“As thoughts are not only things, but forces and act upon our mental and physical life for good or ill, we must be careful to always keep ourselves in that condition of thought which builds up and strengthens, to constantly think thoughts of health, of happiness, of good, to be cheerful, hopeful, confident and fearless. (Repeat five or six times.) In order to sustain this condition of positive thinking it requires the development of the will power. The will is the motive power and the controlling force in all aspects of our life, but we develop it especially for the concentration and control of thought. This is the higher self—the infinite will. Exercise it with vigor and earnest persistency, and learn to rely upon it. Assert its power as you assert the power of the muscles in exercise and it will manifest itself and the thought will be positive, the secretions of the body will be normal, and the circulation of the blood in the head will be kept at that proper equilibrium which insures the constant nutrition of the cells of the brain and their constant vigor and strength of control of all the organs and tissues of the body, and this vast and intricate machinery of the body will work harmoniously for the production of nutrition through elaboration of the food elements.
“As our body is constantly changing and wasting, we must rebuild and restore it constantly, and we do so from the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. The most important of these is the air you breathe, as it is not only a food in itself to the tissues, but it vitalizes the food you eat and the water you drink. Give it that quality of your thought and breathe it as you have been directed at least six times per day for a period of from five to ten minutes each time. Recognize it as both a food and an eliminator of poisons, as it is, and breathe, breathe, breathe, by Nature’s method, and the lungs will distribute the oxygen to the blood, and the blood being the common carrier of the body will take it to all parts of the body and on its return will gather up all the waste and poisonous matters and will bring them to the lungs, where, meeting the fresh oxygen, they will be burned up and exhaled as carbonic acid gas, leaving the body pure and clean.
“The water you drink, in the proportion of three and one-half pints each day, is necessary in all adult bodies to insure perfect secretion and excretion. As the result of this required liquid being provided in normal quantity, the secreting glands will manufacture the proper amount of juices needed in digestion, absorption and assimilation of your food, and the excreting glands, those which bring about excretion or the removal of waste matters from the body—the liver giving you the bile, which produces a daily movement of the bowels—the kidneys and bladder removing the chemical deposits which come about through the processes of digestion, and the skin excreting a large amount of waste matter from its twelve square feet of surface, which you remove with a towel each morning after moistening it with cold water. By following these laws of Nature you will have a good appetite and digestion, a daily movement of the bowels, refreshing sleep, and, as your nutrition is restored from day to day, a feeling of satisfaction and happiness will be the result. Be earnest and persistent and do everything cheerfully, with a firm determination of doing your part to restore nutrition.
“When you breathe, give it the quality of your thought; it is for the purpose of getting food, life; feeding from the air and eliminating poisons from your body. (Repeat five and six times.) When you sip the water, think each time that it is to produce perfect secretion and excretion—to give you a good appetite, digestion, refreshing sleep and a free movement of the bowels each morning. (Repeat five or six times.) Each day look forward to the morrow for progress and advancement. Think health—talk it and nothing else. Do not talk with anyone about disease or allow any person to talk to you on such subjects. Be cheerful, hopeful, confident and fearless always, and you will be happy and healthy. Eat, drink, breathe and be merry.”
It will be noticed that in the above described treatment, the suggestions are made along physiological and hygienic lines. That is, the suggestions indicate the physiological processes which are performed normally in the healthy person, the idea being to set up an ideal pattern for the Subconscious Mind to follow. In all scientific suggestive treatment the idea is always to paint a mental picture of the desired conditions rather than to dwell upon the existing undesirable conditions. The ideal is always held up to view, and the patient’s mind is led to realize the ideal—to make the ideal real—to manifest the thought in action—to materialize the mental picture.
The general principles of Suggestive Therapeutics may be applied effectively by means of Auto-Suggestion. In fact, the “affirmations,” “statements” and “assertions” used by many of the New Thought schools are but forms of Auto-Suggestion. There is no essential difference between the Suggestion given by others, and the Auto-Suggestion given by one’s self to one’s self. The healing power is in the mind of the patient, and whether it is called forth by his own Auto-Suggestion or the Suggestion of a healer matters not. The Auto-Suggestion is merely a case of self-healing by Suggestion, and is administered upon the principle of “every man his own suggestionist”—“sez I to meself, sez I.” Auto-Suggestions are usually given to one’s self in the form of “affirmations,” as, “I am improving; my stomach is doing its work well, digesting what is given it, and the nourishment is assimilated, etc.” In other works by the writer hereof, the method of addressing one’s self as one would another is recommended as particularly efficacious. That is to say, instead of saying, “I am, etc.,” in Auto-Suggestion, it is better to address one’s self in the second person, as “John Smith (naming yourself), you are, etc.” In short, the Auto-Suggestion seems to have additional force imparted to it by being directed as if it were being given to another person.
The following thought of Dr. Schofield is worthy of careful consideration in connection with the methods of applying Suggestion. He says, referring to the treatment of hysterical disorders and ailments: “We must, however, remember one great point with regard to suggestion—that it is like nitrogen. Nitrogen is the essential element in all animal life; it forms four-fifths of the air we breathe, and yet, curious to say, we have no power to use it in a pure state. We can only take it unconsciously, when combined with other substances in the form of proteid food. It is the same with suggestions. Not one hysterical sufferer in a hundred can receive and profit by them in a raw state—that is, consciously; they must generally be presented, as we have said, indirectly to the subconscious mind by the treatment and environment of the patient. An electric shock often cures slight hysterical diseases instantaneously, acting, as it often does, on the unconscious mind through the conscious. No doubt it would be easier if we could say to these sufferers, ‘The disease is caused by suggestions from ideal centers, and to cure it, all you have to do is to believe you are well.’ Still, it would be as impossible for us to take our nitrogen pure from the air, the mind cannot as a rule be thus acted on directly when the brain is unhealthy. Suggestion must be wrapped in objective treatment, directed ostensibly and vigorously to the simulated disease.”
Not only is the above true regarding the treatment of hysterical disorders, but to all disorders as well. The methods which will bring about the best results must be carefully modeled upon the patient’s particular temperament, education, prejudices for and against, and general belief. The skilled suggestionist adapts his treatment and methods to each individual case coming to him for treatment. Whatever method will best arouse the patient’s belief, faith and expectant attention is the best method for administering the suggestions. The successful suggestionist must be “all things to all men,” never, however, losing sight of the fundamental principle of Suggestion—the arousing of faith, belief, and expectant attention.