It has more memory than you can ever use and operates flawlessly, except sometimes when your conscious mind interferes with it. It is easily programmed, intentionally and unintentionally. It is, unlike any manufactured computer, both electrically and chemically powered. Information travels along nerves by electrical impulses and jumps across synapses by chemical mechanisms. Your subconscious mind is a biocomputer.Your biocomputer has been loaded with a huge number of complex programs. Most are necessary for surviving and getting along in the world. We take thousands of these programs for granted, such as walking, running, standing still, and drinking a glass of water. On the other hand, many of our programs are obsolete and counterproductive, such as impatience, over-eating, and irritability. We will now explore the facets of your personal subconscious mind biocomputer.

Data Storage

Memory in your conscious mind is short-term and limited. Tests show that most people cannot remember more than seven digits at one time.

Conversely, the memory in your subconscious mind is virtually unlimited. A comedian quipped, “Memory is the thing you forget with.” That is clever but not true. Every sight, sound, touch, smell, and emotion that you have experienced from birth (probably even before birth) to the present is in your memory. If you cannot remember some fact, do not blame your memory because that fact is there. Blame your recall.

Your brain has more storage capacity than you could ever use. Each memory creates a pathway in your brain. The narrator on a documentary on the brain aired on PBS TV stated that your brain has more pathways for memory than there are atoms in the universe! If you counted and wrote the number for each pathway in your brain on a single atom, there would not be enough atoms in the universe! If you accept 10 new facts every second for a lifetime of 70 years, you will accept about 22 x 109 bits of information. Yet your memory capacity is about 22 x 1030 bits of information. Someone once estimated that the world’s entire telephone network could be stored in an area of your brain the size of a pea.

In 1950, Wilder Penfield, M.D. described patients undergoing brain surgery without anesthesia. When certain parts of their brains were touched with an electric probe the patients recalled everything, every sight, smell, texture and taste about a particular event in their life.

A few examples of the capability of our memory are given below:

• William James, when he was 90, memorized 12 volumes of John Milton’s Paradise Lost in one month because he thought his memory was declining.
• Napoleon could greet 1,000’s of his soldiers by their first names.
• James Farley, a politician in the Roosevelt era, could greet 50,000 people by name.
• Arturo Toscanini could recall every note of every instrument for 100 operas and 250 symphonies.
• A contemporary Indian man (I saw him interviewed on TV but I did not pay attention to his name) can recall every number he has ever seen or heard.

Operates Constantly

Your subconscious mind is awake 24-hours-a-day; it never sleeps. It is awake even when you are under anesthesia. Dr. Cheek, a San Francisco surgeon, reported several cases in Life Magazine ca. 1970, where he proved that patients heard conversations of the doctors during surgery.

Dr. Cheek’s son was a victim of one of these conversations. His son had a congenital heart condition that was repaired. The operation was a success but his son became a hypochondriac and short-winded. By using hypnosis on his son, Dr. Cheek found that during the operation one of the surgeons said, “...we can’t fix that.” On quizzing the surgeons, one said they found a second congenital defect. However, it was not serious, it was not worth the risk it would take to repair it, and since it would heal normally, they decided not to fix it. But his son’s subconscious mind interpreted from the surgeons conversation that, “...we can’t fix that,” and erroneously concluded that his heart had a serious defect that could not be repaired. The boy’s subconscious mind reacted based on its belief.

This literal acceptance by the subconscious mind brings us to the next characteristic of your subconscious mind computer. Your subconscious mind accepts things literally and out of context.

Literal

Your subconscious mind does not reason or judge. It takes everything literally, out of context, and with no sense of humor. If someone under hypnosis is asked, “Can you tell me your age?” The logical conscious mind would know that the hypnotist really was asking for his age, but the literal subconscious mind would simply answer, “Yes, I can.”

Consider the following repetitive comments made by parents and teachers. Though they may have been made in a loving way, the subconscious mind takes them literally. And note that the conscious mind that can filter these comments is not totally effective at early ages.

• “You silly kid,” or “You’re so silly.”
• “You big, bad boy.”
• “You dummy.”
• “Don’t you ever learn?”
• “You never seem to do it right”
• “You must eat lots of food to be healthy.”

A phenomenon called “organ language” is an example of the subconscious mind accepting words literally. Organ language refers to a dis-ease resulting from a strong emotion that gets locked in an area of your body. Alice Steadman discusses this phenomenon in her book, Who’s the Matter with Me, and scientific support can be found in studies reported in the new field of psychoneuroimmunology.
Examples of organ language are:

• “That gives me a pain in the neck.”
• “Oh, my aching back.”
• “That just makes me sick.”
• “That breaks my back.”
• “I can’t stand that.”

Normally these statements have no effect on a person; but they can have a pronounced effect when they are repeated over and over or stated with strong emotion.

Lecron reports a case in which a patient had a bad taste in his mouth and was losing so much weight it was affecting his health. Physicians could not find a reason for the bad taste. During analysis, Lecron found that the man was almost called as a witness in a trial. Had he testified in the trial, the defendant, his best customer, would have been found guilty. He did not have to testify but the episode left a “bad taste in his mouth.”

Carl Jung reported a case in which an asthmatic patient, “Could not breathe the atmosphere at home,” and a patient with chronic indigestion, “Could not digest a certain situation.” Dr. Bernie Siegel reported a case about a mastectomy patient who needed to “get something off her chest” after a long bitter dispute with her sister.

Sylvia Browne, in one of her best-selling books, describes a man dying of bleeding ulcers who kept repeating, “I just can’t stomach life anymore.” Sylvia Browne also tells a story about herself. She had a bladder infection at a time when her family, “Just pissed her off.”

Accept Everything
As Real and True

Clinical and experimental psychologists have proved the human nervous system cannot tell the difference between an actual experience and one that is vividly imagined. Drs. J.C. Eccles and Sir Charles Sherrington, experts in brain physiology, state: “When you learn anything, a pattern of neurons forming a chain is set up in your brain tissue. This chain, or electrical pattern, is your brain’s method of remembering. So, since the subconscious mind cannot distinguish a real from imagined experience, perfect mental practice can change and correct imperfect electrical patterns grooved there by habitually poor playing.”

This means that you can learn and improve physical and mental skills by practicing in your mind. The advantage of using imagination is you never practice the wrong motion or action, i.e., neurological pattern. Real practice, conversely, is not perfect and often reinforces wrong neurological patterns.

Experiments have been reported in which three groups of novices are taught a new skill by three different methods. In one experiment subjects were taught dart throwing, a skill not many Americans have acquired. One group listened to lessons on the art of dart throwing. A second group threw darts. The third group practiced using only imagination. This third group sat in comfortable chairs, was read a relaxation routine, and then practiced perfect dart throwing in their minds, hitting the bull’s eye on each throw. After each of the three groups practiced for the same length of time, the group using mental practice always did as well, or better, than the other two.

Russian scientists did a more precise experiment. Four groups of Russian athletes trained using selected ratios of physical and mental practice as follows:

 

Group	% Physical Training	% Visualization
1	100	0
2	75	25
3	50	50
4	25	75

After a given period of training, Group No. 1 ranked 4th, Group No.2, 3rd, Group No. 3, 2nd, and Group No. 4 came out on top.

Visualization is now standard in athletic training. Of course, physical practice is also necessary. Athletes use both mental and physical practice to obtain the best result. More stories of the importance of mental practice can be found in The Ultimate Athlete, by George Leonard.

The use of visualization is not limited to sports. It is also used successfully in job interviews, sales, public speaking, etc.

Your Biocomputer
Operates the Most Phenomenal Robot
Ever Made—Your Body

Whereas your conscious mind can only do one thing at a time, your subconscious mind can do trillions of things at a time. Think of what it would take to make a computer that would control a robot that did all the things your body does. A manufactured computer could not come close to doing all the tasks your subconscious mind does every second of your life. It regulates most of the processes going on in your body every second and influences all of them in one way or another. Just a few examples of these processes include: digestion, healing, bone mending, immunity, temperature control, heart rate, respiration, reproduction (no computer can make a baby), and muscle coordination. On top of all that, it communicates with every cell in your body.

The body functions mentioned above are only a minuscule of the whole. Witness the volumes written on biology and medicine.

It is important to note that your subconscious mind does these trillions of functions without effort. It does them easily, passively, and effortlessly.

Software

The software programs, often called “tapes,” in your subconscious mind computer include your habits, concepts, self-images, and conditioned reflexes. We all react according to our programs when someone or some stimulus pushes our buttons.

Habits are a way of executing complicated processes easily, automatically and with no conscious mind thought. They can be useful, for example:

• Tying a bow,
• Driving a car,
• Swinging a golf club,
• Etc.

They can also be harmful, such as:

• Smoking,
• Crude manners,
• Over eating,
• Tantrums,
• Impatience,
• Etc.

Most of these habits were programmed at an early age and you are not aware of them.

When you were born, most of your existing software was in your reptilian brain. You were born with programs that controlled heart rate, body temperature, respiration, sucking, and the other basic functions necessary to keep you alive. The rest of your brain was mostly blank. Thus, your brain was like a new computer with only the basic language that allows you to install all those programs that make a personal computer useful.

Early programming of the brain was described in an article4 summarizing current research and thinking by experts. Following is a summary of that article.

A child’s brain begins as just a jumble of neurons. Every input from the five senses begins to form programs. Programs in your subconscious mind evolve progressively. For example, you learn to roll over; then you learn to crawl, walk, run, lift a glass of milk and drink it without spilling, etc. Each of these activities is a huge computer program in itself. Even just standing up straight requires a complex program.
The gravity of establishing these programs is that there is a “time window.” After the window closes, programming limits are set up that are difficult to overcome. Experts claim that about half of a baby’s brain cells die by age five because they are not used. There are several basic time windows of development, namely; math and logic, vision, vocabulary, language, social skills, and motor skills.

The window for math and logic is from birth to four years. Even learning a simple concept like “one” versus “many,” helps widen this invisible programming potential.

The window for vision is from birth to two years. This concept was demonstrated in 1970 when experimenters sewed shut one eye of newborn kittens. When the sewn-shut eyes were opened after only two weeks, the eye was blind and sight was never developed because the designated neurons were used for something else.

In another experiment, researchers raised three groups of kittens: one group in a room with only horizontal stripes, one in a room with only vertical stripes, and one in a normal room. Once removed from these rooms, the kittens raised in the room with horizontal stripes could only perceive horizontal objects. That is, they would walk into a table leg, for example, because they did not see it. The group raised in the room with vertical stripes could not perceive horizontal objects. They would not walk into a table leg, but they would walk into the table, if it were low enough, because they could not perceive the horizontal object. The third group raised in a normal room was normal.

The window of development for vocabulary is to three years. Even if a baby hears words he does not understand, on hearing these new words, neuron pathways are formed that widen the potential for learning later.

The window for language is from birth to 10 years old. Note how quickly children learn a new language compared with adults. Moreover, unless the children learn the new language at a very early age, they will most likely have an accent in that language for life.

Arguably, the most important window is the emotional window, which is from birth to only two years old. Think about that. Your emotional quotient is pretty much wired in the first two years of life. This explains why some adults act childlike under emotional circumstances. That was how their subconscious mind was wired during the emotion window.

The window for motor development is to five years old. Researchers performed a landmark experiment in which a newborn monkey’s hand was bound so that he could only use one finger. After the learning window passed, the binding was removed from the monkey’s hand and he never learned to use his other fingers. The brain cells committed to the useless fingers were used for something else during the window of motor development.

A modern example of motor development is Andre Agassi, who has been, off and on, the number one tennis player in the world. Andre is able to change the game’s strategy due to his lightening quick reflexes and ability to hit the ball early and on the rise. This takes exceptional reflexes and hand/eye coordination. Andre is also reputed to be the best ever at returning serves.

Andre’s programming began when he was a few weeks old. His father dangled a ball on a string over Andre’s head, and when Andre was old enough to hold something his father gave him a paddle to swing. Andre’s father laid the foundation for creating a large potential for motor development in Andre’s subconscious mind.

This concept of learning-windows shows the importance of exposing children to a variety of toys, colors, sounds, conversations, sights, and experiences. Of course, these programming limits are not absolute, but overcoming them can be difficult. More recent research indicates that these windows may last longer, and that the way our brains are wired in the teen years also determine how we behave as adults.

Thus, as adults, we most likely have many negative programs and concepts in our subconscious minds that were developed prior to our twentieth birthday, and many that were planted by others, namely parents, relatives, teachers, peers, TV, society, and possibly some violent video games. Unfortunately, many of these programs and concepts are counterproductive. Consider the following ones:

• Smoking,
• Overeating,
• Poor health,
• Poor self-image,
• Girls are poor in math,
• Everybody catches colds,
• “No, you cannot do that,” or, “You’ll never be able to do that.”

Remember. The subconscious mind accepts everything as true and literal. Often well-meaning parents, repeatedly say to their children:

• “You will be a big girl,”
• “You are so silly,”
• “No, you can’t do that,”
• “You naughty boy,”
• “You’re a girl; you’re not supposed to be in math.”

Some thoughtless parents or teachers might program young malleable subconscious mind with:

• “You’ll never amount to anything,”
• “You will never be successful,”
• “Don’t you ever learn?”
• “You are a bad boy (or girl).”
• “You will never graduate.”

These negative statements will have no effect when they are said to the child only a few times. But if they are repeated, especially under emotional circumstances, they are likely to be accepted by the subconscious mind. One researcher estimated that a child is told ”No” 148,000 times in his early years. No wonder the potential of so many children is unnecessarily limited.

Conditioned Reflexes

Sometimes we react in irrational ways and we have no clue why. This is often due to a conditioned reflex that we are not aware of. You remember the classic experiment performed by Pavlov. When Pavlov showed a hungry dog food, the dog salivated. Pavlov then rang a bell when he showed the food to the dog. After a few times, the dog was conditioned to the bell. Then Pavlov had only to ring the bell and the dog salivated. Ringing a bell and salivation are not ordinarily linked.

Here are a few examples of reported cases involving conditioned reflexes:

• An adult woman abhorred spinach. Under hypnosis, she recalled a time when she was one year old. She was in a high chair eating spinach. The doorbell rang. Their German Shepard started barking and on his way to the door knocked over the high chair. Thinking her child was hurt, the mother cried and yelled. There was chaos, noise, a bump on the head, and the experience was very emotional. This traumatic experience conditioned her to dislike the food she happened to be eating when the unpleasant incident occurred. Do you suppose a similar incident happened to a previous president who dislikes broccoli and does not know why?
• Another patient was afraid of the ocean. It turned out that, at an early age, he was on the beach when lifeguards brought in a shark-bite victim. The lurid sight was so emotional that he was conditioned to be afraid of the ocean.
• This example was reported in Psychotherapy, Aug. 1974. A youngster was spanked at the end of an argument between his parents. His emotions were associated with his struggle to control the sobbing in his chest (sic). During the next argument, even without the spanking, his chest remembered. Emotions were cut off at the chest, and the youngster developed asthma.
  
  Each of us has thousands of programs in our subconscious minds. Most of them are useful and even essential. But many are counterproductive to a happy life. You will learn how to overcome these counterproductive programs in later lessons.

Inductive Processing
Goal Seeking

Your subconscious computer takes thoughts from the conscious mind and works them out inductively to a conclusion. It operates from specifics to generalities. Your subconscious mind is a GOAL-SEEKING computer. Your subconscious mind will act to achieve whatever goal it is given, whether the goal is well thought out, haphazard, or provided by an outside source.

This is why monitoring what you feed your subconscious mind is important. Have you ever said to yourself, “I’m stupid”? If you said it enough and said it with emotion, your genie responded by replying, “Yes, master, I can make you look stupid. No problem. I can do it easily and effortlessly.” Then, say, you took a test on a subject that you knew cold, but during the test, your mind went blank. Could it have been your subconscious mind simply obeying your command?

Ever told yourself that you are clumsy? Your genie responded by saying, “Yes, master. I can make you clumsy. That is easy and effortless.” Then, for no reason, you tripped, or dropped an easy fly ball, and embarrassed yourself.

Ever say to yourself that you are shy and unpopular? If you said it often and with emotion, your genie responded, “Yes master, I can make you shy and unpopular by having you behave in unsocial ways. No problem. That is easy and effortless. You do not have to think about it. I will just do it for you.” Then after acting like a dork, you say to yourself, “Why did I act that way?” Well, now you know why. You asked for it; you programmed it.

Maxwell Maltz, M.D., a plastic surgeon, wrote a classic book, Psycho-Cybernetics, on this subject. Dr. Maltz observed that when he corrected grotesque features, his patients behaved in one of two ways. Some changed their personality and became more outgoing and successful. Conversely, some did not change. They still had an inferiority complex and were failure-oriented.

Dr. Maltz then found he could change some patients from feeling inferior and being failure-oriented without surgery. He concluded that a person’s actions, feelings, behaviors, and even abilities, are consistent with his or her self-image. Therefore, change the self-image and you change the personality and behavior! In other words, you will act like the sort of person you think you are. The key to personality change is not physical; it is your self-image.

Dr. Maltz went on to say that the change is not by intellect, and not by intelligence; change is brought about by experience. Remember, experiencing is the same to the subconscious mind as imagining. The subconscious mind does not know the difference between real and unreal. It accepts what you feed it. Like the saying, “You are what you eat”; “You are also what you think!”Think of your self-image as the software in your brain, and your neural system as your hardware. Your printout, then, in computer parlance, is your body and your personality.

Your subconscious mind is a goal-seeking computer and will seek whatever you feed it. There are dozens of books on this subject. A classic is As A Man Thinketh, by James Allen.

It is not so much what you are. More important, it is what you think you are. If you continually think of success, your subconscious mind will guide you to success. If you continually think loving thoughts, your subconscious mind will guide you to loving relationships.

William James said, “The greatest revolution in our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”

Goals

Your goals must be clear, otherwise your subconscious mind will flounder. If you flit from one goal to another, your effort will be inefficient and counterproductive. To keep your goals clear and well thought out, write them down. Keep a record. List short-, medium-, and long-term goals. Suggestions include:

• Better job
• Self-image
• Better place to live
• New house
• Financial independence
• Mental skills
• Physical skills
• Health
  

Review and revise your goals regularly. I suggest you review them as often as you think of it, even if only for a few seconds. Review them in the alpha state. The entire review will only take a few seconds. Do not share them with anybody. You will likely get negative feedback from well-intentioned friends and family reminding you that you cannot do that, be that, or get that. You will also put pressure on yourself to produce or look foolish. Such pressure will inhibit your success.

Admonition

Be certain they are your goals. Goals should make you happy, while not making anyone else unhappy. Be certain that each sub goal leads to your ultimate goal. Your ultimate goal should be something like: peace of mind, health, and harmony in your life, happiness, and self-fulfillment.

Emerson said, “Be careful what you wish for with all your heart (subconscious mind), for you will surely get it.” Your first thought for a goal might be to make lots of money. While making lots of money, you might lose your friends, family, and health, leaving you rich but miserable and lonely. So lots of money may not be the best goal for you. Think your goals out carefully and strike a balance. Always have a clear, definite list that you can refer to (in the alpha state).

Summary of Important
Subconscious Mind
Characteristics

1. Does not know real from imagined.
2. Is always seeking goals.
3. Can be controlled by your conscious mind.
4. Communicates with images and feelings.
5. Communication to the subconscious mind is enhanced with emotion.
6. The alpha state opens the door to the subconscious mind.
7. Keep your conscious mind out of the way:
   • Use no effort
   • Practice detached acceptance
   • Let go!

Exercise

 

SELF-IMAGE
Divide a piece of paper into two vertical columns. Label the left column “Self-Image” and label the right column “Visualization.” List three traits in the left column that you want to become. Leave space between. In the right column, list scenarios of what you would be doing provided you had that type of personality. Following is an example:
SELF-IMAGE VISUALIZATION
Charismatic	People listening to me People following me Speaking to large audiences
Excellent Conversationalist	Speaking to a large group Emceeing a talk show
Successful	Driving my luxury car President of a company Winning a trophy

Keep this piece of paper by your bedside. Just before you lie down to sleep, look at the list and visualize yourself as already having these traits. See yourself in action doing those activities and being that person. Do not think of it during the day unless you are in alpha.

Now you have given your genie goals and it will work to see that you successfully achieve them, easily and effortlessly.

Theta Conditioning—Exercise

The theta state is deep meditation associated with sudden insights where the solution to a problem or a creative effort is often visualized in its entirety. Many examples are described in the literature in which people were working futilely on a problem until they finally gave up (consciously) and went on a walk, soaked in the bathtub, or engaged in some activity that relaxed them and took their minds off the problem. While they were relaxed and in this meditative state, the solution came to them in a flash. Examples are given in Higher Creativity, by W. Harman and other books.

The famous surrealist artist Salvador Dali would sit in a chair, relax, and go in the theta state where he saw the surreal images he painted. Dali would hold some object in his hand so when he reached this inspirational state, his grip would relax and the object would drop. The noise would bring him to a state where he could remember the images he visualized in the theta state.

You do not have to go to that trouble to get into the theta state. You can condition yourself to go into theta anytime you wish by practicing the following exercise. Before you do the theta routine, however, become proficient in going into alpha using the exercise in Lesson Two.

 

The Inspirational Garden Routine

Get comfortable. Turn your eyes up about 20 degrees. Looking up is fatiguing so allow them to close. You are always aware of what I am saying. Allow yourself to relax...allow yourself to become limp. Relaxation is good for you...so let go...just let go and relax. Image you are a balloon, and someone has blown you up and up and up until the balloon is taut and seems ready to explode. There is a valve by your hand. Release it and watch yourself slowly deflate. Down...down...down until you are totally deflated and flat and completely relaxed. Relaxation is associated with feelings of heaviness and warmth. So now feel your body becoming heavier...and feel a comforting wave of warmth creep across your body....Your legs are now relaxed...completely relaxed...your torso is now relaxed...completely relaxed...your arms are relaxed and limp...feel the weight of your body. Now your head and neck are relaxed...retaining just enough muscle tone to keep your head in a comfortable position. Now imagine you are a bag of cement. Feel how heavy you are. Feel the bag pressing down and down and down. Now mentally count 3...2...1...and mentally say and see the word “ALPHA.” You are now in a natural, healthy state of mind—A state where your subconscious mind readily accepts healthful and positive suggestions, suggestions that are only for yours and humanity’s highest good. Now you are going into an even deeper natural state of mind. Count down mentally from 5 to 1 and as you count allow yourself to go deeper and deeper into this natural relaxed, healthy state...5...you are going deeper...4...more and more relaxed...allow your mind to relax and slip deeper and deeper into the theta state of mind...your mind enjoys this deep state of relaxation and peace of mind. Allow your conscious mind to just be an observer...3...slower and slower, deeper and deeper...2...feeling at peace and restful...1. You are now in the theta state. Your mind is creative and sees things in a global sense. You are going on a pleasant walk. You are on a flat, soft path covered with soft tree bark. The path winds back and forth, and ahead you see a tall hedge. There is an opening in the hedge, and the path leads through this opening. As you slowly walk through the opening in the hedge, you see the most beautiful garden you have ever seen; there is a profusion of flowers, and it is laid out in perfection, in geometric designs that are pleasing to your eyes. Slowly gaze around and observe the galaxy of flowers. Some have bright colors, some have subdued colors...but they all are beautiful...absolutely gorgeous. There are flowers of all kinds and colors...reds, deep vermilion...delicate pinks. There are blue flowers, deep blue...cerulean blue...azure blues, and greenish blues. There are vivid yellows and spring greens...dark greens and some olive colored flowers. All colors of the rainbow...all shades...greens, reds, yellows, blues and purples, oranges and violets. Some flowers have large petals...broad and smoothly shaped like a ship’s hull...Some flowers are tiny and intricate...they appear delicate, but somehow you know they are hearty. You see much detail in these tiny flowers...such beautiful minute petals. Being in this garden is an inspiration. Being here in this garden fills you with awe...the beauty is overwhelming. Being here fills you with the desire to create. Such a garden should be enjoyed by all. Being in this realm of truth and beauty inspires you to write a poem...or to write a story...or to paint a picture...to express what you feel in some way...some way that is right for you. Maybe your way of expressing yourself is to help somebody...to do a good deed...to do someone a favor. You will find a way to express yourself...happily...effortlessly...joyfully. Each of these flowers represents something to you. Some represent an idea...or a concept. Some of the flowers represent parts of a story, or parts of a beautiful picture. Some of the flowers represent parts of a speech or a sermon. Others represent acts that you can do for the good of others. These flowers are limitless. The more you pick, the more they thrive and grow. You may pick as many flowers as you wish. Go ahead and pick some bouquets. Pick large bunches. You may pick many bunches if you wish. And you can always come back for more. They will always be here. Winter, spring, summer, or fall—these flowers grow all year. They are waiting for you to pick them...they want you to pick them because that is what they are here for...your benefit...for your good...to help you fulfill your creative urges. Now carefully tuck your bouquets under your arms and hold some in your hands. You may even put some flowers in your hair if you desire. Hold them gently...for they are precious...They are your desires manifested into reality...into writings...into stories...into poems...into painted pictures...into quilts or embroideries...into kind acts...into anything that you create. For you are creative...you are productive...you are creating right now. So as you return to wakefulness, bring these bouquets with you. They are yours to keep forever...they are yours to use...to enjoy for yourself or to share with friends...or to share with all of humanity. They are yours only to use for your highest good and for humanity’s highest good. You may come to this garden whenever you want. Simply count down from 5 to 1 and visualize the word “THETA.” You are now programmed to return whenever you like. Simply count from 5 to 1 and mentally visualize and mentally say to yourself, “THETA.” In normal conversation the word theta has no special meaning. Only when you desire to return to “THETA” does the word have any effect. Each time you return to the “THETA” state, it is easier for you to do so. Each time you mentally say the word “THETA,” you go down to this level quickly. Each time you go to “THETA,” it is easier and easier, and more natural for you to do so. Now, slowly begin to return to the “awake” state. On the count of 5, you are awake and rested and feeling refreshed. 1...feeling inspired and creative...2...feeling refreshed...3...feeling happy...4...5...you are wide awake.