text: In Self-Hypnosis for Women C. Alexander and Annellen Simpkins have created an instrument, a book and CD combination tailored to both the novice and the familiar practitioner of hypnosis.  The Simpkins have masterfully crafted this guide to self-guidance weaving explanation and experience throughout the written and spoken words.  Provided are tools useful in addressing a wide array of events familiar to most on the journey of being human.  
  	While true to its title, Self-Hypnosis for Women, offering examples of utilization directly fashioned to "experiences" idiosyncratic to women:  menstruation, pregnancy, labor and delivery, and menopause, the title of this work belies its more universal "applicability" to components of life common to both women and men:  self image; pain management; overcoming fear and anxiety, and finding personal balance.
  	The book is prefaced with instructions on gaining the most benefit for individual readers.  Those who may wish to skip over the more basic instructions are advised to begin their journey in later chapters.  Those who are new to the practice of hypnosis, or enjoy viewing the history and techniques from others' perspectives are offered just that in the earlier chapters. 
  	The story of hypnosis, and the modern history and research of hypnosis take the readers back to the early stages of identified systematic trancework, from Mesmer, Charcot and Freud, to the contributions of Hilgard, Hull, and Milton H. Erickson; they then procede to accompany the participant on the journey through current and future directions, including their own paths, on which they are about to embark.
  	The Simpkins define suggestion as "a process by which a stimulus is accepted and then transformed through unconscious processing into an action, experience, attitude or concept. (p.45)" This presentation of suggestion sets the stage for an environment conducive to the development of a personal ability to self-guide.  Together, the book and  CD promote the utilization of both conscious and unconscious processes as learning tools, assisting in the transformation from less popular emotions such as fear or sadness to components of life which offers guidance and assistance.
  	Specific hypnotic techniques, are explained, and accompanied by exercises which give the audience an immediate opportunity to begin experiencing and tailoring that procedure. The framework for these exercises is the suggestion of an "experiment" with that particular technique, creating an environment for the learner to safely attempt each new activity with no possibility of failure.  The only opportunity not offered is that of incompetence.  There is only a place to try, adjust, and retry each experiment until the reader fashions their own skill set based on personal significance and comfort.
  	More than a "bonus" the accompanying CD is a work of art on its own.  Again, mixing explanation with experiential learning, this auditory tool incorporates fractalization as a teaching method, to assist the listener in entering and returning from graduated levels of trance exploration.  A vast canvas is provided, upon which the hypnotic partner can create motor, auditory and visual experiences with encouragement and assistance, rather than direction or interference, a respectful approach not always found in "self-hypnosis" recordings.
  Sharon McLaughlin MA, Managing Editor, Milton H. Erickson Newsletter	
  