ou find yourself getting
drowsy. Next, suggest to yourself that your eyelids are becoming heavy
and tired. The goal is to acquire eye closure using this method. You
want to reach a state where it is uncomfortable to keep the eyes open.
Once you get your eyes closing, seemingly of their own volition, you
have reached the first step in achieving self-hypnosis.

You can repeat to yourself such suggestions as, "My eyelids are becoming
very heavy and tired ... My eyes are becoming very watery ... My eyelids
are blinking ... I just want to close my eyes ... The moment I close my
eyelids, I shall fall into a deep, sound, hypnotic sleep ... Even though
in a deep state of hypnosis, I shall be aware of my surroundings and be
able to direct posthypnotic suggestions to my subconscious mind."

When your eyelids actually become heavy or when your eyes actually begin
to water, you intensify these feelings by repeating affirmative
suggestions along these very lines. This is known as "the feed-back
technique" and helps to reinforce the actual condition that exists.
Proceeding in this way hastens the actual closing of the eyes and
attainment of the hypnotic state, per se.

Let us assume that you practice this procedure and seemingly nothing
happens. Continue to practice it again and again until such time as you
are able to achieve an eye closure. You will eventually be able to do
this within a relatively short period of time.

One of the best times to practice the technique just given is when you
are falling asleep at night. The lights are out and you are lying in
bed. Choose an imaginary spot above and behind your eye level so there
is some strain on the eye muscles. Now begin giving yourself suggestions
that your eyelids are becoming heavy, etc.

The reason this period is such an excellent time to practice
self-hypnosis is that the suggestions you give yourself spill over into
your subconscious as you drift from consciousness to unconsciousness.
It's like telling yourself to wake up at a certain time in the morning.
The suggestion reaches your subconscious and activates you consciously
to waken. Using this approach, you can give yourself dynamic,
constructive suggestions at this time as well as giving yourself the
posthypnotic suggestion that the next time you practice self-hypnosis,
you will fall into a deeper, sound, hypnotic state at the count of
three. You also emphasize that your eyelids will close involuntarily
whenever you