All of us like to think of actions and reactions as a result of logical thought processes but, in fact, suggestion influences our thinking a much more than logic. Consciously or unconsciously, our feelings about almost everything are largely molded by ready-made opinions and attitudes fostered by mass media. We cannot buy a car or sunglasses without paying a tribute to the impact of suggestion. Right or wrong, most of us place more confidence in what “they” say than we do in our own powers of reason. This is the basic reason why psychiatrists are in short supply. We distrust our own mental processes and look for a specialist to guide us regarding what to think and feel.
Despite this trend to adopt our attitudes from others, the huma being has always been dimly aware that he can influence his own destiny by directing his thoughts and actions into constructive channels. He has always, to some
extent, known that his mind exerts a powerful influence on his body, and that thoughts can have harmful or helpful effects on his emotional and physical health.
The ancient Egyptian sleep temples and the attempts by early physicians to drive evil spirits out of the body were both attempts to influence the body through the mind.
Nowadays, a lot of inspirational literature proves that millions of modern people recognize the efficacy of constructive thoughts. What most of them do not recognize is that they are capable of implanting these beneficial thoughts in their own minds without reference to any external agents. This can be done through self-hypnosis.