and surveys by addiction clinics claiming to prove that smoking constitutes a physical addiction to nicotine. But the mere fact that they are called ‘addiction’ clinics will automatically discourage those smokers who believe it is only a habit. Therefore, the results of any survey based on test results in these clinics are bound to be totally flawed! The belief that smoking is a physical addiction is what the popular nicotine ‘patches’ trade on. It is hardly surprising that, whatever the manufacturers’ claims, their success rate is disappointingly low.
PROBLEMS AND HYPNOSIS
It always amazes me to see the huge number of weekend courses for the mind that are available in the UK. Unfortunately not all of them are good and some of them are very esoteric. The course ‘junkies’ tend to be forever taking one course or another, almost every weekend. You can easily spot them. They analyse your conversation and then assess you in public. Life is not as straightforward as this and it soon becomes very boring. I fear we may soon become a nation of DIY health analysts, just acting on theories. Not a very pleasant thought! As a therapist one is taught to watch out for ‘therapy’ junkies. These are people who go around the different therapists, trying everything even though their own doctor can find nothing wrong with them. These people never get any better and have either had every illness imaginable or stick to the same one that resists cure no matter whom they see. These people are always difficult to treat because they actually get satisfaction out of the constant attention their problem receives.
If you are going to try your hand at suggestion hypnosis after reading this book, then keep it simple. Do not try to analyse your problem too deeply. If you or someone you are hypnotizing does not respond to suggestion hypnosis, then you will know that more advanced work is needed. At least trying it yourself first will save you the cost of going to a hypnotherapist, who may charge anything between £25 and £150 per session to get the same results you could get at home. Also, the information in this book will help you to know which questions to ask a hypnotherapist so that you can find one with the right training to assist you in more advanced work. If there is some aspect of your behaviour that you want to change, use hypnosis to your advantage—but do not abuse it. If someone else says you have a problem which you have not been aware of and which does not bother you, then it is not your problem—it is theirs! Remember the old saying: ‘If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.’
RULES OF THE MIND
There are certain rules that the mind always follows. I have listed below the ones I find are the most interesting and helpful. You do not have to be an expert psychologist to follow them. If you want to use and programme a computer, you do not need to become a computer expert—you just need to know the basics for the work you will be doing. The same applies to the mind. You do not need to study psychology for years to use suggestion hypnosis; you just need to know the essentials. Although minds are far more complex than the most sophisticated computer ever designed, they all rest on the same basic foundations. The four rules that follow can help you to understand how you can work on yourself to achieve changes in your behaviour.
Rule 1
Every thought creates a physical reaction. Research has shown that emotions, brought on by thought, cause an inward physical reaction. Worry, for example, causes changes in the stomach (ulcers, diarrhoea, digestion problems, etc.). Anger stimulates the adrenal glands, causing increased adrenaline in the bloodstream affecting many bodily functions. It is better to vent anger, therefore, than to suppress it. Anxiety and fear stimulate the blood supply, possibly leading to a high pulse rate and blood-pressure. The subconscious mind, too, is affected by thoughts with strong emotional content; once these have been accepted they become a programme and trigger the same response over and over again.
Rule 2
You cannot have two conflicting thoughts at one time: for example, you can be either sad or happy, you cannot be both at once. You can train yourself to change moods, however depressing your environment. If you have a worrying thought you can learn to shelve it and bring forward a memory of a more pleasant occasion. You can make a ‘hell out of heaven’. I was living on a beautiful Malaysian island when I began writing this book. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there came a host of problems that brought me depression, even in paradise. One of the wise islanders to whom I remarked: ‘There is no peace in paradise’ replied: ‘The only paradise is in your mind.’ How true.
You can also make a ‘heaven out of hell’. Take for example the person in jail who still manages to live happily through his imagination and thoughts. One of my students had, many years before, served a six-year jail sentence as a political prisoner. He served his time in the same jail in South Africa as Nelson Mandela and, although the experience was horrendous, he kept his sanity by thinking of beautiful and peaceful surroundings and all the good things in life, remaining positive through the hell to which he was being subjected. When I met him he still had a wonderful outlook on life, which made him very easy to converse with and enabled him to become a very calming therapist. The jail sentence had given him the keen ambition to help people. He has now taken his skills back to Africa.
A negative mind can soon become ill and plummet into the depths of depression if not alleviated. Negativity and depression can be overcome by practising good, positive thoughts. The mind needs ‘feeding’ through the powers of hearing, vision and speech.
Hearing
Censor your thoughts to keep them positive. Choose carefully what TV programmes you watch or with whom you socialize. There is an old saying that your character can be assessed by the company you keep. When I lived and worked in Hollywood a famous old director I was interviewing put it simply, but colourfully, like this: ‘When you lie down with dogs you get up with fleas.’
Vision
Look at pleasant scenery. If possible, travel to the countryside or recall favourite places by looking through photographs. Watch pleasant and light-hearted TV programmes; switch off programmes which disturb you. Select carefully which newspapers you read. ‘Pass’ on upsetting news that is no use to you. I edited a video trade paper when I lived in Hollywood. This was in 1982, when cable TV was booming in the US while, back in the UK, video machines were first being marketed. I noticed that the levels of violence in the US were very frightening. Television news was full of violence. When it became apparent that video shops and video nasties were coming on the UK market, I predicted in an article that in 10 years’ time the UK would have changed out of all recognition, having itself become a very violent society. I fear that my prediction has come true.
Speech
Speak positively and you will begin to see the changes in other people’s attitudes towards you. Change negative ideas to positive ones and you will find yourself becoming more popular with positive people. Negative people will only hold back your growth. Suppose you were to go into a wine bar and see a group of people in a corner enjoying themselves, all talking positively and generating a feeling of enthusiasm. Now imagine a negative person joining the group. He or she would easily make the crowd feel uncomfortable, affecting their confidence, possibly introducing depressing conversation and sapping their enthusiasm even further. On the other hand, if there were a group of moaners in the wine bar with negative attitudes and a positive person were to join them, more than likely the opposite would occur. The solitary, positive person would be brought down to feeling negative in a very short time.
It is easy to slip into negative thinking. The ill mind is far more susceptible to negative thoughts, resulting in deep depression. When I have a client who is in deep depression, I advise him to start to monitor what he sees, hears and says, just as I am advising you now. Your brain is fed through these three faculties, so feed them correctly. This in turn will change your attitudes. To many people it comes as quite a surprise to realize that they have a choice as to whether they want to think positively or be depressive. It is even more unsettling to them when they realize that they can train themselves to take