This method of hypnotism depends on a pleasant voice and rapid fire talk which does not give the subject's mind an opportunity to wander away from the main idea of sleep. The word of the hypnotist and the imagination of the subject do the work.
Seat your subject in a comfortable chair. Tell him to settle himself deeply in the chair and get comfortable. Place both feet squarely on the floor. Do not let the subject sit cross-legged or chew gum. Crossed legs slow circulation in legs and gum-chewing diverts attention. Tell him to relax and place his hands in his lap. Tell him to close his eyes.
Now say, "Relax. Relax your arms. Relax your legs. Relax your nerves. Think of nothing except my words. Imagine you are doing just what I say you are doing. You are becoming very comfortable. You are completely relaxed. Just think about sleep." Then say, "You are going sound asleep. Your arms are heavy. Your legs are heavy. Your head is heavy. You are very tired and sleepy. You are going sound asleep.
Your head is getting very heavy. You can hardly hold it up. You are very tired and sleepy. You are going deep asleep. Breathe deep. Relax and go to sleep. You are going deep asleep." (At this point the subject should begin to nod.) Continue to talk, "You are asleep. Just relax and go deeper asleep. You are going deeper and deeper asleep."
Here the subject should indicate by his head falling forward that he is asleep. Lift his hands and drop them. If they are limp he is asleep. If the subject fails to respond quickly and you have the time to devote to longer procedure, you may continue to talk to him about sleep until he sleeps, or if you do not have the time for longer procedure, just awaken him. (Be sure to do this because he might be in a state of hypnosis not discernible.)
Then dismiss him with the statement that it will require more time than you can devote to him to put him to sleep and that at later time, you will be glad to hypnotize him. Be sure to make it clear that some persons require more time to hypnotize than do others.
In using this method, do not speak too fast, but on the other hand, do not speak so slowly that the subject has time to think of something else. The best rule is to adapt the speed of your talk to the mental ability of the subject to comprehend the meaning of your words, without causing extra effort.
This is difficult to explain, but experience will assist you in gauging the speed of your talk and the wording of it, so that it keeps the subject's mind occupied and is also fully comprehended by him. This is very necessary if you wish to get the best results. The subject's mental reactions must follow right along with your chain of thought for it to properly affect his nervous reactions. If it becomes broken with other thoughts, the reaction is delayed. Sleep may not ensue.
Some operators seem to have great success with a quick, short, snappy delivery. They give no time for the subject to think about anything else except the thoughts desired. The subject is expecting to be hypnotized and his thoughts are seized upon with speed and dispatch. He is swayed backward, slightly off balance, his head tilted upward and the sleep formula applied so quickly that he is asleep before he knows what has happened. This is the professional operator.
