Alert Inductions

Now I’ll ask you to sit here on the seat of this bicycle, …​ put your hands on the handle bars …​ your feet on the pedals …​ good. First of all I should like to ask you about the seat. Is it comfortable for you? If it’s not comfortable enough we can adjust it for you. Why don’t you help me to adjust it? Let’s adjust it in this way …​ to reach a point where your leg becomes straight if you put it on the lowest pedal. Is it good now? Are you sure? Fine. Try to pedal a little bit. (In front of you there is a small wheel which you can turn counter-clockwise to increase the resistance of the pedals. Just adjust it up to a point where you can feel some resistance but not so much that you would become fatigued after pedalling for a rather long period of time. Is it good now? Sure? That’s fine. But if you feel tired after a while just tell me. Have you any questions?)

Now I’ll ask you to pedal …​

1. I’m about to help you to become as attentive and alert as you can …​ that will help you gradually to enter a state of alert hypnosis. Just sit on the bicycle with your hands on the handle bars and pedal. I want you to pedal steadily and while pedalling to listen to what I say. Your ability to enter a state of alert hypnosis depends partly on your willingness to cooperate and partly on your ability to pedal the bicycle steadily while concentrating upon my words. You have already shown yourself to be cooperative by coming here and with your further cooperation I can help you to become hypnotized. You can be hypnotized only if you are willing. I assume that you are willing, and that you are doing your best to cooperate by pedalling steadily and listening to my words letting happen whatever you feel is going to take place. Just let it happen. If you pay close attention to what I tell you and think of the things I tell you to think about you can easily experience what it is like to be hypnotized. There is nothing fearful or mysterious about hypnosis. It is a perfectly normal consequence of certain psychological principles. It is merely a state of strong interest in some particular thing. Sometimes you experience something very much like hypnosis when you are driving along a straight highway and you are oblivious to the landmarks along the road. In a sense you are hypnotized whenever you see a good show and forget you are part of the audience, but instead feel you are part of the story. Many people report, that becoming hypnotized feels as if they are becoming very alert, very attentive…​experiencing everything more clearly than in the usual state. Hypnosis is an individual experience and is not just alike for everyone …​ Generally a person can concentrate all of his powers on a given task in hypnosis and he can perform more efficiently than normally. S/He can perform a given task while remaining hypnotized and s/he doesn’t feel as tired because of hypnosis. Nevertheless, if you feel tired of pedalling too hard, do not hesitate to tell me. Just tell me. All I ask of you is that you keep up your attention and interest and continue to cooperate as you have been cooperating. Nothing will be done that will cause you any embarrassment. Most people find becoming acquainted with hypnosis a very interesting experience.

2. Just pedal the bicycle, don’t stop pedalling. Keep your thoughts on my words and while doing this, pedal steadily, as steadily as you can. Should the muscles of your thighs feel a little stiff don’t let that bother you. Just focus again on pedalling. After a while you may find that you feel that your body is a little warm or your breathing is a little faster, that’s all right. If you feel more alert, that will be fine too. Whatever happens let it happen and keep focusing on pedalling. After a while there will come a time, however, when you will have pedalled long enough to feel your legs moving as if by themselves. They will move so easily and so quickly that you will be unable to keep them still. They will continue to pedal, perhaps quite involuntarily. When this happens just let it take place.

3. Pedal more and more. As you think of pedalling your legs will move even easier. And with each leg movement you will be more alert …​ more and more alert …​ more and more attentive. Just keep pedalling and listening to my voice…​ That will help you to block out distractions from the environment and actively perform many tasks better than in your usual state. Just keep up your attention and interest and continue to cooperate as you have been cooperating.

4. As you pedal more and more, a feeling of pleasant warmth will perhaps come over your body. A feeling of warmth is coming into your legs, and your arms …​ into your feet, and your hands …​ into your whole body. Your legs feel free moving and warm, free moving and warm …​ . Your arms feel warm …​ warm …​ . Your face is getting warm …​ . Your head is getting hot …​ more and more hot …​ . You are beginning to feel alert and attentive …​ alert and attentive. Your breathing is becoming fast but regular …​ fast but regular …​your are getting alert and attentive …​ more and more alert and attentive. While your legs move more and more easily, you pedal the bicycle so easily now.

5. Pedalling so long has made your legs move quite automatically, without much effort. Your legs move easier and easier. Soon you will no longer be able to stop them. Soon they will move by themselves. Your legs will keep pedalling and not be able to stop. Your legs are now even fresher from pedalling. You feel this freshness in all of your muscles …​ in all the muscles of your legs. You are becoming increasingly alert and attentive…​ .A feeling of warmth and freshness is getting greater and greater in your legs …​ greater and greater …​ It would be so nice to keep on pedalling the bicycle without any effort …​ just to move your legs and listen attentively to my voice talking to you. You would like to pedal in this way, to keep on pedalling without any effort. You would like to pedal is this way, to keep on pedalling without any effort. You will soon reach this state. You will feel so warm and fresh …​ your legs will pedal so easily that your legs will move by themselves …​ move by themselves.

6. Your legs are moving easily …​ easy …​ very easy. You are alert, very alert. There is a pleasant feeling of alertness, attentiveness, and freshness all through your body …​ you are fresh and alert …​ fresh and attentive …​ alert …​ attentive …​ fresh …​ attentive. Listen only to my voice. Pay attention to nothing else but my voice. Your legs are feeling fine. They are moving by themselves …​ you are having difficulty in stopping them. Your legs are moving easily …​ . This ease of pedalling is getting greater and greater …​ greater and greater …​ . Your legs are moving easily …​ very easy …​ pedalling is getting easier and easier …​ easier and easier …​ . Your legs are moving by themselves. Now we have come to the time when you may just let your legs continue pedalling…​ So just keep pedalling.

7. You are now pleasantly alert and attentive but you are going to be even more alert …​ much more alert …​ . Your legs are now moving almost automatically. You will keep your legs moving until I tell you otherwise or I tell you to stop…​ . You feel alert and attentive …​ just keep listening to my voice, pay close attention to it. Keep your thoughts on what I am saying, just listen. You are going to get much more alert and attentive. Soon you will be completely alert and deeply hypnotized. You will continue to hear me. You will not stop pedalling until I tell you to do so. I shall now begin to count …​ .At each count you will feel yourself getting more and more alert …​ more and more attentive …​ . You become as alert and as attentive as you possibly can …​ . You are going to enter a state of alert hypnosis …​ a state in which you will be able to do all sorts of things I ask you to do. 1 …​ you are getting more and more alert …​ 2 …​ more and more alert, more and more active mentally, more and more attentive …​ 3 …​ 4 …​ more and more alert …​ 5 …​ 6 …​ 7 …​ you are going into a completely alert state of hypnosis. Nothing will disturb you. Pay attention only to my voice and only to such things as I may call to your attention. I would like you to keep on paying attention to my voice …​ the things I tell you …​ 8 …​ 9 …​ 10 …​ 11 …​12 …​ more and more alert, always more alert …​ 13 …​ 14 …​ 15 …​ deeply hypnotized and yet quite alert. You can hear me clearly. You will always hear me no matter how noisy the bicycle may sound …​ 16, , , 17, , , 18 …​ very alert …​ very attentive …​ nothing will disturb you. You are going to experience many things that I will tell you to experience …​ 19 …​ 20. Deeply hypnotized and alert. You will not stop pedalling until I tell you to do so. You will wish to be very alert and attentive …​ and will have the experiences I shall presently describe.