I recall some years ago approaching a work colleague and offering him a cigarette. He responded with a “no, thank you, I have stopped smoking.”

I replied with the usual – “really? How long have you packed in, and how did you do it?” From that moment on the conversation and his testimony went something like this –

Gordon: “Well, I decided that I wanted to and tried a few times and failed, so I went to a hypnotist.”

Me: “Really? That’s interesting.”

Gordon: “Yes, it cost me fifteen quid.”

(In the days that I am talking about fifteen pounds was quite a lot of money)

Me: “Wow. What happened”

Gordon: “Well I am not really sure. You see I went along expecting to be hypnotised, but he didn’t hypnotise me. It was all weird. I turned up and had to pay my money up front to the secretary before I even went in, so I paid up and went in.

He was doing some paperwork at his desk, just sorting through a few notes or something, so I walked over to the French windows and looked at his garden and commented to him that his daffodils looked nice. He got up and came and stood beside me and asked if I liked gardening, so I told him that I did and we spent some time talking about my garden and his garden and the plants that I had and the plants that he had and his daffodils, and that’s all we talked about – his flaming daffodils.

Anyway, after a while he said “Thank you Mr Price, that’s it, we are all done.”

Well I tell you, I was mad!, so I said “What about the anti-smoking hypnosis?”

And he replied - “No, we are all done. If you need to see me again, you know where I am.”

I tell you I was blazing. I was mad, I left and realised that I had been taken for a ride. Fifteen quid down the drain to a shyster to talk about his bloody daffodils. I was fuming! I felt like kicking his car in as I left. I am not joking, I was blazing.”

Me: “So how did you pack in smoking in the end?”

Gordon: “I don’t know. I don’t understand it. I haven’t got a clue what he did, I really haven’t. I just do not know what happened. I can’t work it out no matter how hard I try to remember because I swear that as far as I am concerned all we did was talk about his flaming daffodils.

But I do know that I have never smoked from that day to this and neither do I want one. So you tell me what he did?”

The problem with using a word like hypnosis is that many people do not really understand what it means and what it entails. They have some preconceived idea in their head that hypnosis involves somebody asking you to stare at a swinging watch or a flickering candle while you listen to their voice and eventually go into a trance like sleep.

This is sometimes correct, because these are techniques of trance induction, but this in only one very small part of the world of hypnotism. There are many other forms.

The practice of which I am talking is the ability of one person (the controller) to place another, or a group of people (the subjects) into a receptive state, and having done so, they can then, by the technique of “suggestion” implant into the target’s subliminal or subconscious mind an idea, a thought, a command or whatever it is that they want to implant.

The average person has witnessed a stage or a TV hypnotist at some time or other, I have seen many.

Hypnosis is a thing of levels. This must first be understood. It is not a matter of 1,2,3 and you are full hypnotised. The 1,2,3 is only the beginning of the hypnotic state. A stage hypnotist can tell at a glance within a few moments which of the 20 subjects before him are possibly good subjects as far as he is concerned, and he can tell the bad ones. The stage hypnotist is doing a stage show, so they do not have the time to spend working on the bad subjects, so they invariably discard them and ask those who are not responding very well to go back to their seats.

They will then take the ones that are chosen and remain on the stage to the next level, deepening the state of hypnosis, and again to another level and so on, deepening and deepening their hypnotic state until they have reached the point that the hypnotist wants them to be at.

It has long since been suggested that if somebody does not want to be hypnotised then they cannot be hypnotised. This is sheer nonsense and it is a statement that is greatly misunderstood. The fact of the matter is – anybody can be hypnotised. The problem is – the time scale, or how long it takes for an unwilling subject to be hypnotised. If they are subjected to a concerted attack, they will succumb in the end, but it could take a very long time, and in some case may require the person’s natural defences to be broken down through torture, starvation, isolation, sleep depravation or various other means.

The best candidates for hypnosis are those who do not even know that they are being hypnotised or that an attempt is being made to hypnotise them. And the average person would not even class such a thing as hypnotism, but would probably refer to it as “suggestion” or “auto suggestion”. That’s fine. I don’t mind. Let’s call it “auto suggestion” if you feel more comfortable with the term. Suggestion, auto suggestion, suggestive implanting, mesmerism, hypnotism, they are all just terms for the same very strange phenomenon.

Self Hypnosis

Self hypnosis is relatively easy to accomplish because the target is yourself and as you have confidence in yourself that you are not going to do anything nasty to yourself you have removed one if not the major obstacle.

There are so many techniques of accomplishing it that I am not even going to go into the detail of any of them. If you want to know, just go on to any major search engine on the Internet and search for “self hypnotism”+technique and you will find many pages telling you how to do it.

The basic principle is to first relax yourself and to then deepen you relaxation further and further into a state of receptiveness where upon you can implant into your subconscious mind various thoughts, ideas and routines. People who are going to practice it a lot and make the most of it very often think up a personal “power word” or “power phrase” and early on in their self-hypnosis program they implant the suggestion that as they repeat their “power word or phrase” this will deepen the state of receptiveness very quickly.

This is accomplished by thinking of a unique word or a phrase which is preferably rhythmic. Don’t choose something like “transcendental particularisation” because this would be a very bad power phrase. It is far too complex. “rolypoly” is an excellent choice. “ummagumma” is another, as is “abracadabra”. These are good power words because they roll very easily when you repeat them, they are rhythmic which enhances their power and suitability. As I have said elsewhere, “hallelujah” is a good power word. It is rhythmic and when repeated it just seems to roll around and around

The principle is simple. You condition your own subconscious and tell it that as you repeat the word over and over your state of receptiveness will increase and you will deepen and deepen into the hypnotic state.

Couldn’t be more simple, could it? Because once you have conditioned your mind into recognising the “power word or phrase” all you need to do is to relax, and repeat the word over and over in your mind. You don’t need to say it out aloud, just think it and repeat it over and over. It can take as little as one or two sessions of such programming and all you will have to do is shut your eyes, begin using your “power phrase” and you will instantly and I mean instantly begin to feel its effects. It is just like somebody has jabbed you with a needle of relaxant and you will feel you mind move into receptive mode. It is very simple. It is very effective, and there is nothing new about it. It is the principle of the "Om”.

All you are actually doing is conditioning your subconscious mind into working for you by suggestion.

But to be honest, your brain already knows this, and uses the same technique quite naturally all on its own.

This can be best described as a natural conditioning which is a type of learned behaviour. If you place a rat into a box with a red path and a blue path and every time it walks on the blue path it gets a mild nasty shock it very quickly learns to avoid the blue path! It is natural, it is a learned response. Hey this is not earth shattering stuff. This is already well understood. A child with a natural learned response ability only puts their finger into the fire once! They instantly learn that putting a finger into the fire hurts and their brain remembers it!

The Christian who experiences a spiritual high does not need to wittingly go through the techniques of auto suggestion. Their brain does it for them quite naturally all on its own.

Let us say that from their previous experience their brain remembers that a heightened spiritual experience was the result of a certain condition. Without even thinking about it they naturally repeat the condition in order to repeat the experience.

A typical example is what I will refer to as the “hallelujah syndrome”. Once again, it is very simple.

A newcomer goes to a meeting and observes the people around them standing up with their hands raised toward heaven, head tilted slightly back, repeating “hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.” They may think that they are all off their rockers. They are not off their rockers. These people are preparing their brain and placing it into a state of relaxation and receptiveness.

If the newcomer sticks it out, overcomes the “feeling silly” syndrome and perseveres, they discover that by so doing, they also feel slightly different. The hypnotic repeating of the word, especially when surrounded with hundreds of others doing the same, out aloud and all at different pitches relaxes them and they feel slightly different. It may only be a very slight change at first. Maybe it takes two or three sessions, but they get there in the end and they do notice a difference. Their brain remembers this difference. It is a learned response. And the more they do it the greater and more relaxing the experience.

They have unwittingly adopted a “power word”. They have not consciously done so, neither have they suggested to their subconscious mind that by repeating their “power word” they will deepen their trance like state or receptiveness, but they don't need to. Their brain does it for them. Their brain remembers the experience and actively seeks it. Before you know where you are they are on their feet and hallelujah’ing with everybody else because the brain fully expects to feel the result, and it receives what it expects.

I don’t have a problem with any of this. This is quite normal, quite natural, and used by millions of people across the world, very often with beneficial effects.
I use auto suggestion all of the time. I use power words frequently. These methods can be used as an aid to cure insomnia, anxiety, and a whole host of situations.

But the person MUST be made aware that as they place their own selves into this highly receptive state they are highly vulnerable to receive suggestion!

They have either wittingly or unwittingly placed themselves into a highly receptive state. If they practice alone in the privacy of their own home without any outside influence then the only input will be from themselves.

If on the other hand they are in a church meeting the input will usually come from somebody else, ie – the preacher.

You can witness the techniques of suggestion used by many preachers from the comfort of your own armchair if you have “sky TV”. Just tune into one of the “GOD” channels, sit back and observe.

I wanted an example to highlight here so I turned it on last night and randomly watched what was on.

For those who are sticklers for information, it was screened on Sunday 22nd December 2002. The Preacher was a man called Bishop T.D. Jakes, and the program was called “The Potters House” The sermon was called “God’s leading lady” and the subject of the sermon was encouraging women to decide to take their place as leading ladies, and T. D. Jakes was giving them encouragement to do so.

I am not picking on T. D. Jakes in particular. He just happened to be the one who was on the “Sky God channel” at the time.

Bishop T.D Jakes’ own web-site carries the following information about the man, an extract of which is, and I quote -

“Bishop Jakes’ style has always been intensely his own. From the pulpit, his Pentecostal fervour blazes most frequently on the subjects of restoration, reconciliation and healing. His sermons are dense with poetic commentary, startling insights, and contemporary applications of the Bible’s timeless message. In the audience, his words are punctuated by passionate praise, worship and spontaneous dancing.

Charisma Magazine’s Ken Walker wrote that Bishop Jakes’ message, "Is about God’s supernatural ability, bestowed by a Lord who is color-blind and cares about each person. . . . [Bishop Jakes] delivers the Word in such a lightning-rod fashion that he makes you believe that all things really are possible with God." (end of quote).

What is this “Lightening-rod fashion that makes you believe that all things really are possible with God”?

Well, his words are full of emphasis, they are slow, deliberate, meaningful and purposeful. He walks quite a lot around the stage without saying anything at all, building up the expectation of the congregation who are just waiting to hear his next word, and then he will deliver a short sharp statement, and very often he will repeat it several times. And Oh boy, does he repeat it several times?

For instance, how about these words?

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

You are the woman for the job.

No, I didn’t press the “repeat” key on the keyboard by accident. This is exactly what occurred. This statement was repeated as I have produced it above fifteen times! Nothing else was said in between. It was just a repeat of that one statement over and over again.

T.D Jakes is doing very well out of his preaching, according to “Christianity today” – “The sales figures for his books indicate just how big Jakes is. Woman, Thou Art Loosed!—which sold more than 1.25 million copies through Destiny Image, a tiny charismatic-owned press—led to a seven-figure contract with the giant Putnam Publishing Group”

These “positive thinking” by suggestion techniques are again as old as the hills. There is nothing new about them.

Come on people, let’s get wise to this. This is suggestion, pure and simple! This isn’t God! This isn’t he Holy Spirit! I repeat - this is suggestion pure and simple.

Subliminal advertising is banned in most countries, even though it has been admitted by the guy who did the original study that he falsified the test results, but blatant suggestion techniques like these are openly used over and over again. They are screened on our TV every night and anybody can just tune in and watch them.

Should they be banned? No, I don’t think so. I am a great believer in the freedom of speech, and it would be impossible to impose such a ban given the fact that most preaching is similarly suggestive in some way. But what does need to happen is that people need to be made aware that it is going on and how simple it is to accomplish.

These preachers have either been trained or they have learned how to deliver a line, how to get their message across, how to reach their congregation / audience, but there again so are politicians likewise trained and many public speakers. It isn’t a problem as long as people are aware of it.

The problem in the Christian world is the “spirituality aspect”. Christians, indeed all religions advocate spirituality, and hey, I agree with them! What I object to is the suggestion that a charismatic preacher who can draw the crowds is a “spirit filled”, or “spirit gifted preacher”. They are far more likely to be somebody who has studied the technique of suggestion and auto suggestion.

And I also agree that in some case they don’t even know that they are doing it. It is therefore important that we know that they are doing it!

How can that be? How can somebody employ the techniques of hypnotism and suggestion without even knowing it?

Simple. They have been taught a technique which their teacher called by a different name, as in – “hello class, today we are going to learn about power speaking”.

And what they get taught is the art of suggestion. As far as they are concerned they are not hypnotising anybody, what they are doing is “power speaking”.

How about - “Hey class, today we are going to take an in depth look at how we can aid others to receive the Holy Spirit. Peter just laid his hands upon them and they received it. We should be able to do the same”

I do not have a problem with suggestion, auto suggestion or hypnotic inducement. I believe that it is often beneficial. Certainly in the field of medicine it is gaining ground and becoming more acceptable as both a means of cure and as a means of anaesthesia.

The problem that I have is that men like Jakes, and I mean “the men like Jakes” because there are many of them, are doing what they are doing and not admitting that it is suggestion / hypnotism. These people are Christian preachers and Christian teachers and leaders. It is therefore naturally assumed by those who attend their meetings and fall under their influence that what they are receiving is of God and the Holy Spirit, and this is where the thing becomes insidious.

Those who have fallen under such an influence have often argued with me in the past with statements such as – “Look, I don’t care what you say. I know what I feel! I know what I experience! I now because I know, I am experiencing something, I feel wonderful, I feel lifted up, I feel relaxed, I feel happy and full of joy. It is a blessing!”

My answer is - I know it is. I agree! I understand full well how you feel, I really do understand, and I really and truly do not have a problem with it! What I do have a problem with is that you should also understand what is happening and this you do not.

You can bring about exactly the same feeling of well-being yourself by using exactly the same suggestion techniques, because that is all that is happening, you are being subjected to suggestion techniques and hypnotic techniques that have been used for many many years. And by bringing it about yourself then it is YOU who are in control. The suggestions that you make to yourself are your own suggestions, and unless you are an utter fool you will not suggest anything which is not good or conducive to your own well-being. But when you place yourself into the position where somebody else is the channeller, the one in control, then you are placing yourself in their hands, and I am telling you that they are making a very good living, if not a fortune out of you.

With a bit of practice they can make you bark like a dog, cluck like a chicken, and roll about on the floor hiccuping. So be aware of it and be concerned about what else it is possible to accomplish.

Suggestion and hypnosis is very powerful, a lot more powerful than you could ever imagine. Right now the thought of killing somebody may be an utter anathema to you, but you could very quickly find yourself believing that killing other non like-minded people is the Lord’s work, that you are doing God a favour by ridding the world of such so called “Satanic” people.

You could find yourself in such a state of fanatic belief through their suggestion that you tie ten sticks of dynamite around your waist and walk into an assembly of the opposition. DO NOT under estimate what is going on, and what can be accomplished by it! So far, all they are taking from you is your money.

Fanaticism and religion go hand in hand. The first warning signs are when you start to develop a lack of concern and understanding for your fellowman, then you start to develop an intolerance for them, their beliefs and any belief which is not the same as your own which develops into a total intolerance, indifference and hatred of them and their beliefs.

Then you begin to imagine what it would take to bring them around to your way of thinking, perhaps if you could perform a miracle or two, they would sit up and take notice, but that doesn’t work because you can’t perform the miracles, but what would you do if you had the power? Why, if only you had the power you could strike them dumb or blind until they came to their senses and agreed with you and your ways. You could walk into their church and give them all a 2 minute warning to get out because you are going to cause the whole building to crumble into rubble if only you had the power. No, that doesn’t work either because you don’t have the power.

Let’s just help God out here and tie the dynamite around our waist.

You think that I am mad? Over the top? Just rambling and teaching paranoia? Wake up and take a look around you.

Will a man tie dynamite around his waist and do such a thing? He will if he believes it to be “The work of God”. He will if he has been taught that God desires it! He will if he is under the control of men who suggest it.

Will somebody walk into a salad bar in the USA and sprinkle the salad with salmonella because they believe that the people of the town are Satanic? They have already done it.

Much has been said on the TV regarding the heavy handed tactics of the various government departments in the USA at Waco in Texas and the mistakes that they made in bringing that one to the end that it came to. They may well be right, maybe mistakes were made. Maybe they will do it differently next time, but hey – these people were willing to die. They were prepared for death, fully believing that they and they alone were right and everybody else outside was wrong. They believed that everybody but themselves was Satanic and their enemy. In truth their biggest enemy was within that compound His name was David Koresh, a charismatic and hypnotic channeller who had taken his channelling and suggestion techniques just one stage further.

Wake up! Be aware. This is not a fiction. It is a fact! Understand it, be aware of it. Religion has relied on suggestive control for thousands of years, it keeps the priest class in a position of power or wealth, or both.