Here are some wise words from some wise people.

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…And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

Anais Nin

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Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.

Carl Jung

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Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, It is the only thing that ever has.

Margaret Mead

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We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.

Anais Nin

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To the best of my knowledge there have been around eight film versions derived from the book, however the focus power shift is apparent as they have generally been titled “Svengali” or had that name featured prominently in the film title.

The most significant movie featured John Barry as the evil Svengali, made way back in 1931. However, even when hypnosis is depicted as having beneficial effects, it is still portrayed as terrifyingly powerful and so many false stereotypes are perpetuated. This has given a black-eye to the therapeutic benefits for many years. I personally find it annoying to think of how many people have gone through life with troubles that may have been so easily resolved…

Probably the best filmic representation of hypnotherapy is in the Sidney Lumet film “Equus”. Some out of the ordinary niceties are used for visual appeal, for instance, there is an quite unusual hypnotic induction using a steadily tapping pen and the young male patient is asked to act out memories using age-regression. The ever excellent Richard Burton portrays the part of psychiatrist, Martin Dysart, who investigates the violent blinding of six horses with a metal spike in a stable in Hampshire. However, the initial explanation of hypnosis and his patient’s subsequent experience of it are remarkably realistic. They throw light on the steps leading up to Alan Strang’s formation of delusions about the all-seeing horse-god, “Equus” to explain his blinding a stable full of horses in the middle of the night.

Regrettably, the portrayal of hypnosis and it’s practitioners has led many to believe that hypnosis removes all free will and increases the client’s vulnerability to that of automata or mindless slave…

The most frustrating thing about this occasionally still evident public opinion is that there must have been many people that could have excised their problems with but little investment in time, instead of having to carry them around for years and years, endless and unforgiving…

Steve Lauder

Find a Comfortable Position - Get a position that you will be able to maintain easily for the time you are going to be doing this process. It can be sitting or lying down, though sitting is recommended to prevent you from falling asleep. Get yourself centred, just looking in front of you and breathing slowly and easily. Let yourself relax.

1. Time - Determine the length of time that you intend to spend and make a statement to yourself about it such as ‘I am going into self hypnosis for 20 minutes … ‘ (or however long you want) You will be delighted to discover how well you ‘internal clock’ can keep track of the time for you.
2. Purpose - Make a second statement to yourself about your purpose in going into self hypnosis. In this process, we allow the unconscious mind to work on the issue rather than giving suggestions throughout, so our purpose statement should reflect that fact. Here’s how I say it: ‘… for the purpose of allowing my unconscious mind to make the adjustments that are appropriate to assist me in _____________ .’ Filling in the blank with what you want to achieve such as ‘developing more confidence in social situations.’ I know that the text is ‘wordy’ but that’s how I got it from John Grinder. The actual words aren’t nearly as important as the fact your statement acknowledges that you are turning this process over to your unconscious mind.
3. Exit State - Make a final statement to yourself about the state that you want to be in when you complete the process. Typically in hypnosis, we have heard the idea that you should come back feeling ‘wide awake, alert and refreshed’, but in the real world that may not be what you want. For example, if you are doing your self hypnosis before bedtime, you may prefer to come out of it ‘relaxed and ready for sleep’. If you’re doing it before some project you may want to come out ‘motivated and full of energy’. Simply say to yourself, ‘… and when I’m finished, I’m going to feel __________’.
4. The Process - Looking in front of you, notice three things (one at a time) that you see. Go slowly, pausing for a moment on each. It is preferable that they be small things, such as a spot on the wall, a door knob, the corner of a picture frame, etc. Some people like to name the items as they look at them - ‘I see the hinge on the door frame’. (If you don’t know the name for the thing, try ‘I see that thing over there.’). Now turn your attention to your auditory channel and notice, one by one, three things that you hear. (You will notice that this allows you to incorporate sounds that occur in the environment rather than being distracted by them.
5. Next, attend to your feeling and notice three things sensations that you can feel. Again, go slowly from one to the next. It’s useful to use sensations that normally are outside of your awareness, such as the weight of your eyeglasses, the feeling of your wrist watch, the texture of your shirt, etc.
6. Continue the process using two Visuals, then two auditory and then two kinaesthetic.
7. In the same manner, continue (slowly) with one of each.
8. You have now completed the ‘external’ portion of the process. Now it’s time to begin the ‘internal’ part.
9. Close your eyes.
10. Bring an image into your mind. Don’t work too hard at this. You can construct an image or simply take what comes. It may be a point of light, it may be a beautiful beach, or it could be a pizza. If something comes to you just use it. If nothing comes, feel free to ‘put something there’. Name it as you did above.
    11)Pause and let a sound come into your awareness or generate one and name it. Although this is technically the internal part, if you should hear a sound outside or in the room with you, it’s OK to use that. Remember that the idea is to incorporate things that you experience rather than being distracted by them. Typically, in the absence of environmental sounds, this is where I hear the sound of the Sea.
11. Next, become aware of a feeling and name it. It’s preferable to do this internally - use your imagination. (I feel the warmth of the summer sun on my arms) However, as with the auditory, if you actually have a physical sensation that gets your attention, use that. This is the first K on the internal side of the diagram.
12. Repeat the process with two images, then two sounds, then two feelings.
13. Repeat the cycle once again using three images, three sounds, and three feelings.
14. Completing the Process - It is not unusual to ’space out’ or lose conscious awareness during the process. At first some people think that they’ve fallen asleep. But generally you will find yourself coming back automatically at the end of the allotted time. This is an indication that you weren’t sleeping and that your unconscious mind was doing what you asked of it. Note: Most people don’t get all the way through the process. That’s perfectly all right. If you should complete the process before the time has ended, just continue with 4 images, sounds, feelings, then 5 and so on. As for your goals, trust that your unconscious mind is working for you ‘in the background’ while you’re doing the process.
15. Regular Practice will Yield Better and Better Results.