Transcription
"Ouractions spring not from ourWiU, but from our 0FIFTHAVENUENEWYORK
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"Courtesy N.T. Times.EMILETheMasterMindCOUEofAutosuggestion
n, orsubject, and yetIt isnewrathertheatin theinstudiedandbecauseit d.oldit istheearth.atpossessthis force, oducesnowit iteoldit iswronglyautosuggestion is anbirth, and in this lts.worstof this force is usefulof us, but itto each oneKnowledgeis peculiarly indispensable to doctors, magistrates, lawyers,and to those engaged in the workof education.toBy knowing howpractise it consciously it is possiblein thefirst place to avoidsuggestionsprovoking in others bad autowhichsecondly, consciouslybringing physicalanteriortohealthprovoketotheinstead, thusgood oneshealthtosick, and ces,erring, the unconsciousautosuggestions, and to guide into thehadone.atendency to take the wrongneuroticthedisastroushavemayTHEvictimsofright pathUNCONSCIOUSSELFInisordertoortonecessaryexistof sugproperly the phenomenagestion,ofmorecorrectlyautosuggestion, itspeakknowthat twoabsolutely distinct selvesbut while oneis heotherisunconscious.Forthisreasontheex-
Self s :Every one hasheardtakeustakesmerelyonethereflect a fewinginstance the follow-andphenomenaLetthem.ifeverIt is how-notice.generally'escapesits ConsciousThroughfortoof .somnambulism;knowsoneeverynight withoutwaking,after either dressing himselfleaves his roomornot, goesandafterwalksecutedhaving exdownstairs,along corridors,certaincertain actsreturnsorwork,accomplishedbedandshowstonextto his room,again,day thegoesfinishedhewhichatfinding workgreatest astonishmenthad left unfinished the day before.It is howeverhe himselfhas done it withoutwhobeingof it. Whatforce has his body obeyed if it is kardwiththehewhoaretheis over, hehorror the scenethat hethenottomanIfhimselfunconsciousactcasein thisAstremens.nearestbe,mayunlucky enoughattackwithweby deliriumpicks up thehatchet, asorthoseself ?force,in fact his unconsciousexaminethe alas, toofrequent caseattackedmadnessatgets upmer,knife, hamweapon,andstrikes furiouslyvicinity. Onceandcontemplatessensesofaroundcarnageis the author of it.selfwhichthoughbe in histohisrecovershashim, idedalizingre-is itunhappyway?*the consciouswith the unconsciouscomparethat the consciousself is often possessed ofweof atheonverytrarycon-impeccable memorywhichwithoutregistersourknowledge the smallesttheleastofevents,important actsexistence.ourFurther,it is credulousandwithacceptsunreasoning docilitywhat"Andwhatofandusaaversions, whatillswein everydomainby notconsciousautosuggestions"play "goodautosuggestions," tely" bringing intoagainstour"badunconsciousbringing about the disappearance ofall uniustJ
Self Masteryit is told.for theThus,brain, aparadoxical tofunctionswellonlyofactthatorandeven,abovecertain organpression,andsuch an imapreside sfunc-theactionsoreverwhat-imagination,and it isaccepted opinion, always makesthere isall, against our will whenthatthese twowecallforces.IMAGINATIONANDWILLmaythatfeel suchweorganism, but alsoourresponsibleby the intermediary oforgansthe unconsciousdoesantagonism between"will",dictionary and look up the wordfind this definition: "Thefaculty of freelydeterminingIfweourthat isproduced whichthat is,if it believesillorAutosuggestionisIt is thisthey are.which, contrary tothisus:allin question doesthe orgando feel that impression.weNotresultyouConsciousit is the e.Thisfattackable, although nothing could be moreclaim so proudly, always yields to the imagwill that weination.rule that admits of noabsoluteIt is anexception."Notat all !!" you will exclaim."Blasphemy ! ParadoxOn the contrary, it is the purest truth," I shall reply.In orderto convinceyourself of it,open your eyes, lookroundthenyoucomeandtotrytounderstandthe conclusionwhatthat whatsee.youI tell yousick brainbuttheYouis notwillansimple exprestheory,offspringof asionof a fact.place on the ground a plank 30 feetSuppose that weIt is evident that everybody will belong by 1 foot wide.capable of going from one end to the other of this plankthe edge. But nowditionswithoutchange the constepping overthisandof the experiment,imagineplank placedcathedral.then willofWhoaat the height of the towersfew feet along this narrowabe capable of advancing evenBeforepath? Could you hear me speak? Probably not.begin to tremble, andhad taken twosteps you wouldyouidle
Self Masteryinspiteoftofall toeffort of youreverythe ground.theground,height abovewilibewouldyoucertain'wouldthat youfall if the plank isnotandwhy should you fall if it is raised to atheground?it is easythatimagineyouAutosuggestionis it thenWhyonThrough Consciouswhile in the secondNoticein theSimply becausetogototheendofyou imagine that youwill is powerless to makeit isthisyoucaseplank,docannotcasethat yourif youhnagine that you ccmnot,for youIf tilers andto do so.this feat, it is ersablearetocomplishac-they think they can do it.Vertigo is entirelycaused by the picture we make in ourthat wemindsaregoing to fall. This picture transformsitself immediately into fact in spite of all the effortsof ourviolent these efforts are, the quicker iswill, and the morethe oppositeto the desired result brought about.Let us nowconsider the caseof a personsufferingfromIf he does not makeinsomnia.effort to sleep,he willanylie quietlyin bed.If onthe contrary he tries to force himselfto sleep by his will, the moreefforts he makes, therestless hemoreHavethenotyouofbecomes.noticedthat thewhichmoreyoutrytorememberhave forgotten,the moreimindthe idea "Iyou, until,substitutingn yourshall rememberin a minute"to the idea "I haveten",forgotthe nameback to you of its owncomesaccordoutwiththe least effort?Let those of youwhoarethecyclistsremembernameapersonyouit eludeswhenyouthewerehandledayslearningto ride. You wentingalong clutchbars andoffrightenedfalling. Suddenlycatchingsight of the smallest obstacle in theroadtriedyouefforts youmadeto doso, themoresurelyyou rushed upon it.Whohas not suffered fromattack of uncontrollableanwhichbursts outlaughter,morethe moreviolentlyonetries to control it?Whatthe state of mindwasof each personin these differentcircumstances?"I do not wantto fall but I cannottoavoidit,andthemore
Self Mastery Throughhelp doing so";therememberto"1 wantinsee,youwhotheeachforwardthemalongfor Sothesecannot"; "I wantSo, but I cannot";thewithbelongs thethe headboughtof the leadercasehis troops and alwayswhile the cry "Eachmanhim,in the secondfly forofaWhy ismenimagine thatthey imagine thatdefeat.their lives.thecontagion of example,the action of the imagination,when, to avengesaythat the entire flock wouldbeforehandthealwayswill, withoutboardthemerchantsameaonuponhis biggest sheep andthrewit into thehimselfstoptoofcertain to causein the first casethethey mustgo forward, andthey are conquered and mustquite awarePanurge wasthevictory overof ideasat; "I wantconflicts it isis almostIt is becausethat is toIthe obstacle,but I cannot"I cannot."imagination whichany exception.Toofnamesleep ciousboat, hesea,certainfollow, whichindeedhappened.to sheep,beings have a certain resemblanceandareirresistiblyimpelled to followinvoluntarily,wedocannototherpeople's examples, imagining that agination,or inits rIshouldI l.whodrunkardsbutexamplesby such an enumeration.youshowsin silence this fact whichborefear toawishtothem, andgustsin all sinceritythat they desire to be sober, that drink disimpelled to drinkthem, but that they are irresistiblyit willagainst their will, in spite of the harm they knowbutdowhocannotdoso.Asking,give up drinkthey will replythem.Inthesameof themselves,wayandcertain criminalswhentheyarecommitaskedcrimeswhy theyinspiteactedso,
ConsciousSelf Mastery Throughtheyit"Ianswercouldstronger thanwasAutosuggestionhelp it, something impelledme,notI."speak the truth;they are forced to do what they do, for the simple reasonthey imagine they cannot prevent themselves from doing so.whoThussoareweproud of our will,who believe thatfree to act as wearelike,are in realitynothing butwewretchedourimagination holds all thepuppets of whichbewhenhavetoweonly ceasestrings. Wepuppetslearned to guide eawhothe bank.knowyouhow,it tothecriminalAUTOSUGGESTIONANDSUGGESTIONAccording toimagination tothethewecanpreceding remarkscomparewhichtorrentthefatallysweepsawayhas fallen into it,,in spiteof his effortsThis torrentseemsindomitable;but ifyouturncanfactory,andit fromits courseandthere youtransformcanductcon-itsforceinto movement,heat, and electricity.If this simile is not enough, wethe imaginationmaycompare"the madmanat home"it has beencalledasunbrokento anhorse whichhas neither bridle norreins.Whattheriderdo except let himself go wherevercanthehorse wishes to take him?Andoften if the latter runshismadcareerto end in the ditch.only comesIfaway,howeverthe rider succeeds in puttinga bridle on the""horse,the parts are reversed.It is no longer the horse whogoeswhere he likes,it is the rider whoobligesthe horse to takehimwhereverhe wishes to go.Nowthat we have learned to realize theenormouspowerof the unconsciousorimaginative being, I amshowasButhowthis self,hitherto consideredeasilycontrolledbefore going ,cananunbrokentobehorse.furtherthat areThese areit is necessary to define carefullyoften used without beingproperlythe wordsandsuggestiongestion.autosug-10
Self Mastery ThroughWhatthenisimposing an ideaaction really exist?indeednotAutosuggestionIt maybe dennedthe brain of another".suggestion?ofdoesConsciousonProperly speaking, no.by itself. It does notexistas"the actDoesthisSuggestionandcannotexist except on the sine qua noncondition of transformingitself ito autosuggestionin the subject. This latter wordbe denned"the implantingof an idea in oneself byasmayoneself."Younot,makeif the unconascioussuggestionto someone;mayof the latter does not accept the suggestion,if it hasit were,asdigestedit,inautosuggestion,it producesmadeis thatreasonthedid notaccept it sformit intoUSEnowresult.it intoI havecasionallymyself ocorcommonplace ctourtoautosuggestion.AUTOSUGGESTIONthepoint where Iimagination,just astorefusedsaid thatatorrentwecanoranbe controlled.To do so, it is enoughthat this is possible(of whichin the first place to knowis ignorant) and secondly,to knowfact almost everyonebyhorseunbrokenwhatcameitmeanssimple; itcanis thatinto consciously,butoften usewewrongly and tomeansWell, thedone.meansis verysince wedaywishing or knowing Thisautosuggestion.suggestions,constantlygive ourselves unconscious autohave to do is to give ourselves consciousall weconsists in this: first,to weigh carefullyones, and the processwhichmindthetobethein one'sarethingsobjectandof the autosuggestion,according as they require the"yes" or "no", to repeat several times withoutanswerthing is coming", orthinking of anything else: "This"this thing is going away"; "this thing will,or will notWhereaswe11
Self Mastery ThroughConsciousAutosuggestion'.'"'.*If the unconscioushappen, etc., etc.accepts thistheit into ansuggestion and transformsautosuggestion,thing or things are realized in every particular.\\Thusunderstood, autosuggestionis nothing but rds : The influence of the imagination uponthe moral(\andNowthis influence isphysical being of mankind.undeniable, and without returning to previous examples,.jI will quotefewaothers.If youpersuade yourselfthat youprovided this thing be possible,youcandowill doacertainit howeverthing,ficultdif-If onit maybe.the contrary you imagine that youdo the simplestthing in the world, it is impossiblecannotfor you to do it,and molehills becomefor you unscalablemountains.Suchis the caseof neurasthenics,selveswho, believingthem-incapableofthe least effort,often find it impossiblefew steps withoutto walkevenAndabeing exhausted.these sameneurasthenicssink morepressiondeeply into their dethethepoordeeper theIneffortsmorewretchtheinthehe triesmorethey make toquicksands whoto struggleout.throwit off, likesinks in all theit is sufficient to think a pain is
Self Mastery Through Conscious Autosuggestion istence of the latter generally'escapes notice.It is how-ever easy to prove its existence if one merely takes the trouble to examine certain phenomena and to reflect a few moments upon them. Let us take for instance the follow-ing examples: Every one has heard of.somnambulism; every one knows that a somnambulist gets up at night without waking,
