ntical technique I had used unsuccessfully,
and the subject responded excellently to cap the climax. He was the
first subject the nurse had ever hypnotized, since this was only her
third lesson.

How would you account for it? Here was one of my students with two
weeks' experience hypnotizing a subject where I had failed while using
every procedure that I felt would work. Was it because she was a better
hypnotist? Perhaps! However, I'd like to recall at this time our
discussion about subconscious responses. I'm inclined to feel that being
hypnotized by a middle-aged female nurse created certain favorable
unconscious responses which accounted for his going under hypnosis at
that time. It created the initial break-through which was needed. I was
able to hypnotize him easily at his next appointment, and he acquired
self-hypnosis readily from that time on.

I have tried the same approach with other subjects who did not respond
favorably and have failed to attain the success that I did in the above
case. Why the impasse? It is one of the difficulties that we encounter
in hypnosis, and as yet it has not been resolved.

We know that the easiest way to achieve self-hypnosis is to be
hypnotized and given a posthypnotic suggestion that you will respond to
hypnosis by a key word, phrase or gesture. I have tried to point out
some problems that can arise. Needless to say, these problems do not
always arise, and the attainment of self-hypnosis can be a relatively
simple procedure. There is usually some way of reaching a subject who
does not respond in a reasonable length of time.

Now we come to the point where the subject wishes to hypnotize himself.
What happens in this situation? It would appear that the subject would
go under hypnosis immediately. After all, isn't he controlling the
hypnotic session? Of course, this does happen time and time again, and
the results seem miraculous. I receive mail constantly from readers of
several of my other books on hypnosis telling me how they were able to
achieve certain goals that they never dreamed possible. They write that
they have achieved self-confidence and complete self-mastery and have
been able to overcome problems that have plagued them for many years.
These problems not only include strictly psychological troubles but many
psychosomatic symptoms as well. Many have remarked at the ease in which
they were able to achieve self-hypnosis and the results they wanted. For
them it was a