KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

Self-Hypnosis: The Key To Self-Empowerment, by Carl Llewellyn Weschcke

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

The SELF!

Sometimes it is difficult to know and understand our "Self." We think we know who we are, but then things happen and you wonder, "Why did I do that?" "Why did I say that?" "How could that happen to me?" "How did I know that?" "How could I have done that?"

But these are minor questions compared to the very idea that the "Self" may be bigger and more comprehensive than the "I" with which you identify.

We are all (us ordinary people, as well as psychologists, mystics, seekers, metaphysicians, religionists—anyone doing any kind of self-analysis) confronted with familiar terms and concepts recognizing different "parts" of the Whole Person: Higher Self, Lower Self, Soul, Spirit, Subconscious mind, Conscious mind, Super conscious mind, Shadow, Ego, Personality, etc.

How can this be? How, for example, can you have a soul and not be the soul? How can it be that you know you have a mind only to find out that you have a subconscious mind that you don't know anything about? How can the person you thought you were be split up into parts that seemingly operate independently of each other? They don't, really, but we are not ordinarily conscious of these parts and their operations.

That, however, is the reality of the Self. And the object of all human growth work (whether we call it psychological growth, spiritual growth, unity of self, holistic thinking), the purpose of all programs of "Self" improvement (from alchemy to yoga), and ultimately everything we have identified as "New Age" is to become aware of these parts.

Just think for the moment: what if you could bring all these parts, all those that you didn't even know were there somewhere in your being, together in a unified "whole person" within which you were fully aware of their particular "powers" and be able to apply them knowingly under conscious direction?

We've all heard that the average person uses only ten percent of his potential; think what it might mean to you to double that, to triple it, to quadruple it! Think, in comparison, to the tremendous increase in power that modern technology has provided to the "ordinary" person in just the last quarter century, and then speculate about the same increase for your inner powers.

I don't speak with any kind of spiritual authority or professional training, so I can only tell you what I believe from my own studies, from self-analysis, my own experiences, from the occult, magical and psychological work I've done, and my own intuitions and (I believe) higher awareness.

I believe that each of us is a "work in progress." I believe that we are born into this life with an inheritance from previous lives and lives-in-between-lives, and with presently unconsciousness connections with all lives now and back to the beginning of all things. I believe we started long ago with a "program" of growth and development for which we—alone and together—are responsible. In other words, I believe we are here to grow and "to become more than we are" so that thus becoming self-empowered we can serve the whole of life and being everywhere.

I believe that we are all "children" of God (or Goddess/Source/Creator/Force/whatever name you prefer), and that like all children we are expected to grow into adults and to make ourselves better beings than those before us, and to make the world a better place than it was. I am reminded of the Native American phrase, "to walk in beauty." I don't believe we are doing as good a job as we could. Unfortunately, short-term thinking; greed; and manipulation by angry and sick-at-soul religionists, politicians and financiers have created an immense barrier to Peace, Progress, and Prosperity.

I am optimistic, but at the same time a bit scared, for our future.

We have to start from the beginning, from "home base" so to speak. We know that we can improve over whatever we are now. We may have harmful habits to overcome, we may benefit from training in career skills, we may have physical, mental, or emotional problems to overcome, we may desire to develop psychic powers, and more. All this is possible once we recognize the possibilities of growth, and once we understand that we do have inherent abilities to do things for our own self.

The important thing is to understand this concept of "Self for Self"—that you are truly the one who has the power to best make these changes and improvements, that you are the one to open the hidden doors to your subconscious mind and facilitate your own growth and development of psychic powers and to unify your fragmented self. This is what I mean by "Self-Empowerment." Others have called it "Self-Realization" when speaking in a more spiritual sense, and "Self-Improvement" when speaking in a most practical sense, but "Self-Empowerment" is comprehensive of all the goals we've already mentioned.

Self-Empowerment is both your goal and your ability to accomplish this ultimate becoming more than you are, to become the Whole Person that you are intended to be.

Self-Empowerment through Self-Hypnosis is the title of a book by Dr. Joe H. Slate and myself. It is built entirely upon the concept of "Self for Self"—the recognition that you are your own best teacher, your own best healer, and your own best guide to your whole mental and spiritual fulfillment.

We're conditioned to look to others for help like sheep directed by the good shepherd, and in the process we've lost understanding that we always have to do our part. Education is a good example: we go to school to learn, and we are at first taught basics about numbers, the alphabet, writing, and social skills; then we learn to add and subtract numbers, to write sentences, to read, and to interact well with others. We move onward and upward into more advanced skills and applying them in example situations, and then learning how to find information and how to analyze in terms of our needs. We are introduced to science, the arts, literature, and sometimes languages and advanced science, mathematics, and other skills. We learn to stand on our own two feet and to work with and serve others.

As we move onward and upward in our education we learn more about how we have to learn for ourselves, through our own efforts, and we understand that a major part of our education is not in the subjects we learn but in the training of our conscious mind. We are becoming more than we were, learning to become more than we are. We are becoming Self-Empowered.

When we turn to health professionals for help, we are first treated for the symptoms we have (by whatever modality the healer employs) and simultaneously we are tested so that a diagnosis can be made and our condition analyzed; this is so any further necessary treatments may be prescribed, which may require changes and adjustments in our daily routine and lifestyle. We become involved in our own healing process. Sometimes we can go beyond the prescribed treatment, learning healing techniques that can be applied on our own. Always, some degree of self-healing is involved. Perhaps we realize what it is that we need and become our own Energy Healer, or our own Nutritionist, or we learn Yoga or one of the Martial Arts that will go beyond healing to Empower our self to become more than we were and to become more than we are.

Within all this there are many smaller and larger steps involving specific learning (such as learning a language) or specific modifications (such as quitting smoking) or specific forms of consciousness development (such a astral projection or past life memory). Here it is that "self for self" can become directly applicable by means of Self-Hypnosis. With Self-Hypnosis the Conscious Mind directly engages with the Subconscious Mind, and sometimes also drawing upon the Collective Unconscious, to work together in consciously directed goals. Nearly anything can be the subject of your goals from learning skills to behavior modification, and conscious involvement of "higher" aspects of the Whole Person that you are. With Self-Hypnosis you can engage in specific training programs for the development of your innate psychic powers into skills, to engage your "inner bodies" to explore the inner dimensions of the universe and communicating with other intelligences.

The book is written to carefully prepare you for an understanding of your own consciousness, and then introduces you to Hypnosis and Self-Hypnosis. Dreaming and the Imagination are explored as two of the doors to expanding your consciousness. Then the actual techniques for inducing self-hypnosis along with example scripts—and case histories—of specific applications are fully described.

You can take charge of your life and realize your full potential when you tap into the unlimited power of your subconscious mind. Linking scientific techniques with practical application, this groundbreaking guide explores the true nature of the conscious and subconscious, and reveals how you can use them together to achieve any goal. Featuring true case studies of successful self-hypnosis, it presents clear scripts and easy-to-follow techniques—such as trance, meditation, and sleep—that you can use to immediately begin to transform into the empowered person you’re meant to be.

There is so much in this book that it may at first seem to be overwhelming—but it's not. It's expertly written for you, for the ordinary reader as well as the professional. Joe Slate has been a university professor, chairman of a psychology department, founder of a parapsychology research foundation, a practicing clinical psychologist, and the author of academic research papers and popular books. Me? I've been publishing and writing books at Llewellyn for fifty years. I have an academic degree, an honorary doctorate, a certificate in clinical hypnosis, a doctorate of divinity, and seventy years of reading, study, research, and practical experiment and application.

Here's what others have written about this book:

"This primer says it all: from metaphysical theory to the science behind it, from personal development to practical application, from accessing our dreams to addressing the challenges of our time with exercises for visioning a positive future. Weschcke and Slate have left a legacy of esoteric knowledge that should become part of everyone’s inner development."—Anodea Judith, PhD, author of Wheels of Life and Waking the Global Heart

"From the internationally renowned author of eleven other books on psychic phenomena comes this exciting joint venture—Psychic Empowerment for Everyone. This astounding collaboration between Dr. Joe Slate and the CEO of Llewellyn Publications, Carl L. Weschcke, can teach you how to make practical use of the amazing powers that all of us possess. I hope you will give this book the opportunity to transform your life."—Dr. Penne J. Laubenthal, Professor Emeritus, Athens State University

"Psychic Empowerment for Everyone shows beginning and advanced psychics alike, through unique, practical, and easy mind-opening exercises, how to open the sixth sense and use it to enhance the five senses. Meticulous research by Joe Slate, PhD and straightforward explanations by co-author Carl Llewellyn Weschcke not only teach readers how self-empowerment is vital to our health and spiritual development, but how it can change the world in which we live."—Debra Glass, MAed, author of Mediumship To Go

"This book is a treasure—everything psychic you want to know or explore is here, in clear language and with plenty of advice and guidance for practicing and obtaining results. Buy this book and practice, practice, practice."—José Feola, PhD, author of PK: Mind Over Matter

"Thought has power—Weschcke and Slate show this vividly in Psychic Empowerment for Everyone. Here is the common sense of psychic power: self-hypnosis and control of the imagination focus plans for success. All of us need it."—Noel Tyl, author of Solar Arcs and Noel Tyl's Guide to Astrological Consultation

"This book offers an opportunity to improve your intellectual and creative potential and help you achieve and experience much more success and happiness in life than you ever dreamed possible."—Dr. Frazier Douglass, professor of psychology, Athens State University

I'm not asking you to buy this book, but I am recommending that you do and also the audio CD produced specifically to make the scripts and applications easier. I believe that Self-Hypnosis is one of the most powerful techniques for Self-Empowerment and all that individual applications we've described and all those that you will learn to do on your own to meet your needs will help you become more than you are. "Self for Self" places the power, and the responsibility for its application right where it belongs—with you.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2010. All rights reserved.

This question is inspired by an experience I had while engaging with a client in a therapy session. I am a natural empath, have studied energy healing, and have been known to see a spirit or two in my time, but this takes the cake. I'm still trying to understand what happened. I met with a middle-aged female suffering from significant depression. We sat together for a few minutes, and then I noticed an aura around her face. I can sometimes see blocked energy stuck around the head, but this was not like that. This was a bluish color and was clearly the face of another being. This happened once before with another client, but the experience was slightly different. In the past experience, this face was simply very confused about its presence, and stayed looking out of the side of person's head. In this case, the face looked as though it was crawling out of the woman in front of me. It peered directly at me as if to inquire who I was. I have to say, this was pretty freaky, and I was a little leery for the rest of the session. I have a vague understanding of what this might have been, but can you share your take on this? If I were working with her in the capacity of energy healer instead of clinical therapist, what might I do to safely intervene? (Or should I not do that?) Many thanks for your wisdom!

Lisa

Astrea:

Occasionally, I have seen entities who have walked in to living people show themselves to others who are sensitive. They do this for many reasons, but usually they just want to get the attention of the person to whom they appear.

The hostess body and the spirit may not even be aware of what is going on. Most of the time these entities move through the person within a few days and the person is just fine. The one left wondering what is going on is the person to whom the entity chose to appear.

When I've seen things like this, the entity wasn't there to help that person or do good. In fact, this kind of other-worldly being can be dangerous both to the person it enters and the people around it.

Because they are borrowing another person's body, these spirits are totally uninhibited about using it. As long as no one sees them controlling the person, it's as if that person becomes someone else. The hosts may even experience periods of time they can't remember or suffer severe blackouts.

People who use recreational drugs or are on large doses of mind-altering medicines are often victims of these creatures, for the altered state weakens the person's aura, which gives the entity an opportunity to go into the person's body.

Very few of us are able to detect such activity, but when we do, we have to try to help the host person be rid of it. The easiest way to rid a person of a walk-in entity is to tell it to leave three times. If you have no idea of the name of the entity, you can just say, GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!

The fact that you know it's there will discourage it from continuing to use the same host. Sending it back to where it came from is also a good idea, so add that to the order you give.

These creatures can also be called in via a reverse process, but outside of the movies, most people aren't foolish enough to do something like that. Hosting a hostile entity can be extremely draining and harmful.

If your client has recovered and you don't see that blue face within or around her anymore, the entity has probably moved on, and there isn't any reason to scare her by telling her now. However, you should be diligent in keeping up with her in case this thing comes back, or in case something else invades her body in the future.

Try to keep these entities out of your office if you can, and do ritual clearings of your space on a regular basis. Once a week usually takes care of those vibrations, but you can trust your high level of awareness to let you know when an energy clearing is needed.

*****

Susyn:

As an energy worker and empath, you will most likely encounter more of these types of entities as your therapeutic skills continue to grow. For decades, doctors have been tossing pills at people with depression. Those of us more in tune with subtle energies possess growing awareness that above and beyond the circumstantial reasons for the depression, other entities can contribute or even be the direct cause of debilitating psychological problems.

There are a variety of entities that can attach to a person, and they may present themselves in a variety of forms. As you work intimately with your clients and you are psychically sensitive enough to see these spirits, the conditions are ripe for you to have further experiences of this nature.

The first thing you must do, whether you are acting as a clinical therapist or energy healer, is surround yourself with white light to form a protective barrier. You might visualize yourself in an opalescent orb before the session so that whatever occurs, you'll be safe.

Then, using the same format you would with a patient who might change personalities, you can gauge how much interaction to encourage, as well as when to stop the session if things become too unbalanced.

Speaking to the apparition, ask it what it wants and what it is doing here. The spirit may even begin asking you questions, and by dialoguing directly, you will probably be able to determine how best to help your patient.

Oftentimes in these situations, these discarnates will attach themselves to a person simply because they know that he or she is in a vulnerable state. They may have no prior personal relationship with these people at all.

On the other hand, if you feel this entity is contributing to or even causing the client's current problems, you may want to encourage the apparition to move towards the light. Often simply pointing out that this is an option will free lost earthbound souls.

In order not to frighten your client, you may want to communicate with this entity silently and see if that is effective. If the entity is not cooperative or becomes angry or negative, you'll want to cease trying to reason with it. At that point, you may have to suggest to your client that he or she seek out a professional trained in these matters, such as a Spiritualist or exorcist, in order to effectively deal with the problem.

Once your client is able to rid herself of this entity, you may find her depression lifts immediately, or that your therapy sessions suddenly become much more productive and healing.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.