Chapter 4 - Dehypnotize Yourself

Chapter 4 of Psycho-Cybernetics deals mainly with dehypnotizing yourself from negative or limiting beliefs.

Negative beliefs, according to Dr. Maltz is a form of hypnotism you are doing to yourself. In the beginning of Chapter 4, Dr. Maltz gives the example of a fellow doctor friend of his, Dr. Alder. In Dr. Alder's youth as a young student, he had difficulties in mathematics. His teacher become convinced that he was "dumb in mathematics" and then convinced his parents who also believed the teacher's claim. His grades started to reflect this belief of being "dumb in mathematics". Then one day, it occurred to him that he had a sudden flash of insight and wanted to solve a math problem that his classmates could not figure out. When he walked in front of the class and begin to solve the problem, he himself and his whole class were amazed! Then he began to understand how arithmetic works and went on to be an excellent student. This story is to illustrate that Dr. Alder's belief that he was "dumb in mathematics" was a form of hypnotism he had done to himself. When he dehypnotized himself of this belief, he became an excellent mathematics.

Feelings of inferiority do not come from "facts" or experiences. These feelings come from our beliefs and conclusions of our experiences. Most of our feelings of inferiority come from comparing ourselves to someone else's norm. An inferiority complex and all the mannerisms of it is caused by holding in your mind a "norm" or an "average" and then convince yourself that you do not measure up. The people who feel inferior, feel so because they are striving for superiority. Inferiority and superiority accord to Dr. Maltz, are two sides of the same coin and are not genuine ways of living.

Dr. Norton L Williams said that modern human beings anxieties and insecurities stem from a lack of self-realization of themselves and a lack of discovering one's uniqueness, individuality and distinctiveness. This is why you cannot compare yourself to others. Everyone is different and unique in their own way. They cannot measure up to everything you can do, and neither can you measure up to everything they can do.

To dehypnotize yourself from negative and limiting beliefs, physical relaxation plays a key role in doing so. Dr. Maltz says that exerting your "will" or effort to dehynotize yourself will be counter-productive and will reinforce your limiting beliefs. Dr. Matthew N. Chappell says that often the effort or "will power" that is used to fight against or resist worry, is the very thing that perpetuates worry and keeps it going.

The practice of physical relaxation will bring about "mental relaxation" and a "relaxed attitude" which grants us to better guide our automatic mechanism do achieve our self-image. Physical relaxation itself is a tool for dehypnotizing people from negative attitudes and limiting beliefs.

HOW TO USE MENTAL PICTURES TO RELAX

PRACTICE EXERCISE (To be practiced for at least 30 minutes a day):

Sit comfortably in a comfortable chair or lie on your back. Consciously "let go" all your various muscle groups and allow them to relax without exerting too much effort to relax. Pay Attention to all the different regions in your body and relax all of them. Spend about 5 minutes to consciously relax your whole body. Next, you will use your creative mechanism to automatically bring a total relaxation. You are going to use "goal-pictures" in your imagination and let your automatic mechanism to realize the goals for you.

Mental Picture No. 1

In your mind's eye, see yourself lying stretched out upon the bed. Form a picture of your legs as they would look as if its made from concrete. See yourself lying there two very heavy concrete legs. See these very heavy concrete legs sinking far down into the mattress from their sheer weight. Now picture your arms and hands as made of concrete. They also are very heavy and are sinking down into the bed and exerting tremendous pressure against the bed. In your minds eye see a friend come into the room and attempt to lift your heavy concrete legs. He takes a hold of your feet and attempts to lift them. But they are too heavy for him. He cannot do it. Repeat with the arms, neck, head, etc.

Mental Picture No. 2

Your body is a big marionette doll. Your hands are tied loosely to your wrists by strings. Your forearm is connected loosely by a string to your upper arm. Your upper arm is connected very loosely by a string to your shoulder. Your feet, calves, thighs are also connected together with a single string. Your neck consists of one very limp string. The strings which control your jaw and hold your lips together have slackened and stretched to such an extent that your chin has dropped down loosely against your chest. All the various strings which connect the various parts of your body are loose and limp and your body is just sprawled loosely across the bed.

Mental Picture No. 3

Your body consists of a series of inflated rubber balloons. Two valves open in your feet, and the air begins to escape from your legs. Your leg begin to collapse and continue until they consist only of deflated rubber tubes, lying flat against the bed. Next a valve is opened in your chest and as the air begins to escape, your entire trunk begins to collapse limply against the bed. Continue with arms, head, and neck.

Mental Picture No. 4

Many people will find this the most relaxing exercise of all. Just go back in memory to some relaxing and pleasant scene from your past. There is always some time in everyone's life when they felt relaxed, at ease and at peace with the world. Pick out your own relaxing picture from your past and call up detailed memory images. Yours may be a peaceful scene at a mountain lake where you went fishing. If so, pay particular attention to the little incidental things in the environment. Remember the quiet ripples on the water. What sounds were present? Did you hear the quiet rustling of the leaves? Maybe you remember sitting perfectly relaxed, and somewhat drowsy before an open fireplace long ago. Did the logs crackle and spark? What other sights and sounds were present? Maybe you choose to remember relaxing in the sun on a beach. How did the sand feel against your body? Could you feel the warm relaxing sun touching your body, almost as a physical thing? Was there a breeze blowing? Were there gulls on the beach? The more of these incidental details you can remember and picture to yourself, the more successful you will be.

Daily practice will bring these mental pictures, or memories, clearer and clearer. The effect of learning will also be cumulative. Practice will strengthen the tie-in between mental image and physical sensation. You will become more and more proficient in relaxation, and this in itself will be "remembered" in future practice sessions.