SELF HYPNOSIS LESSON 1                                    HYPNO-01.TXT
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       There are many pathways into altered states of consciousness. All of
       them can be used interchangeably, either singly or in combination,
       according to one's mood at the time. The methods are usually classified
       as follows:
       Relaxation(physical and mental)
       Sensory deprivation
       Sensory overload
       Restriction of motion
       Disturbance of equilibrium
       Eye fixation

       Another means of speeding the induction is to roll your eyes upward,
       either behind your already closed lids or before closing them.

       You can also establish a key phrase and image for returning to the
       reality state. This might be, for example, an image of yourself pushing
       off from the bottom of a deep pool, rising slowly to the count of one
       to three, and breaking surface at three.

       Everybody should expect off days; at times the altered state eludes
       even the most expert. When you run into such a block don't fight it;
       turn to something else. Keep your success pattern intact and try again
       another day.  On the other hand, even though you seem to be
       experiencing a poor day, don't give up too quickly; sometimes you just
       need a little more coaxing than usual. Try some soft, relaxing music to
       help create a more receptive mood.

       These are general guidelines. You will develop your own techniques as
       you go along. For the moment, just remember that an altered state of
       consciousness is as natural to the human mind as sleep or the ordinary
       waking state. No matter how difficult reaching altered state may seem
       during the first attempts, you are certain to reach it in time, with
       patience and practice.

       In these lessons, relaxation techniques are stressed because they
       constitute the easiest and safest method of self-induction.

       Throughout the text a variety of different relaxation methods are
       offered to accommodate individual preferences. After some practice and
       experience, your favorite and most successful methods will emerge. For
       example, most people instinctively choose a relaxation technique that
       involves downward movement (floating down, going down a staircase,
       riding down an elevator). Others, however, equally instinctively adopt
       images denoting upward movement (floating up, riding up an escalator,
       drifting upward in a balloon). Neither is superior to the other; the
       best method for you is the one you find most congenial and most
       effective.

       At the outset of your mental journeys you may find the learning of
       simple physical relaxation more difficult than you expected. Once
       physical relaxation is mastered, however, mental relaxation follows
       easily and naturally.

       The crux of relaxation-induction is repetition -- repetition
       intensified by motivation. Never allow an induction ritual to become
       meaningless through sheer monotony. By-rote mumbling without the elan
       of motivation will only lead to frustration. When using any relaxation
       technique, speak to yourself very slowly, in simple phrases, allowing
       the words and images to become even more effective through repetition;
       and let the repeated words and images acquire an emotional coloration
       through a sense of familiarity and anticipation of success.

       Besides using the count from ten to zero, you should also use some key
       phrases and images to help you across the threshold -- phrases such as
       "relax now" or "deeper and deeper," and images such as yourself riding
       down an escalator or floating down an enclosed winding staircase. One
       way to set up such key symbols is to tell yourself, during a
       particularly successful induction, that henceforth a certain phrase --
       for example, "deeper and deeper" -- will always herald a deeper level
       of consciousness. To make this assurance doubly effective, you may
       combine the phrase and the image: Hear yourself repeating the phrase
       "deeper and deeper" while seeing yourself riding down an escalator.

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