Everyone will be most interested in learning the necessary procedure for inducing hypnosis. The beginner must avoid all appearances of humor while inducing hypnosis. The grinning, clowning operator gets poor results or none. After hypnosis has been induced, the fun may start, but not before. That is to say; if your purpose is entertainment.

For your first subject select a person who has been hypnotized, if possible; if not, select someone whom you consider a likely subject, someone not too well known to you, and younger, is preferable. It must be someone you can impress. Gain his consent to be hypnotized. Give a matter-of-fact statement about as follows: you can vary it so suit the circumstances.

"Don't be nervous. Just relax. Put your hands in your lap and place your feet squarely on the floor. Pay strict attention to every word I speak. Do not think about anything else. You will be benefited by relaxing and going to sleep. You will be able to hear every word I speak and know everything that happens after you go to sleep. You will be able to talk to me and answer my questions. Whenever I tell you to awaken, you will easily awaken and you will feel so much better and refreshed that you will always look forward to being hypnotized again."

The Easiest Method This method I am giving you is the easiest method for inducing hypnosis. Continue with the following talk:

"Now just relax. Settle back in your chair. Take a deep breath. Relax your arms. Relax your legs. Relax your nerves. Relax all over. Look at the center of this disc (any object will do) I am holding in my hand. Do not look off. Do not say anything.

Keep your mind on my words. Think of nothing else. Gaze right at the center of this disc. Soon your eyes will get heavy. Just imagine that you are very tired. Your legs are getting heavy. Your arms are getting heavy. Your head is getting very heavy and tired. Your eyes are getting very heavy, and you wish to close them and go to sleep."

At this point, watch the subject's eyes. The lids should begin to flutter and droop at this point. It requires longer time for some than for others. When the lids begin to flutter and droop and show signs of closing, continue as follows:

"Your eyes are getting heavy, very heavy and tired. You are getting very sleepy. Soon you will be sound asleep."

When the subjects eyes close and do not open and his head drops forward, even slightly, he is asleep. Be sure that he is asleep before making your first challenge, similar to the following, using a firm sure voice, but do not raise your voice.

"You are now asleep. You can hear me. Go deeper asleep, deeper asleep. Take a deep breath; relax and go deeper asleep. I am going to lift up your right hand and when I drop it, you will go deeper asleep."

Raise his right hand and release it. If it drops back into his lap like a wet rag, he is asleep.

Now raise his right arm and pull it straight out from his shoulder. Say:

"Now your right arm is stiff and rigid, rigid as a bar of steel. You cannot bend or move it."

Stroke his arm lightly from the shoulder outwardly to his finger tips and say, "Your arm is stiff as steel. You cannot bend it. Try, you cannot bend it."

If under hypnosis, he will try, but will be unable to bend or lower his arm. If his arm should begin to bend or start downward, say quickly, "Raise it" or "Straighten it out", whichever is the case. Then say, "That will do. Relax your arm. Lower it and go deeper asleep. Deep asleep."

Let us assume that you have followed the above instructions and have successfully induced sleep in your subject. If so, you know that you can do anything, induce any phenomenon, any other person can induce. You know you can qualify as a hypnotist. In fact if you succeeded, you are a hypnotist.