“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(We chose our bedroom because it would be more private and comfortable than the living room. We each had a glass of wine before starting. Jane lay on her back with her hands crossed. I began to induce a general relaxation, following techniques I had read, and which Jane had used with me several years ago. I began with the feet and worked up to the head— generally at first; then each time I started again at the feet my suggestions for ease and relaxation became more detailed.

(One thing caught me unprepared, and perhaps came close to interrupting the session. As I began talking steadily my voice began to become very dry. I am not used to speaking so steadily, although Jane later said that she too had noticed a voice stain in her first session with me, until she became more relaxed and used to the idea. Luckily there was a little wine left in one glass; as I finally became so hoarse I could hardly talk, I began to sip this, and it helped a great deal. A glass of water handy, I thus learned, will be standard in sessions after this. At one time I simply had to stop talking because my voice gave out. Jane said she was aware of this, and that the break almost snapped her out of the relaxed state she was entering.

(All in all, we believe things went quite well for a first attempt, and we are pleased with the results. I spent perhaps half an hour by the clock inducing the first general relaxed state, including the suggestion that Jane’s eyelids were quite heavy and relaxed. I did not definitely tell her that she could not open them, but believe that had I suggested this she could not have done so— this in the light of later events.

(I told Jane before we began that we would not stress tests to prove hypnosis, that these could come later if we chose. I was confident that I could induce a good sound relaxation and at least a light trance state, and we achieved this and more. Especially in the beginning I did wonder at times at my progress, but continued following my ideas without allowing any doubts to become bothersome. Once Jane’s eyes closed at the start of the session they remained closed until I told her they would open at the end.

(At my suggestion Jane began to flex her feet, then her hands. For a few moments she let her hands lay at her sides, but since there is tension in the upper arm muscles, her arms cannot lay fully relaxed upon the bed when she is flat on her back; after a few minutes she again crossed her hands, and told me later that this was more comfortable. Of course I noted that even after my suggestions, her arms did not fully relax, but I had not stressed that she would achieve any great or startling improvement; this first session was more to learn how to proceed, and during it I tentatively tried several different approaches.

(By now I had learned that she could speak under hypnosis without difficulty, a point we had wondered about to at least some extent. I thought she was in a light trance state and Jane later agreed that she was, that she felt very relaxed. Often as I spoke to her I told her she would have full memory of what transpired when the session was over. When it was over, she told me her memory of parts of the session was somewhat hazy— reinforcing the idea that she was hypnotized, if somewhat imperfectly, and that my control was not all it will be in future sessions.

(The session ended at about 10:45 PM. Since Jane was by now much more relaxed I thought it a good time to end. After beneficial suggestions as to her state of well-being, I told her that when I had counted to ten, slowly, that she would be out of trance and could open her eyes.

(I think that more suggestions would have induced an even deeper state with her, and that probably amnesia could have been induced in this deeper state had I so desired. After the session Jane said she felt very relaxed, although I believe she has induced as good a state in some of her self-hypnosis sessions. I did not give her a key word, for instance, to speed up future inductions, but plan to do so when I have more experience.