A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis | Page 2

intelligent application of suggestions and diligence are prerequisites.
We are not suggesting that self-hypnosis can take the place of all forms
of psychotherapy. We do recommend it as an adjunct to therapy when
indicated. Used judiciously, it can contribute a great deal to the
individual's physical and emotional well-being and happiness.
As a professional hypnotist for many years, I have seen astounding and
apparently miraculous results by individuals using self-hypnosis. Many
of these cases seem unbelievable to those not familiar with hypnotic
phenomena. It should be remembered, though, that many individuals
seek hypnosis only when all other forms of therapy have failed. This is
so common that hypnosis has come to be known as a port of last call.
Yet, despite the seeming hopelessness of such cases, medical literature
lists thousands of remarkable recoveries.
There is nothing hit or miss about hypnosis. Used intelligently, the
results are the same for all those who are properly motivated. Nor are
the results singular to modern hypnotists alone. In reviewing the
literature going back more than 100 years, the same gratifying results
were obtained. The reader would do well to scan some out-of-print
books on hypnosis at the library to understand the point further.
This book is written in terms that are comprehensible to the layman.
The step-by-step instructions should afford the reader a means of
acquiring self-hypnosis. The necessary material is here. The reader
need only follow the instructions as they are given.

The author wishes to thank Robert S. Starrett, member of the American
Medical Writers' Association, for his valuable help in the editorial
preparation of this book.
It is the author's hope that you will, through the selective use of
self-hypnosis, arrive at a more rewarding, well-adjusted and fuller life.
MELVIN POWERS
12015 Sherman Road No. Hollywood, California 91605
Chapter 1
What You Should Know About Self-Hypnosis
Hypnosis has been defined as a state of heightened suggestibility in
which the subject is able to uncritically accept ideas for
self-improvement and act on them appropriately. When a hypnotist
hypnotizes his subject, it is known as hetero-hypnosis. When an
individual puts himself into a state of hypnosis, it is known as
self-hypnosis. In both cases, the subject has achieved a heightened state
of suggestibility. Even in hetero-hypnosis, the subject really controls
the response to suggestions. Actually, all hypnosis is really a matter of
self-hypnosis. The subject enters into the hypnotic state when he is
completely ready to do so. This may require from one to many attempts
before it is achieved. Even if the subject insists that he wants to be
hypnotized immediately, he may be resisting hypnosis unconsciously.
In self-hypnosis the same thing usually takes place. The subject is
anxious to achieve self-hypnosis, but somehow the state eludes him.
What's wrong? It may be that he is unconsciously resisting it, hasn't
conditioned himself sufficiently, or has achieved the hypnotic state and
doesn't know he is in the state. This last statement may be surprising,
but we will examine it in detail a little later on.
Most experts agree that about 90 percent of the population can be
hypnotized. My own feeling is that probably 99 percent can be
hypnotized. Who among us is not influenced by suggestion? Aren't we

all, as we have seen, influenced by the suggestions of advertising?
Don't we all have a tendency to believe what we read in the paper, hear
on the radio or see on television? Aren't we all convinced that a
name-brand article is better than one that is not so well-known?
Suggestion plays a tremendously important role in our daily lives. It
begins from naming the baby with an appropriate name to securing a
suitable place for interment. I would like to call the reader's attention to
a fascinating book dealing with the unconscious reasons why we do
many of the things that we do. You will be intrigued with every page of
the book. It is called The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard.
My contention is that we are all suggestible and, therefore, being
hypnotized or hypnotizing ourselves is just a matter of increasing the
suggestibility that we already possess. Doesn't the hypnotist begin by
suggesting relaxation? Doesn't he usually begin by requesting the
subject to fix his attention on a particular object? Next, he suggests to
the subject that his eyes are becoming heavy and tired. As soon as the
subject closes his eyes, he suggests that he will be in a deep hypnotic
state. I am sure that you are familiar with this procedure. With each
step, the hypnotist is guiding the subject along directed lines to get him
to accept further suggestions without question or doubt. When the
subject achieves the ultimate state in this procedure, he has been
hypnotized. He then accepts suggestions without equivocation.
Let us continue with this