An emblematic method of personal development, the Coué method, in reference to its creator Emilie Coué, is based on self-suggestion. In other words, it is about sending positive messages to the unconscious in order to gain self-confidence, to flourish and to realize oneself. It's simple, square, accessible. We explain to you.
Emile Coué, born in 1857 in Troyes and died in 1926, wore a mustache. And before becoming the first "coach" of the 20th century, he was a pharmacist. Moreover, it is from his pharmacy that he developed his method, the principle of which arises from the placebo effect. How many times has he repeated to his clients "Take this medicine and you will get better and better"? And how many times has he observed that yes, patients are getting better and better thanks to his positive words? Then emerges the famous Coué method, which presents itself in a few words: positive suggestion as a healing power.
Armed with this observation, Emile Coué then published in 1913 a very short work, titled Self-control through conscious self-suggestion. He shares his method and his findings in barely fifty pages. But size is not what matters: this book, as skinny as a brochure, is the source of positive psychology. It will quickly become a bestseller and will not cease to be republished.
In the years that followed, the man who was nicknamed "the little merchant of happiness" gave talks around the world. It will also welcome people, alone or in groups, to treat their physical or psychological suffering.
Since then, the Coué method has become world famous. But it was not an easy task, especially in France; at the time, some doctors had considered bringing him to trial for the illegal practice of medicine, while the doctors he frequented closely, the aim being to work together. As for the church, she saw with a very bad eye the very idea of repeating a sentence tirelessly, because that is what it is about: autosuggestion, as in hypnosis, is based on the repetition of messages sent to the unconscious to change your life.
Finally, concerning everyone, the simple nature of the Coué method has sometimes been decreed as simplistic. The Coué method did not seem complicated enough to merit attention and flirt with psychotherapy, at least in the eyes of the French, who were rather picky. But many years later, it is obvious: Emilie Coué remains a precursor of positive thinking, and neuroscience now decrees that the Coué method remains a source of useful therapy to heal body and mind.
The Coué method is full of promise; its simplicity makes it accessible to everyone, and as much to say it: it doesn't cost much to try. Positive autosuggestions influence our psychology, our mind, our body, our physical condition, and can redirect our destiny. Because they stimulate our forces and help us move forward, where our unconscious sometimes blocks.
Imagination always trumps will
The Coué method is based on several postulates, very clearly stated.
> The first is that any thought we have in mind becomes reality (within reason, in other words, if you think of a million euros, not say that they land). In short, if you think of negative things, you attract them, and vice versa.
> To this is added another observation, which is very important: imagination makes us act more than our will. What Coué calls the imagination is none other than the unconscious. And what he means is that our unconscious, to which we do not have access, always triumphs; he usually has the last word. If, for example, you repeat all day long, consciously, "I want to write a book", but your unconscious, on the other hand, adds a little "but I can't", the chances that you will get are reduced. According to Emilie Coué, imagination always prevails over will, without any exceptions. Thus, the famous "when we want we can" is rubbish: sometimes we want, but the proof being, we can not always, because our imagination gets involved and blows us from the negative to slow us down.
This is why Emile Coué offers autosuggestion, self for "to yourself" and suggestion for bringing new data to our unconscious in order to find the capacities to embark on our projects. In other words, Emile Coué then defines autosuggestion as the implantation of an idea in oneself by oneself.
"Everyday, from every point of view, I am getting better and better"
Emile Coué starts from the principle that, when we have a worry, a hassle, a lack of self-confidence, a difficulty in moving forward in life or even a small bohemian health, the essential is not so much to define the origin of the problem but rather to practice his method on a daily basis, by projecting himself into the future and keeping in mind that the best is always possible. When, on the contrary, we try to understand "why" (why it is not going well, why it is not working …), we rehash the problem and therefore negative thoughts, which are not there to fix our business.
From there, our famous pharmacist therefore developed a method based on self-suggestion: in practice, we send positive messages to our unconscious to give us the means to act. Because if the will and the imagination look in the same direction, then as much to say it, we can succeed! He created an easy-to-remember universal (and positive) self-suggestion phrase for this: "Everyday, from every point of view, I am getting better and better".
The "prescription" is as follows: you must repeat this sentence twenty times a day, if possible out loud (in the shower, quietly, it works very well). It’s the multiplication of positive words that neutralizes negative thoughts, and who come to "unlock" our imagination.
The effectiveness of the Coué method speaks for itself. As he explained, he uses colloquial, simple terms because they have more strength. Self-suggestion therefore takes root in short, concise sentences, with clear messages, exactly as one does when practicing self-hypnosis.
Also read our article to know how to practice self-hypnosis.
The rules to know to get started!
To practice the Coué method, one can quite rely on the universal sentence "Everyday, from every point of view, I am getting better and better" But we can also, according to his expectations, his desires, his big dreams, create his own sentences, of course. However, it is important not to disperse, not to create several autosuggestions at the same time in order to focus on one objective at a time.
Then the three stages, which are the visualization, the repetition, the put into action, are very simple to hold.
– First, we visualize. For example, if you want to sleep better, you start by seeing yourself sleeping well. If our wish is to write a book, we visualize ourselves writing a book (and with joy).
– Second, we compose his sentence: "I will sleep better and get better sleep", which is repeated twenty times a day for the duration of your choice.
– Thirdly, we act in our direction, according to our wish, by taking the time to relax before going to bed, to breathe deeply (if we want to sleep), or else we give ourselves moments dedicated to the writing (if you want to write) and that, every day, we write better and better.
In his work, Emile Coué noted that the use of the conditional ("I would like" or "I would like") was less effective than using the present tense. So we will say "I want" and not "I would like", in order to better anchor our state and our word. Then we will say "I'm confident" or "I'm capable". We can also use the near future ("I will pass my exam") in order to condition his brain to succeed.
We also avoids negative formulas. We do not say "I am not sick", because here the sentence is turned to negation and cause of illness. It’s not pretty for the subconscious, which will only remember negative words. We will rather look for a "I am in good health"
In addition, the notions of "better and better"And" less and less "are very important. It's good to say that you get better and better or that you sleep better and better, or, as part of a diet, that you eat less and less sugar, for example .
We can also opt for "day by day" These ideas of evolution are essential to open a new page of his life smoothly. Indeed, they condition our imagination without pressure. We enter a positive state of mind, which then blends with our conscious will. And there it works.
To read to go further and master the Coué method
- The Coué method, self-control through conscious self-suggestion, the full text of Emile Coué prefaced by Luc Teyssier d'Orfeuil, Leduc.s editions. This bestseller was reissued in pocket, € 7.90 to order online.
- The Coué method for dummies by Luc Teyssier d'Orfeuil and Jean-Pierre Magnes, First editions. An ultra practical book, € 10.16 to order online.
- Being happy with the Coué method by Luc Teyssier d'Orfeuil and Jean-Pierre Magnes, Eyrolles editions. A book developed by two coaches, specialists in the method, who here formalize the Coué method in a very playful book, full of exercises: € 18.78.