The Power of Positive Autosuggestion
Autosuggestion or self-induced suggestion is a mind technique of guiding one's thoughts, feelings, beliefs, attitudes, and behavior. Autosuggestion is a simple way of reprogramming one’s subconscious mind. The most popular way of applying autosuggestion is by using positive affirmations. While the positive results achieved through autosuggestion are generally attributed to a placebo effect, this simple yet effective practice—if properly mastered—can transform your life. To learn more about the psychological technique, we invite you to read the following excerpt from the famed book “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” by Joseph Murphy.
How Autosuggestion Banishes Fear
Illustrations of autosuggestion: Autosuggestion means suggesting something definite to oneself. Herbert Parkyn, in his excellent manual of autosuggestion, records the following incident. It has its amusing side so that one remembers it. “A New York visitor in Chicago looks at his watch, which is set an hour ahead of Chicago time, and tells a Chicago friend that it is twelve o‟ clock. The Chicago friend, not considering the difference in time between Chicago and New York, tells the New Yorker that he is hungry and that he must go to lunch.”
Autosuggestion may be used to banish various fears and other negative conditions. A young singer was invited to give an audition. She had been looking forward to the interview, but on three previous occasions, she had failed miserably due to fear of failure. This young lady had a very good voice, but she had been saying to herself, “When the time comes for me to sing, maybe they won’t like me. I will try, but I‟m full of fear and anxiety.”
Her subconscious mind accepted these negative autosuggestions as a request and proceeded to manifest them and bring them into her experience. The cause was involuntary autosuggestion, i.e., silent fear thoughts emotionalized and subjectified.
She overcame it by the following technique: Three times a day she isolated herself in a room. She sat down comfortably in an armchair, relaxed her body, and closed her eyes. She stilled her mind and body as best she could. Physical inertia favors mental passivity and renders the mind more receptive to suggestions. She counteracted the fear suggestion by saying to herself, “I sing beautifully. I am poised, serene, confident, and calm.” She repeated this statement slowly, quietly, and with feeling from five to ten times at each sitting. She had three such “sittings” every day and one immediately before sleep. At the end of the week, she was completely poised and confident. When the invitation to audition came, she gave a remarkable, wonderful audition.
How She Restored Her Memory
A woman, aged seventy-five, was in the habit of saying to herself, “I am losing my memory.” She reversed the procedure and practiced induced autosuggestion several times a day as follows: “My memory from today on is improving in every department. I shall always remember whatever I need to know at every moment of time and point in space. The impressions received will be clearer and more definite. I shall retain them automatically and with ease. Whatever I wish to recall will immediately present itself in the correct form in my mind. I am improving rapidly every day, and very soon my memory will be better than it has ever been before.” At the end of three weeks, her memory was back to normal, and she was delighted.
How He Overcame a Nasty Temper
Many men who complained of irritability and bad temper proved to be very susceptible to autosuggestion and obtained marvelous results by using the following statements three or four times a day—morning, noon, and at night before sleep for about a month. “Henceforth, I shall grow more good-humored. Joy, happiness, and cheerfulness are now becoming my normal state of mind. Every day, I am becoming more and more lovable and understanding. I am now becoming the center of cheer and goodwill to all those around me, infecting them with good humor. This happy, joyous, and cheerful mood is now becoming my normal, natural state of mind. I am grateful.”
Have You Accepted Any of These?
From infancy on the majority of us have been given many negative suggestions. Not knowing how to thwart them, we unconsciously accepted them. Here are some of the negative suggestions: “You can‟t.” “You‟ ll never amount to anything.” “You must‟t.” “You‟ ll fail.” “You have ‟t got a chance.” “You‟ re all wrong.” “It‟s no use.” “It‟s not what you know, but who you know.” “The world is going to the dogs.” “What‟s the use, nobody cares.” “It‟s no use trying so hard.” “You‟ re too old now.” “Things are getting worse and worse.” “Life is an endless grind.” “Love is for the birds.” “You just can‟t win.” “Pretty soon you‟ll be bankrupt.” “Watch out, you‟ll get the virus.” “You can’t trust a soul,” etc.
Unless, as an adult, you use constructive autosuggestion, which is a reconditioning therapy the impressions made on you in the past can cause behavior patterns that cause failure in your personal and social life. Autosuggestion is a means of releasing you from the mass of negative verbal conditioning that might otherwise distort your life pattern, making the development of good habits difficult.
Sources
—Excerpt from “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” by Joseph Murphy—