HYPNOTISM

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

9.Tratak Dhayan

This dhyan is a very powerful method of clearing out mind clogs. Again it utilizes breath ; a change in the pattern of breathing. Simultaneously focusing is done by bringing all of your attention at one particular point. The object can be a idol, master’s picture, waterfall, river flow, tree, it can be anything of nature. But if it is a master’s picture or if possible the presence of the guru is more then perfect.

Four steps involved in this particular Meditation

Step 1: Begin with prayer ; get your mind and body ready for it. Be honest and sincere in doing the whole process. Seek blessings of god who is not a person but existence.

Step 2: Now start with fast breathing. Go for rapid inhaling and exhaling. Do it faster and faster as if it is your last breath ; or last moment to live the urgency to breathe. Put more stress on exhaling. Push it out with all your strength. If you feel like taking a pause o.k. but do not stop for a longer time. Best is to do it continuously

Now on command which will be after 20 minutes come back to normal breathing. Open your eyes and keep eyes focused on one point. Go for very deep inhalation and exhale it out. Constantly keep your eyes focused on one place. This goes on for 15 minutes.

Step 3: Now close your eyes, relax and listen to the music. Feel freeto express in any way you like to do.


Step 4: Here we end the Dhyan by bowing our head in the Lotus Feet of Dear Lord.



premweb@aol.in

8.Trataka practice

Trataka is steady gazing. Write the word Om in black on the wall. Concentrate on it with open eyes till tears come in the eyes. Then close the eyes; visualise the picture of Om. Then open the eyes and again gaze till lachrymation manifests. Gradually increase the period. There are students who can gaze for one hour. Trataka is one of the sad kriyas (six exercises) in hatha yoga. Trataka steadies the wandering mind and removes viksepa (tossing of the mind). Instead of gazing at Om you may gaze at a big black dot on the wall. The walls will present a golden colour during trataka.

You can do trataka on any picture of the Lord, either of Krishna, Rama, or Siva or on Saligrama. You can sit on the chair also. Fix the picture on the wall in front of your eyes. Trataka is the alpha-beta of concentration. It is the first exercise for yogic students in concentration.


Trataka with open eyes is followed by visualisation. Visualisation is calling up of a clear mental image of anything.

Practise trataka for one minute on the first day. Then gradually increase the period every week. Do it gently with ease and comfort, as long as you can. Repeat your mantra, during trataka. In some people who have weak capillaries, the eyes may become red. They need not be alarmed unnecessarily. The redness of the eyes will pass quickly.

Practise trataka for six months then you can take up advanced lessons in concentration and meditation. Be regular and systematic in your sadhana (practice). If there is a break make up the deficiency or loss on the next day. Trataka removes many eye diseases and ultimately brings in siddhis (psychic powers).

Place a picture of Lord Jesus in front of you. Sit in your favourite meditative pose. Concentrate gently with open eyes on the picture till tears trickle down the cheeks. Rotate the mind on the cross, on the chest, long hair, beautiful beard, round eyes, and the various other limbs of his body, and fine spiritual aura emanating from his head, and so on. Think of his divine attributes, various phases of his interesting life and the `miracles' he performed and the various extraordinary powers he possessed. Then close the eyes and try to visualise the picture. Repeat the same process again and again.

premweb@aol.in

7.Soft Vision

This is a wonderful release for the overworked eyes. Moreover, it is a spiritual practice used independently in many widely divergent disciplines spanning the planet. This technique is practiced by Indian Yogi's, certain tribes of American Indians, students of the Russian Gurdjeff Schools, European Gypsies, and it is described in detail in the series of books by Carlos Castenada based upon his friendship with a Mexican Indian named Don Juan. Soft vision is a way of looking at the world without straining the eyes. Equally important, it gives the practitioner a whole new perspective on the universe, turning the ordinary into the magical and giving insight into the mysterious. It is the first step in a series of visionary exercises designed to expand awareness.

Look straight ahead at the most distant object in your field of vision. Now cross your eyes slightly, so that your field of vision is blurred and seen in double vision. Spread your awareness evenly in an ever larger circle until you are aware of the entire field of vision. Soften your eyes with a smile (smiling with your eyes, not grinning with your mouth!). Completely relax the eyes without any attempt to influence what or how they see. Rather than focusing on a specific object and jumping from object to object, the eyes become equally aware of your entire field of vision, and they rest softly without jumping around. As the eyes relax, so the mind becomes calm. Smile with your eyes and allow that smile to soften your face and spread throughout your body. Focusing on nothing, you become aware of everything.

Trataka
This technique enhances your control over the senses and increases your awareness and control of your external environment. Open your eyes and look at an object that evokes in you a pleasant reaction and hold it in your vision excluding all else. Do not let your eyes or your mind or your other senses wander! Release your eyes before they get tired or dry out and then splash cold water on your eyes to relieve fatigue. With practice you may experience the sense of separation between you and the object you observe melt away and allow yourself to become one with the object of your concentration.

Eyes Up
This technique, once mastered, quickly shuts down your internal dialogue and quiets the mind, bringing your full attention into the present moment. It also can generate feelings of mild euphoria. Caution should be exercised when learning as it can lead to eye strain or headaches if overdone or done incorrectly. Contacts should be removed if they cause any discomfort while doing this exercise.


Open your eyes and gently roll them up to look at the ceiling, then drop your chin an inch as you continue to look at the same spot on the ceiling. Let you eyes slip out of focus and relax the eyes and the face and your whole body. Let the eyes be drawn toward the third-eye, a little above and between the eyebrows. Notice if there is any strain or unpleasant sensation in the eyes. If there is, immediately lower the eyes just enough so that there is no sensation of straining, but do not quit. The eyes should be positioned as high as possible without causing any strain.

Then learn to breath and relax while holding this position. If it starts to feel good, roll up a little further. If it starts to feel unpleasant, immediately back off a little bit. Try to adjust for maximum pleasure with no discomfort. Hold for 1 minute at first and over a period of time, build to 3-5 minutes. Afterwards perform a facial and eye massage for a minute and then move into your favorite sitting meditation.

Eyes Down!
This technique, once mastered, also shuts down your internal dialogue and quiets the mind, bringing your full attention into the present moment. It often increases students awareness of their own bodies, and especially of their posture. Caution should be exercised when learning this exercise as it can lead to eye strain or headaches if overdone or done incorrectly. Contacts should be removed if they cause any discomfort while doing this exercise.


Open your eyes and gently drop them down to look at the floor, then raise your chin an inch as you continue to look at the same spot on the floor. Let you eyes slip out of focus and relax the eyes and the face and your whole body. Notice if there is any strain or unpleasant sensation in the eyes. If there is, immediately lift the eyes just enough that there is no sensation of straining, but do not quit. The eyes should be positioned as low as possible, without causing any strain. Then learn to breathe and relax while holding this position. If it starts to feel good, roll down a little further, if it starts to feel unpleasant, immediately back off a little bit. Try to adjust for maximum pleasure with no discomfort. Hold for 1 minute at first and over a period of time, build to 3-5 minutes. Afterwards perform a facial and eye massage for a minute and then move into your favorite sitting meditation.

premweb@aol.in

6.Practice of External Gazing

Trataka is an external concentration practice in which one gazes steadily at some small object without blinking, while the eyelids are held slightly more open than usual. The practice is continued until the eyes strain and water. They should then be closed and the eyes rolled gently a few times, followed by rinsing them carefully and gently with cold water. Another method of relaxation involves contracting the muscles around the eyes and then relaxing them. The purpose of this practice is to coordinate the impulses of the sensory and motor nerves, which assist in producing a state of calmness and tranquility necessary for concentration. Trataka preserves and maintains good eyesight, and provides immunity from diseases of the eyes.

During this exercise, one makes an effort to consciously cut off each thought at the very moment of its appearance in the mind. One should keep a steady watch for each new thought as it is forming and stop it there. This will be quite difficult fir the mind in the beginning. If the mind cannot be controlled, it should be allowed to flow. Relax completely and observe its fantasies, its digressions, and its roaming here and there. As one's practice improves, the stream of ideas, rather than being cut short , will seem to arise even more rapidly. This is an indication that the practitioner is making significant progress and that his mind is becoming clearer, and his observation sharper. This is the actual state of the mind's normal operation, but previously it had not been observed. A state of tranquility is reached when the thoughts seem to arise so fast that they are without number. To attempt to hinder thinking seems to have created more thoughts and thinking. From this point on, one should only act as an observer, letting the mind follow its own course. In this manner it will slow down on its own, and each mental process or operation can be inspected carefully and minutely. The ultimate result will be that the entire movement of the mind is brought under control.

Various sounds may be heard due to the motion of prana in the nadis. One should not be anxious about these noises, and they may be used for the fixation and concentration of the mind. As the mind becomes absorbed in meditation, these sounds will pass away.

premweb@aol.in

5.Meditation on a Flame

To perform this practice, assume any meditative posture with the head, neck, and trunk comfortably erect. Allow the mind to become calm and collected. and let the breath become serene, even, and regular. Gently open the eyes and gaze fixedly at the flame of an oil lamp (deepam) or candle which is placed at a distance of two to three feet in front of the eyes. Continue to focus on the candle until the eyes water.

When this occurs, do not rub the eyes, as this water is impure. Instead, close the eyes, make a cup-like shape with the palms of your hands, and place them over the eyes. Then you will see an afterimage of the candle flame. Retain this image, keeping it in your mental vision as long as possible. If it moves up, down, or sideways, try to hold it stationary.

It is helpful to move it about willfully. As a result of this practice, the eyes are strengthened, making them bright and attractive. The exercise also acts upon the solar plexus and is said to add to one's charm. It is held in high regard as a practice in concentration.

As one continues this practice he will eventually be able to establish this image of the candlelight in the mind's eye without the assistance of the candle. The aspirant will find that he becomes delighted with this image and that he wants to follow after it when it begins to diminish or disappear.

When this visualization comes under one's conscious control, he may focus on the center of the light and anything he wants to know will be revealed to him as long as his intentions are unselfish.

Various exercises of concentration on light are suggested in the yoga sastras. Concentrating on light between the eyebrows is called subtle concentration. One may also concentrate on an ocean of light in his heart, or on the image of a flame in the region of the navel.

Other forms of light may appear from within as a result of the predominance of one tattva or another. The lights of the tattvas are dull, while mental lights are bright.

The light of ojas is seen when there is no consciousness through the senses. If concentration is done consistently on these lights whenever they appear, one will develop a powerful intentional force or resolve, and a time will come when one will be able to recall these lights at will.

premweb@aol.in

4.Insight for Sore Eyes

These eyeball movements provide balance for people who do work up close, like students who spend a lot of their time reading or working at computers. According to Robert Abel, author of The Eye Care Revolution (Kensington Books, 1999), these brief exercises "compensate for overdevelopment of the muscles we use to look at near objects."

You might be surprised to learn that the palming part of this exercise provides more than a pleasant respite. According to Abel, our photoreceptors break down and are reconstructed every minute. "The eye desperately needs darkness to recover from the constant stress of light," he says. "And the simplest way to break eye stress is to take a deep breath, cover your eyes, and relax."

Along with palming, yoga in general benefits the eyes by relieving tension. While the effect of yoga on the eyes has not been scientifically measured, studies have shown that a simple exercise like walking can lower pressure in the eyeball by 20 percent.

Vasanthi Bhat, a yoga teacher in the Sivananda tradition, includes asanas like Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog), in her video, Yoga for Eyes. "These asanas bring circulation to the face, neck, and shoulders, which need to be energized and relaxed for improved vision," Bhat explains. So even if you have not been doing asanas specifically for your eyes, your overall yoga practice is helping your vision.

Looking High, Looking Low
Once students have mastered the basic eyeball exercise, Srinivasan introduces an intermediate series of eye exercises which he calls "shifting focus."


While sitting relaxed and still, pick a point in the distance and focus on it. Extend your arm and put your thumb right underneath the point of concentration. Now begin shifting your focus between the tip of your thumb and the faraway point, alternating rhythmically between near and distance vision. Repeat the exercise 10 times, then relax your eyes with palming and deep breathing. As you practice this exercise, you are training an organ called the ciliary body, which adjusts the lens of the eye. Habitual focus patterns degrade the ciliary body's natural flexibility. Shifting focal points counteracts this stiffness by exercising the organ through its full range, much as we work complementary muscle groups in asana practice.

The final eye asana taught in the Sivananda series stresses close-range focus. As in the shifting focus exercise, gaze at your thumb with your arm extended. This time move the thumb slowly toward the tip of your nose. Pause there for one second. Then reverse the sequence, following the thumb with your eyes as you extend your arm again. As before, repeat the sequence 10 times, then relax with palming.

By training the eyes to focus on the ajna chakra (the "third eye," located between and just above the eyebrows) a yogi trains his mind to turn inward. On a more prosaic level, close-range focus exercises can forestall the need for reading glasses.

Perhaps you've seen a picture of a yogi staring at a candle flame. If so, you've seen trataka, an eye-cleansing exercise described in the Upanishads and mentioned in other yogic texts, including the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Trataka can also be found in the texts of Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine), where it is recommended to stimulate the alochaka pitta, the energy center related to sight. But as always with yoga, there's a connection between physiology and the more subtle aspects of spiritual practice. According to Dr. Marc Halpern, founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda, the practice of trataka decreases mental lethargy and increases buddhi (intellect).

Although traditionally performed with a candle, trataka can use almost any external point of focus, like a dot on the wall. Concentrate your gaze on one object, without blinking, until your eyes begin to tear. Then close your eyes and try to maintain a vivid image of that object for as long as possible. Each time you practice trataka, extend the time you maintain the after-image. This exercise, traditionally believed to remove any disease from the eyes and to induce clairvoyance, also develops the skill of internal visualization.Yogis develop this skill to keep their minds fixed in meditation on a sacred image—and, by extension, on the divine experience associated with that image. The intricate spiritual mandalas you may have see in Indian and Tibetan holy books are also designed for this purpose. Highly skilled meditators can visualize even the most minute details of these elaborate cosmic representations. By perfectly aligning inner and outer focus, these yogis seek a realization like that of Meister Eckhart, a thirteenth-century Christian mystic who once declared, "The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me."

With benefits ranging from better vision to increased concentration and spiritual insight, these eye asanas will enhance your yoga practice. Along with a healthy diet and regular exercise, they will help protect your vision from the stresses of light, tension, and environmental toxins. So as you grow older, and hopefully wiser, you can direct a soft, insightful gaze at the world, learning to see self and other as one.

premweb@aol.in

3.Yogic gazing

Trataka means steady gazing. It is a very simple and beautiful meditation technique.

Method: In this a regular candle is used, however any other object of choice can be used. The candle is set up at an arm's distance, level with eyes, and steady gazing is first done with the eyes open. After some time, the eyes are closed, and the after image inside the mind is used for gazing. Try not to move through out the practice. Relax your breath , let it lengthen,deepen.

Benefits: It improves the optic function, both external and internal, such as poor eyesight and visualization abilities.
It helps develop concentration and mental resolve.
Develops the ability to maintain one-pointedness in amongst the noise and distractions of daily life.
Develops the psychic eye, that is the ability to "see" or understand what is inside and beyond the obvious.


premweb@aol.in

2.What is Trataka?

Trataka is steady gazing. Write the word Om in black on the wall. Concentrate on it with open eyes till tears come in the eyes. Then close the eyes; visualise the picture of Om. Then open the eyes and again gaze till lachrymation manifests. Gradually increase the period. There are students who can gaze for one hour. Trataka is one of the sad kriyas (six exercises) in hatha yoga. Trataka steadies the wandering mind and removes viksepa (tossing of the mind). Instead of gazing at Om you may gaze at a big black dot on the wall. The walls will present a golden colour during trataka.

You can do trataka on any picture of the Lord, either of Krishna, Rama, or Siva or on saligrama. You can sit on the chair also. Fix the picture on the wall in front of your eyes. Trataka is the alpha-beta of concentration. It is the first exercise for yogic students in concentration.

Trataka with open eyes is followed by visualisation. Visualisation is calling up of a clear mental image of anything.
Practise trataka for one minute on the first day. Then gradually increase the period every week. Do it gently with ease and comfort, as long as you can. Repeat your mantra, during trataka. In some people who have weak capillaries, the eyes may become red. They need not be alarmed unnecessarily. The redness of the eyes will pass quickly.

Practise trataka for six months then you can take up advanced lessons in concentration and meditation. Be regular and systematic in your sadhana (practice). If there is a break make up the deficiency or loss on the next day. Trataka removes many eye diseases and ultimately brings in siddhis (psychic powers).

Place a picture of Lord Jesus in front of you. Sit in your favourite meditative pose. Concentrate gently with open eyes on the picture till tears trickle down the cheeks. Rotate the mind on the cross, on the chest, long hair, beautiful beard, round eyes, and the various other limbs of his body, and fine spiritual aura emanating from his head, and so on. Think of his divine attributes, various phases of his interesting life and the 'miracles' he performed and the various extraordinary powers he possessed. Then close the eyes and try to visualise the picture. Repeat the same process again and again.

premweb@aol.in

1.Trataka introduction

  1. Dhaksina Jatru Trataka (Right shoulder gaze). Vama Jatru Trataka (left shoulder gaze).
  2. Sit in Sukhasana or Vajrasana position.
  3. Keep the body erect, and head steady and neck straight.
  4. Keep the thumb in front of you about 12 inches away and the other hand on the respective knee.
  5. Fix the eyes on the nail of the thumb.
  6. Slowly move your hand towards the end of your shoulder, keeping the eyes on the thumb nail, eyes open; do not move the head, only the eye balls. Hold the gaze for a few seconds without flickering. Put cupped palms over eyes for a few seconds.

Duration: A few seconds in the beginning gradually increase to one minute.

Benefits:

  1. Exercises the muscles of the eye.
  2. Helps in curing minor eye defects.
  3. As the functions of the optic nerves are closely connected to the nervous system, it helps in concentration.
  4. Helps to secure proper fixation and accommodation, lack of which leads to defects of vision.

BHRUMADHYA TRATAKA (Eye brow gaze)

Sit in either Sukhasana or Vajrasana. Keep the head, neck and spine straight. Focus the eyes on the space between the eyebrows. Keep this up for a few seconds. Cup the eyes. Repeat after a few seconds.

Benefits: Helps in concentration.

premweb@aol.in

Hypno Trataka

Trataka therapy
  1. Trataka
  2. What is Trataka
  3. Yogic gazing
  4. Insight for Sore Eyes
  5. Meditation on a Flame
  6. Practice of External Gazing
  7. Soft Vision
  8. Trataka practice
  9. Tratak Dhayan

Scientific studies.the term hypnotism

The term hypnotism was used by James Braid, a British doctor who studied suggestion and hypnosis in the mid-1800's. Braid pointed out that hypnosis differed from sleep and that hypnotism was a physiological response in the subject, not the result of secret powers. Perhaps Braid's most valuable contribution was his attempt to define hypnotism as a phenomenon that could be scientifically studied. During this same period, James Esdaile, a Scottish doctor working in India, began to use hypnotism as an anaesthetic in major surgery, including leg amputations. He performed about 200 operations with the aid of hypnosis.

During the late 1800's, the French neurologist Jean Martin Charcot performed landmark experiments involving hypnosis. He found that hypnosis relieved many nervous conditions. His clinic for nervous disorders achieved a widespread reputation among scientists of the time, including the French psychologist Alfred Binet and the Austrian doctor Sigmund Freud. Also in the late 1800's, the French doctors Hippolyte Bernheim and Ambroise Auguste Liebeault explored the role of suggestibility in hypnosis. These two scientists used hypnosis to treat more than 12,000 patients.

Freud was especially interested in the work of Charcot and Bernheim. He used hypnotized people in his early studies of the unconscious state. For various reasons, Freud abandoned the use of hypnosis in his clinical practice. However, he continued to view hypnosis as an important research phenomenon. Late in his life, Freud modified his once negative views on hypnotism.

During the early 1900's, the Russian physiologist and psychologist Ivan Pavlov sought to discover a physiological basis of hypnosis. Pavlov maintained that hypnosis is based on inhibition (blockage) of certain nerve impulses in the brain.

Hypnotism became widely used by doctors and psychologists during World War I and World War II. Hypnosis was used to treat battle fatigue and mental disorders resulting from war. After the wars, scientists found additional uses of hypnotism in clinical treatment.

Dangers of hypnotism

Hypnotism can only be dangerous if it is abused. Only a qualified professional should practise hypnotism. Although many people can learn to hypnotize, the skill is not a substitute for training in medicine and psychology. People who practise hypnotism need sufficient education and experience to be able to analyse a condition, determine that hypnosis is an appropriate treatment, and evaluate the results.

An untrained person cannot deal with the difficulties that might occur as the result of inappropriately hypnotizing an individual. For example, an unqualified hypnotist may give treatment for the wrong condition or may overlook significant details. An inappropriate suggestion may mask or cover an illness or symptom. If the hypnotist uses an incorrect method or approach, a symptom may be interpreted as a completely different problem. The symptom may remain undetected, and the subject may not learn the proper skills for solving the real problem. In addition, alternative treatment techniques may be ignored or may not be used effectively.

Some people learn self-hypnosis, also called autohypnosis. Self-hypnosis should be used only after an expert has determined that it is the appropriate treatment for the particular problem. A person learning self-hypnosis should have professional instruction. Complications may arise if self-hypnosis is practised incorrectly.

Hypnotic phenomena.

There are many individual differences in what a person experiences with hypnosis. A hypnotized person may experience changes in awareness, creative imagination, reasoning, and wakefulness. Physical changes within the body also may be produced by suggestion. These phenomena include changes in blood flow, blood pressure, heart rate, and sensations of cold and heat.

Professionals sometimes concentrate on a certain phenomenon of hypnosis to help treat their patients. One useful phenomenon is the ability of some hypnotized people to remember forgotten experiences. After people have a shocking or painful experience, they often repress (block) memories associated with the experience from their conscious thoughts. Sometimes, the repressed memories influence the individual's normal behaviour and may result in certain forms of mental illness. For example, during World War II (1939-1945), soldiers occasionally developed amnesia (loss of memory) as a result of some of their experiences. By hypnotizing these patients, doctors were able to help the patients remember their experiences and relieve the emotional tensions that had built up. This treatment helped the patients regain their health.

Another hypnotic phenomenon is called age regression. The doctor or therapist suggests that the hypnotized patient is a certain age. The patient may then recall or "relive" incidents in his or her life. If the hypnotist suggests that the patient is 7 years old, for example, the patient may appear to talk, act, and even think much as a 7-year-old. In this way, patients may remember events and feelings that may have had some bearing on their present illness. The patient can then reinterpret the situation with additional information, new insights, and increased coping skills.

Sometimes, at the hypnotist's command, subjects may believe they are living in some past or future time. They may feel that they have travelled back to the Middle Ages or on to the next century. Untrained hypnotists may look upon such changes as proof that the individual was or will be reincarnated. Most professionals consider these fantasies to be much the same as dreams and unrelated to past or future reality.

Ending the hypnosis session is generally not difficult. A person usually remains in hypnosis until given a signal by the hypnotist. The hypnotist may count to five, make an indirect suggestion, or produce some type of sound. Sometimes the subject ends the experience even when no signal is given. Occasionally a hypnotist may have difficulty ending the hypnosis. This problem is one of the reasons why only trained professionals should practise hypnotism.

The hypnotic experience

The hypnotic experience Some people can go into hypnosis within a few seconds or minutes. Others cannot be hypnotized easily.

There are various levels of hypnosis. For example, with light hypnosis, the person becomes rested and follows simple directions easily. In deep hypnosis, complete anaesthesia may be experienced.

In the treatment of medical or psychological problems, the level of hypnosis is not usually related to the effectiveness of treatment. Inducing hypnosis in another person can be achieved through several techniques. Perhaps the best-known techniques use direct commands.

These commands consist of simple suggestions repeated continuously in much the same tone of voice. The hypnotist instructs the subject to focus his or her attention on an object or fixed point, such as a spot on the ceiling. Then the hypnotist tells the subject to relax, breathe deeply, and allow the eyelids to grow heavy and to close. Many professionals use verbal and nonverbal techniques known as indirect inductions. Such procedures usually omit the use of a focal object. The subject responds to a story or a mental puzzle presented by the hypnotist.

The hypnotist does not tell the patient to relax or to close the eyes. Instead, the hypnotist suggests these actions indirectly through the story or puzzle. The hypnosis treatment remains much the same. Some hypnotists give their subjects a challenge suggestion to test for hypnosis.
For example, the hypnotist may say, "You will have difficulty moving your right hand.
" The person may then find the movement difficult or impossible to perform. Such tests do not necessarily indicate a hypnotic state.

They may merely demonstrate a person's response to suggestion. Historically, various drugs occasionally have been used to help induce hypnosis. However, drugs and special tools or other gimmicks are rarely necessary for inducing hypnosis. Most professionals do not make use of them.

History of Criminal Hypnosis

History of Criminal Hypnosis Criminal hypnosis cannot be studied in normal experiments, because the experiment would be unethical. Perpetrators do not write books about the crimes they committed.

Part I of this book contains four major case histories of criminal hypnosis which have been researched either by psychiatrists or investigative journalists.

Each of those case histories are clear-cut, well-studied, detailed cases of hypnotic abuse-deceitful, amnesic, chronic, and damaging. Scattered throughtout the book, many other significant cases involving criminal mind control are also described.

For example, “Z,” in Germany of the 1920s, finally figured out what hit him and never quit trying to get the truth out. Mrs. E. suffered in Heidelberg until her husband called the cops and Dr. Mayer extablished the evidence which sent two predatory hypnotists to jail. A “guru” hypnotized his cellmate, Palle Hardwick, in a Danish prison, making him a puppet who would later rob banks and murder because of hypnotic conditioning. Palle’s police psychiatrist, Dr. Reiter, solved the case and sent the criminal hypnotist to jail.

Candy Jones, a popular model and World War II pinup girl, was trapped into becoming an unknowing guinea pig in CIA experiments on narcohypnosis, personality-splitting, and torture - until her unconscious revolted and began to serve truth and freedom instead.

The case histories in this book also illustrate the development of mind-control technologies over the past two-hundred and fifty years.

The personal characteristics of an unethical hypnotist also evolved over those years. Low-class predators looking for easy profit by a super-scam are always around.

The free-lance scientific researchers of 19th century Europe, however, have been joined by anonymous secret agency hirelings, or graduate school bad boys directed by covert organization-man MDs and PhDs. All have sought the unholy grail of absolute control in absolute secrecy for personal profit, or for whomever is paying.