Suggestion and Auto-Suggestion: The Key to Health, Happiness and Prosperity

I. What is Suggestion?

While the majority of thinking people know what is meant by the word “suggestion,” in its modern psychological sense, yet very few of them are able to give even a fairly good definition of the term. And this difficulty is not confined to the general public, for even the writers on the subject of Suggestion seem to experience the same trouble in defining the term, and many of them have seemingly given up the task in despair; for they have plunged right into the middle of the subject, leaving the reader to learn what Suggestion is by what it does. But, notwithstanding this difficulty, we think it well to begin our consideration of the subject by at least an attempt to define the term, and to give a preliminary explanation of its scientific meaning.

The word “suggestion” is derived from the Latin word “suggestus,” which has for its base the word “suggero,” meaning: “To carry under.” Its original use was in the sense of a “placing under” or deft insinuation of a thought, idea, or impression, under the observant and watchful care of the attention, and into the “inner consciousness” of the individual. The word, as generally used, indicates the use of a hint or other indirect form of calling a matter to the attention of another. But beyond this use, there has arisen a secondary, and more subtle employment of the word, i. e. in the sense of a sly, guarded insinuation of an idea, in such a way that the hearer would fail to understand that he was receiving a hint, but would be apt to “think that the idea arose in his own mind, from the workings of his own mentality. The word “insinuation” gives one the nearest idea of this form of suggestion. The word “insinuate” means: “To introduce anything gently, or by slow degrees; to instill artfully; to hint guardedly or indirectly; to intimate;”—the main idea of the term being “to creep in.” And, indeed many suggestions (in the scientific sense of the term) are so insinuated into the mind.

But among psychologists; the word began to take on a new meaning, i. e. that of the introduction of anything into the mind of the other, in an indirect and non-argumentative manner. One of the dictionaries defines this sense of the term as follows:

“To introduce indirectly into the mind or thoughts.” And, later, psychologists began to use the term in a still broader sense, i. e. that of the impression upon the mind by the agency of other objects, such as gesture, signs, words, speech, physical sensations, environment, etc. And this use was extended later, to meet the requirements of the adherents of telepathy, who employed it in the sense of the “insinuation of ideas by telepathic means,” the term “mental suggestion” generally being used to distinguish this particular form of suggestion.

The comparatively recent interest in, and discoveries regarding the great subconscious area of mind, caused a new interest to attach to the use of suggestion, for the majority of the writers held that this subconscious region of the mind was particularly amenable to suggestion, and that to this part of the mind all suggestions were really directed and aimed. The “insinuation” was held to be the artful introduction of the thought into this region of mentality. Many theories were advanced to account for the phenomena of the subconscious in its phase of the suggestible-mind, and the discussion still rages. But, no matter what theory may triumph in the end, the fact of the existence of the subconscious region of mind has been firmly established. While the theorists are disputing about names and generalities, a great army of investigators are uncovering new principles of application, and new facts of phenomena regarding this wonderful part of the mind. While the theorists are disputing about the “Why,” the investigators are finding out much about the “How.” The subject has now reached the stage where it may be divested from mysticism or “supernaturalness,” and studied from a purely scientific position. Subconsciousness without Suggestion, would be like “Hamlet” without the Prince. The two subjects are bound closely together, and it is difficult to consider one except in connection with the other.

In order to understand the modern psychological use of the word “suggestion”—which is the use that we shall make of the term in this book,—you must make the broad distinction between the ideas accepted by the mind following the employment of logic, reasoning, demonstration, proof, etc., on the one hand; and impressions made upon, or ideas induced in the mind by other methods. The words “Impression” and “Induce” will give you the best idea of the effect of suggestion. When an idea is placed in the mind of a person by Suggestion, it is always placed there by one of the following three general methods: