quickly.

Concentrate on your face now and let your face muscles relax, you've relaxed your face, relax the tiny, tiny muscles around your eyes. You've relaxed your face and your eyes and now your neck, let your neck relax, you've relaxed your neck and now your shoulders, let your shoulders drop, just let them go, you've relaxed your shoulders and now your arms and hands are feeling so heavy, so heavy as though those lead weights we're just pulling down on them, relax your arms and your hands and your fingers, you've relaxed your arms and your hands and your fingers and now your chest, letting your chest relax.

As we go along I may come by and I may touch you lightly on the side of the neck or I might lay your head over on the shoulder of the person next to you like we did before, or I may adjust your entire body position.

If I move you, if I touch you in any way, do not be alarmed, do not be intimidated by my touch, just let it be your signal to let go and relax and melt down farther and farther and farther as every nerve, every muscle, every fiber continues to melt and drop down deeper and deeper and deeper.

As you relaxed your chest and now your stomach, I've relaxed your stomach and now your hips, your hips and your thighs, your thighs and your knees, your knees and your calves, your calves and your ankles, your ankles and your feet, every nerve, every muscle, every fiber just melting and dropping, it feels wonderfully good, it's going to feel even better, even better as we go along.

At this point you're going to find it very, very easy to use your imagination. You're going to find it very easy to use your imagination, I want you to use your imagination now and I want you to imagine that its a pleasant summers day, its a pleasant summers day, just let go and relax and melt down farther and farther.

I want you to imagine that its a pleasant summers day and you're lying in a hammock stretched between two trees, you can see the sunlight coming down through the leaves of the trees, and you can see the limbs of the trees as they sway back and forth in the gentle summer breeze.

I'm going to count down from ten to one and on each number I count that hammock is going to sway back and forth, back and forth, and each time that hammock swings you're going to continue to relax and melt and drop down farther and deeper than you were a moment before.

Even if you're in the audience I may come by and I may move you or touch you or adjust your body position, if I do, just let yourself go and drop way down, just letting go, relaxing and melting and dropping down farther and farther.

You're in this hammock now and this hammock is beginning to swing in the breeze, Ten, and you've relaxed, 9, 8, 7, it feels warm and safe and comfortable, 7, 6, 5, 4, as the hammock goes B&F, B&F, just let yourself go, 4, 3, 2 and 1, all the way down.

Now I want you to use your imagination just one more time.

Now, use your imagination just one more time and this time I want you to imagine that you're in an office building, it's a twenty story office building and you are way up on the twentieth floor, you're going to ride the elevator from the twentieth floor down to the very first floor, and each floor that passes by, each floor that goes by, you're going to continue to drop and relax, down farther and deeper relaxed than the floor before.

You're in the elevator now and the elevator is beginning to move.

There goes the 19th floor, you've relaxed.

There goes the 18th floor,

There goes the 17th floor, just let yourself go and melt yourself down to the 16th floor.

Down to the 16th floor.

The 15th floor, the 14th floor, your whole body feels like a rag doll as you melt to the 14th floor, the 13th, the 12th, the 11th, the 10th, the 9th, the 8th floor, it feels as if there are magnets in the bottom of this elevator, those magnets are pulling down on your body, they're pulling you right down to the very carpet of the elevator.

Just let go and relax down to the 7th floor, the 6th floor, the 5th, the 4th, the 3rd, the 2nd, as the sound of my voice, even the sound of my voice helps you to relax and helps you to drop down to the 3rd floor, the 2nd floor, and we're almost down to that very first floor, and as soon as I reach that number 1 floor your body is going to feel like a puppet, your body will feel like a puppet that has strings attached to your arms and your hands and your feet and your legs, and as soon as I reach that number 1 floor, it's going to feel like I cut all of your puppet strings at once, you won't even be able to support your body weight because all of your puppet strings would have been cut.

Get ready to let go, get ready to let go completely, here it comes, 3, 2 and 1, down deeper and deeper just letting go, relaxing and melting and dropping.

Now from this point on, from this point on, whenever I count to 3 everyone is going to sit up feeling great, fresh and wonderful, feeling really, really good.

However if I say the word "sleep", if I say the word "sleep" or if I shake your hand, if I do either one of those two things you're going to go right back, you're going to go right back to the same wonderful place that you are right now.

And each time you go back to this pleasant wonderful place you're going to go twice as quickly, twice as deeply relaxed as you were the time before.

Now I'm going to count from 1 to 3, the lights will come on, the lights will not bother you at all, but this very first time, just this very first time you're going to feel so heavy, so drowsy, so sleepy and so tired, you're going to be waiting, your going to be waiting for me to say that word "sleep," or shake your hand so that you can go right back to the same wonderful relaxing place. One, 2, 3 ... [Move to instant induction]

Fractional Relaxation

(Marshall Sylver) - (Transcribed From An Actual Show)

(Deep breathing for a few minute) (Hypnotist stands still slowly rising and lowering his arms from his side)

In a moment I'm going to count from 1 to 3

On the count of three, open your eyes, look at me, do not look away, 1 ... 2 and 3

Open your eyes, look at me, do not look away

Breathe in deeply, and now breath out

Thats fine, your doing perfectly

Breathe in deep relaxation, and breathe out all your tensions

Breathe in peace and tranquility, and simply breathe out all your anxieties

Open your eyes now, look at me, do not look away

Open your eyes now wide awake

Breathe in ... and breathe out

In a moment I'm going to begin relaxing you step by step

In a moment I'm going to begin counting backwards from 10 to 1

As I do your eyelids will begin to blink and close down

Simply allow them to do so, you could resist anytime you wanted to, that is not why you're here

As I count backwards from 10 to 1, your eyelids will begin to blink and close down

As you continue to concentrate you will relax the muscles in your neck, in your body, and become as limp and loose as if you were made from a handfull of loose rubber bands

Breathe in deeply, we begin

On number 10 each and every easy breath you take relaxes your body more and more you're simply letting go

10,

9 breathe in deeply, eyelids beginning to blink now

Beginning to blink and close down your you're concentrating perfectly

10,

9,

8 way down,

8,

7 way down,

7 eyelids closing down now,

close your eyelids down tightly and concentrate on relaxing the muscles in your neck

close your eyelids down tightly now

let loose the muscles in your neck you're doing perfectly

10,

9,

allow your eyelids to remain closed until I tell you to open them

10,

9,

8 way down,

close your eyelids down relax the muscles in your arms you're doing perfectly

10,

9,

8,

7 way down,

7,

6,

5,

4 concentrate,

4,

3,

2 way down,

2 way down,

2 way down,

3,

2,

and 1 way down,

thats fine, you're doing perfectly

(Move to staircase relaxation)

Hand Yardstick Test

(Marshall Sylver) - (Transcribed From An Actual Show)

In a moment I'm going to tell you to begin concentrating on one of your hands.

The moment that you do, you may concentrate either on your right hand or your left hand, it really doesnt matter which

You will concentrate on a hand that is free and unencumbered

(You will concentrate on a hand that is free of you and the person beside you)

The moment you begin concentrating on that hand you will become aware of many things

You will become aware of a (warm, relaxing,) peaceful sensation (flowing) going through your body

The moment you begin concentrating on that hand, that hand will begin to feel light and relaxed

In fact, the more you concentrate, the lighter that hand will seem until that hand and begins rising and lifting, lifting and rising, relaxing itself right toward the ceiling, as if there were a giant bouquet of helium ballons attached to your wrist

Allow your eyelids to remain closed and begin concentrating now

See that hand in your minds eye, and as you do you become aware of the feeling of the material beneath your fingertips

As you concentrate on that hand you become aware of the feeling of the chair beneath your fingertips, of the floor beneath your fingertips and that hand begins to feel light and relaxed

As you concentrate one of your fingers will move slightly

It may be your index finger, your middle finger, your ring finger, your little finger or your thumb. One of your fingers will move slightly and your hand begins to relax and feel light

If I touch your wrist it feels as if I am attaching another bouquet of ballons to your wrist

Its now getting lighter still until it begins rising and lifting, lifting and rising beginning to relax itself right off of your lap, right off of the chair, right into the air

Each and everytime I touch your wrist getting lighter still, `til now it begins rising and lifting, lifting and rising relaxing further and further up, your concentrating perfectly

Rising and lifting, lifting and rising simply letting go

As I count backwards from 3 to 1 it feels as if those ballons are filling with more helium and are moving right into the air

on # 3 rising and lifting, lifting and rising

ballons filling with more helium

3,

2, rising and lifting, lifting and rising

relaxing further and further up

on the next number, number 1 those ballons expand to 10 times their original size relaxing further and further into the air

on the next number, number 1 those ballons expand to 10 times their original size relaxing further and further into the air

3,

2,

and 1 rising and lifing, lifting and rising

pulling your entire body along with it

thats fine your concentrating perfectly

leave it right there

In a moment I'm going to count from 1 to 3,

The moment I say the number 3 you will open your eyes, you will look at your hands and see just how well youve concentrated

The moment I say the number 3 you will open your eyes, you will look at your hands and see just how well youve concentrated

1, 2 and 3

Staircase Relaxation

(Marshall Sylver) - (Transcribed From An Actual Show)

In a moment I'm going to begin relaxing your further

In a moment I'm going to begin counting backwards from 10 to 1 again

The moment I say the number 10, you will allow your eyelids to remain closed

But the moment I say the number 10, you will in your minds eye see yourself at the top of a small set of stairs

As I say say the number 9 and each additional number you will simply move down those stairs, relaxing more completely

At the bottom of the stairs lies a very large feather bed and a very relaxing feather pillow

The moment I say the number 1 you will sink down into that feather bed and rest your head on that feather pillow

During this time if I touch you or move you this will only serve to relax you deeper

Breathe in deeply, we begin

# 10, at the top of the stairs, your relaxing and letting go, # 10

# 9, becomming more limp, more loose, more calm, # 9

8, sinking into a more comfortable, peaceful and relaxed position

If I touch you or move you this will only serve to relax you deeper

10,

9,

8,

7 way down,

7,

6,

5 thats fine, your doing perfectly, moving toward that feather bed

4,

3,

2, If I touch you or move you this will only serve to relax you deeper

5, let loose those neck muscles,

4,

3,

2 way down,

3,

2 way down,

3,

2,

On the next number # 1 simply sink into a more comfortable, calm, peaceful and relaxed position

Let your body go more limp and more loose as if you were made from a handful of loose rubberbands

3,

2,

and 1 way down

thats fine, you're doing perfectly

(Move to hand yardstick test)

Weight Reduction Session III

Although sometimes we are quite fearful of change or something new, we are well aware there is no chance for improvement unless there is change. If we have had difficulty in some area, we must change the old patterns. So today, I am suggesting that we do something entirely different from what we usually do. Something that may be quite new to you. Although it is likely that you have done it sometime in the past. Today I am proposing that you let yourself see yourself in perspective. See yourself as others might see you or as you might be seen in history.

When you are away from yourself, even for a few moments, you begin to see yourself in an entirely different light. Temporarily, if you separate yourself in time as well as in physical distance, you can see yourself not only as you are at the moment, but as you were yesterday or even far back in childhood. It is quite possible for you to see yourself proceeding through all the stages of growing to the present time, and even projecting your view of yourself into the future. You are capable of doing this. It is a safe procedure. It is possible because your subconscious mind calculates time and distance differently from the subconscious mind. In the conscious mind, everything is very concrete. The minutes progress in orderly fashion to form hours and days, weeks and years. The subconscious mind works very differently. You live in the present, but if you are suddenly, greatly stressed, you call forth experiences from the past. Your defenses and reactions respond instead to the similar stresses of last year or five years ago.

In other words, in the subconscious mind, your frame of reference is entirely different. You can be in the present, but if something provokes or excites you, in a fraction of a second you can revert to childish or infantile behavior and relive an incident with all the sound, fury and emotion you had the first time you experienced it. In other words, in a fraction of a second you can span the years and relive an incident as vividly as you did the first time.

In exactly the same way, it is possible for you to see some of the future. See yourself as you might be behaving a year or five years from now. Predicting the future is possible because the attitudes you hold about yourself determine your behavior, the friends you choose and situations you create. Even though you may not be able to fill in the names of other people or the precise location, you can predict the kind of situation you will place yourself into because of the attitudes you hold about yourself.Time and place in the subconscious mind is only relative. Your attitude and defenses remain almost unchangeable and they interact with the environment in very much the same way throughout you life.

You can quite easily project yourself temporarily outside of your body as if you were a third person and look back at yourself and your surroundings freed of the usual physical limitations. It is very safe to project yourself in spirit out and beyond your normal physical limitations so you can look back at yourself and understand exactly where you are. This projection is entirely at your under your control. You will find it quite easy to separate much of your spirit and intellect from your body so that you can momentarily be free from your body limitations. From this vantage point, you can see yourself in prospective from birth to present. You will become acutely aware of the program you had to adopt to keep your physical body alive in a world that is so threatening. You will be able to understand the family's interactions with you as you have never before been able to understand.

Best of all, from this detached, safe, vantage point, you can plainly see the defenses that you needed when you were very small. You have now outgrown them just as you have outgrown the need for nursing bottles and diapers.

Projection experience is common to everyone who dreams, for dreams change all the usual limitations of time and space. A good example is awakening abruptly from a very sound sleep and being momentarily confused about where you are. You have had the experience of looking in a three-way mirror in a clothing store and seeing yourself in profile and back view and getting an entirely different perspective of yourself. Another way to get a projection of yourself is to look into a mirror that shows your reflection in another mirror. Then, by changing the angle slightly, you can see one mirror reflecting in another in a whole row of mirrors, almost on to eternity. Now to this picture, you add photographs of yourself in the same pose, but each at a different age of your life. You line them up so that you see yourself in these mirrors at all ages from infancy to the present time. Depending on the angle of the mirrors, you can see yourself projected either into the past or into the future.

Now picture yourself intellectually outside your own body with a clear view of your whole life in perspective. You have in your possession all of the wisdom, all the learning and all the understanding that you have ever gained. In this position, you're now able to influence your own destiny by re-programming and upgrading your attitude and defenses. You let yourself change wherever you see the need for growth and maturity so all your reactions may come up to your expectations as you relinquish your hang-ups.

Hear yourself encouraging your whole being to accept yourself and approve of what you do. Especially see yourself reinforcing the normal eating patterns, to eat only when you are hungry, to see that your appetite is easily satisfied. Picture yourself enjoying food immensely but only in quantities you need to fulfill normal physiological requirements. See yourself overcoming the temptation to eat any extra food. As you observe yourself it becomes easier and easier to pass up unneeded food and drink. Especially note carefully how your need to seek approval from everyone else is disappearing very quickly and progressively. More and more you are approving of what you do.

See yourself also using self-hypnosis as a very powerful and safe force for you. Its effectiveness increases as you let part of yourself be projected beyond your usual body limitations so that you can give yourself suggestions much more effectively as if you were a third person. Again and again you are accepting the suggestion that you eat only when you truly need food and that you are satisfied with basic nutrition. See yourself being increasingly happy with your eating pattern and showing approval of what you do.