PART I
How to Understand Yourself

3.BELIEF, THE SECRET BEHIND MIRACLES

Concepts are beliefs. Concepts are as endless and varied as are the ideas of man. Some ideas remain vague with little defini­tion, while others, in time, develop into well-defined beliefs. All ideas, regardless of their nature, germinate, grow, and bear fruit, or wither and die, depending upon the attention and cultivation given to them. Attitudes are born from concepts. Attitudes and beliefs control our behavior, our health, and our lives. If you believe that you are ill, your health will suffer, yet positive belief in good health and peace of mind is the very elixir of life. It is a simple and undisputed truth that what you believe you become! All things—all attitudes, all actions, all future effects, whether good or bad—must have their beginnings. The effects are nor­mally observable, but the original idea or belief that promoted the effects is never seen, and consequently the value is rarely assessed. With limited knowledge of the mind and its operation, many people unwisely become host to a variety of unsavory be­liefs. The unsuspecting do not understand that thoughts and ideas, when accepted without doubt, will grow and must be harvested in tune. Society is exercising little discrimination in its selection of beliefs and, as a result, is the recipient of unwelcome negative influences without understanding their cause. How do we arrive at most of our ideas and beliefs? Generally, from the suggestions of others. Only rarely do we come by our conclu­sions independent of external influence. In fact, today, it is almost impossible to do this, so complex has our society become. We are in daily contact with people and we are exposed to sugges­tions of diverse nature. We must rely upon our critical minds to screen the ever-present inflowing mass of suggestive data criticizing and weighing its worth before endorsing the concepts contained therein.

Doubt is a product of consciousness and is man's natural barrier against what is harmful and what is wrong. With the evolution of consciousness, skepticism became necessary to man's development. With self-awareness, he became a creature with intelligence greater than the animal, but also with this new status came increased responsibilities both to himself and to an evolving culture. At the present moment in human evolution, man does not fully comprehend his true nature; he does not as yet under­stand the mechanics of his mind nor how best to direct its operations. He may stand by helplessly viewing the degenerative effects of his negative beliefs, and often he witnesses his self-generated destruction without being aware that it is self-inflicted. The reality of this situation is ironic but true. We may recognize our gluttonous appetites, our social and domestic attitudes, our many habits and practices that go contrary to nature and cause us misery, but still we are unable to correct these shortcomings. Why? Unhealthy beliefs develop from ideas that were not re­jected when first encountered by the conscious mind. Unhealthy ideas grow into habits that are undesirable and exact their toll in health, happiness, and peace of mind. We exercise too little discretion in the ideas we entertain, thereby taking less than full advantage of our mental veto and our power of choice. We do this inadvertently, often discovering too late that habits and attitudes have grown out of control and virtually rule our lives. Attitudes of unhappiness and ill health destroy the human mind and body with merciless precision. Those obsessed with the complex of failure face inevitable defeat, since these attitudes grow from unhealthy beliefs or ideas. Fortunately for man, con­cepts of love, good health, and happiness will produce fruit with equal precision. The well-adjusted person is happy because he has rejected the concepts of hate and fear. He has permitted ideas of health and happiness to grow and develop into positive basic attitudes by rejecting negative ideas. It is well to remember that happiness is normal. Good health, security, and a sense of well-being are also a part of man's heritage and can be expe­rienced by all when the burden of negative belief is removed. A normal healthy human being is happy by nature. He has a good memory, he is able to control his attention and desires. He is not the victim of unwanted habits of taste and action. He sleeps well; he does not worry about tomorrow nor does he regret yesterday. All of us had these qualities as children, but with the advance of time and the burden of responsibility, our attitudes and personalities changed, due to the accumulation of doubt and negative beliefs. Belief and doubt are the controlling factors of human destiny. It is true that the burden of twentieth-century living is sufficient to shatter belief and promote doubt. Few adults escape the ravages of nervous tension in today's fear-ridden universe, and its havoc is increasing daily. What can we do about it? We can and must take steps to siphon off the creep­ing effects of stress and to cleanse methodically the subconscious of negative habit patterns responsible for the viruses of fear and disbelief.

Things that are positive, the good and the right and the beau­tiful, are realities of nature. All realities function perfectly unless hindered by disbelief or other factors disturbing to the harmony of natural laws. Courage is truth, self-confidence is truth, positive expression is truth, good health is truth, happiness is truth, for these are realities and demand no study. Cleanse the mind of disbelief, eliminate failure, erase the burden of insecurity and pessimism from the mind, and the true personality again emerges to express the qualities for which it was created.

BELIEF AND THE MECHANICS OF DOUBT

Doubt is man's only protection against negative suggestions and the beliefs of others. It is normal to doubt things that are untrue or dangerous, and by a process of doubting we automat­ically reduce the potentially destructive effects of negative thoughts. Any idea or thought that is considered false is rendered ineffective for as long as skepticism persists. It is of great impor­tance to apply doubt only to the concepts you wish either to halt or eliminate. To extend the scope of skepticism to include 'desirable things transforms the process of doubt into a psy­chological boomerang.

Our well-being requires the use of doubt, for without this quality of the consciousness man would not survive long. Reason is akin to doubt, and both are closely aligned with analytical thought and mental progress. Only when man's thinking be-comes distorted and he begins to doubt the positive expressions of his existence does he court trouble. To wish for good health and happiness while at the same time doubting that you will achieve them cancels the requests and renders them impotent. You should thoroughly understand the modus operandi of doubt and belief, for herein lies the answer to most of the perplexing problems and many of their mysteries. It is right to expect good health and peace of mind. Success and happiness are positive -expressions of life, for, being good, they are right and desirable. By what strange process of degenerated logic has man come to doubt the vitality of life, the very essence of creation? Why does he bring illness to himself by doubting good health? Why does he court failure by doubting his ability to succeed? Ignorance of the mind and the laws of nature are responsible for our present chaos. Mental and physical illness are increasing at a furious pace simply because humanity does not understand itself.

Your conscious mind "thinks" but your subconscious mind "acts." The subconscious part of the mind does not sort out and discard the harmful ideas or beliefs it encounters. Remember, the subconscious does not care whether the ideas or beliefs are good or bad. Orders from the conscious mind direct its opera­tions and, like the faithful servant, the subconscious acts without question. Beliefs gain wide acceptance when both authority and repetition are employed over a sustained period. Authoritative suggestions, repetitiously administered, are responsible for per­sistent adherence to religious and political doctrines. Hitler ex­ploited both elements, authority and repetition, during his dic­tatorship to influence the German people and enslave most of Europe. Many modern advertisers employ doctors' reports or other symbols of authority to reduce doubt and promote belief. The TV commercial is particularly effective, since visualization of a desired effect lends great strength to the concept. When you "see" yourself in a certain role or situation, and repeatedly create this visual image in your mind's eye, powerful forces of your subconscious operate to bring reality to the created picture. Mob action owes its force to the power of belief. Mob violence cannot occur without the authoritative force of a leader. Here the leader's voice of authority delivers the concept that is ac­cepted en masse, without doubt, by the mob, and swift action ensues.

Elsewhere it has been explained how potent concepts, when accepted without doubt by the subconscious, may exert a force powerful enough to kill under certain conditions. Another type of concept, properly manipulated, may produce colds or other physical symptoms, while still other ideas may form attitudes leading to chronic illness and financial failure. The beliefs cov­ered thus far are types that occur without scientific planning. Witchcraft and superstition often produce results by utilizing the same immutable laws as does faith healing, and yet all are surrounded by mystery and misconception. We become puppets when modern advertising dictates our buying habits, but man-has been the pawn, the effect of causes put into operation by others. The voice of parental authority molds our beliefs about sex, religion, and other subjects, yet we scarcely recognize this. We feel we have arrived at our various beliefs through logic and free will, quite independent of the suggestions of others. Man, obviously, is a prisoner of his beliefs and attitudes. Should his attitudes be undesirable, his life will be unhappy until he learns how to control his beliefs, his attitudes, and his habits.

We will not dwell upon the problems confronting any who attempt drastic personality changes. You are aware of the dif­ficulty awaiting those who try to conquer frustration and fear by the power of will. You also recognize that will power is never a match for habit and must inevitably bow to the superior force of the subconscious pattern. Who has not tried to overcome self-consciousness and stage fright by force, and experienced the utter futility of pitting reason against fear? Everyone has had such experiences and everyone has wondered why he must be pushed around, so to speak, by his emotions. The answer is the same. Will power represents the conscious mind, while habits, emotions, and attitudes are of the subconscious and not easily controlled.

Positive attainments, whether in the realm of health, per­sonality, business, or social success, occur in exact proportion to the intensity of one's desires and beliefs in these fields. There are degrees of belief—certainty, conviction, and hope. Belief is a measurable attitude of mind and can be accurately gauged with sensitive electronic equipment. Belief expressed at its high­est level approaches the absolute, or certainty. When we are certain, doubt is blocked and success is assured. The next level of belief below certainty is conviction. A strong conviction has great power as long as it is maintained, but even strong con­victions are sometimes subject to change and influence by others. Hence the phrase "he lacked the courage of his convictions." The power of conviction, when further reduced by doubt, declines in strength on a gradient scale to its weakest expression —hope. Hope is still mildly positive, but it carries less strength, and any further addition of doubt reduces its effectiveness as a positive force and tips the scale in the negative direction. Nega­tive cycles operate just below the levels of hope. At negative levels fear begins to dominate man's thoughts, and unless its progress is halted and the effects erased, the restrictions of fear will eventually infect the very core of his well-being. Doubt is accumulated disbelief in the realities of life, and it leads to mental and physical chaos. Positive beliefs in the realities of life are measured by hope, conviction, and certainty, and all lead to health and abilities unlimited.

There are seven powerful factors leading to optimum belief and positive attainment. These seven factors are the four basic qualities, concentration, attention, visualization, and memory, and the three basic attitudes, will power, self-confidence, and motivation. Through the medium of transitional-sleep techniques, certainty is developed by gradually erasing the fetters of doubt surrounding each of these seven vital factors. This process is known as developing the seven keys to power.

HEALTH AND BELIEF

Throughout this book there are sufficient impressive exam­ples and references from our research and from the authoritative files of others to emphasize the dramatic effects that thoughts can have on the human body and physical well-being. Prac­tically all of our beliefs occur from suggestions received while we are awake and conscious. It is from these conceptual begin­nings that we form our attitudes and life patterns. Ideas crystal­lize and become units of power. These unite and become a part of us, reflecting as character and personality traits. Power units are ordinarily stronger than the conscious will and successfully resist our efforts to control them. It is in this way that environ­ment makes its indelible impression. Effects occur from beliefs that grow. The effectiveness of concepts increases when specific patterns for the unfoldment of the concepts are present. This fact is especially noticeable in matters of health. Here is one of the more common examples: A patient gives a history of nausea each time he eats a certain combination of foods. Inquiry discloses that his mother suffered from a similar condition. The problem obviously results from the patient's belief that this par­ticular food combination is inherently harmful, since no patho­logical reason for its presence is disclosed. Subsequent hypnotic therapeutic treatments resolved this problem by erasing this be­lief from the patient's subconscious mind.

Next is a classic example of the power of belief that is familiar to the practicing physician. The patient experiences a recurrence of pain as a result of a chronic condition. Stronger and stronger sedation is requested of the physician, due to the patient's in­creased tolerance to drugs. To protect his patient from toxic effects, the doctor may employ the power of suggestion with gratifying results. How? The doctor prescribes a different medi­cine with positive suggestions regarding its effectiveness as a pain killer. The new medication may be even milder than pre­vious prescriptions yet be a most effective pain reliever. Why? Because the patient has confidence in his doctor and believes the new medication will bring increased relief. This in no way suggests that the pain was imaginary or that the patient just imagined the improvement. The patient experienced relief from real pain because his subconscious mind believed in the promised relief due to the new drug, and accordingly reduced the level of pain.

Through ignorance, parents implant unhealthy erroneous con­cepts in the minds of children and in so doing lay the founda­tion for illness and frustration. The mind of the young child is very receptive and accepts without doubt the beliefs of his parents. The overly protective mother is not aware that her offspring's susceptibility to colds may be directly caused by her too often repeated warning that he will catch cold from ex­posure or wet feet. Here the association of colds and wet feet form the concept, and constant reinforcement of this idea de­velops an illness pattern that becomes active each time the child has wet feet. Little does the parent realize that much of the so-called congenital weakness in a child stems from parental beliefs transmitted to the youngster rather than to an inherited weakness. A parental statement that "my child is certain to in­herit my weak stomach" (or lungs or liver) can become a dan­gerous concept, and particularly is this so when the child is sensitive and the statements are repeated often.

As adults we should be less susceptible than children to sug­gestions of illness, but under certain conditions the well-planted concept takes effect at any age. Here is an account of an experiment undertaken fifteen years ago, when much less was known about the power of suggestion that there is today. The object of our experiment was to determine the potency of the planted suggestion on an unsuspecting person. Our subject was a healthy, well-balanced young woman of about thirty years of age. It was arranged (without the subject's knowledge) that four different people would, at thirty-minute intervals, make sug­gestions to the subject in the following order. The first person would make inquiries about the subject's health. The second person would become anxious about her health. The third person would remark, with some alarm, that the subject appeared quite pale and ill. The fourth person would suggest, with increasing concern, that the young woman should perhaps consult a phy­sician. These suggestions were spaced over a two-hour period exactly as planned. Within less than three hours the subject, who had not been ill in years, became quite disturbed and decided that indeed she did not feel well and would go home for the rest of the afternoon. The experimenters gave an all too vivid demonstration of the power of the concept, for their subject was ill for ten days. Needless to say, this type of experiment was handled with better judgment after that.

Medical science now flatly states that nearly 90 per cent of all physical illness results from a sustained fear of illness. Be careful of the seeds you admit into your subconscious as per­manent residents, for the things you fear today are the things you attract tomorrow through the mechanism of doubt. Skepti­cism reduces positive action and invites negative reaction. Some­times honest errors in medical diagnosis can lead to tragedy. An acquaintance of ours almost died from a disease he never had! This man of forty-five was run down physically due to overwork and irregular meals. He consulted a doctor whom he thought was a reputable diagnostician and was given tests that indicated advanced sclerosis of the liver. The diagnosis was given with authority, and was accepted. The diagnosis, in part, was "ad­vanced sclerosis of the liver, patient has life expectancy of two years if he follows prescribed diet and ceases most physical ac­tivity."
This man quit his job and followed the near-starvation diet religiously for one and one-half years, growing weaker day by day. As the final months approached, the physician died sud­denly and the patient consulted another doctor. The new medical man made a thorough check and pronounced our friend a sick man, suffering from an advanced stage of malnutrition, but there was no evidence of his ever having had sclerosis of the liver! We are glad to report that this unfortunate "concept" was de­stroyed before it bore fruit, and my friend is enjoying excellent health today, fifteen years after he was sentenced to death by a belief.

We have mentioned that children are most susceptible to suggestion, and concepts sometimes work seeming miracles in children when the seeds are carefully planted. Here is such a case. Four-year-old Carole's condition was diagnosed correctly as bronchial asthma by three specialists. Allergy tests revealed the child to be allergic to sixty-five different foods and many other substances. A serum prepared for the child proved, after one year, to be completely ineffective in controlling the condi­tion. Discouraged with medical results, the child's parents de­cided to attempt a "cure by concept." Procedure went as follows: Carole was told, one evening, with great seriousness, that on the following morning she would be completely well, that she would be able to breathe perfectly, and that she could eat any­thing she wished without discomfort. It was explained that a new doctor had left her a wonderful new medicine and had guaranteed that it would make her well by the next morning. She was then given the "wonderful new pill" (a harmless sugar pill), and to further strengthen the "concept" Carole watched her father hurl the ineffective asthma serum far into the distance. With crossed fingers and some misgivings, the parents watched their child rush off down the street to break the exciting news to her little playmates. Periodically, throughout the night, while Carole slept, the parents gave suggestions that she was well and would remain so. Indeed, the next morning Carole was com­pletely well and at this writing, nearly five years later, she has had no recurrence of bronchial asthma.¹

WITCHCRAFT AND BELIEF

In this book, an attempt must be made to dispel some of the mystery still associated with witchcraft, superstition, miracles, faith cures, hypnotism, voodoo, and other practices avowed strange by humanity at large. We cannot dismiss all supernormal occurrences with lofty ridicule because their explanations are not readily available within the framework of third-dimensional logic. This has been the accepted practice, for it is more con­venient to vilify and castigate reported happenings that are out of the ordinary than to search for the truth. For every effect there is a cause, and unbiased research has uncovered many of the causes attributed to mystery and/or hallucination. Drawing from such research, the reader is invited to examine with us the interesting parallels to be found in the various so-called mystery categories. We will see how beliefs, when accepted by the human mind as truth without doubt, exercise a powerful command over the physical body and the mind as well. This subtle influence is operative in endless phases of human activ­ity. From the occasional miraculous recovery from an incurable disease to a simple homespun method for banishing warts, the identifying principles of belief are invariably present. Physical changes such as these are real, they do occur, they do exist, but certainly they are not miracles. Miracles have no explanation, hence the long association of the term "miracle" with unexplained cures and changes in the physical organism. The mists of igno­rance are slowly rising, to be replaced by a better knowledge of natural laws and the powers of the mind.

Predictions of the fortuneteller sometimes come true. Genuine clairvoyance accounts for true prophecy on some occasions, but in others the power of suggestion plays the dominant role. It is anyone's guess just how many tall, dark men have suddenly found favor in feminine eyes due to suggestions of the fortune­teller. Those who are most impressed sometimes become in­fluenced by the suggestions to the extent that the predictions tend to control their future activities. Full credit also must be given to the magic of belief, for it is responsible for the phe­nomena attributed to witchcraft, the soothsayer, and the sorcerer. Files of documented records admit to happenings from voodoo rites and other tribal practices that confound logical explanation. But does the hex of the witch doctor that ends in death for a marked member of the tribe defy logical explanation? It does not. The sorcerer takes full advantage of the power of the sub­conscious mind to produce many strange feats. In many semi-civilized areas of the world, the witch doctor is the clan's most respected and feared member, whose every word is accepted without doubt. Should the witch doctor predict a victim's death on a certain day and at a certain hour, taking full advantage of his position of authority, he may

¹ This case is well-documented, inasmuch as Carole's father is the writer.

 indeed be planting the seeds of death. Here we see the concept delivered with great force to the simple native who believes the words of the tribal prophet. He is told that his death is inevitable. He is told how he will die, and to complete the belief he is given the precise time of death. Evidence indicates that victims of the hex, as often as not, die within minutes of the time predicted.

It is doubtful if many who profess having great power over others are aware that their success is due solely to the belief, or concept, that they are able to plant in the receptive victim's subconscious mind.

RELIGION AND BELIEF

Belief is the foundation of all religious philosophy. The very nature of religion demands belief. Every religious movement, ancient or modern, utilizes this concept for its growth, since religious belief is tantamount to faith. How do we assess religious belief, and what are the factors determining one's degree of faith? Faith is measured by the balance between belief and doubt: the stronger the belief, the weaker the doubt; the stronger the doubt, the weaker the belief. The vast majority of adults have accepted the religious doctrine of their parents without question and do not venture to investigate the beliefs of others. So strong are our religious concepts that even a casual discussion of other religious practices may generate within us feelings of agitation and even fear. Religious beliefs, like political af­filiations, are of solid structure, highly charged with emotion, and well-nigh impervious to either change, proof, or reason. This is normal, since we know the emotions are buried deep within the subconscious and not ordinarily subject to conscious in­fluence.

Faith cures do happen. History is filled with accounts of healing miracles from every faith and creed. Christian Science reports substantial physical recoveries due to faith, as have sev­eral present-day evangelists and other religious leaders. While such happenings are not commonplace, their occurrence is of such frequency that denial is foolish. Strange cures and miracu­lous recoveries do occur, but why do they happen to only a few while so many others are denied them? For centuries, this question has perplexed the religious because there seemed no reason for this inconsistency, but today, with the aid of sensitive electronic equipment, the faith cure, or "cure by suggestion," has been divested of its mystery.

HYPNOSIS AND BELIEF

Research has at its disposal electronic proof that 90 per cent or more of our God-given intellect exists at subconscious levels and quite beyond our conscious use. It was inevitable that elec­tronics should, in time, probe the mysteries of thought. Today, electronic equipment reports from the subconscious its patterns of thought, fear, and phobia with startling accuracy. Such preci­sion equipment will soon eliminate much of the trial-and-error process so long identified with mental therapy.

Pioneers in medical hypnosis discovered the unusual powers of the subconscious mind long before the dawn of electronics. More than fifty years ago, they observed some amazing facts with the deep hypnotic trance as their only tool. Experiments proved that all pain is controlled by the subconscious and can be per­manently dispersed by posthypnotic suggestion. Through hypnosis, major surgery has been performed without anesthesia. Other physiological changes beyond the normal ability of the conscious mind to control, such as alteration of blood pressure and heartbeat, and even increase in blood sugar, have been produced within minutes by hypnotic suggestion. Suggestions given to the deeply entranced subject are accepted as truth by the subconscious mind. Since the subconscious mind governs the repair and chemical balance of the body, it produces the condi­tions commensurate with the suggestions. Acid burns have been produced on the skin by suggestion and the use of harmless table salt. Intoxication can be induced with plain water, com­plete with hangover, in any good trance subject. Such demonstra­tions are favorites with the stage hypnotist, for they never fail to excite an audience, but, while amusing, they have degraded one of the most needed therapeutic tools. Consequently, the layman lacks knowledge of hypnosis, he is suspicious of it and avoids its use.

How mastery of hidden subconscious powers renders one immune to pain has been observed in the Polynesian civilization. Fire walking, perhaps the most widely known of Polynesian religious rites, is achieved through mental conditioning. Such mastery permits the practitioner to walk slowly down a path of glowing embers and feel no pain. Authentic mental phenomena is by no means the exclusive product of the hypnotist. Eastern Yogis achieve great powers through religious meditation. They have survived airtight entombment for weeks without food, water, or ill effects. Clairvoyant and prophetic powers have been claimed for these adepts throughout the centuries.

Is hypnotism dangerous? No, but an unskilled hypnotist could be. Hypnosis is a simple, normal procedure, and readers of this book will become generally conversant with the subject, its factors, its uses, and its controls. For the benefit of those who may be unfamiliar with the science of hypnotism, or have mis­conceptions about its nature, we will briefly explain what hyp­nosis is, how it is produced, and why it works seeming miracles. Hypnosis is  a  suggestive method  for  "stilling"  the conscious mind and directly contacting the subconscious. A state of hyp­nosis can be achieved by anyone of sound mind, with the ability to concentrate and follow instructions.

With the consciousness lowered and doubt reduced, sug­gestions given under hypnosis are effective because they are accepted as truth by the subconscious. It has been pointed out how doubt (a product of waking consciousness) can render impotent any thought or suggestion, for whatever you doubt immediately loses some of its potential power. When we say we lose confidence in a person or an idea, we are registering doubt as to the person's ability or the validity of the idea, and both lose their power to influence us in the future. Only the conscious mind is capable of originating doubt. The subcon­scious mind acts, it does not analyze.

Suppose you tell a man who is not hypnotized that his headache will immediately disappear when you count to three. You will cure few headaches in this way, for it is normal to doubt such a statement consciously. This same statement, how­ever, if given under hypnosis, becomes effective at once, because the message to turn off pain has a cleared path to the brain. For the same reason, a person under hypnosis can be told he is a dog and he will perform like one, or should he be given the suggestion that he is in a steaming hot jungle profuse sweating will occur.

But what of the hypnotic state itself? It is a condition of deep lassitude, where the mind is cleared of thoughts and the body is relaxed. The condition itself is very restful and quite effectively relieves tension and nervous fatigue. Should the hyp­notist become ill suddenly or for any other reason not awaken his sleeping subject, what would happen? Nothing. The subject simply drifts into a natural sleep and awakens later pleasantly relaxed as from any normal nap. Medical science claims hypnotic sleep to be far more refreshing than natural sleep, due to the depth of relaxation simultaneously attained by both mind and body. The undesirable effects attributed to hypnotism have been due either to unscrupulous hypnotists or to others who were careless or uninformed, but never to the relaxed hypnotic state itself. In other words, it is the nature of the suggestions given the subject while he is under hypnosis that is important. Doubt can be eliminated during deep hypnosis, and concepts planted by the operator are accepted as truth by the subconscious mind. Suggestions given the subject and not removed by the operator may continue to have influence until they are removed. It is well to remember this important fact: any effect resulting from a suggestion received under hypnosis may also be removed by a counter suggestion under hypnosis.

 The stage hypnotist employs posthypnotic suggestions to in­trigue and entertain his audience. If he is skilled, as most are, he carefully removes all suggestions before he awakens his sub­ject and concludes his demonstration. The amateur hypnotist is more apt to produce anxiety in his subject by careless proce­dure or through his ignorance of the mind. While stage hypnosis is relatively harmless, demonstrations of this nature are respon­sible for much of the confusion surrounding hypnotism today. Many viewing hypnotic phenomena for the first time are unable to understand the principles and are skeptical of their authentic­ity. Those who do understand the mind recognize hypnosis as a fabulous tool for probing the mysteries of the mind and the levels of mental awareness.

SELF-CONFIDENCE AND BELIEF

The infiltration of doubt into the framework of the person­ality structure promotes defeat. Doubt, when dwelt upon at great length, becomes a negative attitude, a state of mind, a pattern controlling thought and action. Such an attitude, or con­cept, once it becomes a habit, is a powerful negative force to reckon with, for it will control your actions and generate failure at every turn.

Every day we see this failure pattern operating to thwart man's objectives. A person becomes discouraged with his efforts to achieve a certain thing, a personal project or perhaps a busi­ness venture, and doubts his ability to make it succeed. Should he fail, which he most likely will with this attitude, he is unconsciously building a destructive pattern that can jeopardize his productivity for life. Many who are afflicted with this psy­chological "virus" succumb ultimately to the philosophy of "des­tiny and uncontrollable fate" to explain their consistent failures. Many are unable to understand or even believe their personality flaws are responsible for failures, and prefer to believe that fac­tors beyond and apart from themselves rob them of success in some inexplicable manner.  Chronic sufferers of this negative state of mind lack self-confidence and appear to experience a morbid pleasure in proving that failure stalks their every turn. What a perverted sense of satisfaction this is indeed, to postulate one's own destruction in a futile attempt to elicit sympathy forone's self-generated defeat!
 How hard it is to accept ourselves as we really are! One of the reasons it has been so difficult to change our mental patterns stems from a natural reluctance to accept the responsibility for our actions and our mistakes. How much easier it is to blame someone else for our problems and foolish blunders. Yes, failure is a condition brought about by a negative concept held in the subconscious mind. Such a belief, once established, is generally too strong for the weakened will power to cope with and will literally rule the person until its potency is erased.

How do we reverse this habit of defeat? How can we erase the potency of such a negative attitude? Today, it is a relatively simple matter. First, consider how the pattern for failure was first developed. Doubt suggested possible failure to the inner mind. If you plant seeds of doubt for several seasons, then you must harvest the result, a crop of failure and defeat, year after year. Obviously, self-confidence cannot nourish in such a mental atmosphere, and must soon wither and die through sheer neglect. The first law of suggestive therapy is that any suggestion ac­cepted by the subconscious mind has force, but the suggestion and its power may be erased by a counter suggestion. The basic law of physics that says two things cannot occupy the same space at the same time applies to our mental attitudes as well. To re-establish self-confidence we begin, first, by erasing, through suggestion, the habit of doubting the ability. Next, the failure pattern is dissolved and in its place we plant the concepts of belief and confidence. Lastly, through suggestion, these positive forces are carefully nourished and given purpose and direction under the banner of self-confidence.

We shall waste little time in the glorification of self-confi­dence. Everyone recognizes the tremendous importance of the seven keys to power, which are: attention, concentration, mem­ory, visualization, motivation, self-confidence, and will power. When one or more of these seven factors are dormant, certain facets of human personality and achievement must suffer. Every­one knows confidence and will power are essential to success. From hundreds of interviews, it has been observed that most people realize the value of self-confidence; they recognize all too well their shortcomings and they are concerned with how to become confident and how to experience the feeling of self-confidence.

Gerald S., a discouraged young attorney, phrased it this way: "It is all very well to read glowing reports of achievement due to courage and determination, but I don't feel these things can ever happen to me. To others, yes, but somehow I can never positively visualize success as certain for me." Gerald's case is not unusual; in fact, it is quite normal. Success breeds success. Success permits you to visualize, without effort, a picture of achievement, and constructs a pattern for future success! But nothing fails like failure, and once this pattern is fixed it is then difficult to visualize anything but failure.

Now, how do you arrive at the feeling of self-confidence? The feelings of doubt, so frustrating to the inhibited, are scarcely understood by the confident person. In the same way, an attitude of self-confidence is so alien to the thinking habits of the meek that it is difficult for them to visualize themselves as courageous and confident. Should we attempt to evaluate transitional sleep in one sentence, we might say that through transitional sleep you can change your mind or change your thinking habits to improve your life. The attitude is basic; the feeling is senior to the act; the thought must precede the action. Our years of re­search have been devoted to developing methods for changing and remolding thoughts, habit patterns, and beliefs. When you feel confident, literally nothing can discourage you. When you feel that you do have or will have good health, the inner mind avoids illness and demands good health.

Many experiments were conducted to determine reactions to changes in attitude and personality. Since personality altera­tions are comparatively simple to produce or erase under deep hypnosis, a selected group of foundation members became guinea pigs for the experiments. The results were profoundly interesting. James G., a mild, quiet young physicist, became loquacious and forceful after receiving suggestions under hyp­nosis that he was developing an aggressive personality, a quality he was told he would soon need for a special government as­signment.

Mrs. A.S., club woman and lecturer, consented to undergo the same experiment in reverse. Upon three occasions within a period of one week, she was repeatedly told, while deeply relaxed under hypnosis, that she would begin to feel very shy and uncertain of herself. She related that upon each of the first two occasions she felt less sure of herself, and after the final session her confidence seemed at such a low ebb that she planned to cancel two speaking engagements. Needless to say, both the physicist and Mrs. S. suffered no ill effects, for the hypnotically induced doubts and changes were erased. In certain experiments we would, for example, implant self-confidence in a subject, but purposely inhibit his will power and motivation. This combina­tion is interesting to watch but pathetically unproductive. You see it often. A person just knows everything will turn out per­fectly, he never worries (although from appearances he has every reason) for he has supreme confidence in himself. But what does he do to fortify this supreme faith in himself? Abso­lutely nothing, for he is long on self-confidence and short on will power and motivation. This particular personality change was induced in an especially ambitious young man as an ex­periment. In this way we could learn from the same person just how it feels to have ambition and drive one week, and then have them turned off and experience little ambition the next week.

It was through many such experiments that a proper balance and evaluation of personality factors were ultimately reached. Will power without proper motivation permits energy to be dissipated on unimportant or spurious projects while, on the other hand, overpowering motivation without the tools of will power and self-confidence sets the stage for possible dishonesty or larceny.

What of the innermost feelings of the person who lacks self-confidence? How does he feel about himself? What is his esti­mate of his ability to cope with life, his problems, and his fellow man? An evaluation of this nature is accurate and simple to make, for human beings respond in like manner to similar basic attitudes. Those of us who suffer a lack of self-confidence will shun crowds and communication with others, and especially will we avoid social and business contacts that project us into positions of authority and/or responsibility. Should we be obliged to address a group, we may break out in clammy perspi­ration and become engulfed in unreasonable fear and panic that leaves us shaken and ashamed. If our confidence in ourselves is thoroughly shaken by a succession of defeats, we may even find it difficult to meet the direct gaze of another, should we feel the person to be our social or intellectual superior. Expe­riences like this are tragic, but they are real to those who lack self-confidence. In the past this pattern has been difficult to change.

Let us suppose that you have begun a program to erase doubt and defeat, and through suggestions to the inner con­sciousness plant seeds of belief and courage, which lead to self-confidence. One of the most intriguing factors of this psycho­logical metamorphosis is that your faith in results is unnecessary, and the realization of this fact will profoundly alter your con­cept of thinking. You do not have to believe to achieve results, you need only relax and listen. Even violent disbelief dissolves under the steady barrage of positive suggestions, when it is directed to the proper level of awareness during profound relaxa­tion. Self-confidence does not require time to develop. Time is required only to purge the subconscious of accumulated doubt and to prepare the mental soil for planting the seeds of positive belief and action. As doubt begins to dissolve, your feelings undergo a gradual and subtle change. Each day these changes become more and more apparent and your life begins to reflect these pleasant results. No longer will you be skeptical, no longer will you doubt; in fact, you begin to observe new and pleasant feelings of energy and power stirring within you, and the effect is most exhilarating. Soon you find yourself anticipating the business and social contacts you formerly dreaded, and you find with each passing day that your emerging self-confidence is indeed an established fact. These are typical reactions; these things we can achieve for ourselves today. No longer is it neces­sary to suffer a lifetime of frustration and disappointment be­cause of negative beliefs.

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here….