Rules of The Mind

Rule Number One:

EVERY THOUGHT OR IDEA CAUSES A PHYSICAL REACTION.

Your thoughts can affect all of the functions of your body. WORRY thoughts trigger changes in the stomach that in time can lead to ulcers. ANGER thoughts stimulate your adrenal glands and increased adrenaline in the blood stream causes many body changes. ANXIETY and FEAR thoughts affect your pulse rate.

Ideas that have a strong emotional content almost always reach the subconscious mind, because it is the feeling mind. Once accepted, these ideas continue to produce the same body reaction over and over again. In order to eliminate or change chronic negative bodily reactions, we must reach the subconscious mind and change the idea responsible for the reaction. This is done with self-hypnosis and autosuggestion.

Rule Number Two:

WHAT IS EXPECTED TENDS TO BE REALIZED.

The brain and the nervous system respond only to mental images. It does not matter if the image is self-induced or from the external world. The mental image formed becomes the blueprint, and the subconscious mind uses every means at its disposal to carry out the plan. Worry is a form of programming a picture of what we don't want, but the subconscious mind acts to fulfill the pictured situation. "THE THINGS THAT I HAVE FEARED HAVE COME UPON ME!"

Many persons suffer from chronic anxiety, which is simply a subconscious mental expectancy that something terrible will happen to them. On the other hand, we all know people who seem to have the "magic" touch. Life seems to shower them with blessings for no apparent reason, and so we call them "lucky". What seems to be luck, in reality is POSITIVE MENTAL EXPECTANCY, a strong belief that they deserve to be successful. "WE BECOME WHAT WE THINK ABOUT".

Our physical health is largely dependent upon our mental expectancy. Physicians recognize that if a patient expects to remain sick, lame, paralyzed, helpless, even to die, the expected condition tends to be realized. Here is where self-hypnosis can become the tool to remove despondence and negative attitudes and bring about a hopeful positive expectancy - - the expectancy of health, strength, and well being, which then tends to be realized.

Rule Number Three:

IMAGINATION IS MORE POWERFUL THAN KNOWLEDGE WHEN DEALING WITH YOUR OWN MIND OR THE MIND OF ANOTHER.

This is an important rule to remember when using self-hypnosis. REASON IS EASILY OVERRULED BY IMAGINATION. This is why some persons blindly rush into some unreasonable act or situation. Violent crimes based upon jealousy are almost always caused by an overactive imagination. Most of us feel superior to those who lose their savings to con men, or blindly follow a demagogue such as Hitler, or are sold worthless stocks. We can easily see that such people have allowed their imagination to overcome their reason. But we are often blind to our own superstitions, prejudice and unreasonable beliefs. Any idea accompanied by a strong emotion such as anger, hatred, love, or our political and religious beliefs usually cannot be modified through the use of reason. In using self-hypnosis we can form images in the subconscious mind, which is the feeling mind, and can remove, alter or amend the old ideas.

Rule Number four:

ONCE AN IDEA THAT HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND, IT REMAINS UNTIL IT IS REPLACED BY ANOTHER IDEA. THE COMPANION RULE TO THIS IS, THE LONGER THE IDEA REMAINS, THE MORE OPPOSITION THERE IS TO REPLACING IT WITH A NEW IDEA.

Once an idea has been accepted, it tends to become a fixed habit of thinking. This is how habits of action are formed, both good and bad. First, there is the thought and then the action. We have habits of thinking as well as habits of action, but the thought or idea always comes first. Hence it is obvious that if we wish to change our actions we must begin by changing our thoughts. We accept as true certain facts. For example, we accept as true that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. We accept this even though the day may be cloudy and we cannot see the sun. This is an instance of a correct fact conception that governs our actions under normal conditions. However, we have many thought habits that are not correct and yet are fixed in the mind. Some people believe that at critical times they must have a drink of whiskey or a tranquilizer to steady their nerves so that they can perform effectively. This is not correct, but the idea is there and it is a fixed habit of thought. There will be opposition to replacing it with a correct idea. Now, in advancing these rules, we are speaking of fixed ideas, not just idle thoughts or passing fancies. We need to alter fixed ideas or to use them. No matter how fixed the ideas may be or how long they have remained, they can be changed using self-hypnosis and autosuggestion.

Rule Number Five:

EACH SUGGESTION ACTED UPON CREATES LESS OPPOSITION TO SUCCESSIVE SUGGESTION.

A mental habit is easier to follow the longer it lasts unbroken. Once a habit is formed it becomes easier to follow and more difficult to break.

In other words, once a self-suggestion has been accepted by your subconscious mind it becomes easier for additional suggestions to be accepted and acted upon. This is why, when you are just beginning with self-hypnosis and autosuggestion, we suggest you start with simple suggestions. You can suggest that you feel a tingling sensation or a warm and pleasant feeling. You should begin now with the suggestion that you will automatically emerge from self- hypnosis in ten minutes.

Rule Number Six:

AN EMOTIONALLY INDUCED SYMPTOM TENDS TO CAUSE ORGANIC CHANGE IF PERSISTED IN LONG ENOUGH.

It has been acknowledged by many reputable medical men that more than seventy percent of human ailments are functional rather than organic. This means that the function of an organ or another part of the body has been disturbed by the reaction of the nervous system to negative ideas held in the subconscious mind. We do not mean to imply that every person who complains of an ailment is emotionally ill or neurotic. There are diseases caused by germs, parasites, virus and other things attacking the human body. However, we are a mind in a body and the two cannot be separated. Therefore, if you continue to fear ill health, constantly talk about your "nervous stomach" or "tension headaches", in time organic changes must occur.

Rule Number Seven:

WHEN DEALING WITH THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND IT' S FUNCTIONS, THE GREATER THE CONSCIOUS EFFORT, THE LESS THE SUBCONSCIOUS RESPONSE.

This proves why "Sill power" doesn't really exist! If you have insomnia, you've learned "the harder you try to go to sleep, the more wide awake you become". The rule is, "When dealing with the subconscious mind, TAKE IT EASY". This means you must work to develop a positive mental expectancy that your problems can and will be solved. As your faith in your subconscious mind increases, you learn to "let it happen" rather than trying to "force it to happen".