Chapter 8 - What You Should Know About Becoming an Excellent Subject - A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Chapter eight, What you should knowabout becoming an excellent subject. Becoming an
excellent subject follows the same general rulesfor becoming proficient in any other endeavor.
It depends upon your motivation, persistence, and willingness to devote time and study
to the subject. Let us agreethat most individuals can learn to play a

(00:23):
musical instrument to some degree. Thisdegree is usually sufficient for their own needs.
To become a virtuoso, however,it is necessary to study the instrument
and devote a great deal of energyand time to practice. The same example
could be given for most undertakings.Any One can learn to hit a golf

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ball, but being able to controlthe direction and distance and become a skilled
golfer is quite another matter. Ifyou have been successful in accomplishing the first
five tests, you can consider yourselfa good hypnotic subject. Becoming an excellent
subject entails following the same procedure usedin accomplishing the first five tests. Some

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may proceed very easily into the somnambialisticstate, and others may have a difficult
time reaching this deepest stage. Understandingsome of the psychology involved, and assuming
the right psychological frame of mind forthe attainment of the somnambialistic state is more
important than just working blindly in anattempt to get the somnambialistic tests to work.

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Being irritable, disgusted, and despondentbecause of your inability to go further
into hypnosis is not the answer andwill only lead to frustration and failure.
The reader is not to assume hewill be a difficult subject. If you
have come this far, you'll beable to continue in the same manner.
The topic under discussion now is broughtup to prepare readers for any contingency that

(01:59):
may arise. It's like having alife preserver on a boat. You hope
you never need it, but youshould be prepared to use it in case
of an emergency. It is naturalto assume that if you are willing and
trying to go into the lethargic,cataleptic or somnambalistic state, you will be
able to do so in a relativelyshort period of time. Unfortunately, this

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is by no means the case.Many of the principles of learning and conditioning
can be applied to hypnosis, butwith many subjects these laws do not seem
applicable. Let us assume you wantedto learn to become an excellent typist.
This is a reasonable goal, andall that is necessary is to continue practicing

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until you have reached the proficiency youset out to achieve. This proficiency would,
as a rule, follow application ofthe laws of learning and conditioning.
This isn't always so in the subject'sattempt to become somnambulist Dick. When the
subject progresses from one stage to anotherin a classical manner, the theory works

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admirably. But what happens when asubject cannot seem to progress any further.
He has reached a plateau and isunable to climb higher. He seems to
have reached a psychological impasse or stalemate. It is easy to say that the
subject is thwarted by a subconscious blockand let it go at that. This,

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however, doesn't stop him in hisdilemma. It's like telling the stranded
motorists that the reason his car isstalled is because the motor isn't running.
The following information will be helpful tothose who haven't been able to reach the
first stages of hypnosis, as wellas those who apparently can only go so
far. Actually, the same principlesare involved. If the subject doesn't respond

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or response to a limited degree,there evidently is a cause or reason for
this poor response. In order orto continue this discussion, it will be
necessary for us to agree that theresistance can be either conscious or unconscious.
If the subject insists that he istrying to let go, has nothing to
hide, is not afraid of hypnosis, understands what is involved, and has

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strong motivation, we can only assumethat the resistance must be unconscious. Usually,
it will be necessary to work throughthis unconscious resistance before the subject responds.
If the subject is conditioning himself,this will involve a great deal of
introspection, and even then it isan extremely difficult job. One doesn't usually

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have proper insight into one's own emotionalmake up. The end result is that
one can only rationalize about his behavior. Let us explore some interesting aspects of
hypnosis with a view toward helping youif you are having difficulty responding the way
you desire. I have had thefollowing paradoxical situation happen. Many times.

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A subject calls my office requesting tobe conditioned for self hypnosis. He further
requests that he be allowed to bringalong a member of his family or a
friend for the hypnotic session. Theseindividuals usually ask if I object to this
procedure. I interpreted this request asa sign of distrust. During my early

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career as a professional hypnotist. Iwas affronted by the idea of the unspoken
insinuation verbalized by this request. Didn'tthey trust me? Between trying to defend
myself and assuring them that there wasno need for another person being present since
my secretary could observe the procedure,I usually won the argument but lost the

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client. As I developed understanding intothe needs of these persons, I began
to realize that the request was notdirected at my integrity, but was a
safeguard for their ego. Here isan interesting side light that has happened frequently
in regard to the foregoing situation.I would request the subject to sit near

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my desk and tell the onlooker tosit in back and to the side of
the subject, away from the subject'sview so as not to distract him.
In this situation, I invariably placethe hypno disc on a spinning portable phonograph
turntable and turn it upright for thesubject to look at the hypno disc,

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which is made of stiff cardboard,looks like a twelve inch phonograph record and
has concentric heavy lines drawn on it. As it spins, the subject feels
he is being pulled toward the center. At the same time, it causes
his eyes to become very tired.I have included a drawing of it on
this page for those who are notfamiliar with this hypnotic device. The revolving

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hypno disc causes a physiological reaction.It must work with everyone. You feed
back certain known physiological responses for thesuccessful attainment of hypnosis. The onlooker has
had no choice but to look atthe hypnodisc as well. As I suggest
to the subject that his eyes arebecoming heavy and tired, and that soon

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he'll have an irresistible impulse to closethem. The onlooker is naturally hearing the
same suggestion. Because this person feelsa part of the hypnotic situation, there
can be no conscious resistance. Sincethese defenses are not hampering the attainment of
hypnosis, the onlooker may readily fallunder hypnosis. More than once. The

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onlooker has confided to me that hewas getting a better night's sleep, was
feeling wonderfully well, or had derivedother benefits since coming to my office as
an observer. The exact situation happenswhen the stage hypnotist is hypnotizing subjects on
the stage. Many times a personin the audience who had no intention of

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becoming hypnotized becomes influenced in the samemanner. Incidentally, these individuals make the
best subjects. There are interesting theoriesas to why a subject responds or does
not respond to hypnosis. I thinkthe reader would find some of these theories
interesting and perhaps gain some insight intohis own hypnotic behavior. These theories are

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based primarily on the psychoanalytical approach tohypnosis. The most prevalent theory is that
the hypnotist represents either the father imagepaternal or fear hypnosis, or the mother
image maternal or love hypnosis. Thefather usually represents an authoritarian figure. The

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subject's identification can be on a consciousor subconscious level. Let us suppose the
subject has ambivalent feelings towards his father. Because of this, he may not
respond. Here is an opportunity tofrustrate the authoritative father figure. The only
trouble with this theory is that ifthere is an excellent relationship between the father

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and subject, it doesn't necessarily meanthat the subject will respond easily. The
stage hypnotist invariably uses a strong,authoritative approach with a great deal of success,
but this approach generally does not workbest in private practice. I have
found that for the majority of subjects, the maternal approach works best. Perhaps

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the process of hypnosis awakens early unconsciousmemories of being put to sleep as a
child. Some techniques that are usedin hypnosis are quite similar to this.
The subject, who is lying downis told to close his eyes and is
spoken to in a quiet, reassuring, monotonous tone of voice. The hypnotist

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is seated near him. The hypnotisteven uses the same words that the subject
has heard as a child. Sleep, Go to sleep. When you awaken,
you'll feel wonderfully well. In fact, I use some special music that
I have recorded for inducing hypnosis.The first musical selection is Brahm's Lullaby.

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Children's music boxes invariably contain this selection, and the melody cannot help but activate
a pleasant nostalgia. It is amemory associated with love and tenderness. This
brings us to the fact that hypnosismay offer the subject a chance to escape
from the reality of pressing problems intoa state of complete irresponsibility. In fact,

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one, theory of hypnosis equates thehypnotic state as a form of unconscious
regression and need for submission. Themale subject may have a strong positive identification
with his mother rather than his father. It is part of the unresolved Odipus
complex. He sees his mother asa kind, loving individual, always ready

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to help. Even if the motherdid something socially unacceptable, the individual would
defend her vehemently. The father,who might do something wrong, would rarely
be excused. Just the opposite istrue with the female subject. When asking
the female child, whose girl areyou, the answer is invariably Daddy's girl.

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When asking the male child, whoseboy are you, the answer is
invariably Mamma's boy. We accept thistransference of identification as a normal process of
growing up. When it isn't normallyresolved, it can account for severe personality
problems. One might assume, therefore, that a woman hypnotist could better hypnotize

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a male subject, and a malehypnotist could better hypnotize a female subject,
But this is not true, exceptfor cases such as we have just mentioned.
One school of thought feels that thereis a strong submissive tendency in all
of us, and hypnosis gratifies thiswish. The individual's need for dependence has

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also met. In this case,the hypnotist becomes omnipotent, being able to
alter feelings that ordinarily distress the individual. Normally, adults, when confronted by
a particularly upsetting experience, might wantto be held closely by an intimate friend
or member of the family. Don'tWe frequently put our arm around a friend

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in grief, trying to comfort him. The inner strength, which is created
by hypnosis within the total personality structureof the subject lessens dependency upon the hypnotist,
much in the same fashion as weneed the doctor less. As we
start to recover from an illness,self hypnosis further lessens dependency. For no

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authoritarian figure is used, the subject'sattitude toward authority is important to know.
It is well known that officers inthe army are more difficult to hypnotize than
non commissioned men. The enlisted man, by a process of indoctrination and conditioning,
is taught to obey and follow orderswithout reasoning. The transference of authority

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to the hypnotist is readily accomplished becauseof this conditioning process. The army doctor,
when treating patients psychologically, replaces hisarmy jacket with a regular white medical
jacket to increase rapport. One interestingtheory is that the subject responds as he
thinks the hypnotist would like him to. This is termed role playing. When

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asking a subject under hypnosis his name, you usually get a very slow,
deliberate answer, as though the subjectwere in a trance. You tell him
that he can answer in a normalspeaking voice in tempo, and his further
replies are to be in the samemanner as his waking state. Another theory
along these lines is that the subjectacts as he believes a hypnotized person would

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act. This too, is roleplaying, but it does not explain analgesia,
such as when the denist hypnotizes thepatient and proceeds to drill a tooth.
No one, with the possible exceptionof a highly neurotic psychic masochist,
is going to endure excruciating pain justto please the doctor. One theory about

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hypnosis states that it allows the subjectan opportunity of identifying with the hypnotist,
whom he sees as a powerful figure. Through this identification, the subject is
able to gain inner strength. Onthe other hand, the subject might rebel
against the submissive nature of the hypnoticsetting. This could easily create anxiety,

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which in turn could create hostility,resulting in resistance of various kinds. As
a result of this, the subjectmight begin to criticize the hypnotist, find
fault with the way he the subjectis being handled, question the judgment of
the hypnotist, or doubt the effectivenessof the hypnotic procedure. Many investigators assert

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that the rapport, meaning the relationshipbetween the subject and hypnotist, is all
important. This is true, andthe relationship can and does have many ramifications.
In psychotherapy, the term transference isused to denote this relationship. The
relationship is further described as a goodor bad transference. There is also a

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counter transference, which indicates the reactionof the therapist to the patient. Naturally,
in order for the subject to respond, there must be good rapport.
I have tried to indicate that thereare complexities that may arise in the hypnoti
accetting. There are many conflicting theoriesas to why a subject does or does

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not respond. There are no setrules to follow, and one's intuition,
experience, and judgment help solve anyproblem that arises. Let me relate another
frequent incident. I have had subjectscome to me after they were unable to
be hypnotized by several other professional hypnotists. They have complained that the hypnotists weren't

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good hypnotists because they couldn't hypnotize them. After all, they ask hadn't they
been willing subjects? My usual answeris that the fault, if there is
one, is not with the hypnotistsand really not with the subjects. It
is a matter of exploring what hashappened and then deciding on a course of

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action to ensure success. I amfirmly convinced that the subject response when he
is positively without equivocation, ready todo so, he keeps testing the response
to make sure he is in control. He fears a reduction in his voluntary
level of reality, attachment, andcontrol. Unresponsiveness proves to him that he

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has this control. As long ashe does this, which is a natural
response, he never lets go sufficientlyto attain hypnosis. Hypnosis as we know
is a very sensitive state. Itrequires complete faith and trust in the hypnotist.
If it is lacking, the subjectnever does respond. The phenomenon of

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hypnosis is entirely subjective in nature,and its success lies within the total personality
structure of the subject. If thereis resistance to hypnosis itself or to the
deepening state, the subject, byhis own honest evaluation and verbalization of his
resistance, can do much to becomea better subject. Hypnosis must begin with

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the acceptance by the subject of certainbasic fundamentals that we have already discussed,
rather than of the forcefulness of thehypnotist. The deepening of the hypnotic state
lies in the intensification of the conditionedresponse mechanism. Once it has been initiated.
You should not expect to achieve immediateresults, although sometimes this does happen.

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As you continue to work with perseverance, intelligence, and enthusiasm, you
will definitely achieve the goals that youhave set for yourself. It is well
to remember that you guide yourself towardthe somnimbolistic state depending upon your belief an
acceptance of those principles that have beenoutlined for you. I have attempted to

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point out some of the silent pointsand theories to keep in mind and your
attempt to develop into an excellent hypnoticsubject. Some of these only pertain to
the situations where the hypnotist works withthe subject. Many of the problems inherent
in this setting are not applicable tothe situation where the subject is hypnotizing himself.

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Both settings have their advantages and disadvantages. As long as you proceed to
follow the instructions given you, youcan feel assured that you will finally achieve
self hypnosis. It should be emphasizedthat it is vital to adopt the right
frame of mind and your attempt toachieve self hypnosis, particularly a deep state.

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If you approach hypnosis with approve itto me attitude, nothing is going
to happen. Self hypnosis requires practicinga set of mental exercises or mental gymnastics.
To acquire the ultimate from this trainingrequire systematic conditioning. The word training
is used quite extensively in hypnotic literature. The use of the word implies that

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hypnosis can be attained by a trainingperiod. The literature speaks frequently of a
subject being trained to respond in acertain way. Obviously, this means over
a certain period of time. Italso means you train yourself to become a
good hypnotic subject. It is askill that all can acquire. There are

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four books dealing specifically with self hypnosisthat I would recommend to you for further
reading. They are What is Hypnosisby Andrew Salter, Hypnosis and Self Hypnosis
by Bernard Hollander, m d.Autogenic Training by Johannes H. Schultz,
m d. And Self Hypnosis ItsTheory, Technique and Application by Melvin Powers.

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End of chapter eight