HYPNOSIS COURSE OPENING DATA ----------------------------------------------------------------------- A MAP OF THE MIND: The mind is a vast, uncharted territory and most of us never penetrate into its rich hinterland. We are not aware that what we call normal consciousness is living only on the fringe of an immense land. This book invites you to become a pilgrim of the mind and explore all its dimensions, as you enter into ASC (altered states of consciousness). The key to the entire process is to find the this book or pathways to ASC. Once Columbus had discovered how to get to America, the passage was found and others followed the trail he blazed across the ocean. Over the centuries there have been many Columbuses searching for and finding new worlds of the mind. From what they have discovered and experienced it is now possible to make a map of the mind. Naturally, this map does not have clarity and detail, but it does point the way to uncharted lands. Pilgrims of the mind can be reassured that others have gone before them, they are not journeying into the totally unknown. However, the altered state of each particular individual's own consciousness is for him a new, un-mapped world. The exploration of that world is his own experience, similar to the experience of others but unique for him. Like the first pioneers who set out across the continent of America, he will discover a whole, new, exciting land. Many, today, feel drawn towards the exploration of higher states of consciousness. A most obvious manifestation of this desire can be seen in the use of LSD and other drugs to produce a "high" which is an altered state of consciousness. Drug experiences have alerted people to the fact that there are other dimensions of the mind beyond what we call rational consciousness. Can they be attained without the use of drugs? Emphatically -- YES! This book offers the opportunity to begin to explore your unknown mind, without drugs. A WAY OF LIVING: These lessons are not pastimes, or parlor games, or weird experiences, they are mind exercises intended to lead to a new, more fully aware way of life. There is a difference between being able to play the piano and being a professional concert pianist. Many people merely play at living without ever becoming fully alive. The suggestions for thinking and behaving in this book can become a new way of life, or, from another viewpoint, a way of spirituality. When techniques of hypnosis, hypnotherapy, and dream research treat the altered state of consciousness as a specializes, extraordinary and momentary state of being, the inference is that what we have called ordinary consciousness is the normal way people should live. This book challenges this inference and suggests that what we have called ordinary consciousness is a limited experience, a two-dimensional flat land, while the altered state of consciousness, a three-dimensional space is, in fact, the consciousness intended for mankind. To speak of this book as a way of living is not far-fetched. It has, in fact, been suggested and predicted by some of today's outstanding thinkers. Teilhard de Chardin's evolutionary theory envisages man reaching out toward new levels of complexity-consciousness. One of the characteristics of man at this level will be the ability of a group of people to think-together, love-together. John C. Lilly speaks of mind exploration and levels of experiencing, so that life is lived in a more intense or "turned on" way. Lilly also suggests that there is no reason why people should not live continually at a level of consciousness that they may have experienced only momentarily. He is of the opinion that the chief reason that people fail to do this is their ignorance of the way into that state of consciousness. This book was written to help people discover the pathways, or doors, that lead into these altered states of consciousness. The exercises suggest ways in which the exploration of altered states of consciousness can enrich the lives of individuals. Some of the exercises have a purely practical purpose, others are highly transcendental. this book also assumes that the insights gained from altered states of consciousness will give a new and more creative direction to life. The book opens the way to a potential source of new energy. That energy can be harnessed to all that is positive and creative in human living, but it can also be dissipated and wasted in the explosion of violence. This book invites its readers to harness that energy and realize in themselves a potential that has too long been dormant. TRANCE INDUCTION: The first problem in all psychological experience involving unexplored dimensions of the mind is how to discover the passage or pathway into them. Many different techniques can be used to induce altered states of consciousness. The most highly publicized technique is drugs but there are many others being developed. Bio-feedback studies show that electronic patterning can be used to induce creative states of consciousness. Recent psychological experimentation has used perceptual alteration which includes forms of sensory deprivation, sensory overload and equilibrium distortion. Another category of suggestion-teaching involves hypnotists, guides or gurus who induce trance states in their subjects during face-to-face encounters or by means of recordings. Finally, there are self-induction techniques that involve only the subject and use no equipment. This book presents self-induction techniques in order to make it possible for anyone willing to learn the necessary skills to enter into altered states of consciousness. No drugs are involved, there is no need for expensive equipment or for a hypnotist or guru. All that is required is the patience and discipline to practice the exercises. The exercises may differ but the first two steps in all of them are the same. They are "relaxation" and "concentration". RELAXATION: The term relaxation is used here in a very different sense from its usual colloquial meaning. It does not mean a flaccid state of muscles or letting yourself flop. Rather, it is a state of complete muscular equilibrium and poise. In "This Magic Body", Jeannete Lee suggests that the human body should naturally be experienced as if in a state of weightlessness. Not that bodies should float in the air or that weighing machines should not register when people stand on them. Rather, what Lee is talking about is muscular balance. Muscles come in pairs--one muscle pulls to the right, its partner pulls to the left; one pulls up, its partner pulls down. When muscles are in perfect equilibrium and co-ordination the body has a sense of weightlessness. It is ready to do gracefully, effortlessly, whatever the mind asks it to do. Mind and body are in perfect accord and harmony. They are working together. Lee maintains that this state of accord between mind and body, perfectly attuned and balanced in themselves and toward each other, should be the natural state of human living. Tiredness, strain, gritting one's teeth, making efforts of will, far from being normal is in reality an emergency situation for mind-body. But only when we realize the possibility of a higher state of consciousness can we recognize the emergency for what it is. Preparatory to entering into altered states of consciousness it is essential to learn how to relax so that mind and body are in harmony and free from imbalance and tensions. Many people have experienced this harmony quite naturally, but only for brief periods. However, with practice it is possible to be habitually relaxed, in muscular equilibrium, as a permanent state. A ballet dancer has to achieve this. A skilled pianist has no need consciously to will his fingers to move. The music flows out of him without effort. The exercises and training that pregnant women undergo in preparation for natural childbirth constitute a discipline resulting in muscular equilibrium and harmony between mind and body. It is also a known fact that jogging for many miles, far from being tiring, can actually produce a sense of weightlessness, a feeling of being able to go on forever. Learning to relax may at first be a consciously controlled process but after practice and training the controls become so much a part of a person that he is not aware of them. He will then relax naturally and easily with mind-body perfectly coordinated and responsible to each other. CONCENTRATION: Concentration also has a very special meaning in the context of inducing altered states of consciousness. It does not connote the usual intellectual tightness that people associate with concentration. On the contrary it involves little intellectual activity and is more a process of focusing the mind on an object as simply and as quietly as you would focus a camera lens. Or, to put it another way, the type of concentration required is that of a small child who becomes absorbed in what he is looking at--a flower, an insect, a bird. His attention to it is not simply an intellectual exercise but rather a centering of all his faculties on the object. A CONTINUUM OF CONTROL: Those who engage in this book exercises are normally at some point along a continuum of control. At one end of the continuum is the "controlled" person, the classic Apollonian personality: very rational, not subject to impulse, considers it essential to decide and choose, in almost all circumstances, what he will do and how he will behave. At the other end of the continuum is the person who may be described as "suggestible", the classic Dionysian personality: spontaneous, impulsive, happy-go-lucky, who does not give high priority to controlling behavior and actions. This book will be attractive to both personality types. The controlled person can be reassured that he will still be in control of himself in altered states of consciousness, that he will have some sort of map of the mind. He will also have some advance notice about the kinds of experiences to expect. Finally, he will have the assurance that he will be able to return from an altered state of consciousness, just as he will enter, when he chooses. The controlled person may at first be reluctant to make the initial passage into an altered state of consciousness. He will probably have to work hard and long for his first success but once he has reached an altered state of consciousness (ASC) he will probably be the best subject for the self-induced approach of this book. The suggestible person, on the other hand, may find the passage into an ASC almost immediately. However he may become frightened when he finds himself alone in an unknown dimension. The suggestible person may have much more success with this book if he has a guide, at the beginning to whom he can entrust himself with confidence. One who is psychologically unbalanced or insecure may run the risk of harming his psyche and perhaps initiating a process of ego fragmentation if he performs the exercises without a guide. Such a one should perform these exercises only under the direction of a professional psychotherapist, preferably one with expert knowledge of hypnosis. An alternative way of reaching ASC, that is not directly self-induced and yet does not involve a guide, is to use a tape recorder. The technique is simple an has often been suggested in works on self-hypnosis. The subject records beforehand the exercise he wishes to perform. Then, when he is ready to perform the exercise, he plays the recording back to himself and listens as if it were someone else speaking to him. As a person finds greater facility in reaching ASC he will probably find that he becomes less and less dependent on the tape recording, simply by a process of automatic memorization. If, however, he is very dependent on hearing suggestion aloud, a recorded key word or phrase will eventually be all that he requires. LEARNING: It takes discipline and practice to train mind and body to work in harmony and to learn the skills involved in reaching ASC. But, though it may be hard work, you will find many rewarding an encouraging signs of growth and development along the way. Each successive level of ability attained remains as a permanent possession. Everything learned is something that raises you to a higher plateau. Consequently, the preliminary skills of this book--relaxation, concentration, counting down, entering into deeper and deeper states of consciousness--gradually become a part of your personality. In the beginning it may take you fifteen minutes or more to relax your body, bit once physical relaxation--muscular equilibrium--becomes part of your daily living, the ability to relax becomes almost instantaneous. Gradually, you will find yourself spending less and less time on the preliminaries, and more and more time on the fuller enjoyment of the parts of the exercises that influence your daily life. GETTING THERE: Those who succeed in passing from one state of consciousness to another all have great difficulty in explaining exactly how they do it. In fact, some are quite unaware of what has happened, except that it has be an out-of-the-ordinary experience. This book does not claim to present a series of techniques that work automatically. It does present techniques that will work with consistent practice. But they will work only for those who are prepared to enter into the experiences. These expreiences are sign posts to the right road, but it is up to the reader to go down that road. PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS:: 1. WHAT IS AN ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS?? An ASC is any state of being which differs from our ordinary "rational" state of mind. 2. HOW DOES AN ASC DIFFER FROM A HYPNOTIC STATE?? The hypnotic states form a large part of the spectrum of ASCs, the latter being a more inclusive term. In this book, we are concerned with the various hypnotic states; however, since the term "hypnosis" still has many distorted connotations in America today we prefer to use the general term "altered states of consciousness" to describe the trance states which, in many instances, could be conditions induced by hypnosis. 3. ARE PEOPLE ABLE TO SELF-INDUCE AN ASC?? Yes. Spontaneous self-induced ASCs are quite common and you have probably experienced them many times yourself without knowing it. Whenever you become absorbed in anything, as in daydreaming, reading a book, or watching a television show, you may slip into an ASC. During such times, you are usually very relaxed, and oblivious of outside distractions. Self-induced ASCs are very common among artists and creative people in general. 4. HOW DOES THE UNCONSCIOUS DIFFER FROM ORDINARY CONSCIOUSNESS?? The unconscious tends to accept as fact any idea that is presented to it. It is capable of thinking and reasoning but it does so in a different way from the conscious mind, in accordance with a different set of rules. It also can remember in complete and unselective detail, everything that has happened to the person, including events which the conscious mind has totally forgotten. 5. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP OF ASCS TO THE UNCONSCIOUS?? Many feel that an ASC is a condition which allows the subject to reach his unconscious or "inner mind" and influence it. Others feel that it provides an opening into a wider psychological or spiritual dimension, transcending the limits of the individual's unconscious. 6. How does an altered state of consciousness feel ? The altered states of consciousness described in this course can be broadly classified as light, medium, and deep. In the first two there are a few specific sensations other than feelings of great relaxation. in your rarely practice sessions, you may be surprised or disappointed because they don't feel any different. this is normal, and the best advice is to enjoy your sense of relaxation. Later, as you reach deeper states of altered consciousness, you will learn to determine and experience the depths of this feeling. 7. Does a person in an asc lose self-control ? Just as many people think that a hypnotized person will carry out any suggestion given to him, people also fear they will lose control of themselves in an ASC. this is totally untrue. One will rarely do anything in an ASC that he would not be ordinarily willing to do. Suggestions given to a person in an ASC, whether by himself or someone else, must be acceptable to both the conscious and unconsciousness parts of the mind, 8. Can an ASC totally block out all attention to things that happen in normal life ? Yes---if the subject specifically wants to. however, people in altered states usually are aware of everything that goes on around them; they are merely so relaxed that they do not pay attention to anything except the matter they are focusing on. 9. How do self-induced altered states of consciousness differ from altered states of consciousness induced by such drugs as LSD, mescaline, or other hallucinogenic drugs? The key word here is self-determination: Subject matter. Usually no one can predict the trip on which an LSD subject will be taken. The outcome or effects of the trip may be good or bad - no one really knows beforehand. The subject of a self-induced altered state of consciousness can determine, sometimes in minute detail, the route of his trip. Duration. The person under the influence of LSD normally remains in that state for many hours. A self-induced altered state of consciousness lasts just as long as the subject wishes it to last. This may mean anything from five minutes to five days. 10. What kind of people make good subjects for altered states of consciousness? It is the consensus of professional opinion that about 90% of the population can achieve an altered state of consciousness, and that approximately a third of them can enter deep states of alteration. Some experts feel that even this optimistic estimate is too conservative. Within the set of good subjects for altered states of consciousness there are many variants. These are discussed at appropriate places throughout the text. 11. Who should use altered states of consciousness? The exercises in this book are perfectly safe - and decidedly helpful - for the vast majority of people. People who are very disturbed, emotionally unsettled, or depressed should not use any self-help techniques that deal with the subconscious, especially in trying to solve their problems. Such persons should seek professional psychological or psychiatric help. 12. Does a person in an altered state of consciousness lose consciousness? A subject in the type of trance states dealt with in this book never loses consciousness, even in the deeper stages. He knows what is happening around him at all times. He can talk and even walk while still remaining in an altered state of consciousness. However, there are very deep stateless in which the person experiences such intense bliss or ecstasy that it would be unwise for a person in such a state to attempt, for example, to drive a car. 13. Can you awaken yourself from a self-induced altered state of consciousness? As was stated before, subjects in a self-induced altered state of consciousness are perfectly aware of what is happening around them and can awaken themselves at any time. Exercises given in this book usually suggest a short ritual to bring the subject back to normal consciousness. The purpose of this ritual is twofold: (1) to provide a normal patterned passage back into ordinary consciousness, which eventually becomes natural and habitual, and (2) to ensure that the person returns to ordinary consciousness in an alert and happy state. Thus, the passage back into ordinary consciousness involves bringing along some of the positive feelings experienced in the altered state of consciousness. 14. Is it better to self-induce an altered state of consciousness than to have someone else hypnotize you? YES, especially if the hypnotist is not a professionally trained person. In fact, you should never let anyone except a reliable and competent professional induce an altered state of consciousness in you. Self-induced states, however, tend to be entirely safe. 15. Is it easier to return to an altered state of consciousness once you have been there? Unquestionably yes. Passing from ordinary states of consciousness into altered states of consciousness is a technique which, with some practice, can be employed almost automatically, like a habit. Just as a musician finds it easier to play a difficult piece after much practice, so the person who practices reaching an altered state of consciousness finds it easier to enter that state each time he practices it. 16. How can a person practice the exercises in this book without a guide? For example, how can I read the text of the exercise if my eyes are closed? It is suggested that you read through the exercise completely, becoming familiar with the details before actually practicing it in an altered state of consciousness. However, if in the beginning you forget some details while in an altered state, you can include those the next time you practice the exercise. Once you have gained some facility, you can also open your eyes while in trance, and re-read the exercise in that state. 17. How can I learn to self-induce an altered state of consciousness? By following the step-by-step directions given in the exercises. 18. How long will it take me to learn to self-induce an altered state of consciousness? Conscientious use of the techniques given in this book should bring excellent results. Don't be discouraged if your efforts fail at first. Keep practicing and you will improve with each session. The unconscious likes repetition and ritual. By continued repetition, you will eventually reach an altered state of consciousness. 19. Will I continue to reach deeper and deeper levels of consciousness? Your first experience of an altered state of consciousness may come after three or four tries (though it often takes much longer), after which you will reach successively deeper states during the next five or six successful sessions. Then you will probably have arrived at your plateau of trance depth, which tends to remain stationary for a considerable period. If you are deeply involved and dedicated, you will experience further breakthroughs into still deeper states at a later date. For most of the exercises in this book, a very deep state of trance is not required. For many purposes, in fact, the light and medium conditions are distinctly preferable since, in experienced subjects, very deep states tend to deteriorate into apathy. 20. Is sleep an altered state of consciousness? Yes. Sleep is a different type of consciousness than those used in this book. In the altered states utilized in this book, you are emphatically not asleep and are completely aware of yourself and your surroundings. 21. What if I am pessimistic about my ability to self-induce an altered state of consciousness? Doubts have a damaging effect. They can cause us to give up too soon, or they can make us try too hard, thereby working counter to the necessary relaxation. Set aside your doubts and focus on the idea of success. Also, forget all strain and effort, and simply allow yourself to relax. 22. Does time pass quickly in an altered state of consciousness? Usually, yes. Your inner mind has its own sense of time. In fact, a half hour can seem like a few moments in an altered state of consciousness. There are exceptions, however, and some people find that time passes very slowly during altered consciousness. 23. Won't the preparation for entering the trance state simply put me to sleep? Normally not. However, if you are very tired, you may pass from an altered state directly into normal sleep. This, however, can usually be prevented by suggesting to yourself that you will not fall asleep. 24. Will I ever be able simply to slip into an altered state of consciousness in a few minutes? After continuous practice one becomes proficient at self-induction. You can accelerate the process by suggesting to yourself, at each session, that you will remember the pathway to the altered state of consciousness, and be able to find it more easily the next time. Experts in self-hypnosis can enter these states almost instantaneously - frequently by means of key symbols which will be explained later. 25. What is the best preparation for reaching an altered state of consciousness? The text of this book gives specific directions for each exercise. In addition, these general suggestions will prove helpful: (1) It makes no difference whether you sit up or lie down, but be sure you are comfortable, and that your clothing does not hamper or confine you. (2) Learn to relax. Deep breathing helps to relax. The more you relax, the more comfortable you are, the easier it is for you to move into an altered state of consciousness. It will not do any harm to practice throughout the day. 26. How does self-suggestion work? The golden key to successful suggestion and self-suggestion is repetition. In addition, keep the following points in mind: (1) Always word your suggestions positively. Don't say "I will not hate that person," but, "I will love that person." (2) You can address your unconscious in either the first or the second person, or you can switch from one to the other; but make suggestions - don't issue orders. Commands tend to set up automatic resistances, even when given by yourself to yourself. This may seem strange--but even when addressing your own mind, a phrase like, "if you wish" will do wonders to oil the machinery. (3) Give your mind time to respond. Don't say, "when I open my eyes, my headache will be gone. Say, "when I open my eyes, my headache will begin to recede, and will continue to recede until it is gone." (4) Use short, simple, declarative sentences, and avoid ambiguities; the unconscious tends to be very literal-minded. Simple phrases will also be easier to remember from one session to the next, enabling you to repeat them, as far as possible, verbatim. (5) Don't overload the circuits! No matter how many problems you have, your inner mind can cope with them - one by one. At least in the beginning, don't work on more than two projects during any one session. 27) How will the inner mind carry out the suggestion? Your inner mind knows the best way, so let it take the initiative. In fact, you may find it worthwhile to encourage such initiative by suggesting that your mind will approach or solve a problem in an unexpected way. This will lend your suggestion the additional spur of anticipation. 28) Is it best to schedule regular times for practicing the exercises in this book? Yes. Set yourself a schedule for your exercises and stick to it. You may find yourself putting sessions off or deciding that it's too much trouble. This is really resistance coming from your inner mind, which is not used to working in this way and naturally resists it. Perhaps you can use certain techniques within altered states of consciousness to find out why your inner mind is resisting. 29) What has an altered state of consciousness to do with better health? It is the unconscious mind that holds the ideas and attitudes that erupt in psychologically-caused illnesses. In an altered state, we can (1) learn what these ideas and attitudes are and (2) influence our inner minds to accept new ideas and attitudes leading to better mental and physical health. 30) What is a psychosomatic illness? In general, illness springs from one of two causes. It may be entirely physical in origin, or it may be psychosomatic, that is, a physical illness with psychological or emotional causes. This latter type of illness is the one that suggestions in an altered state of consciousness can help us overcome. (Many physicians now claim that over half of all illnesses fall into the category of psychosomatic.) 31 What are suggestions? Suggestions are the phrases you say while in an altered state of consciousness to influence your inner mind. Usually these suggestions are repeated many times. 32) Can altered states of consciousness be used to remove pain? Suggestions given in an altered state of consciousness are not magic or panacea but they can be effective tools in preserving and restoring your physical and mental health. An aspirin, for example, can relieve a headache but it doesn't remove the cause of the headache. Similarly, an altered state of consciousness can be utilized to remove the pain, but does not cure the cause of pain. 33) Can altered states of consciousness help me reduce tensions in my life? Yes. Merely being in an altered state of consciousness can make you feel more relaxed than you ever were before. While in an altered state of consciousness, you can suggest to yourself that the relaxed feeling will carry over in your ordinary consciousness. Suggest to yourself that you will be able to see your problems and challenges in a more and more productive way. Confidence in yourself and in solving problems also helps, naturally, to decrease tension. 34) Can altered states of consciousness reduce chronic fatigue? Yes. Fatigue is often linked with tension; while in an altered state of consciousness you can suggest to yourself that the causes of fatigue in your life - tension, fear, conflict, worry, lack of proper motivation - need not influence you any longer. 35) Can altered states of consciousness help me overcome bad habits I want to get rid of? Yes. Specific exercises in this book are designed for that very purpose. 36) Are altered states of consciousness merely a practical tool, for example, for overcoming pain, relieving tension, losing weight? No. As you use the exercises in this book you are learning to think in a new way, learning to explore and discover many latent powers. Gradually looking at yourself while in an altered state of consciousness will become an important part of your life, by enhancing the quality of your life experiences. 37) Do the exercises follow a pattern or structure? In each case (1) the goal of the exercise is clearly stated, as well as (2) the approximate time the exercise will take to complete. Then, (3) an induction technique is suggested to reach an altered state of consciousness, and (4) the details of the exercise itself are given. (5) A procedure for returning to ordinary consciousness is provided. 38) Psychologically, how does this book work? In general, the exercises in this book help all of your body and its powers work together with all of your mind. Right now, possibly, because of tension, conflict, and fears, your body is working under emergency conditions utilizing only a fraction of your strength, and perhaps even operating against the wishes of your mind. Right now, too, because of mental stagnation, boredom, loneliness, unhappiness, or lack of self-confidence, your mind is working under extreme pressure conditions and utilizing only a fraction of its powers. this book provides a psychological way, without drugs or other artificial aids, of reaching altered states of consciousness. In these altered states of consciousness you begin to see things in a new way. One by one, you can remove the causes keeping you from living a fully integrated life, with all the powers of mind-body working in harmony and to their fullest capacities. GO TO HYPNO LESSON 1 end of file