e and, therefore, being
hypnotized or hypnotizing ourselves is just a matter of increasing the
suggestibility that we already possess. Doesn't the hypnotist begin by
suggesting relaxation? Doesn't he usually begin by requesting the
subject to fix his attention on a particular object? Next, he suggests
to the subject that his eyes are becoming heavy and tired. As soon as
the subject closes his eyes, he suggests that he will be in a deep
hypnotic state. I am sure that you are familiar with this procedure.
With each step, the hypnotist is guiding the subject along directed
lines to get him to accept further suggestions without question or
doubt. When the subject achieves the ultimate state in this procedure,
he has been hypnotized. He then accepts suggestions without
equivocation.

Let us continue with this same thought. Suppose I say to you, "I'm going
to stick you with this pin. It won't hurt." Would you let me stick you
with the pin? Obviously not. Let us suppose that you have been
hypnotized and I repeat the same suggestion. What happens then? You
readily accept the suggestion as being factual. Should I proceed to
stick you with the pin, you do not even flinch. In fact, you do not even
feel the pain. Does this sound incredible? Isn't this exactly the same
procedure that the dentist uses with his patient when he has hypnotized
him for the purpose of painless dentistry?

Achieving hypnosis, therefore, is a matter of directing this
suggestibility that we all possess into the channels that will finally
produce the hypnotic state. It can be much more complicated than this
explanation in many cases, but let us use this as a working premise.

Everyone can be hypnotized. The time required for achieving hypnosis
will vary from subject to subject. We will discuss some of the reasons
for this in a subsequent chapter, but for our discussion at this time we
need to understand this point. I have encountered numerous individuals
who were extremely disappointed because they did not respond to hypnosis
immediately or after several attempts. They wanted to know "what was
wrong." An explanation that nothing was wrong somehow did not satisfy
these individuals. "After all," they argued, "didn't I go to a hypnotist
especially to be hypnotized?" Some insinuated that perhaps the hypnotist
wasn't too good.

Let me explain that most subjects need to be conditioned for hypnosis,
and this conditioning is helped when the subject practices cert