Illustrations of autosuggestion: Autosuggestion means
suggesting something definite and specific to oneself. Herbert
Parkyn, in his excellent manual of autosuggestion (Herbert
Parkyn, Autosuggestion (London: Fowler, 1916)), records
the following incident. It has its amusing side, so that one
remembers it “A New York visitor in Chicago looks at his watch, which is set an hour ahead of Chicago time, and tells
a Chicago friend that it is twelve o’clock. The Chicago friend,
not considering the difference in time between Chicago and
New York, tells the New Yorker that he is hungry and that he
must go to lunch.”
Autosuggestion may be used to banish various fears and
other negative conditions. A young singer was invited to give
an audition. She had been looking forward to the interview,
but on three previous occasions she had failed miserably due
to fear of failure. This young lady had a very good voice,
but she had been saying to herself, “When the time conies
for me to sing, maybe they won’t like me. I will try, but I’m
full of fear and anxiety.” Her subconscious mind accepted
these negative autosuggestions as a request and proceeded to
manifest them and bring them into her experience. The cause
was an involuntary autosuggestion, i.e. silent fear thoughts
emotionalized and subjectified.
She overcame it by the following technique: Three times a
day she isolated herself in a room. She sat down comfortably
in an armchair, relaxed her body, and closed her eyes.
She stilled her mind and body as best she could. Physical
inertia favors mental passivity and renders the mind mor
receptive to suggestion. She counteracted the fear suggestion
by saying to herself, “I sing beautifully. I am poised, serene
confident, and calm.” She repeated this statement slowly
quietly, and with feeling from five to ten times at each sitting
She had three such “sittings” every day and one immediate
prior to sleep. At the end of a week she was completely poise
and confident. When the invitation to audition came, she ga
a remarkable, wonderful audition.