The production of self-hypnosis can be easily cultivated by anyone of determined will and ordinary intelligence. First choose the best surroundings obtainable, as mentioned in the chapter on Influences. Select a quiet room where noise from the street and the rest of the house cannot be heard or where they will be least heard. Have the room dimly lighted and if possible let it be scented by the odor of flowers or delicate perfume. Lie down in the most comfortable position possible, making sure that the light does not shine in the eyes. Relax every muscle of the body, that is, let the muscles feel perfectly listless, as though they had no power or strength in them. Fix the sight upon some object a short distance from the body in such a position that the eyes will be compelled to look slightly upward. Look steadfastly at this object and do not allow the eyes for an instant to look at anything else. Do not wink or shut the eyes until it is absolutely impossible to keep them open. Breathe slowly and regularly, and do not think of your breathing beyond the thought that this slow and regular breathing is producing sleep.

Concentrate your mind altogether upon the one thought of sleep and that by looking at the object without faltering and breathing regularly and slowly you are gradually becoming unconscious. You will go to sleep.

As you put yourself to sleep let it be with the thought that at a certain time you will awaken. Convince yourself that you will sleep soundly during ten minutes or an hour or ten hours or ten days or ten weeks. When you have complete control over yourself in producing self-hypnosis, you can decide upon any length of time your sleep will endure and you will not awaken until that time has elapsed. If you do not establish a certain time for awakening you can usually be aroused by others or by disturbances, such as would arouse any sound sleeper.

Some of the orientals force themselves to sleep with the positive auto-suggestion to sleep during a period of six months or years without any one being able to awaken them. They sleep during the selected time as though they were in a trance (which is the fact) or as though they were absolutely dead.

It is claimed by the relatives of Bishop, the great mind reader, that his apparent death was simply a trance-like condition into which he had thrown himself. Physicians finding him apparently dead, seized upon the opportunity to held a post-mortem for the purpose of examining his brain, and it is claimed that his actual death was caused by the knives of these would-be investigators. The truthfulness of the claim can never be proven, but the relatives can never be convinced that he was not murdered in the interests of science while in a trance.

The following item is clipped from a daily newspaper of recent date and is decidedly interesting in this connection:

Hypnotizes Himself While At Church

Young Man Frightens Friends and Keeps Physicians Busy for some Time.

"Clinton, Iowa, May 4. - Lindsay Smith of this city has aroused some curiosity by hypnotizing himself. For the benefit of some unbelieving friends he placed himself under self-hypnotic influence while attending the Methodist Church.

"Several of the women who saw his protruding eyes and rigid form screamed, and physicians were called to work with the young man. It was some time before he was aroused.

"He is afraid to repeat the operation for fear of being unable to arouse himself."

The production of profound sleep for a great length of time by self-hypnotism is not advisable. Not that there is any real danger incurred, but because it is very apt to excite alarm in others and cause fright and possibly bring reproach upon the science and practice of hypnotism.