"But isn't self-hypnosis a drastic measure?" you ask. "I'm sure that I can now convince myself that I've got to quit smoking. The big fact about hypnosis is "heightened suggestibility." The suggestion gets through to the subconscious, and becomes a permanent part of the subconscious, because hypnosis makes powerful suggestion possible.

Self-suggestion (or "autosuggestion"), on the other hand, is confined to the conscious level. Is there a difference? There's a great deal of difference. It amounts to the difference between going to a dentist, who practices with hypnosis, and having your aching tooth extracted painlessly without chemical anesthesia-or sitting in the same chair and having the dentist simply tell you, "This isn't going to hurt."

In self-suggestion or autosuggestion, the conscious mind attempts to influence itself. In self-hypnosis, the suggestions are made directly to the subconscious mind. During autosuggestion the conscious mind is concentrated upon the suggestion. Therefore the conscious mind challenges the suggestions, raises questions, and applies logic and experience and critical evaluation. Self-suggestion or autosuggestion, without hypnosis, isn't much different from arguing with yourself.