In graduated hypnosis, training is only given in feeling the weight and warmth that spread through the whole body and arms and legs. The more advanced exercises in concentrating on breathing, the heart exercise, and the regulation of the blood vessels in the abdominal regions— i.e., the so-called visceral exercises (from viscera, the intestines)—are omitted and are supplemented instead by medically supervised training in fixing the gaze, which leads to an autohypnotic trance state.

Which of these two methods, autogenic training or step-by-step active hypnosis, is preferable for use in correcting functional sleep disturbances? There is no generally applicable answer to this question. Since I have been more involved in graduated hypnosis, I can think of more valid arguments for this method. By limiting the exercises to the generalized weight-warmth experience, or the basic psychotherapeutic exercises, more time is gained for focusing on concentration, which after all was the reason for learning the exercises. The exercises to be omitted are those for the heart, breathing, the abdominal vessels, and the exercise in registering the feeling of coolness in the forehead.

Beyond mastery of the basic exercises, both methods, autogenic training and graduated hypnosis, have some points in common. Exercise programs for both techniques include the use of individual goal concepts that must be systematically worked at. These guiding principles are expressed as slogans in the case of active hypnosis, and the resolutions in autogenic training are expressed as formula phrases.

Both the slogans and the formula phrases used by these two techniques should as a rule consist of two parts. It is first necessary to strive for as much indifference as possible to the disturbance; and, secondly, the goal to be attained must be stated.

But what use is to be made of these methods by the functional problem sleeper in particular? What aids do they offer him? Before it is possible to explain the answer, it is first necessary to know more about the origin and nature of such meditative methods as autogenic training and graduated hypnosis.

The inner attitude acquired through meditation was worked out on the basis of knowledge about the Buddhist trance, a special form of oriental meditation. The next-to-the-last state before achieving the ultimate Buddhist trance state of nirvana is the state of "sancta indifferentia," or the state of holy indifference. Since these methods of achieving a trance state enable persons to reach a very deep psychic level of feeling and emotion, they produce a beneficial resonance suppression in the feeling reactions (affective resonance suppression). This means that approaching stimuli are experienced less strongly, they can be met with greater indifference, and the emotional or feeling connections to the disturbing symptom are impeded. Similarly, all external stimuli are so weakened by a heightened stimulus threshold of nerves leading to the center (centripetal connections) that they are transmitted to consciousness only with difficulty or not at all. As a result, the feeling connection to the disturbances and the sensitivity to stimuli of the centripetal connections are changed or diminished in the autohypnotic state.

An indifferent attitude attained by these means is useful in the treatment of sleep disturbances. The first part of the formula phrase learned in autogenic training is "sleep is never important." Once this precept has been learned and firmly fixed in the imagination, it can be shorted to "sleep unimportant." As already mentioned, this results in an intensification, which means coming to terms with one's own disposition to sleep little or to sleep in short intervals, coming to terms with not having a positive or pleasant experience in sleeping, and in neutralizing the feeling of being unable to achieve

restorative sleep.

The second step in these resolutions or slogans should be directed toward attitude, which is more decisive than sleep, because if one has the right attitude, sleep can spontaneously occur. The second step therefore involves the concept of rest, and the exercise in concentration is "sleep is of no concern; rest is important!" The conception (imagining) of rest should to some extent positively strengthen the feeling of indifference to the disturbance. In this manner, the feeling of neutralizing the sleep disturbance and of positively strengthening the feeling of indifference toward sleep sensibly compliment each other.

These methods were described in such detail in order to show how fundamentally helpful they are to problem sleepers and to encourage them to learn to relax with the help of a doctor. Once they have mastered these methods, they can continue to practice them alone.

The necessary exercise in fixing one's gaze already learned in graduated hypnosis after having mastered the basic psychotherapeutic exercise must always be practiced only under medical supervision. Only after complete mastery of this technique and with the doctor's approval may one continue to practice it alone. Since the most important exercises must anyway be done in the dark, the gaze is not directed toward an object. It suffices simply to look into the darkness without fixing one's eyes on anything; or it is possible to practice looking from within with closed eyes at one's own forehead. This resembles one aspect of instruction given by Schultz for making the transition in autogenic training from the elementary to the advanced level. I think, though, that the most important thing for problem sleepers to do is to look quietly into the darkness for a period of time. After a while, the eyes will close by themselves. The further steps in the idea to be concentrated on, "rest— weight—warmth" and "sleep unimportant—rest important," will then lead to the goal of beneficial relaxation.

Problem sleepers should also know they can never attain such deep autohypnotic trance states through autogenic training or step-by-step active hypnosis as can some other persons practicing these techniques. They cannot do so because of their compulsive natures and their inner difficulty of permitting themselves to let go. Persons so constituted, even if not specifically suffering from sleep disturbances, only achieve a more superficial trance. They should not be disappointed about it, however. What they should rather do is to realize the obligation to take to heart all the other suggestions made. There are many roads to success!

Brief reference has already been made elsewhere to the "paradox intention," which states that persons suffering from pronounced fears or phobias should strive for what they fear. For example, persons afraid of blushing should diligently and expressly try to blush. According to my observations of problem sleepers, such a paradox intention makes sense when there is a strong fear of sleep or anxiety about the night. It is then possible, in various ways as described above, to try out a paradox intention such as making an effort to keep one's eyes open and to look into the darkness with the intention of remaining awake.

But if the person does not have an expressed fear of sleep, this should not be attempted, since it makes tense persons still more compulsive, and that would achieve nothing.

In their efforts to cure themselves, insomniacs may gratefully sieze upon such suggestions made by well-meaning friends as "count backwards from 1,000," "count sheep," or "think of nothing at all," but these attempts lead to nothing. Precisely how "think of nothing" is to be done is not explained further. Even yogis require years of training before being able to focus their thinking to the extent that consciousness' is excluded and total amnesia occurs, which represent the last steps in "thinking of nothing at all."

Unsuccessful attempts to think of nothing are more likely to make problem sleepers still more restless. This applies not only to them but perhaps to all persons who strive for something without being able to attain it.

Apart from this last negative example, however, the other methods already discussed for achieving sleep or rest agree in principle on the necessity of distracting the problem sleeper from his difficulty. Thinking should be directed toward a certain set of ideas and should be kept there. It leads to an important aspect of the autohypnotic state, which is the narrowing of the field of consciousness in order to stimulate other aspects. It leads specifically to a lowered state of consciousness.

And which psychic state is attained by these techniques? A partial sleep, which can then change into real sleep. That is the goal in mind, and that is the chance!

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