How To Put The Subconscious Mind To Work
	How To Treat And Give Treatments - Continued <  Previous Contents Next  >

There is one thing that an operator must always observe; that is, he must give his suggestion in a plain, precise, and direct way to the patient. If this is not done, there will be hesitancy on the part of the subject, and the results will be unsatisfactory. Suggestion ought to be direct in order to be quickly and effectively realized.

To be able to do this the practitioner should cultivate a good "Suggestive Voice."

"The use of the voice may be in words spoken, either loudly, moderately loud, softly or in a whisper." But whatever may be the pitch of the voice, it should be vibrant with sympathy, love, helpfulness, courage, faith and power.

A good way to cultivate this manner is exactly as an actor practices his lines before a mirror.

It is said that Nat Goodwin would take a line or a scene whose rendering hitherto did not satisfy his artistic sense and go over and over and over the words until he had the inflection, tone and gesture that wholly suited him. Surely, the profession of a mental healer is fraught with as much importance and demands as much earnestness and practice as that of the actor.

Imagine yourself, therefore, treating a patient by suggestion. Imagine him in a chair in front of you or reclining leisurely on a couch by your side. Give to the imaginary patient the affirmation or the thought which you would give to an actual seeker for health. Carefully pick out the words that seem to you to be the strongest and repeat these words, or whole sentences containing the words, in a tone of conviction, with a spirit of helpfulness and the expression of power. Per- chance you will have to repeat a certain word over and over until you can get that downward inflection of sublime faith which strikes home into the very soul and being of the patient.

Take the words strong, powerful, harmonious, and whole, and repeat these words over and over again in some affirmation which you compose to give the imaginary patient. Give your affirmation until you feel vibrations of strength, power harmony and conviction.

Practice your affirmations before the imaginary patient often, until you feel the vibrant, highly suggestive tone of a man who believes in the profession he follows. Then, watch the eye. See that it does not shift. Look directly at your imaginary patient with intensity of purpose until you have cultivated a firm earnest gaze of the eye. Now assume a compelling glance. A person always gazes earnestly and strongly at the thing which holds his attention. You never saw a person in love but whose eye flashes diamonds of affection. The eye of the Healer must flash the diamonds of faith, courage, helpfulness, love and health and flash them until the very walls of the room will react with ocular vibrations.

This in no wise has necessarily anything to do with hypnotism. It is calculated to develop the expression of the eye until it can be projected into the very recesses of the patient's soul and be felt.

Of course, such exercises must be backed up by confident, faithful, honest belief by the patient that he can be healed.

The sympathetic vibration of the voice and skillful words and suggestive movements may be all that is needed, but without some power of awakening this feeling of personal relation, almost of intimacy, the wisest psychotherapeutic treatment may remain ineffective, especially in cases where the patient's psychical sufferings are misunderstood or ridiculed as mere fancies or misjudged as merely imaginary evils.

From sympathy it is only one step to encouragement, which indeed is effective only where sympathy or at least belief in sympathy exists. He who builds up a new confidence in a happy future most easily brings to the patient also that self-control and energy which is the greatest of helping agencies.

We do not mean that the practitioner should cultivate a stilted, affected, elocutionary manner of expression. But we do mean that he should have earnestness, feeling, and strength in his tones. He should endeavor to have his thought and desire so permeate his voice, that the vibrations may be felt by the patient.

He should be so filled with the desire to heal with a knowledge of his profession, and with enthusiasm for health, that the very tones of his voice will vibrate health, strength, courage, power, love.

It may seem almost paradoxical that a healer must be both extremely sympathetic and firm at the same time, yet this is of the utmost importance. The healer must have all of the patient kindness in the world and yet must have enough firmness to insist that his patients follow the regimen of a well-rounded way of living, to include exercise, breathing, eating, sleeping formulae, etc. When giving personal treatments he must know how to be firm and see that the patient carries out to the best of his ability, the instructions which the teacher is giving.

Never speak to a patient in a doubtful or hesitating manner about his case. In the first place, you should not take a case unless you believe you can help and heal. This settled in your mind, and you are confident that the patient can be cured, speak up with the courage of your convictions and the vibrations of your faith and assert bravely in a positive manner, "I can cure you, sir."

Do not talk to patients as many doctors do, in such a tone as this,'' Well, you are in a pretty bad condition. Don't know whether I can cure you or not, but I will try. We can tell better what can be done as we go along," or "There is no hope for you," or "Your days are numbered," or "Better put your affairs in shipshape condition, because you have not long to live.'' You may just as well tell a patient to go home and stay there. Such talk has killed thousands.

When people are sick they want a physician that can heal, not one who doubts his methods or himself, or who has a timid manner. No matter what the school or what the method used, the successful healer will squarely face his patient and say, "I can help you, sir."

With certain individuals and temperaments the practitioner may get better results by throwing the patient upon his own resources and telling him that today he should take his affirmations at stated times every half hour or every hour and that if he will do this perseveringly for one day or two days and then come back you will give him help.

You will have to know your patient in this kind of treatment for most people feel they must have the assistance of someone else. They lack confidence regarding the value of their own efforts and this acts as an adverse auto-suggestion. On the other hand, a person who is independent and resourceful will feel the responsibility that you put upon him by telling him to work by himself for a few days.

Often it is wise to give the suggestion, not from without but to prescribe it in the form of autosuggestions For instance, advise the patient not only to have the good will and intention of suppressing a certain fixed idea or by producing a certain inhibited impulse but to speak to himself in an audible voice, every morning and every evening, saying that he will overcome it now. Here, too, the autosuggestion may become effective by the frequency of the repetition or by the urgency of the expression or by the accompanying motor reactions.

As a rule no matter how many ailments the patient has, all of his needs should be treated at each sitting.