Power of suggestions can aid you

Suggestion can produce a powerful effect on many individuals, particularly in certain circumstances.

Some of us are more suggestible than others. When under stress or when uncertain, the effect of suggestion is generally increased, leaving us more vulnerable and more open to persuasion. Many years ago, while enrolled in a summer session at a university, I had an experience that illustrates the power of suggestion.

Looking back, I can see that conditions were ripe, as they say, as three factors occurring simultaneously set the stage for this scenario. My father had suffered some financial setbacks which, among other things, translated into the loss of financial support for my education. A close relationship with a girl was terminated, leaving a vacuum in my life. And I was undergoing indecision about my studies and my future. To put it simply, I no longer knew where I was going, I didn’t know how I would get there if I did go, and I felt I had no one to go with.

With no money, no roommate and no girlfriend, I spent free time reading novels. One Saturday afternoon I began reading a book titled The Snake Pit.

The story was set in a hospital for the mentally ill and contained graphic descriptions of the tormented thoughts of its institutionalized patients. The writer portrayed vividly and accurately the macabre life that took place before modern psychiatric treatment developed. I had just finished my first course in abnormal psychology and was aware of the accuracies of the book.

About 4 a.m., I finished the book only to retire to a restless interrupted sleep filled with fantasies about what I had read. I didn’t know then that at times we all experience elements of the pattern of feelings and emotions of emotional disturbance. Who hasn’t felt overly sensitive and even paranoid at times? Who has not experienced extreme anxiety? Who has not questioned his contact with reality, especially while under severe pressure? My thoughts and emotions began running wild and I began to feel as though I had taken on some of the characteristics of mental illness.

I left my room and its solitude to seek reassurance from someone that I was not “losing it.” But at that early hour there was no one to consult. My feeling of control began slowly returning with the first rays of dawn. The grip I regained came after several hours of sleep. I then realized that my suggestible nature, coupled with the occurring events, made the psychopathology in the book seem not only possible for me to understand, but even to experience.

In later years while pursuing graduate studies in psychology, I learned that my situation is not uncommon. Medical students often experience the symptoms of each new disease they study. During my training in hypnosis, I also learned that some individuals are more suggestible than others, and that this suggestibility can work for or against you, depending on the situation. Working for you, hypnosis can anesthetize one to pain and can be helpful in certain situations, such as dental extraction. It can help instill a relaxed posture in individuals pursuing stress reduction. In still other situations, a trace like state coupled with suggestion can help improve concentration and ease anxiety for situations such as test taking or athletics.

Since my own rather frightening experience many years ago, I have let my own susceptibility to suggestion work for me. Occasionally, I allow it to make me blink twice and re-check my own perceptions, particularly while in a stressful situation. By understanding this phenomenon, individuals can avoid a lot of panic and fear. If used correctly, it also may be helpful in modification of some unwanted perception.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1989