The Mental Highway
	Suggestion <  Previous Contents Next  >

As we have studied the various ways in which the subconscious processes pass upward into the conscious, we now study the methods by which knowledge, feeling and volition of the conscious life are carried down into the subconscious and incorporated into its activities. A vast realm in cognition, feeling and will overlaps the subconscious. We become conscious of many subconscious processes only incidentally, which leads us to infer that a great world of subconscious activities exists, of which we never become aware, activities that relate to our physical, mental and spiritual welfare. To reach this subconscious side of the mind with its depths and capacities, and to impress its processes with new facts, ideas, feelings, volitions, new ideals and plans of work, is the test of a workable psychology.

The one term, suggestion, embraces the whole list of methods, which we class as direct and indirect, positive and negative, autosuggestion and hetero-suggestion, and post-hypnotic suggestion. All sorts of people use these methods under all sorts of circumstances and for all manners of purposes. The physician uses the air of absolute self-assurance to quiet his patient’s nerves and mental apprehension, the overwrought sympathetic friends, to enable him to discern the real cause of the trouble and to prescribe for its treatment sensibly. Likewise, he uses suggestion when he writes prescriptions.

The fervid evangelist uses suggestion when he dwells on that hoary fiction, "original sin," which so works in human nature as to make people feel only evil. After his listeners’ self-condemnation has reached a proper stage he teaches them that repentance and faith in the good of someone else will, in some way, undo the effect of this original sin, and their actual sins, and give them peace.

Suggestion reaches its place of supreme efficacy in any system that teaches that the One Absolute Life heals. The patient understands that Truth, Principle, God heals him. The contrast between the limited, finite healer and the unlimited and Infinite Mind measures the power and use of suggestion.

We use suggestion by indirect methods when we turn the patient’s attention to the one Divine Mind, or Principle, which is universal. Because of its abstract conception, this leads the mind into the abstract state so that we turn his attention from self with its ills. We work on the psychological principle that the greater the sensation produced, the stronger is the consequent movement, whether reflex or voluntary. The greatest idea that can influence cognition and feeling is the idea of the Infinite God. So we make the basis of our procedure the thought of the One Absolute Mind, of whom we are an essential part as really as our finger is a part of our hand, an at-oneness with God, which is inherent and eternal, by virtue of which we are partakers of the divine nature, and therefore of all that belongs to the divine nature, whether it is health, peace, or prosperity. These are not things bestowed upon us, but dwell in us.

We do not deny sickness because to do so is a psychological error. Instead, we seek to displace the evidence of the senses in consciousness by emphasizing the greater realities. We emphasize the positive of health rather than the negative of pain, we urge the right and power of Love to rule the life rather than Fear. So, in all suggestion, we lay the emphasis upon the positive constructive powers rather than denying the negative and destructive ones. Yet we clearly bring out the principle of suggestion here, in that it is God who heals always, although, from our standpoint, He can use either mental, material or spiritual agencies.

The power of suggestion depends largely upon the patient’s idea of its nature and source, what it can do, and the power that lies back of it. If he recognizes suggestion as coming from someone vested with a remarkable personality, a great reputation, or someone of mystic power, it is much more effective than coming from someone whom they know thoroughly. Likewise, the scope of the truth presented determines the effectiveness of suggestion, the truth of universal application being vastly more influential than that of limited application.

We also see this in such experiences as hypnotizing a person. He can be hypnotized largely because he thinks he is going to be, he goes to sleep because he expects to, and his expectation depends largely upon the power of the operator to make him believe he can do it. The operator leads him through a series of steps, each of which tends to some more advanced condition. He commences, with relaxation, then suggestion that his eyelids are getting heavy, they are going closed, he is getting drowsy and sleepy, and he is going to sleep.

The operator uses mechanical means such as holding a coin before his eye and moving it in a circle some six inches in front of his eyes, above eye level. You are taking advantage of certain physiological facts, the first of which is that focusing the eye at six inches produces a little strain that very quickly leads to a sense of tiredness. The uplifted glance also produces the physiological attitude of the eye in sleep, and moving the coin in a circle starts the eye on that "rhythmic roll," which we note in people who are asleep. All this leads to the autosuggestion that these are all conditions belonging to sleep. We can produce every step of the process of hypnotism because the patient believes that he is going to be, and the conditions that he recognizes as belonging to sleep back up his belief.

Hypnotism is merely one of many effects produced by suggestion. Suggestion has many degrees of effectiveness. For instance, the person sits in a chair or lies on a couch, becomes perfectly passive and receptive, closes his eyes (or sits with them open for that matter), and listens in a receptive, passive state. Suggestions given to him in that condition will be just as effective, or more so, than when given in an actual hypnotic state. The first step in suggestion is soothing, quieting and relaxing the patient so that he becomes receptive and passive. All people who treat and various schools of healing, follow that method.

Suggestion works, not only through this means, but also through the eye itself. You remember Peter and John at the Beautiful Gate. A man asked alms. They fastened their eyes upon him and said to him, "Look on us. Silver and gold I have none. Such as I have, I give to thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk." The simple, yet supreme truth in the suggestion was the fact of the almightiness of the Christ to make him walk. Yet the effectiveness of the method is that while that lame man looked in Peter’s eyes and let Peter do the talking, he could not think of anything else in the world but what Peter was saying. The result was that what Peter said held perfect sway over his mind and he could literally do nothing else but to arise and walk.

Every achiever who rises in business, professional or social life, knows that at the critical moment, either consciously or unconsciously, he fastens his eye upon the person whom he wishes to persuade. People have used that method to heal the sick, teach the Gospel, "lock the gates of glory till you accept our ideas," sell real estate, gold bricks, bogus bonds, and worked good and evil in every occupation.

In using suggestion, remember that the mind is both conscious and subconscious/unconscious in its action. The conscious mind, controls the voluntary muscles through the cerebrospinal nervous system, while the subconscious controls the involuntary muscular tissues through the sympathetic nervous system. The subconscious mind controls the vegetative processes, repairs the body and keeps it in health and vigor. This subconscious self dominates health, disposition and our general mental states. The subconscious is the builder of the body, while the function of the conscious mind to be the architect, the planner of health and character. The conscious mind acts as a temporary agent to enable the subconscious self to act upon the material world and to be reacted upon by it.

The subconscious mind is unable to reason by any method but deduction, and it is consequently a creature of suggestion. The law of suggestion of the subconscious mind is that it accepts the strongest idea presented to it, and we may replace any negative may with its positive, just as light dispels darkness. The strongest idea in a sentence is the one upon which the subconscious mind fastens itself. For that reason it is wrong to say "I will not have a headache, I will not be afraid, I will not suffer," or to be constantly afraid of any particular thing or experience. If you want health, do not expect to find it psychologically by denying sickness, but by affirming health. If you want strength, find it by affirming strength. If you want to get rid of fear, affirm love as an indwelling fact.

The most effective method of using suggestion as self-help is just before going to sleep at night. You must first be thoroughly sure about what you wish to be. Make it a practice before sleep to repeat to yourself, "I will be that which I wish to be" ( stating specifically what it is) at least one dozen times. The subconscious mind will work on the problem while the conscious mind is asleep, and will produce effects in proportion to the suggestion’s strength. Thus, you can change weakness of body into strength, health and vigor, worry, anxiety and nervousness into perfect calm, peace and self control. Saying, "I am tired and good natured," is just as easy as saying, "I am tired and irritable," and the results are infinitely more satisfactory. This is merely applying the principles of post-hypnotic suggestion to give the suggestion to the unconscious mind, sleep over it, and on the morrow it may come to pass.

The book, "The Finger of God," outlines the correct forms of giving suggestions so that one may use them and get results even if he does not know anything about suggestion. This is correct psychological procedure, for most of our mental and physical processes are carried on without giving much attention to how they are done, or the laws that govern them. If we act according to the law we get results although we do not know the law by which it is done.