s simple as following a do-it-yourself book.

Others write about the difficulty they encounter and ask what to do
about it. It is my hope that this book will shed some light for those
who have experienced difficulty in learning self-hypnosis. We shall
discuss many phases of hypnosis with the emphasis on self-hypnosis.
We'll discuss its many ramifications and try not to leave out anything
helpful in our discussion.

If you follow the instructions and exercises that I give you
assiduously, you should be able to achieve a depth of self-hypnosis
suitable for solving many of your personal problems.

Chapter 2

What About the Dangers of Hypnosis?

One of the objections that you hear to hypnosis is that it can be
dangerous in the hands of those not trained in the psychodynamics of
human behavior. Inasmuch as psychiatrists and clinical psychologists are
the only ones who are thoroughly trained in the analysis of human
behavior, this objection, if valid, could limit hypnosis to a
comparative handful of therapists. Fortunately, it is not valid. This
was proved several years ago when the "Bridey Murphy" craze gripped the
country. Despite the fact that thousands of amateur hypnotists were
practicing hypnosis, little or no harm resulted. I have personally
instructed several thousand medical and non-medical individuals and have
yet to hear of a single case where a crisis was precipitated or anything
of a dangerous or detrimental nature occurred as a result of hypnosis. I
have also taught several thousand persons self-hypnosis and can report
the same findings.

Many patients who seek treatment from competent psychiatrists,
psychoanalysts and psychologists do not always obtain satisfactory
results. This doesn't mean that everyone should stop seeking help from
these specialists. Even a specialist doesn't have a perfect record of
successful therapy.

What then is the objection to hypnosis? The theory that if you get rid
of one symptom another symptom will take its place really holds no truth
and is usually advanced by those who have had little or no experience in
the hypnosis field. However, a difference of opinion does exist even
with those practicing hypnosis in this area. Some hypnotists "trade
down" symptoms by replacing a serious symptom with a minor one, while
others just remove the symptom. The latter is what a doctor does when he
recommends aspirin for arthritis. He knows the aspirin will not cure the
arthritis,