Book Report: Mesmerism Unveiled! by Leslie J. Gee (c)1885

Mesmerism Unveiled! by Leslie J. Gee (c)1885

Background information: From what is inferred in the book, the author was a popular stage performer of mesmerism, although I was unable to find anything about his performances on line.  He seems to speak with a great deal of experience and the same kind of passion for his art that most hypnotists have today. This little book (approx 50 pages) was likely an item that he sold at his shows to those interested in learning for themselves.

While I was unable to find any information about his performances, he does include his home address (circa 1885) in order for readers to contact him if they had any questions. There is currently a somewhat rundown single-family house on the site (thanks, Google maps!) that was built in 1890. No record that I could find of the previous house or landowner.

The subtitle of this book is "The Only Work Ever Published Giving Full Instructions How to Practice and Master the Art of Psychology, or Mesmerism" and, indeed, there seems to be material that I have not seen in any other books of Mesmerism, so for novelty value alone, it's a worthwhile little volume.

Today we think of Mesmerism as a primitive kind of hypnosis, but that is not exactly the case. While is did utilize trance and suggestion to effect changes in the client, Mesmerism was based on the idea that there was an actual "magnetic fluid," an invisible energy, that ran through the nervous system, and which, with practice, could be projected to people and things to effect certain kinds of results. While mesmerism is a thing of the past, we find similar concepts surviving in Christian Science, Polarity, Laying on of Hands, Chinese Chi Gung and Indian Pranic healing, and so forth. A Mesmerist would typically wave his hands over his subject, utilizing "magnetic passes" to affect the energy flow of the subject. Because there was a direct exchange of energy between Magnetizer and subject, it was assumed there was some kind of telepathic connection at work, and indeed, the usual expected results that could be achieved from this art included the same that hypnotism is known for, like smoking, drinking, weight management, etc., it was also commonly believed that mesmerism could produce clairvoyance, telepathy and other exotic phenomena. 

The book is written in an easy conversational style (albeit a very 19th century style). The most notable thing about this book is that it offers a rapid method of Mesmerism, utilizing touches on certain parts of the subject's head, in addition to the usual magnetic passes. Another thing is that he doesn't dwell on practice and exercises for projecting one's magnetic energy. (many of the books that I've read offer exercises for beginning Mesmerists like pointing your fingers at an empty chair to learn to project energy, or meditative energy gathering exercises). Typically mesmerism is a very slow process of making magnetic passes in front of the subject for at least half an hour, until trance is achieved (L.E.Young actually advised people to use hypnosis and not Mesmerism for stage shows because the Magnetic method was so slow and boring). 

The author attempts to demonstrate that Mesmerism is a common phenomenon, and uses the examples of rapport between animals and trainers. He then goes on to describe the science behind it, which is primarily Phrenology (a debunked science of how different parts of the mind work), and a version of neurology which little resembles what we know today. 

In addition to his own method, he presents three methods which he describes as being very popular (in his day). One is the slow method of magnetic passes, one is a kind of Mesmerism utilizing eye fixation that is called "Hypnotism" (that was probably brand new at the time!), and a kind of group operation. 

For his own method, he goes into depth, including the attitude and emotion the Magnetizer should be using, the importance of will power and persistence, the specific touches and passes he employs on stage for rapid Mesmerism, and how to chose the most responsive subjects (several times in the book he reminds us that while everyone can be mesmerized, only 40 people in 1000 will be really easily brought into trance).
He gives directions on the way a beginner should start, and what to expect, and also some effects that can be done with a subject that are still common today, like spinning hand, acting out suggestions, singing, etc., and some suggestions we wouldn't use today, like pushing sewing needles into their cheek, convincing them to eat candles like candy, making them believe they're chased by snakes or that their house is on fire, etc. Suggestions that are not at all common today but were part and parcel of the Mesmerism were the development of psychic skills like clairvoyance and telepathy, though he does warn that it may take a hundred sessions before some people will develop these abilities. He even offers instruction on "charging" a glass of water in order to bring the magnetic power right to the internal organs.

Overall, the author is very encouraging and stresses persistence and patience in developing this ability. He advises beginners who may have questions to consult their local Mesmerist or Clairvoyant, or even send letters to his home. He even offers some herbal substances that he feels may strengthen the beginner's performance, including quinine and a tonic made of Valerian, Catnip, Skullcap, Coriander and Capsicum (the first three herbs are known for their calming, anti-stress qualities).

I have never had any experience performing Mesmerism, so I can't discuss the efficacy of the book, but as a nice addition to a library of this kind of ephemera. I couldn't even fins an image of the original printing, but the book can be found on the web in PDF form, and facsimile editions can be got from https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en/books/MesmerismUnveiled_10834811

Book Report: Hypnosis (How to Unleash The Power of Your Mind WITHOUT DRUGS!) by H. D. Birns (c) 1968

Hypnosis (How to Unleash The Power of Your Mind WITHOUT DRUGS!) by H. D. Birns (c) 1968

This is a very competent introduction to the subject, with good, basic instructions in self hypnosis. As with most other books of this type, it discusses a bit of the history of hypnosis, common conceptions of hypnosis versus actual facts, and a few "case histories" to illustrate how individuals were affected by the use of hypnosis. At the time of writing this book, Hypnosis was practiced primarily by psychologists, and it was one of the possible treatment modalities that they might apply. One interesting historical note is that hypnosis, he says, became popular after WW2 to assist soldiers when there just weren't enough psychologists to go around, and Freudian Analysis (the common approach at the time) took too long.

The title itself is interesting and timely for the '60s when both psychiatric as well as psychedelic/recreational drugs were a hot topic.

The "payload" of this book is a straightforward, basic method of self-hypnosis that readers can use for themselves to create changes in their own habits. He distinguishes three levels of trance to help experimenters get to the levels that are best suited for the changes they want to make, visualization, and post-hypnotic suggestion.. He includes basic instructions for "glove anesthesia" an hypnotic method for pain control, and entire chapters discussing weight control, smoking, drinking anxiety, and general self-improvement. 

Further chapters discuss the spookier, more questionable applications of hypnosis that were particularly hot topics in those Cold War years, including commission of crimes, brainwashing, and subliminal advertising. Hypnotists are generally divided over whether a person can be hypnotized to do things they wouldn't normally do. This author feels that it is possible, and offers cases to back himself up, including legal cases, and the kind  of brainwashing done by Nazis and by the Communist Chinese. His discussion about "Subliminal Perception" (subliminal advertising) was also a hot topic at the time, and he has great faith in the power of it. Finally, he touches on hypnosis for ESP, and introduces Charles Richet's term "cryptesthesia" for telepathy, and feels hypnosis can enhance it. 

Overall, it's a really good, thorough introduction to the subject with enough practical information on self-hypnosis to get a curious beginner started, but without being overwhelming. He addresses a lot of hot-button issues of the time, which are still timely today, and for all the stories and studies he discusses, he includes the authors and sources, which is often not done.I'm actually surprised I wasn't able to find out more information about the author on line.

Book Report: The Human Dynamo by Hans Holzer (c)1975

The Human Dynamo by Hans Holzer (c)1975

Background Information: Hans Holzer, a tireless researcher of the paranormal, is the author of over 100 books on various aspects of the paranormal, and has been the inspiration for a number of TV shows about the paranormal. He often worked with well known spirit mediums, including Sybil Leek, who was quite popular in the 1960s. Most recently, his work with various mediums and haunted houses, has been revisited by the 2019 TV show, The Holzer Files (fittingly, 13 years after his death).
You can read more about Holzer on the web and here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Holzer

Another of Holzer's many books on metaphysical subjects. As a professional researcher of the paranormal, Holzer was exposed to all kinds of metaphysical phenomena, including religions, and in this book he synthesizes what he'd learned from various religious practices. 

The title, "Human Dynamo" refers to connecting to a higher power to achieve one's goals. He explains that every religion attempts to put it's followers in touch with Higher Power, either directly or thought the intermediary of a priest of some sort. He compares different perspectives, how some religions embody that Higher Power in some kind of anthropomorphized deity, how some pursue a direct connection and others not, etc. For people interested in comparative religions, this alone will make the book an interesting discussion. He analyses both religion and prayer separately, and feels that prayer can be effective if it follows certain guidelines, and even that there are certain natural laws governing the effectiveness of it.

This book was written in the 1970s, before Law Of Attraction was a big thing, but there was a great deal of interest in both old religion and New Age spirituality, and this book attempts to satisfy those interests. So he deconstructs prayer into a basic system he feels will be effective based on the "natural laws of prayer." He ferrets out the ten elements for a successful ritual, and finally, posits a modern religion for the new age, including practical prayers, designed to connect with a kind of universal power, although he feels it's perfectly fine to imagine that power as a god or looking like anything that appeals to you, if it helps you to connect. 

I found it interesting to not that while he discusses prayer in depth, so far as Asking for assistance, he doesn't really cover the idea of connecting with the Universal Power for it's own sake, as in meditation. 

It's an interesting read. Coming from the 21 century, where my email inbox is continually bombarded with people preaching various spins on Law Of Attraction and Various New Age practices, it's interesting to go back to a time where very few people claimed to know anything, and it was an open and uncluttered field.

 

Book Report: Hypnosis: Key to Psychic Powers by Simeon Edmunds (c) 1968

Hypnosis: Key to Psychic Powers by Simeon Edmunds (c) 1968

Background Information: Simeon Edmunds was a researches for the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) and a hypnotist. He took a very scientific approach to examining psychic phenomena and was generally skeptical of spiritism, but open to psychic phenomena. His writing is clear and readable.
"Paths to Inner Power" is a series of books on various metaphysical and magical practices. 

This is a small, straightforward book describing the various psychic phenomena--Clairvoyance, Traveling Clairvoyance (like and out of body Experience), Precognition, Postcognition, Psychokinesis, Suggestion at a Distance and "Exteriorization of Sensation" which is the mechanism behind voodoo dolls. 

For such juicy topics, this book is surprisingly straightforward and well defined. If you're looking for an introduction to these topics, this is a good one to start with.

Book Report: The Secret Wisdom of the Qabalah by J.F.C. Fuller

The Secret Wisdom of the Qabalah by J.F.C. Fuller 

Background Information: The Publisher, The Yogi Publication Society is a press started by William Walker Atkinson at the turn of the 20tdh century to promote his writings on "New Thought," which was the New Age movement of the time. Atkinson himself was quite a character. He was a prolific writer, with over 150 books to his credit, often under any of several pen names. He rose to prominence at the beginning of the 20th century, but seems to have become forgotten in the following decades, though he and the Yogi Publication books are experiencing a new renaissance at the beginning of the 21 century.
Many of the books were written by Atkinson, but they also published other prominent metaphysical works by other authors. The company has changed hands a number of times, so many that the original history was lost to the current owners, but the books are still in print, and still inspiring spiritual seekers.

Before I can even touch on the content of the book, it's necessary to talk about the author. There are some people and events in history that are just so peculiar, so unlikely, that they test the bounds of believably. Such is the case of JFC "Boney" Fuller, the author of this work. I've got more in-depth links below, but in a nutshell, Fuller's greatest fame is as the father of modern tank warfare. He literally wrote the book on tank strategy (actually several), and much of it is still used today. He had mostly retired from military work after WW1, but was still influential as the tank became a dominant weapon in the theater of war. Despite being British, he was an ardent Fascist and a friend of Adolph Hitler. He was invited to Der Fuhrer's 50th birthday, and upon observing the rank upon rank of tanks and mechanized infantry passing, Hitler asked "How do you like your children?" Fuller responded, "They've grown so fast I hardly recognize them!" 

Fuller has been given credit for Blitzkreig warfare. This is the wacky part: Fuller based his concepts of tank warfare on concepts taken from the Kaballah. Life is stranger than you can imagine. Despite being a fascist and Nazi sympathizer he was also an enthusiastic devotee of the ancient Jewish mystical tradition. Go figure.
https://www.historynet.com/jfc-boney-fuller-wacko-genius-of-armored-warfare.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._F._C._Fuller

As for the book itself, I must preface by saying I know very little about this subject, so I can't discuss it from a critical point of view. The book itself sticks to it's topic, and introduces a lot of interesting concepts. We've probably all seen the Kaballah diagram, with it's 3 pillars and 10 particular "sephiroth," and this book does a nice job of explaining them and also reconciling it with modern relatable concepts, as well as religious concepts. The Author describes how all of this represents the evolution of things through three levels from inspiration and concept to it's physical incarnation, but also the changes that a thing can go through during that evolution, and that's what the Kaballah tries to map out. The value of that seems apparent. 

Like a lot of people, I'm actually more familiar with the Taoist concept of Yin and Yang, and if you are too, you'll appreciate a lot of similarities. Both systems attempt to create a model inclusive of everything, in such a way as to find a repeatable, accessible, scientific pattern. You'll find a cyclical evolution across two opposite poles (yin/yang in Taoism, Severity/Mercy in Kaballah). While the names in Kaballah may sound more judgemental, they actually represent non-judgemental polar opposites the way yin and yang do. In a way, Kaballah is like Taoism turned 90 degrees, and offers valuable perspectives. As with Taoism, this is a a way of looking at things that one would have to put on for a while like a glasses and endeavor to see the world through if one wants to understand it completely.

Book Report: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (c)2007

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (c)2007

Background Information: "Malcolm Gladwell is the author of five New York Times bestsellers — The Tipping Point, Blink,Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath. He is also the co-founder of Pushkin Industries, an audio content company that produces the podcasts Revisionist History, which reconsiders things both overlooked and misunderstood, and Broken Record, where he, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam interview musicians across a wide range of genres. Gladwell has been included in the TIME 100 Most Influential People list and touted as one of Foreign Policy’s Top Global Thinkers." (from the Author's web page: https://www.gladwellbooks.com/)

Another national bestseller that I really wanted to include because it is SO pertinent to people who are interested in the day-to-day functioning of the subconscious mind. 

The catchy subtitle to this book is "the Power of Thinking Without Thinking" but more specifically, it's about the way our subconscious mind makes "intuitive" decisions in the blink of an eye, when they work and when they don't. Gladwell's writing is direct and engaging, which makes the book a breezy read even though he touches on a lot of data and from scientific studies and interviews with the experts. 

Utilizing a series of situations where important decisions had to be made in the blink of an eye, he first presents that instantaneous decision, and gradually delves deeper into what is going on psychologically that makes this kind of decision so much more than random. Rather, he uses the term "thin slice" to refer to the way we are able to make an appropriate decision based on a thin slice of the information. In many of these cases, the thin-slice decision is contrary to more well-informed and long-deliberated decisions, and is often the right one. 

We start a well-authenticated ancient sculpture that just rubbed some of the experts the wrong way, and indeed, turned out to be a forgery, though at the time, the experts were hard-pressed to say why it felt wrong. We'll soon be introduced to scientists, relationship experts, military brass and police who can make snap decisions and seeming mind-reading, and discover what the qualities and criteria are that lets them do it accurately and what causes them to screw up. 

Some of the discussions will examine the effect of prior experience on decision making, deliberate research that prepares one for making snap decisions accurately, the effect of too much information on decision making, and how subconscious influences can change our decisions.

This book makes a great companion to Shankar Vedantam's "The Hidden Brain" and even includes some crossover information.
https://successworkhypnosis.blogspot.com/2021/10/book-report-hidden-brain-by-shankar.html

Book Report: Crystal Gazing by Theodore Besterman (c) 1924

Crystal Gazing by Theodore Besterman (c) 1924

This is not a how-to, but rather an encyclopedic compilation of all kinds of methods of scrying (psychic visualizations utilizing some kind of object). There's certainly nothing that engages the imagination as much as a crystal ball, but as it turns out, people have been staring into all kinds of things seeking cues about the future and answers to their questions, such as staring into water, into ink, into the reflection of a fingernail, and of course, staring into crystals.

Whether you're a fan of psychic phenomena or of folklore, this is an edifying book to spend time with. The author researched and catalogued a vast number of different methods and traditions from different times and places around the world. Some of these techniques make the crystal ball seem positively mundane, like staring at a handful of ink or the reflection in an oiled thumbnail!

The book is divided into chapters based on the technique, culture, famous historical scryers, and so forth. There's also some scientific discussion of the process and it's veracity. 

In the first part of the 20th century, there was a great deal of serious research into things like clairvoyance and crystal gazing, and the British Society for Psychical Research was one of the most dedicated. Why a movie has never been made of the place is beyond me, since its members included some of the greatest scientists and public figures of the day, and they were passionately divided between true believers and adamant skeptics (in some cases, such as the curious Miss X, Ada Freer, one person was both an expert scryer and a debunker). 

Theodore Besterman was a skeptical member of the society for a number of years before going on to a career as a noted bibliographer and writer. This book is an impressive bit of scolarship, especially since he wrote it when he was only 20 years old!

Book Report: Hypnotism by George Estabrooks (c) 1959

Hypnotism by George Estabrooks (c) 1959

Background Information: There are a few Hypnotists who are considered the most influential of the 20th century. Dave Elman and Milton Erickson are usually named, but there's good reason to include a George Estabrooks as a third. He isn't known for his technique, but rather his application--he pursued applications for hypnosis far beyond what most people were able, or at any rate, willing, to go, and he did extensive work for the military and with the notorious MKULTRA project.

It's a real pity that this little book is so rare and difficult to find, since it's a excellent addition to any hypnotist's bookshelf. It's not a how-to book (sorry!) but rather an attempt by an expert to fully explain hypnotism to the lay public, and because of Estabrooks rather, uh, unique character and experiences, he can include observations that few other books do. 

If Elman was the master of "Authoritative" hypnosis, and Erickson was the impish master of "Permissive" hypnosis, Estabrooks comes across as an Evil Scientist of hypnosis, right out of a 60s spy movie. Well, maybe not quite "evil." He fully explains his position: he feels that, as a scientist, his job is to pursue the truth wherever it leads, without regard to social mores or even morality. In many way he's not wrong. This attitude allowed him to really examine Hitler's techniques for mob control scientifically and dispassionately, and he even makes the statement that he felt Hitler was the greatest (albeit evilest) hypnotist of all time. On the other hand, Esterbrooks also worked enthusiastically with the military and the CIA on various secret mind control projects, including the notorious MKUltra.
(Interestingly, it was probably not known at the time, but Hitler actually was coached in dealing with crowds by an Austrian-Jewish friend --Erik Jan Hanussen-- who was a theatrical hypnotist and mentalist, famous throughout Europe for his incredible and elaborate presentations that seemed to entrance the entire theater. It is very likely that the infamous Nuremberg Rallies were choreographed based on Hanussen's teachings).

Throughout the book, it seems the author takes a certain glee at his own amorality, such as when he jubilantly describes the way he felt hypnosis could be used to embed secrets in the memory of a spy and no matter how much he was tortured, he'd never reveal the secret, or even know he had it in his head. I don't know how true that is, but his claims that it could be done, as well as his claim that he could turn someone into a "Manchurian candidate"-style assassin certainly captured the imagination of many conspiracy theory fans. To me it seems more like the work of a professor who just enjoys shocking his audience, but who knows?

Nevertheless, Estabrooks' book is primarily written to inform the public about the hypnotic nature of the mind and what hypnosis is from a scientific point of view--not a magic power to be feared, but a psychological function that operates by certain rules of it's own, and one that can be harnessed by others, accidentally or deliberately. 

In one of the more important passages of the book, he specifies that the public has no reason to feat a scientist in a lab, since they will never have any interaction with the public, but rather that the ordinary person should be wary when they hear a seemingly ordinary speaker or  politician on TV who's speech is so stirring that the listener feels compelled to get up and do something. 

If you can get your hands on a copy, do read it. I was lucky enough to have found a copy of the paperback for about five bucks, with the stylish cover designed by the well known designer Milton Glaser (who would go on to redefine graphic design of the 60s and 70s), but foolishly gave it away to a friend. If you're interested in the design, here's a link to other M. Glaser book cover designs: https://archives.sva.edu/blog/post/milton-glasers-early-book-covers

Here's a very interesting article by a British hypnotist, Dan Jones, based on Estabrooks analysis of how Hitler turned a civilized country into a rabid, bloodthirsty mob: https://pressroom.journolink.com/dan-jones/release/the_components_of_mass_mind_control__inciting_mobs_uncovered_for_new_educational_video_by_hypnothera_8199

Book Report: Hypnotherapy by Dave Elman (c) 1970

Hypnotherapy by Dave Elman (c) 1970

Background Information:  Dave Elman is one of the two or three "big names" in 20th century hypnosis (the others being Milton Erickson and George Estabrooks). Regardless what style of hypnosis you do or are interested in, you will have encountered some "Elman" elements. Elman was a radio personality and amateur hypnotist, but his technique was so reliable that it was embraced by scientists and medical people.
https://daveelmanhypnosisinstitute.com/DaveElman-pg2.html

If you're interested in practicing hypnosis, or you just want a better understanding of the nuts-and-bolts of the hypnotizing process, this book is a must have. Elman is considered the main figure of "Authoritarian" or "Prestige" hypnosis, which simply means that it's a more formal process, when the practitioner gives the subject formal suggestions to follow. The well known "Elman Induction" is a series of mental imageries ("deepeners") and exercises that a hypnotist can present to his subject that reliably bring that person into a state of hypnotic trance (an induction is the verbal patter that the hypnotist uses to guide the subject into an hypnotic trance). With a little bit of basic knowledge, you could probably read an Elman Induction off a sheet of paper and reliably talk someone into an hypnotic state. This book describes how each single element of the Elman Induction came about, and what it does (Personally, I don't think they're quite as cut-and-dried in real life as they are in the book, but you'll have to be the judge of that). At the time he was writing this book, he was teaching his technique to a lot of dentists for painless extractions, so you can imagine that's a tough sell if the techniques didn't work! 

So if you want to demystify The Staircase, The Lost Numbers and other hypnotic goodies, you have to read this book. It's a cornerstone of modern hypnosis.

Book Report: Astral Travel for Beginners by Richard Webster (c) 1998

Astral Travel for Beginners by Richard Webster (c) 1998 

Background Information: Richard Webster is an award winning author and one of New Zealand's most successful and prolific authors, having written over 100 books on the subjects that he's passionate about, including New Age topics, magic tricks and mentalism. He's has written beginner's guides to all sorts of metaphysical topics.
https://www.richardwebster.co.nz/

A pretty thorough guide to going places while staying home! The author discusses the history and lore of Astral Travel, also known as an Out-of-Body-Experience (OOBE of OBE) as well as all it's variations, like mind travel, deliberate and spontaneous travel, bilocation, etheric doubles and more. Much of the book is a collection of various techniques and their histories, so that the aspiring traveler can find the one that appeals to them the most. Various preparatory relaxation and meditation exercises are also included.

Book Report: Neuro Linguistic Programming Vol. 1, by Dilts, Grinder, Bandler, DeLozier (c) 1980

Neuro Linguistic Programming Vol. 1,  by Dilts, Grinder, Bandler, DeLozier (c) 1980

This book may be too dry and technical for the curious layman, but for the experienced practitioner, it is an invaluable resource, and highly recommended. It is so full of engaging perspectives and techniques that my biggest frustration was not having enough people around to try everything out on. 

I came to this book after having learned and done NLP professionally for a number of years, and even though this dates back to the early days of NLP, it really is a treasure chest! 

The NLP that I've learned from a lot of different sources and teachers is a big amalgam of thought and technique based on so many different things that I usually refer to it as a kind of "toolbox." For nearly any situation, I can reach in and pull out just the right thing tool for the job. But being able to go back to the early days of the science, I could really clearly see how, at the root level, it really is all about defining the existing patterns of behavior that the client is currently employing both internally and in their interactions with the world.
"...how to..unpack and repack behavior..into efficient and communicable sequences that will be available to every member of the species." (P.2)

Being a book who's partial purpose is to introduce a new science to a critical audience, they are careful to offer rational, scientific explanations of everything they discus. If you're a practitioner and you've had to deal with people who are critical of the science behind NLP, here you may find answers to back you up if you've been needing them. 

Utilizing the basic sensory modalities of Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic (VAK) as the things through which we interact with our world, the book shows us how structures are built up into strategies, and how to work with them. The TOTE (Test, Operate, Test, Exit) model is very much used as the basic logical structure, and you find the kind of VAK/thought diagramming of processes that was the hallmark of those early years, and betrays the cybernetic thinking that went into it. 

Of course you'll find all the techniques you know and love, anchoring, modeling and so forth, all clearly delineated within the framework, and there's a big emphasis on ecology checks. 

There just so much practical and theoretical material, as well as tips and tricks, that it's a book worth whatever you pay for it.

Book Report: The Celestine Prophesy by James Redfield (c) 1993

The Celestine Prophesy by James Redfield (c) 1993

This book of pop-philosophy found the perfect formula to rocket it to a New York Times Bestseller-- it's a novel, full of interesting, relatable characters who go off on a quest to discover the "9 Insights of the Celestine Prophesy." It's exciting, fast paced and full of movement. The Insights talk of a coming worldwide spiritual awakening, what to expect, and how to deal with it when it comes. It's very inspirational, and some of the Insights warn that there will be difficult times ahead, but it's all part of the grand scheme.

Clearly a lot of people loved this book and the sequels, and found real, practical value in what the author offered, and I think that's great. And if you liked this book, or you're curious to read it, by all means do so and form your own opinions.

SPOILER ALERT-- GROUCHFEST TO FOLLOW!!!

A lot of the books in my collection are pretty cheesy, as you've probably noticed already. Some were obviously banged out to make a buck, others were earnestly written by true believers. I usually find something useful in even the least plausible of them. I generally try to keep my opinions, good or bad, out of the reports, since other people may have different perspectives and tastes. While there is surely useful stuff in this particular book, the entire thing really rubbed me the wrong way. 

Right off the top, the Nine Insights of the Celestine Prophesy, that they have to go questing all over the world to find, are from an ancient Mayan Text from 600BC., which was written in Aramaic and found in Peru! NONE of that makes any sense, and no later explanation --I'm guessing there will be in some later volume-- can excuse this. Mayans are a Central and South American culture. Aramaic is a Middle Eastern Language. I'm not sure if either of those was around in 600BC, and they weren't in the same sides of the Earth. Even if they were, it probably wouldn't be Peru, because the Incas were already there, not the Mayans or the middle Easterners. On top of that, it seems like every character in the book, including random strangers, already knows the secrets, or knows where to find them, EXCEPT our heroes, which makes the narrative really wooden and simple. 

For what it's worth, Packaging the core Insights in the form of an adventure novel is brilliant marketing, but the whole thing just rubbed me the wrong way.

Book Report: The Self Hypnosis Book by Cherith Powell and Greg Ford (c)1995

The Self Hypnosis Book by Cherith Powell and Greg Ford (c)1995

This is a pretty standard and useful book on self hypnosis. It thoroughly describes how hypnosis works and how you can use it. 

It starts with basic hypnotic inductions and goes on to scripts for various practical goals, like weight loss, healing, confidence and so forth. 

With it, you can easily make your own self-hypnosis recordings to axchieve your goals. 

This book originally came with a tape cassette of the hypnotic sessions. (Mine didn't include it, so I can't comment on the quality of the recordings).

Book Report: The Einstein Factor by Win Wenger and Richard Poe (c) 1996

The Einstein Factor by Win Wenger and Richard Poe (c) 1996

This is a really interesting and thought provoking book. The Author, Win Wenger has spent most of his career exploring methods for accelerated learning, increasing intelligence and enhancing creativity, and has written over 50 books on the topic for educators and lay people. 

The book includes a series of easy and interesting mental exercises, which he encourages you to try as soon as you've read them. There's also explanations of the concepts behind them, but throughout the book he stresses that you have to actually take action to get results. 

His basic exercise, is something called "Image Streaming," which is as simple as closing your eyes and being aware of images that you see, while describing them to a partner or an audio recorder. He claims this had been proven to increase the IQ scores in test subjects, and with something so simple, why not give it a try? 

That building block forms the basis for many of the other exercises in the book which are designed to improve creativity, inspiration, descriptive skills and much more. 

The book is also available as an audiobook from Nightingale-Conant, and the author is and engaging and entertaining speaker.

Book Report: Paravision by Roderigo Medeiros (c) 2018

Paravision by Roderigo Medeiros (c) 2018

If you want to develop your clairvoyance and you're particularly visual, this is the book for you! 

The book offers extensive instruction on seeing the aura of the things and people around you, and then expands that to other clairvoyant perceptions. There is a equal balance of theory and instruction, and since this practice belongs to the Conscientiology organization (not to be confused with Scientology), you can expect a certain amount of group-specific terminology.

Book Report: Witchcraft and Folklore of Dartmoor by Ruth St. Leger Gordon (c) 1965

Witchcraft and Folklore of Dartmoor by Ruth St. Leger Gordon (c) 1972

Waitaminit, you say, so far all the books you posted had some practical connection to mind-phenomena of various sorts, but isn't this book a bit of a stretch? When I bought it, I never expected I'd be including it in this list. It's primarily a lot of fun and spooky folklore from one particular corner of England. The author's stated intent was to preserve some of the disappearing mythology of her community, and I imagine it also finds a lot of interest with the tourist trade for that area. (I love stories like this and this would be a fun read after watching Hammer Film's "The Wicker Man" with Christopher Lee!).

There's information that might be of some use to aspiring witches, but what earned this book a place on my hypnosis blog is a rather extensive discussion of healing, which sounds to me an awful lot like hypnosis. Close enough, at least to merit a little examination. 

Apparently, while "black witchcraft," hexes and so forth, are traditionally frowned upon, the area has a strong history of "white witchcraft" particularly healing warts, ringworm and other skin-diseases, and at the time of writing (c. 1960-70), the local hospital was directing patients with warts to the local witches! More mainstream hypnotic references had observed that warts, of all things, respond strongly to hypnosis, so examining the local wart-witches has a little hypnotic interest. Apparently each witch had their own unique method, from rubbing them with a peapod to "buying" them for a few coins, but belief is a necessary component. 

It was sociologically interesting that each witch assembled their own set of spells which were passed from generation to generation, but not amongst the women, as you might expect. Rather it was passed from one gender to another, ie: mothers passed the secrets to the sons, and fathers to the daughters. If the intended recipient didn't have the necessary talent, that tradition might be broken, and the spells might even be passed to a stranger if necessary. 

If you like to move out of the usual spheres and find some wild hypnosis on the hoof, this book is a fun adventure!

Book Report: Spiritualism and Clairvoyance for Beginners by Elizabeth Owens (c) 2005

Spiritualism and Clairvoyance for Beginners by Elizabeth Owens (c) 2005

If there's a book that would guide a person to success in this area of study, this would be the book. The writing projects sincerity and experience, and offers clear reasoning and well explained methods. To go a step further, she has enlisted SIX other professional clairvoyance to offer their own insights and techniques to each topic. 

What is extremely practical  about this work is her approach to interpretation of the whatever you perceive. This skill can be extended to interpreting more than just psychic visions. Her approach is good for dreams, feelings, and if you work with clients, it can be helpful for refining some of the ambiguities that they express.

The author is confident that the kind of symbols you get in your clairvoyant perceptions comes from the spirits you make contact with. But I imagine that if you're not so keen on getting your data from spirits, but you do fancy that you can develop psychic skills, these exercises will probably work well anyway. 

One very useful concept the author offers is not to merely interpret the symbols you receive, but to ask for a specific sort of set of symbols. This is a great concept whether you're interpreting predictions form the ether or working with client's representations.

For the psychic explorer, this book is full of insights and exercises, moreso than most other, similar books. For those interested in interpreting symbolic imagery, it is clever and insightful.

Book Report Cross Reference by Topic

Before I post too many more book reports, I though it would be useful to cross reference them by topic:

Hypnosis:
Advance Techniques of Hypnosis,
Hypnotism,
Practical Hypnotism and Mesmerism,
The Power of Hypnosis,
Professional Stage Hypnotism,
25 Lessons in Hypnotism,
The Science of Hypnotism,
Master Secrets of Hypnosis and Self-Hypnosis,
The Laws of Psychic Phenomena,
Witchcraft and Folklore of Dartmoor,
Hypnotherapy,
Hypnotism,
Hypnosis: Key to Psychic Power,
Hypnosis: How to Unleash the Power of Your Mind WITHOUT DRUGS!

Mesmerism:
Practical Hypnotism and Mesmerism,
The Science of Hypnotism,
The Laws of Psychic Phenomena,
Mesmerism Unveiled!

NLP: Neuro Linguistic Programmming Vol. 1

Auto-suggestion and Self-Hypnosis:
Advance Techniques of Hypnosis,
Self-Mastery Through Conscious Auto-suggestion,
The Practice of Auto-Suggestion,
Self Hypnosis: Creating Your Own Destiny,
Master Secrets of Hypnosis and Self-Hypnosis,
The Self Hypnosis Book,
Hypnosis: How to Unleash the Power of Your Mind WITHOUT DRUGS!

Telepathy and ESP:
Dream Telepathy,
Parapsychology Today,
Are You Psychic?,
You Are Psychic!,
Psycho-Kinesis,
The Laws of Psychic Phenomena,
Spiritualism and Clairvoyance for Beginners,
Paravision,
Crystal Gazing,
Hypnosis: Key to Psychic Power,
Mental Dominance,
Training Manual for Sight Without Eyes

Scientific Methodology:
Dream Telepathy,
Parapsychology Today,
Science and the Supernatural,
The Invisible Gorilla

Self-Help and Positive Thinking:
Self-Mastery Through Conscious Auto-suggestion,
The Practice of Auto-Suggestion,
Secret Mental Powers:The Miracle of Mind Magic,
The Magic of Psychic Power,
The Einstein Factor,
Hypnosis:
How to Unleash the Power of Your Mind WITHOUT DRUGS!,
Getting What You Want,
Outliers,

Psychology:
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,
The Hidden Brain,
The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity,
Blink,
Getting What You Want,
The Invisible Gorilla,
Fundamentals of Psychology in Context,

Intelligence:
The Einstein Factor, Outliers,

History of Hypnosis:
The Science of Hypnotism,
The Laws of Psychic Phenomena,
25 Lessons in Hypnotism,
Practical Hypnotism and Mesmerism,
Hypnotism

Stage Hypnosis:
Professional Stage Hypnotism, 

Spiritualism:
Spiritualism and Clairvoyance for Beginners,
The Celestine Prophesy,
The Human Dynamo,
Psychonavigation

Symbol Interpretation:
Spiritualism and Clairvoyance for Beginners,
The Einstein Factor

Folklore:
Witchcraft and Folklore of Dartmoor,
Crystal Gazing,
Psychonavigation

Other Metaphysical:
Astral Travel for Beginners,
The Secret Wisdom of the Qabalah,
Psychonavigation 

Remote Viewing: 
Training Manual for Sight Without Eye, 
The Laws of Psychic Phenomena

Book Report: The Laws of Psychic Phenomena by Thompson J. Hudson (c)1893

The Laws of Psychic Phenomena by Thompson J. Hudson (c)1893

This is a big book that discusses a lot material dealing with the mind and consciousness, and is well worth a read, even if you're not a devotee of psychic phenomena. I imagine that in it's day, it was widely received, considering that it was discussed in other books of the period, including some of William Walker Atkinson's writings on New Thought (and I think he even lifted a paragraph or two directly!) The author was a lawyer with a keen and logical mind.

Within the scope of the book is a great deal of what was then cutting edge psychological thinking, some of which is still valid today. At the time he was writing his book, spiritism was very popular with the public, and some of the top thinkers of the day were investigating the possibility of any validity to their seances. While the author is confident in telepathic psychic phenomena, he is not a believer in spirits of the dead or the ability of spiritualists to communicate with them, but he is willing to concede that some genuine psychic phenomena may unwillingly be generated by the spirit mediums themselves, and he also explores the psychology he feels is behind both the people involved and the practice which produces what seems to be messages from beyond.

He describes the Conscious mind and the Subconscious mind as the objective and subjective minds, respectively, and that practical terminology is still occasionally used today. His observations on the subjective/subconscious mind are particularly valid and modern-sounding, such as it's ability to focus deeply on a subject while being oblivious to things like the passage of time, how it has incredible recall of memory, and how it has little objective judgement and so it can easily be led into imaginary experiences and even hallucinations. He even posits that some mental illnesses may be the result of an imbalance between the objective and subjective minds. 

In discussing the three big varieties of hypnotism at the time of his time -- those of James Braid, The Nancy School of France, and Mesmerism-- he defines them more practically with the following terms: "Physical hypnotism" for Braid's use of physical suggestion, like the eye-lock (subject rolls his eyes upward until eye fatigue occurs), "Suggestive Hypnotism" for the Nancy practitioners that employed purely verbal techniques, and "Magnetic/Fluidic Hypnotism" to refer to Mesmerism.   

A lot of his book discusses events and experiments being published at the time which come from a variety of sources, from newspapers to the official publications of scientific organizations, and he examines them with a clear an logical mind. 

Of  course, he is very confident in the reality of psychic phenomena, and his book, after all, is an attempt to bring it from an occult art to an applicable science. He examines various practices for their effectiveness and finally endorses Mesmerism, since it is the only trance method that employs the metaphysical magnetic fluid that seems to be responsible for psychic phenomena. He discusses telepathy and also remote healing (another very popular subject art that time), and cites examples recorded by the British Society for Psychical Research. His primary interest in in what is called "Mental Therapeutics" which is to say, using Mesmeric power for healing people. To that end, in Chapter 13, he presents "A New System of Mental Therapeutics," which takes into consideration all the latest data (from 1893), some of which he cites in the book. (Some rather un-PC experiments carried out by the experimenters from the British Society involved projecting a "ghost" of themselves into the bedrooms of unsuspecting female acquaintances, and happily reporting that the terrified women contacted them the next day to tell them of the of their experience!)

His simple solution to the eternal bugaboo of why time and distance are irrelevant in psychic communication is surprisingly simple-- those dimensions are relevant only to the objective/conscious mind. Psychic phenomena is subjective communication.

Towards the end of the book, he reconciles his scientific psychic observations with Christianity, which he feels are completely compatible. If this sort of thing interests you, he offers some interesting observations -- if people had a better understanding of the laws of psychic phenomena, the biblical descriptions of Jesus' miracles would have been much shorter and more technical, that the subconscious/objective mind is the immortal soul of the person and that the objective mind is merely a kind of logical function, and more. 

 

What is the Difference Betweeen Hypnosis and Mesmerism? And Does it Have Anything to Do with Chi or Prana?

 When you're talking to the public at large, the terms Hypnosis and Mesmerism are often used interchangeably, but even hypnotic some practitioners tend not to be sure what the difference is. 

First off, let's define what hypnosis is. Even practicing hypnotists don't always agree on a definition for "hypnosis," but I hope I can offer a definition that will satisfy both the practitioner and the curious layman. How's this:
Hypnosis is a way of offering suggestions to a client in a way that influences their subconscious mind  and bypasses their conscious resistance, so they accept new behaviors and concepts or alters their existing perceptions. How's that? Usually, it means talking to the client in a way that guide them into a relaxed state where they are open to accepting therapeutic suggestions. 

You can look up all sorts of information about hypnosis, including it's history and methods, so I won't waste your time with a lot of that, except to say that it's generally accepted that modern hypnosis dates back to the 19th. century with the Nancy School in France, and with James Braid in the England. Braid, in particular, is given the credit for the term hypnosis (actually, he said "neuro-hypnosis," though he preferred "neurypnology"). Braid's method, as far as I've been able to discover, was fairly straightforward: He would hold a shiny silver scalpel-case, about the size of a pencil case, slightly above eye level of his subjects and bid them stare at it while he gave them suggestions to sink into a deeply relaxed state, until their eyes were fatigued. They would eventually close their eyes and go deeper, but still maintaining a certain mental focus developed from staring at the silver case. in this state, his subjects were open to therapeutic suggestions, accepting them uncritically (OK, there's more to the process, but you get the idea).  

Hypnosis rapidly replaced the much older practice of Mesmerism. Their therapeutic goals were similar, but as one practitioner of both noted, Mesmerism was a much slower and less reliable process. While an hypnotic trance could be induced in 15 minutes or less, mesmerism typically took a half hour or more, and might require more than one sitting just to get it to work at all. Today, Mesmerism is a nearly lost art. 

What is Mesmerism? Some elements of mesmerism are identical to hypnosis, particularly the idea of inducing a relaxed state in the subject in order to achieve therapeutic effects. But from the ground up, mesmerism is very different.
The basis of Mesmerism is "Animal Magnetism" which is not a 1960s cologne, but a kind of energy generated by all living things. The theory was that a healthy individual produced a lot of it and it flowed naturally throughout a person's body, but an unhealthy person might chalk his illness up to weak or badly circulating energy. So a Mesmerist would use his own animal magnetism, or occasionally actual magnets, to influence the energy and flow of of the patient to flow correctly. A Mesmerist might engage in healing by laying on of hands, or he might even work with a partner and induce rapport between the patent and the partner which would cause the illness to travel to the partner, and by treating the partner, was able to heal the patient through a metaphysical connection. 

Historically, the word "Mesmerism" comes from Anton Mesmer, who may not have originated the theory himself, but as a young, highly regarded medical doctor married to a wealthy noble woman, was in a unique position to devote both his good name and his wife's fortune to creating a clinic to study and spread the "science" of Mesmerism. His clinic attracted hundreds of patients, most of which he didn't charge, and he seems to have gotten very good results, which for a time, made him very popular. Sadly, times turned and facing an increasingly more criticism from both the public and the science community, his reputation eroded. 

Most commonly, a Mesmerist would use downward "magnetic passes" of his hands in front of the patent to create a trance state in the patient do the work called for, and re-energizing them by making upward magnetic passes afterwards. Some older 20th century hypnotists, like Ormond McGill, still employed the occasional magnetic pass in their hypnotism. 

In order to be an effective Mesmerist, a practitioner had to build up his own animal magnetism and to learn how to project it reliably, and some of the old books describe exercises for that, such as practicing projecting their energy towards and empty chair, and a Mesmerist would learn to project their power both with their hands and also with their eyes, (just like Dracula!). 

There is no question that when Mesmerism worked, it worked. James Esdaile, a 19th century British surgeon working in India, was able to remove horrific, 80 pound tumors from his patients with minimal bleeding and rapid healing, using mesmerism as an anesthetic. (he achieved a kind of "hypnotic coma" to do the surgery, which is named after him, the Esdaile State).

Whether the mesmeric results were achieved by animal magnetism or by simple suggestion is debatable. Braid and others felt that all the passes and mystery were simply psychological suggestions and there was no magnetism. And scientific thought of the 20th century closed the book on the animal magnetism theory. 

Maybe it was Chi or Prana? The  cultivation of Animal Magnetism may be a lost art, but the concept seems to be a universal one, still alive and well in other cultures. In Indian culture they call the magnetic energy Prana, in Asian cultures is Chi or Ki. Most of these systems cultivate their magnetic energy for personal health. Some of the Asian ones also practice a kind of hands-on healing similar to some Mesmeric practices. Some of the Indian practitioners talk about the sort of psychic effects that Mesmerists used to talk about. To the best of my knowledge, however, the extensive use of metaphysical force to produce trance was a particular specialty of the Mesmerists.  

I suppose this article wouldn't be complete without mentioning Dr. Marco Paret in France, who seems to be the only person still teaching Mesmerism. I don't really know anything more about him that I've seen on his website and Youtube videos, but you can find his site here: http://www.marcoparet.com/

Book Report: The Magic of Psychic Power by David Schwartz (c)1968

The Magic of Psychic Power by David Schwartz (c)1968

If this book were written today, it would be called something like "The Secrets of the World's Most Successful People and How to Become One Yourself," or something like that, and it would be displayed prominently in the business section of the bookstore. Having been written in the 60s, it's called what it is. Interestingly, one of his earlier books, "The Magic of Thinking Big" has done precisely that, and is an all-time best seller, with a number of well known people citing it as the motivation for their success.

There's very little "magic" of the Halloween variety, and most of the "psychic power" has to do with psychological practices that can motivate you towards success in the things you want to do.

Starting with Schwartz' First Law: "80% of everything good is owned by 20% of the people," he encourages the reader to stop giving up his power to others and start going after what you really want. 

This is pop-psychology at it's finest, and when it comes to motivation, not a bad book at all. The author has evidently done a great deal of research and thought, and worked with many, many clients, the result of which is that he's thoroughly mapped our lists of all the things that hold most people back (his Seven Deadly Sins that Produce Failure, and Six forms of Psychological Slavery, for example), and explores each in detail. He then offers a number of ways to be3come successful at your chosen area, with advice taken from Disraeli, Steve McQueen, Lyndon Johnson, Churchill and others, as well as his own practical strategies to motivate people, develop leadership qualities, avoid worry and overcome fears, and more. 

There's a series of "Psychic Conditioners" which are reframes and affirmations designed to fire up your motivation and change the way you look at things. 

This book won't tell you how to move things with you mind, but it may do more. It had a lot of practical ways to overcome your limiting beliefs and behaviors. If you're a Practitioner of changework, some of these techniques would be very good for your clients.

Book Report: Master Secrets of Hypnosis and Self-Hypnosis by Kurt Tepperwein (c)1991

Master Secrets of Hypnosis and Self-Hypnosis by Kurt Tepperwein (c)1991 

I think I said everything about this book in my original review for Thriftbooks, where I purchased it. I'll expand on it just a little bit:

This is a very impressive looking book! It's serious and thick and looks great on the shelf. One of the reasons it's so thick, though, is that the type is really big! The author does include a lot of information. It's worth noting that this is a translation from the original German, so there may be a lot lost in translation.  

For all the information included, a lot of it was not very well explained. I was also frustrated that it's not a very well organized book. The author may start on one topic and then go off on a different tangent. (perhaps this is due to it being a translation?). The first part of the book contain a number of inductions. Some are very interesting and novel, some are very old fashioned, and some just seem awkward. He doesn't really fully explain the hypnotic process as thoroughly as he could have, and those inductions are so short that, unless the hypnotist has established really strong "prestige" over his client, they may or may not always work. Some techniques rely on mesmerism, which is very old fashioned, and some rely on actually placing hands on clients, which can be problematic in a professional setting. 

 There's a section on "covert hypnosis," which veers into psychic influence. I don't know much about this, but it's some of the most interesting stuff in the book. If that's your interest, this book may be very worthwhile, but I can't really say. The self-hypnosis section includes a lot of scripts for different issues, but they also seem a little old fashioned, and some have only a very superficial understanding of the problems. I had fun, but also frustration, reading this book. If you're very experienced, it's a good addition to your library, but I'm afraid that such a title that promises so much to a beginner may leave him with a set of hit-or miss skills.

Book Report: Science and the Supernatural by John Taylor (c)1980

Science and the Supernatural by John Taylor (c)1980

Background Information: John G. Taylor was a Distinguished Professor of theoretical physics and artificial intelligence. He was very involved in the development of neural networks and wrote a number of books on various subject including physics, mind sciences and finance. more about him can be found here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12559-013-9226-z

 In 1980, John Taylor was an angry man. Being a solid, well respected scientist, he risked his reputation by applying himself to researching a variety of exotic psychic phenomena with the best of intentions, and it didn't work out very well. 

Among the phenomena he discusses and examined are remote viewing, telepathy (including dream telepathy), dowsing, precognition, psychokinesis. He discusses previous research done by J.B. Rhine, Victor Vasiliev and others. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to prove the existence of anything and came away clearly angry and disillusioned. Worse still, some of the most promising evidence turned out to be what he terms Fraud and Mischief. Some was deliberate fraud and trickery done by prominent "psychics" in order to build their reputation, or malicious mischief. Some was unconsciously done by people with the best intentions who were unaware of what they were doing. Some was mere coincidence misread as proof.
He entered with an extremely open mind, but left disappointed and with no conclusive data at all.

For what it's worth, I have some issues with his scientific methodology, and perhaps you'll agree, or disagree. From the top, he theorizes that of all the possible energies involved in psychic phenomena, it must be either caused by a transmission of X-rays, Black Body Radiation, Radio Waves or Electromagnetic Energy. He settled on the last one as the likely force involved, and right there he's set up a kind of a criteria bias. For all his experimentation, he failed to find any sign of it. Secondly, when he calculated results of his experiments, and the data he examined, he counted only positive and negative results. There were inevitably a lot of inconclusive results which he also considered as negative results, creating an almost impossible threshold where only absolute positives count, in a field where ambiguous results predominate. The book Parapsychology Today explores the difficulties and subtleties of interpreting data from psychic research in a way that takes into consideration all the vagaries more completely. 

The book is an interesting read, and even if it offers no final proofs, science is always fun. The author documents all the stories and sources very well, and some are thought provoking, even if they couldn't be proven. One interesting bit of trivia is that, at the time of writing, there was a Central Premonitions Registry, which was in operation from 1968 to about 2008, designed to collect data about premonitions from the public at large, and the author made use of their data.

 

Book Report: Self Hypnosis: Creating Your Own Destiny by Henry Leo Bolduc (c)1992

Self Hypnosis: Creating Your Own Destiny by Henry Leo Bolduc (c)1992

I've been doing hypnosis for a fairly long time, to the point that I have my own particular understandings, approaches and explanations for all the elements of it. But it's precisely for that reason that I love reading books like this -- to get different perspectives and see the things I think I know, but from different angles. Henry Leo Bolduc has his own perspective on hypnosis and self hypnosis, and he explains it very lucidly. 

Self-hypnosis is often a much more difficult thing to achieve than regular hypnosis, because with regular hypnosis, one person, the hypnotist, is leading and the other follows. But with self-hypnosis, there;s only one person to both lead and follow. 

Bolduc starts with a bit of hypnotic history, and he uses very neat ways to describe the self hypnosis and the hypnotic experience in a way that will make sense to anyone trying it for themselves. For example, he cleverly describes hypnosis as a "waking dream" and a "working dream," and presents a model of the self-hypnotic experience as a train driven by relaxation, carrying suggestions and visualizations, on a tack of ideas. As many authors writing these kinds of books do, he warns of hypnotic influences in everyday life, like advertising, friends and family, and the practice of prayer and and encourages the reader to be more aware of them and filter out the negative ones. 

The author seems to be very influenced by Edgar Cayce and quotes him. There are also distinct Ericksonian bits, as well as some NLP. Interestingly, he always includes both direct suggestion, which he feels appeals to the left, rational brain, and visualizations to appeal to the creative right brain. 

The book includes two basic inductions, one more permissive and one more authoritarian, and then adds a series of 23 useful scripts, which he calls cycles, for various self-help purposes, including self-confidence, sports achievement, public speaking, creativity, ending a relationship, health, and other things. They are intended to be recorded and played back as needed. 

There's a second series of 8 cycles, both by the author and by his students, "for higher consciousness," which include cycles for developing psychic abilities, balancing chakras, etc. Some of the scripts are enticingly abstract, like the "Song of Life" cycle which encourages the listener to tune into sounds around him and then into sounds and vibrations inside himself and find the inner music and harmonies. Another was a cycle written by a woman who wanted to be more aware of the kinds of people coming into her life and takes the listener on walk through one's memories of different people. 

Sadly, the author passed away on 2011, but there's a website with interesting articles, and a link where you can download a free PDF of this book. http://henrybolduc.com/

Book report: The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity by Carlo M. Cipolla (c)2019

The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity by Carlo M. Cipolla (c)2019

You know you need this book! It's small, witty and (sadly) very insightful. The author is an historical economist and he has examined the influence of various phenomena on economics and culture throughout history, including clocks, education, spices, and apparently, stupidity.

There are 5 Basic Laws about Stupidity that make things a whole lot clearer, explaining the true nature of stupidity and how they screw everything up and get away with it. For the sake of brevity, I'll just quote number three: 
"A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses."

He has even mapped out a graph demonstrating the way stupid people affect society compared to other sorts of people.

Despite it's small size, it's a rewarding book, especially when you're aggravated, and makes a great gift item for your frustrated friends.