A N I N T R O D UC T I O N S "

"

TO

JI H E

"

S U D Y OP

H Y P N O T I SM
EX

P E RI M E N T A L

A ND

T HER A P E U T I C

BY

H E W IN G F I E L D
.

B C ow n s
.

C O NS LT I N P H Y S C I N RO Y L H NT S C O N T Y H O S P I T L ;
F OR M E R L Y D E M O N S TR ATOR O F P H Y SI O L O Y I N C A M R D E N I VE R SI TY
PR ESI D EN T PS Y C H O M ED I C A L S O C ET Y ;
VI C E PR ESI DENT M ED I C A L O FF I C E R O F S C H OO L S ASS O C IA T I O N ;
F OR M R L Y M ED I C A L O FF I C E R TO W I N C H E T E R C O LL E E ;
A T H OR O F T HE F OR M S O F A L C O H O L S M
T HE I R TR E T M E NT
U

E li -

EX -

AN D

E D I T I ON

SE CO N D

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B A I L L I ER E ,
8, H

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"

P R E F A CE T O SE CO N D E D I T I O N

T HI S li t tle b ook is intended m a inly f o r th o se wh o

a re u n a cq u aint ed wi t h hypnotism a nd a im s at pro

,

iding the reader wi t h su f cien t kn o wledge

b o th

theoretical a nd prac t ic al to e nable him t o m ak e u se

,

o f su gges t i o n in sui t a ble cases

Th e

f a c t that t he wh o le of the rst edition w a s sold

-

wi t hin a sh o rt t ime o f p u blic a ti o n encou r ag es me t o

h Op e

th a t it f u llled its a im

a nd I t r u st t h a t th e

presen t edi t ion which is p u blished in response t o

,

n u mero u s req u es t s may meet with a n eq ua lly k ind

,

r e cepti o n

The phen o men a

of

hypnosis a re describ e d in

s o me de t ail a s I b eliev e th a t a k nowledge of t hem

,

is e ssential to the practit i o n er who u ses hypnotism

a n d th ou gh the v a rio u s t heories cann ot be criticiz e d

i n th e sp a ce a t my disp o s a l I h a ve t ried to b rin g
,

be fo re the r e a d e r t h e chief problems pr ese nted by the

s u bj ect
To

the ch a pter o n t re a tment I h a ve a dded a n

V

6061 65

PRE FA CE

vi

a cc ou nt o f case s bea r ing

on

Repressed

t heir tre at ment by hypn otism a p a rt

,

Memo r ies and

,

of

t h e subj ect

which is rapidly incre a sing in impor t ance in

Fr e u d s disc o v e ries

iew

of

L OND ON,
,

1 92 0

H UG H

WI NGF I E L D

CO NT E N T S

C H A PT ER I
I NT R ODUCT ORY
F i st w o k er in h yp no t i m Th e d e ni t i o n o f h yp no is
Th e p h e no m e na o f s u g g e t i o n Hyp no s i a s a s t at e
r

PA GES

1 -1 1

C HAPTE R II
THE SUB C ONS C I OUS NESS
Th e s u b c o ns c i ousne s s E vid e nc e o f it s e xi s t enc e (Sub
c o n c i ou
c h in o f m e m o y I n u e nc e o f s ub c o n
s c io u n e s o n w a kin g ac t i vi ti e s M o t o r and sens o ry
p ers o n
au t o m a t i m s P as s i ve
a t t e nti o n M ul tip l e
-

12 3 1

C HA PT ER III
ME TH ODS OF TH E INDUCT I ON 0 F H YPNOS IS
Intro du c tory Te st s u gg e s t io nsM a nner o f c onve ying sug
g es t i o ns (E mp h a ti c v p ersua s i ve m o d eP ers onali ty
ub j e c t s )
C ondit io ns
o f o p e ra t o Su c e p tibili t y o f
o f su gg e s ti bil i ty P ro c e s se s o f ind uc t i o n ( P h y s i ca l
m eth o d s M e th o ds o f N anc y S c h o o l P e onal
m eth o d) N ec e s s ity o f te st s u gg e ti ons M eth o d o f
D r T a pli nA lli e d f orm s o f tre at m ent (D ub oi s
m e t h o d Dr B ra mw e ll m e th o d) Aw ak e ning o f
t h e su b j e c t
3 2-6 1
.

rs

vii

ii

CONT EN T S

vi

C HAPT ER I V

E
N
N
Y
F
H
PH
E
O
M
E
A
0
H
P
N
O
S
I
S
TH E S T A GES
T
PA ES
I ntro du cto y ta t e m ent
E rrone o u s impre s i ons o f
h ypno si D ete rminat i o n o f t g e s o f h yp no i
D e taile d a c c o unt o f t ge s 1 t o 5C omp ari o n with
s t a g e s o f L i be a ult and B ernh e im
97
6 2
G

s a

s s

s a

C H AP TER V
OTH E R H YP NOT I C P H E NOME NA
H all u c inati o ns P o t h yp noti c su gge s ti onN e g a t i ve h allu
c ina t io ns Anae s th e s i aOth e r p h e no m e na (E ff e c t s o f
p a s e s E e ct s o f p e vi ou s d e e p h yp no ti ati on on
ub j e c t s
Se l f su gg e st i on E ff e c t s o n
e X p e rim ent a l
s e n s e o f t ou c h a nd t emp era ture L i g h t s ens ory t im uli
s -

and s u

gg e st i o n)

98 1 1 8

C H APT ER VI
T R E AT ME NT BY S UGGES TI ON
I ntro duc to y ( Li be a ult ) R e p e s s i ons (wi t h note on F e u d

f
r
s
s
e
r
e
c
s
p e e d o mpl e x e ) Gene a1 p in
and e x a mp l s o
list of di se a s e am en
c iple s o f t e a t m e nt wi t h F o c l
t o s u gg e ti o nTyp i c al m a l a di es (Hyst eri a
abl e
N eura st h enia Ob s es sions Ins o mni a N o c turnal
e nure i s A l co h oli m M o rp h ino m ani a Se x di o d e rs
m asturb ati onP im y v a gini mu S p as
su ch a s
m o di c dy s m eno rh oe aAb s e nc e o f se x f ling
N ervou n s Se a s i ckne s C h ore a I n ani ty
C ons tip a t i onN ervous di arrh oeaS p a s m o di c a st h m a
E pil ep y)An% s th es iaC l o sing no te
1 19
r

ar

ee

es

1 83

C HAP T ER VI I
THE CA SE A GAI NS T H YP NOT I S M
D anger o f u nqu al i e d and irre sp onsibl e u s e o f h yp noti s m
Opini o n o f M o ll Q ue ti o n o f lib ert y o f u b j e c t t o

n
o
s
f
u
gg
e
t
i
C oncl u i on
1 84
e u e
s

I ND E X

191

1 92 1 95

A N I N T R O D U CT I O N T O T H E

ST U D Y O F H Y P N O T I SM
CHAP TE R

I NTRODUCTORY
F

irst

h yp no t s m Th e d e niti on o f h yp nos is The

ph e nom ena o f s u gg e s tio n Hypno sis a s a s ta t e
i

wo rk ers in

imm e m o r i a l time s in th e hist ory o f m an kind

t h e phenomen a no w classed u nder the name of
hypno t ism appe a r t o h a ve b ee n kn o wn a s isol a te d
Clo t h ed in the guise o f t he s u pern a tural
fac t s
reg a rded sometimes a s religiou s m a nifes t ations s om e
time s as t he resul t s o f magic spells o r as t he wor k of
spi r i t s t hey were of cou r se un r ecognized as a g ro u p
o f e ffec t s d u e t o a common and na t u r al cause
Tha t t hey had a common origin was rst suggested
in qui t e mode r n times by the experim e nts o f Me s mer
a t the beginning of the l a st century
Th ou gh he did
not comprehend th e re a l ch a ra c te r o f t he phenomen a
which he produced ye t t o him m u st be a scri be d the
meri t of pe rceiving th a t they were due t o so m e
n a tu r al c au se and of rst drawing the attention of men
to the pr o b lem o f their expl an at ion Me smer be lieved
F ROM

A N: 1 NT R 0 DUEQH
Q N TO

th atfath egplicp

HYPNOTISM

i
c a g
e mar
at e d
m
o

f r om some kind o f

d e ve n t o thi day simil a r id e a s a re

u
i d, an
comm o n a m o ng the general p u blic a n d in u ences

u n der the n a mes o f

will -p o wer
a nd
a nim a l
m a gnetism are inv o ked to expl a in the facts
Mesmer w a s foll o wed by th e s u rgeons E sdaile
E lliot so n a nd Br a id wh o wer e a t ta cked by the
m aj ori ty o f the medic a l professi o n wi t h t h a t a nim o si ty
which inv a ri a bly gre e t s the disc o mposin g pione e rs o f
a ny u nf a milia r ide a
To Ja m es Br a id th e l a s t o f th e thre e bel o n gs the
cr e d i t o f h a vin g r s t cle a rly p e rceived th a t th e
ph e n o m en a w e r e d u e n o t t o a ny mysterio u s o r
s u pe rn o rm a l em a n a tions b u t t o the p o wer of s u g
gesti o n a l o n e a ctin g on a s u b j ect whose suggestibili t y
h a s be e n a rtici a lly incr e a s e d This vie w which h a s
b een a b u nd a ntly c o nrmed by Li beault a nd th e
The re
Nan cy s chool is n o w u nivers a lly a ccept e d
se a rch es o f m o dern times a re mainly a t t emp t s to
systema ti z e the phen o men a to expl a in h o w it is th a t
s u gg e stio n a rrive s a t s u ch results and to dene th e
n a t ur e o f th e conditi o n which is ch a racterized by
s u ch a m a r k ed increase o f s u ggesti b ility Th e rs t
o f these a ims has t o a gre a t e x tent a lre a dy bee n
s u ccessf u lly a ccomplish e d b u t th e o ther s see m a long
c o mplete r e a li za t i o n
A s u ggestion i s o f c ou r se simply th e i pl a nt a tion
t he devel o pment o f a n id ea in t he mind o f t he
r eon exp e rimented on The s u gges t i o n m ay come
ith o ut o r fr o m th e s u b j e ct himsel f

'

IN T RODUCT ORY
I

Th e De n it i o n

Hyp no sis

of

V a rio u s a tt empts have been made t o dene hypnosis

i
g
e
l
the condi t ion o f a rti c iall
g
g

g gj
gg
Some me r ely e x pre s s the theo r ies which di fferen t
au thors hold as t o the nature o f hypnosis Thus
Mye r s reg a rds s u gges t ion a s a succ es sful a ppeal to

Sidis denes hypnosis as physio

t he s u bliminal self

l o gically th e inhibi t ion o f the inhibitory centres

a nd s o o n
O ther s c o nvey i t s ch ara c t eristics a s a s ta te in which
cert a in specied phen o mena occur ; a nd this kind of
description in t he presen t s t a t e o f ou r knowledge
seems to be open t o the least obj ection
Bernheim says hypno t ism is the production o f a
psychical condi t ion in which t he facul t y of receiving
impressions by s u ggestion is grea t ly inc r eased
Bu t
as Dr L loyd T uckey indica t es t his deni t ion does
no t recognize the ex tr ao r dina r y increase of power t o
c ar ry o ut accepted suggestions which is alw ays found
in hypnosis
I f I might hazard a denition I should s a y t hat

hyp no s is is
a re

no t o nly

rea liz ed

with

syc hica l c o ndit io n

muc h more
an

in w hich

ea s ily a c c ep t ed,

s ugges tio ns

but

a re

a lso

intens ity muc h grea ter tha n is p o s sible

t o t he no rma l s ta te

For however eagerly a man may

receive a s uggestion in his no r mal st a te i t is q u ite clea r
t ha t it c a n be re a lized only wi t hin certain rest r ictions
Thus if I sugges t to a lady in her no r mal condition
th a t h er d es s i s o n re th o ugh she m a y at o n ce
.

AN

INT RODUCT ION T O HYPNOT ISM

accept t h e s u gges t ion and act acco r dingly yet when

she sees t ha t he r d r ess is r eally no t bu r ning a t all
th e suggested idea will be immedia t ely dissipa t ed
But a s we see later if she be in deep hypnosis so
vivid will be the r ealiza t ion that she will believe she
actu a lly sees t he ame s a nd smoke and so b ec o mes
s u bj ect t o a h a ll uc ination
,

II

Th e Ph eno mena

of

Sug g e s t io n

The foll o wing s imple experiment will show th e

e ffect o f a sugges t ion ; I s elect it bec a u s e it is the
o nly o ne I know which pr a ctically never fails Assur e
a nyone th at if he takes a pinch o f snu ff o r even
pepper h e will be u nable to sneeze and it will in
y
variably h a ppen that af t er t aking it he c anno t do
so P e r h aps the s u gges t ion may be made stronge r
by an o ffer t o bet o n the r esul t I t is quite safe t o
bet ; I h a ve ne ver seen t he s u ggestion fail Ye t it is
en t ir ely ine ffectual t o p r event sneezing in a pe r son
wi t h a cold
I t is pe rhaps unnecess ar y to poin t o ut t h a t the
subj ect o f the expe r iment will be quite impervio u s to
o t her sugges t ions Thus if he be told that he must
get up from h is cha i r and canno t help doing so h e
will merely smile con t emptuously a nd rem a in seated
where he is B ut a s we sha ll see later on by wh a t
a r e called hypnotic p r ocesses his con di t ion can be so
al t e r ed t ha t if he be t ol d for example t ha t he m u s t
ge t up o r t ha t he cannot ge t u p he will h a ve to
obey t he sugges t ion even if he resist wi t h a ll his p o wer
.

IN T RODUCT ORY

W e sh a l l nd to o th a t cert a in gr ou ps of sugge s
tions will a ct readily while other gr ou ps a re di f cul t
t o enforce and tha t a s the s u b j ect i s more deeply
hypnotized these m o re di f c ult s u ggestions a re more
a nd more e ffec t ive So it becomes p o ssible t o divide
the hypno t ic state more or less accu r ately into stages
each s t age being ch a rac t erized by the pa rt icular group
of phenomena which c a n be succ e ssfully s u ggested
therein
O ne o f the e a siest o f these s u ggestion s is th a t th e
\
subj ect cann o t O pen his eyes He may str u ggle wi t h
all his might ; in spite of hi s efforts he c a nnot do i t
B ut here we s tu mble across a r ema r kable fac t It no t
infrequen t ly h a ppen s that the subj ect is q ui t e con
vinc e d th at he can open his eyes an d it is only when
he a ct ua lly at tempts i t th a t he reali z es by fail u re
th a t he c a nn o t do so No w i t is obviou s t hat th e only
aff ec t o f the s u ggestion th a t he c a nno t open his eyes
will b e the cre a tion o f a belief t o th a t e ffect
B ut
if the s u bj ec t h a ve n o consciou s c o nvic t ion th a t he
c a nn o t open his eyes it is cle a r th at t he ide a doe s not
exist in his wa k ing c o nscio u sne s s Where the n i s th e
ide a conce a led
Ag a in s o m e s u bj ects c a n b e m a de t o p a ss in t o
wh at is k n o wn a s somn a mbulism o r the deep st a te o f
hypnosis When t hey a re a w ak ened frdm t h is c o ndi
tion in the maj or ity o f cases we sh a ll nd th a t t he
memory o f a ll t he events which o ccurred during t his
period h a s v a nished comple t ely The somn a mb u list
may h a ve been walking about a nd t a l king or acting
,

AN

IN T R O DUCT ION

TO

HYPNO T ISM

u nder t he inuence of some s u gge s ted delusion or

hallucin at ion but still o n awakening he will remember
absolu t ely no t hing o f all t his
Ye t if the sleeping
c o ndi t ion b e a gain in d u ced he will r emembe r all t he
events of his p r e vious sleep
Th e ideas t hen still
cont inued bu t whe r e we r e they s tored " Again if
d ur ing his sleep he be c o mmanded to perform s o me
a c t ion a fter he wakes he will pe r form i t t ho u gh he
h a s no conscio u s recollec t ion o f the comm a nd Where
one as k s a gain was conce a led the ide a that prompted
the ac t ion
All thr ou gh t he s t udy o f hypnotism this
q u es t ion is the o ne great problem that con stantly
conf r onts u s a nd the mos t fascinating par t o f t he
Whole inqui r y is I t hink the h un t fo r t he hiding
place o f these apparen t ly lost but really persis t en t
id e as
,

III Hyp n o s i s
.

as a

St a t e

It is often sai d a fter Bernheim s dict u m t h a t

hypnosis is nothing but suggesti o n
Bu t a s S idis
points o ut in his admirable work on the P sych o logy

I f hypnosis be no t hing b u t suggestion

o f S ugges t ion
b y wh a t is i t ind u ced 2 Why by s uggestion
S ug

gestion is thus its o wn c au se

I t seems as though
a tten t ion h a d b een s o concent r ated o n the st r ik ing
n
co
n
di
t
i
o
n
h
e
o
m
n
pr
o
duced
by
s
u
ggestion
t
ha
t
t
he
e
a
p

o f inc r eased s u ggestibili t y

o r hypnosis for t he te r ms

a re synonymo u s wi tho u t which s u gges t ions a re a bso

lute ly ine ffectual has been ignored
B u t t his incre a se
o f s u ggestibili t y is merely one of the char a cte r i s t ics

INTR ODUCT OR Y

'

o f a new p syc hi c a l
which m u s t be a cc o un ted
f o r j u s t a s m u ch a s the effects o f the s u gg e stion s
which this a nd th is a l o ne rend e r s p o ssible Th e c on
dition a ppears to b e d u e to som e rec o ndite ch a nge in
the rel a tions o f the d ifferen t p a r t s o f c o nscio us nes s
B u t this will b e better u nderst o od wh e n we c o me t o
c o nsider th e r 16 of th e s u b -c o ns ci ou s n e ss in a l a t e r
ch a pt e r
S idis giv es the foll o wing co n diti o ns a s e s se nt i a l t o
W
the p ro du ti o n o f hypn o sis : x ation o f at t en tion
ymonoto n
i
m
i
i
l
i
t
a
t
n
f
vol
u
n
t
a
ry
m
n
t
i
m
t
a
o
o
m
s
o
e
e
v
f
y
a
tion o f the eld o f c ons c io usne s sf inhibitio n of a ll
idea s e xcept those u p o n which a tten t ion is t o b e c o n
c entra te d
So t h a t hypnosis d o es a s a m att e r o f f a ct
depe nd u p o n o ther factors b eside s mere s u ggestion
Th e f a ct o rs a re so simple a nd n at ural th a t i t i s n o
w o nd e r th at t heir presence is often u nno t ic e d a nd
th eir nece s sity u nrec o gnized for in m aking f o rm a l
s u gge s tion s a lm o st a ny o ne wo u ld q u i t e in stin ctiv ely
see th a t they w e r e respec t ed wi t ho u t be ing in th e
l e a s t a w a r e o f the f a c t th a t he w a s a rr anging c o n
ditio ns w i th ou t which his s u ggesti o n s w ou ld be
n u llied
O nce h yp n o s i s h a s be en in d u c e d s u f ci e ntly t o
e n a b l e mie n the s implest s u gges t i o n s t o b e e ffective
ther e i s n o d ou b t th e phen omen a evo k ed by th e
s u gg e sti o n s d o o f thems e lv es tend t o in cre a se sug

i
n
s
till
f
u
rther
other
wo
ds
t
o
de
e
p
e
n
t
i
ib
i
t
es
l y
g
r
hypnosi s Th u s I hypnotiz e a s u b j ect a nd a s k h im
to lay his h a nd on min e a nd s u gg est th at he c a nn o t
,

AN

I N T ROD UCT ION T O H Y PNOT IS M

ta ke it o ff The s u ggestion may of c ou rse su c ceed or

f ail If i t f a il s I t ry a s u gges t i o n which I kno w
fr o m e xperience c a n be mor e e a sily enf o rced I
m ak e him s h u t his eyes a nd s u ggest t h a t he ca nnot
O pen them Th e sugge s tion probably succeeds I
n o w t ell him t ha t he can open his eyes and again
rep ea t my rst experiment t ryi ng t o x his hand to
mine by s u gges t ing th a t h e cannot take i t a w a y
This time I succeed No w i t is qui t e clea r th at he
is more s u gges t i b le th a n he w a s when I made the
r s t experimen t a nd i t is eq ua lly cle a r t ha t h a d I
f ail e d to se a l his ey es I s h o uld have fo und him a s
refr a c to ry a s ev e r to s u ggestion number one Wh at
th e n h a s made him more suggestible " Clea r ly no t
th e suggestion t h a t he could no t open his eyes in
i t s elf f o r if it had f a iled it wo u ld h a ve been p o werles s
t o ch a nge his c on dition I t was t he s uc c es s o f t he
s u ggesti o n th a t in creased his s u gges t ibili t y : it w a s
th e phenomenon of in a bili ty t o O pen the eyes th a t
m a de him m o re s u gges t ible TO p ut th e ma tt er in
a nother w ay successful suggestion will in d u ce hypno t ic
phen o men a a nd the phenomen a in their t urn ind u c e
an in cre a s e d s u ggestibili ty
Ma ny consider that t he phenomen a of loss o f
mem o ry and i t s recove r y in sub seq u ent hypnosis i s
n o t d u e to sugges t ion bu t is p a rt a nd p a rcel of t h e
d eep hypnotic s t ate
This phenomenon occ ur s almost cons t an t ly in good
subj ec t s wi t hou t any di r ec t sugges t ion of a mnesi a

B ra mwell indeed s t a t es t h at wi th nea r ly every o n e

.

I N T RODUC T ORY

the ide a of hypnosis represen t s a kind o f sleep wi t h

s u bseq u en t los s of memory s o th a t the very s u g

gestion o f s leep may be in t hese cases followed by
a mnesi a B u t t his does not acc ou nt for the ret u rn of
memory during a fr es h hypnosis ; a nd while perh a ps
i t might explain why t he suggesti o n O f sleep should
produce a mnesia in t hose wh o expected such a r esult
this expl a na t ion seems ha r dly applicable t o those
cases in which somnambulism appe a rs wi t ho ut any
suggestion o f sleep wh at ever I t is well known t ha t
t he producti o n o f hall u cin a tions often induces s o mnam

li
bu sm wi t h su b seq u ent a mnesi a Wi t h many in fact
wi t h most o i t he Cambridge subj ects whom I sent
in t o somnambulism I ind u ced it in the r s t ins ta nce
b y this me t hod making no suggestion of sleep I
suggested a s s t r o ngly as I could a visual hallucin a
tion generally of a b r igh t st a r and then changed it
for a nother and so on through a succession o f diffe r ent
h a ll u cin at ions I n a lmos t eve ry c a se t he s u bj ect
experienced compl e t e a mnesi a on a w akin g foll o wed
by a recovery of memory when a g a in hypno t ized I t
is di f c u l t t o see h o w sugges t ion could well ente r here
a nd o ne h a s t o acc ount fo r t he fact t hat th e loss of
memory seems t o foll ow the prod u c t ion of h a ll u cina
tions wi t h a const a ncy which certainly seems t o
indic at e some c au sal r ela t ion be t ween t he t wo
I t is merely a n assumption th at b ecause most o f th e
pheno men a o f hypno t ism are d u e t o sugges t ion the
amnesia and i t s r ecovery are necessa r ily also due t o i t
B u t we h a ve no righ t to m a ke a ny ass u mption O f
,

AN

10

IN TR O DUCT I ON T O HY PNO T IS M

this k in d ; w e m u s t a bide by the res u lts of exp eri

m en t
According t o t he Na ncy experim e nter s a n ae s th e sia
a l s o m ay o ccur spont a neo u sly wi t hout s u gges t ion in
th e deep state This phenomen o n if correctly s ta ted
w ou ld b e a n ot her c a se in poin t
P ost hypn o tic a mn e si a and the rec o very of the
mem o ry d uring s u b seq u ent hypnosi s (if a s I a m
in clin ed to think not d u e t o s u ggestion ) w ou ld s eem
t o r e v e a l a ch a nge o f s ta t e which is r a ther the c o n es
r
f
n
o
u
c
e
o
f
th
e
phe
n
o
men
a
o
f
h
a
ll
u
cin
a
tion
o
the
e
q
condition ind u ce d b y t he s u ggestion o f sleep I t
seem s th a t whil s t a mnesia c a n be in d u ced b y direct
s u ggestion it m a y a lso occ u r not a s a re sponse to
that but in response t o or a s a c o nc o mit a nt with
phen o men a o ccasioned by s uggesti o n
B u t in a ny c a s e the s aying th a t hypnot i sm i s
n ot hing b ut s u ggestion merely b egs the whole q u es
ti o n I t tells u s n othing o f t he mech a nism o r of th e
ch a nges in c o n s ciou sn e s s which c au s e the in cre a sed
d give s n o cl u e t o th e a s t ou n din g
s u ggestibil ity an
int e nsity with w h ich s u gge s ti o n s a re r e a li z ed In
di s m is s ing th e s u b j ect for th e pr es ent it m a y be
worth while t o s a y th a t e ven if it w e re tr ue th a t all
hypnotism is s u ggestion th a t i s n o t a j u stic a tio n for
saying th a t a ll s u ggesti o n is hypn o ti s m a n inf e rence
t hat s eems to be s o me t imes dr a wn
I t is un deni a b l e t h at t here i s s t ill s o m e thin g
i ntellec t ually u nsatisfying in a ll a cc ou nts of t he
causes Of hypn o tism and th a t f u rther explor at ion
.

IN TRODUC T O R Y

11

m a y end in e x citing discov e ries I t d o es s eem a s if

the p r ocess were p a rtially inv o lved in the O bsc u re
p r o b lem of pe r son a lity a nd as if some f a ctor a t le a s t
were like other kin ds of person a l in u ences a nd
impressions t he na tu ral a nd logic a l produc t o f the
combin a tion o f cert a in psychical qualities which can
not be determined a nd disc r iminated as ye t while th e
s cience o f psychol o gy s t ill stammers i n its inf a ncy
.

CHAPTE R

II

THE SUB-CONSCI OUSNESS

Th e

E vid e nc e o f its e xi s tenc e (Sub c ons c i ous

c h a in o f m e m o ry I n u enc e o f s ub c o ns c i o u s ne s s o n w ak ing
ac ti vi ti e s M o t o r a n d s e ns o ry a ut o m a t i s m sP a s s i ve a tt e n
ti o n Multipl e p erso nal i ti e s ) R e l ati o n o f pri m ary and
s e co nd ary c o ns c i o u s ne s s (I t s nature I t s b e ari ng o n h yp
no s i s)
s u b-c ons c io nene s s

THOU GH m a ny attempts have been made t o explain

the phenomena of hypno t ism as yet none o f thes e
theo r ies seems comple t ely to c ove r t he facts O n t he
h ysio lo gic al s ide numbers of hypotheses h a ve been
p
a dvanced but nea r ly a ll have been found un t enable
Th e t heory o f dissocia t i on which supposes the form a
tio n and breaking of lin k s between t he vario u s b rain
cen t res b y a physiological process has m u ch to be
s a id in i t s f a vour it h a s been a bly disc u ssed in
ie
a p a per by Dr McDo ugall in B ra in
Bu t though t here must o f co u rse b e a physi o
logic a l side to hypno t ism i t is in the psychologic a l
dom a in tha t spec u lation h a s b e en most fruitful The
gre a t res u lt O f a ll investig a ti o n s h a s b een to emphasize
t he immense impor t ance of t he role played by t he s u b

conscio usness v ar io u sly te r med the subliminal o r

"
I n B r a in
Th e Stat e o f t h e B rai n d uring H yp no s i s
Jul y 1 9 08
,

12

T HE SUB -CONSCIOUSNE SS

13

se c o nd a ry self consciousness or personality The

te r ms seconda r y o r sublimin a l self or personali t y

a r e I t hink obj ectionable a s they appe a r to imply
the no r mal exis t ence o f some t hing which may
p r ope r ly be concei ved as a r eal sepa r a t e personali ty
a n ass u mp t ion fo r which at p resen t there is not
s u fcient warrant I t is to Myers that we ow e th e
recogni t ion o f the s u preme imp o rt a nce of th e s ub
consciousness a nd o f t he p a rt it t a ke s in pr o d u cin g
"
the phenomen a O f hypnotism
What then is th e evidence for the exis t ence o f t his
seconda r y conscio u sness and wha t ar e i t s f unction s
a nd powe r s 2
,

of

Evi d e nc e

Sub
c o ns c i o us ne s s

of

Ex is t en c e

m
M
e
oq
y
f

a good
( )
hypnotic subj ect cap a ble of passing in t o t he s o mna m
bulis tic s tate is pu t t o sleep he may be made t o
Su b

Cha in

s
c o nscio u

'

Ii

w o rk

h is

In

P s y c h o th era py ,

on

th e

l a te

P ro fe s s o r

M un te b erg b o l dl y t t es th at t h e ub c o ns c i ous h a no
T h i s h yp o th e i s c o mp el s h im t o as sum e t h t th e
e xi t e nc e
m o st co mpl e x ph eno m e na g ene all y a c ib e d t o s ub c ons c i ou s
a c ti o n s uc h a s a u t o m a ti c w ri t ing e v e n w h e n i t p l a i nl y c on f e s se s
e li t y s i mp l y a ut o m a ti c p h y i o
an int e ll ec tu al o rigin a re in
l o gi c al proce se s int o w h i c h no c o ns c i ou ne s s o f any kind e nte s
I t is o f t h e s a m e nature h e s ay s a th e p l ay ing o f th e pi ano
with out th o u gh t o f t h e s p e c i a l m o ve m ent s o f t h e h an d s an
Thi is trang e ly lik e a e turn t o C arp e nt e s
au t o m a ti c re e x
unc o ns c i o u c ere b a ti o n
I t is unlik el y th a t s u c h
o ld i d ea o f
I t l e ave s no s at i s f a c t o ry t h e o y
a vi e w w i ll p a ss u n c h all e ng e d
g a tt e mpt s t o e xpl a in a du e t o
of h yp no t i m w h i c h M un t e b
a b no rm al att e nt i o n t o t h e o p e ra t o r o n t h e p art o f t h e u bj e c t
s

s a

s r

r a

er

AN

14

INT RODUC T ION T O HYPNO T ISM

t alk walk abou t and see any sugges t ed hallucina t ory

obj ec t E xcept fo r t he fac t t ha t he exhibi t s as a rul e
li t tle o r no spontaneity he might be mistaken fo r a
man in his norm a l condition speaking a nd acting as
tho u gh he were aw ake Yet when he is a ro u se d we
nd t ha t he has no recollec t ion wh at ever o f what he
"
was doing d u ring his sleep
I f however he be sent
to sleep a gain t he memory of the even t s o f his previous
hypn o sis will h a ve return ed and will persist a s long a s
he rem a ins in th a t conditi o n only t o v a nish a gain th e
m o ment he is re aw a kened More t han t his we shall
nd that d ur ing his sleep he remember s t he events
of his waking life j u s t a s well as he does when awake
We s ee here o ne impo r tant point o f evidence : he

h a s two a pparently separ a te ch ains o f memory t he

chain o f t he sleeping s t a t e which comprises th e
action s and even t s O f th e sleeping a nd no r m a l life
as well ; a nd secondly t he ch a in o f the waking s ta te
t hat which is familiar to us all and which comp r ises
the even t s o f the waking life alone
c
o
k
n
i
n
u
o
n
s
i
o
u
s
n
e
n
a
i
A
c
t
v
i
n
ce
o
b
c
s
s
b
I
u
e
W
S
( )
g

B u t we may no w make a fresh experiment

t ies
For e x a mple I told a lady wh o w a s in somnam
bulis m that af t er a w aking she would t u rn o n the
electric ligh t s in my room I then awakened her
a nd fo u nd t h a t she had no recollecti o n o f a nything
that h a d p a ssed during her sleep After a b ou t a
,

p reve nt e d b y s u gg e s ti o n duri ng s o m
Oft e n be re vi ve d b y
re c o ll e c t i o n c an
a nd t h e
na mbulis m
su gge s t i o n duz ing th e waki ng s t at e
T h i s am nes i a

c an

be

'

T HE SU B -CONSCIOUSNESS

15

m inu t e she began t o look a t t he elec tr ic ligh t switch

a nd a t last said : Dr Wing eld wha t is t hat on the

w a ll " I to ld h e r th a t i t w a s merely t he electric

ligh t swm
whereup o n she s a id
O h i s it " I t
ch
i s q u ite di fferent from t hose in o u r house May I

try it " I told her she might a nd she turne d

it on
O r t a ke another c a se ill u str at ing th e same p o int
but in a m o re striking manner Wh ile I w a s a t
C ambridge I hypnotized fo r expe rimental p u rposes
a n u ndergr a du a te wh o m we will c all X
X I am
s orry t o s a y w a s n ot a h a rd working pers o n I t w a s
p a st th e middle o f the s u mmer term a nd though
h e h a d t o si t fo r the theological special ex a min a tion at
the end of the te r m he h a d not even procured the
b o oks to read o n the subj ec t
O ne d ay I hypnotized
him an d told h im while he was a sleep tha t t he nex t
day he w ou ld begin t o w ork at nine o clock in the
m o rning a nd wo u ld c o ntinue his labo ur s from nine
till o ne or at least four hours every morning and t wo
hours every evening
O n a waking he r emembered
a bsol u tely nothing ei t her o f this sugges t i o n o r o f
o ther e x periments which I m a de d u rin g his hypn o sis
Next m o rning he w a s e a rly a stir b uying bo oks p a per
etc a nd settled down t o w o r k a t nine O clock He
h a d promised tw o friends t o a cc o mp a ny t hem t o
Newm a r k et th a t m o rning a nd they acc o rdingly c a me
t o fetch him ; but he a bs o lutely refused to g o and
resisted a ll per s ua sion I h a d him w a tched by a
frien d w h o l ive d i n t h e s am e h o u s e , a nd it w a s qui te
-

16

A N IN TRODUC T ION T O

HYPNOT ISM

curiou s t o observe h o w accu r ately t he sugges t ion w a s

obeyed He would s ome t imes b r e a k Off work in the
middle o f the morning to play the piano o r rest b u t
he a lw ay s o n these O cc a sions ex a c t ly ful lled his fo u r
hours of wo rk so far as o ur O bse r vations wen t O n
t wo occasion s he went o ut to dances not ret ur ning
until twelve but each time o n reaching home it
str u ck him t h a t he might do a little work before
goin g t o bed a nd he religi o us ly c o mpleted hi s tw o
h ou rs I a m gl a d to s ay he p a s s ed hi s ex a min a ti o n
a t the end o f the term
No w in these t w o case s we have a new phen o men o n
We saw before that t he s leeping conscio u snes s a nd
the waking con s cio u sness diffe r ed as t o the matter
o f t heir m emo r y ch a ins ;
bu t here we nd th a t a
comm a nd given d u ring sleep a nd a pprehe n ded o nly
b y the sleeping conscio u sness is car r ied o u t durin g
t he waking st a te a nd t his notwi th st a nding that the
subj ect is u t te r ly unawa r e tha t any comm a nd ha s
been given
H e r e t hen we begin to see that t he
sleeping consciousness may a ffec t us e ven when we
a r e wide awake and if we examine closely we nd
th at t he r esul t o f s u ch expe r imen t s is usually simply
the crea t ion o f a desire o r impulse to pe r fo r m the
sugges t ed action a desire o f whose o r igin t h e s u bj ec t
is completely ignorant I n the rst experimen t t he
imp u lse to t ur n o n t he light was p r oduced ; b u t th e
pa t ien t did no t know t hat i t was o r igina t ed in a
command f r om myself and hesitated to ca r ry i t o ut
direc t ly Her question w a s cle a rly a su b terf u ge by
.

T HE SUB -CONSCIOUSNESS

17

wh ich sh e hoped to s a ti sfy her d e sir e with ou t tr an s :

g r essing the rules o f poli t eness
.

I ntellec tua l A c tivit ies

( )

Sub-c ons c imcsncs s

t he

f
L et us now consi der anoth e r experiment Durin g t h e
Ma y w e e k o f 1 8 8 6 I hypn ot ized G an un dergrad u ate
one evening and t old h im th a t he w ou ld bring me
a poe m o f three s tan za s on the May r a ces o n t he
f o llowing evening a t n in e o clock
O n a w a kenin g he
did no t rec o llect the s u ggest io n o r a ny o f the oc c ur
re nc e s of his sl ee p
Next d ay he c a me to l un che o n
wi th me I h ypno t ized him again and he fell a t
once in t o a deep s omn a mb u lism I n o w a sked him
wh a t I h a d to ld him to do a nd he an swered t ha t
he w a s to write a poem and bring i t to me a t nine
O cloc k t hat even ing I a s k ed wh e ther he h a d c o m
posed any o i i t and he s aid he had m a de t he rst
ver se This he said w a s a s foll o ws
0

Oh ,

Trini ty

Pe m

b ro k e

Jo hn

s,

Ca ins ,

y our s h o e s s h all yo u s h iver ;

Yo u m a y s w a gge r as mu c h as yo u p l e ase
B u t t h e H all will be h e a d o f t h e ri ve r
So o n,

s oo n

in

,
"

No t very b rilli a nt poetry , perh a ps " Ho wever , o n

a w akin g he knew n o thin g o f wha t h a d be en s a id b u t

at nin e o cloc k he bro u ght me t he wh o le p oe m o f
thr ee verses t he rst b eing th at given a bove He
to ld me th a t at h a lf -p a st eight he h a d s u ddenly been
seized with the ide a tha t he would wri te a few ver s es
He s ai d
o n th e May races a nd s at down to do s o
he h a d writ ten them straight o ut a s t hey c a me into
his he a d s ee med r a ther ple ased with his perform a n c e
,

18

AN

INTROD UCT I O N T O HYPNOT IS M

and was evidently disapp o in ted when I t o ld him t hat

I did no t think m u ch o f t hem
He r e we h a ve t he verses composed in O bedience t o
a s u gges t ion a ddressed to t h e second a ry consciousness
and with out t he kn o wledge o f t he waking conscious
ness Th e l a s t t w o ve r ses at any rate and possibly
t he rst were c o mposed d uring ho u rs Of wakefulnes s
and ye t unconsciously in t he ordin a ry a ccep ta tion o f
the term Th e second a ry c o nscio u sness then appears
t o b e c a p a ble o f in t ellec tua l ac t ivi t y and t his a ctivity
m a y occ u r while t he person c o nce r ned is wide awake
t h ou gh of co u rse q u i t e unaw a re of these processes
I have given t he a b o ve experiments o ut O f many
h u ndreds beca u se they a re in t hemselves so simple a nd
so easily carried o ut The reader will no t nd it dif
c u lt to make successful experimen t s o n similar lines
So far as we have gone we see tha t in s o mna m
bulis m i t is only the waking c o nscio u sne s s which is in
s uspension The a c t ivity o f t he s u b conscio u sness
persists d u ring b oth the waking a nd t he somn ambulic
s t ates so t h at s o me believe th a t it neve r sleeps nor
res t s b u t is a lw ays a ctive
We may no w turn t o evidence o ther th a n that
derived simply from hypn o tic experiment s
d
o
o
r
u
m
i
t
he
lanche
t
te
and
A
ut
o
M
t
A
t
o
a
t
s
m
s
P
(
( )

matic Wri t ing) Mos t people h a ve heard o f a to y

c a lled a planche tt e
I t consists merely o f a hea rt
sh a ped bo a rd abo u t 8 by 1 0 inches wi t h t w o wheels
a s supp o r t s the t hird s u ppo rt b eing a pencil r mly
xed in a hole in t he b oa rd Th e planche tt e is pl a ced
.

T HE SU B -CONSCIOUSN E SS

19

wi t h the pencil re s ting o n a s heet o f pap e r and t he

opera t or lays o ne o r b o th h a nds gently u pon i t
asking it a question
I f t he experiment succeeds th e
planche tt e no w begins to move in O bedience to un
conscious pressure and wri t es a n answer The im
por t ant poin t to notice is t h a t in many cases the
experimenter may be u t te r ly unaware of wh a t he has
wri tt en and the a nswer may menti o n f a c t s o f which
he believes himself igno r an t
A s t ill simple r plan bids the O per a tor hold a
pencil in his hand and res t i t lightly on a sheet of
paper I n answer to a ques t ion t he hand will t hen
move independen t ly of his will and as with t he
planchet t e write a message the con t ents of which
may be en t irely u nkn own to him u n t il he has read i t
O nly cer t ain persons have t he power Of thus w r i ting
autom at ic a lly a s it is called b u t the propor t i o n is
q u i t e l a rge
To ret urn fo r a m o ment t o t he hypnoti z ed su b j ect
in the s tat e o f somnam b u lism Though on a w ak enin g
he will have comple t ely forgotten all t he events Of hi s
sleep yet if he be o ne of those wh o c a n wri t e a u to
matic ally when his hand is placed on a planchette or
provided with a pe ncil and s u itable q u es t ions a re
asked the intelligence t h a t governs the aut oma t ic
writing will give a nswers which show th a t i t i s
cogniz a nt o f a ll t h at took pl a ce during th a t sleep
Fo r example I hypno t ized G and d ur ing s o mnam
bulis m I made him imagine t h a t he w a s (1 ) riding
wi th th e ho u nds (2 ) rowing a race in hi s c o ll e g e b oa t
,

'

20

A N IN T ROD UCT ION T O HYPN OT ISM

(3 ) that next mornin g he w ou ld p u t a boot o n o ne foo t

and a shoe o n the o ther O n waking he r emembe r ed

none o f t hese t hings I then m a de him p u t his hand

o n a planchet t e and a sked

Wha t did yo u do rs t "

After a few meaningless scratches i t wro t e Hun t ing

Wh a t then " I asked

was
Rowed in t he races
the answe r
Did I tell yo u to d o any t hing "

Boot one shoe o ne said t he planchette

B u t this
p ar ticular experiment is so easy to m a ke t hat I need
no t m u ltiply examples
In making experiments of t his kind I wa s struc k
wi t h o ne outst a nding f a c t
The knowledge possessed
by the planchette was exactly commensurate with t h at
possessed by the s u bj ect during somn a mb u lism The
s u b conscio u sn e ss is t heref o re identical wi t h the co n
s c io u s ne s s of t he hypnotic sleep , and fr o m t his exp eri
men t we see that i t c a n carry o ut action s wi t h o ut
collusion of t he w ak ing o r p r im a ry consci o usness even
when t he s u bj ec t is wide a w a ke Th a t i s to s ay b o t h
the primary and the second a ry consci ou sness may be
a ctin g independently c au sing m u sc u lar movements
a t t he s ame moment of t ime
Th e following c a se s t rikingly reve a l s the a cti o n of the
su b con scio u s mem o ry a nd incident a lly shows t hat t he
pl anchette m a y b e of real u se a s a me a ns o f diagnosis
A gen t leman aged thirt y came t o con sul t me con
cerning the following hist ory For nine ye a rs he
h a d been oppre s sed by an inde nable dre a d of some
t errible c a l a mity He h a d n o ide a wh a t it wa s t h at
he a pprehended
F o r t he r s t t wo or three ye a rs he
.

T HE SU B -CO NSCI O USNESS

21

had managed t o con tr ol this t e rr o r bu t af t er a r at her

severe atta ck o f inuenza i t increased grea t ly u n t il it
became a cons t ant ho r ror which never left him du r ing
his waking hours H is o wn medical a t t endant t he
only pe r son t o whom he had conded his tr ou bl e had
died abo u t si x m o nths before h e c a me t o me a nd
pe r h a ps bec au se he h a d s in ce then kep t his c o ndi t i o n
o f m ind t o himself t he obsession h a d incre a sed t o a n
extent which t hreatened t o d r ive him t o suicide I
saw him several t imes a nd tried hypno t ism ; but
t hough he was s u scep t ible I w a s u nable t o induce
somnambulism a nd sugges t ion s seemed t o have no
e ffect o n his drea d O ne day it st r uck me t hat I
might nd o ut t he cause o f his t e r ror by au t omatic
w r i t ing
He co u ld
he though t wri t e wi t h a

planchet t e a t le a st he had once done so I got

a planche t te m a de him p u t his h a nd upon i t and

asked : P lanchet t e wha t is it t h at frigh t en s him 2

Af t er a few moments the pl a nche tt e made some

sc r atches I t hen s a id
Don t make scra t ches ;

write an a nswer
After about half a minute s

pause t he pl a nchet t e wr o te
F a ther s de at h
I did
not let him see what he had w r itten but subs t it ut ed

a f r esh sheet of p a per asking :

Why does th at

f r ighten him "

Will die t he s a me was t he reply
O n in quiry I fo u nd that his father h ad died suddenly
o f pulmona r y embolism and t hat my patien t t hen a
child o f t welve had wi t nessed t he de at h agony wi t h
g r ea t ho rr o r This then wa s the c au se o f p a nic for
which I h a d so vainly s ought I n ow tried di r ect
,

A N I N T RODUCT IO N

22

T O HYPNOT ISM

suggestion s again st t he possibility o f his dying in this

way and in less t han three weeks the O ld t e r ror had
lef t him I t is wo r th no t icing that even when I made
sugges t ions agains t t his par t ic u lar idea he remained
quite scep t ical a s to his h a ving any such notion wha t
ever H e ce rt ainly h a d no con scio u s idea Oi t he kind
I t is inte r es t ing to observe that o ne m ay s o me t imes
get qui t e star t ling reviv a ls o f memo r y exhibited in
au t omatic wri t ing I once compelled L an under
gr adua t e t o w r it e aut oma t ically by t he simple

suggestion Wri t e
He immedi at ely began w r i t ing
and cove r ed sheet a fter shee t wi t hout being in t he
leas t aware O f wha t he had w r it t en O n examina t ion
I found t ha t m u ch o f t he ma t ter was a r evela t ion Of
secr e t s which he would no t willingly h ave sha r ed
wi t h anyone so I was obliged t o le t him r ead t he
pape r s an d give me such p ar t s a s he ca r ed t o show
Bu t t he rema r kable poin t was t ha t the r e were a few
sentences in a langu a ge o f which nei t he r he nor I
knew anything I eventually found tha t i t was old
S panish a nd the explanation seems t o be t ha t in his
childhood he used O ften t o examine books in his
fa t he r s libra r y and t hat some of t hese were w r i t ten
in old S panish Doub t less some of t he sen t ences
which he had r ead wi t ho u t u nders t anding we r e
re t ained in his sub conscious memo ry and rep r oduced

unde r t he inuence o f t he suggestion Wr i t e

A ut oma t ic wri t ing is an ins t ance O f what Myers
called mo to r a u to ma tis m t ha t is o f a pparen t ly au t o
matic a ction really origin a ting in the second a ry
,

T HE SUB- CONSCIOUSNE SS

23

conscio u sness There a re Of cou r se o t her form s o f

mo t or a u to matism such a s the t a ble tilting a nd
t u r ning of t he spi r it ua list s a nd o ne m a y a dd ce rta in
au t oma t ic movements in some c a se s of hys t eria
Mo t or a u t oma t ism m a y also occ u r q u ite sp o ntane
Thus a lady was j u st going t o t hrow certain
o u s ly
p a pe r s in to t he r e when she s u ddenly fo u nd her
hand a r res t ed O n look ing down she saw t h at a mong
t he papers were some ve po u nd n otes S he had
doubtless u ncon sciously no t iced t hem a nd t he imp u lse
which p r even t ed her fr o m sac r icing them o rigin a ted
in her secondary consciousness

B u t besides manifes t ing

(e) Sens o ry A uto ma tis ms
i t self by au t oma t ic movements the secondary con
sc io u s ne ss is cap a ble O f p r od u cing sensory phen o men a
as well
The most striking inst a nce of senso r y aut om at ism
apar t f r om hypnotism is to be fo u nd in wh a t has
been t ermed c r ystal g a zing a process much in vogue
with spirit ua lists wh o believe t hat t he visi o ns which
they see are d u e to t he inuence of dep a r t ed spirits
The e xperimenter simply g a zes in t o a glass b a ll
w a ter o r some similar O bj ect in t he
o r gl a ss of
expec ta tion o f seeing vision s and if he is s u ccessful
he soon sees pictures o f v a ri o us k inds in the cryst a l
A l a rge number o f pe o ple can do this a nd it is
perhaps mainly to these forms of m o t o r and sen s o ry
a utom a tism th a t m o dern spiritu a lism owes i t s strength
These crystal visions m a y occ u r qui t e u nexpectedly
A short time a go I w a s t ry in g to hy p noti z e a l a dy ,
.

AN

24

IN T RODUCT ION

TO

HYPNOT ISM

a nd m a de her look fo r a few moments a t a c u t glas s

crys t al held ab o ve her eye s Alm o s t a t once she
exclaimed : O h I see a dog I t is t u rning ro u nd ; i t

is running a way
This w a s s u cceeded by the a ppear
a nce o f a n urse wheelin g a per a mb u lator a nd this
aga in by a hor se in a d o g cart I g a v e u p tryin g t o
hypnotize h e r by this meth o d
Th e tendency for a pp a rently unn o ticed f a cts t o be
r e p rod u ced by a ut o m a t i s m is n o t u nc o mmon Miss "
a well k n o w n cry s t a l gazer wa s o n e m o rnin g looking
int o her cryst a l when she was st a rt led to s ee in it
the printed a nn o un cement o f t h e de a th o f a friend
S he immed ia tely went to loo k a t a newsp a per a nd
there she fo un d the identic a l a nn ou ncemen t Bu t
s h e h a d previou sly gl a nced at th e column of dea t hs
tho u gh she h a d n ot con sci ou sly noticed the p a ragraph
in question
Thes e s u b -consci ou s impre s sion s m a y a ls o be repr o
duc e d in dre a m s
Mr C ; a friend of mine while in
t o wn l o st a cig ar e tte case which he val u ed very highly
Th a t night he dre a mt t h a t he w a s a t a meeting at t he
L C C o fce s (he h a d really been there th a t d ay) a nd
in his dream he heard s omething fall L ooking down
h e s a w his cigare t te c a se
Next m o rnin g he go t u p
e a rly went t o t he room where t he meetin g had been
held and found t he cig a rette c a se e x a c tly as he h a d
s een i t in his dream

a
i
v
P
s
O
ne
f
a
ctor
concen
t
ra
t
ion
s
A
t
e
n
t
i
o
e
t
n
(f )
o f a t tention even in ordin a ry life ind u ce s a tendency
to a s p li t ting o f con sci ou s ness
-

T HE SUB -CONSCIOUSNESS

5
25

Thus a man walking along the s tr ee t engr o s s e d in

conve r sa t ion will avoid colliding wi t h o t he r p eo ple
tho u gh he may no t co nsc iously no t ice them and may
eve r y now and t hen be so much abso r bed in con
versing as to be qui t e u n a w ar e t ha t he is a voiding
them at all H e is doing tw o t hin gs at o nce O f
o ne the conversation he is fully a ware
of the o ther
a v o iding p a ssers
by he is only parti a lly and s o me
t imes scarcely at a ll conscio u s These u n a w a re
actions a re governed by a p a r t o f con sciousness which
h a s begun t o split Off from the res t The c o ndi t ion
is some t imes termed o ne o f pgs s ive a ttention
I s uppose that t his spli tt ing o f consciousness when
o ur a t ten t ion is fully engaged is a kind of defensi ve
mechanism which gua r ds us from inj u r ies which we
do not a void conscio u sly when mental in t eres t is
otherwise absorbed
As will be seen in the next ch a pter t he me thod s
for inducing hypnosis which af t er all is a condi t ion
o f spli t con sciousness
depend upon this limi ta t ion
of the eld o f conscio u sness by concen t ration of
at tention

u
M
t
i
l
l
e
P
e
rs ona litie s
I shall not a ttempt to
(9)
p
deal wi t h the ques t i o n s in volved in those r a re ca se s in
which t he con scio u sness is liable to apparent disrup
t ion into one o r more dis t inct person a li t ies s u ch as in
the well known case O f Sa lly B ea u champ They are
pur ely pathologic a l and t hough the phenomen a of the
seconda ry conscio u snes s d o in a measu r e help t o
el u cid ate the m, th e e x p lan at io n is s t ill f a r from b eing
,

26

AN

I NT RODUC T ION T O HYPNOT ISM

fully underst o od a nd i s quite beyond th e s cope of this

little book
,

11

Re l at io n

Primary

of

and

Co nscio usness

Seco ndary

I t h a s b een con
(a ) Na ture of the R ela tio ns hip
t ended by some th a t t he prim a ry and t he secondary
conscio u sness a re re a lly c o mpletely separ a te en t i t ies

properly design a ted by the term personali t ies

Bu t
if we lo o k more closely we sh a ll I think concl u de

that here as indeed everywhere in Na t u re there is

I f we ex a mine the c o n
no sharp line o f demarc a tion
di t ion O f t he memory o f a subj ect for events O ccu r ring
in the different s t age s o f hypnosis we sh a ll nd tha t
as
he
ne
a
rs
the
s
o
mnambulis
t
ic
s
ta
g
e
such
me
ory
is
m
\j
imperfect a nd O f t en very imperfect Whilst he re c o l
lec t s some occur r ence s he forgets o thers happening
app a ren tly in the same st a ge th ou gh he c a n gen er a lly
but not a lways recall these events if reminded o f
them The condition o f the mem o ry b etween the
wa k ing a nd sleepin g st a tes a pp e ars t o b e o ne of
extremely v a ri a ble equilibri u m o scill a ting c o ns t antly
tending now to t he waking n o w to the sleeping s t ate
SO m u ch is t his t he case th a t i t is di fcul t t o ge t
constant results in e xperiments o n memory in t his
middle ph a s e when i t begin s t o a pproach s o mnam
,

bulism

O n the whole perhaps o ne may regard t he r ange

o i con sciousness as an a logous t o t he solar s pec tr um
,

T HE SU B -C ONSCI OU SN ESS

27

The waking con sciousness migh t be r epresen t ed by t he

red end of the spectrum t he profo u nd somnambulistic
consciousn e ss by t he viole t a nd t he deepes t pa rt
which we may suppose is in rela t ion wi t h t he vis
ce r al functions by t he ul t ra viole t invisible r ays
Clearly if we examine the red end o f the spec t r u m
a nd compare it wi t h t he violet we sh a ll nd a sha r p
line of dem a rc at ion between t he two for we shall
have mis sed o ut t he ora nge which bridges t hem
But if we look at t he whole spectrum i t is obvious
t ha t it is c o ntinuous from end t o end
An d i t is
j ust in t he middle par t o f t he hypno t ic condi t ion
tha t t he conditions o f memor y ar e so elusi ve

a
r
i
n
o
n
n
i
Hyp o s s
We m ay now briey
(b) I ts B e
g
conside r h o w t he f a c t s in t his chapter illumina t e t he
natu r e of hypn o sis We have seen t h a t the consciou s
ness o f t he somn a mb u lis t ic sta t e is t he seconda r y
con sciousness and we may infer from t he fac t tha t
on aw a king the s u bj ec t h a s no memo ry o f the event s
o f his somnambulism t h at th e ac t ivi t y o f t he prim a ry
consciousness is in suspension during t he deep sleep
B u t we h a ve seen t h at du r ing t he waking s t a t e t he
second a ry cons cio usness is still a c t ive a nd from t he
fact t hat during somn a mbulism the events of the
waking life a r e r emembered we may infer t ha t a ll
sugges t ion s given in th e waking s t a t e r e a ch the second
ary as well a s the p r imary consci o usness
It i s clear
that in somna mb ulism we c a n examine the characte r
is tic s o f the second a ry c o n sciousness in a sta t e o f
com plete det a chment f r om t he prim a ry Unfo rtu
,

AN

28

INT RODUC T ION T O HYPNO T ISM

na te ly,

we cannot examine the p r imary conscio u snes s

in a similar condi t ion of isola t ion since as we have
seen e ven in t he waking s t a t e t he secondary c o nscious
ness is s t ill s u fcien t ly ale r t t o be r eceptive I f we
compare t he normal wi t h t he somnamb u lis t ic st a te
we nd tha t the mos t striking poin t of con t r a st i s
the di ffe rence in the degrees o f s u gge stibili ty The
most evident char a cteristic o f the l a t t er st a te is its
enorm o usly increa s ed s ugges tibility w hich at o n ce
reaches the m a x im u m degree o f which the s u bj ect is
susceptible Ne ar ly e very s u gges t ion is immediately
accep t ed a nd each ide a so generated seem s to be
tr an s la t ed au t omatic a lly into action
I n fact d u rin g
somnambulism nea r ly every sugges t ed ide a gives rise
with almos t mechanical cert a in t y to the corresp o nding
cerebral r eex
Ye t while ne ar ly every suggestion whether i t be
inhibitory o r imperative o r even if it be a suggestion
o f hall u ci n a tion is e ffective occasionally some s ugge s
tion may fail to act even in somnambulism I t app ear s
t h at a s a r u le the function o f epitic is m though no t
ex t inct during somnambulism i s p r ac t ically quiescent
Before i t can be c a lled in t o a ction t here is o ne may
suppose f a r mo r e iner t ia t o be ove r come t han in t he
normal sta t e Bu t if t he s u ggestion happens to run
coun t er t o some laten t bu t more powe r ful idea o r s u g
ges t ion al r eady domin a ting t h e eld it may be r ef used ;
a nd often no amoun t o f insis t ence can p r evail over the
denial Howeve r wha t ever t he c a use may be i t is
certa i n t h a t t he power o f criticism a s shown by the
,

T HE SUB -CONS CIO USNESS

29

rej ec t i o n of a s u gges t ion i s r a rely e xe rcised in som

nambulis m

The m o st stri king resul t o f the ret u rn t o the

normal state is t he cons t an t exe r cise of the powe r o f
No t every ide a is n o w tr an sla t ed in t o
criticism
action
The variou s s u gges t ions a r e sif ted by t he
p r im a ry c o nscio u sness a nd only a few are ch o sen and

a llowed to a ct
The rest a re rej ec te d ln o t her
word s their action is inhibited
Th e p o wer Of criticism a nd s u bsequent inhibition
appe a rs to be a f u nction O f t he p r ima ry conscio u snes s
alone a nd so long a s consciousness wo r ks as a whole
act s t hr o ugho u t When however a s in hypn o sis
the conscio u sness is more o r less spli t the inhibition
e x ercised by the primary c o nsci o usness no longer a cts
f u lly on the no w sepa ra ted su b conscio u sness and the
l at t er appe a r s to h a ve li t tle or no power Of cri t icism
I n deep hypnosis when the waking conscio u sness
is for the t ime pr a ctic a lly in abeyance the s u bj ec t
p o ssesses no power o f c r i t icism a t all
To thi s f a c t is due t he increased sugges t ibili t y o f
the hypnotic s ta te
When we make s u gges t ions t o a
hyp n ot i z ed s u bj ect we a r e in reality t ak in g a some
wh a t me a n a dv a nt a ge o f the fact t h a t his split Off
s u b co n scio u sness in c o nseq u ence o f it s lack o f the
po wer of c r iticism is defenceless
Th e c o ndi t ion o f t o ta l a bey a nce c o existent with
somn a mb u lism is me r ely t he c o mpleti o n o f a pr o ces s
of gra d ua l s u ppression I t commences a t the very
be g i nning o f the lightest s ta ge of hypn o s is Th e
.

AN

30

IN T RODUCT ION T O HYPNO T ISM

initia t ory s u spen s ion of the prim a ry consci ou snes s

shows itself in the ve ry e a rliest condi t ion o f hypnosis
a s a mere disinclin at ion to act in opp o si t ion t o a
s u ggestion
The subj ect can successfully resist if he
tries and if induced t o try by repeated challenges
will do so
Th u s if t old t hat he c a nn ot open his
eye s he makes n o a tt empt to open them ; b ut if
repea t edly deed he may eventually rouse h imself
sufciently t o make t he a tt emp t and will succeed
I f a sked why he did no t open t hem at rs t he will

s ay simply t h at he did no t wish to fel t indeed a

strong disinclin at ion to t ry
At a sligh t ly mo r e
a dv a nced s t age he really feels th a t he cannot even t r y
An a m u sing ins ta nce o f t his condi t ion was a fforded
by a n u ndergr a du a te M
I h a d on a previou s O ccasion
ligh t ly hypn o tized him and o ne aftern o on happened
to meet him in t he ro o ms o f a common f r iend He
w a s st a nding o n t he he a r t hr u g and s oon a f t er I
ent e red s aid he m u s t le a ve a s it w a s time f o r him

t o go t o his c oa ch
B ut I said
u
can
t
g
o
o
y

Yo u c a n t get Off t he he a r t hr u g
He laughed a nd
p r otested th a t he c o uld b ut did no t do so a nd a f t er
a min u te or two appe a led t o me to le t him go else
he wo u ld get in t o tr ouble wi th his coach
I pointed
out t hat he ha d j us t s aid t h a t he could walk a way
and a sked why he did not do so if he desired
Oh

yes he replied
I co u ld do i t if I tried bu t I can t

t ry
This condition indicates a s ligh t ly m o re a d

va nc ed stage in t he
dis a ggrega t ion O f conscio u s
ness as i t has bee n te r med
.

T H E SU B -CO NSCI OU SNE

SS

31

However t he vario u s s t age s will be considered more

,

in de t ail in a later chapter

The more comple t ely t he prima r y conscio u sness is
/
suppressed the more does sugges t ibilit y increase I n g
hypnotism s u ggestion s do no t a c t t hrough the prima r y
o r waking consciousness ; it is t o t he sub conscious
ness alone t hat t hey succ es sfully appeal O bviously
t he more the sec o nda r y conscio u sness is liber at ed
from t he inhibi t ory con t r o l o f t he p r imary conscious
ness the more suggestible does the subj ec t become
The nal r esul t when the p r oces s of supp r ession is
c o mplete is o f co ur se amnesia
The power of hypnosis then resides in the sup
p r ession p a r t ial o r complete Of the inhibi t o ry rule
o f the waking o r p r ima r y conscio u sne s s over the dis
so c iate d s u b conscio u sness
.

CHAP TE R 1 11

METHODS OF THE I NDUCTI ON OF HYPNOSI S

I ntro duc t o ryT e st s u gge s t io ns Manne r o f c o nve ying s ug
g e s tio ns (E mp h ati c v p e rsu a si ve m o d e Pers o nal ity o f
Op era t o r S u s c e p t i bil i ty o f s u b j e c t s ) C o n diti o n s
o f su g
-"

Pro c e s s e s

induc ti o n (Ph y i c l m e th o d
M e tho d o f N nc y S h o o l P er o na l m tho d) N e c e ity Of
te t s u gge ti o ns M eth o d o f Dr T a p lin Alli e d f orm o f
t e atm ent ( D ub o is m eth o d Dr B ra m well m e th o d)
Aw ak ening o f t h e s ub j e c t
ge s tibility

of

ss

A "NO WLE DGE o f the meth o ds o f in d u cing hypnosis

i s o f c ourse of g r e a t importance from t he practic a l
s ta ndp o int To the mind o f t he b eginner the a ctual
ind u ction of the hypnotic st a te O ften appe a rs a for
midable u ndert ak ing encomp a ss e d with app a rently
insurm ou n ta ble t h ou gh re a lly im a gin a ry di fculties
Th e very simplici ty o f the processes employed creates
in him a feeling th a t there re a lly m u st be some thin g
more behin d them t han he sees or reads o f a nd to o
O ften with ou t even a t rial he c o ncl u des th a t he at
a ny r at e co u ld never hypnotize a nyone wh at ever
o t hers c a n do A t heart in fac t he feels that t he
s u ccessful hypno t is t does his work by vir t ue o f some
p ec u liar a nd in c o mmunicable gif t
B ut if the principles which unde r lie t he m ethod s
,

32

T HE

INDUC T IO N O F H YPNOSIS

33

a re o nc e gr a sp e d t h e dif c u lty o f i n d u c i n g hyp n o si s

will be f ou nd very sligh t and in the c a se o f go od
s u bj ects
a bs o l u tely n o n -ex isten t ; whil e with l e s s
amen a b le p a tients t hi s compreh e n s i o n will e nabl e
even th e b eginner t o vary his d e vic e s t o a n e x te n t
limited o nly b y h is in ventiv e in gen u ity s o t h a t
pr o b a b ly even w i t h little pr a ctic e he will b e a b le
to hypn o ti z e a ny o n e wh o i s c a p a b l e o f be in g hypno
tiz ed a t a ll
,

Tes t Sug g es t ions

aim o f a ll the meth o ds is t he s a m e to in d u c e

a c o ndition in which t he s u b j ect sh a ll b e par t ly o r
wholly inc a pable o f resis t in g s u gges t ions When th e
a ttempt to prod u ce this c o ndition h a s be e n made the
o nly criteri o n o f the re s u
lt i s th e s u cc es s o r f a il ure o f
s o m e de nite s u gges t ion Bef o re ma kin g the e ffort
therefore it is necess a ry to decide cle a rly wh a t the
r s t s u gge s tion s h a ll be ; a nd t his is a question o f
re a l i mp o rta n c e fo r we m u st ch o o se s u ch a one a s
is n o t lik ely t o f a il Upon its c o nseq u enc e s very
m u ch will depend sin ce a fter the rst s u ggesti o n
h a s bee n given the degree o f s u gg e sti b ili ty in t h e
pati en t i s mar k edly a lt e red Sh ou ld h e r e spond to it
hi s s u gges t ibility i s incre a sed s o meti mes enorm ou s ly
i ncre a sed
I f it be in e ffect u al his s u ggestibility i s
diminished s ometime s s o gravely th a t hypn o tization
b y the op e rat o r who has failed becomes a lmos t
imp o s s i b l e, whil e the chanc e s o f s u cces s even f o r
Th e

:34

AN

I NT RO DUC TION

TO

HY PNOTI SM

o t her s a re serio u sly prej udiced Th e very f a c t that

a s u ggestion has c a pt u red t h e subj ect le aves a gener a l
impressio n o n his min d q u i t e a p a rt from th at inv o lved
w i t h the n a t u re of th e p a rtic u lar s u ggestion
It
cre a tes o r help s t o strengthen a n expec ta ncy th a t
ot her s u gges t i o ns will be als o i r resistible or at l e a st
very dii c ult t o resis t a nd thi s ment a l a ttit u de o f
i t self may und o ub t edly deepen t he hypnotic s t a te
The s ense O f frustr at i o n a nd disco u r a gement c on
seq u ent o n the failure of a s u ggesti o n on th e oth e r
h a nd n a t u r a lly deve lops into a n impr e ssi o n ex a ctly
t he re verse o f t his
The ph e n o men a o f s u gges t io n found by exp e rien ce
t o b e mos t re a dily prod u ced a re a s f o ll o ws :
1 A sen s e o f q u iet u de and rep o se
2 A sens a ti o n o f warmth o n s o me p a rt o f the b ody
o n which the O pe ra t o r l ay s his h a nd
3 A feeling o f s omnolence
4 A sens a tio n o f he a vin ess o f th e lids ; i n a b ility
to prev e nt clos u re o f the eyes
5 I na b ili ty t o open the eye s when cl o s ed b y t he
prev i ous sugge s tion
6 I n a bility to open the e yes wh e n they h a ve been
vol u ntarily cl o sed
I h a ve given them roughly in th e order o f facil i ty
fr o m t he operator s point o f view I n s ome s u bj ec t s
n u mber three can b e ind u ced more readily than
n u m b er two
I t will be O bserved t h a t n u mber o ne is a ra ther
in d e ni t e k ind o f s u ggesti o n a nd th a t t he s u gges t ions
.

'

T HE

INDUCT ION O F HYPNOSIS

35

b ecome m o r e precise a cc o rding t o the ir pl a ce in the

s eq u ence
As a ids in deepening t he hypno t ic state the e a rlier
suggestion s a re decidedly less e ffec t ive than the la t er
ones Thus a sugges t ed feelin g o f quie t ness and
repose tho u gh it in deed m akes t he subj ect more
susceptible does so o nly in a comp a ra t ively slight
degree The de nit e feeling o f w a rm t h undoub t edly
prod u ces a greater hypnotic res u l t while the clos ure
o f t he eyes wi t h inabili t y t o open them b r ings a bou t
So that it
a ma r ked increase o f sugges t ibility
u nfortun a tely happ en s t hat t he easier the suggestion
is to enforce t he less hypnotic e ffect i t has the r eason
being t h at these v a rious phen o men a belong re a lly t o
diffe r ent stage s of the hypno t ic s t a te the r st t o the
earlier and th o se subsequen t to the later stages O u r
i
g g; is to evo k e a phenomenon connec ted with a s deep
a c o ndi t ion a s we c a n r e a ch
.

11

Manne r

of

Co nv e yin g Su g g e s t i o n s

We have n o w t o consider t he bes t mann e r o f

c o nvey
n
Are they to be given in a
L g the suggestions
comm a nding v o ice with a s much emph a sis as possible
o r a re they to b e spo k en quietly and per s ua sively 2
Th e chief fact o rs in t he strength o f a s u gge stion
a re I think
1 E mphasi s a nd c o mm a nding ton e
2 R epeti t ion which greatly inc r ea se s the e ffe ct
3 Th e person a li t y o f the oper a t o r
_

AN

36

IN T RO DUCT ION

TO

HYPN OT ISM

Th e

emph at ic a nd t he quiet methods o f giving

s u ggestions have e a ch certain a dvantages and
dis a dvan ta ges
1 a nd 2 Co mp a riso n of t he E mp ha tic M o de wit h

i
An emph a tic s u ggestion is liable
t he R ep etit ve M Ode
t o c a use a con s ciou s o r a t a ny r a te part ly conscio u s
resistance o n the part of the s u b j ect a nd resistance
m a y m ak e hypnotiz a ti o n very dif c u l t No t in tre
q u ently it aw a kens a deli b er a te conict o f will
Ag a in it c a nnot b e c ontin uou sly repeated witho u t
losing a ll it s f o rce s o th a t in us ing a s tr o ng sugges t ion
for t he rst t r i a l o ne i s so to spe a k c a r r yin g a ll
one s eggs in o ne b a sket The s u gges t ion once given
succe s s o r fail u re m u s t f o ll o w immediately and fail u re
is certainly li k elier than with t he gr adual meth od s
O n the other h a nd if it b e effective a nd especially if
it b e e ffectiv e in s pi t e o f a n e ffort a t resist a nce it h a s
a f a r more decided a nd inst a ntan e ou s victory th a n
a ny milder s u ggest i o n c a n h a ve
Yo u ng people fr o m a b out t welve to twenty two
ye a rs of a ge a re very s u sceptibl e to s t rong s ugge s
tions ; a nd the u ned u c a ted classes even in l a te r life
a re equ a lly so I f time is o f gre a t importance a nd
the patient bel o ngs t o one o f tho se two cl a sses it
may be wo r th while to t r y s u ggestion in the more
commanding form The mos t s u i ta ble phenomenon
to ind u ce in this w a y is I think in a b ility to o pen the
eyes I O ften give t his a s a r s t Su ggestion to my
p a tients when they a re yo u ng o r o f the hospit a l
cl a ss a nd th ou gh i t d o es n o t in v a r i a b ly t ak e effect
.

T HE

INDUCT ION O F HYP NOSIS

37

th e proportion of s u ccesses f a r ou t numbe r s t he

fail u res
O n the whole however I do not recommend this
method to a ny n o vice ; it takes a certain amo u nt of
condence and it is perhaps a s w e ll t o defer it un t il
that has been acquired Wh en given wi t hout a ny
n
reat
emphasis
t
he
o
t
her
hand
a
suggestion
may
o
g
be repeated again and again not o nly without loss
but wi t h a ctual gain in power I t become s a p e g
spasign ra t he r th a n a command and should arouse
no conscious r esis t ance wha t eve r Th e power which i t
forgoes by t h e absence o f emphasis may be more than
com p ensa t ed for by t ha t accumula t ed in repe t i t ion I n
prac t ice t his mild and persisten t me t hod h a s t he dis
ad v an t age that a con side rable time may elapse befo r e
a ny ma r ked degree o f hypnosis is a tt aine d I t may
demand many si tt ings E ach of the six sugges t ion s
m a y be enf o rced in their order Wh en number one
is s u ccessful n u mber two m a y be t ried and s o on
u ntil a t last we succeed wi t h all six and th e subj ec t
cannot open h is eyes when t hey h a ve been sc a le d by
s u gges t ion
C ompari ng the two me t hods we see t hat th e
advantage o f the strong and empha t ic mode is th e
rapidity with which it a c t s the disadvant a ge being
its u nce r tainty O n the c o ntr a ry the more gr a dual
way of giving s u gges t ions pers u asively and increasing
t h ei r e ffec t by f r eq u ent repetiti o n i s comparatively
very slow b ut very sure
P su ppo se if it we r e a lways p os s i ble to c h oose th e
.

AN

38

IN T RODUCT ION T O HYPNOT ISM

slow me t hod would invari a bly be r egarded a s p r e

fera ble t o the rapid o ne ; but in ac t ual medical
practice the choice no t infrequently lies between im
mediate hypnosis o n t he very rs t si t ting o r n o t a t
all Many patien t s will no t contentedly undergo a
number of si ttings wi t h no evident hypno t ic e e c t
They expect immediate resul t s ; and I h a ve s ome
times had patien ts sen t t o me who h a ve b een led t o
believe by their medic a l men t hat o ne si t ting is
S ome patients come
e nough to induce the condition
u p to to wn for a day to discove r whether they a r e
suitable subj ects for hypno t ic t r e a tmen t and rega r d
the r st trial as co n
cl u sively set t ling t h e po in t
C ert a inly in thes e cases it is wise r gene r ally t o
decline to attempt tr ea t ment u nde r such condi t ions
b u t many ci r cumstances may m ake r efusal a lmost
imp o ssible
I do not thin k th a t a nyone wh o h a s successfu lly
a ttemp t ed to seal t he pa t ient s eyes by a single
empha t ic sugges t ion is ever likely to abandon t his
method entirely o n acco u nt o f the gre a t economy o f
time and the power it has o f instantly increasing t he
s uggestibili ty o f the subj ect while the extreme pre
c is io n wi t h which the whole process c a n be ca r ried
o ut is eminen t ly s a tisf a cto r y

The st r onger
3 T he P e rs o na lity of t he Op era to r
a suggestion t he mo r e re a dily does the subj ec t
r espond so that g ra n t ed a xed degree of sugges t i
bility the subj ect m ay answer to a st r ong suggestion
a nd yet b e quite u na ffected by the s ame s uggestion if
.

T HE

INDUC T ION O F HYPNOSIS

39

it be weakly c o nveyed Th e s t rengt h o f a s u ggestion

may v ar y e normously I t depends l a rgely upon th e
t o ne of voice in which it is given the gestures a e c o m
panying i t a nd t h e persona lity
ther
wise o f t he O pera t o r I t is n a t u ral
t h at
some persons sho u ld b e m u ch more successful than
o the r s in enfo rcing obedience to their s u gges t ions
Those wh o c a n impress t h eir s ubj e c t s mo st re a di ly
will be the best hypnotists
A n a tur a lly command
ing th o ugh to lerant t emper consider a ble h u ma n
sympa t hy and a s much kn o wledge a s p o ssible of
psychol o gy in the wides t sense o f t he word a re
q u ali t ies which will g r e a tly s t rengthen t he w ork er in
treatment by suggestion
a
re
of
c
ou
rse
not
equally
s
u
sc
eptible
W
t o hypn ot ism
O f healthy pers o n s h o weve r over
9 0 per cent a re probably m o re o r le ss s u sceptible
But when we use hypno t ism for ther a pe ut ic a l p u r
p o ses we a re not de a ling with he a l t hy norm a l
s u bj ects : u nfortun a tely the maj ority of the nervou s
disorders which we are called u p o n t o tre a t by
s u ggestion do o f t hemselves tend to diminish t he y"
s u sceptibility o f t he p a tients S ome mal a dies i t is
tr u e s u ch a s dip ggmania seem if an ything t o m ake
t heir vic t im s more r at her than l e ss s u sceptible
B ut in a la r ge num b er o f neurasthenics the p o w e r o f
concen t ra t ion is either ent irely ge ne o r v e ry m u c h
we akened or else self sugges t ion p r esents a n almost
im
ins u per a b le o bs t a cle W
p e hypn o tized
a t a ll and o f l u n a t i c s all but a v e r y s m all p ro p o rtio n
.

40

AN

INT RO D UCT ION T O HYPNOT ISM

a ppe a r t o be u nimpressi o n a ble Bra mw e ll st a t es th a t

o ut of the r s t h u ndred p at ients he h a d in Lo ndon o nly
twenty -two were comple t ely refr a c t ory Thirty six
p a s sed into light hypnosis thi rt een into deep hypnosis
a nd tw e nty -nine int o s o mn a mb u lism
S e x seem s t o m a ke no m a teri a l differ e nce to s u s
a cc o rding t o Br a mwell
ce p t ibility ; no r a pp a rently
an d Li be ault does age C hildren from thr e e year s
The
o f a ge a nd u pw a rds a re re a dily in u enced
youngest p a tient I h a ve h a d w a s ve y e a rs old a nd
he wa s r e a dily hypnotized ; while Br a mwell rec o rd s
a s u cces s f u l c a se in a child o f thr ee
.

III Co ndit io ns
.

of

Sug g e st ibilit y

But with t he v a s t m a j ority of people we m u st

employ s ome prelimin a ry meth o d o f rendering t hem
a ll Very few a re suf ciently sug
s u ggestible a t
l
i
in
their
norm
a
l
condition
I
do
think
e
s
t
b
e
n
t
o
g
th a t we c a n d o better than rec a ll th e condi t ions
en u
mer a ted by S idi s a s te nding t o ind u ce hypnosis
I give them a g a in h e re :
.

Fix at ion of a ttenti on

Mo n otony
L imit at i o n o f m u sc u l a r m o veme n ts
L imit a tion o f con s ci ou s n e s s
I nhibition
.

a n d 4 Th e re a lly impor ta nt co n di t ion here is"

cle a rly the limita tion of co ns cio us nes s t he other s
b ein g o b vio u s ly s u bs ervien t to th a t end
The s ub
1

T HE

41

INDUCT ION O F HYPNOSIS

t
be

a
tten
t
ion
mus
t
no
t
wander
a
t
will
but
m
u
st
j
as far a s p os sible c o nned t o one idea or se t of ideas 1
Thus he may be made to t hink of sleep wi t h its
a ssociated no t ions o f he a vin ess o f t he limbs d r owsy
feelings a nd g r ad u al se a ling of t he v a ri ou s ch a nnels
o f sense
As w a s pointed o ut in a pr e vi o us ch a pter limita t ion
o f th e eld o f consciousness by concentr at ion always
tend s to
a te a split in conscio u sness The condi
t ion o f h
concentr a
s b i
tion o f a ttenti o n is the readies t me a ns o f bringing it
abo u t
2 So me t imes a subj ect may become hypnotized in
a few momen t s if no t the second condi t ion t h at of
monot ony m u st be remembe r ed Th e process what
eve r it is m u st be monotonous Sidis monotonou sly
s t rokes t he subj ec t s forehead repea t ing
Sleep

sleep sleep in a level tone of voice un t il t he p at ien t

is subdued to the hypnotic s t ate
3 I need not emph a size the eviden t nece ssi t y of th e
a bs enc e o
v
u
v
o
n
a
r
m
u
s
r
m
o
m
e
n
t
t
A
conscious
l
c
u
l
a
e
s
y
f
sl a c k enin g o f a ll t he muscles is desi r able in the subj ec t
as it seems t o be p a r a lleled by a helpful degr ee of
psychical rel a x at ion
5 Th e last conditi o n inhibition o r t he preventi o n
o f the in t r u sion o f foreign ideas is o f course essential
t o t he limit at io n o f c o nsci ou snes s I n most o f t hose
c a ses t h a t enti r ely defy hypnosis t he absence of t his
\1
inhibi t ion is by far t he c o mmones t c au se o f f a ilure
t
d
s
e
ms
cer
a
n
h
at
t
e
e
c
o
n
i
t
i
o
ns
d
o
c
o
n
d
u
ce
t
s
h
o
t
I
e
ti
e ct s

"

AN

42

IN T RODUCT ION T O HYPNOT ISM

s ome measure of s u spension of the pow e rs of t he

waking consciousness ; in other words t o the induc
tion of hypnosi s whether of the lightest o r t he m o st
profo u nd kind I do no t fo r one m o ment wish t he
re a der to suppose that t he value o f the s ta tement o f
t hese c o ndition s is n ecessarily more than empirical ;
they seem however to indic at e the f a ct o rs which are
com mon t o all the k nown methods though we re a l ly
do no t know in wh a t their vir t ue resides P erh aps
it is not too m u ch to hope th a t s o me more cert a in
pr o cess o f hypnotic in d u ction m ay o ne day be dis
covered P o ssibly some dr u g may be found to induce
the req u isite men ta l ch a nge Ma ny h a ve alre a dy been
t ried a nd with occ a sion a l s u ccess b u t t he dr u g o r
me thod which will invari a bly succeed s t ill rem a ins
unkn o wn
Me a nwhile we sh a ll see th a t in a ll th e
va r io u s methods u sed at th e pre s ent time t hese condi
t ions do really seem to pl a y a p a rt
,

I V Pro c e s s e s
.

I nducing Hyp no s is

of

Th e a ctu a l pr o c e s s e s gen er
1 P hysic a l M et lwds

ally rec o gni z ed the cl a s s ic al meth o d s we may te r m

.

them a re m a inly two : prol o nged gazing by the

s u bj ect at s ome small O bj e ct (Br a id s method ) a nd
the u s e of p agses o r long sl o w m o vements o f the
operator s h a nds near t o or in a ct ua l contac t wi t h
the body o f the subj ec t But the more o ne sees of
hypnotism t he more one is convinced t hat the re a l
al
u
e
these
processes
consis
t
s
in
the
evoca
t
ion
of
f
o
M

Sidis s conditi o n s viz x ati o n o f th e att ention , and

T HE

INDUCT ION

OF

H YPNOSIS

43

limita t ion of con scio u sness a nd to t he suggestion which

t hey convey O ften vague indeed but still a sug
gestion tha t t he patien t in some sense or o ther is
being s u bd u ed t o t he in u ence o f t he oper a tor
B ut m a ny othe r apparen t ly triing ma t ters m a y
origina t e this no t ion quite s tr ongly Thus if t he
pa t ien t be t old t o lie down and to m a ke his mind
a s blank a s possible o r t o si t down a nd t r y to t hink
o f no thing and t o sl a cken all his muscles or if he be
merely asked to lie down sh u t his eyes a nd keep
them sh ut e a ch a nd a ll o f these a pparently q u ite
insignicant actions ough t I am convinced to be
reg a rde d as r eal hypnotic processes which a re often
qui t e as e ffectu a l as t he bet t er recognized method s of
g a zing a nd passes The essential point of value in
each case is t he quickening of t he pa t ient s knowledge
t hat an attemp t is being made or is about to be made
to in u ence him and it is t his knowledge which give s
to the simplest procedu r es their great signicance
While I am not p r epa r ed t o deny tha t prolonged
gazing at some s mall obj ect and t he use o f p a sses
may have some o ther intrinsic power t o p r oduce t he
hypno t ic s t ate I am sure t hat their p o wer o f doing
so has been greatly exagge rat ed t hough to the un
p r ac t ised hypnotis t t hey do I believe h a ve some
value for t hey te nd to impar t t o the opera t or a
certain condence and a suggestion given wi t h con
dence which it is di fcult to simulate is in i t self
a ve r y real powe r
As me a n s o f emphasizing a
Q
sugges t ion bo t h p a sses and gazing a re und ou btedly
,

44

AN

INT RODUCT ION T O HYPN OT ISM

u sef ul Th e ste ady concen tr ated gaze o f the O perator

can als o impress a subj ect to an ex t raordinary extent
E ven withou t any other preliminary process a de t er
/ mined g a ze o ften compels O bedien ce t o a s u gges t ion
When at C a mbridge I freq u en t ly u sed t his me t hod
when I w a s collec t ing subj ects fo r t he purpose o f
e x pe r iment
O n more than o ne occasion I t r ied
s t anding before a n u mbe r o f u nde r gra du a tes and
simply a sking t hem to look a t my eyes Then I
ga zed steadily a t whom I conside r ed the best subj ect
sugges t ing th a t he m u st g et u p from his chair and
come t o me
I n a minu t e or so n o twi t hs ta nding
his resistance he h a d t o O bey Then by a similar
tr ea t ment o f t he o t hers present I on o ne occ a sion
co mpelled no fewer than eleven o u t of thir t een to
obey the sugges t ion and a pp r o a ch me None of thes e
had been hypnotized befo r e
I mention this expe r iment to show that merely
wi t nessing the hypno t iza t i o n o f o th ers does o f i tself
i nc r ease t he suggestibili t y of a prospec t ive subj ec t
and must be incl u ded under t he gener a l denition
as a hypnotic pr o cess since it is I believe th e
mos t powerful a nd u nfailing me thod of b r eaking
down the resist a nce o f a su b j ect I t w a s o n this
V p rinc iple t hat W
and relied in hypnotizing
his patients and t o i t his astonishing pe r cen t age of
s u ccesses mus t be regarded as mainly due His f r esh
patients we r e present while his o ld were hypnotized
a nd th e imp r ession made was ove r powering so tha t he
p r a ct ic allynever faile d to affect t h em at the r st tr i al
.

T HE

INDUCT ION O F HYPNOSIS

45

B ut f o r pr a ctic a l p u rp o ses wh e n we h a v e t o
hypnotiz e s u b j e c t s singly a nd n o t in gr ou ps a s
Wetter s tr a nd did the o ne esse nti a l f act o r in render
in g the s u bj ect s u gges t ible i s s u gge s ti o n itself Th e

beginner m u st clea r ly gr a s p o ne point via that

wi t h ou t a n a cc o mp a nying c o mm a nd or pers ua sion
ei ther verb a lly given o r t a ci t ly u ndersto o d by the
p a tient no pr o cess of a ny kin d i s lik ely to b e o f t he
sligh te st a vail in pr o ducing the desired hypnotic s tate
Almost a ll the o lder invest i g ato r s a nd m a ny o f the
m o dern o ne s have a pp a rently res o rted in the rst
in s tan ce to physic a l devices Mesmer in ven t ed a nd /
u sed a n u mber a ll eq ua lly s u ccessf u l b ec au se o f
co u rse behind them a ll lay t he great and then
i
d
u nkn o wn p o wer o f s uggestion
when
he
rst
n
beg a n to hypn o tize u sed t o m ak e p a tients g a ze for
a l o ng time a t s o me s m a ll bright object held sligh t ly
a bove t he eyes a b ou t a f o ot dis ta nt a t the s a me time
te lling them to l o o k steadily a t i t a nd to concent r a t e
t heir a ttention on it
S ometimes th e ey e s a fter a
time w ou ld cl o se spont a ne o usly ; if n ot he repeated
th e process in s tructing t he p a tien t t o @IIOW his eyes
t o cl o s e when the opera to r b r ou ght his two extended
nger s t o w a rds them a nd a f ter his lids were sh ut
still to direct his eyeb a lls tow ar ds the obj ec t trying
t o pict u re it a nd k eeping his attention riveted o n
it Us ua lly thi s process s u cce eded ; a nd it is w o rth
n o tin g th a t it is a s a r u le h a rder for a p a tient t o o pen
hi s eye s when the eyeb alls a re kept in s u ch a po s ition F
V
La ter h o wever Br a id recognized th a t ver b a l s ugge s
,

46

AN

IN T RO D UC T ION T O HY P NO T ISM

t ion was the best meth o d o f induc mg hypnosis and

s tat ed his belief t h a t anyone who could be hypnotized
a t all could be hypn o tized b y i t s means withou t a ny
reco ur se to physical me t hods With reg ar d t o t his
p r olonged gazing as o r i ginally a dvoc at e d by B raid
i t is interesting to not e th a t sometimes even in
child r en wh o canno t by a ny possibili ty kno w wh a t is
expec t ed i t may prod u ce deep hypnosis wi t hout any
s u ggestion o f any kind I t is j ust possible t hat t he
feeling o f he a viness prod u ced by the process may o f
i t self sugges t sleep and of course t he mon ot ony and
xa t ion of a tten t ion m ay b e expect e d to ind u ce some
degree of hypnosis
B ut I d o no t t hin k this method
is sui t ed for purposes of medical treatmen t
It is
tedio u s a nd exhaus t ing t o the p at ien t a nd a s it
a bsorbs more time th a n more direct me t hods it h a s
nothing to recommend it in preference t o t hem
Am o ng the p u blic hypnotist s who perform o n the
s t a ge a m o dicati o n o f Br a id s meth o d is often u sed
Madam C ard wh o w a s I thin k o ne of the most
s u ccessf u l u sed to se a t her s u bj ec t s o n the stage
placing in the hand o f e a ch a me t al disc a t which he
was direc t ed t o g a ze After a bo ut ten min u tes which
she occ u pied b y t alkin g to the au dience s he went to
e a ch in tu rn a nd taking a way his disc t old him to
look at her eyes
S he s t ared a t him xedly fo r h a lf
a minu t e or so a t the s a me time stroking his forehe a d
a nd b r ows with rathe r rapid st r okes and t hen bade
him close his eyes F inally placing her hand o n his
forehe a d a nd pr ess ing st r ongly a gain st i t she s a id :
,

T HE

INDUCT ION O F H YPNOSIS

47

eyes a re fas t ; yo u cannot open t hem it is

impossible
I f she achieved her end wi t h the r st
t wo o r three sh e was generally successful wi t h most
I f she f a iled wi t h t he rs t few t he
o f the others
f a ilure generally acted a s a strong coun t er sugges t ion
a nd s he wo u ld t hen frequently fail wi t h all t he rest
He r power undo u b t edly l a y in t he ext r ao r din ary
in t en si ty of exp r ession which s h e could throw in t o
her gaze
S he li t e ra lly glared her subj ects in t o
s ubmission
B u t for practical
p u rposes
e
a
necessi ty to resort
t o physic a l methods at all
n o f con
sc io u s ne ss s u gges t ion alone ei t h er rapidly or g r ad u
ally enforced is the real power which ind u ces hypnosis
Su ch devices f o r inst a nce a s the u se o f a revolving
mirror fo r t he pa t ient to gaze a t a s advocated by
Luys will I believe hypno t ize n o o ne who cannot
be hypn o tized by me r e s u ggestion However o ne
physical device a t le a s t m a y a cceler a te the pr o cess
Many pers o n s a re m o re re a dily hypnotiz ed if they
V
a re made t o extend t he he a d b a ckward s a s far a s
p o ssible while hypnotiz at ion is car r ied ou t Th e
re a son s eems t o be t ha t in t his p o si t i o n men ta l
a ctivi t y is more di f cul t I remember o ne t r a velling
hypn ot ist who u sed t o t ak e a dv a n ta ge o f this He
hypnotized his s u bj ect by sta n ding behind t he chair
o n which he was s e a ted a nd t hen forcibly bending
his he a d b a ckw a rd s g a zed into his eyes fo r a few
mome n ts cl o sed them a nd s u ggested th a t they could
Yo u r

48

A N IN T RODUC T ION

TO

HYPNO T IS M

n o t be opened He w a s very e ffectiv e a nd I h av e

O ft e n s u cceeded wi th t he s a me me t h od
I t is to the Na ncy S chool that we a re in debte d for
the @
W
a nd the me t hods of Li beault Be r nheim a nd B eaunis
three o f its chief leaders resemble e a ch o ther very
closely
Li bea ult a nd Bernheim u sed t o place the p a tient
in a ch a ir a nd then t ell him to l ook ste a dily a t th e
oper a tor s eye s S o metimes the eyes would close
spont
a
ne
ou
sly
b
ut
if
not
s
u
ggestions
were
m
a
de
;
:1
a t o nce The s u ggestions o f both t he o per a t o r s w e re
very simil a r
You r eyelids a re g e t t ing heavy ; your
eyes feel tired ; yo u r limbs feel he avy a nd n u m b ; yo u
a re getting drowsy Think of n o thing b u t slee p Yo ur

eyes a re closing etc I n most cases this s u cceeded

immedia te ly
B e a unis u s ed simply t o m ak e the p a tient g az e
ste a d ily a t hi s eyes and the lid s would close in a
fe w m o ment s in successful c a se s
He g ave no ver b al
suggestion ; b u t i t mus t be remembered t h a t the
in h a bit ants of Na ncy were s o familia r wi t h hypn o tism
a nd its general results th a t the patient sh ar ed in the
comm o n k n o wledge o f the k ind o f e ffect which w a s
intended s o t h a t the s u ggestion th a t the eyes s ho uld
close w a s a lre a dy in his mind b ef o re a ny at tempt
at hypnosis w a s made
At Na ncy everyon e h a d he a rd o f hypnotism an d
wa s more or less intim at e with it while immens e
nuinbers h a d be en hypn o ti z ed th u s cr e a t ing a n a t tit u de
.

T HE

I NDU CT ION O F HYPNOSIS

49

mind which gr e a tly f a vo u r s t he inducti o n of the

tr ance It is not so in E ngland H ere the maj o r ity
have hea r d of hypno t ism only as some t hin g mysterious
a nd u ncanny o r know n ot hing a t a ll a b o ut it except
probably i t s n a me thus we l a c k t he pg tent a u xili a ry
which exis t s in Fr a nce I gnorance is cert a inly a re a l
hindr a nce The idea is g trange a nd the s t r a ngeness
distr a ct s the p at ient ; he wonders wh a t will h a p pe n
a nd sometimes c a nn o t refr a in fr o m an attempt to
a n a ly z e hi s o wn feelings a gre a t and o ften fa t al b a r v
to hypn o sis Hence in this co u nt r y we m u st t a k e
t h is bewilderm e nt into a cco u nt a nd if possible t ry
t o f a mili a rize patients with t h e ch a ra cteristics o f th e
hypnotic s t a t e b ef o r e w e m ak e a ny e ffort to in u enc e
them

n
Th ou gh I c a nn o t pret e nd t o
3 P ers o a l M etho d
say wh a t is the best method o f ind u cin g hypn o sis f o r
it se em s do u btf u l whether there is a ny method which
c a n b e c a lled the best for all c a ses I st a t e a method
which I h a ve u sed for the l a s t six o r seven ye a rs
a nd which a ppears to me to o ffer t wo re a l a dvan i/J

t a ge s viz ex t rem e r a pidity a nd a very l ar ge pe r

c e nt a ge o f s u cc ess e s a t t h e rst tri a l (a b o u t 9 2 per
cent )
L ik e o th e r s I f ou nd th a t o n e c o mm o n o b s t a c l e t o
s u cc ess was m o r e o r le ss gqpp giqus re sistanc e o n t he
p a rt o f th e s u b j e c t a r e si st an c e which h e co u ld no t
h e lp exerting ev en wh en h e w a s a nxi ou s t o a ssist
Most p a tients nd it difc u lt to a id th e o p e r a t o r
a nd it w a s with a vi e w o f pr e v e nting c o ns ci ou s r e si s t
of

50

AN

IN T R O D U CT ION

T O HY P NO T ISM

an c e a n d enlistin g the w il lin gness o f the s u b j ect th a t

I devi se d th e meth o d
I t i s e x tremely e a sy a nd nearly a lways in d u ce s
a c o n dition o f s u ggestibility within a min u te I r a rely
try a p a ti e nt f o r m o re th a n tw o min u t es a nd n ever
f o r l o ng e r th a n thr e e
Bef ore hypn o ti z in g a p a tient if he be Old en ou gh
t o u nder s t a nd I a lw ay s tell him th a t i t is imp o rt an t
th a t he s h ou ld u nderst a nd the princ iple s un d e rlying
hyp n o tism in o rder th a t h e m a y be a ble t o h e lp t o
ren d e r him se lf s u ggestib l e
t e ll him th a t it d ep e nd s on the f a ct t h at if we
c on ce n tr a te ou r a tt e nti o n o n anythin g with s u fficient
x
i in ten s i ty ou r c o nsci ou s n e s s a lw ay s tends t o split
in tw o A s a n ill u s tr a ti o n I u se the m a n w alking
a l o n g th e s tre e t en gr o s sed i n c o n v e r s a ti o n which
w i ll be f oun d in th e pr e v i ou s ch a pter 5 g 1
Th ese un a w a r e a cti o n s I tell h ima r e g o v e rn e d by a
p a rt of c o n s c i ou sness s plit o ff fr o m th e res t a nd t h e
s plit off p a rt p o s ses se s s o little p o wer of criticism th a t
it a cc e pt s s u ggesti o n s q u ite re a dily s ince i t c a nn o t see
th a t they a re re a lly a bs u rd

So I tell him
if y ou will c on c e ntr a te y ou r
a tten t i o n on anythin g f o r a s h o rt time a n d if I the n
m ak e a n y s u gg e sti o n s u ch a s th a t y ou c a n n o t t ak e

y ou r h an d off mine y ou wil l nd th a t y ou c a nn o t

Th e expl a n a ti o n i s q u ite simpl e Wh il s t yo u r w a k ing
c o ns ci ou snes s c a n critici z e th e s u gg e sti o n a nd s a y th a t
it is n o nsens e y ou r Split -Off c o ns ci ou s n e ss which
exer ci ses a c o ns id e r ab l e c o n tr o l o v e r you r b o dilym ove
.

"

INDUCT ION O F HYPNOSIS

T HE

51

ment s i s s u ch a f oo l that it c a nnot cri t icize at a ll

I n e ffec t a ll it can say is
O h I c a n t t ake my h a nd

and yo u
Off y ou rs can t I " Ve r y well t hen I c a n t
will nd t ha t yo u c a nnot do i t All s u gges t ion I
tell him is simply a way o f ta king a dv a nt a ge o f the
fact th a t the split -o ff consci ou s ness o r su b-co n sci ou s
n ess i s s u ch a hopeless f oo l
I then a lw a ys try to rem o ve s o me c o mmon miscon
c ep tio ns a bou t hypnotism
I tell him t h at in hypnosis however deep the
subj ect is a lway s completely con scious a nd c an
a lw a ys hear everything I say and that except for
the f a ct tha t he will be u n a ble to resist sugges t i o n s
he will remain ex a c t ly as b e normally is
I now ma k e him lie down a nd rel a x a ll his m u scle s
His h a nd if r a ised a nd let g o sho u ld f a ll a b s ol u tely
de a d
I now tell him t h a t I w a nt him t o loo k a t a s m a ll
c ut -glas s cryst a l for a few moments a nd e x pl a in to
him that the s o l e o bj ect o f t his is t o give him some
thing on which he can concen tr ate his a t tention

I n o w say Whilst you a re l o okin g at i t I w a nt y ou

to blin k a s m u ch a s ever yo u like ; let your eyes get
a s he a vy a s ever t hey can a nd let yo u rself b ec o m e

The
a s dr o wsy a s pos sible a nd do not re us e a t a ll
wh o le p o int o f the method lies in these w o rd s
I n o w h o ld the piece o f c u t glass eight o r t en inche s
a way from his eyes a nd ma k e him concen trate his
g a ze o n it a nd at t he same time stroke his forehead

a nd re p e a t o nce m o re Blin k a s m u ch a s you li k e e tc

.

52

AN

IN T RODUCT ION T O HYPNOT ISM

Your eyes are getting

Af ter ten seconds I say
he a vier now you are becom ing dr owsy t hey are
h a lf cl o sed
and I t ake a way t he glass and he looks
at my eyes ins t ead After abou t t en seconds mo r e or
less t he eye s gene ra lly close ; a nd if n o t I tell him t o
cl o s e them and s t roke the lids once o r twice
As a r u le I make no s u ggestion a s to the eyes bein g
sealed u ntil I hav e made the nex t test t he r eason
b ein g that in many of th e se ne rvo us c a ses the st a ges
frequen t ly fail to occur in t heir nor mal o r der
I st r o k e b o th a r ms saying they will begin to feel
he a vy and t hen I make him g r asp my hand and pull
h a rd against his g r asp I t hen st r oke his a rm and
tell him tha t his hand is beco m ing fast to mine and
th a t t he more he tries to t ake i t o ff the harder he will
gr a s p He t r ie s to t a k e his han d o ff b u t c a nnot I
then se a l his eyes and he is s u f ci e ntly s u sceptible
for m o st ther a peu t ic purpo s es
I h a ve given this method in some det a il a s I h a ve
fo u nd i t s o satisfactory I n o nly a few c a se s does thi s
procedu r e f a il at rs t t ri a l a nd the f a il u re i s u s ua lly
d u e to lac k o f c o ncentr a tion
So metimes a p at ient will nd it easier to a ttend to
the mon ot onous bea t o f a metron
o r th e s o u nd o f
r u nnin g w a ter t han
Another
method which I h a v e t ri e d with s u cces s in a few
o bst in a t e c a s e s is t o m ak e th e p a tient b reathe a s
nearly as he c a n o nc e eve r y t hree seconds a nd m a ke
him a tt end to his brea thing I have no t tried t his
method o ften en o ugh t o t es t it th o r ou ghly ; butgfrom
,

T HE

I NDUCT ION

OF

53

HYPNOSIS

wh a t I h a ve s een I thin k it may pr o ve a v a l ua b le

device
f P eople wh o are re a lly m u sic a l c a n o ften render
I
them s elves s u ggestible by going thr ou gh a piece of
m u sic ment a lly
Wh ereas in former days I did no t generally try t o
hypnotize p a tien t s at t heir rst interview I now
p r ac t ically alway s do so and I nd that over 9 0 pe r
cent are hypn o tized t o som e degree a t a rst tri a l
I f h o weve r the patients be ve r y nervo u s o f h ypno
ti em I t ell t hem t hat I will not hypn ot ize them but
will show them exac t ly wha t I shall wan t t hem to d o
when t hey next come so t hat as they will know what
is going to happen they will feel no ne r vo u sness on
their next visi t Very often they succ u mb whilst
b eing sh o wn wh a t they are required t o do I f not
I m a ke no real att empt a t s u gges t ion un t il a fter
a few t r i a ls t hey lose their nervous ness
I t i s a m a zing wh a t an immense di fference c o ncen
tratio n m a kes O ne c a se which I failed to in u ence o n
twenty tw o occ a sions bec au se he c o uld n o t x hi s
atten t ion s u ccumbed a t once when I s u gges t ed th a t
he should try to cen t re his a t ten t ion on his own h o me
He could do th a t th o ugh on previo u s occasions he h a d
f a iled a ltogether to limit his th o ught t o the ide a o f sleep
I n the case Of fai lure on the second day I
n
enerally
repea
t
the
s
a
me
pr
o
cess
a
s
o
the
rst
g
a nd a s a r u le t he eyes clo se o r a t a ny r a te sh o w sign s
of he a vines s Usually after the pa t ient has xed his
g a ze o n some small b r igh t O bj ect fo r a few s ec o n ds I
.

AN

54

IN TR ODUCT ION T O HYPNOT ISM

m ak e him fasten his eyes o n mine fo r a sho r t time

r epe a ting again the suggestions a s to heaviness e t c
I t is qui t e as t onishing how suddenly t he steady gaze
of the O per at or will inuence a subj ect I n many i t
ca u ses a n almost i mmediate closure o f t he eyes No w
ho wever if t he eyes show no signs o f closing o r of
he a vin e ss I thin k it best to foll o w Sidis s plan a nd
tell t h e subj ec t to close his eyes and conne his mind
as fa r as possible t o o ne set o f idea s I t hen keep on

rep ea t ing t he sugges t ion Sleep sleep sleep a t the

s ame time monotonously stroking his fo r ehead Af t er
a few minutes I gene r ally r aise o ne hand and ve ry
gen t ly let i t go again O ften i t s t ays where I ha ve
placed i t showing some deg r ee o f catalepsy E ven if
it does not I s u ggest tha t t he p a tien t will nd di fc u l ty
i n O pening his eyes t hat the limbs a re ge t ting heavy
etc I then inform him t ha t when I tell him to O pen
his eyes he will prob a bly be a ble t o do so bu t with
more th a n norm a l di f c u lty When he is told to t ry
the prediction is ne a rly always fullled He may be
q u ite u nable to open t hem at a ll o r only af ter hesit a
tion I f he remains u na ffected I generally m a ke him
s h u t t hem again a nd res u me for a short time s u g
i
n
sleep
a
s
before
b
u
t
I
ma
k
e
no
more
tri
a
ls
t
s
e
g
g
o n th a t o ccasion
I n the case of failu r e it is advisable to elicit all o ne
c a n from the patient wi th th e view of discove r i ng the
cause This a lmost i nva r iably proves t o be l a ck o f
t he powe r o f concent ra tion I n tha t case when he
next c o me s I try to nd something o n which he
,

THE INDUCTION OF HYPNOS IS

55

th i n k s he will be a ble to x hi s a ttenti o n a nd g o in g

thr ou gh the s ame kind of pr o ce ss o ften s u cceed B u t
there is one f a ctor s elf s u ggestion which sometime s
prevents hypnosis and I kn o w o f no meth o d which
w ill wi t h a ny certain ty o vercome this ob s t a cle These
s elf s u ggestin g people furn ish most of the re a lly un
hypno t iz a b le c a ses O n e c a n only t ry a g a in o n
ano t her occ a sion a nd k eep o n repe a ting the at tempt
u ntil o ne ei t her s u cc e eds o r concl u de s th a t f u rth e r
e fforts are useles s
It is a lways advisable t o ge t the p at ien t to thin k o f
hypnosis as a gr a dual process s o metimes s at isfactorily
induced only after seve ra l sittings And sometime s
with s u ch s u bj ects a s req u ire t her a pe u tic t r eatm en t
it doe s t a ke several t rial s t o a rrive a t m u ch effec t
B u t in t he v a st maj ority even o f those wh o a t rst
s h o w no sign of hypnosis repe at ed tr ial s do s u cc ee d
especi a lly if o ne can rectify mistakes in the c o nditi o n s
s u ch a s fail u re of c o ncentr a tion
I t i s worth mentioning t h at when a n a ttempt is
m a de to prevent a s ubj ect fr o m openin g his eyes
rm pr e ss u re o n the foreh e a d seems to in t ensify th e
s u gges t ion c o nsid erably

I t is o f c ou r s e n o t
4 Nec es s ity of T es t Sugges tio n
neces s a ry to te s t the a ctuality o f hypnosis by t h e
suggestion o f cl o s u re o f t he eyes Ma ny m a ke n o
t es t s relying simply on the a cc ou nt of t he ex perienc e
given by the pa t ien t when he is ar o used s u ch a s t he
p r esence or a bsenc e o f h e avines s o r s o mnolence a nd
the f e eling o f di s inclin at ion to move etc P er s o n a lly
,

A N I NTR ODU CT ION

56

TO

HYPNO T ISM

I gener a lly do a im at thi s o ne test a s I then feel

re a lly s at ised t h at the s u b j ect i s hypno t i z ed to s ome
degree even if it be o nly very s ligh t ly ; b ut others
try t o prod u ce a feeling of w a rm t h b y l a ying the hand
on the p a tient s b o dy and sugge s ting the sens at ion of
a w a rm g low bene at h i t I do not think it m u ch
m a tte rs wh a t test is a pplied s o long a s it is a cri t erion
that will show the e xistence of q u ite light degree s of
hypn o si s a nd does n o t e x a ct a n a dv a nced stage f o r
it s s u ccess Testing the presence of hypnosis by an
experime n t a l s u gges t ion h a s one o ther a dvan t age
be s ide s the re a ssur a nc e o f the oper at or I f e ffec tua l
the s u gge s tion will incre a se s u ggestibili ty a nd o n this
gr o und a ls o it seem s t o me a dvis a ble
S ome pre fer slower
5 M etho d Of D r B et t s Tap lin
meth o d s a s b eing the m o s t cert a in Th u s Dr B e tt s
T a plin of L iverpool who I b elieve rarely fail s to
hypn o tize hi s patient s d o e s s o b y very gr a dual
meth o ds O n the r s t d a y h e s imply talks t o his
p a tient explaining t he na tu re of t he t re a tmen t O n
t he nex t he s o me t imes mer e ly m a ke s t he p at ient lie
d o wn and s u gges t s a feeling o f res t and quietude O n
t he nex t he sugges t s the sensation o f warm t h in s ome
y
p a rt o f t he body u s ua lly th e ep igas trium o n which
he l ays hi s h a nd t he n he a vine ss o f t he ey
es limbs
etc s o t h at i t is o nly a f t er sev e r a l sittings th a t a ny
a ttemp t a t closing t he ey es can be m a de Tho u gh
ve r y lengthy this me t hod has th e advant a ge of being
m o re ce r tain t han many others and in his h a nds it
has pr o ved a n exceedingly s ure o ne
,

T HE

IN D UCT ION O F HYPNOSIS

57

B u t the beginner if he will b ut rememb er th a t the

chief c ondi t ion found requisi t e for the producti o n o f
hypnosis is limitation o f con scio u sness and will be a r
in mind the s u ggestion s which are mos t readil y
enforced must nd th at the proces s o f induction o f
hypnosis is f a r e a sier t han a ppe a rs a t r st sigh t I f
he be good at giving really strong s ugges t i o n s h e will
probably gener a lly use the sho r ter pr o cesses ; if no t
he will nd t h at he s u cceeds bes t wi t h the m o re
g r adual me t hod s O nce hypn o sis has been induced
i t can be deepened in suscep t ible subj ec t s eithe r by
th e reiterated command t o sleep or by the suggestion
o f the v a rio u s
ph enomena o f the di fferen t s t ates
desc r ibed in t he chapter o n the s t ages of hypnosis
I t h a ppen s not inf r equen t ly tha t t he simple method s
a bove described will of t hemselves induce deep
hypnosis or even somn a mb u lism at t he rst t ria l
wi t h ou t a ny fur t her procedure

O ther methods
6 Allied Ill etho ds of T r ea t ment
o f suggestion wi t hout hypnosis are empl o yed by m a ny
a nd their a dv o c at es claim t h at t he resul t s a re a s
s u ccessful a s o r even b e t ter th a n t h o se O btain ed b y
hypnotism

(a ) D ubo is M ct ho d Th e method o f Dub o is deserves

mo r e n o tice th a n can be given it here I t is a pplicable
t o many kind s o f ne u roses He does no t hypno t iz e
hi s patients but af t er a se a rching diagnosis of t he
psychic a l a s well a s the physic a l c o nditions o f the
case he tr ies by re a soning a nd argument to convince
the m t h a t they a re c u rable a nd must get well a nd to
,

A N I NTR O DUCT ION

58

T O HY PNO T IS M

induce them c ons tantly to r e a s s u re themselve s th a t

their symptoms will v a nish
He helps them b y
enc ou r a ging s u ggestions every time he s e e s t hem
To m e his tre a tment appe a r s to rely mainly o n
s u ggesti o n s o f c u r e made by th e p a tient to himself
a nd the res u lt s which a re exceedingly good seem
t o ow fr o m th isqnduc ed h a bit of ther a peutic a l self
s u ggesti o n B u t the method is in a pplic a b le t o s o me
c a ses a nd must require s ingul a r power s of persuasi o n
in the phy s ician Du bois obj ects t o hypno tism a nd

even falls f o ul o f the term s uggesti o n ; his meth o d

he says a ct s b y persu a s ion St ill his work is of
great v a lue in helping to emph a size t he neces si t y o f
comprehe n ding the psychic a l a spect b o th o f n erv ou s
m a l a dies a nd o f their cure

b
D
r
B
ra
s
An o th e r m e th o d e m
m
w
l
t
d
e l
M e ho
( )

ploy e d by Dr Br a mwell one which he n o w u s es t o

the exclusion of hypn o ti s m dem a nds s o me c o nsider a

ti o n The patient s its down a nd i s t o ld t o thin k o f
some re s tf u l ment a l picture Th e n a t u re o f the pict u re
is unimpo rt a nt pr o vided it be o n e which c a n hold his
interest He i s instr u c t ed no t t o Obs erve th e s u g
ges t ion given b y the physici a n a nd u p o n his power
o f inattention the success o f the proced u re i s s a id t o
depend Two kind s o f s uggesti o n are then m a de
Th e rs t refer s t o the condi t i o ns which the o p e r a t o r
wishe s to cre a te while the patient is in the a rmch a ir
He is to ld t h at e a ch time he comes he will nd it
e a sier to rest to t u r n his a ttenti o n a way from t he
oper a t o r a nd t o concen t r a te it u p o n s o me res t ful
.

T HE
9

INDUCT ION O F HYPNOS I S

59

idea I t has been previously explained t o him t ha t

t he physician s aim is not to p r oduce sleep bu t t ha t
if he can get into the drowsy condi t ion t ha t pre
cedes sleep t he c ur ative s u ggesti o n s are likely to nd
response more quickly
The other sugges t ions a re curati e a nd begin with
the rst tre a tment O ften the pa ent is unable o n
the r s t occasion to divert his at t ention from these
b u t a fter a few trea t ments he is generally a ble to d o
so and to fo r m some serene imaginary pictu r e O ften
passing i nt o a dreamy drowsy st at e Som etime s he
lapses in t o a condi t ion o f slight nat u ral sleep I t is
dii c ult to explain t he success o f t his me t hod in t he
a b sence o f experimen t s t o show how i t ac t s Bramwell

s a ys :
Th e suggesti o n s given are supposed t o re a ch
the sec o ndary con sciousness a nd to call i t s pow e r s
into pl a y evidently because t he primary conscious
n ess t r icked i nto preocc u p at ion le a ves th e second a ry
more easily accessible P rob a bly this is so since
such s u ggestion s have pr a c t ic a lly no power over t h e
primary c o nsciousnes s I t is cle a r t ha t the me t hod
is a process in which limi t a t ion o f conscio u sness and
monot o ny have a part so t h at we may reasonably
s upp o se t hat some amoun t of hypnosis may of t en
occ u r As S idis h a s I t hink s at isf a cto r ily proved in
th e norm a l condi t ion only indi r ec t s u ggestions h a ve
a ppreciable e ffec t a nd e v en then the e ff ec t is but
slight whil s t in hypnosis the more direct the sugge s
tion the m o re powerful it is in producing r e sul t s
I t i s u nneces s ary to point o ut the gre a t a dv a nt a ge
.

g
,

AN

60

IN T RODUC T ION

T O HYPNO T ISM

o f a re a lly s u ccessf u l method o f enforcing s uggestion s

witho u t th e a id o f hypn o si s both a s regards ec o n o my
o f tim e a nd a l s o a s reg a rd s the number of ca s es which
c o uld be t r e a ted b y its me an s ; for it would t h e n
make n o di fference in s u ggestive tre a tmen t whe ther
the p a tient were hypnotiz a bl e or n o t s ince a fter a ll
the o nly o b j ect o f inducin g hypn o s is i s t o render the
s u bj ect more s u ggestible
But it seems pos s ible th a t b o th me t h o d s h a ve their
v a l u e and that some c a ses can b e more successfully
tre at ed by o ne th a n the o ther I h a ve seen for
instance a bad case o f dipsomania which had been
tr e a ted wi t ho u t the slightes t resul t for s o me wee k s in
a n u rsin g home b y s ugges t ion wi t hou t hypn o sis yield
at once to s u ggestion under light hypnosis ; a nd yet
I know t h a t the medical m an wh o t re at ed the p at ient
in the rst inst a nce h a s s u cceeded in m any s imil a r
c a s es by h is me t hod
I do not advise a nyon e to restrict himself t o o ne
method tho u gh at rst it i s do u b t les s b est t o pr actise
with one u ntil it b ec o mes f a miliar E ven t ually he
will b e a ble to j u dge for himself which method s s u i t
him best in gener a l fo r there c a n be little do u bt th at
e a ch wor k er will discover some o ne m o de o f pr o c e d u r e
pec u l i a rly s u ited t o hi s individ ua li ty
,

No t e

on

t h e Awak e nin g

of

t h e Subj

e ct

a ro u se a s u bj ec t fr o m the hypn ot ic sleep th e

comm a nd t o w ake is a ll th a t is necessary I t is

To

T HE

61

INDUCT ION O F HYPNOSIS

however best to a ro u se him gradually I generally

s u ggest th at he will w a ke when I h a ve co u nted ten
a nd t hen c o unt slowly aloud
I n only t wo ins t ances have I kn o wn o f diic ulty in
ending the sleep I n bo t h c a ses t he subj ec t had bee n
hypn o ti z ed by t wo different men a t a few min u tes
in t erval and could be awakened by neither O ne
w a s na lly aroused by havin g cold water d a shed in
his f a ce ; a nd t he o t her who h a d passed into the
imi t ative stage was eventually w a kened by an ingen
i o us ruse When I pass ove r one o f my p a tients t o
anyone else fo r tr eatment I always suggest in hypnosis
th a t he will obey his new hypno t izer and wake at his
comm a nd This precaution h a d been omitted in th e
two in stanc e s menti o n e d
.

C HA P TE R I V
THE

P HENOMENA OF HYPNOSI S THE STAGES

I ntro du c t ory s t ate m ent E rrone ou s imp re ss i o ns o f h yp no s i s

D et erm inati on o f s ta g e s o f h yp no s i sD e t ail e d a c c oun t o f
s t a g e s 1 t o 5 C o mp ari s o n wi t h s t a g e s o f Li be a ult an d
B e rnh e

im

Ge neral St a t ement

a n u mber of s u bj ect s a re hypn ot i z e d the sugge s

ti o ns to which they resp o nd a re n o t the s a me in
Th u s in some clos u re o f the eye s i s
e very c a se
the o nly ph e n o menon th a t can b e ev ok ed I n others
we m a y prod u ce in a ddi t i o n in a bili t y t o c a rry ou t
a volunta r y movement such a s writing o r w a lking
th ou gh we cannot compel them to initiate such a
vol u ntary movement O ther s a gain will sh o w t he
phenomen a a b o ve m e ntioned a nd will a l s o yield

obedience t o some imper a tive s u ggesti o n fo r inst a nce

a comm a nd to rise from a se a t th ou gh m em o ry

c a nno t be inhibited even f o r single facts
I f we group the s et s o f phenomen a a s A B C
e t c and take a l a rge number of s ubj ects we s h a ll
nd t h a t some a re cap a ble O f showing t he ph e n o men a
o f gr o u p A o nly ; o t her s a g a in o f gr ou p B a s well
IF

62

T HE

63

PH E NOMEN A O F HYPN OSIS

of gr ou p A ; oth e r s a g a in o f gr ou ps A B a nd C ;
a n d o t her s o f groups A B C a nd D ( D repres e n t in g
gr ou p s s t ill m o re advanced )
We may therefore expe r imen ta lly divide the
hypnotic c o nditi o n int o s t ages e a ch s t a ge bein g
char a c te rized by its p a rtic u l a r gr ou p o f phen o men a
S ince h o wever i t i s p o ssibl e to pr odu ce in every
st a ge some at le a st o f the phenomena o f all the
stages preceding i t we c a n tell t he a ct ua l s ta ge o f
hypn o sis which a ny s ubj ect may happen to re a ch
o nly by a scert a ining wh a t a re the m o st a d v a nced
phenomen a that ca n be elicited ; then by referring
to the gro u p t o which t hey belong we readily de t er
mine th e s t age o f hypn o sis which the subj ec t has
a tt a in ed Th e di fferen t groups of phen omena th a t
be come m a n ifest a s t he s u bj ect a dv a nces from t he
lightest to the deepest s ta tes o f hypn o sis c a n of
c ou rse be de t e r mined only by a ct ua l experim e nt with
a l a rge n u mber of s u bj ec t s
Anyon e who intends t o make u se o f hypn ot ism fo r
therapeutic p ur poses will na t urally be be t ter eq uipped
if he has some knowledge of the gener a l course o f
the phenomen a which m ay be evoked by its me a ns
if he re a lizes wh a t in fact a re the s ta ges thr ou gh
w h ich th e s u bj ect will p a ss a s he g o es by alm o st imper
c ep t ible degre e s in m a ny in st a nces fr o m the lightes t
p os sibl e c o ndi t ion o f slightly in cre a se d s u ggesti b ili ty
to the st a te o f profound s omnambulism
I t might be s u pposed from t he n a me hypno t ism
th a t t h e c o mmo n est ch ar a ct e ri sti c of th e hy p notic

as

AN

6 4:

IN T RODUC T ION T O HYPNOT ISM

s t a te w a s t he h ypno t ic sleep A s a m a tter o f f a ct

comp a r a tively few subj ec t s r each this particular con
dition ; n o r f o rt u n a t e ly is it nece s s a ry f o r t her a
u
t
i
l
ca
p u rp o s es except i n a very s m a ll n u mber o f
e
p
c a s es I t is gener a lly held th a t o nly a b ou t 1 5 p e r
cent ever p a s s int o th e deep s t a te a t a ll Th e gre a t
maj o rity theref o re sh o w only t he ch a r a cteristics o f
th e light o r w aking st a te in which t h ere is n o bre ak
in the continuity o f th e memory of th e s u bj ect
There is another general b u t q u ite erroneo u s impres
s ion th a t the hypn o tic sleep is a co ndi t ion of unc on
The s u bj ect even in s omn a mb u li s m
s cio u sne ss
rema in s completely c o nsci o u s th ou gh o n a wakin g h e

f o rget s a ll t he experi e nce s of his sleep

P r o b a bly
this l o s s o f memory h a s b ec o m e c o nf u s ed with t h e
idea o f l o ss of c o ns cio u s ne s s S ome r a r e p a ti e nt s
do o cc a si o n a lly p a ss int o a c o nditi o n o f leth argy
resembling a very he a vy n o rm a l sleep ; b u t even
t h e se s ubj ect s though to o inert t o respond to spoke n
suggestions a re pr o b a bly more o r less conscio u s
certainly not less con s cio u s th a n in deep n a t u r a l
sleep
Th e s t a ge s her e described wer e th o s e d e n e d b y
P rofes s o r La ngley a nd my s e l f when e x per ime n ting
m a ny y e a r s a g o a t C a mbridge The se e a rly st a ges
h a ve l o ng b ec o me f a mili a r in p u bl i c exhibi t i o n s o f
hypn o tism So m e were mentio n ed b y Br a id a nd a n
a cco u nt o f cert a in of their phenomen a a s prod u ced
by L ewis and Da rling in 1 8 51 is g i ven by B ennett
and by Gregory
.

T HE

65

PH E NOME N A O F HYPNOSIS

The rs t obj ect o f o ur e x perimen t s w a s to a sc e rt a in

wheth e r t he different s t ages of the waking st a te c ould
be a r ranged in sequence s o t ha t a subj ect showing
t he phen o men a o f any s ta ge (whether e a rlier o r l a ter )
in t he s u ccession could a lso be m a de t o s h o w th e
phenomena of a ll the stages preceding i t
The s u bj ec t s were all men ne ar ly a ll were un d e r
gr a dua t es a nd a ll were in good he a l th
Beside s
dealing wi t h t he s ubj ec t s on wh o m La ngley an d I
wo r ked toge t her I experimen t ed by myself on a l a rge
n u mber a nd t h e res u l t s a s reg a rd s t h e st a ges I
found t o be a lw ays or ve r y n e a rly a lways the s a me
Th e me t hod o f inducing hypnosis which we a dop t ed
w a s ve r y simple We g a zed at th e subj ect from
thi rt y to six ty seconds generally st r oking his t emples
and forehead a t t he s a me time a nd m a kin g st r oke s G
r the top of his he a d
H
e w a s t hen
e
a sked t o sh u t hi s eyes over which a few m o re p a sse s
or strokes were gene ra lly m a de ; one hand w a s then
l a id rmly on his forehead a nd the s u ggesti o n w a s

give n
YOu c a nno t open yo u r eyes
I f thi s

s u cceeded a nd i t did s u cceed in t he m a j ority o f

c a ses we went o n t o t ry othe r inhi b i to ry suggestions

Th u s in their orde r we induced rigidi t y of t he limbs
obedience to imper a tive suggestions loss o f memory fo r
pa rt icular fac t s simple delusions and loss of sensation
Af t er t his we attempted t o produce illusions I f t hese
we r e evoked the subj ec t wo uld usually pass into the

deep st at e I f n ot we t ried the sugges t ion

S leep
We fo und th e s u bj ec t s hypno t ized by t his me t hod
,

A N INT R O D UCT ION T O

66

H Y P NOT ISM

sh owed no alter at ion f r om t heir n o rmal a ppearance in

the rst t h r ee and of t en in t he rs t fo u r st a ges t he r ein
differing from the subj ects of Li beault a nd Be r nheim
who proceeded o n a different plan ob t aining by
gazing passes and the sugges t i o n o f sleep t he maxi
m u m degree o i hypn ot iza t ion possible Thus even
their r st stage is marked by m o re o r less drowsiness
owing possibly to the reitera t ed sugges t ion of sleep
which we never u sed u ntil we wished to pr o duce the
deep sta te
With reg a rd to the st a ges a s we differentiated th em
two poin t s ar e to be no t ed :
1 The st a ges are not sh a rply marked o ff f r om
e a ch o ther They a re d u e to a loss o f vol un t a ry
con t rol over some o f t he m u scul a r movemen t s of t he
body others remaining u nder th a t cont r ol B u t t he
lo ss of power has many deg r ees I t m ay show itself
in a mere sligh t hesi t a t ion in p erfo r ming t he move
men t a ffec t ed by the inhibi t ory s u gges t ion ; or i t may
indeed be utterly impossible for t he s ubj ec t to pe r form
t he movement so long as t he sugges t ion is m ain t ained
I t m u s t be understood t h at the r ela t ions of the
s t ages 1 2 3 etc t o e a ch o t he r a re s u ch t hat a
cer ta in number of s u bj ects show t he phenomen a o f
s ta ge 1 only O t he r s show t he phenomena o f s t ages 1
and 2 o nly ; and when t he phenomen a of stage 2 or
s t age 3 can be produced t hen t hose of stage 1 or
s t ages 1 a nd 2 respec t ively can also be made apparen t
I n mos t c a ses when s t age 3 c a n be p r oduced t hen
t he phenomena o f st a ge 2 a ppear mo r e r eadily and
,

T HE

PHEN OME NA O F HYPN OSIS

67

t ho s e of stage 1 s t ill more so S ome subj ec t s howeve r

a r e so suscep t ible that it is di f cult t o disc r imina t e
degrees in the ease wi t h which the phenomen a o f t he
different stages a re evoked a nd in some it i s easier
to prod u ce somnambulism than the phenomen a o f t he
waking state wi t hou t i t
2 I f a subj ect is t aken beyond t he early stages
so t hat when a t r est his condi t ion is
o f hypno t ism
obviously a bnormal and sugges t ion s are then made
to him he c anno t afte r wards be expe r imented upon
to dete r mine these e ar ly s ta ge s unless t he suggestion s
given in the deep s ta t e have been mos t carefully
no t ed For after a sugges t ion h a s been successfully
m a de in t he deep state t he s u bj ec t s c o ndi t ion is so
a l t e r ed th at the s a me sugges t ion given in his waking
s t ate is mo r e readily c a rried o ut th a n i t was befo r e
The fact m a kes s u ch expe r iments di f cul t unless one
c a n ob t ain a g r e a t r a nge o f subj ec t s
I t c a nnot be cl a imed tha t t he s ta ges a re al ways
exac tly t he same in all subj ec t s yet va r ia t ions a re
neithe r rem ar kable nor f r eq u ent Th e phenomen a
depend upon the receptivi t y of the n e r vous sys t em
a nd since t his may be a l t e r ed in deep hypnosis we
may n a tur a lly expec t some di fferences to exis t even in
he a l t hy persons a nd still more in unhe a lthy persons
especially in those su ffering from a perve r sion of
some o ne o r other f unc t ion o f the nervo u s sy s tem
None o f o ur experime nts were m a de upon hysterical
subj ects but the different a cco u nts given o f th e ea r ly
s t ages in hys t e r ic a l patien t s do no t s eem surprising ;
.

68

AN

INT RODUCT I ON

TO

HYPN OT ISM

indeed t hei r close confo r mi t y wi t h t hose found in

heal t hy people wo u ld be much more a ma tt er for
wonder
The s t ages obse r ved a re as follows

I n t his stage the s u bj ect can be prevented

Stage 1
f r om ca rrying out t hose vol u n t a r y movemen t s which
a r e most co mmonly acc o mp lished in ordin ary life by
r eex ac t ion ; s u ch a re t hose a ffecting t he muscles of
the eyes face and r espi rat ion The typical move
ment is t h a t o f O pening the eyes and t his o f all
movemen t s appe a rs the e a sies t to prevent
This
inhibi t ion h a s long been the rst experimen t t ried by
public pe r former s o n t he s t age a nd Li beault and
B e r nheim also mention it as one o f t he easies t pheno
mena t o ob t ain
O ther phenomena belonging t o t his
class a re t he preventions o f shu t tin g t he eyes open
ing t h e mouth swallowing t akin g a deep breath
breathing
Bo t h in this s t a ge and in st a ge 2 the more co m
mo nly the movemen t is c a rried ou t by reex ac t ion
a nd t he less commonly by voli t ion the easier i t is to
inhibi t it by sugges t i o n I t is worth n o ting in thi s

n
c o nnection t h at o e act a t a ny rate viz sneezing

which is practically a n en t irely reex act can be pre

ven t ed in almost anyone even in t he normal s ta te s
by a di r ec t inhibito r y sugges t ion This is also no t
inf r equen tly t he case wi t h r ega r d t o mictu r i t ion
which however can generally be p r evented only after
the r st s t age has be eii p r oduced
Acc o rdin g to Heidenh a in in a considera b le n u mber
,

T HE

PHE NOMEN A O F H YPN O SIS

69

O f s u bj ec t s t he only sign o f hypnosis that can be

ob t ained is inabili t y t o open the eyes a nd this acco r ds
wi t h my own expe r ience O f t hese he says som e
can be prevented from O pen i ng t he mou t h as well
I n some o the r muscles can be a ec te d
af t e r a
few s t rokes over a s tr ongly exed a rm t he s u bj ect
may be unable to ex t end i t
H e compares t his wi t h
a c o ndi t ion desc r ibed by R ichet whe r e a volun t ary
con t r a ction causes a con t r a c t u r e Whe ther h e thinks
t he in a bility to open th e eye s and mouth is caused in
this way is no t clea r I n fact ho weve r t he r st
obvious sign of hypnosis is t he inabili ty o f t he subj ec t
to open his eyes w hen to ld he ca nno t do s o This
fea t u r e may be s tr ongly ma r ked al t hough i t may be
qui t e i mpossible t o produce any con tr actu r e in t he
r es t of t he muscles S o fa r a s we have observe d a
s t ray volun t a r y con tr ac t ion may some t imes aid th e
e ffect of sugges t ion bu t does not o f i t self p r oduce
I am not h e r e speaking of subj ec t s
a ny c o ntra c t ure
who have been deeply hypnotized o r who a r e
hys t erical
I t is impo r t a nt t o r ecognize t ha t hesita t ion in
opening t he eyes is as t rue a sign o f commencing
hypnosis as the most absolu t e inabili t y t o open t he
eyes a t all O f course t he subj ec t is more deeply hyp
no tiz e d in t h e latte r case but he is as tr uly inuenced
in t he fo r mer and i t will almos t always be found t h a t
by r epea t ing the p r oces s t he sligh t hesita t ion may
be conve rt ed though of t en only g r adually conve r ted
in to a n absolu t e disabili t y I t is wo rt h while to dr a w
,

A N INT RODUCT I ON T O HYPNO T ISM

70

at ten t ion t o this poin t fo r by many not familiar with

hypno tism a suggesti o n impe r fectly ca rr ied out is
r egarded as a failu r e altho u gh it unmistakably indi
cates a cer ta i n degree at any rate o f hypnosis

Sta ge 2
I n t his st a ge we nd t h r ee di fferen t
classes o f phenomena All subj ects in t his s t age
sh o w t he phenomen a o f t he r s t s t age combined with
o ne o r more Of the phenomen a o f t he sec o nd
T
a
h e limbs can be made rigid
)
(
(b) After suggesti o n t he subj ect is unable t o con tr ol

f
t he movement o his limbs that is he can be pre
vented from vol u nt a rily c a rrying o ut movements no t
incl u ded in stage 1

i
a
i
id
t
r
To
produce
r
igidi
t
y
ligh
t
s
tr
okes
R
o
( )
y
g
pass es are made over t he limbs of t he subj ec t and h e
is t old his limbs are becoming s ti
This appea r s
t o happen mos t e a sily wi t h the hand t hen with th e
a r ms then wi th the legs We r a rely tr ied to inuence
t he body muscles I n almost all these cases passes
aid the e ffect o f ver ba l s uggestion I n some point
ing wi th the nger seem s equally e f cacious and
simple s u ggestion re a lly does a s well The rigidi t y
p r oduced varies greatly in intensity in different s u b
I
t
may
be
so
sligh
t
th
at
t
he
subj
ect
only
j
ust
c
t
e
s
j
app r eciates i t o r so ex t reme as to be somewh a t pain
ful and leave a feeling of fatigue
I n gene r al t he
mo r e ex t reme the rigidi ty the longer i t takes for t he
subj ec t t o r elax the mu scles after the suggestion has
ceased I n some subj ects when say t he hand ha s
been m a de r igid it can be exed almost ins t antly
'

'

T HE

PHENOMEN A O F HYPN OSIS

71

'

when an a tt emp t is made t o do so

I n o thers the
rigidi ty produced c a nnot vol u n t a r ily be ended within
a minute o r more
I t may req u ire a c o nsider a ble
ex t ernal fo r ce to move the limb which when re
leased ies b a ck to its origin al p o siti o n
I t m u st
be unde r s t ood tha t in t hese c a ses no s u ggestion
h a s been given t o the subj ect t h at he cannot move
He is simply a sked whe t her he can bend
a limb

It is well known t he t ime

it his h a nd for instance
t aken to perfo r m s u ch a movement is decreased by

s u gges t ions like No w you can cl o se yo u r hand

If
t his alone does no t le a d t o e x io n a few p a sses over
t he h a nd in a direc t ion contrary to t hose made in
s t i ffening i t are of t en e ffec t ive
O ccasionally t he
subj ec t s t ill cannot ex his hand I n t ha t case e xion
may be prod u ced by t he comman d of t he ope r a t or t o
open t he hand When howeve r t he rigidi t y does not
rapidly dis a ppear experiment shows t h at t he s u bj ect
can be m a de t o sh o w m o re or less m ar kedly the
phenomen a o f st a ge 3
I n s o me c a ses w e t ried
plunging t he s t i ffen e d h a nd into hot w a ter which
c a used the rig or to vanish inst an tly C o ld wa t er
seemed to pr o d u ce the s a me e ffect a s hot b u t m o r e
slowly

O ne subj ec t C wh o w a s a ble by self s u ggesti o n

t o prod u ce gre at rigidi ty in any limb w a s a lso a ble
by t hinking o f his arm a s being relaxed to p r event
t o a grea t exten t the pr o duc t ion o f rigidity by u s
All t ha t we c ou ld do by s u gges t ion a nd by passe s
was t o p r o duce a stine ss in su f ci e nt t o c au se any
.

AN

72

IN T R ODUCT IO N T O HYPN OT ISM

a pp r eciable delay in t he volunta ry movemen t The

subj ec t whose hand was r elaxed by ho t wa t e r even
tu a lly succeeded in making his hand r igid by self
sugges t ion
H e found t hat he could bend it mo r e
Having re
quickly when he held it ne a r the r e
d
ea
t
the
experimen
t
several
t
imes
he
placed
his
e
p
hand o n his leg and t hen fo u nd t h a t a s long as he
kep t his hand in t h at p o sition he was un able t o sti ffen
it
We a lso were unable to make his h a nd r igid
ei t he r by sugges t ion or passes as long as he kep t i t
in contact wi t h his leg whereas if i t we r e r emoved
an inch o r so we could do so instan t ly This is
in t eresting a s showing t he way i n which a sugges t ion
may wo r k
B efo r e he had experienced the r apid
reduc t ion e ffec t of hot w a te r we could m ake his hand
rigid whe t her he kept w ar m o r no t ; but af t e r wa r ds
warmth gave rise t o the suggestion of l a xness in the
muscles to s u ch a degree t hat neither spoken no r
o ther s u ggestions o f rigidity produc ed any e ffec t
In
most subj ec t s the placing of the h a nd in hot wa t e r
rend ered i t somewha t less e a sy t o reproduce rigidi ty
but the diff erence was of t en ve r y slight
The follow
ing c a se belonging to a stage l at er th a n t h at here
dealt wi th sh o ws h o w h o t w a ter m a y a nn u l th e e ffec t
produced by passes :
A s hands became insen si t ive under s tr o k es o r
p a sses t he loss o f sensation beginning a t t he t ips of
the ngers and sp r eading upwards H e was a sked
wi t hout bein g t old wh y t o dip his ngers to a bou t
th e rs t j oint in h o t w a t e r Af t er d ryin g them , he
.

T HE

PHEN OMEN A O F HYPNOSIS

73

was asked t o pu t his hand through a hole in t he sc r een

so tha t he could no t see his hand o r wh a t was done
to i t P asses wer e made over t his h a nd and i t was
found t ha t the ends o f the nge r s r etained their
sensi t iveness whereas in the res t o f the ngers
sensation fo r a ll excep t very strong s t imuli dis
a ppea r ed
S queezing t he m u scles in some cases markedly
incre a sed t he streng t h of con tr ac t ure
Th u s in J
in whom con t rac tu re f r om ligh t s t imuli and s ugge s
t ion is only sligh t a s tr ong con tr ac t ure is p r oduced
by squeezing t he muscles
With
in whom c on
t ra c tu re is r ea dily ob t ained by light stimuli squeezin g
t he m u scles produces much greater r igidi t y which i t
t ake s much longer t o remove P r ob a bly the st r o ng
s t imuli act by inc r easing t he fo r ce o f the sugges t ion
It is a question whether con t racture o f the musc les
c a nn o t be produced wi t h an c a s e which va r ies in
ve rs e ly with t he f r equency wi t h which in o r dina r y

x
l
life t hey a re used e e y t h at is wi t hout e ff o rt of
will Thus t he mu scle s o f th e limbs ar e more easily
made rigid t h a n t h o se of the face When a s u bj ec t
whose hand w a s r igid tried t o bend i t i t a lways
appe a red a s far a s o ur expe r ience went t ha t t he
r s t and second ngers were t he l a st to be c o m
l
l
t
e
exed
L
a
t
er
expe
r
iments
on
t
hese
subj
ects
e
p
y
showed t ha t it took fewer passes to m ake t hese t wo
nge r s r igid t han the third and fou r th ngers o r the
t humb
I t seems cle a r t h a t the p rim a ry change in the

74

AN

IN T R ODUCT ION

TO

HYPNOT ISM

ne r vous system which p rpduc e s c o n t rac t u r e lies in

t he co rt ex of t he b r ain for in ne a rly a ll f r esh subj ec t s
passes do no t p r oduce con t r a ctu r e uhle s s a ccomp a nied
by ve r b al s u gges t ion
The change is probably an
a ctive a nd n o t an inhibi t ory proce s s
I t has been
supposed by some t h at t he condition is due t o t he
in hibition o f t he cortex t he lowe r centres being so lef t
free r t o act ; but if t his be t he c a se how is cont ra cture
p r oduced by simple sugges t ion to be explained " I t
can hardly be supposed th at the ordin ary stimuli from
t he skin a nd organs of t he body a re s u f cient to
f
roduce
str
o
ng
rigidity
o
t
he
m
u
scles
f
t
he
body
o
p
even s u pposing t hat the highe r cen tr es a re not acting
This is no t t he ca s e in paralysis f r om inj u r y to the
brain o r in cases of inj ury to t he spin a l cord Gonse
q u en t ly t he con t rac t u r e is p ro bably prod u ced by a n
ac t ivi t y o f ce r tain par t s of the cortex o f t he brain
that is c a used by t he idea of contract ur e
This
dis t urbance m ust be restored to q u i e scence before t he
cont r ac t ure can disappe a r
I n ce rt ain prolonged experiments o n th e h a nds of
s u bj ects par t ly t hro u gh a screen it h a s s o metimes
happened th at t he a rms have become more rigid th a n
t he hands
P erhaps this was d u e p a r tly t o reverse
s t rokes being m a de over the h a nd a nd no t o ver t he
a rm
I n other cases we found t he arm more readily
rendered rigid t han the hand
Thus ligh t strokes
f r om t he shoulde r d o wnward s h ave made t he ar m
qui t e rigid and t he hand only slightly so These
c a ses however are exceptions a nd no t the ru l e
,

T HE

PHENOMEN A O F HYPN OSIS

75

to say whe t her t his is due t o a

die renc e o f reac t ion in the va r iou s muscles o r
simply t o the concen tr a t ion of t he s ubj ect s a t t e n t ion
upon o ne se t of muscles more than t he o t he r

e
o
v
e
n
t
n
The
next
phenomenon
b
i
bi
i
o
o
hI
m
s
I
n
h
t
( )
f
charac t e r is t ic o f t he second s t age is the in a bili ty o f
t he subj ec t t o ca r ry out movemen t s when t old he
cannot O ne o f t he e a siest movemen t s t o preven t is
1
the
dropping
of
an
obj
ect
held
in
t
he
hand
This
( )
is subj ect to condition s t o which I shall re t u r n a li tt le
la t e r Th e o t her inhibi t ed movement s we st u died
we r e (2 ) w r itin g ; (3 ) raising o r lowering the a r m and
moving t he a r ms la t er a lly when placed s tr aigh t out
in fron t wi t h the palms t oge t he r ; (4) walking or
lif t ing t he leg ; (5) r ising from a chair o r si tt ing
down ; (6) picking up an obj ec t The t ime du r ing
which t he subj ect is u nable t o pe r form t hese move
men t s of course va r ies
I t is easy t o prevent t he d r opping of even a light
obj ect held in t he hand if t hat obj ect be held be t ween
the r s t nger and t he t h u mb I f t h e t hing be held
simply by t he nge r s wi t ho ut the aid of t he thumb
it is extremely di fcult t o preven t a subj ec t f r om
dropping i t unless i t is more o r less he avy A h a nd
ke r chief if so held is d r opped by t he gradual O pening
of t he hand ; a book which has mo r e weigh t canno t
as a rule be d r opped at all The pe r iod o f inhibi t ion
as I said varies in its dur at i o n I t las t s longe r if t he
sugges t ion is con t inually repe a ted and if t he subj ec t
con t inue s to l o ok a t t he O per a tor s eyes ; a nd in many
I t would be

dii c ult

76

A N I N T R ODUCT I ON

T O HYPNOT ISM

ases the forbidden ac t ions canno t be resumed at all

u nless the sugges t ion is explici t ly removed
I n all t hese cases of inhibi t ed movemen t s at t his
early s t age it is no t tha t t he subj ect is unable t o
c o n tract t he m u scles necessa ry t o bring abou t the
desired movement b u t tha t he c a nno t help cont r ac t ing
t he an t agonistic m u scle s a t the same t ime S upposing
he is t old th a t he cannot bend his a rm t hen when he
t ries t o do so he con tr ac t s t he ex t ensors and t he arm
remains ex t ended Th e deg r ee of con tra c t ion of t he
an t agonis t ic muscles depend s pa r tly upon t he s tr eng t h
of t he sugges t ion and par t ly upon t he in t ensi ty of
t he e ffo rt wi t h which t he subj ect tr ies t o ove r come
t he inhibition of t he suggestion so t h at t he g r eate r
t he e ffort m a de by t he subj ect t he s tr onge r t he con
tr action of the antagonistic muscles Th e sugges t ion
a ffects t he par t of t he brain which directly o r in
direc t ly gove r ns t he antagonis t ic muscles and eve r y
e ffo rt t o s tr e t ch them is a t once coun t e ra cted
This seems to be shown by the following experimen t :
Th e s u bj ec t is told he canno t bend his arm an d whils t
he is t old t his someone t r ies t o bend i t for him ; the
ex t ensors immedia t ely cont ra ct O bviously the c o n
tr acti o n of t he ex t ens o rs is a r eex f r om the cortex
br o ught abou t by the s t imuli se t up in a tt emp t ing to
s tr e t ch t hem The case no doub t is the same when
he volun t a r ily con tra cts h is e xo rs ; tha t is the e ffo rt
of will d o es not act di r ectly on t h e co rt ical cen t re
which gove r n s the an t agonis t ic muscles bu t only
Th e same
i ndi r ec tl y by s tr e t chi ng t hese m u scles
c

T HE

PHE NOMEN A O F HYPNOSIS

77

suggestion may act d iffe r en t ly in di fferent people

When E holds a light obj ect in his hand a nd is told
h e canno t drop i t t he whole hand g r ip s t he obj ec t
rmly then slowly relaxes t he g r ip a nd so o n J
unde r similar circumstances con t in u ally p a sse s the
obj ect from nger t o nger holding it a lways between
the t h u mb and one or other o f his nge r s O f t en
a f t e r the r st movemen t or two all t h e nge r s excep t
o ne ge t f r ee
b u t any movement o f t his fr o m the
obj ec t is accompanied by a movemen t o f one o f the
o t her nge r s t o s eize i t Thus t he ngers a r e kept
danc ing backwa r d s and forwa r d s t owa r ds t he t humb
a nd t he obj ect is still held
Aga in if B be t old t ha t he canno t lift his ha nd
laid a t o n t he table t he r e a r e movemen t s of his a r m
bu t his hand does no t r ise whils t J unde r t he same
sugges t ion lif t s one p art of t he hand af t er t he other
from t he ta ble un t il he to u ches it by t he t ip of one
nge r o r th e thumb ; but a s soon as t his is raised
ano t her nger darts down and so keeps up a kind of
t a tt oo
F when told he could no t w r i t e his name tried at
rs t t o do s o by m o ving his nge r s but could make
nothing b u t scr a tches ; it t hen occurred to him t hat
by u sin g his whole ar m he might be a ble t o w r i t e
H e managed t o w r i t e t he r st h a lf of his name in this
way bu t when he was t old that he could no t w r ite a t
all this movement was rende r ed ine ffective a nd
result ed only in mo r e sc r a t ch es
I here give t wo mo r e examples of t he w a y in which
.

AN

78

HYPNOT ISM

TO

INT R ODUCT I O N

a sugges t ion may wor k i t sel f out J was told t ha t he

could no t t ake a s t ep for ward He raised one leg and
put his foo t o ut in fron t la t e ra lly b ut could not ge t it
t o t he g r o u nd excepting alongside t he o t he r foot
Af t e r some t r ials i t str u c k him t ha t if he could only
lose his balance when one leg was r a ised with t he foot
in fron t he must come down on i t and m a ke t he step
he was s t ruggling fo r S o with one leg in the air he
made sudden j e r ks wi th his b o dy forward and t hen
presently did lose h is balance Bu t immedia t ely he
did so he caught t he mantelpiece which was nea r
him so breaking t he s t um b le ; and he decla r ed that
he co u ld no t help thus s a vin g himself
The following example will show how a subj ect may
devise a w a y of circumventing a suggestion S o m a ny
seem to have an idea that a s uggestion given in hyp
no s i s is a lways fullled wi t h inexo r able fa t ali ty t ha t
it is well to bea r in mind t ha t t his is by no means t he
c a se J F was t old t hat he co u ld deal ou t only t wel ve

cards from a pack n o mo r e He too k t he pack a nd

dealt the ca r ds o ut one by o ne coun t ing o ne t wo
three e t c as he did so Ha ving dealt t he twelve
c ar ds he t o o k t he thi r teenth ca r d in his h a nd but
was ut t e r ly unable t o pu t i t down on t he t a ble Af t er
repea t ing the expe r imen t of dealing c a rds seve r al
times and being uniformly unsuccessful in dealing
ou t mo r e t han t welve b e r eec t ed t ha t if instead o f
de a ling one card a t ime he t oo k t wo and s t ill co unted
t wo t h r ee a s he dealt e ach pair he migh t be
o ne
able t o ci r cumvent the sugges t ion He did so readily
.

T HE

PHENOMEN A O F H YPN O SIS

79
'

dealing ou t twen ty four ca r ds ins t ead of t wel ve ; bu t

when he too k t he t hi r teenth pair and t r ied t o deal

t hi rt een
he again foun d him self
that saying
unable t o put the c a rds down
We did not nd t h a t t he t h r ee k inds of phenomena
viz con tr ac t u r e inhibi t ion of vol u n t ary movemen t s
no t included in s t age 1 and the execu t ion of move

ments by impe r a t ive sugges t ion followed one ano ther

in any regula r sequence ; fo r whils t all subj ec t s capable
of any o f t hem show t hose of t he r st s t age some
may show any o ne of t he subdivisions of stage 2
wi t hou t t he o t hers This happens however only
with t he mino r i ty of s ubj ects Generally speaking
the phen o men a can be p r oduced in t he following
o r der :
( 1 ) The s ubj ect can be prevented f r om d r opping an
obj ec t
(2 ) His arms and h a nd s c a n be m a de rigid
(3 ) He can be prevented from wri t ing
(4) He c a n be m a de to c a rry o u t a movement
(s t age
F urther a s I h a ve said before all these phenomen a
are ob ta ined in any subj ec t who sh ows a t a ll m a rkedly
the phen o men a o f the t hird s t age
I t is t o be n ot iced t h a t when p a sses are made
before an inhibitory s u ggesti o n is given the in a bil it y
to m a ke the m o vement m ay be d u e t o the contr a c t u r e
prod u ced by the p a ss e s and not to the s u ggestion
itself I n s o me c a se s the inhibitory suggesti o n may
be e ffective when con t r a ct u re h a s been produce d
-

AN

80

INT RODUC T ION T O HYPNO T ISM

th O
ugh

it w a s ine ffective b efore Th u s

when told
th a t he c a nnot bend his arm does so without a ny
hesit a tion ; b u t if he is rst t old th a t his hand and
arm a r e rigid a nd then when t hey h a ve become
rigid th a t h e c a nno t b end his arm t he t ime
taken by him to bend i t is v e ry consider a bly
prolonged
I n a ll s u bj ects in whom rigidity is produc e d t here
is a marked tendency for a limb to sti ffen a s so o n as
attention is xed o n i t ; t h u s if such a s u bj ec t be
asked t o h o ld his a rm o ut a nd if he be t o ld tha t af t er
a li tt le t ime h e will be u n a ble to lower i t it will become
rigid even before he tr ies to move i t

n
The r e is o e phenomenon vi z t h e prod u c t ion o f

sugges t ed au t om a tic musc u l a r movement o f which I

may speak a t t his point My a t t ention w a s rst c a lled
t o i t by t he Ho n E F e ilding qui t e la t ely I h a ve tried
to obt a in these movements o nly wi th eigh t subj ec t s
I n o ne c a se I w a s u n a ble to pr o duce the e ffec t wi th a
s u bj ect whom I co u ld compel t o c o n t in u e movemen t s
vol u nta r ily begun I n four I s ucceeded when I could
no t compel the subj ects to con t in ue s u ch movements
Wi t h the o thers bo t h sets of phenomena co u ld be
ind u ced I t appear s o n the whole to be a phenomenon
which lie s between the second a nd third stages and
is I t hink conveniently classed as belonging t o t he
ea r lies t p a r t o f the third s t age
S o far I have t r ied t he expe r iment only in one
form Th e subj ec t whose eyes a re closed b y s ugges
tion lays his right h a nd on mine H e is t hen a sked
.

T HE

PHENOMEN A O F HYPNOSIS

81

to remove his hand volunt a rily f r om min e and t o

r eplace it again every t ime I coun t th r ee I then
begin coun t ing one two t h r ee e t c a nd e a ch t ime I

say three he moves his hand a n i nch o r t wo from

mine a nd then replaces it Af t er this has been d o ne
t hree o r four times I ask him no l o nger t o move his
hand v o lun t a r ily bu t t o le t it lie qui t e passively in
mine t rying neither to move it n o r to preven t i t fr o m
moving I then tell him t hat I shall endeavour to
m ak e i t move autom at ically a nd I begin c ounting
a gain as before one t wo t hree etc with r at her

a long p a use a t t he three

I f t he hand does no t
s oo n begin to move of itself a very li tt le press u re
a mere gen t le tou ch is m a de each time a t t he sid e
o f his h a nd o r wrist in t he direction in which hi s
hand is intended to move and he is a ss u red th a t th e
mo t ion will come in time After a few t r ial s sligh t
movemen t s begin an d as t he experimen t goe s o n t hey

become stronge r un t il a t las t a t e a ch t hree the

hand is automa t ically moved completely a way from
mine and back ag a in
As a r ule one can then go s tr aight on telling him
to try to keep his h a nd qui t e still since he m u s t
move it with o r without his wil l I f the experiment
is contin u ed in the same way as before his h a nd soon
begins to move notwi t h st a ndin g his efforts to k eep
it station a ry Here of course is a resp o nse t o a n
imperative su ggestion a nd the phe nomenon ther e fore
belongs to the t hird stage b ut t here c a n be n o doubt
th a t the p r evio u s t raining in making him move his
,

82

AN

IN T RODUCT ION T O HYPNOT ISM

h a nd rst v o l un ta rily a nd t hen auto m a tic a lly render s

it m u ch more easy to secure t his response
St age 3 The t hi r d s t age o f t he waking st at e is
often ra t her sha r ply ma r ked f r om t he rst t wo by t he
possibili t y o f enfo r cing impera t ive sugges t ion s O ne
nds a ve r y lar ge number of subj ec t s who a re quite
rea dily amen a ble t o inhibitory s u ggestions bu t o n
whom no imper a tive sugge s tions app e ar to h a ve a ny
e ffect wha t ever
Th e inhibi t o ry suggestion merely c o nrms the s ta te
o f a c t ion or in a ction durin g which it w a s m a de ; th e
imper a tive has to change inac t ion t o ac t ion o r vic e
vers a
a nd this perhaps is the c a use of t he greate r
dii c ulty which o n e nds in enforc i ng i mperative
c o mm a nds
To the third s t a ge a l s o b el o ngs the cl a ss o f sug
gestions which prevent a subj ect from ste pp ing a
movemen t vol u ntarily begun ; and later in t his s t age
loss of memory fo r par t icular fa cts can sometimes be
ind u ced s o th a t a s ubj ect may be m a de to fo r ge t his
own n a me
To compel a s u bj ect to execute a movemen t t h e
comm a nd must be repea t ed over and over again
of t en for a minu t e o r t wo in diic ult cases b efor e
any percep t ible e ffect is produced I t cer t ainly often
help s m a tter s con s ide ra bly if the s ubj ect con t in u es to
l oo k a t t he o per a tor s eyes while t he suggestions are
m a de This however is n ot a necess a ry c o ncomit a n t
a s s u cc e ss c a n o ften be Obta ined whil e the eyes a re
clos e d In imp e r a tiv e a s in inhibi tory s u gge s ti on s
,

T HE

PHENOMEN A

HYPNOSIS

OF

83

every gr a de o f in t e nsi ty o f e ffec t exis t s I n subj ec t s

who are only in the second s t age no e ffec t whatever
is p r oduced I n a sligh t ly deepe r condition t he sub
j c e t feels a n inclina t ion t o pe r fo r m the suggested ac t
b u t can resist wi t h out any a ppreciable e ffo r t As t he
condi t ion deepen s t he e ff o rt r equi r ed t o resist t he
suggestion be comes g r eate r a nd g r ea t er Thus if a
subj ec t be told to get up f r om his chair he will af t er
a sho r t time a c t u a lly hold his chair wi t h bo t h hands
in orde r t o preven t himself from ge t ting up O the r s
cannot successfully r esis t a t all howeve r g r ea t th e
e ffo r t they make and some a r e qui t e incapable of
even a tt emp t ing t o resist in the sligh t est deg r ee
As t he suggestion is r epeated, and the idea gains in
st r eng t h the aspect o f t he subj ec t us u ally ch a nge s
comple t ely At r st he may we a r an exp r ession of
a mused indifference ; bu t gradu a lly his coun t enance
becomes more serious as he begin s to feel t h a t af t er
all it is no t e a sy t o resist and a t l a s t his whole
a t ti tu d e becomes o f striking alm ost s t renuo u sly xed
at t ention
The following we r e the princip al movements which
we r e tr ied du r ing t he expe r iments a t Camb r idge
The subj ec t was made
1
To
laugh
;
( )
(2 ) T o walk to the opera to r ;
(3 ) To rise fr o m his chair ;
4
ex
his
arm
T
o
;
)
(
To close his eyes ;
(6) To open his eyes
.

84

AN

INT RODUC T ION T O HYPNO T ISM

A t rs t in t hese cases all t he muscles a r e quiescen t

t hen t he muscles an t agonis t ic t o t he movemen t come
int o play and n a lly t he muscles required to b r ing it
abou t
Th e readine ss wi t h which a subj ect can be com
l
d
l
to
la
u
gh
va
r
ies
ve
r
y
much
in
di
f
f
eren
t
ca
ses
e
e
p
a ccording to t empe r amen t Som e people neve r o r
scarcely ever laugh and in t h ese natu r ally laugh t er
cannot be exci t ed du r ing hypnosis I n making t he
sugges t ion of laugh t e r t he O pe ra tor may rem a in as
g r ave as he pleases When he succeeds i t is some
t imes impossible for the subj ec t t o stop laughing
u n t il t o ld t o do so I n some t he laugh t er cease s
Spontaneo u sly soon af t e r t he suggest i o n I S g i ven
u nless o f course i t is renewed
H abits of life tell on o the r suggestions besides t hat
Thus I have of t en sugges t ed to a subj ect
o f la u gh t e r
that he shall st r ike a false chord while playing the
piano Th is may succeed with a nyone bu t I have
found it impossible in the case o f t wo really musical
subj ec t s t hough always ea sy in t he case o f those
who could me r ely s tr um
I n t he t hi r d stage we can also p r even t a subj ec t
from s te pping a movemen t volun t arily begun ; t his
can of t en be done before he can be made to ini t iate a
movemen t The mos t usual movements thus c o n
t inue d were laughing moving t humbs o r h ands r ound
one a nother repeating wo r ds o r phr a ses heat ing time
wi t h the hands or feet
Th e subj ec t is asked t o ma k e some continuous
,

T HE

85

PHENOMEN A O F HYPN OSIS

movement a nd after half a min u t e o r so is told tha t

he c a nnot s t op I t is a rem ark able f a ct t h a t t he sug

gestion Yo u mus t go o n is o f t en qui t e ine ffective

when t he s u ggestion Yo u canno t stop a c t s qui t e

r eadily I h a ve n o ted t his very frequently and I
always c o nsider t hat a subj ect who r espond s to Yo u

mus t is in a distinctly deeper c o ndition t han the

one who merely responds to Yo u c a nno t

I h a ve never once failed wi th t he nega t ive f o rm o f
t he s uggestion when t he impe rat ive has s u cceeded

t hough I have f r eq u en t ly failed wi t h Yo u must

af t er success with Yo u cannot

I t seems t o be a
law almost wi t hou t excep t ion t ha t t he inhibi t o ry is
more p o werful t han the imper at ive fo r m of s ugge s
tion O nly fai r ly suscep t ible subj ects p a ss in t o t his
st a ge wi t ho u t prolonged hypno t ic processes
Sugges t ed loss of memo r y for par t icular facts is a
phenomenon which is liable t o a good deal of va r ia
tion I n gene ra l i t a ppe a rs easier t o induce t han t he
ph enomen a o f stage 4 bu t often i t could be realized
only in a la t er s ta te of hypnosis
The subj ect m a y try h a rd to remember and fail ;
a nd no t infreq u ently h e m a y present the c u rio u s
condi t ion of b eing u nable to t r y to remem b er a t a ll
Stage 4
I n t his we can prod u ce :
1
( ) L os s of sens at ion in t h e s k in
2
( ) I mperfec t delusions
The s e latter a re most easily evo k ed in rela t ion to
t ouch and temperatu r e ; t hus a ligh t body may seem
he a vy or a cold body ho t and t he s ubj ect m a y be
,

86

AN

IN T RODUC T ION T O HYPNO T ISM

made t o feel ho t or cold A paper -knife may become

heavy enough to weigh t he hand of t he subj ec t t o
the g r ound Ag a in i t may seem t o o ho t to hold a nd
i t is odd to see a subj ec t ing it d o wn ins t an t ly
re ga rding his h a nd as though expecting t o nd t he
ma rk of b u rning I n the fth st a ge we also ge t
visual illusions memory a fterwards b eing sometimes
imperfec t
S o far there is n o m a r k ed change in the a ppearance
of t he s u bj ect : t he face shows nei t her drows i ness
nor heaviness a nd t he only notice a ble ch a nge is a
certain intentness of att en t ion towards t he ope r a t o r
a nd possibly dil a t a tion o f t he p u pils S till un t il a
suggestion h a s been made i t is i mp o ssible t o say
whether it will be successful o r no t When the
hypnotic processes a re f u rt h e r p ro longed the appear
ance o f t he subj ec t will of t en give an indica t ion
t hough not a n infallible one of t he suggestions t ha t
will be effective ; thus t here is :
1
M
( ) ore o r less drowsiness which is accompanied
by a n a lmost c o mplete a bsence o f ini t ia t ive t he
subj ect rem a inin g q u iescent except when he means
t o obey a s u ggesti o n
f
f
2
A
disinclin
at
ion
t
o
m
a
ke
any
volunt
a
ry
e
or
t
( )
(3 ) Disp o s i t ion tow a rds cat a lepsy
I t is not e a sy to divide the la t er s t a t es of hypno t ism
in t o s t ages I n a ll t he di fferent deeper s t a t es except
pe rhaps t h a t o f s omn a mbulism ( o ur nal s t age )
some illusions can be ind uced e a sily othe r s only
with di f c u lty ; a nd we fo u nd a s in d e ed has been
.

THE P HE NO M E N A OF HY P NOSIS

87

almost uni versally no t iced th at in di ffer e n t s u b j ect s

the r e is gre at v a ria t ion o n a w a king in the degree of
memory of wh at had h a ppened in t he hypno t iz e d
s tat e
I n bo t h of these matter s re ally the r e i s
every possible v ar i a tion
Af t er hypno t ic passes have been c o ntin u ed f o r a
varying t ime ill u sions can be induced a nd t he sub
j c e t may a ct in accordance wi t h t hem S ometimes
o ne could t ell from the appea r ance o f t he subj ec t
whether t he at t emp t wo u ld be successful or n ot We
gene r ally t ried r s t to make t he subj ec t hear illusory
fa l ls then to see an illusory l i ht a nd t hen t o m a ke a
g
speech to an illusory audience When t hese ill u sions
we r e successful a ll the phenomen a of t he previo u s
states could be r eadily ob t ained The subj ect wa s
catalep t ic and kept his arms raised if t hey had b e en
put in t h a t posi t ion I f t old t o open his eyes he
s t ill c o uld no t pu t his a r ms down The y remained
xed t he muscles being a ppa r ently in a s t a t e of co n
t rac ture ; if a n obj ec t was s wep t over his eyes they
closed ; if a light w a s bro ugh t ne a r t he pupils con
tr a cted When a sugges t ion requiring ac t ion is given
t he ca ta lepsy ce a se s a t o nce a nd the a ppe a rance o f
the s u bj ect becomes very ne a rly if not quite indis
When t he illusion is
t inguish able from normal

ended a nd in some c a ses t his can b e done by simply

closing t he eyes the ca t alep t ic st a te re tur ns I f t h e

illusion be concluded by clo sing the eyes the limbs
of t en r em a in in t he position o f t he moment I f i t is
ended by verbal sugges t ion t he muscles ret ur n to
,

88

AN

I NT RO DUCT ION TO H Y PNO T ISM

t heir normal sta t e Taste can be dulled but no t

a bolished The re a dies t cl a ss of illusions a fte r those
mentio n ed a b ove a re t hose connected wi t h t he to u ch
for inst a nc e con t ac t wi th ies or e a s or a snake
o r with th e sight o f obj ects which lead to action or
strong emotion s u ch as a snake on t he gro und
When an illusive obj ect i s shown on a piece o f
p a p e r t he subj ec t sees it m o re qu ickly if t he real
o bj ec t is r s t shown him F o r ins t ance if he is t o ld
there is a drawing of a r a bbit o n a blank piece o f
paper he will see i t more r ea dily if a drawing of a
rabbit is r st shown him and a copy o f i t is a sser t ed
t o b e o n the blan k paper As an ins t ance o f the
difference in the e a se wi t h which illusions can be
ind u ced I may men t ion M B eing hypno t ized he
w a s shown a bl a nk card a nd t old t hat t here was a
dr a wing o f a y upon i t ; but t ho u gh the s u gges t ion
was repea ted sever a l t imes he s t ill replied tha t he

did not s ee it Then it w a s s u ggested : The y h a s

esc a ped ; it is buzzing a bo u t you ; there are many

ies ro u nd your he a d when he began t o brush t hem

o ff his face and s tr ike at them in t he a ir wi t h grea t
en ergy S o a lso a s ubj ect will more re a dily s ee an
ill u sory picture of s o meone familiar th a n t h a t of an
u nfamiliar obj ec t His memory of t he actions he h a s
perfo r med du r ing t he day seem s more or less d u lled
b u t reec t ion or slight suggestion s oon rec a lls t hem
Af t er a ny suggestion has taken e ffec t and he is asked

wh at he is t hinking of he answers No t hing

His
s ta t e v aries somewh at so t hat at one tim e the s a me
.

T HE

89

PHENOME NA O F HYPN OSIS

suggestion m ay require more repeti tion a nd insistence

t o be e ffective t han at ano t her P ossibly t his is due
t o some sugges t ions o r ac t s pa rt ially waking him or
to a long p a use be t ween t wo sugges t ions when he
bec o mes a trie mo r e deeply hypn o tized
I f an
ac t ion such as swinging th e a r ms be begun fo r the
s u bj ec t he will con t inue i t himself
All ou r s ubj ects in t his stage on whom L angley
a nd I experimen t ed t ogether would t a k e suggestions
f r om ei t he r of u s ; often however subj ec t s will t ake
no sugges t ion in the deep s t ate excep t from t he
hypnotizer and I found t his f r equen t ly t o be t he case
in t hose subj ec t s on whom I w a s expe r imenting
myself when o the r s t r ied t o make sugges t ions O n
awaking the subj ect would r emembe r mo r e or less
accura t ely all tha t had t aken place
The above st a ge is a distinct s t a t e o f hypnosis in
ce rta in s u bj ec t s
They can easily be sent in t o i t and
they re main in i t almos t indeni t ely
L p a ssed in t o this s t a t e in f r om ten t o twenty
s econds
I n his case the mos t e ffec t ive means for its
pr o d u ction w a s to close his eyes and p r ess gen t ly
Th e r e a diness wi t h which he a ccepted
u pon t hem
s ugges t ions w a s incre a sed by lightly stroking t he t op
o f his head
Thus after makin g o ne or t wo e xp e ri
m e n t s he w a s shown a blank card and told t hat it
was a photograph of a f r iend in the room
Asked if
he recognized it he said No
and when ag a in told
t hat i t was a photog r aph and t ha t he mus t see i t he

still an swered No
H is eyes were closed half a
.

AN

90

I NT R OD UCT ION

T O H YPN OT IS M

dozen st r o k es were made b a c k w a rds o ver the top o f his

head a nd he w a s then t old to open hi s eyes He w a s

then shown a c a rd with a circle on i t a nd t old L oo k

a t this pho t og r aph o f F ; i t is a n excellen t pho to

graph
This was r epea t ed several t imes du r ing
which he looked in a rather p u zzled w a y a t t he card

Don t you t hink it good "

What is the
No

m at te r wi t h it "
It is mis t y
Bu t i t is some

t hing like him "

Yes i t is some t hing like him
W h en a w a kened a nd a sked wha t he remembe r ed he
said he had been sho wn a c a rd with a ci r cle o n it and
t old i t was a ph o tog r aph o f F but tha t he did
no t see a ny pho t og r aph H ere t hen the s u bj ec t
al t hough no t seeing the obj ect s uggested beh a ves
and t alks a s if he did ; a nd when asked why says
tha t he could no t help himself That he h a d not
me r ely forgot t en having s een i t is shown by his
abili ty to recall the conve r sa t ion about it and also by
t he fact that when passes were made for some t ime
longe r and t he experimen t w a s tr ied again he
remembered when a w a ke h a ving been shown a b l a nk
c a rd and t hen la t er a photograph on it

t
S age 5
When p a sses a re con t in u ed longer the
senses become mo r e d u lled a nd illusions are still
mo r e readily prod u ced An aesthesi a c a n be produced
by suggesti o n
Th e memo ry is ve r y impe r fect on a w akenin g a nd
of t en is en t i r ely gone
E ven when o u r subj ec t s did
recollec t some of th e e vents du r ing hypn o sis t hey
would a lw a ys u nder ra te th e time the expe r imen t had
,

T HE

P HENO ME NA O F H YPNOSIS

9]

taken a nd would s ay pe r haps ten min u tes o r a

q u ar t er of an hou r inste a d of o ne hour or o ne and a
half ho u rs
I f a visu a l h a llucin a tion be ind u ced and af t erwards
changed to a no t her and this again t o ano t he r and so
o n i t will generally be found th a t t he subj ec t when
aro u sed remembe r s the rst hallucina t ion mo r e or
les s perfe ctly b u t t hat memo r y of t he succeeding
hallucina t ions is unce rt ain or even completely absen t
O ne illusion which I gene r ally p r oduced was t h a t
o f seeing a b r ight sta r or ligh t in t he ceiling
Th e
s u bj ect would s t and in f r on t of me and lo o k a t my
eyes for about a minute while I made ligh t s t rokes
o ver his brows and temples Then I woul d look up

point u pwards and say : L oo k a t t hat s ta r isn t it

bright " Lo ok i t is get t ing brighter ; wa t ch it

The subj ect u sually sta r es upw ar ds with a xed gaze
and r emains immobile for an indeni t e t ime ; and if
a sked whe ther t he star is b r igh t and whe t her he

sees it a nswers Ye s
Af t er a time t he sugges t ion
is m a de th a t i t is getting d a rker a nd t hat the s t a r is
f a ding a w a y and at last t ha t i t is gone Almost
a ny other h a ll u cin a t ion can t hen be r eadily induced
Thus he c a n be m a de t o believe t hat he sees a snake
t h a t he is in a b oat tha t he is on horseback etc ;
b ut when a roused though he will as a r ule remember
t he rst h a llucina t ion o f t he s t ar pe r fectly t hose
succeeding will be confusedly recollec t ed or en t i r ely
fo r got t en
I n b o th the fou r th and f t h s t ages mimic r y of
,

A N INT RO DUCT ION T O H Y PN O T ISM

92

occ u rs more

actions
perfectly in t he la tter t h a n in
the form e r
I n the fourth stage t he a t t ention o f t he
s u bj ec t mus t b e di r ected t o t he a ct in order to pr o d u ce
mimicry
I t seems most probable that mimic ry is
d ue to s ugges t ion
We t a ke it t o be a reex from
t he cortex o f t he brain : the ac t pe r fo r med befo r e t he
s u bj ect gives rise t o the ide a (unconscious ) o f t he
movement which leads t o th e imi t ation o f th e said
movement
Heidenhain att r ib u tes mimicry t o reex a c t ions no t
involving the co rt ex appa r en t ly because in his sub
j ec t s a udi t ory s u ggestion s we r e ine ffective
Stage 6 is marked by somnamb u lism s u ggested
a n aesthesia a no s mia e t c
The subj ec t at t ends t o t he
hypnotizer o nly is s u ggestible only b y him and h a s
no mem o ry on a w a king
E e c t of T e lling t o Sleep This v a r i es gre a tly
In
s o me s u bj ec t s i t prod u ces t he o u tw ar d sign o f going

to sleep but does not in a sh o rt time at any ra t e

othe r wise a lter t he hypnotic state I n othe r s it has
an as tou nding e ff ec t producing almos t instan t ly deep
hy pnotic sleep with comple t e loss o f mem o ry o n
a w a king
I t h a s generally been considered t ha t hyper aesthesi a
of o ne o r m o re o f the s enses is a mong t he earliest
signs o f somn a mb u lism Braid Bernheim a nd Gu rney
so record i t As far a s our expe r iments went how
eve r it did not appea r t hat the hypno t ic processes of
gazing passes and sugges t ion of sleep eve r p ro uf ddi
d
h yp erses th es ia b ut th a t this stage required s pec ial
.

T HE

93

PHENOMEN A O F HYPNOSIS

exci t ation for i t s p r oduc t ion I t is r eadily pro duced

in stage 5 and can be b r ough t abou t by di r ec t s ug
ges t ion o r by con t inued convers a tion
.

Summary

of

t h e St a g e s

as

Ex p e ri me nt s
Stage l

fo und in

o ur

Those volunt ar y movemen t s c a n be in

hibite d

by di r ec t sugges t ion which are mos t com

mo u ly carried o ut by reex ac t ion in ordin a ry life

Stage 2
C ontr a ctu r e can be produced Volunt a ry
movemen t s no t included in s t age 1 can be inhibi te d

a
St ge 3
The subj ec t c an be preven ted from s t e p
ping a movemen t volun t arily begun and made t o
initiate a movemen t L oss of memo r y for partic u l a r
f a c t s c a n be sugges t ed
Stage 4 L oss of cu t aneous sensa t ion c a n be p r o
duc e d I mpe r fec t delusion s can be sugges t ed Memory
afte r wa r ds nea r ly o r qui t e pe r fect

S enses more d u lled Visual and other

Stage 5
illusion s c a n be induced Memo ry af t erwa r ds im
pe r fect

t
a
e
S omnambulism
An aes t hesia anosmia
S g 6
etc
can be sugges t ed Th e subj ec t attend s t o
hypnotizer only No memory o n a waking
Su ch a re the stages when hypnosis is induced b y
t he method described above wi t hout any s uggestion
of sleep being made a t the commencemen t
.

A N I NT R O D U CT I O N T O

94

Co mp ari s o n w i t h St a g e s

HY P NO T I SM

Li b e ault

of

a nd

Be rnh e i m

I have men t ioned befo r e that Li be ault and Bern

heim have classied the stages of hypnosis a cco r ding
t o t he maximum degree of h ypno t i z at ion t o be ob ta ined
in different in divid u als in s u ccessive trial s I t will
be c o nvenient to con sider at once h o w f a r thei r s t ages
a gree with t hose t ha t are given a b ove
F irs t deg r ee of Li be a ult and Be r nheim : The
subj ec t s feel more or less t o r po r h e aviness o f the
eyes and drowsiness A va r ie t y of the r s t deg r ee
t hey consider t o be the s t ate in which t he sub j ect

n o nt p a s de somnolence a prop r ement parler

but
in which he is un a ble to open his eyes when told th a t
he cannot This v a riety we took t o be a typical
cha r ac t eris t ic fo r if t he hypnotic processe s a re p r o
longed t here is no one who would n ot prob a bly feel
some heaviness and drowsiness
I n t he sec o nd deg r ee o f Li beault a nd B ernheim
(light sleep ) the subj ect is more o r less cataleptic
S o long as nothing is done t he m u scles r em a in accid
bu t when a limb is gen t ly moved i t s t ays in t h e
position in which i t has been placed The c a talepsy
ha s variou s deg r ees Th e limb raised may a f t er a
second or tw o sink down I f the whole a rm be raised
i t falls b ut if the forearm be raised it is kep t up o r
while t he forearm is kept raised t he ngers m a y n ot
re ta in the position in which t hey a re pl a ced or the
.

T HE

95

PHENOMEN A O F HYPN OSIS

limb m ay be kep t r a ised only if i t is held t he r e for a

Th e in t e r media t e stages be t ween t he
s econd o r two
rst a n d se cond degree occ u r w hen the subj ec t keeps
t he catalep tic posi t ion unless he is t old t h at he ca nno t
help i t when he move s t he l imb and when a subj ec t
does no t leave his limb s in a ny posi t ion unless i t is
dened to him by s u gges t ion I t seems likely t ha t
t here are three cons t an t ly consecutive s t a t e s here

confu s ed I n the r st the s u bj ect is mo r e or less

ca t aleptic when a limb is r a ised a nd gen t ly stroked
once or t wice ; bu t tho u gh t old he cannot move it he
can always do so I n t he second he is c at aleptic as
befo r e ; bu t if t old t hat he canno t move a limb which
is in catalepsy he c a nno t do i t fo r a t ime in con
seq u ence of t he sim ul t aneous contrac t u r e of t he
muscles an ta gonis t ic to t he action In t he third he
is ca t alep t ic as befo r e ; bu t if told t hat he c a nnot move
a limb which is in c at alepsy he is unable to do so
although t he an t agonis t ic muscle s do no t con t rac t

f
f
This is qui t e a di eren t s tate f r om t he second it
is paresis o r paralysis o f t he muscles Th e develop
ment of t hese s t ages does no t follow very closely th e
developmen t o f t he s t ages withou t d r owsiness Th e
c ata lepsy between t hei r r s t and second degree appea r s
t o co rr espond to the inability to m a ke m ovemen t s in
consequence of contr a c t ion of t he antagonis t ic muscles
in division 2 of o ur sec ond s t age bu t is m u ch less
developed t h a n w hen t he subj ec t is not d r owsy
P aresis and p a r a lysis occur be tween s t ages 2 a nd 3
In t hi s condi t ion there m a y be sligh t l o ss o f memory
.

AN

96

IN T R ODUCT ION T O HYPNOT ISM

b ut only such a s may be seen in an ina tt en t ive

p e r son
I n L i be ault a nd Bernheim s third degree (deep
sleep) the subj ec t is u n a ble t o stop a movemen t which
he h a s begun when t old he c a nno t do so This is
di vi sion 1 o f our third stage b u t in their fo u rth
degree t ac t ile sensibili t y may be dulled o r abolished
This we never observed except a s the resul t of di r ec t

suggestion L as t ly they c a n ob t ain

con tr ac t u r e

suggestive
This is division 1 of o ur stage 2 We
ha ve a lw a ys been able to obt a in t his before we could
prevent a subj ect from stopping a movement alre a dy
beg u n
Their fo u rth st a ge (their ve ry deep st a te ) i s
ch a r acterized by t he subj ects hearing the O per a tor
alone u nless he pu t s them into rela t ion with other
pe r sons E xcep t ing when the subj ect w a s in a st at e
of somn a mbulism either o f us had no diiculty in
p r oducing all the illusions which could be produced
by t he other P ossibly this was because ou r subj ec t s
rega r ded both of u s in t he light of hypnotizers
When expe r imenting apa r t f r om L angley I often
found tha t t he subj ec t would no t O bey s u ggestions
from st r angers bu t only f r om myself Bu t L angley
and I could produce t his condi t ion in o u r f t h s t age
I f ei t her of u s t old the subj ect th a t he could he a r no
one b u t himself t he other would then spe a k in
vain
Th e f t h degree of L i be a ult a nd Bernheim (light
somnambulism ) corresponds with o ur fth stage as
.

THE

P HENO M EN A O F HY PN O S I S

97

given before except th at we found the s u bj ec t s some

times o beyed o t hers as well a s the hypnotizer and
tha t sensa t ion was no t abolished excep t by sugges t ion
Their six t h degree is one in which t he subj ect
himself h a s no recollection o f what he has done while
hypnotized
,

C HAP TE R V
OTHER HYPNOTI C
Hall u cina t i o ns P o s t-h yp no ti c

PHENOMENA

gge s ti o n N e g ative h allu c ina

tions Anaesth e s i a Oth er ph eno m e na (E ff e c ts o f p a s s e s
E ffe c ts o f p re vi o u s de e p h yp no tiz a t i on o n e x p erim e nta l
s u b j e c t s Se lf s u gge s t io n E ff e c t s o n s e ns e o f t o u c h a nd
t emp erature Li ght s e ns ory s t imuli a nd s ugge sti on)
su

Hall ucinat io ns

As the previ ou s chap t er indic ated it is o ften possible

to induce the condi t ion o f somn a mb u lism without any
direct s u gges t ion o f sleep merely by evo king h alluc i
I t f r eq u en t ly happens therefore t ha t a
na t ions
subj ect in s t age 5 will spon ta neously pass into s t age 6
if illusions are induced S ome subj ec t s may lapse
s u ddenly int o somnambulism while t hey a re in q u i t e
a n early s t age but this r a rely occu r s unless they have
been hypno t i z ed on former o cc a sions and expe r ienced
somnamb u lism t hen I n other cases t he s u gges t ion
o f sleep induces somnambulism and t his is the me thod
most commonly employed Bu t i t must be remem
be r ed t hat t he propo rt ion of s ubj ec t s suscep t ible o f
somnambulism is no t great something under 2 0
per cen t
,

98

O T H E R H Y PNO T I C PHE NO M EN A

99

Numberless

experiment s h a ve been m ade with

hallucin a tions It is certain th at some subj ec t s when
they act as t hough hallucin at ed are not really so but
are compelled to act a s t ho u gh they were as in t he
case o f L mentioned above B u t I have of t en had
subj ects wh o remembered their ill u sions and to whom
the hallucin a tions appe a red real experienc e s ; a nd
prob a bly in s o mn a mbulism this is t he rule
O ne of t he m o st in t eresting studies in c o nn ec t ion
with vis u al hallucinations is t he beh a vio u r of t he
subj ect as regard s a s u gges ted ill u sory pictu r e o n a
bl ank sheet o f paper We made a number o f ex p e ri
ments in t his at C amb r idge Th e subj ec t was m a de
t o see s o me illusion of a sm a ll pic t u r e say o f a pink
on a perfec t ly circular disc of white c a rdboard
\ shell
and as k ed to c o py it He wo u ld begin to make a
dr a wing gl a ncing every few second s a t the illusory
pictu r e which he was s u pposed to be copying If his
a t ten t ion was dis t racted for a m o ment a nd t he
ci r c ul a r disc t urned o ut o f its o r iginal posi t ion wi thout
his being a ware of i t he a t once recognized t he fac t
when he res u med the d r awing o f his copy and wo u ld
re a rrange i t a s it w a s at r st When he lo o ked a t
t he imaginary shell thro u gh I celand sp a r it a ppeared
doubled a nd if the I cel a nd spar w a s slowly revolved
while h e l o oked t hr ou gh it t he two images a ppe a red
to revolve ro u nd e a ch other j us t a s if the original
im age we r e a ctual
I t w a s quite cle a r from th e
experiments t h a t s u bj ec ts no t ice ext r emely small
m a r k s and a t t a ch them to t he h a ll u cin a t o ry im a ges
.

AN

100

INT R ODUCT ION

TO

HYPNOT ISM

In

many cases they recogn ize a blank ca r d which

t hey have been t old is a pic t ure o f some kind and
pick i t o ut quite easily when it is mixed wi t h a
n umber o f app a rently ex a ctly simil a r ones
L men t ioned a bove could do this a nd c ou ld also
remember that he rec o gnized t he c a rd by min ute
ma r ks b u t in his n o rm a l st a t e he w a s tot a lly unable
t o dis t ing u ish it
,

11

P o s t -Hyp no t i c Sug g e s t i o n s

B u t t he most striking phenomenon of s o mnam

bulis m is that o f post -hypn ot ic s u ggestion
P ost
hypno t ic s u gges t ion s m a y succe ed in t he deep s t a t e
and even ea r lie r before somnamb u lism is reached
b ut those given d u ring s o mn a mbulism wo r k o ut mos t
s t rikingly a nd perfectly Su ggesti o ns given in t hi s
way a c t more p o werfully t han others o win g p e rhaps
in a me a sure t o t he f a ct t h a t the p a tient c a rries them
o ut wi t ho u t knowing c o n sci o usly th a t t hey are d u e to
s u gges t ion s o t h a t deliber at e resis t ance is a bsent
I t is still a ma tt er of disp u te whe t her t he subj ec t is
in a n o rm a l c o nditi o n d u rin g the perform a nce in his
w ak in g s tat e o f a n a cti o n which h a s been sugges t ed
d u rin g his sleep S ome s u bj ec t s cer t ainly a re in an
abnorm a l s t a t e fo r h a vin g carried o ut t he sugges t ed
a ct they forget a ll a b o u t it a nd a re quite un a ware
t ha t i t has been a cc o mplished F o r the m o men t
t hey a ppear t o have r e tu rned to the s t ate of s e mnam
But a la r ge number remember t hei r ac t ion
bulis m
perfec t ly well a nd t hei r condition is not disting u ish
.

3
S
O T HER HY P NO T I C PH
ENO ME NA

1 01

able from t he normal I f ; hO we yEr h alluc inatidns

a r e thus induced I have O bse r ved t ha t d ur ing t heir
persis t enc e t he s u bj ect o f t en p r esents a n appear a nce of
ab s t r a c t ion which is not natur a l to his n o rmal s t ate
The experimen t al enforcement o f a pos t -hypnotic
suggestion a s a r u le presents b ut li t tle dii c ulty
The patient m a y be t o ld that he will perfo r m t he
action ei t her on awa k enin g o r at some p a rticul a r
hou r o r af t er some specied even t I h ave of t en told
a subj ect t ha t he will do some t r ivial ac t ion such a s
igh t o r blow ou t a candle when I look a t my watch
A ve ry considerable length o f time may be made t o
elapse be t ween the making of a suggestion a nd i t s
a ccomplishmen t S ome twen t y years ag o I sugges t ed
t o a subj ec t who was deeply hypno t ized that exac t ly
a year a f t er he should see me come into his roo m
while he w a s at breakfast t ha t I should say Good

mo r ning an d t hen vanish and t his s u cceeded af t e r

even t hat lapse o f t ime Th e pe r son conce r ned how

eve r was extraordina r ily suggestible the bes t subj ec t

I think th at I h a ve ever seen
B u t tho u gh it is gener a lly e a sy to enf o rce t hese
suggestions i t is no t a lways so even in s u bj ec t s wh o
car r y o ut other th a n post -hypnotic sugges t ions r eadily
O cc a sion a lly o ne meets s u bj ects wh o will not respond
to even the simplest pos t h ypnotic s u ggestion bu t
such resistance is not common And in many o f these
ca ses I have fo u nd t ha t if the subj ec t be inst r uc t ed t o
do s ome t hing on a wakening he will gene r ally obey if
h e be made d ur ing his sleep to s t ate wh a t he h a s t o

'

AN I NTROHIHH I ON

1 02

TO

HY P NO T I SM

de i s d as it
'

really unde r s t ands F o r

he is sometimes so le t ha r gic t ha t he cannot assimila t e
a sugges t ion unless he is pa rt ly r oused ; making him
repeat t he sugges t ion and so asce rt ainin g t h a t h e has
comp r ehended i t ove r comes t his di fcul ty
Th e subj e ct o f neg at ive h a llucina t ions a nd anaes
t h es ia p r operly belongs to t he deep s ta t e and somnam
bulis m t ho u gh a n aesthesia c a n sometimes b e in d u c e d
in the e a rlier s t ages
.

III Inc re a se d
.

Po w e rs

of

Me mo ry

I n t he deep s t age the r ange o f memo r y may extend

fa rt her back O f t en ve r y much farthe r t han i t
does in t he no r mal condi t ion and a subj ec t may be
able t o recall events of his ea r liest childhood T h is
ex t ensio n o f memo ry is no t limited to t he deep sta t e
though it is t hen mo r e ma r ked E ven in t he e ar lier
s t ages a subj ec t may be able t o recall memo r ies o f a
long forgo tt en pas t I n one case men t ioned in t he
nex t chap t er I made a lady aged t hi rty -t wo reme m
be r he r self in long clo t hes and some of t he incidents
which she recalled we r e afterwards veried
This inc r eased power of memo r y is o f g r e at impor
t ance from a the r apeu t ical standpoin t I ns t ances of
its use will be found in the nex t ch a p t er
,

I V Ne g a t i ve Ha ll u c i n at i o n s
.

nega t ive hall u cina t ion is t hat in which the

sens at ion of a r eal ne r ve stimul u s is u nperceived I
h a ve o f t e n s u g ges ted to s o mn a mb u lic subj ect s th a t I
A

O T HER H YP NOT I C PHE NOME NA

1 03

some other person in the room am invisible They

t hen cease to notice t he invisible person a nd may
even sit d o wn o n his lap instead of the chair which
they imagine to be empty B ut it is clear from
t heir behavio ur t h at t hey gene r ally do r ealize the
s u pp o sedly invisible pers o n o r t hing though perhaps
not in the s a me vivid manner a s th a t inwhich t hey
see o ther pe o ple s eeming to be a w a re o f t he c a ncelled
pre sence in a dre a my kind o f w ay as if o nly a p a rt
and not the whole o f t he consciousness perceiv e d it
Th a t such a subj ec t a c t u a lly m a y re a liz e the in visi b le
person is sh o wn by the followin g experiment which
I of t en made with some o f my C amb r idge subj ects
I could hypnotize many wh o m I h a d hypno t ized o n
p r evious occasions by su ddenly gazing in t en sely at
t hem They would often p a ss instantly into deep
sleep wi t h ca t alepsy I h a ve freq u en t ly m a de myself
invisible t o those subj ec t s but e v en when one of
t hem a c t ed a s though he c o uld not se e me I found
t hat if I c a ugh t his eye and suddenly g a zed inten t ly
at him he a lw ays immedia t ely pa s sed in to c a t a lepsy
t h u s sh o wing c o ncl u sively th a t he h a d r e a lly per
ce ive d me
The s u bj ect m ay be m a de col o ur -blind t o di fferent
colo u rs a nd experimen t s o n t he complementary
c o lou r s o f invisible a s well a s of s u ggested h a ll u cin a
t o r y colours were made on o ur C amb r idge subj ec t s
b ut these a re beyond the province of this b ook I t
is possible t o induce neg at iv e hall u cin at ions of t he
Th us th e s u bj ect ma
o ther se nses a s w el l
be
y
or

1 04

AN

IN T RODUCT IO N T O HYPN OT ISM

rendered incapable o f hea r in g a pa rt icula r pe r son

speak or o f tas t ing sweet o r bi t te r t hough t he sense
o f t aste is more dif c u l t to in u ence
,

Anaes t h e s ia

But t he mos t in t eres t ing o f a ll the neg at ive

h a llucin a t ion s is ce r t a inly t he c uta neous an aes t hesi a
a nd an a lgesia which can be evoked by sugges t i o n
S ugges t ed a n aesthesia a s seen du r ing hypnosis is
simply t he non perception o f the par t icula r sensa t ion
which t he subj ect h as been told t hat he c a nno t feel
t he o t he r cu t aneo u s sensa tions remaining in t a ct I t
is e a sier t o abolish or diminish sensations o f touch
than t he sensa t ions o f he a t and cold a nd t he abolition
o f the sense o f to u ch is generally a ccompanied by
rigidi t y o f the limb experimen t ed on
B u t the c o ndition is o ne of gre a t complexity Take
the following simple expe r iment which I t r ied o n
seve ra l people Having concealed t he subj ect s h a nd
from his view by me a n s o f a simply -arranged screen
I s u ggested t ha t he would be unable to feel a pric k
with one poin t of a pair o f comp a sses b u t th a t he
would feel a t once if pricked with b ot h points I
fo u nd th at I co u ld dr a w blo o d wi t ho u t m a king h im
inch if I pricked him wi t h one p o in t ; bu t he
r ebelled immedi at ely if I pricked him wi t h bo t h
poin t s Also he could be m a de to feel t he t o u ch o f
s of t co tt on -wool and ye t be qui t e impervious t o a
sha r p needle p r ick a nd in one c a se even t o the
m
a
tch
s cor ch of a burnin
g
.

OT HER HYPN OT IC PHENOMENA

105

H e r e t he subj ec t cle a rly mus t in some way perceive

bo t h sensa t ions ; but in addition he mus t men t ally
di ff eren t ia t e between the two a nd r ej ect o ne while
h e a c cepts the o t her and a ll o ws himself to feel it
I t is ve ry di f cult to fo r m a ny lucid ide a o f this
complex act bu t I believe t h at the result is due
not me r ely to a failu r e to perceive bu t also to an
inhibi t ion o f his po wer to conceive t he fo r b idden
sensa t ion This theo r y may explain the following
expe r imen t which I made on o ne o r two subj ec t s a t
C amb r idge and on one since I lef t t he r e
The subj ec t whom I had hypno t ized o n previous
occasions and who I knew could be readily rendered
a n aesthe t ic was a sked t o sit in an a r m -chai r I t hen
placed his h a nds o n t he ar ms of t he chai r bu t in
doing so passed his palm lightly o ver the b r is t les of
a brush which I had xed to the ou t side of o ne of the
a rms so t ha t he could not see i t I t hen immedia t ely
suggested th a t t he hand could feel no t hing When
next I a sked him wha t I had done to his hand before
rendering it a n aesthe t ic he could no t recall a ny thing
When sensa t ion was r esto r ed however he immedia t ely
remembered t h a t his hand h a d been passed over a
b r u sh o r some similar s u rf a ce By r endering him
a n aesthetic immedi a tely af t er t he stimulus h a d been
a pplied I gave no t ime fo r t he sens a ti o ns t o be
linked u p wi t h other ideas by associ a tion P robably
he co u ld not recall the stim u lus beca u se t he power
conceiving s u ch a sens a tion was tempor a rily
of
i nhi b it e d b ut I h ave no t m a de the e x p e rime nt
,

AN

1 06

INT RODUCT I ON T O HYPNO T I SM

often enough t o be s u re that sugges t ion w a s entirely

elimina t ed
Th e rest of this chapter is devoted to the e ff ec t s o f
light stimuli and to the b r ief consideration o f ce r tain
o t her phenomen a which have not been men t ioned in
t he previo u s chap t er
Th e experiments described
were made by P rofessor L angley a nd myself o n
C a mbridge u ndergr a d uat es
.

P h eno mena

1 Certa in E f ec ts of P a s s es
Durmg the wakin g
st a te contr a ct u re as mentioned before can o ften be
produced by p a sses e a ch downwa r d s t roke causing a
li t tle fur t he r con tr action and e a ch u pward s tr oke or
p ass a decrease of cont r action
fo r instance when his nge rs are st r oked down
wa r ds gets his hand m o re and mo r e extended u n t il
the nge r s become r igid S troking in t he opposite
di r ection over any o ne nger causes slight rel a xation
in i t Thus acco r ding to the n u mber of up a nd down
s tr okes di ffe r ent ngers c a n b e br ou ght int o a ny
deg r ee o f s t iffness
This gener a l e ffect of rever s e p a s ses a nd stro k e s is
well known The following experim e nts will show
cert a in fur ther de t ails ; t hey were rst t ried o n a
w aking s u bj ect A
Af t er a v a ri a ble n u mber o f
s tr okes the ngers or a ny o ne of them became
insensi t ive to needle pricks o r t o induc t i o n curren t s
stre ng th a nd t o the s tr okes of t he
o f modera t e
o p er a ting n ger it s el f A sat down and p as se d h is

VI

Ot h e r

O T HER HYPNO T IC PHEN O MEN A

1 07

hand t hro u gh a hole in a screen r esting it palm

downwards o n a t able on the othe r side Thus he
was unable to see his hand o r us a nd could no t tell

what we were doing t o it H e was asked t o say Ye s

when he fel t a nything touch his h a nd When a stroke
w a s made downwards he s a id nothing ; when a stroke

was made upwards he s a id Ye s

This was perfec t ly
cons ta n t so th a t wi t h up a nd d o wn s t ro k es he fel t
t hose m a de upwards b ut no t t h o se made downw a rds
I f the upw ar ds we r e repea t ed several times in suc
cession t he nex t following down s t roke wo u ld be fel t
bu t t he subsequen t ones we r e no t
This s t ate o f in sensibility is associa t ed wi t h sen so r y
s t imuli s t ar t ing in t he upper part o f t he nge r a nd
prog r essing downwa r d s The res t o r ation t o t he normal
sta t e has t h u s become associa t ed wi t h senso r y stimuli
prog r es sing in t he opposi t e di r ec t ion Th e o r dina r y
e ffec t of r eve r se passes is t o r es t o r e the pa rt to i t s
normal condi t ion I n t he s t age of moder a te in
sensibili ty which I h a v e men t ioned above each
u pward s tr oke p r oduces a t empo r a r y r eturn t o the
no r mal but is insu fcient to dest r oy the e e c t of th e
mo r e nume r ous downwa r d s t rokes
This phenomenon can also be produced in t he fo u rth
a nd f t h st a ges o f hypno t ism
This we ve r ied in
two subj ects B and S In S t he second and t hird
nge r s we r e af t e r some t ime r ende r ed r igid a nd
in sensi t ive by downwa r d s tr okes S was t old to say

Ye s when he fel t anything t o u ch his hand

When
the r st and f ou rth n gers o r th u mb we re to uc h ed , h e
,

AN

1 08

IN T RODUC T ION T O HYPN OT ISM

said Ye s
When the second and t hird nge r s we r e
t ouched he said n o thing Th e second nger w a s t hen
s tr oked upw a rds half a dozen times without pr o ducing
any e ffect
I t w a s bent a nd u nbent and stroked
u pw a rds f o r a bo u t h a lf a min ute u n t il at l a st he s a id

Ye s
Then t he slightest movemen t upwards was
felt b u t str ok ing d o wnwa r ds w a s n o t I t w a s su fficien t
even lightly to drag a needle l a id at o n the nger
u pwa r ds without m o ving it over t h e su r face o f the
skin
.

in the E a rlier Stages of Cha nges

D eep Stages
As h a s a l r eady been said ,

ers is t enc e

induc ed in

when a s u bj ect has once b een deeply hypnotized

g r eat c a re must be taken in drawing any deductions
from his s u bsequ ent b eh a vi ou r in the light s tages of
hypno t ism This is necessa ry b ecause some o f t he
phenome na fo r me r ly induced in t he deep s t ages can
a f t erwards b e obtained in the light s t ages Appa r ently
Bernheim s o bservati o n s o n the w a king phen o mena
were made only on s u bj ects who had p r evio u sly been
deeply hypnotized Al t ho u gh p o ssibly t his persis t ence
of impressi o n m ay be rel a t e d to the phen o men a o f
post hypnotic s u gges t i o n it m u st no t be c o nfused
wi th it A good ex ampl e i s sh o wn by t he p o s s ibility
o f pr o ducing an aes t he s i a in the waking s t age if this
h a s once b een p ro duced in the deeper st ate Thus in
S neither passes stroking no r suggestion produced
cont ra c t ure o r an aesthesia in the w a king state ; in B
we could p r oduce con t r a ct ur e but no t an aes t hesia in
t h e w akin g s t a te ; b u t af t er they h a d b ee n dee p ly
.

OT HER H Y P NO T IC PHENOMEN A

1 09

hypno tized and a n aes t he sia ind u ced in th e deep s t a t e

by sugges t ion we could subsequently in d u ce an aes t hesia
in the wakin g s ta te Th e e ffects of s u gges t i o n fre
q u en t ly persi s t long a f t er the s u gges t i o n h a s be e n
rem o ved Th u s M e s t re n gt h w a s t est e d wi t h a
dynamome t er P a r a lysis o f the a rm was t hen sug
gested He did n ot rec o ver hi s strength for s o me
time a ft e r he had been told t h at his a rm w a s restored
to i t s norm a l s ta t e ; a nd t he res u lt was the s a me when
t he tria l w a s m a de durin g deep hypn o sis o r imme
dia te ly a f t e r w a king

i
Ma ny s u bj ec t s c a n t o a cer t ain
3 Self Sugges t o n
exten t b r ing t hemselves into t he st at es ind u ced by t he
hypnotizer P r a ctice increases t his p o wer
L could
readily send himself in to a c o ndi t ion in which del u sions
could o cc u r ; D by s t ro king his eyes a nd thinking o f
b ein g u nable t o O pen t hem soon found himself unable
t o d o so ; he c ou ld do the s a me with o ne eye leavin g
t h e other in i t s normal s t a t e The power of t he
s u b j ect to in d u ce con t r a c t ure in himself has v a rious
stages F o r ins t ance in m a king the h a nd rigid these
a re :
f
h
T
s
u
b
j
ect
thin
k
s
o
c o ntr a ct u re a nd m a ke s
a
e
( )
p a sse s o ver his h a nd
(b) He l ook s a t his h a nd a n d think s o f c o n
,

t ra ct ure

( ) H e thin ks of c o ntract u re with ou t lo o k in g a t his

hand
Th u s B w a s able to do (a ) bu t n o t (c) When his
h a nd w a s p u t t hrough a screen he w a s un a ble to
c

AN

110

IN TR ODUC T I ON

T O HYPN O T IS M

sti ffen i t himself C developed gre a t power in t his

di r ection a nd when laid across t hree chairs with hi s
he a d on the rs t and his heels on the last he c ou ld
gr a dually m ake his whole b o dy r i gid so t ha t t he
middle ch a ir could be take n a way while he s t ill kept
his po si t i o n wi t h out a ny str a in a position which he
was en t irely unable to maintain unless he c au sed his
muscles th u s t o p a ss into con t r a cture St ill even i n
t his case contractu r e c a me on mo r e r eadily if s o me o ne
made passes over his body He w a s als o a ble to a
consider a ble degree to prevent con t racture coming on
when passes or s t rokes we r e m a de over his hand o r

arm se m u ch so th at t hough the h a nd or arm

bec a me s t i ff he h a d not mo r e t han a momen ta ry
hesi ta tion in m o ving them when he t r ied
F a nd H put their h ands in f r on t o f them palm
t o palm a nd then thinking o f being unable to pa rt
t hem fo u nd that they were for a time unable t o do
so I n these cases the a r m s became rigid and the
f o rce req u ired to part them seeme d to be gre at er t han
t ha t required when the s u bj ect exe r ted his maximum
volun t ary e ffor t to preven t his ar ms f r om being
sepa ra ted F a t r s t co u ld p r e ven t himself f r om
sepa r a ting his hands only by closing his eyes and
im a gining the ope r a t or l o ok ing a t him ; later he
could do it withou t t his Appa r ently all t he above
phenomena a r e due t o con tr ac t ure J s t ates tha t i t
is possible by imagining himself un a ble to r emember
some simple t hing to p r even t himself for a t ime from
remembe r ing i t I t is no t ewo r thy th a t the p o wer of
.

O T HE R HY P NOT IC PHE NOM E N A

111

self s u gge s tion h a s no direc t rel ati on to t he degree of

in fac t t he occur r ence
s u scep t ibili t y t o hypnotism ;
of self s ugges t ion in a previously goo d hypno t ic
s u bj ect did in some c a ses decrease his s u scep t ibili ty
t o hypnotic s uggesti o n t o a ve r y conside r able exten t
O n the other h a nd a large n u mber o f good hypno t ic
s u bj ects a ppe a red to be un a ble t o prod u ce t he sligh t es t
e ffect u p o n t hemselves by self suggestion
-

the Sens es

T o uc h a nd Temp era ture

f
Heidenhain has mentioned tha t in t he o ne sided
c at alepsy which may r esul t f r om st r iking the t op of
the head t he sen se of t ouch disappea r s from t he
cataleptic ar m befo r e t he sense of temperatu r e We
also found t his to be the case when s tr okes o r passes
were m a de over an a re a of t he skin in subj ec t s
suscep t ible of a certain degree o f a n aes thesia We
gener al ly experimen t ed as follows
The subj ec t wi t ho ut a ny hypnotic process having
been perfo r med on him was asked t o p ut bo th his
hands thro ugh a sc r een o n a table a nd t o say when
he fel t anything touching o r near his hands and also

to say what h e felt whe t her wa r m t h or chill a to u ch

or a prick and so o n P asses o r s t ro k es over one of
the ngers were next m a de ; t hen a t sh o rt in t e r val s
this nger and t he o t her par t s o f his hand as well we r e
touched wi t h a needle or a weigh t was placed on them
t he tempe r a tur e o f which was no t ed I n t his way we
fo un d t h at while t he subj ec t fel t no r m a lly in a ll
pa rt s of his h a nd except the nger O per a ted u pon in
this t he se n s a tion of tou ch a nd of mod e r a tely sever e
4

E ec ts

on

AN

1 12

INT RO DUC T I ON T O HYPNOT I SM

pricks wi t h the needle dis a ppe a red at a t ime when he

co u ld still r ecognize at once wa r m o r cold obj ec t s
Th u s a 2 0 gramme brass weigh t a t t he t empe rat u r e
of his hand was no t fel t when laid o n t he nger
operated u pon while similar weigh t s ei ther ho t ter o r
c o lder were re a dily felt Thus to o if t he nger
oper a ted u p o n a nd t h a t nex t t o it were simult a neo u sly

stroked he wo u ld say : Yo u a re passi n g something

w a rm over o ne nger an d s t roking t he o t he r

S troke s or p a sses m a de t he a n aes t he s ia more denite
so t h at o nly very s t r o ng ind u c t ion sh o cks w e re fel t
while at t he s a me t ime t he sense o f t emper at ure w a s
d u lled s o th at t he hot or cold b o dy w a s no t felt a t
o nce a s it w a s elsewhere b u t only af t er a n in t erv a l
o f t wo o r three seconds I t is di f cult to m a ke o u t
cl e a rly ex a c t ly at what poin t the sense o f w a rm t h
dis a ppe a rs since t he a pplica t i o n o f a warm body t end s
to do a w a y with t he a n aes t hesia Th u s af t er the
applic a ti o n o f a hot weigh t to a n insen s i t ive a re a of
skin for a very short peri o d i t b ecomes sensi t ive to
the p r ick o f a needle This does no t occur after the
a pplicati o n o f a c o ld weigh t ; b u t o u r experiment s
were too few to pr o ve more th a n the m ain f a ct o f th e
dis a ppe a r a nce o f t h e t actile sense a nd the sligh t los s
of the sense of p a in before t here is a ny a ppreci a ble
diminution of the sense o f temperat u re

I t is no t
5 L ight Sens o ry Stimuli a nd Sugges t io n
easy to separa t e t he e ffects o f sugges t ion from those
B raid and mos t subsequent
o f ligh t senso r y s t imuli
observers h ave a tt r ibu t ed a n e e c t t o bo t h B ernheim
,

'

O T HE R HYPNOT IC PHENOMEN A

1 13

co nsiders that t hough passes and s u ch ligh t senso r y

stimuli may have resul t s t hey o we this eff ect m a inly
t o a iding sugges t ion much as an energetic ges t u r e o r
an impressive deme a nour inc r e a ses t he same power
Th e di f c u l t y here concerns the meaning of the wo r d

suggestion
I ts rs t a nd obvious meaning implies
that the subj ect is consci o us o f t he pr o mp t ing and
th a t he has a consci ou s idea o f t he res u lt which the
hypno t izer attemp t s t o obtain I t is to t his sense that

the term
s u gges t ion sho u ld be limited ; but t he
meaning may be extended to incl u de the f o rmati o n
o f an unconscious ide a
the produc t ion o f those
ch a nges in t he br a in wh ich Oc c u r in the formation o f
an ide a wi t ho u t those changes which ca u se the idea
t o bec o me con s ci ou s S inc e h o wever prob a bly no
sensory stim u li c a n a ffec t t he cor t ex o f th e brain
without giving rise to th o se ch a nges which a re f u nda
mental t o the fo r m at ion o f a n idea t he ex t ended t e r m

s u gges t ion would see m mere ly a way o f saying

t hat the light s ens o ry s t imuli which c a use hypno t ic
phenomena do s o by acting on t he cerebr a l cortex
This a t any rat e appears to be t he c a se in all the
phenomen a we observed ; b ut a s we m a de few exp eri
men t s o n th e deepest stages i t may b e p o ssible t h a t
in these s ta ges s ome of the ph e n o men a m a y be d u e to
reex a ction s from the lower centres o f the br a in o r
f r om th e spin a l c o rd witho ut a ny ch a nge in t h e
cortex A t any r at e t here a ppe a rs to be n o doubt
th at (a ) sen s o ry stim u li may give rise t o a hypno t ic
ph en o m en o n with ou t the s u bj ect s h a vin g a c o sc ious
,

AN

114

IN T RODUCT ION T O H Y PNOT ISM

ide a o f the phen o menon befor e i t o cc u rs ;

th a t
s ensory stim u li o f which the subj ect is not c o nsci ou s
may prod u ce hypnotic phenomena
Many e ffects produced by sensory s t imuli in th e
deeper hypn o tic s ta ges a ppeared to show t his but a s
in t hese st a ges i t was impossible t o prove whe t her t he
subj ec t w a s u nconsci ou s or not the conclusions a re
b a sed o n the O bservati o ns m a de in t h e e a rly s t ages in
which t h e s u bj ec t c o uld s ay whethe r h e did or did not
feel I t m a y be suggested t h a t we w ere c o mpletely
a t th e mercy o f the s u bj ec t a nd t h a t except when
w e a pplied strong ind u c t ion c u rren t s he could
deceive u s a s he lik e d I f (b) c a n be shown it m a y
a ppe a r t o be necess a ry t o show (a ) a s well a s t he two
st a te s differ in th a t in (a ) th e s u bj ect is consci ou s
t h a t something is being d o ne whilst in (b) he is un
consci ou s o f it ; it m ay therefore be w o rth while to
de a l with th e m s ep a r a tely Wi t h reg a rd to (a ) when
the hand o f the s u bj e ct i s stroked producing r s t
rigidity then l o ss o f sensation e v en supposing tha t
it w a s s u sp e cted th a t l o ss o f s ensa t ion might follow
rigidity (a nd s o me s u bj ec t s averred t hey h a d no
expect at i o n o f th a t) it is we t hink certain t ha t none
o f t hem h a d a ny ide a t ha t the sense o f to u ch would
dis a ppe a r before t he s ense of temper a ture When
o n e o r m o re nger s o f the h a nd p a ssed thro u gh a
s creen a re m a de insensitive they rec o ver sen s a tion if
lef t a l o n e i n a min ut e o r two ; b u t if c o ntin u o u sly
s t r o ked a nd very l igh t ly so a s t o a void a p u ll o n the
rest of th e h a nd the n ge rs r e m ain in sensit i v e With
.

O T HER HYPNO T IC PHENOMEN A

115

reg a rd t o (b) the di f c ulty with many of our subj ec ts

was t hat when a pas s was made over any pa rt of t he
hand t he whole hand a nd a lso the whole arm became
rigid Besides thi s when a hand was ex t ended behind
a screen af t er a few expe r imen t s i t would of t en
become rigid even when nothing w a s done to it Th e
simple expec t ation th a t something w a s to be done
wa s q u ite su f cient to cause con tr a c t ure I n s u ch
c a ses when the h a nd bec a me rigid a f t er p a sses a nd
the subj ec t decl ar ed t hat h e h a d not felt anything
ne a r t hat hand t he s t iffness might h a v e been caused
by self -suggestion and not by u nfelt passes so tha t
no reliable conclusion could be drawn except afte r a
long series o f expe r imen t s comparing t he number of
times when spontaneou s rigidi ty o ccurred wi t h the
number of t imes s ti ffness occ u rred a fter u nfelt p a sses
o r other similar light stimuli
S uch a method a t the be st is impe r fect C a ses
therefore in which spon t aneous rigidi t y occurred a r e
he r e omi tt ed except the following example in which
t he r e was a m ovement simul t aneou sly wi t h e a ch
unfel t movemen t o f t he oper at or s hand H placed
his h a nd t h r ough a screen and passes were m ad e
t hree o r fo u r inches above i t Th e hand g r adually
clo s ed a slight closing movement occu rr ing a t e a ch
pass
E ighte e n passe s were m a de before the h a nd
was c o mpletely shu t
During twelve which were
m a de a t irreg u l a r in t ervals the h a nd shut only when
a p a s s w a s made b ut aft er t hese a m o vement some
time s t oo k pl a ce betwe en t he p a sses H decl a red
,

AN

1 16

INT RODUCT ION T O HYPNO T ISM

th at he felt no thing excep t t hat his hand was closing

O f co u rse it is possible t ha t t he passes coin cided
t ime wi t h t he spont a neo u s movemen t s of t he h a nds
bu t this chance is ex tr emely unlikely
The most
satisfac t o ry cases a re t hose in which the hands do
n o t become spontaneo u sly rigid and in which the
ngers can be made rigid a nd insensi t ive separa t ely
Gur ney r ecorded a case which very nea r ly fullled
these condi t io ns a nd he found when the ngers of
the operator were held a bove one of t he ngers o f
the s u bj ect th at n early always t ha t nge r and that
a lone b ecame insensi t ive
We did no t mee t wi t h
any case so satisfactory a s his With A howeve r
t he r e was conside ra ble b u t not complete insensibili ty
which w a s fo r a time a t any r a te conned t o the
pa r t O per at ed upon ; a nd d u ring an expe r imen t of an
ho ur s d u ration sp o n t ane o us rigidi ty o r insensibility
did no t occu r once
Th e following experiment w a s the rst to be m a de
on A
and is given here since he was t hen leas t likely
t o know o ur obj ect H e extended both hands t h r ough
the screen placing t hem p a lm downwards on a table
with t he nge r s sep a rated We made p a sses at abo u t
an inch distance over t he rs t and second nge r s o f
his lef t hand Af t er about a dozen passes the nger s
a nd v ar iou s p a r t s o f t he hand were lightly pricked

with a needle a nd he was asked t o s ay Ye s when

he felt it He said Ye s except when the las t t wo

j oints of t he r s t a nd sec o nd nge r s o f the lef t hand
were pricked These were then pricked hard wi t hou t
.

O T HE R HY PN OT I C P HE NO M E N A

117

his t ak in g a ny n o tice A few p a s s e s wer e next m a de

o v e r t he s a me t wo n ger s a nd a 2 0 gramme brass
weight a t the tempera tu re o f the r o om producing
a distinctly cold feelin g when touching the skin was
placed o n o ne o r other o f the ngers
As soon a s i t
touched a ny p a rt o f th e hand except the tw o end

j oin t s o f the rs t a nd second ngers he said Ye s

When it was pl a ced o n these he said Ye s some

thing c o ld in t ime va r ying f r om t hree to ten second s

a ccording t o t he diffe r en t j oin t s We a sked him : Do

yo u k now whether any passes h av e been made "

No
Are any of your ngers s t i ff "
A then
b eg a n t o lift his hand f r om t he t able a s a preliminary
t o closing them
L angley s a id
St op " C a nno t y o u

t ell with ou t m o ving yo u r han ds "

No ; bo t h

Th e
hand s are cold
Well try t o sh u t them
right h a nd closed a t once t he left slowly the r st
and second ngers rem a ining stretched o ut a fte r t he
others
I n such case s there c a n be li tt le do u b t th a t a stat e
o f expec t ati o n tha t some pa r t of the h a nd will be
sent into contr a cture and m a de insensitive gre a tly
aids if indeed i t is not necess ar y to th e e ffec t o f
u nfelt p a sses The following case shows t h a t t he
state o f expect a tion is som etimes essen t ial t o s u ccess
C3 wh o m I h a d previou sly hypnoti z ed a nd whos e
h a nds co u ld r eadily be m a de insensi t ive w a s a sked
to put his hands t hro u gh a screen a s above I t r ied
by p a sses a nd by pointing a t his nge r s to r ender
them insensitive wi t hou t making a ny s u gges t ion a s
.

AN

1 18

I NTR O DUCT ION T O HY PNO T ISM

to wh a t I w a s going to d o b ut failed en t irely

I
t hen said
I am going to t ry to t ake away sens a tion
from the di fferent pa rt s o f your hand wi t ho u t y ou r

knowledge
After this I s u cceeded perfectly
As t he hand passes from con t r a cture t o in sensitive
ness in t he early s t a t es the following ch a nges u sually
ta k e pl a ce : First the hand is in con t ract u re ; there
is no change in t empera t ure and no loss of sens at ion
A li t tle la t er h o weve r the h a nd is contrac t ed withou t
or s o metimes wit h ch ange o f temperat ur e (becoming
co o l ) and with j ust a n app r eciable dulling o f the
t actile sensation ; there is a lso a slight loss of m u scular
sense I n a further s tat e the hand is in contr a ctu r e
become s distinctly cold a nd experiences more or less
dulling o f s ens a tion The los s o f musc u l a r s ense is
consider a ble
None o f our subj ects sh o wed loss of
sensation wi t hout co n tr a cture except those wh o ei ther
had b een o r could be de e p ly hypno t ized E ven in
the fo u rth and fth stages i t was easier to produce
le s s o f sensati o n if con tr act u re had previously been
ind u ced
.

CHAPTE R VI
TREATMENT BY SUGGESTI ON

I ntro duc tory (L i be a ult ) R e pre ss i ons (wi th

F re u d ,

on

no e

x a mpl es o f re pre s e d c o mp l x e ) Gene al p incipl e s

o f t e a t m e nt
l i t o f di s e a se s am e n bl e t o
wi th F o e l

e ni a
s ugg e ti o n T pi c a l
u
ra
t
m
l
d
s
t
i
N
e
h
a
a
i
e
H
e
a
(
y
y
Ob s e i o ns I n o m ni a N o c tu na l e nure s i Al co h o li s m
M orp h ino m a ni a Se di s o d er su c h a m astu b ati on
Pri m ary v gini s mu s S p a m o di c dy m e no h oe a A b enc e
o f s ex
fe eling N e v o us ne
C ho ea
Se a s i c kne
I ns anity C o nstip at i o n N erv o u s Di ar h oea S p a s m o di c
a s th m a E p il e p s y) A nae s th e s i a C l o s in g N ot e

a nd e

ss

s,

rr

ss

ss

Int ro du c t o ry

chief pr a c t ic a l in t erest O
f hypnotism lies in its
L i be a ult of Nancy rst
u se a s a t he r ape ut ic agen t
drew t he a tten t ion of t he medical world to the s u bj ec t
a nd i t is to the Na ncy school cre at ed by his w o rk
t h a t we re a lly owe m o s t o f wh a t we kn o w of its
practical a pplic a tions a s well as t he m o s t widely
a ccepted the o retical views of its n a ture
Few men I think h a ve sh o wn such real heroism
as the o nce h u mble doc t or o f Nancy He commenced
his p r ofessional c ar eer a s a co u n try prac t itioner and
in 1 8 60 began t o s t udy hypno t ism and t o use i t in
his practice
I n 1 8 6 4 he removed to Na ncy a nd
giving hi s service s quite
s peci a lized in hy p n o tism
TH E

1 19

INT RODUCT ION T O HY PNOT ISM

AN

1 20

gra tu it ou sly t o t he p o or a nd living himself o n the

small p r ivate means which he possessed F o r t wo
years he worked hard a t his r s t book on the su bj ect
to be rew a rded by t he sale o f only a single copy
B ut in 1 8 8 2 he happened t o e ffec t a c u re in a case
o f sciatica which h a d ba fed P r ofessor Be r nheim fo r
years
This brough t Bernheim to see his prac t ice
a nd wh at he saw made h im a w a rm admi r er a nd an
en t husias t ic follower
I t speaks wonde r s for t he
pionee r t h a t all t hose years he never fal t e r ed but wen t
o n quie t ly wi th his w or k u nrecognized unrew a rded
reg a rded half -con t emp t uously by o ther membe r s o f his
profe s sion a s a kind o f c r ank
B u t Li be a ult w o rked
no t for himself but fo r his beloved po o r a nd t heir
gr a tit u de and a ffec t ion were his su fcien t and o nly
rew a rd
Fr o m the date o f Bernheim s conversion
b eg a n Li bea ult s rise to f a me a nd a f t er his de at h
his name w a s a dded to the roll o f hono u r o f his
m ost disting u ished co u n t rymen by t he Government
o f France
He w a s a grea t m a n t he n o bili ty o f
whose ch a r a c t er s u rp a ssed ev e n the v a lue o f his
work
Tho u gh I h ad st u died hypnotism s ome ye a r s pre
vio u sly it was a t his clinic t ha t I rs t saw it employed
Medic a l men o f every n at ion went
t herapeu t ically
t o him t o learn a nd all we r e welcome d Among o t hers
Dr L loyd T uckey wen t t o see t he famous clinic and
impressed by his expe r ience he commenced t rea t men t
by sugges t ion in L ondon L a t er on Dr Milne Bram
well who h a d u sed h ypnotism wi th grea t s uccess in
,

TRE A T ME NT B Y S UGGES T ION

1 21

pr a ctice a t Go ole c a me u p t o to wn a nd devo t ed

himself t o t his kind o f wo r k alon e B u t the tr e at men t
a t rs t me t wi t h s tr ong opposi t ion in t his count ry and
s t ill has m any adversaries he r e O f t hese however
few seem to h a v e re a lly s t udied t he subj ec t and many
h a ve never even seen a patien t hypno t ized I t is to
L loyd Tuc key s perseverance and B r amwell s deter
mina t ion and cou r age in adv o ca t ing the claims of t he
new tre at men t th at hypnotism chiey owes i t s recog
nitio n in E ngland as a legi t im ate addi t ion to o ur
a rm o u r y o f healing
O f co ur se i t is impossible in a wo r k like this to give
m o re t han a mere ske t ch of t he results of trea t ment
by s u gges t ion and al t oge t he r impossible to give a
c o mplete list o f the di ffe r en t kinds of ailmen t s which
a re s a id to have been bene t ed in t his way A t
p r esent we do no t know t he limi t s o f i t s usefulness
a nd i t seems p r obable tha t it m a y ye t be found t o
inuence mal a dies to which a t presen t it has no t e v en
been a pplied B u t one may easily claim t oo m u ch for
it and s o bring it in t o discredi t I t is an adj unct t o
medicine which is highly impo rt an t beca u se certain
t ypes of disease appe a r t o be amenable t o i t t h at can
scarcely be in u enced at a ll by other mean s a nd
because it can reinforce o t her more usual remedies
by cre a ting a nd m a in t aining a heal t hy condi t ion of
min d
h is

122

AN

I NT R OD UCT ION T O HYPNOT I S M

II

Rep ressio ns

S inc e th e d ay s o f Li beault t her e h a v e be e n great

ch ange s in the prac t ice o f dealing wi t h men t al c a ses
d u e to t he a dvent o f t he disc o ve r ies o f P rofessor S ig
m u nd Fre u d o f Vienn a I t is no t t oo much to say
th at the t heories which he evolved h av e revol u tionized
almost every branch o f psychother a pe utics O riginally
t h e a im o f tr e at men t was the removal o f symptoms
Nowadays we can of t en r emove t he act u al cause o f
t he s ymptoms a nd so en s ure t hei r dis a ppear a nce
Whereas a cu r e di r ec t ed t o t he re moval o f sym p
t oms was only t oo apt t o be transien t one directe d
t ow a rds the eradic ation o f t he underlying c au se is
perm a n e nt
I t is to FM d t h a t we o we o u r kn o wledge o f t hese
concealed phenomena He i t wa s wh o rst poin t ed
mental and even physical
o ut th a t many nervous
symp t oms owe t heir origin to what are termed re
pressed memo r ies I t is impo r tan t t o u nders ta nd
what is me a n t by a repressed memory a nd perh a ps
a n expe r ience o f my own m a y m ake i t cle a r
L ike many others a f r ie nd o f min e received d u ring
the wa r a t remend ou s shock s o p a inful t hat he c o uld
no t bea r t o t hink o f it H e soon fo u nd t ha t if any
t hing t ended t o remind him o f i t he experienced an
in t ense emotion of ho rr or before t he memory o f t he
a c tu al even t was any t hing like realized and at once
he volun t arily t urned his thoughts away a nd refused
S oon thi s tur ning a w ay
to t hink o f t he subj ect
,

T RE AT MENT B Y

SUGGE ST ION

1 23

b ec a me in stinct ive a nd the res u l t th e n o f b ein g

reminded o f t he even t w a s a n immedia te e m o tion of
horror followed a t o nce by a n in s t inctive h a lf con
scio u s wi t hholding f r om all t ho u ght of t he inciden t
I t w a s much like knowing t h at a pic t ure w a s there
and refusing t o look at i t E ven t u a lly t he emotion of
horr o r w hen arou sed acted a s a kind of da nger signal
He seemed t o feel rathe r than k now wha t was c o ming
tha t t he inciden t which gave rise to i t w a s o n t he
ve r ge o f being fully remembe r ed ; but he in s t an t ly
repressed it a nd drove i t out of his mind Wha t
s t ruck me chiey was t he en or mous s t reng t h o f t he
remembered emo t ion comp ar ed with t he ext r eme
we a k ne ss o f the mem o ry of t he incident The emo
t ion he co u ld no t preven t ; the memo r y o f the even t
he could repress quite e a sily
Whils t in a dult life very few c a n r epress a memory
comple t ely in child life the experience appears t o be
much mo r e easy I imagine t ha t a child who ha s
passed th r ough some really painful expe r ience r eac t s
in much t he same way a s my f r iend did When
reminded o f it he experiences at once the emotion
a nd p u shes t he inciden t o ut of his mind But wi t h
con s ta nt repe t iti o n this pr o ces s m a y in the child
become completely au tom at ic I f a nything tends t o
recollection o f the incident the emo t ion a rises r s t
a nd in stantly and a ut om at ic a lly the mem o ry o f the
o cc u rrence is repressed
The result is t hat in af t er life should a ny th ing t end
t o rem ind him o f the incid e nt he will at once b e
,

I N TR O DUCT ION T O HY PNO TI SM

AN

I2 4

s eiz ed by th e emotio n (which he c a nn ot repress ) but

will rem a in in c o mple t e ign o r a nce of its ca u se since
the m em o ry o f t he l att er i s aut omatically represse d
Th e emotion will con s t itute a symp t om ; a nd hence
we s ee th a t the sympt o m s ind u ced by a repressed
memory a re s imply the recalled emoti o ns sensa t i o n s
o r impul s es which occ u rred with t he origin a l inciden t
I n t he case o f a simple u nc o mplic a ted repression if
the s u fferer c a n b e made to rec a ll to conscious
nes s the original event the whole of the symptom s
c au sed by it vanish and as t he ex a mples which I
give below show v a nish immediately practic a lly in
a momen t o f time
The newly recalled memory which is O ften intensely
vivid a t o nce t a kes its pl a ce a m o ng the ordinary
painf u l memorie s a nd behaves like t hem in tha t they
produce no unple a s a nt symptoms L ike these t oo i t
begins gr a dually t o f a de away u ntil event u ally i t
remain s a me r e dim r ecollection h a rmless and
sca r cely even p a inful a s the l a pse of time gr a dually
weakens it
O t her c a ses a re n ot so simple I n t he u nconscio u s
in which t hese rep r essed memories exis t t he r e is con
e lusive evidence t h a t men t al processes go o n o f which
we are a bsolu t ely un a ware a nd new associa t ion s and
gro u ping o f ide a s m a y arise which may cause new
symptom s apar t f r om t hose caused by t he simple
repression of individual inciden t s S o i t of t en happens
th a t t he symp t oms do not co r respon d wi t h t he o r iginal
experience but wi t h some new idea or system o f ideas
,

T RE AT M EN T B Y

SUGGES T ION

1 25

which t ho u gh connected with t he inciden t have begun

entirely in t he u nconscious
I t wil l be c o nvenien t he r e to remind the reade r of
Freud s t hree division s of c o ns c io u sne s s m ent io ne d in
a forme r chap t er r s t ly t he c ons cio us t he ordinary
conscio u sness of eve r yday life ; secondly the p re
c o ns cio us
wherein lie t he memories t h at can be
normally revived a nd t hirdly t he u nco nsc io us which
con t ains t hose memories which canno t be rec a ll e d by
no r mal means
I n o r der t o u nravel t hese obscur e memories the
proces s o f psycho -analysis inven t ed by Freud is a t
p r esent th e only me a n s we possess It depend s largely
on dream a nalysis a nd free associa t ion ; but I would
refer th e re a der to t he many works published o n t he
s ubj ect f o r fur t her informa t ion a s to its s c e p e a nd
method s Unfortun a tely it is necessa r ily a cumbrous
and tedio u s p r ocess a nd the t ime which it takes to

r
r
c arr y out often a yea r o e v en t wo o more and
t he c o ncomi t ant expense render i t a me t hod of t rea t
ment which c an b e ind u lged in only by comparatively
weal t hy and leisured people
The vas t maj o r i t y of
t hese sufferers m u st in the presen t st a te o f o ur
knowledge be content to be a r their ill s u nrelieved
as bes t they m a y
H appily in m an y inst a nces re pressed memories
c a n be recovered by mere s u ggesti o n under hypno s is
Fre u d him self a t one time u sed hypnotis m fo r t his
pu r pose but gave it u p par t ly a t any r ate o n t he
ground t h at s o few p a tient s c ou ld be hypnoti z ed I
,

AN

126

IN T RODUCT ION T O HYPNOT ISM

p r esume he mean t deep ly hypnotized for over 9 0 per

cen t of person s can be readily hypnotized to some
degree
1 Wi t h t he exception o f some cases o f shell shock
trea t ed m o st successfully by P r ofessor B rown o f
"ing s C ollege I can nd no reco r d o f c a ses o f
repression tre a ted by hypno t ism I t is perhaps owing
to the introduction o f psycho a na lysis t h a t so little
a tten tion seems to h ave been paid o f l a te ye ar s to the
possibilities of the u se of hypnotism for treating
repression ; and no real advance seem s t o have been
made in t he practice of hypnotism fo r qui t e a number
o f ye ar s
No doub t t his is partly due t o the years o f
the Gre a t War
Ye t if the knowledge o f hypnotism is n ot to rem a in
stagnant it is clear t h a t fresh inve stiga t ion as to
me t h o ds mus t be pu r sued a nd i t seems a pity t hat s o
much m a terial should be w a sted owing to there being
at present no cen t re connected wi t h the L ondon medi
cal schools wher e studies may be carried o n t o deter
mine h ow fa r sugges t ion is of use a s a subs t itu t e for
psycho an a lysis Th e ques t ion is o f ex tr eme impor
t ance for if a me thod of dealing with r epression under
hypno t ism we r e discove r ed h u nd r eds o f s u ffere r s for
whom psych o -analysis is a p ra ctical impossibility
migh t be relieved
S ome seven ye a rs ago I determined to try whether
t hese rep r essions could no t be r ec a lle d under lig ht
hypnotism and I fo und to my s u rprise t h a t this w a s
possible in quite a number o f case s
,

T RE AT MEN T B Y

SUGGES T ION

1 27

me t hod is ve r y simple
I assume ( and I
believe i t to be tr ue ) t ha t t he symptom fro m which
t he p a tien t is su ffe r ing is iden t ical in nature (tho u gh
no t in in t ensi ty) wi t h a n emo t ion sens at ion o r im
pulse which occurred at the t ime o f the or igin a l
even t I al s o a ssume t hat the o ccurrence gave rise t o
men t al dis t ress
I t m u s t be cle ar ly realized tha t t he in t e nsi ty o f t he
sympto m may far exceed t h at of t he o rigin a l co u n t er
par t which gave rise to it Thus t here seems t o be
n o limit to the intensi ty o f pain ca u sed by a rep r e s sed
memo ry I n one o f the c a ses ci t ed below a blow on
t he head inicted by a li t tle gi r l on her b r o t he r ( c t
fo u r who happened a t the time t o be in a st a te o f
g r eat ment a l dis t ress c a used agonizing pain some
t wenty -four ye a rs l at er t houg h the p a in v a nished
immedi at ely a nd pe r m a nently when t h e inciden t was
rec a lled to his memory
Ac ting on these assump t ion s I suggest to t he pa t i e nt
u nder hypnosis tha t he will recall a n inc ide rit which
aroused
sensa
t
ions
exactly
co
rr
espondin
wi
t
h
t
hose
g
/
from which he su ffe r s t hough no t necessa r ily o f t h e
same degree o f in t ensity and tha t at t he t ime he
s u ffered real ment a l distress In a la r ge propor t ion
of
c a se s t he memo r y is t hen recalled a nd the
symptoms associa t ed with it v a nish immedia t e ly
I d o no t fo r one m o ment prete d th a t in co mplic a ted
n
c a ses where intric a te ch a nges in a ss o ci a tion h a ve
occ u rred in t he u nconscio u s th a t t he mere u ne arthing
o f a repre s s e d memory a s here de s cribed i s s uicient
Th e

AN

1 28

INT RODUCT ION T O HYPNOT ISM

to e ffect a cure I n such cases psycho a n a lysis is t he

only p r ocedu r e likely t o give r elief
The use o f t he me t hod described a bove is conned
to cases of simple repression where no ve r y com
plica t ed ch a nges h a v e t aken place in the u nconscio u s
re a lm B ut in qui t e a numbe r of patien t s t he mere
unea rt hing o f a repression is followed by immedia t e
a nd app a rently perm a nent cure
O cc a sionally I h a v e c o me a cro s s cases who u nder the
inuence o f hypnotism seem to be able not merely to
remembe r t he rep r ession b u t also t o a n a lyse fo r them
s elves thei r o wn men t al condi t ion An in stance of
t his is recorded in c a se 9
I may p oin t out t ha t the Freudian scho o l would
reg a rd t he original inciden t of which the repressed
memo r y i s recove r ed as symbolic o f something else
generally o f some s ex c o mplex I do not deny t h at

t his is possibly t he c a se a ltho u gh one o f o ur gre a test

psychologists o nce told me th a t he believed t his
a ssump t ion was made merely in o r der t o t in t he
fac t s with t he Freudian t heory Bu t I a m no t com
petent myself to exp r ess an opinion on t h e p o int
Wha t I wish to emph a size is t ha t wh at ever theory we
may hold as t o t he why and wherefo r e t he simple
r ec a lling o f a repressed memory may a nd o ften doe s
e ffect a perm a nen t c u re o f t he sympt o ms
Th e following t en c a ses are examples o f symp t oms
cu r ed by the recovery o f repressed memories which
had caused them :
1 A lady ( e t 3 2
Sh e w a s a w o m an t he rever s e o f
.

BY

T RE AT MEN T

129

SUGGES T ION

hys t e rical a nd of q u i t e exceptional intellec t All her

life eve r since she co u ld remember she h a d su ffered
intense fe a r on mee t ing o t her people E ven when
walking in t he street she was attacked by t his fear
c a used by o thers coming t owa r ds her Th e fe a r was
a lw a ys a ccomp a nied by a feeling of str o ng press u re o n
t he back o f her he a d Sh e w a s in consequence of
t his quite un a ble t o go int o s o ciety I n a ddi t ion she
had a terror of going in t o any big b u ilding t hough
small buildings did not a ffec t her Besides these t wo
symp t oms she c o ns ta n t ly fancied t h a t she hea r d
people s a ying unple a s a n t t hings a bo u t her Th e
t error of big buildings appe ar ed to have a r isen later
than the o t her fears I saw her about t en t imes
The fear o f meeting people a nd t he hea r ing of people
t a lking a bo u t he r origina t ed a t s u ch a n early a ge t hat
I h a d t o get her to r ec a ll t h e events o f her b a byho o d
a nd s he eventu a lly remembered herself in l o ng cl o thes
We were a ble to verify one o r tw o o f t he incidents
which she recollected at th at ea r ly a ge a s h a ving
a ct ua lly occ u rred
Th e fe a r o f mee t ing people and the pressure on the
b a ck o f the head was due t o repressed memory o f
h a ving her f a ce washed a s a ba by App a rently t he
proces s terried her very m u ch a nd a t l a st she
bec a me a f ra id th a t a nyone who a ppro a ched her wa s
going t o wash he r face O f course she h a d r e a lly
been most ungently handled at this ea r ly period o f her
life
Th e pre s s u re on the b a ck of her he a d w a s c a used by
.

AN

13 0

IN TR OD UCT ION

T O HYPNO T IS M

th e hand o f t he n u rse h o lding h e r he a d durin g th e

w a shing When sh e re a lised this she excl a imed
No w I know what the p a in is at the b a ck o f my no s e

It is the s oaps u d s get t ing into my n o s tril s

I h ad
n o t be en told prev i o usly o f this symp to m
Th e origin o f her fe a r of b ig b u ildin gs w a s expl a ined
in t his w a y Her m o ther was fond o f pl a yin g o n t he
ch u rch org a n a nd o ne d a y when b etween t hree a nd
f ou r y e a rs old s he a ccomp a nied her S he w a s per
fe c tly h a ppy u ntil the people beg a n t o c o me in for
service b u t w a s then seized wi t h t err o r and t h e
feeling o f press u re o n her head The inciden t alarmed
he r so much t h at she rep r essed the memory of i t So
th a t in this in s t ance the even t which was repressed
w a s a ct u ally ca u sed b y the e a rlie r repressi o n o f having
her f a c e w a shed Th e momen t she re c o llec t ed t hese
r e pressions the symptoms d u e t o them v a nished a nd
h ave now cea s ed for ne ar ly a year
The third sympt o m t h a t of he a ri n g people tal k ing
abo u t her I h ave no t yet rem o ved as she w a s obliged
t o le a ve t o wn However I h a ve no do u bt th a t two or
three m o re tri a ls will s u f ce to get rid of i t for we
k now to wha t it w a s d u e o nly the ex a ct details b eing
a s yet u nrev e a led Bu t I a m precluded fr o m givin g
an a cc ou nt of t he f a ct o f the repr e ssi o n which h a s
a lre a dy been u ne a rthed fo r re a son s which w ou ld be of
no in t erest to the reader
2 A l a dy a t 3 1
Highly e d u c a ted
E ngaged in
ed u c a tio n a l work
For t e n ye a r s she h a d s u ffered from an in ten s e
.

T RE AT ME N T B Y

SUGGEST ION

131

cr a ving for alcohol which h o wever she had a lways

successfully r esisted At rs t I t hough t i t migh t be
a fo r m of tr u e dip s om a nia ; but i t presen t ed cha r ac
te ris tics which were s o m u ch u nli k e it t hat I thought
i t might be d u e to s ome repressed memo r y
I s a w her twic e O n the r s t o cc a sion I hypnotiz ed
her very lightly S he w a s o nly j u st in the rst s t age
a nd co u ld not O pen her eyes I s u ggested th a t sh e
would r e c a ll some in ciden t o f chi ldhood which was
connected with drin k or drunk enness and which h a d
dis t ressed her gr e a tly I t old h er it h a d prob a bly
o cc u rred betw e en t he ages of three a nd ve
However she co u ld rec a ll no t hing ; so I ro u sed her
a nd told her to c o me a gain the next morning Five
min u tes l a ter she ret u rned to te ll me t h a t she h a d
recalled the incident It a ppe a red th a t when she was
a bou t three ye a rs old a m a n h a d told her mother i n
her presence a b o ut a w o m a n wh o h a d go t dr unk and
murdered he r o wn child The story h a d distressed
h e r intensely f o r some days a nd t hen seems to h a ve
been repressed Th e cr a vin g was re a lly not a cr a ving
a t a ll b u t a fe a r lest she should ta ke a lc o hol a nd som e
tragic res u lt sho u ld follow When she h a d told m e

wh a t she remembere d I said t o her : Don t y ou eve r

feel a fr a id o f inj uring yo u r pupil s " Sh e replied :

This symptom wa s
Ye s a nd I can t think why
o f co ur s e d u e t o the m urder o f the ch ild Th e
sympt o m s left her a nd s h e h a s b ee n well f o r s o m e
fou r ye a r s
Sh e h ad been at
3 A lit t le girl ee l a b o ut 1 4
,

13 2

AN

I NT R O DUCTIO N TO HYP NO T I SM

vario u s b oa rdin g s ch oo ls b ut w a s u nable t o remain

in t hem owing to c o ns t ant vomi t ing a l t ho u gh she wa s
q ui t e well the m o ment sh e g o t in to t he tr a in to go
home Sh e was fond o f he r sch o ol life a nd distressed
a t b ein g u n a ble to rem a in
S he had been in t he h a nds o f vario u s medic a l men
and had amongst ot her things u ndergone a cou r se o f
Weir Mi tchell treatmen t in a n ur sing h o me b u t no
improvement w h a t ever resulted I t seemed pr o bable
th a t i t wa s repressed memory o f na u s ea o r v o mi t in g
I s a w her only once Under ligh t hypnosis I
s u gges t ed tha t she would re c a li some forgo tt en inci
den t o f early childhood prob ably between t he ages of
three a nd ve which h a d c a used her great dis t res s
and m a de her feel ve ry sick S he immedia t ely began
to retch ; and I a sked her whe th er she remembered

Ye s
a nd I h u rriedly ar o used her a s she
Sh e s a id
w a s a pparen t ly a b ou t to vomit
Her f a ther
Th e repressed mem o ry w a s a s f o ll o w s
was a n antiq ua ri a n a nd a m o ng o t her c u ri o si t ies he
kep t a m u mmy in the h o use This she co u ld never be
pers ua ded to see a nd she seems t o h a ve been re a lly
a fraid t o l ook a t it
O ne d a y w hen she w a s r a ther m o re th a n three year s
o ld her little s ister s a id t o her : C o me and lo ok a t

the m u mmy
a nd she ref u sed This p a rt o f th e
inciden t however it afterwar ds tr anspired was no t
repressed a s she h a d remembered i t in her o rdinary
life Th e rest o f th e incident w a s repressed Her

I f I giv e y ou sixpence will yo u

sis t er t hen s a id :
-

T RE AT MEN T

BY SUGGEST ION

1 33

come " a nd t o this she assen t ed Ha v ing safely

o b t ained possession of t he sixpence she p r omp t ly
ref u sed to go to t he na tu ral indignation of her sis t er
who insisted that as she h a d t aken the sixpence she
must come Sh e t hen did go and l o oked a t t he
mummy and w a s sic k w hen she saw it
No symp t oms however a ppeared until she wen t to
sch o ol Then a f t er a time vomiting commenced a nd
if a s us ua lly happened it beg a n in the mornin g it
con t inued more o r less all day
O n o ne af t ernoon when she had been f r ee all day
she was compelled agains t her will t o t ake pa rt in a
game (I t hink i t was c r icket ) which she d r eaded and
did her bes t t o evade However she had to pl ay and
a t once began vomi t ing P robably being compelled
t o play a game she fe ar ed r eminded he r of being com
to
loo
k
a
t
t
he
mummy
I
found
t
ha
t
the
ll
d
e
e
p
at tac k s which began w hen she woke in the mo r ning
and las t ed all d ay we r e preceded by dre a ms o f

mummies o f t en of being chased by a mummy

F r om that d ay to this t hough she is at a boarding
school she h a s neve r a gain vomi t ed or even once
su ffered from n a usea
4 I n t he case following I w a s a ware o f wh a t t he
repre s sion was Th e patient w a s to t ally un a ble t o
recall it al tho u gh he h a d been info r med o f the inci
dent and I t he r efo r e set myself t o t he task of reviving
t he concealed memo r y Th e res u lt w a s a comple t e
c ure
Mr S , a t 3 7 He had su ffere d fr o m ts fr o m t h e

A N I N T RODUCT I O N T O

134

HYPN O T ISM

a ge o f ve u ntil he was twelve ye a r s o ld Some o f the

t s appea r t o h ave been o f t he na tu re o f pe t it mal
bu t s o me w e r e cle ar ly gr a nd mal seve r al happening
du r ing the week some t imes occ a sionally occ urr in g
d ur ing his sleep wi t h involuntary en u resis A t t h e
a ge of twelve t hey ceased en t irely
E vent u ally the p a tien t got work in I ndi a a nd there
s u ffered m uch fr o m intense domes t ic worrie s
Two ye a r s bef o re he c a me to m e his ts returned
He would
b u t they h a d ch a nged in ch a r a cter
s u ddenly bec o me u nconscio u s a nd wo u ld rem a in
u nconscio u s sometimes for a s l o ng a s two ho u rs
I h a ve no doubt they were c a t a lep t ic I found from
wh a t his mo t her told me t h a t a t th e age o f ve h e
had been much te rr ied by a dog watching over h e r
puppies which had r u n o ut of a house a s he was passing
a nd ba rked f u rio u sly at him tho ugh it did not attack
him
Twenty min u tes later he was said to have
b ecome suddenly unconscious ; but I c ou ld get n o
reliable d a ta a s to the dur a ti o n of this rs t a t t ack

and about a week late r he had a t which seems t o

h a ve resembled petit m a l as it last e d fo r some minutes
This attack (as well as s ever a l others ) he Wa s
made t o rec a ll under hypnosis a nd he recollec t ed

t hinking o f nothing a s he sto o d in the h a ll and

b ein g led up to hi s nu r s ery in t h a t condi t ion I found
that t hough h e could rec a ll events both p r evious t o
a nd immedia t ely subse q uently to t he dog inciden t o f
t his he had no recollec t ion whatever ; n o r c ou l d h e
rec all i t by any e ffort of memory
.

T RE AT MEN T

BY SUGGEST ION

135

I t s e e med s o p r obable th a t in s ome w ay his

symptoms we r e d ue t o a repressed memory of the
even t tha t I de t ermined to tr y t o rec o ver it
Anothe r fact made it s t ill more cert a in t hat t he
incident w a s rep r essed and no t fo r gotten Though
he lives in t he town wher e the episode t o ok place t he
h ou ses in th e street where it h a ppen e d were a lw a ys
u nfamili a r to him th ou gh he freq u ently p a s s ed them
The followin g e x t r a cts from an a cc ou nt o f his c a s e
written by hims e lf will give a n ide a of h i s co n diti o n
when I s a w him :

I saw Dr Wing eld in 1 9 1 8 on the f o llowing

d a tes : Ju ly 1 l th a nd 1 7 th Augus t 6 th a nd 7 th
S eptemb e r 1 6 th 1 7 th 1 8 th 1 9 th 2 0 th 2 l s t a nd
O ct o ber 2 nd a nd 3 rd
Before se e ing him I w a s s u fferin g from depre ssi o n
ne arly con t inu ou s but at times becomin g m o re s evere
Whilst u nder hi s tre a tment the ts of depression
became gr a d u ally m o re m a r k e d a nd l a tt e rly v e ry
s evere b u t between tim es I w a s mor e n o rm a l
Bef o re seein g him I u sed to h a ve a ha u nt e d feeling

of
do
o
rs
i
n
n
only
especi
a
lly
if
I
w
a
s
t
o
o ut
(
)
a lone I t wa s a sen s e o f some imp a lp a ble p r esence
o r a little bl a c k devil f o llowing me a t a dist a nce o f a
few fee t behind me a nd a t a b o u t the height of my
shoulder Af ter my rst visit to Dr Wing eld this
did no t rec ur but w a s repl a ced by a m a rk ed ne r v ou s _
ness in stree t s especi a llya t cr o ssings which w a s very
in tense t o w a rd s S ept e m be r l 6th a fter which it
bec a m e v e ry s l ight
.

AN

136

I NT RODUCT I ON T O HYPN OT ISM

I had f ro m t ime t o t ime su ffered from u nexplained

a tt acks of vomiting which bec a me p a rticula r ly fre
q u ent a t t he beginning Of S eptember but ceased in
t he middle of th a t mon t h This was a lw ays in t he
e vening before bedtime I have h a d no ca t aleptic t
since my rst visi t to Dr Wing eld

My rst tw o visits to Dr Wing eld in Ju ly

produced very little e ffect a s I w a s a difc u lt s u bj ec t

t o hypn o tize O n Aug u st 6th whilst u nder hypnosis
I noticed th a t in my recollection o f the houses near
where the dog was there was a misty gap ex t ending
some three ho u ses before the dog house and double
th at n u mber beyond During t he pe r iod b etween
A u g u st 6 th a nd 2 7 th my recollection of the hou ses
b ec a me gradu a lly cle ar er the gap c onsis t ing only o f
t he dog s ho u se and t h r ee houses bey o nd
O n Aug u st 2 7 th u nder hypnosis I remembered
facts o f my rst t a s a child a nd the iron railin gs in
fr o nt o f the dog s house

Between A u gust 2 7 and S ep t ember l 6th I go t a

cle a rer recollection o f the ho u ses a nd t he whi t e mis t
became lighter with a more subst a ntial cen tre I
a ls o recollec t ed fu rther details o f my rst a t ta c k a s a
child

O n S eptember l 6th u nder hypnosis the pre

vio u s ly recollec t ed inciden t s became clea r er and on
t he following day under hypnosis I rst saw my
father running tow ar ds me when t he dog came at me
and subsequen t ly I rec o llected t he ho u se ex t remely
cle a rl y b u t with o nly a f a int mist where th e dog
,

T RE AT MEN T

BY SUGGEST I ON

13 7

s h o u ld h a ve been Af t er this a t nigh t I used t o get

shor t glimpses of t he dog usually i t s hindqua r te r s
som e t ime s a bit o f its ank D uring t his period I
recollected m o st o f my r st a tt a c k excep t it s st ar t
O n S eptember 1 9 th I clea r ly a ssoci a ted my attack s
o f vomiting a s a child with fe a r
F o r some nights I
suffered c on siderably from fear O n the 2 7 th I heard
o ne o r two faint barks un de r hypnosis

O n Septembe r 2 8 th I expe r ienced considerable

fe a r j us t a s I w a s passing the ho use where the dog
had lived b ut t his w a s not repeated w hen I p a ssed t he
house o n O ctober l s t Be t ween S ep t ember 2 l st and
O ctober 2 nd I go t an extremely foggy impression of
t he outline o f the dog s t anding in t he doorway O n
O c t ober 2 nd I fel t intense fe a r for the rs t t ime under
hypnosis ; and the fear lasted a n hour o r two af t er
war ds Whilst u nder hypnosis I ve r y clearly saw the
dog on the occasion of my a ttack in India in 1 9 1 4
a nd t hen in my rst a t t ack in E ngland a nd l a s t a t tack
in E ngland in the o r der n a med Any sign of re c o lle c
t ion of the dog in the house was at once oblitera t ed by
the dog as it appeared in my a t t ack in I ndia I heard
a few distinct f a int b a rks O n t he nigh t o f O ctober 2 nd
I felt fe a r which a t times bec a me very a c ut e fo r a few
minutes
O n O ctober 3 rd I cle ar ly recollected u nder hyp
nosis the dog as t he c a use o f my r st attack w hen a
child I t hen cle ar ly recollected the do g st a nding in

the doorway a nd he a rd he r b a rk
At th is l ast trial he t o l d me th a t he h ad see n the
.

"

AN

138

IN TR O D UCT ION

TO

HYPNOT ISM

precisely b a rk in g a nd r un ning o u t a t him On

O c t ober 2 nd he told me th a t he s aw the do g in the

doo r way and outside a t the g a te bu t t ha t fe a r

seemed to pre vent him from see ing her actu ally

Du ring t reatment he a dds :

running o ut
My
memory seemed to a dvance only w hen u nder hyp
n o si s a nd a t night bet wee n g o ing to b e d a nd going to

s leep
O n O ct o ber 1 4th h e writes : I h a v e s u ffer e d le s s
from depressi o n a nd wh a t depression I h a ve experi
e nc e d d u ring the l a st few day s h a s be en m u ch less

in t ense th a n formerly in f a ct a ltogeth e r in a di fferent

class I h a ve l o s t all fe a r in cr o ssing a s tr e et a nd
n o w feel perfec t ly norm a l
Th e memo r y o f the dog i ncident h a s now bec o me
quite a n or dina ry memory of a di s t a nt event though
fo r t wo o r three days i t w a s c o ntin ua lly with me only
a s a memory i t is t ru e b u t a mem o ry of something
recen t
I h a v e been thinking o ver my c o ntin ua l f a il u re t o
remember wh a t my t houghts w e r e durin g a ny att a ck
a nd I wonder wheth e r it w a s th a t both my c o n sci ou s
a nd subconsci ou s self wer e p a r a ly z e d by the fe a r a nd
I really had no tho u ghts t o r e member This would
seem to expl a i n why in s o me a ttacks I could rem a in
o n my feet a nd even walk a w a y w hen the stimulus
was p r ovided to the m u scle s by someone le a ding me

a s in my r st attack
I n a further no t e the p a tien t s ays
I h a v e rec o ll e ct e d s eein g th e do g i n f ou r of my

dog

T RE A T ME NT

BY SU G GES T I ON

139

att acks namely t he r s t a t tack I h a d as a child a n

a tt ack in India in 1 9 1 4 my r st a t tack in E ngland in
1 9 1 7 and my las t a t tack in E ngland in 1 9 1 8
I n each case t he dog appeared at exactly the same
angle t o me During the rst a tt ack in E ngland in
1 9 1 7 it appeared o n my r ight han d side t he only
possible pl a ce fo r i t to a ppear from t he position in
which I was si tt ing bu t in all the other cases it
a ppe ar ed o n my lef t h a nd side which w a s t he side o n
which it w a s w hen it a ct u ally att a cked me I n the
I ndi a n at t ac k the dog stood o ut more cle a rly th a n in
the other a tt a cks which is o nly n a t u r a l from the
p o si t ion a t the edge o f the circle o f religh t in t he
d a r k fores t a t nigh t I n each a ttac k t he dog appe a red
mo t ionless n o t in the position of a s t a t ionary do g
but in a posi t ion o f ac t ion such as might be regis t ered
by an instan t aneou s photograph
O n r st seeing t he
dog in these a ttac k s I j umped to t he concl u sion t hat
t he a ctivity indic a ted wa s the posi t ion of barking
because I knew t hat it was by ba r king that t he dog
had t er r ied me Bu t since I h a ve made fur t he r
progress in seeing t he a ctual a t t a ck I a m c o nvi nced
that the posi t ion o f the dog in t he a tt a cks is t he
inst a nt a f t er she h a d j u mped to he r feet a nd b efore

she rushed forw a rd b a rking that is t he instan t

immedia t ely befo re sh e u ttered t he rs t bark and
immedi at ely befo r e the point where the m o st in t ense

terror arose
S ince then the patient h a s been free from ts a nd
te rr o r s It i s un f o rt una te t h a t h e h a d n o m o re tim e
,

'

AN

1 40

I NT R ODUCT ION T O HYPNO T ISM

at his disposal fo r I do not know what the connec t ion

was between t he dog and the li tt le black devil and t he

o
f
phobia
c r ossing t he s tr ee t if t he r e was any
As these symptom s all disappe a red wi t hout any
s u ggestion being m a de t h a t they would do so i t seems
most probable that they were connected wi t h t he do g
inciden t ; b ut only a longer a nd more sea r ching
a nalysis wo u ld have shown what it was Th e only
s u gges tion s m a de a t a ny time were th at he should
remember the at t acks made by the do g a nd sec o ndly
that he should recollect his ts
5 A schoolboy wt
He su ffered from in t en se
ter r or of the da r k Th e terror had commenced abou t
two years b efo r e I s a w him and had become into le r
a ble No t only we r e t he nigh t s t er r ible b u t the days
also bec a use he kn e w the night was coming He h a d
b een quite un a ble t o sleep in a r oom by himself
The r e was a his t o r y th a t when he was ve years
o ld he had slep t for a week in t he same room wi t h a
new governess who w a s t hen discovered t o be insane
His paren t s became a ware a t t he time t hat something
had te r ried him during t ha t week bu t they could
neve r ge t f ro m him any account o f wha t had occurred
a nd when he c ame t o me I found him qui t e un a ble t o
recollect any t hing ab o ut i t o r even wh a t his g o verness
looked like As it seemed more than likely t hat his
fea r o f t he da r k was due t o a rep r essed memory of
some t hing which h a d then occur r ed I determined t o
t ry to m a ke him recall i t
His p are nts h ad s o me ti me b efor e t ak e n the boy to
,

T RE AT M EN T

BY

SUGGE S T I ON

1 41

see an eminen t physician who pr o no u nced the cheer

f u l verdict th at the boy was inj u r ed for life and t ha t
nothing wha t ever co u ld be done for him
I treated him ve times a nd o n the fth trial he
recalled the c au se of his terrors
The governess who w a s a Ro m a n C a tholic used to
wake him in the nigh t put a cr u cix int o his hand s
and tell him t o h o ld it tight as the whole room was
full of devils wh o were g o in g t o at t a ck t hem S he
pr ayed hys t eric a lly a nd every now and t hen would
poin t to the shadows s a ying she s a w some te rr ible
being or other which s he u s ed app a rently t o desc r ibe
more o r less o ne being a m a n like a C hina man
Na t u r a lly the u nf o rt u n a te child passed t hro u gh
extremi t ies o f t error
His memories revived a li t tle wi t h e a ch t rial af t er
the rst a nd the nigh t a f t er t he f ou rth t r ea tmen t he
s u ffered fr o m frightful nightmare
He could not
remember wh a t i t was in t he m o rnin g b u t t old his
mother he wo u ld recall it w hen I s a w him ; and i t
turned o ut th a t t he nigh t mare w a s a recollec t ion of
his week o f terr o r When I s a w him t he day after
his memory had b een revived ; h e s a id he felt qui t e
di fferent a nd no longer felt t he old fe a r
In cases o f this k ind , however when the fear is

des t royed there a lm o st a lw a y s arises a new fe a r th a t

is a fe a r les t t he old fe a r should arise I n t his case
i t w a s a fear lost if he went in to th e d a r k the old
t e rror should rec u r

This
fe a r of a fe a r which is a f t er all q u ite a
,

AN

1 42

INT RODUCT ION T O HYPNOT ISM

re a sonable one is destroyed by time a nd by th e

constantly repe at ed discovery t h at even in the d ar k
the O ld fear d o es no t r ec ur h o wever m u ch h edreads

t h a t i t m ay Wi t h this boy t he fe a r o f a fear

lasted a few wee k s a nd then vanished en t irely To

u se his o wn words he n o w
likes the n ight a s

much a s t he day
6 Sch o olboy act 1 4
B e arde d at a p u blic s ch o ol
He had be e n s u fferin g
for two years from great h o me sickness which had
become so s evere and in t erfered so se r io u sly with his
s cho o l life th a t the q u es t i o n o f removing him w a s
r a ised
I fo u nd o n q u estioning h im that tw o year s pre
vio u s ly he h a d been slightly b u llied a nd ever sin ce
h a d experienced a n a lmost c o nstant feeling o f a ppre
h ensive dread
He felt that some t hing terri b le wa s
threa t ening h im th ou gh he h a d n o ide a as to i ts
n a ture
The repressi o n w a s u ne a rthed at the fth a t t empt
When twenty two m o nths o ld he h a d ea t en orange
peel a nd in o rder to p u n i sh him his n u r s e h a d sh u t
him u p ei t her behind a d a r k c u rt a in o r in a c u pboard
This ter r ied him a nd he was fr ightened lest she
s h ou ld d o i t again and a ppe a rs t o h a ve repressed t he
memory o f t he incident I have no do u bt t h a t being
bullied h a d tended to remind him o f this inciden t

When he r e called it I s a id to him : I s t h a t wh at

f
f
o
u
w
e
re
a
fraid
o
Y
s
he
rep
l
ied
o
co
u
rse
it
e
y

is
Why o f c our se 2 I a sk ed
Yo u only k new
,

T R E AT MENT

BY SUGGES T IO N

1 43

i t rs t this m o men t
I kn o w that b u t I kn o w

t hat is wh a t it w a s wa s t he an swe r
I a sked him whe t her he felt his a pprehension a nd
he said that it w a s en t irely gone He returned t o
school b u t has been eve r since perfectly well o f his
home sicknes s a nd his h o use m a ster h a s told me that
he is quite a di e rent boy He h a s been well for
abo u t twenty mon t hs
7 A soldier cat 2 7
He h a d been inv alided o u t of
t he Army o n a cc o un t of ex t reme phobi a He was r s t
te r ried o f the d ar k a nd then terried o f being alon e
even d ur ing th e d a y a nd was un a b le to go abou t
unless a cc o mp a nied I tr e at ed him o nly once Under
hyp nosis I s u gges t ed th a t he would remember an
incident o f his childh o od when he w a s terried and in
dark nes s He a t o nce h a d a k ind o f nigh t mare a nd
I ro u sed him He recollected when h e w a s he
tho u ght a bo u t two o r f o u r th a t he was a ccidentally
l o c k ed in a cellar a nd he r emembered his fr a n t ic
a tt empts at esc a pe a nd h o w he m a de his h a nd s raw
by beating a t the d oo r
I nst a ntly he felt well a nd said he k n e w he wo u ld be
a ll right a lone I s a w him eight day s l a ter He
c a me a l on e a nd s a id th a t the phobia h a d lef t him
en t irely
8 An oth e r s o ldier s uffered from nearly identic a l
s ymptoms He w a s terried o f being a lone ; b ut it
did no t appe ar t h a t it ha d made a ny difference whe t her
i t w a s night o r d ay He to o h a d to h a ve a n esc o rt
a s h e w a s q u ite un a ble to g o a bo ut by him s elf

of

AN

I 44

I NT RODUCT ION T O HYPN OT ISM

a s a s ma ll child
he h a d got sep a ra t ed from his pa r ents at one o f t he
gre a t exhibi t ion s a nd had been los t fo r t hree hours
As in t he p r evio u s case the phobia vanished a t o nce
I saw him ab o ut a week later and he t old me that on
the evening of t he day on which rst I saw him he
h a d been a ble t o go h o me , by himself quite h a ppily
the rst time he had been a ble to do so since his ill
nes s Unfor tu na t ely I lost sight of him and do no t
know h o w he went on af t erwards
9 A prof e ssi o n a l man abou t 3 0 years o f age
He
had been o bliged to get le a ve from hi s wo r k on a ccount
of his illness three years b efore he c a me to me When
I rst s a w him h e w a s d a nger o usly depressed for he
h a d be g un to believe t h a t he w ou ld never rec o ver
His m a l a dy beg a n as follows : Three ye a r s before
he n o tic e d t h a t if he p ut o n a lo o se coll a r he got p a in
over the region o f his appendix E vent ua lly he wa s
u n a ble to wear hi s collar s tight en ou gh t he pain go t
higher up a nd he began to s u ffer from vo miting
intense depression a nd a feeling o f o verwhelming
shame When I s a w him he wa s in de s pair of ever
get t in g well Th e c a se o cc u rred s ome seven yea r s
a go a nd I h a d h a d b u t little experience of this method
o f tre at ment which I was r s t beginning to study
At rst I fo u nd that under ligh t hypnosis he could
rec a ll no thing in connection wi t h his t rouble I then
suggested under hypnosis : Dre a m Yo u will d r eam

of some t hing connected with yo u r c o ndi t ion

On my

a sking him wh a t he s a w he s a id A big mi r ror

Und e r hypn o sis h e r e c a lled how ,

T R E A T ME NT

BY SUGGES T ION

1 45

F o r s om e d ays I g o t n o f u r t her a nd then h e reco l

le c te d th a t t he mirr o r in q u estio n u sed to s ta nd in the
ba t h r oom o f his o ld home Thi s put me o n the right
t rack for in a b at hr o om he wo u ld see himself n a ked
E ven t ua lly af t e r m a ny trials l a s t ing nearly t hree
weeks he unravelled t he enigm a
I t seem s th a t a s a sm all bo y he th ou ght he was
m a lform ed a nd the ide a became repres s ed
An in cident tended to remind him o f this When
he p u t o n a lo o se c o ll a r a nd went o u t into the air his
neck fel t c o ld and uncovered This h a d give n rise to
a s u bc o n sci ou s feelin g o f a b sol u t e n a kedness When
a sked u nder hypnosis wh a t he felt whe n he h a d o n a
lo o se c o ll a r he ex cl a imed : O h I a m quite n ak ed

E ve r yone c a n see I am m a lforme d

The p a in w a s
quite a secondary a ffa ir Du ring a n a tt a ck o f na ked
ness horr o r he s eems to h a ve su ffered rea l pain over
the a rm o wing I s u ppose to some tr an sient ailment
a nd ev e r a fter with e a ch a tt a c k o f depressi o n it
r e c u rred a s a mem o ry pain
The r e h a d been no impr o vement in his c o ndition
until the n a l t r i a l ; but t hen he bec a me well
immedi at ely went stra ight b a ck to his wo r k a nd
h as h a d n o rec u rrence Of a ny k in d o f d istr es s
since
1 0 Th e foll o win g ca se is o f in t e r e st a s s h o wing
th a t in cert a i n c a ses a repre s s e d mem o ry c an be
recovered a nd the sym pto m s c au se d by i t st o pped an d
then re repressed with th e re s ult th a t th e sympto m s
imm e d ia tel y rec u r
I a m un fo r tu n a tely prec l u d ed
,

10

I NT R ODUCT I ON

AN

1 46

HYPNO T IS M

TO

from givin g a ll the de ta ils o f t his ex t r ao rdin a ry c a se ;

b u t m u st content myself with a n outline
Mr F act 2 8 came to me fo r excessive smoking
desiring help to en a ble him to give it up
I discovered later that he h a d t wice p r eviously
once
six
ye
a
r
s
a
nd
once
six
month
s
befo
r
e
nea
r
l
)
(
y
killed himself b y t aking an overdose of a pois o n which
I shall c a ll chloral H e r eturned a week a fter my r st
in t erview He had l ar gely red u ced his smoking but
now c o mpl a ined o f agonizing p a in be t ween his
s ho u lders I fo und I c ou ld rem o ve i t at once by
s u gge s ti o n b u t i t a lw ay s rec u rred within t wenty fo u r
h ou rs O n e d a y he t old me th a t he fel t he must do
s omethin g b u t he did not kn o w wh a t it w a s C le a rly
this w a s a n imp u l s e prob a b ly d u e to som e u nconsciou s
repression
I hypnotized him and he passed a t once int o deep
hypn o si s I n f a ct I was neve r able t o hypno t ize him
ligh t ly deep hypnosis al ways appe a ring immedia t ely
I t hen a sked him what i t w a s he h a d t o do

Su ms w a s t he a nswer When I inqui r ed why he

h a d t o d o sums I fo u nd he h a d no w p a ssed back t o
his childhood days a nd he t old me why he was s o
dis tr essed I then a sked him wh at c a used the p a in

a nd he replied :
O h Mary has hit me in the back

with a cr o q u et m a llet
I t o ld him he wo u ld recollect
this o n a w a kening ro u sed him a nd fo u nd th a t h e

remembered perfectly I t a ppe a rs t hat a t the a ge o f

fo u r when he w a s in gre a t distres s over his s u ms hi s
l ittle s i s ter Ma ry h a d ind ee d h i t him in t he b a c k with a
.

T RE A T MEN T

BY SUGGEST I ON

1 47

croq u et mallet
Th e pa in w a s gone a nd never
recu rr ed again Th e pa t ient had many r epressed
memo r ies each h a ving its o wn pec u li a r symptom
a nd wi t h recovery o f e a ch repressi o n t he correspond
ing symp t om dis a ppeared
Bu t I soon discovered th a t h e had a d ua l pers o n a lity
I found eventually t h at du r ing many ye a rs he had
blanks of memory and that when I hypno t i z e d him
I really c a lled up this sec o nd person a lity Under
hypnosis his behavi o ur was qui t e different from tha t o f
a n or m a l individu a l He would not a ccept a ny s ugge s
t ions u nless he approved o f t hem and would a r gue
the point when I t r ied t o ge t him to do so I n fac t
all I could d o wa s to u se persu a sion when he w a s
hypno t ized
Th e hypn o tic person a lity u nlike that o f the n o rm a l
man h a d assumed the power o f criticism a nd t hi s
a lways seems to me one of the main diff e r ences between
the ordinary unconsciousness o f t he normal man and
a true second personality O nce the subcon scious
ass u me s the powe r of c r i t icism it ta kes o n the
f u ncti o n o f a re a l sec o nd pe r sonali ty
O ne symptom from which he su ffered freq u ently
was vomiting This I found w a s due t o a memory o f
having been made t o vomit when he had taken chloral

T
a s mentioned above
hen came t he q u estion why
did he t ake t he chlo ra l " This w a s d u e to a triing
incident o f childhood when he was ab o u t four ye a rs
o ld a nd o ne which was completely repressed and
very di f cult t o r e cover He h a d a c o ld and his
.

AN

1 48

IN T R ODUCT ION

HYPNOT ISM

TO

m o ther g a ve him s o me medicin e I t m a d e him feel

bette r a nd he asked fo r more b u t his mo ther h a d said

No you can t have any mo r e : i t s poison

The only poison which he knew o f w a s chlor a l A
conict w a s then set up be t ween his desire t o take his
medicine which he identied as chlor al a nd hi s fear
This became painful a nd he repressed
o f doing so
it E ven now he represses t he memori es o f recent
events with extraordina ry e a se
S om e t wenty -two ye a rs late r the u nconsci ou s
conict s eems t o h av e re a w aken ed a nd this time the
ide a th a t he w ou ld ta ke his medicine (chloral ) got the
He w a s seiz ed with a n irresistibl e
u pper h a nd
imp u lse bought s o me chloral and too k i t and wa s

wi t h difculty saved fr o m dea t h S ome ve a nd a

half years later t he s a me thing occ u rred I h a d
discovered t hat f r equen t ly his second pe r sonali t y had
a n in tense desire to p o ssess chlor a l a nd I fo u nd that
he h a d occ a sion a l bl a n k s o f memory a nd th a t during
th e period which w a s obliterated from his mind he
almost a lway s h a d m a naged to p u rchase chlor a l
th o ugh he did not take it I fo u nd t o o that the
period s o f longing to get it were a lways m a rk ed by
vomiting ; but tha t so long a s h e remembered the
inciden t about the medicine nei ther vomiting no r
desire for chlor a l occur r ed B ut frequently he co u ld
not recall the incident : i t w a s re repressed an d the
vomiting a t once rec u rred
I asked his second person a lity why he h a d forgott en
the incident o ne day a nd the reply w a s
Becau s e I
.

T R E A TM E NT B Y

SU GGES T ION

1 49

wanted to forget it
Asked why he wanted to fo r get

i t he said : Beca u se I can t ge t my po ison if I

remember i t
Another rep r ession giving rise to
di fferen t symptom s which was rec a lled w a s o ne day
and the s ympt o m a t once rec u rred
re repressed
tho u gh it v a nished permanen t ly when I m a de him
rec a ll t he repression fo r the second time
I h a ve never met wi t h o r heard o f any o ther c a s e
where a recovered repressed memory was re repressed
a nd the instance is a very st r iking one ; the re
repression alway s res u ltin g immedi a tely in a retu r n
o f the correspondin g sympto ms
Wh a t I tried to do in this case w a s t o f u se his t wo
personali t ies I used to try to persu a de him whilst
u nder hypnosis t o remember w hen he was a wake all
t hat h e remembered under hypnosis b u t w a s a lway s
me t with a point bl a nk refusal a nd I never c o uld ge t
h im t o consen t t o do s o under a ny c o nditions The
c a se is therefore so far a s the du a l pers o n a li ty goes
unc u red ; nor do I see a ny way b y which the s ec o nd
pers o n a li t y m a y be conq u e r ed
The dual personali ty
h a d been in existence for many ye a rs when I rst s aw
him ; but I have r e a son for hoping t h at i t will never
again wish t o take chloral
1 1 I n only one c a se h a v e I known a relapse
Th e
c a s e w a s that of a l a dy a t 2 1 who had for six years
s u ffered from terror in ch u rch a nd if a l o ne in th e
street
S he rec a lled a n incident when she w a s a child
S he h a d read a story in which the heroine went
.

AN

1 50

T O HYPNO T ISM

IN TRODUCT ION

s u ddenly mad a nd w a s h u rried o ff to an a syl u m and

t his had horried her grea t ly I found tha t she of t en
dreamed t hat she had gone mad and was seized by
a ttend a nts to be c a rried o ff to an a sylum Her t error

in the s treet which vanished a t once w a s prob a bly

d u e t o a n ide a th a t she wo u ld go m a d a nd t h a t pe o ple
in the s tree t were re a dy t o h u rry h e r o ff in the same
w a y But the terr o r of church I c o uld not remove
Sh e afterw a rds ma r ried and when t hree years later
she had her s econd child she n ur sed i t when she was
quite u nt to do so a nd b ecame exceedingly r u n down
The fe a r o f being a lone in the st r eet a g a in r ecurred
I saw her bu t o n th a t occasion failed t o disc o ver the
men t al cau s e of her relapse and since then I have
no t heard of he r
I t hink it is likely t h a t t he memo ry of the story w a s
not the o r igin a l repression b u t I do no t know
S ometime s when I could n ot m a ke t he p a tient
rec a ll th e repression directly I have succeeded in
making him or her dream u nder act u al hypnosis
o f s o me t hing c o nnected wi t h it and in t his way e v en
Thus in c a se 9 the
t ually discovered what I sough t
pa t ient dre a med tha t he s a w a big mirror and a t last
recalled t ha t it had stood in the ba t hroom o f his o ld
home
I n ano ther a lady who su ffered from intense
pain in t he lef t side of her face dream t u nde r hypnosis
that she saw a glass o f water standin g o n a table
This enabled her a few days l a ter to r ecall the whole
experience a n unfo r t una t e love a ff air
The man t o
whom she was a t t a ched h a d dr u nk h a lf a tumblerf u l
,

'

T RE AT M ENT B Y

SU GGEST IO N

1 51

w a t e r a nd when sh e wa s alOne she h a d dr unk th e

rest I n a n o th e r c a s e o f which I h a v e unf o rt u n at ely
los t t he n o tes t he p at ient w a s a l a dy wh o s u ffered
from t hree s ymptoms S he h a d frequen t ly hys teric a l
clenching o f her lef t hand due to her havin g crushed
a le t ter which c a used her great dis t r e ss in her left
h a nd
Sh e a lso su ffered from gre at depression a nd
a lon ging for dea t h a nd when t his was most ma r ked
she would of t en hear a voice saying "ill you r self

kill you r self a nd she fancied she smelt a strong

odour of smoke
The inciden t o f t he clenched hand she rec a lled so
far a s I can recollec t o n t he second t rial bu t I could
not a r ouse t he memory o f t he inciden t s which ca u sed
t he othe r t wo I t herefo r e sugges t ed t ha t she would
dream of s ome inciden t connec t ed wi t h t he symp t oms
and she dre a m t she saw t he n a me o f a the at re (I
t hink it w a s P rince s ) in red le tt ers o n a whi t e gr ou nd
O n the fo u r t h o r f t h t rial she s a w th e word s
P rince s The at re
This resulted in her rec a lling a
few days later t he following inciden t
A few d a ys a f t e r ge tt ing news of t he dea t h in ac t ion
d u ring the S outh Af r ic a n W ar of a yo u ng man t o
whom she w a s much att ached she w a s c r ossing a
L ondon s t reet
Sh e came t o a street r efuge w h ere
luckily there h a ppened to be a policeman and w a s
g o ing to walk s t rai gh t o n The policeman seized her
by the a rm and d r agged her back saying rather

a ng r ily
You ll kill yourself o ne day
Sh e t hen
s a w th a t she had only j u st avoided being run o ver by

of

AN

1 52

INT RODUCT ION T O HYPNOT ISM

a n o mni b u s which was emittin g a good de al o f smoke

and on which w a s a n a dver t isement wi t h t he wo r ds

Princ e s Th e a tre upon it Sh e r ec o vered but died

o f pn e u m o nia two years l a ter
I h a ve I fe a r t ired t he re a der by tre atin g o f these
c a se s a t s uch length b ut I regard t hem as t he mos t
imp o rt a nt th a t we h a v e to tre a t They a re demon
s tra t io ns th a t there is gre at scope fo r i mpr o vement in
th e meth o d s used a nd I h o pe th a t o ne day w e m a y b e
able s u ccessfully to treat many o f t he patien t s who a t
present c ou ld be t r eated by psycho analysis alone
but wh o a re precluded by prac t ical conside r a t ion s
fr o m ever a ttempting t he process
P rofess o r Brown of "ing s C ollege h a s u sed h ypno
tis m m o s t s u cces sfully in c a ses of ao c a lled war shock
to en a b le the pa t ien t s t o rec a ll t he ho r rors which e ver
c a me them a nd the r esults h a ve b e en most stri king
,

1 11

of

Genera l Princ i p l e s

Until

Tre at me nt

a few yea r s ago most physici a ns who made

u s e o f hypno t ism a imed at ind u cing as deep a s ta ge as
possible But o f l at e few do so t he ligh t er s t age s being
as a r u le quite s u fcien t fo r therape ut ic pu r poses
Moll l o ng a g o p o in t ed out that the r e a l dangers a re
two in n u mber : viz t he incre a sed tendency t o hyp
n o sis a nd t he height e ned s u sceptibili ty to s u gges t ion
in t he w a king s t a t e bo t h o f which he believes are
a voidable Ma ny c r i t ics o f hypnotism however h a v e

insis t ed t h at repe a ted hypnosis a t a ny ra t e deep

hypnosis h a s these drawbacks

,

T RE ATMEN T B Y

SU GGES T ION

1 53

Fo rt un a t e ly in t he v a st maj o r i ty of cases which

c o me for tr ea t ment deep hypnosis is qui te unnecessa r y
I n my o wn pr a ctice I h ave excep t o n ve r y ra r e
occasions for spe cial re a son s never induced the deep
s ta te fo r m a ny years
I some t imes make s u ggesti o n s un der q u ite light
hypnosis o r else use Bramwell s meth o d which w hen
i t a cts seem s to be much the s a me thing ; but most
f r equen t ly I combine b oth me t hods by r st inducing
light hypnosis and t hen suggesting t o the p at ient tha t
he will no t a t tend t o me but x his mind o n some
res t ful tr ain of t hough t whils t I make sugges t ions I
nd in t his way tha t I ge t results more r apidly t han I
do when I use B r amwell s me thod a lone E ven if t he
patien t c a nno t help a tt ending t o me I nd that t he
effect o f a sugges t ion is app a rent e v en on t he r s t day
Du r ing t he w a r I saw a good many
o f t r e a tmen t
cases o f ins o mni a amongs t soldie r s a nd in every c a s e
t hey slept on the nigh t af t er t he r s t sugges tion had
been m a de
Moll though he a dvised as deep a hypnosis as
possible poin t s o ut t h at it is a mis t ake to suppose
t hat the ligh t s t ages h ave no v a lue and L i be a ult
t ho u gh he insis t ed t ha t t he best results were ob t ained

in deep sleep says much depended on t he sugges t i

bility o f t he subj ect

For example A may be a s
suscep t ible to s u gges t ion in the light st at e a s B is in
t he deep one and expe r ience has convinced me o f t he
tr uth o f this
I may say here t ha t though in ye a rs gone by I
,

AN

1 54

INT ROD UCT ION

T O HYPNO T IS M

freq u e n t ly did m ak e u se of deep hypn o sis I h a ve

never s e en a ny s ign o f h ar m prod u ced thereby ; a nd
Br a mwell st a tes t ha t F o rel asserted t ha t nei t her he
nor L i be ault B ernheim We th ers tra nd Van E eden
Jung Moll o r the o ther followers o f t he Nancy
scho o l h a d eve r s een a single instance in which men t al
or physic a l h a rm had been c a used by the u se of
s u gges t ion in ther a peu t ics As the t ot a l n umber o f
their cases cert a inly exceeds f ty th ou sand hypno t ism
obvio u sly cannot be a ve r y dangero u s procedure
Ma ny compl a ints are amenable t o s u gges t io n F orel
gives t he following list of dise a se s in which it has been

found a e c tual :
,

F o rel s L is t

D is ea s es A mena ble t o Sugges tion

f
S pon t aneous s omnamb u lism
P ains o f all description especially he a dache to oth
a che which doe s not depend o n a bscess etc
S leeple s sness
Func t ion a l p ar a lyses a nd con t r a c tu res
O rg a nic p a r a lyses and contr a ctures ( as pallia t ive
means )
Chlor o sis (res u l t s extremely fav o ur a ble )
Dist u rb a nce o f mens t ru at ion ( me t rorrh a gia and
amenor r h oe a)
L o ss o f appe t i te a nd all nerv ou s diges t ive dist a r
bances
Constipation and dia rr h oea (provided t h at it doe s
no t depend o n ca t a rr h o r fermen t a t ion )
Gas t ric and i n tes t in a l dyspepsi a (including pseud o
dil a ta t ion )

TR E AT MENT BY SUGGE S T ION

1 55

P sychical impotence poll u tions o nanism perve r ted

sexual appe t i t e and t he like
Alcoholism a nd morphinism (only by the suggestion
of tot a l a bstinence )
C hr o nic m u s c u lar a n d ar thri t ic rhe u m a tism
Lu m b a g o
Th e s e -called neu r asthenic dis t urb a nces
St ammering ; nervous dis t urbances of vision
B lepharospa sm
P avor no c turnu s of children
S ickness and sea sickness the vomi t ing o f pre gn a ncy
E n u resis noc tu rn a (of t en very dif cul t o n a cco u nt o f
the dep t h of t he no r mal sleep )
C hore a
Nervo u s a t t acks o f coughing (also in emphysema )
Hysteric a l disturb a nces o f a ll k inds incl u ding
hystero ep ileptic a t ta cks a n aes the s i a phobi a s a nd
the like
B a d h a bits of a ll k inds
All hypochond r i a cal p a r aesth esias irri t able weak
nesses conceptions of impulse and t he like a re more
di f cult t o cure
O ther a uth o rs give many o t he r complain ts as
a menable t o hypn o tic sugges t ion but it would serve no
u seful pu r pose to extend t he lis t Those en u mer at ed
a bove give a su f cient indication o f the cl a sses o f
m aladi e s in which t he t reatment h a s been found
successful Mos t o f t hese a ppear to be examples o f
f u nctional ne u rose s in which no o rganic lesion c a n
,

be fo und

I NT ROD UC T ION T O H YPNO T IS M

AN

1 56

B u t it i s unn ecess a ry to give de ta iled acco u nt s

o f th e tr ea t ment of every kind o f disease amenable
to t rea t men t I sh a ll therefore c o nne myself to
th o se m a ladie s which most c o mmonly occur a nd which
everyone wh o pr a c t ises this form o f tre a tment is most
li k ely to meet
.

I V Typ ic al Ma l adies
.

Hys te ria
B ramwell rec o rds sever a l c ur e s and
,

Forel counts fteen c u res o ut o f t wenty eigh t When

t hese pa t ien t s can be hypnotized especially if t hey pass
int o the deep sleep pro gnosis a s regards the removal
of t he symptoms is gener a lly fav oura ble B ut o ften
t he pa t ien t relap ses so me time s y a s T u ckey poin t s o ut
even d u ring trea t m en t af t er a t empora ry improvement
I t appears to me t ha t mere s u ggestion t hough i t may
relieve the symptom s cannot of i t self c u re t he
real underlying condition F or this p u rpose psycho
an a lysis is t he o nly treatment which o ers much
reas o n a ble hope ; and it is to be reg r e t t ed t h at for
t he maj ori ty o f these s u fferer s it i s in pr a c t ice o u t o f
t he ques t ion
O n t his g r o u nd I do no t a dvise hypno t ism alone in
a gene r alized hyste r ical condi t ion excep t as a means
B ut
o f allevia t ing t he mos t dis tr essing sympt o m s
sympt o ms I have of t en s u cceeded in removing Two
cases are wor t h r ecordingo ne a case of hysteric a l
deafness and t he o t her a case of hys teric a l blindness
conned to the lef t eye
Mrs X th e wif e o f a s e rge a nt -ma j or h a d bec o me
-

'

T RE AT MEN T

BY SUGGEST ION

1 57

tone de a f after her c o nnemen t four ye a rs befor e I

S he was sen t t o me by Mr Yea r sley
s a w he r
When I r s t saw he r she could hear n o so un d
whatever however loud and he r husband info r m e d me
tha t since the onse t of he r de a fness she h a d become
extremely i r ri t able
I w r o t e o ut t h e direction s which I wished he r to
follow t ellin g her th a t I s h o uld ask her to lie down
tha t I sho u ld then close her eyes and make a few
s tr okes o ve r t hem and th a t I should then m a ke s u g
gestions which she wo u ld hear though possibly not
con scio u sly and th at when I ro u sed he r she wo u ld hear
B ut she did n ot he a r when I a wakened her Ho w
ever when he r husband b r o u ght her a gain he told me
t ha t h a lf an h o ur after I h a d seen her her hearing
h a d suddenly r e tu rned a nd t h a t she had complained
o f the noise of the whistle o f the engines during her
homew a rd j ourney a nd h a d unde r s t ood wh a t he said
to he r Within an h ou r o r two however the o ld
condi t ion returned
Unfo r tun a tely circ u ms ta nces m a de i t impossible for
her t o c o me t o town more th a n once a wee k except
d u r ing o ne week when she c a me twice
S he gr a d ua lly improved a nd o n t he next occ a sion
o n which I s a w her c ou ld he a r fairly well Her irrita
O n the third
bility of temper too was m u ch less
o ccasi o n sh e told me th a t tho ugh she co u ld h e ar
e very w o rd I s a id she forgot it bef o re I c o uld utter
It
th e nex t a r ather inte resting m ent al condi t ion
w a s rem a r ka bl e t o o , t hat f o r a l o n g time a fte r s h e
s

1 58

AN

INT RODUCT I ON T O HYPNOT ISM

could he a r she seemed a fraid to t r u st herself evidently

unce rt ain whe t he r her newly resto r ed sense w a s a
c or rec t repo rt er
S he re t u r ned to I ndi a and I wa s disappointed
t ho u gh no t su r prised to he a r that her old c o ndi t i o n
had gradu a lly r e t u r ned a nd t hat a t t he end o f fo u r
months she w a s a s deaf a s before I t w a s u nfor t unate
that she co u ld be tre a ted so seld o m (I saw he r only
seven times) for o ne m a y fairly s u ppose t hat h a d the
t r eat ment been given a f a ir ch a nce t he res u lt migh t
h a ve been more l a sting

h
(
c
4
T e second c a se w a s that of a man t
7 a clerk
He was a p at ien t a t Mo o r e lds O ph thalmic Hospi t al
a nd was sent t o me by Mr Grims dale For t wenty
three years he h a d been a lmost totally blind in t he
lef t eye He s u ffered great s u pr a orbit a l pain as well
No t hing wrong c o uld be discovered by th e Op h th al
m OSOOp e but as the eye c a used s o much pain a nd was
apparently u seless t he ques t ion o f i t s removal had
been raised H e had had a r ather seve r e inj ury to
his forehead previo u s t o the onset of blindness but
t he r e wa s nothing t o a cc ou nt fo r his co n di t ion
I s a w him only f ou r times b u t the res u lt wa s
sa t isfactory
When he c a me to me he co u ld j u st distin g u ish light
from darknes s w hen the right eye w a s covered The
vision o f t he right eye wa s defective owing to err o rs o f
refr a ction I hyp n o ti z ed him o n the rst o cc a sion o n
which I s a w h im a nd he passed immedi a tely into
dee p slee p P l a c ing my h an d o ver h i s left eye I s a id :
,

T RE AT M EN T

BY S U GGES T ION

1 59

When yo u c o unt ten you will wake a nd when yo u

wake you will see

I counted ten a nd he awoke ; a nd
at once exclaimed in tones o f excitemen t
I can see
I c a n see
I t hen to o k him t o a pict u re h a nging
and told him to look at i t He said
o n the wall
he could see i t bu t i t was a ll misty I t r eminded me
fo r cibly of t he acco u n t o f the Ne w Test a men t mir a cle

seeing men as tr ees walking

Then I put my
hand o n his fo r ehead a nd said :
Wa tch I t is

ge tt ing clea r er every moment I t is q u ite clear no w

He could t hen see q u ite cle a rly a nd on the las t
o ccasion on which he c a me a bout a month l a ter his
vision was still pe r fec tly clear
Another case t hat of a lady who had fo r ten ye a rs
refused all solid food yielded a t once to s u gges t ion
when I had pers ua ded he r t o t ell me o f the re al o rigin
of t he mischief a n unfo r tunate love a ffair t hough
before I knew of t his six t rials had failed to e ffec t any
improvement Sh e now c a t s and d r inks and enj oy s
life like o t her people
2 Ne ur a s t henia I t is u nfo r t u nate that t he me a ning
o f the term neurastheni a h a s not been more ex a c t ly
dened Wh at ever its n a t u re i t is a condi t ion which
a s a ru le presen t s a few more o r less con stant fe a tur e s
There is gene ra lly wast ing the reexes ar e e x ag
gera t ed and the pulse -r at e is increased Ment a lly
the p o wer o f c o ncen t rati o n is impaired depression is
ne a rly a l w ays presen t an d the p at ien t s th ou gh t s
u su a lly r u n in a small a nd vicio u s circle alw ay s
co min g rou nd t o h i mse l f a nd h i s il lnes s ; a n d t h i s
,

1 60

AN

I NT RODUCT ION T O HYPNOT ISM

in a bili ty to t a ke h is t h ou ghts o ff hims e lf is perh a ps

th e most dis tr essing fea tu r e o f the condi tion
The physical symp t oms point to a n inc r e a sed ka t a
bo lis m a nd t he increased reexes to a l o wering o f t he
resis t ances o f the nervo u s system I h a ve of ten
wondered whether the whole condi t i o n is not mainly
physical due simply to the breaking down of the
n e r ve resist a nces I n s u ch a condition o ne w ou ld
expect a n incre a s e o f e fferent impulses a nd the
wasting a nd p o ssibly the incre a sed pulse rate may be
due t o thi s Ag a in the const a ntly reiter a ted depre e
s ing th ou ghts po int t o a lowe r ed resista n ce in the
tract s concerned in their pr o d u cti o n
O ne w ou ld expect to o th at with the abnorm a l ow of
ne u rokyme the reserves o f nerve f o rce w o uld be m u ch
deple t ed a nd perhaps i t s press u re or potent ia l to u se
an analogy m a y be m u ch diminished P o ssibly ideas
caused b y cerebr a l c urrent s o f lo w pr e ss u re tend t o be
dep r e ssing one s
I t is at any r a te cert a in that bromide in s mall doses
does gre a t good in these c a ses a nd the chief a ction of
b r omide is to increase the resis ta n c es a nd bring them
m o re ne a rly to norm a l R est too by diminishing the
ow of ne u rokyme m ay give time for the r esis t ances
to r e form a nd a c o mbin a tion o f rest with sm a ll doses
o f b romide m a y res u lt in a cc u m u l a tin g a cert a in
reserve of ne rv e energy
I nd it di f c ult t o believ e th a t s u ggestion by itself
c a n cure the condi t ion th ou gh it may h elp to a llevi at e
s om e of the sym p t om s Other s , h o wev e r , c o ns ide r
,

T RE A T MEN T

BY SUGGEST ION

1 61

that s u gg e sti o n m a y d o m u ch
C richt o n Mil ler
a dvoc a tes its u se b u t pers o nally I no w tr u st in these
cases t o the m o re us u al treatment by rest bromides
and ove r feeding and use s u ggestion only t o c o m b a t
individu a l symptoms s u ch a s in somni a

i
B r amwell concl u des a s the res u lts
3 Obs ess ons
of his gre a t exp e rience th at s u ggesti o n yields be tter
res u lts in c a ses of o bs ession t h a n in a ny o th e r cl a ss
o f func t ion a l nerve diso r de r
I n the m a j ori ty o f t hese p a tients Bramwell s ays

the predominan t element is fe a r

Generally t hey
dre a d th a t s ome t hing is goin g to happen to t hem
s u ch a s sudden illness de a th o r suicide o r they fe a r
th a t they h a ve a ct u ally in j u red o thers or may yield to

a n imp u lse to d o s o in o ne w a y o r a nother

No t a few o f these c a ses are r e a lly s u fferin g fr o m
the e ffects o f repression a nd th e se cannot be s u pp o sed
to be re a lly w e ll u n t il the ir r it a ting in cident h a s be en
u nrepressed
I n two cases of my own who s uffered fr o m mo r bid
fe a r lest something should happen to near rel a tives
the real c au se w a s an unconsci o us desire for their
de at h which h a d been repressed a nd the symptom s
cle a red a way when the repression w a s une arthed
Ma ny of the c a se s which I h a ve seen appe ared t o h ave
c o mmenced by a sudden ide a implan t ed a t a momen t
when the p a tients were s u ffering from a c u te ment a l
exhaus t ion prod u ced by worry
Th u s a lady wh o
w a s inten sely worried o wing t o circ u mst a nces ind u ced
by the war too k u p a m at fr o m the o or a n d thr ee
.

11

AN

1 62

IN T RODUCT ION T O HYPNO T ISM

c o ckroaches ran out E ve r a fter she w a s obses s ed by

the fea r that t here we r e bl a ckbee t les inh a bi t ing every
room tha t she entered and late r by t he same fe a r
with reg ar d t o Spide r s a s well
A common obsession is the fe a r tha t the pa t ient
either h a s cancer or will get it
Mo s t pe o ple s u ffer from s ome obsession a l impulse
s u ch a s a n inclin a ti o n t o a void t he cr a c k s be t ween t he
p a ving stones or to t o u ch t he iron railings wi t h a
s t ick S ir George S avage who no t es t his s t a t es th at
he h a s himself this obsession to a cer t ain ex t ent
Ma ny o f these c a ses recover rapidly u nder trea t men t
bu t some a re v e ry di fc u lt t o cure
Thus one p a tient had fo r a yea r a n obsessional fe a r
th at the polic e we r e seeki ng him He had one day
passed his water in the g a rden a nd had then observ e d
a maid a t the window o f a house overlooking it The
obses s ion incre a sed t o s u ch an ex t en t tha t he tho u ght
he hea rd everyone say i ng Th e polic e are a f t er t hat

man
a nd h is life bec a me u tt e r ly miserable
A
week s tre at men t dispelled all his symptoms
An o t her c o mmon o b sessional fear is tha t o f tr a velling
in a t rain I have had many c a se s o f this a nd a ll
b u t t wo were cured I n every c a se of obsession I
believe th a t hypno t ism is wor t h a tria l ; and if i t be
d u e t o a rep r ession i t may s o me t imes be disc o vered
a nd th e patien t cured

Th ou gh it i s u s ua lly impo s sible t o

4 I ns omnia
ind u ce sleep a t a moment s notice un le s s t he p at i en t
c a n be d e eply hypn o ti z ed a gre at m a ny c a se s c a n be
.

T R E AT MEN T

BY SUGGEST ION

1 63

ind u ced to sleep by s u ggestions made u nde r ligh t

hypnosis some hours before i t is to take e ffec t A sug
ges t ion given in the mo r nin g o r t he a f t ern o on th a t the
pa t ien t will sleep t hat nigh t us u ally s u cceeds Durin g
t he war I t rea t e d many soldiers su ffering from in somnia
in this way and in p r ac t ically eve r y case the s u gg estion
w a s followed by sleep t he same nigh t
I t is very impor t ant t o impress o n t hese patien t s
t hat when bed time comes they a re no t t o try to go
t o sleep
Their e ffor t s me r ely produce a co unt er
au t o s u ggestion t h a t they will r emain aw ak e I
u s ually suggest t hat t he pa t ien t will fall asleep ve
minu t es af t e r bed t ime and will be q u i te un a ble to
wake until the night has passed For some re a son
the suggestion seems to gain in st r eng th in t he time
which elap ses before t he hour for i t s fullmen t

n
u
re
s
i
s
This can usu a lly be cured
5 No c t urna l E
by s u gges t ion and c urio u sly enough sometimes by
sugges t ion wi t ho ut any hypnosis whatever F r om my
o wn expe r ience it has seemed to me t ha t t he form in
which the s u gges t ion is m a de c a use s a ve r y consider
a ble dierenc e The most e ffec t ive s u gges t ion I nd
is that the p at ien t will no t experience any desi r e to
pass his water f r om t he t ime he goes to bed un t il he
ge t s up in t he morning ; a secon d sugges t ion may be
made th at if by any a cciden t he sh o uld wan t t o pass
his w a te r he will alw a ys wake a t once bef o re he ha s
act u ally c o mmenced to do s o

b
a
i
u
i
i
D
This is a very
6 F requ ent M c t r t o n y
y
o rdin ar y c o mpl a int the p at ients b e in g compelled t o
.

A N INTRODUCT IO N T O HYPNOT ISM

1 64

p a ss t heir w at e r at sh ort in t e rva ls I h a ve neve r seen

a c a se which c o uld by hypn ot ism in t he sligh t es t
deg r ee f a i l to ge t well I n m o s t c a ses imp rovemen t
is seen at o nce a ft e r t he v e r y r s t tr ial
I n o ne c a se sen t me so me ve ye ar s a g o by Mr
Th o ms o n Wa l k e r t he p atien t w a s a la dy a t 2 2 wh o
w a s c o mpe l led to p a ss w at e r eve ry h our The c o ndi
t i o n which h a d pe r sis t ed f or eigh t ye ar s m a de i t
q u i t e im p o ssib l e f or he r to g o in to s o cie t y Aft e r
a singl e tr e at men t she c oul d r e ta in he r w at e r f or
v e h our s a nd h a s r em a ined pe r fec t ly we ll eve r
sin c e

i
o
h
o
l
The a im o f a l l tr e at men t in al c oh ol
sm
7 Alc
ism o f wh at eve r type is r s t to c ut o ff a lc o h ol if t he
p at ien t be a c tua lly tak ing i t a nd t hen ind u ce him to
bec o me a tota l a bs ta ine r a nd if p o ssib l e he l p him
to d o s o
This c a n be d o ne p art ly by d ru gs which ind u ce a
t emp orar y dis l ik e o f al c o h o l in t he h Op e t h at th e
mem ory o f t he disg u s t o f al c o h ol s o engende r ed m a y
bec o me a pe r m anen t o ne ; a nd sec o nd ly by m oral
tr e at men t inc lu ding s u gges t i o n
The r e ar e f our p r incip al for ms o f al c o h ol ism :
pse u d o dips o m a ni a ch ro nic s o be r alc o h ol ism ch ro nic
ineb r i at e al c o h o lism a nd tru e dips o m a ni a
The pse u d o dips o m a ni a c h a s n o c ra ving un t i l he
h a s a c tua l ly tak en al c o h o l when c ra ving r ec ur s
u s ua lly wi t hin a few min ut es He then d r in k s in
g r e at excess f or seve ral d ays u n t i l he bec o mes too i ll
to tak e m or e Th e ch ro nic s o be r a lc oh ol ic d r ink s
.

T RE AT ME NT B Y SU GGES T IO N

1 65

r eg ularl y eve r y d a y to excess b ut d o e s n ot d r in k

s u f cien t ly to p ro d u ce in to xic at i o n
The ch ro nic ineb r i at e al c o h o lic di ffe r s f ro m t he
la s t men t i o ned in t h at he a lw a ys m or e or less i s
in to xic at ed
I n t he ch ro nic a lc o h o lic c raving o cc ur s
o n ly when al c o h o l is p art i ally or c o mple t ely wi t hheld
The tru e dips o m a ni a c ge t s r ec urr en t atta c k s o f
c ra ving whe t he r he tak es a lc o h o l or n ot B e t ween
t he atta c k s m a ny o f t hese pe o ple c a n d r in k in m o de ra
t i o n b ut d ur ing t he atta c k s t hey al w ays d r in k to
,

exce s s
Whi l s t o ne can o ft en s u c c ess ful ly tra nsf or m t he
pse u d o dips o m a ni a c or ch ro nic al c o h ol ic in to a total
a bs ta ine r i t is u s ually q u i t e imp o ssib l e t o d o t his in
a c a se o f tru e dips o m a ni a So me c a ses a ppe ar to m e
t o h a ve t hei r or igin in t he f or m o f r ep r essed g out
a nd I h a ve seen six s u ch c a ses in wh o m t he tak ing o f
Co n tr exevi l le W at e r f or t h r ee d ays ru nning eve r y
f ort nigh t a nd a s al ine p ur g at i v e o nce a week h a s
e ec t ua lly s to pped t he atta c k s fro m r ec urr ing
Un
fortu n at ely in t he m a j or i t y o f c a ses t he c au se is
u ndisc ov e ra b l e
Tw o ot he r for ms o f al c oh ol ism o ne o cc urr ing a t
mens truat i o n in w o men a nd t he ot he r d u e to
ins o mni a m a y be men t i o ned he r e The r s t is
o f t en a men a ble to s u gges t i o n a nd in t he l att e r t he
c ur ing o f t he ins o mni a u s ua lly p ut s a n end to t he
a lc o h o lism
I n o ne c a s e a la dy of ov e r f ty h a d h a d pe r sis t en t
ins o m ni a f or se v en ye a r s a nd h a d d ru n k gr e atl y in
.

A N I NT ROD UC T IO N T O H YP N O T I S M

1 66

excess d ur ing t he wh o le o f t h at pe ri o d
A sing l e
s u gges t i o n t h a t she sh ou ld sleep m ne h our s th at nigh t
p ro ved e ffec t ive a nd b ot h t he ins o mni a a nd t he
excessive d r in k ing ce a sed at o nce n or h a s t he r e been
a ny r ec urr ence f or seven ye ar s
Th e c utt ing o ff o f a lc o h o l in c a ses o f ch ro nic
a lc o h o lism m u s t be d o ne gra d ua lly ; othe r wise t he r e
is a ve ry r e a l r is k o f ind u cing deli r i u m tr eme ns B ut
f or t he medic al side o f tr e at men t I m u s t r efe r th e
r e a de r to t he li t e ratur e o n t h at s u bj ec t
Alm o s t a ll t he a lc o h o lic p at ien t s wh o m I h a ve seen
h a ve been s u scep t ible to hypn ot ism a nd in t h e m
c a se I ce rt a inly t hin k t h at s u gges t i o n u nde r hypn o sis
is m or e e ff ec t u a l t h a n s u gges t i o n by Bra mwell s
me th o d
I u s ua lly tr e at t h ese p at ien t s eve ry d a y f o r eigh t
d a ys t w o or t h r ee t ime s o n t he few f o ll o wing wee k s ;
o nce or t wice in t he wee k f o ll o wi ng t h at A f t e r t h at
if p o ssible I see t hem at l o nge r in t e r va ls f or a n in
deni t e t e r m a nd a lw a ys e nj o in t hem to c o me at o nce
if t hey feel in t he sligh t es t degr ee t h at t hey ar e
bec o ming l ess s ur e o f t hemselves
So me o f my w or s t c a ses wh o h a ve n o w r em a ined
well f or ye ar s I h a ve neve r seen a f t e r t he r s t wee k
or t en d a ys o f tr e at men t But t hese pe r i o dic visi t s
ar e I t hin k a lw ays a dvis a ble a s a p r ec aut i o n ar y
m e a s ur e
So me p at ien t s c o me at i nte r v a ls o nly
when t hey begin to dis tru s t t hemselves O ne wh o
r em a ined well f or o ve r t wen ty - ve ye ar s u sed to c o me
a b out o nce in t w o ye ar s f or t his r e a s o n I f a p at ien t
.

TR E A TME NT B v S UGG E S T I ON

1 67

begins to feel u nce rta in o f himself a nd d o es n ot t hen

c o me f or tr e at men t he u s ua lly d o es r el a pse O ut o f
ov e r 3 0 0 p at ien t s tr e at ed a b out o ne t hi r d r em a ined
well f or a ye ar or m or e while j u s t o ve r o ne fth re
l a psed wi t hin a ye ar O f t he r em a inde r I w a s u n a ble to
tra ce t he f urt he r his tor y a nd i t is p ro b a ble t h at s o me
o f t hese h a ve r el a psed t h ou gh o ne m a y r e a s o n a bly
h Op e t h at s o me ar e pe rm a nen t ly wel l
The f o ll o wing is a c a se o f l o ng s ta ndi ng c ur ed by
s u gges t i o n
Mr J "at 52 h a d been a vic t im o f ch ro nic a lc o h o lism
f or o ve r t hi rt y ye ar s H e h a bi tua lly d ra n k too m u ch
u s ua lly whis ky a nd h a d r ec urr en t t s o f g r e at e r
excess wi t h m ark ed in to xic at i o n ; t h ou gh even at
or din ary t imes he w a s mildly in to xic at ed I w a s
a s k ed by his m edic a l att end a n t to see him while he
w a s r ec o ve r ing f ro m a s p e c la lly ba d atta c k which h a d
m a de him exceedingly ill H e h a d t wice tr ied t he
No rmyl c ur e b ut o n b ot h o cc a si o n s a bs ta ined f ro m
a lc o h o l o nly f or a wee k or t w o a f t e r le a ving i t o ff
He h a d ex tr emely a dv a nced ci rr h o sis o f his li v e r
I
tr e at ed him t en t ime s in a ll a nd s u gges t ed th at he
w ou ld h a ve n o m or e c ra ving w ou ld disli k e even t he
sme ll o f liq uor an d t h at his r es o l ut i o n a nd will p o we r
w ou ld inc r e a se s u f cien t ly to en a ble him to r esis t a ny
t emp tat i o n to which he c ou ld p o ssibly be s u bj ec t ed
H e died s o me seven ye ar s l at e r b ut since his tr e at
men t he neve r a g a in o nce tou ched a lc o h o l
M or e t h a n t his he disli k ed t he smell o f whis k y s o
m u c h t h at if whis k y a nd ho t w at e r we r e b rou gh t ne ar
,

AN

1 68

I NTR ODUCT IO N T O HYPNO T ISM

him he c ou ld h ar d ly end ur e t he o d o ur and h a d

a c tual ly been o b l iged to l e a ve t he roo m in c o nseq u ence
I ne ve r tr e at ed h im a g a in a f t e r t he r s t m o n t h s o
t h at t he r es u l t m u s t h a ve been d u e to t he or igin al
s u gges t i o ns I t is o f t en s a id t h at w o men ar e m or e
difc ul t to c ur e
This m ay be s o : I h ave h a d
c o mp arat ive l y fe w c a ses a m o ng w o men ; b ut ce rta inly
s o me ar e n ot inc ura b l e O ne v e ry seve r e c a se a l a dy
o f ove r f ty h a s n o w been well f or eigh t ye ar s a nd
a n ot he r fo r ove r v e ye ar s But I ce rta in l y h ave h a d a
l ess p ro p ort i o n o f s u ccesses in w o men t h a n in men
Ho we v e r I h av e n ot h a d en ou gh cas e s in w o men to
f or m a f a i r j u dgmen t

i
o
i
8 M o rp h n ma n a
Su gges t i o n is s a id to h av e been
s u cce s sf u l in t hi s c o mp la in t b ut i t s u se is c o nned to
he lping t he p at ien t s to a bs ta in en t i r ely I t d o es n ot
a ppe a r to h a ve a ny m ark ed e ffec t in r e l ie ving the
symp to ms ind u ced by l e av ing o ff t he d ru g or in
diminishing t he t ime tak en whils t i t is being g ra d ual ly
disc o n t in u ed When t he p at ien t is o nce f r ee f ro m t he
h a bi t i t m ay he l p to p r even t r e la pse b ut m or e t h a n
t his i t c a nn ot d o I n c a ses o f c o c a ine if t he p at ien t
be a c o n rmed c o c a ine tak e r i t is s o f ar a s I h av e
s een al m o s t imp o ssib l e to w ar d o ff r e la p se by s ugge s
t i o n or a ny ot he r me a ns
Unlik e m or phi a h o weve r
c o c a ine m ay be c ut o ff c o mp l e t ely at o nce a nd need
n ot be g ra d ual ly diminished

r
a
M
r
b
i
This m ay o cc ur
9 Sex D is o rde s
a
s
M
a
t
o
m
( )
a s a h a bi t in q u i t e y ou ng child r en I h a ve seen
s eve ral c a ses in which it c o mmenced a s e arly a s ve
,

TR E AT ME NT B Y SUGGES T IO N

1 69

a nd s o me o f t hese p ro b a bly beg a n e ven e arl ie r P ro

vide d t h at f u ll sex devel o pmen t h a s n ot ta k en pl a ce
a nd t h at t he p at ien t wishes to b r e ak t he h a bi t c ur e is
ex traor din ar ily e a sy In lat e r ye ar s h o weve r c ur e is
a m or e di f c u l t a nd o f ten a v e ry g ra d ual p ro cess
E xcep t in o ne c a se o f a b o y o f t en wi t h a m ark ed
f a mily his tory o f ins a ni ty wh o did n ot wish to be
c ur ed I h a ve neve r f a iled when t he p at ien t s we r e
u nde r t hirt een ye ar s o f a ge I n eve r y o ne o f t hese
c a ses wi t h a sing l e ex c ep t i o n t he h a bi t ce a sed at o nce
a f t e r t he r s t tr e at men t
Th e excep t i o n w a s t he c a se o f a gi r l a t
wh o h a d deve lo ped sex ual ly at t h at e arl y a ge
h a ving s u ffe r ed f or o ve r a ye ar f ro m ve ry excessive
m a s tur b ati o n
Sh e w a s a bn or m a lly devel o ped in
e v e ry w ay a nd weighed ne ar ly seven s to ne Th e
h a bi t h a d been tau gh t he r by a n ot he r child
O n t he sec o nd tr i al she p a ssed in to a ligh t sleep
f ol l o wed by a mnesi a I s a w he r eve ry d ay f or a wee k
t hen t wice a wee k f or a f ortnigh t S he imp ro ved
g r e atl y r em a ining wel l f or ne arl y a m o n t h a nd t hen
h a d a b a d r el a pse
I t hen ins tru c t ed he r g ove r ness
o f wh o m she w a s v e ry f o nd h o w to hypn ot i z e he r
a nd tol d he r to d o s o when t he child wen t to bed I n
a few d a ys a l l tra ces o f t he h a bi t ce a sed a nd t h ou gh
t he r e we r e s o me sligh t r el a pses she wa s immensely
imp rov ed a nd o f he r self a v o ided t he evi l wi t h a ll he r
migh t I he ar d o f he r eigh t m o n t hs lat e r a ll tra ces
o f he r for me r f a iling h a d a bs ol ut ely dis a pp ea r ed a nd
she w a s pe r fec t ly wel l
.

A N I NTRO DUCT IO N T O HYPN O TI S M

1 70

B ot h in chi l d r en a nd a d ult s i t is o f t he g r e at es t
imp orta nce t h at t hey sh ou ld u nde r s ta nd c l e ar ly h o w
t hey c a n c ur e t hemselves
I t is n ot o f a ny u se simply t elling t hem t o gh t f or
m a ny h a ve been gh t ing u ns u ccessf u lly f or ye ar s
I f t he t e mp ta t io n oc c urs a nd t he p at ie nt t hin k s a b out

i t a nd simply says : I w o n t d o i t he inv ar i a bly

yields O ne h a s to r ec o gni z e t h at t he p r ime c au se o f
m a ny f a il ur es is t he f orm at i o n o f a sex ph a n ta sy a nd
o ne s wh o le e ffort s m u s t be di r ec te d to t he p r even t i o n
o f t his Sex ide a s if dwel t u p o n g a in in f or ce wi t h
t e rr ic ra pidi ty a nd in a lm o s t a few sec o nds m ay
r es u l t in i rr esis t ible imp u lse
The o nly w ay t he
p at ien t c a n mee t t he t emp tat i o n is n ot by di r ec t
r esis ta nce which a lw a ys r es u l t s in defe at He m u s t
ru n a w a y f ro m i t a nd di r ec t his t h ou gh t s to s o me

t hing else a nd t his he m u s t d o ins ta n tl y wi t hin t en

sec o nds o f t he o cc urr ence o f the sex ide a I t is
w o nde r f ul h o w ve r y s oo n p at ien t s , e ven q u i t e y ou ng
chi l d r en le ar n to d o t his
I neve r m ak e a ny s u gges t i o n ex cep t t h at t hey will
be a ble to tur n t hei r t h ou gh t s a w a y at o nce and th at
t hey wil l nd t hey h av e s u fcien t c o n tro l to d o t his

I n this w ay the a c tua l or igin o f t he evil sex ph a n ta sy

c a n be p r even t ed f ro m devel o ping Natura lly i t is

m or e di f c u l t f or a d u l t s a nd o ne m u s t be p r ep ar ed
f or sl o w p ro g r ess in t e rru p t ed by m a ny f a il ur es B ut
gene ra lly in t hese c a ses tr e at men t will des tro y the
vice a s a ha bit even t h ou gh t he r e m a y be o cc a si o n a l
la pses
.

T RE A T ME NT B Y SU GGEST IO N

I h a ve h a d c onside ra b l e expe r ien c e o f b oys at t he

t ime when t hey ar e m o s t t empt ed a nd I h a ve ve ry
o f t en f ou nd t h at o wing to t he ide a t h at t hey h a ve
d o ne t hemselves r e a lly se r i ou s a nd i rr ep ara ble inj ury
t hey h a ve g ot in to a c o ndi t i o n o f s u ch desp a i r t h at
t hey ar e q u i t e inc a p a ble o f m ak ing a ny e ffort to c ur e
t hemselves This a ppe ar s to me to be q u i t e a f a lse
view a nd n ot o nly f a lse bu t ve ry mischiev ou s I
h a ve neve r been a ble to tra ce a ny physic al r es u l t s
excep t in c a ses o f ve r y g r e at excess a nd t he men ta l
a nd ne r v ou s c o ndi t i o n is I believe en t i r ely d u e to t he
f a c t t h at in t ense w orry is p ro d u ced by t he feel ing t h at
t he s u bj ec t s c a nn ot help t hemselves But in ne ar ly
eve ry c a se I believe t h at the f au l t lies n ot s o m u ch
wi t h t he b o y a s wi t h t h o se wh o ar e r esp o nsible f or b is
ed u c at i o n I h a ve h ar dly eve r me t a c a se o f t his
fa iling wh e r e sex ins tru c t i o n h a d been given bef or e
i t s devel o pmen t I n m a ny c a ses i t w a s beg u n in
ign ora nce A c o mple t e k n o wl edge o f t h e me a ning o f

sex wi t h out a ny r ese r v at i o ns n ot o nly s at ises a

pe r fec tl y legi t im at e c ur i o si ty b ut is t he o nly r e al
shield wi t h which a p ar en t c a n ar m his s o ns to win
in t he b att le which t h ey wil l ce rta inly h a ve to gh t

A ny o ne wh o p ra c t ises
(19) P sychica l I mp o tenc e
s u gges t i o n is b ou nd to c o me a c ro ss n u mbe r s o f c a ses
o f t his c o mpl a in t Alm o s t inv ar i a bly t he p at ien t s ar e
men wh o h a ve m arr ied a nd h a ve t hen disc o ve r ed to
t hei r h orror t h at t hey ar e imp ot en t The r es u l t is
o nly too o f t en ex tr eme u nh a ppiness a nd I kno w o f
s c ar cely a ny othe r c o ndi ti o n wh i ch gi v es r ise to s o
,

'

I NTR O D UCTIO N T O HYPNOT ISM

AN

m u ch m i se ry to b ot h t he h u sb a nd a nd wife One
p at ien t wh o m I tr e at ed fortun at e l y wi t h s u cces s h a d
a c tua lly att emp t ed s u icide
The men tal c au se is in t he va s t m a j or i t y o f c a se s
fe ar o f no n s u ccess But t his i s n ot al w ays t he
r e a s o n ; a nd bef or e a c a se o f t his k ind c a n be tr e ated
wi t h a ny h o pe o f s u cces s i t is essen t i a l t h at t he c au se
sh oul d be di a gn o sed A s a rul e t his c a n be d o ne
wi t h out a ny g r e at di ffic ulty t h ou gh s o me c a ses ar e

exceedingly p uzzl ing at r s t I n s o me fortu n ately

few psych o a n al ysis alo ne c a n disc ov e r whe r e t he

c o ndi t i o n or igin at es
The u nde rlying c au se is n ot
al w ay s fe ar I t m ay be s o me f or m o f sex pe r ve r si o n
I n t w o c a ses which I s a w fe t ichism which I c oul d d o
n othing to r em ov e w a s t he c au se
The f a c t t h at t he c o ndi t i o n m a y h av e pe r sis t ed f or
a lo ng t ime is n ot necess ar ily a ba r to s u ccessf u l
tr e at men t O ne c a se o f se v en a nd a h a l f ye ar s a nd
a n ot he r o f six ye ar s d urat i o n r e c ove r ed c o mp l e t ely
Mo s t o f t he p at ien t s wh o m I h av e s een h a d s uffe r ed
fo r f ro m o ne to t h r ee ye ar s
I n a ce rta in n umbe r o f
c a ses s u gges t i o n is u nnecess ar y I t is a s tra nge a nd
a lm o s t inc r edib l e f a c t t h at s o me p at ien t s we r e men o f
o ve r thi rty wh o h a d n o ide a o f t he me aning o f sex
E xpl a n at i o n in s u ch c a ses m a y o f i t self s o me t ime s
e ffec t a c ur e But in t he m a j or i ty o f c a ses t he c au se
w a s t he s a me F a il ur e f ro m n atura l ne r vo u sness at
t he r s t at temp t p ro d u ced a fe ar o f f a il ur e which w a s
s u fcien t to r ende r f urthe r att emp t s u seless In thes e
c a ses I h av e f ou nd Yo himbin o f u s e t h ou gh i t o f ten
.

- -

T RE A TME NT B Y SUGGES T IO N
fa i l s

1 73

The c o ndi t i o n is o f t en v e r y o bs t in at e b ut
p ra c t ic a lly a ll c a ses (excep t t h o se whe r e s o me insur
m ou n ta b l e dif culty s u ch a s pe r ve r si o n exis t s ) ge t
wel l if tr e at ed rat i o n al ly

r
P
r
i
m
a
a
i
n
i
s
u
m s
I h av e h a d c a ses o f t hi s
(c)
y Vg

c o mpl a in t all o f which g ot well p ro b a bly bec au se

t hey h a ppened to be p art ic u l arly s u i ta b l e c a ses f or
s u gges t i o n
I n t his a s in s o m a ny c o mp la in t s
t he c au se is o f t en a men ta l o ne a nd m u s t be
disc ov e r ed be for e tr e at men t c a n be s u ccessf u l l y
a pplied
d
d
a
i
c
D
s
n
c
e
s
m
o
m
e
or
a is s o me t imes r e a di l y
r
S
h
)
y
(
p
c ura ble O ne p at ien t a l a dy o f 2 3 h a d al w ays been
c o mpelled to r em a in in bed d ur ing t he wh ol e o f he r
pe r i o ds b ut a f t e r being tr e at ed t h r ee t imes w a s a b l e
to r em a in u p a nd follo w he r or din ary life Th e p a in
bec a me s o s l igh t a s n ot to w orry he r
I h a ve n ot s u cceeded in r e l ieving c o nges t iv e dy s
men orr h oea
e) A bs ence of Sex F e eling in w o men is u s ua lly
(
r e a di l y c ura b l e u n l ess t he r e is ei t he r s o me r e al c o n
geni tal f a il ing or e l se s o me in s u pe r a b l e em ot i o n al
c au se fo r i t
I h av e h a d f our c a s es in whi c h tr e at men t s u cceeded
ra pidly b ut t w o in which t he r e w a s a feeling o f
r ep u lsi o n to w ar d s t he h u sb a nd f a i l ed to bene t

e
r
i
n
At o ne t ime o wing to a s u ccessi o n
1 0 Stmnm
g
o f s u ccessf u l c a ses I believed t h at t his c o mp la in t c oul d
o f t en be c ur ed by s u gges t i o n F urt he r expe r ience
h o we v e r h a s c o n vinc ed m e t h at i t is in gene ral s o me

AN

174

I NTRODUCT IO N T O HYPNO T ISM

wh at di fc u l t to c ur e pe r m a nen t ly t h ou gh a tra nsien t

imp ro vemen t is n ot u nc o mm o n
I n t his c o mpl a in t I ge ne ra lly m ak e t he p at ien t u se
self s u gges t i o n a nd t e a ch him h o w to hypn ot iz e
himself ligh t ly ; a nd t h o se wh o c a n l e ar n t his seem
to be c ur ed m or e e a sily t h a n ot he r s
I n t he c a se o f a wel l k n o wn Ge r m a n s ur ge o n wh o m
I s a w bef or e t he w ar wt 3 5 t he s ta mme r ing h a d
pe r sis t ed since e arl y childh oo d I tau gh t him to
hypn ot i z e himself a nd in t h r ee wee k s his s ta mme r ing
h a d v a nished
O cc a si o n a lly t hese p at ien t s r ec ove r a nd r em a in we ll
a f t e r a single s u gges t i o n

The t w o c a ses f ollo wing s eem

1 1 Nervo us nes s
w ort h r ec or ding The r s t p at ien t w a s a m a n cat 2 8
wh o h a d f a iled at eve ry ex a min at i o n o wing to ne r v ou s
ness when t he ex a min at i o n took pl a ce I s u gges t ed
t h at he w ou ld feel n o ne r v ou sness wh at eve r a nd t h at
when he l ook ed at t he q u es t i o ns he w oul d at o nce r ec a l l
a ll t h at he h a d r e a d a b out t hem He p a ssed hi s
ex a min at i o n a nd to ld me t h at t he s u gges t i o n wi t h
r eg ar d to r emembe r i ng t he f a c t s h a d tak en e ffec t a nd
t h at he w a s m u ch s ur p r ised at t he a m ou n t he re c o l
I h a ve s o me t imes w o nde r ed whe the r I did
le c te d
w ro ng in m ak ing t he expe r imen t
A t Ca mb r idge I o nce m a de a simi lar expe r imen t o n
a m a n wh o w a s in f or the Natura l Science Tr ip o s
Th e r es u l t o f his ex a min at i o n w a s s at isf a c tor y a nd
he took rst cl a ss h o n our s

s
s
2
S
S
i
c
n
e
sic k ne s s c a n o ft en be
e
k
ea
a
1
S
,

TRE A T ME NT B Y SUGGES T IO N

1 75

s u ccessf u lly tr e at ed I h a d d ur ing t he w ar seven

s o ldie r s wh o h ad to g o v ar i ou s dis ta nces by se a and
wh o h a d a lw ays s uff e r ed in t en sely f ro m t his c o mpl a in t
F our we r e q u i t e f r ee f ro m i t a f t e r tr e at men t b ut o f
t he r es u l t o n t he othe r t h r ee I k n o w n ot hing f or al l
t h r ee l o s t t heir l i v es
I h a ve tr ied s u gges t i o n o nly in v e ry few in s ta nces
o f se a sic kness I n o ne which I s a w s o me ye ar s a g o
t he e ffec t w a s ve ry m ark ed Th e p at ien t h a d s u ffe r ed
seve r ely eve ry t ime she wen t to se a I tr e at ed he r
six t imes j u s t bef or e she s a iled f or C u b a Sh e h a d n o
sic kness d ur ing t he wh o le j our ney a nd neve r even
fel t sic k t h ou gh t he se a w a s o cc a si o n a lly ve r y rou gh ;
b ut she s u ffe r ed seve r ely f ro m he a d a che Sh e a ls o
c o mp la ined t h at she w a s a w ak ened fro m sleep by t he
sligh t es t s ou nd b ut t his symp to m I f a iled to r elieve
Sh e r e a ched o nly t he r s t s ta ge o f hypn o sis
Su gges t i o n is a ls o s a id to r elieve t he v o mi t ing o f
p r egn a ncy a nd c a ses h a ve been p u b l ished c o nce r n
ing t his ; b ut I h a ve n o expe r ience in t his m att e r
myself

Ch or e a h a s been s u ccessf u lly tr e at ed

1 3 Chorea
B ra mwel l r ec or ds seven in s ta nces o f c o mple t e re
c o very a nd ot he r o bse r ve r s r epo rt n u me rou s c a ses
o f c ur e
I n t he t h r ee c a ses which I h a ve tr e ated r ec o ve ry
took pl a ce in a ll ; a nd th e r e is n o d ou b t t h at
s u gges t i o n is s o me t imes v e r y e fc a ci ou s in t his
c o m p la in t

a
t
1 4 I ns ni y Th e r es ult s i n i ns a ni ty ar e disap
.

AN

1 76

I NT RODUCT IO N T O HYPNO TISM

p o in t ing
P e r s o n al ly I u s ually r ef u se s u ch c a ses
b ut s o me o bse r ve r s r ec or d s u ccesses
W oo ds in 1 9 0 7 r ep ort ed seve ra l c a ses o f c ur e c o m
p r ising me la nch ol i a p u e r pe ra l m a ni a a nd or din ary
m a ni a

i
1 5 Co ns t p a tion
I s u pp o se t h at e v e ry o ne wh o h a s
u sed s ugges t i o n fo r t his c o mp la int h a s f ou nd i t s u c
c e s sful
So f ar a s I h av e se en t he d urati o n o f a
c o ndi t i o n o f ch ro ni c c o ns t ip at i o n is n o b ar to r ec o ve ry
t h rou gh tr e at men t by s u gges t i o n I h a ve seen c a ses
which h a ve r ec o ve r ed which h a d s uffe r ed f or ov e r f orty
ye ar s The gr e at m a j or i ty d o we l l a nd f a ilur es ar e
w o nde r fu lly few
F or el n a mes c o ns t ip at i o n a s t he typic al f u nc t i o n al
dis or de r l ending i t self to tr e at men t by s u gges t i o n
P ro b a b l y m a ny medic al men h a ve u sed s u gges t i o n
f or t his dis or de r in t he f or m o f ine rt medicine
desc r ibed a s a pe r ien t I t seems q u i t e p o ssib l e t h at
t he chief a gen t in m u ch o f t he h o m oeo p at hic ph ar m a cy
m ay be t he la be l ling o n t he b ott les But we c a n o f t en
c ur e even ch ro nic c o ns t ip at i o n q u i t e r e a dily by me a ns
o f dir ec t hypn ot ic s u gges t i o n
The follo wing c a se sh o ws h o w ve ry deni t e t he
r es ult s o f a s u gges t i o n c o n tro l l ing t he m o vemen t s o f
t he b o wels m ay be : Mrs R a ged t hi rty - ve c a me
to c o ns ult me f or in tra c ta ble ins o mn ia ar ising fro m
men tal a nxie t y which h a d been ve ry dis tr essing f or
seve ral wee k s I f ou nd t h at a ll he r life she h a d
been c o ns t ip at ed a nd f or m a ny ye ar s h a d neve r
a c t ed wi t h out a n a pe r ien t I did n ot hypn ot i z e he r
.

TR E A T ME NT

BY

SU GGES T I O N

1 77

b ut s ugge s t ed t h at she w oul d s l eep t he m om en t

she p ut he r he a d o n t he pi llo w a nd t h at he r b o we l s
w o ul d a c t nex t d ay a nd eve r y d a y at t en o c lo c k in
t he m or ning a nd r eq u es t ed he r to c o me to see me
a g a in in t h r ee or f our d a ys
t ime
When I nex t
s a w he r she s a id t h at a ll h a d h a ppened a s I h a d

s u gges t ed t h at s he slep t t he m o men t she wen t to

be d a nd t h at he r b o wels a c t ed e a ch d a y at t en o c lo c k
Then she a dded : But w oul d y ou mind m ak ing i t
h al f p a s t nine ins t e a d o f t en o c lo c k
Te n is s o

inc o n v enien t
I n m a ny ot he r c a ses t he e ffe c t h a s been immedi at e
a nd pe r m a nen t O ne p at ien t a la dy o f fty t h r ee
h a d s u ffe r ed f or o ve r t hi rt y ye ar s a nd h a d been
o b l iged to tak e medicine eve ry nigh t d ur ing t he wh o le
o f t h at pe r i o d Ye t a ft e r t he r s t s u gges t i o n t he
c o ns t ip at i o n v a nished a nd she h a s r em a ined c ur ed
n o w f or seven ye a r s
So me t imes h o weve r t he
tr e at men t f a ils or else t he imp ro vemen t is me r e l y
t emp orary I t is s o me t imes bes t n ot to tr y at o nce to
o b ta in a r eg ular d a i l y a c t i o n b ut to s u gges t a n a c t i o n
e v e r y s ec o nd or t hi r d d a y a nd g ra d ual ly to dec r e a se
t he in t e rval I n s o me c a se s t he m o s t o ne c a n d o is
to ge t a n a c t i o n e v e ry ot he r d ay This I h a ve d o ne
i n se v e ra l c a ses b ut lo ng bef or e I speci al i z ed in
hypn ot ism a nd I h av e n o n ot es o f t hem

1 6 Nervous D ia rrhoea
This c o mp la in t is o f t en
c o nf u sed wi t h lien t e r y a nd n o fewe r t h a n ve c a ses
which c a me to me we r e r e a l ly s u ffe r ing fro m
t his F or t hese I did n ot u se s u gge s t i o n a s l iq
,

12

INTR ODUCT I O N T O HYPNO TI S M

AN

1 78

in t h r ee m inim d o ses at o n c e c ur ed the

ars e nic alis

c o ndi t i o n
As migh t be expec t ed di arrh oe a o f a p ur e l y ne rvou s
k ind u s uall y yie l ds r e a di l y to s u gges t i o n
Many p at ien t s ge t atta c k s o nly when s o me p art ic ular
ci r c u ms ta nce ar i s e s O ne s u ch p at ien t a s ur ge o n
al w a ys g ot a n atta c k bef or e pe r f or ming a n a bd o min al
o pe rat i o n t h ou gh o pe rat i o ns o n ot he r r egi o ns did n ot
a ffec t him An ot he r p at ien t w a s atta c k ed if he h a d
to m ak e lo ng j our neys a n d a n ot he r w a s a lw a ys
o b l iged to r e fu se in v itat i o n s to dinne r bec au se when
t he h our d r ew ne a r he in var i a bly g ot a c ut e di arr h oea
A ll t hese r ec ov e r ed a f t e r v e ry fe w tr e a t men t s
Mr A a c l e rk a t 2 8 w a s s u bj e c t to t s
o f di arr h oea fro m ex tr e m ely s l igh t c a us e s a nd h a d
s uffe r ed in t his w ay eve r since his sch o ol d ays I f he
h a d to in t e r view o ne o f hi s chiefs he al w a ys h a d a n
atta c k a nd t he s l igh t es t devi a t i o n f ro m hi s n orm al
l ife e v en t he p ro spec t o f a j our ney w a s s ur e to h ave
t his r es ult He w a s o bvi ou s l y o f a ve ry ne rvou s
t empe ra men t a nd t he ide a o f his v isi t to m e b rou gh t
o n a seve r e p aro xy s m hi s b o we l s a c t ing v e t ime s
t h at m or ning bef or e I s a w him Hypn ot i z ed f our
t imes in Ju ne 1 8 98 he p a ssed in to deep somnam
bulism a nd his ne r v ou s di arr h oea at o nce ce a sed
The c au ses which u sed to a gi tat e him in t his w a y
we r e a nn u lled b ut sligh t exp o s ur e to c ol d see m s to
h av e been s t il l f o l lo wed by a n atta c k He l ef t f or
Sout h A f r i c a s h ort ly a ft e r w ar ds a nd I h ear f ro m hi m
t h a t he r em a in s we ll t h ou gh c ol d ye t a ects him
.

TRE A TME NT BY SUG GE ST I O N

1 79

L loyd

Tu c k ey r ec or ds a s tr iking ins ta nce o f c ur e

o f ch ro nic ne rv ou s di arr h oea m a p atien t a ged seven ty
t w o wh o h a d been a fic t ed for m a ny ye ar s t he dise a se
d at ing f ro m t he t ime o f t he Cr ime a n W ar
1 7 Sp a smodic A s thma In m a ny c a ses o f t his
c o mp la in t even o f v e ry lo ng s ta nding s u gges t io n
gives immedi at e r e lief a n d p r e v en t s t he o nse t o f
atta c k s d ur ing s l eep
If t he p at ien t be ta ugh t h o w to u se se l f-s u gges tio n
he c a n gene rall y c ut sh ort a ny t h r e at ened a tta c k wi t h
t he g r e at es t e a se
This a pp l ie s o n l y to p ur e ly sp a sm o dic a s t hm a I f
he a tta c k be d u e to b ro nchi t is or a ny i rr i tat i o n o f t he
a i r tra c t s s u gges t i o n is s o f ar a s I h a ve seen o f
c o mp arat ive l y l i tt le u se t h ou gh i t m a y s o me t im es
all e v i at e i t to s o me ex t en t

I a lw a ys r ef u se to tr e at i t be l ieving
1 8 E p ilep sy
t h at i t is u seless in s u ch c a ses Th r ee c a ses h o weve r
ar e w ort h men t i o n o ne o f epi l epsy a nd t he othe r t w o

o f pe t i t m al
O ne epilep t ic w a s a y ou ng m a n wh o
h a d o ne or m or e t s ne ar ly eve ry d a y I f ou nd th at
he h a d n o c tur n al emissi o ns eve ry nigh t These c e a sed
at o nce u nde r t he in u ence o f s u gges t i o n a nd his t s
dis a ppe ar ed al s o b ut r ec urr ed a g a in a s b a dly a s eve r
s o me t h r ee m o n t hs lat e r t h ou gh the emissi o ns did
n ot r e tur n

I n t w o c a ses o f pe t i t m al in which t he atta c k s

o cc urr ed seve ra l t imes a d a y I f ou nd t h at emissi o ns
took p la ce e v e ry nigh t O ne w a s a m a n a ged t hi rt y -t w o
a nd t he ot he r forty I s to pped t he em i ss i o ns a nd to
,

A N I NTR ODUC TI O N T O HYP NO T ISM

1 80

my s ur p r i se t he pe t i t m al c e a sed a nd h a s n ot
r ec urr ed in ei the r c a se
O ne h a s n o w been we ll f or
ve ye ar s a nd t he othe r f or ne arl y four ye ar s Wh at
m ak es t he c a se m or e c ur i ou s is t h at t he t w o p at ien t s
we r e b rot he r s
I n t he o n l y c a se o f tru e epi l epsy t h at I h ave tr ied
t he p at ien t act 2 6 h a d s uffe r ed f or t wel v e ye ar s a nd
t he t s di minished f ro m a b out one in eigh t d ays to
a b out o ne a m o n t h ; b ut I lo s t sigh t o f him six m o n t h s
a f t e r tr e at men t I a m inclined to t hin k t h at t he
imp rov emen t m u s t h av e been d u e to s o me c au se ot he r
t h a n t he tr e at men t
,

Anze st h es ia

Su gges t ed a n aes t hesi a

h a s been a pp l ied to v ar i ou s
I
c ondit i o ns I t h a s pl ayed t he p art o f a n a n aes t he t ic
in s ur gic al o pe rat i o ns s o me o f t hem o f g r e at seve r i ty
a nd h a s a ls o been u sed to r elieve p a in s u ch a s t h at
o f ne ura lgi a he a d a che a nd toot h a che a nd e v en t he
a g o ny c au sed by c a n c e r Con nements m ay a l s o be
r ende r ed p a in l ess wi t h out a ny o f t he dis a dv a n ta ges
att end a n t o n t he use o f ch loro f or m
A s a rul e o ne c a nn ot r em ov e p a in u n l ess t he p at ien t
h a s been tra ined by hypn ot i zat i o ns o n p r evi ou s o c c a
si o ns
But t his is n ot al w ay s necess a r y
Ma ny
ye ar s a g o while at Ca mb r idge I h a ppened o ne
evening to c a l l o n Dr W H Ga s k ell He to ld me
t h at his child r en s n ur se w a s s u ffe r ing fro m ra ging
toot h a che which h a d k ep t he r a w ak e for t w o nigh t s
.

TRE A T ME NT B Y SUGGEST IO N

181

a nd he s u gges t ed t h at I sh ou ld tr y to r elieve he r
Sh e h a d been c rying wi t h p a in a nd t he l ef t side o f
he r f a ce w a s m u ch sw oll en I m a de he r si t d o wn
a nd tol d he r t h at she w a s to look at my eyes when
she w oul d fal l a sleep Sh e p a ssed immedi at ely in to
s o mn a mb ul ism a nd I s u gges ted t he c ess at i o n o f t he
p a in a nd a w ok e he r Th e p a in h a d g o ne b ut i t
c a me b a c k in a b out a n h our t his t ime h o we v e r o n
t he Opp o si t e side I r em oved i t a s be for e a nd i t
neve r r e turne d
Sh e slep t well th at nigh t a nd
Dr Ga s k e ll to ld me t h at nex t m or ning t he swe ll ing o f
he r f a ce h a d s u bsided
Dr B e tt s Ta plin o f L ive r p ool r ec or ds a c a se in
which he h a s s u cceeded in r elieving t he p a in o f
Th e di a gn o sis o f c a nce r w a s
c a nce r in t he s to m a ch
c o n r med by a n expl oratory o pe rat i o n Unde r tr e at
men t by hypn o sis n ot o nly h a s t he p a in ce a sed b ut
t he p at ien t h a s p ut o n e sh a nd e at s well Su ch a
r es ult is tru ly a m az ing
A s a n a n aes t he t ic d ur ing den tal ex tra c t i o n hypn ot ism
h a s been s u ccess fu lly empl oyed b ut i t s u nce rta in ty
a nd t he ne c essi t y o f t he p r e vi ou s tr a ining o f t he
p at ien t ar e g r e at di s a dv a n ta ges s o t h at i t c a n neve r
tak e t he p la ce o f chl oro f or m a nd e t he r I t h as h o w
eve r a s I s a id fr eq u en t ly been u sed a s an a naes t he t ic
fo r co n n eme nts a nd Dr Bry an o f Leices t e r h a s
empl oyed i t m o s t s u cce ssf u lly f or t h at p ur p o se He
h a s al s o s u cceeded in r eg ulat ing t he s u pply o f mil k
by me a ns o f s ugges t i o n inc r e a sing or diminishing i t
E mp loy ed
a nd e v en tot a l l y s upp r essi ng i t a t wi l l
.

AN

1 83

I NTR ODUCTIO N T O HY PNO T ISM

t h u s hypn ot ism migh t be ex tr emely u sef ul in t he

h a nds o f t h o se in gene ra l p ra c t ice since it is f r ee
f ro m t he d a nge r s o f chl oro f or m
,

Conc l usio n

A lt h ou gh hypn ot ism m a y d o m u ch in beginning a

c ur e ye t in m a ny c a ses especi a l l y in t h o s e wh i ch ar e
s o mewh at va g u ely c la ssed a s ne ura s t heni a s m u ch
m or e is o f t en r eq u i r ed to m ak e t he r egene rat i o n c o m

l
t
a
nd
pe
r
m
a
nen
t
O
nly
too
m
a
ny
t
hei
r
n
a
me
e
e
p

is l egi o n o we t heir trou b l e s to t hei r u nhe althy

m a nne r o f l ife W ork t hey r eg ar d a s a n evil to be
a v o ided a s m u ch a s p o ssib l e a nd when t hey ar e
s u f cien t ly we a l t hy to be independen t o f i t a s s o
m a ny o f these p at ien t s ar e t hey h a ve n o r eg u l ar
o cc u p at i o n o f a ny k ind excep t p l e a s ur e see k ing a
p a s t ime which is a p t to p all a s t he ye ar s p a ss by
Dis tra c t ed by enn u i a nd imp r is o ned in se l f t hey c a n
r emedy t hei r c o ndi t i o n o nly by a c o mple t e ch a nge o f
outlook o n life a nd t hei r o ne h o pe o f l a s t ing c ur e
lies in w ork a nd c o n ta c t wi t h t he r e a li t ies o f l ife
I f they c a n engende r 1 n t hemse lv es s o me h u m a n
in t e r es t t hey m ay f or ge t t hei r o wn s orro ws in t h o se
o f ot he r s Un t il we h a ve pe r s ua ded t hese p at ien t s to
s tart a new life our w ork is o nly h a lf nished I f
t he Va lley o f A ch or be indeed a d oor o f h o pe i t is
our d ut y n ot o nly to o pen i t a nd c o mpel t he dwelle r
to p a ss t h ro u gh to t he ot he r side b ut to l o c k a nd b ar
i t a gain st h is r e t urn In a w or d we m us t if p o ss ib l e ,
,

TRE ATME NT B Y SUGGES T IO N

1 83

ind uc e

him to tak e u p s o me a bs or bing f or m o f la b o ur

f or in w ork a nd w ork a l o ne w ill he nd pe r m a nen t
s a lv at i o n
q u i l f aut
Je s a is au ssi di t Ca ndide
c u l t ive r n otr e j ar din
Tra v a ill o ns s a ns ra is o n
ne r di t Mart in c es t le se u l m oyen de r end r e la vie
s u pp orta b l e
,

CHA PTE R

VII

THE CA SE A GAI NST HYP NOTI SM

D a nge r

of

u nq u ali e d

i rr e s p o ns i bl e

a nd

Op i ni on o f Mo ll Q u e s t i o n
sugge s t i ons Con l u s i o n

of

li be r t y

u se
of

h ypnoti s m
subj e c t t o r e fus e
of

HYP NOTI SM lik e ne ar ly eve ry ot he r r emedy p o we r f u l

fo r g oo d m a y be mischiev ou sly u sed ; b ut u nde r t he
di r ec t i o n a nd aut h or i ty o f t h o se wh o ar e q ua lied by
k n o w l edge a nd tra ining i t i s I be l ie v e a n a bs olut e l y
s a fe m o de o f tr e at men t
I t is tru e t h at a ft e r hypn o sis s o me p a t ien t s m a y
c o mpl a in o f he a vines s a nd d ro wsiness s o me t imes i t
is s a id o f sligh t dep r essi o n ; b ut these symp to ms
m ay al w a ys be p r even t ed by c ar e in t h orou gh l y dis
pelling t he hypn o sis at t he t ime o f a w ak ening Ye t
t he r e is n o d ou b t t h at when t he phen o men a ar e u sed
by tra velling hypn ot is t s me r ely f or sens at i o n a l sh o w
p ur p o ses t he r es u l t s m ay be m or e h ar mf u l ; a nd f or
this r e a s o n if f or n o ot he r i t is m u ch to be desi r ed
t h at s u ch exhibi t i o ns sh ou ld be p ro hibi t ed by l a w
in t his c ou n try a s t hey ar e in alm o s t e v e ry ot he r
These pe o p l e i mp o se u po n t hei r
Stat e in E uro pe
,

1 84

T HE C A SE A G A INS T HYPNO T ISM

1 85

s u bj ec t s a s u ccessi o n o f h a l lu cin at i o ns o f an exci t ing

ch ara c t e r a nd s o me t imes d o n ot t h orou gh l y arou se
t hem at th e end o f t he pe r f or m ances So me allo w t he
s u bj ec t s to be l ieve t h at t hey m a y be in u en c ed f rom
a dis ta nce a nd if t hey ar e giving pe r f orm ances f or
seve ra l nigh t s in s u ccessi o n o f t en c o mpe l t h o se wh o m
t hey nd to be high l y imp r essi o n a b l e o n t he r s t
o cc a si o n to att end t he ot he r disp lays by p o s t hypn ot ic
s u gges t i o n
Ma d a m Car d wh o f r eq u en t ly pe r f or med in Cam
b r idge u sed to c o mpel he r u nde r g ra d uat e s u bj ect s to
c o me to he r s a nces in t his w a y ; a nd I believe t h at
she he r self h a d a n ide a t h at she c oul d c a ll t hem f ro m

a f ar at le a s t I k n o w th at m a ny t h ou gh t she p o ssessed
t his p o we r
The f o l lo wing ins ta nce exp o ses t he h arm which
ens u ed o n he r p ro ceedings M r
a n u nde r gra d uat e
att ended o ne o f h e r pe r f or m a nces w a s r e a dily hyp
no tiz e d by he r a nd m a de to d o a l l k ind s o f a bs ur d
a c t i o ns whi l e he a ls o u nde r wen t a se r ies o f h al l u cin a
t i o ns s o me o f t hem o f a m or e or less dis tur bing n atur e
The nex t d a y M a d a m Car d lef t Ca mb r idge I n t he
evening o f t h at d a y t he u nf ortu n at e vic t im w a s sei z ed
wi t h t he ide a t h at she w a s s taying at t he Gro sven or
Hot el in L o nd o n a nd w a s i rr esis t ibly c a l l ing f or him
Go he w oul d b ut his f r iends f or cibly de ta ined him
u n t i l t he la s t tra in h a d lef t He t hen h o weve r s a id
t h at he m u s t w a l k I w a s a s k ed to see him a nd by
a c ou n t e r -s u gges t i o n c a ncelled t he ide a ; b ut he w a s
s o m u c h sh ak en b y h i s ex pe r ien ce t h at h e w a s u n ab l e
,

186

AN

I NTRODUCT IO N T O HYPNO T ISM

to u nde r g o his ex am in a tio n o n t he f ollo w ing d ay

P r esen t ly he w a s wel l a g a in b ut t he c a se imp r essed
me v
e ry m u ch a s to t he p o ssib l e d a nge r o f hypn ot ism
when c arr ied out by ign ora n t pe r s o ns I n othe r
c a ses too Ma d a m Car d s s u bj ec t s we r e m a de ne rvou s
a nd exci ta b l e fo r s o me h our s a ft e r he r pe r for m a n c e
The p ra c t ice o f hypn ot i s m ou gh t to be c o nn ed
en t i r ely to medic al men a nd to se r i ou s a nd we ll
l
u
i
d
scien
t
ic
inve
s
t
ig
ator
s
I
t
is
too
p
ot
e
t
n
a
e
an
q
a gen t to be used a s a pl a yt h ing Dr Llo yd Tuc key
giv e s in hi s b ook se ve ral c a ses in whi c h h ar m h a s been

w rou gh t by t h o se i t ine ra n t
p ro fess or s
I n o ne
c a se he q uot es Dr M J Nola n s r e lat i o n o f a c a s e o f
s tup e ro se in s a ni t y which he be l ie v es w a s c au sed by
t he ign ora n t emp lo ymen t o f hypn ot ism t he p at ien t
a d ru n k en a nd dissip at ed s o ldie r b rok en in he alt h by
h i s ex c esses h a ving been hypn ot iz ed by a trav e ll ing
o pe r a tor I n a n ot he r c a s e which c a me u nde r Dr
Tuc key s n ot ice t he p a t ien t h a d a f t e r hypn ot i zat i o n
f r eq u en t c atal ep t ic t s
I n F ra n c e s e r i ou s epidemics
o f hys t e r i a a nd ot he r ne r v ou s a ff ec t i o ns ar e s a i d to be
o bse rv ed a ft e r t he v i s it s of t hese i t ine ra n t sh o wm en
B ut I kn o w o f n o ins ta n c e in wh i ch a ny e vil c o n
seq u ence h a s follo wed t he u se o f hypn ot i sm by a
p ro pe r ly q ual ied m a n f or t he ra pe ut i c p ur p o se s I t
i s o pen to ex a c tl y t he s a me o bj ec t i o ns a s ot he r f orm s
o f tr e at men t a nd to n o m or e in t h at i t s i rr esp o nsib l e
a nd u nc o mp r ehending u se is l ik e ly to be follo wed by
unple a s a n t a nd in s o me c a ses se r i ou s e ffec t s
The r ea l d a n ge r s of hy pn ot i s m s a ys Moll , are two
.

T HE C A SE A G A INS T HYPNO TISM

1 87

in n u mbe r t he inc r e a sed t endency to hypn o sis a nd

t he heigh t ened s u scep t ibili t y to s u gges t i o n in t he
Th e r s t he s a ys is u s ua lly c au sed
w ak ing s tat e
by t he u se o f Bra id s me t h o d f or t he ind u c t i o n o f
hypn o sis which i t will be r emembe r ed c o nsis t s in
m aking t he s u bj ec t x his g az e f or a t ime o n s o me
b r igh t o bj ec t
F or t his r e a s o n if f or n o ot he r i t
is il l s u i t ed f or medic a l hypn o sis Th e ot he r c a n be
g uar ded a g a ins t by s u gges t ing to t he p at ien t d ur ing

hypn o sis t h at n o b o dy c a n hypn otiz e h im a gains t his

wil l a nd t h at n o b o dy c a n enf or ce s u gges t i o ns u p o n

him whi l e he is a w ak e t he s ur es t w ay s ays Moll to

a v o id t his d ange r
Th e q u es t i o n h a s been ra ised whe t he r i t m a y n ot
be p o ssible by s u gges t i o n to c o mpel a s u bj ec t to c arr y
out s o me c r imin a l a c t
Cle ar ly t his w o uld c o ns t i tut e
a r e al d a nge r o nly if t he hypn ot i z e r we r e o f s u ch a
ch ara c t e r a s to be c a p a ble o f s u gges t ing a c r ime a nd
a s I im a gine t h at n o o ne w oul d willingly be hypn oti z ed
by a pe r s o n o f d ou b t f u l r ep utat i o n t his d o es n ot
a ppe ar to be a v e ry v a lid o bj ec t i o n to t he medic al
u se o f hypn ot ic s u gges t i o n But the q u es t i o n is a n
in t e r es t ing o ne a s i t is p o ssib l e t h at the p l e a o f
hypn ot ic in u ence migh t be rais e d to shield t he
a cc u sed in a c r imin a l tr i a l Aut h or i t ies ar e n ot
a gr eed a s to whe t he r t his migh t be a r e al defence or
n ot
Bra mwe ll s tat es th at even in s o mn a mb ul ism
he h a s neve r k n o wn a p at ien t a c cep t s u gges t i o ns
which w oul d n ot h a ve been a ccep t ed in n or m al life
and he gi v e s inst a nc es w h er e s ubj ec t s h a v e r efus ed
,

'

AN

1 88

I NTRODUCT IO N T O HYPNO TISM

e v en tr i vi a l s u gges t i on s a pp ar en t ly bec au se t hey

c o n ic t ed wi t h t hei r ide a s o f p ro p r ie t y
F or e l wh o h a s tr ied to m ak e s u bj ec t s c o mmi t
expe r imen tal c r imes is inclined to t hin k t h at t hese
c ou ld be a c c o mp l ished in w ak ing l ife
Th u s o ne
s u bj ec t w a s m a de by s u gges t i o n to r e t wice at a
m a n t he r e volve r being loa ded u n k n o wn to h im wi t h
b la n k c artr idge These expe r imen t s h o weve r ar e
n ot c o nc lu siv e f or i t is imp o ssible to be s ur e t h at the
s u bj ec t d o es n ot r e a liz e th at t hey a re o nly expe r imen t s
f ro m which t he o pe rator h a s tak en g oo d c ar e to
elimin at e a ny p o ssibil i t y o f w ro ngd o ing
I t is o f in t e r es t to n ot e t h at in n o r ec or ded c a se
a s fa r a s I k n o w h a s a s u bj ec t in s o mn a mb u lism
eve r r ef u sed a n inhibi tor y s u gges t i o n s u c h a s p aral ysis
o f a limb or t he in a bi l it y to c arr y out a given a c t i o n
P e r s o n a lly I d ou b t v e r y m u ch whe t he r o ne c ou ld d o
s o a nd un t il i t is dem o ns trat ed t h at o ne c a n I d o
n ot r eg ar d i t a s p ro ved t h at p at ien t s c an a ccep t or
r ej ec t e v e r y k ind o f s u gges t i o n at wil l
And even
th ou gh i t is ce rta in t h at s o me s u bj ec t s c a n r esis t
ce rta in impe rat ive s u gges t i o ns i t d o es n ot fo ll o w th at
a ll s u bj ec t s c a n r esis t a ll r ep u gna n t s u gges t i o ns
E ve ry o ne wi t h m u ch expe rience o f hypn ot ism m u s t
be f a mili ar wi t h t he g r e at v ar i at i o n s in t he degr ee
o f s u gges t ibili t y in diffe r en t s u bj ec t s d uring s o mnam
bulis m
I t is sc ar cely s ur p r ising t h at s o me sh ou ld
be a ble to r esis t s u gges t i o ns whil s t othe r s c a nn ot
The p art ic u l ar s u gges t i o ns which ar e e a si ly enf or ced
v ar y m u c h w i t h di ffe r en t s u b j ec t s , a s a lso t h o se
,

T HE C A SE

A G A I NS T

HYPNO T ISM

189

s u gges t i o ns which c a n be enf or ced o n ly wi t h difc ulty

or

at all
B ut e v en if we a s s ume fo r t he p ur p o se o f ar g u men t
t h at s o me pe o ple c oul d be m a de to c o mmi t c r imes
or
a
s
h
a
s
been
a
sse
rt
ed
to
allo
w
t
hem
se
l
ves
to
be
(
c r imin a lly a ss au l t ed ) i t m us t be r emembe r ed t h at
t he n u mbe r o f s u ch s u bj ec t s m u s t be v e ry sm a ll I t
m a y be s a fe l y a sse rt ed t h at s u ch even t s c ou ld u n de r
n o c ir c u ms ta nces be p o ssib l e u n l ess t he s u bj ec t we r e
s omn a mb ulis t ic a nd u nde r 2 0 pe r c en t p a ss in to
t his c o ndi t i o n E ven o f t hese ve ry few w ou ld n ot
at l e a s t tr y to r esis t s u ch s u gges t i o ns a nd a s h a s
alr e a d y been sh o wn s o me if n ot all w oul d d o s o
s u ccess full y
Ma ny
The q u es t i o n is at p r esen t a n o pen o ne
deny alto ge t he r t he exis tence o f a ny d a nge r o f
c r imin al s u gges t i o ns b ut othe r eq ua lly g oo d a uth o ri
t ies c o nside r t h at t he pe r il is n ot imp o ssib l e I a m

inclined to a gr ee wi t h Mol l wh o s ays : Ye t we m u s t

a dmit t he p o ssibili t y t h at a c r im e m ay be c o mmi tt ed
in t his w a y a s E ul enb ur g Dall ey a nd F or el insis t
O n t he or e t ic al grou nds I be l ieve i t is po ssib l e w i t h
s o m e s u bj ec t s
The r e m a y be m u ch ex a gge rat i o n
F or ex a mp l e few pe o p l e ar e s o s u scep t ible a s to
a c cep t t he s u gges t i o n o f a c r imin al a c t wi t h out re
d
hypn
ot
i
zat
i
o
n
I
t
is
al
s
o
tru
e
t
h
at
m
a
ny
t
a
e
e
p

w oul d r ef u se even a f t e r a lo ng hypn ot ic tra ining

Li ge o is a ls o believed t h at c r imin al s u gges t i o ns
we r e n ot a n imp o ssibili ty
B ut s o lo ng a s t hey ar e r ec o gni z ed even t he s l igh t e s t
no t

1 90

AN

I NTRO DUC TI O N T O H YP N OT IS M

hypn ot ism c a n be r e a di ly a v o ided I t i s

essen t i al t h at hypn ot ism sh ou ld be emp lo yed wi t h
t he s a me c ar e a nd t he s a me p r ec aut i o ns a s ar e re
q u i r ed in t he m or e d a nge rou s p ro cess o f giving
a n aes t he t ics I n e a ch c a se s o me scien t ic k n o w l edge
a nd p r evi ou s tr aining ar e t he o nly g uara n t ees o f
s a fe ty a nd s o l o ng a s similar s ur e t ies ar e p rovided
t he r e c a n be n o v al id o bj ec t i o n to t he u se o f hypn ot ism
a s a r emedi al a gen t Th e r is k s ar e few t he inc o n
ve nie nc e s
tr i ing ; a nd s o me m ala dies s u ch a s
dips o m a ni a c a n o f t en be c ur ed in n o ot he r w a y
wh at e v e r
I ndeed hypn ot i sm all i ed wi t h a ce rt a in degree o f
psych o a n a lysis seems t he o nly k ind o f t he ra pe ut ic
p o we r t h at c a n pene trat e a ce rta in o bsc ur e p ro vince
o f p at h olo gy at a l l O n l y i t s r elieving and s tr eng t hen
ing s u gges t i o ns a n d i t s pene trat ive disc o ve r ies c a n
diss o lve a w a y t he m orta l m att e r when t he mys t e r i ou s
nex u s whe r e t he physic al a nd psychic al f or ces in t e r
c ro ss bec o mes a c or e o f a ng u ish a nd c orru p t i o n c a n
u n rav e l t he t wis t ed k n ot s o f ins u bs ta n t i al ye t into ler
a b l e p a in in t he d a nge rou s ne t o f the ne rv es a nd
h ar m o ni z e t h o s e disc or ds be t ween b o di l y and spi r i tual
l i fe t h at bese t a highly art ici al a nd c o mp l ic at ed s tat e
o f c iv ili zat i o n
When t he senses p ra c t ise s tra nge
t y ra nnies o ve r t he em oti o ns a nd t he wil l or when
t he im a gin at ive a nd in t ellec tua l p o we r s m a l tr e at t he
b o dy in to s u pp r essed tr e a che r ies a nd r ev o l t s psych o
a n a ly t i c s u gges t i o n alo ne seems a b l e to in t e rp o se in
t he c o nf u si o n o f c o nseq u en t s u ffe r ing The d ua lism
r is k s

of

T HE C A SE A G A I NS T H Y PNO T IS M

1 91

o f t he r emedy m at ches t he d ual ism o f t he mala dy ; i t

is a n ins tru men t o f which t he pe c ul i ar n atur e a nd t he
f u l l c o ns olatory v i rtu es ar e n ot ye t c o mple t ely r e a li z ed
The physici a n in hypn ot ic s u gges t i o n or tra ined
psych o a n a lysis at l e a s t need n ot alto ge t he r r ec o i l
f ro m t he bitte r out c r y o f Ma cbe t h

Ca ns t

m ini s t e r t o a mind dis e as d,

P l u c k fr om t h e me m o r y a r oo t e d s o rr o w,

R az

th o u

e o ut

And w i t h

no t

th e wri

tt e n t r o ubl e s

of

th e br a in,

s o me s w e et o bli vi o us ant i do t e
Cl e a ns e t h e s t u ff d bo s o m o f t h a t p e r ilo us s t uff

Wh i c h wei ghs u p o n th e h e ar t "

I NDE X
A

o f sex fee ng
g ora p hob i a
l c oholi s m
nes i a relati on to the h yp not c
state
n sthes ia
ex p er m ents i n

A BSE NCE
li
1 73
,
A
, 1 43
A
1 68
, 1 55, 1 6 4
Am
i
,
8
1 0, 3 1 , 8 8, 9 7
,
A ae
1 0 , 9 0 1 0 6, 1 0 9
,
i
1
0
1 06 , 1 1 1
4
,
118
i v
, 1 81
g
1 82
-1 0 6
A
1
0
4
,
A
, 92
A
a
, 1 79
,
A
13
,
-41
o
4
1
0
,
, 5
v , 2 4-2 5
A
u
m v
,
8 0 -8 3
w
1 3 , 1 8 -2 2
-2 3
A
is ,
1
8
,
2
24
3
,
Aw k
s j , 60

Pro fessor
Dr 1 82

B ro wn ,
B ry an ,

su g este d to rel e e p a i n

nal g es i a
nos mi a
sth m a s p s m o dic
ttent i on abnorm al to
l imi tat i n o f
p ass i e
uto m at ic m s c ular o e m ent
,

r i t in g
uto m at m m otor
sensory
a en i n g o f ub e c t
,

Ca r bridge

1 52

C
ex p er iments

4 4, 6 4

Can c er 1 8 1 1 8 2
Car p enter s theory o f un c ons c i ous
c erebrat i on 1 3
ases o f re press i on 1 2 8 1 56
a t a lep s
2
h
yp
not
ic
5
6
8
5
8
y
-

9 2 -9 3
h o ice ,

1 0 1, 1 08
w
,
bulism
w k
, 1 2 2 , 1 75

p o er o f d ur i n g somnam
an d a i n g sta te 2 8 2 9
,

Chorea
Claustro p hob i a i n c o mpl exes 1 43
Co c a i ne 1 68 1 69
Conc entrat i on p o i nts o f for
p ati ent 52 53
Con di ti ons o f su ggesti b i l i ty 40
,

57
Co n nement s ,

h yp nos i s as an
an aesthetic d uri n g 1 8 1
See D i sa ggre g a
o nsc io u snes s
ti on o f c ons c i ousness Limi ta
t i on o f c ons ci ousness Pr im ary
c ons ci ous ness S ub c ons c i ous
ness F reu d s di v i s i ons
Const ipat i on 1 54 1 76 1 78
Contrac ture 6 9 75 1 06 1 0 9 1 1 1
Cortex c han g es i n o f bra i n
d ur i n c ontra c ture 7 4 1 1 3
rimina su gg est i on
q uest i on o f
,

B eau c h a mp , S all y , 2 5
Be aunis ro fessor, 48
B ennett , 6 4
B ernhe i m, ro fessor , 3 6 , 48 66 ,
68 , 9 2 , 1 0 8 . 1 1 2 , 1 2 0 , 9 4 -9 7 ,
,

1 54
t

s a g es o f Libeault an d 9 4 9 7
B le p haros p as m 1 2 1
B ra id Ja m es 2 42 4 5 4 6 6 4
-

m etho d o f 45 46
B ra in D r Mc Do ug ll i n 1 2
B ra mwell D r Mi lne 8 40 1 2 0
.

m etho d o f

1 8 7-1 8 9

Cry stal g a z i n g
-

2 3 -2 4

D alle y 1 8 9
D arl i n g ex per i ments o f L e wis
an d 6 4
,

5 8 -6 0

I NDE X

D ea fness h y steric 1 56 1 58
D ental o p erati ons h ypnoti s m
-

a nd ,

1 82

1 65

c as e o f 1 6 7 1 68
c on di t i ons o f cu re i n 1 6 6 1 6 8
fo rm s o f c ra vi ng i n 1 6 5 1 6 8
su gg est i ons for 1 6 6
D i sa ggre gation o f c ons ci ousn ess
,

30

Dis so cia t i on theory o f p h ys i o l o gy

o f h yp nos i s 1 2
Dubo is D r m etho d o f 5 7 58
D ys m enorrhoea s p as m o dic 1 7 3
Dy p e p i g astr ic an d i ntesti nal
,

Dr

s ta g es an d other pheno m ena

6 4 -9 7

F
,

1 42
2
1 54-1 55-1 7 6 ,

l i st o f di eas es a m enable to
su ggest i on as gi ven b y 1 5 4 1 5 5
F reu d P ro fessor 1 2 2 1 2 5
s

Ga z i n g

as a m od e o f i n d u c t i on

r e gory
urne y

64
E , 92
.

I llus i o ns 6 5 8 6
I mp erat i v e su gg est i ons
I mpo te n c e p s yc h ic al
,

35
1 5 4, 1 7 1

1 73

I n d u c t i on o f h yp nos is
I nh i b i t i on o f id eas 4 1

3 2 -4 0

o f m o ve m ents 6 8 8 2
I nsan i ty 1 7 6
I nso m n i a 1 5 4 1 63 1 77
-

L
L an gle y Pro fessor 6 49 3
L e wis 6 4
Li beault D r 2 4 0 4 3
,

9 4-9 7 , 1 1 9 -1 2 0
Li go is ,
1 89
,

Dr

6 6, 6 8 ,

1 53 , 1 54

Limi tat i on o f c ons ci ousness

40

41 , 57

o f m us c ular m o v e m ent 4 1
L uy s 4 7
M
Mc Do ug ll D r 1 2
M asturbati on 1 69 1 7 1
M elan c hol i a 1 7 6
M e m or y i n c rea se d p o wers o f 1 0 2
loss o f 8 65 8 5
re p ress i ons o f 1 2 2 1 52
sub c ons ci ous c hai n o f 1 3 1 4
,

43 , 4 5

G
G

1 89

F ear o f a fear 1 4 1
F lu id M es m er s
F orel P ro fessor
,

E mi ss i ons 1 8 0
E mph as i s i n su gg est i on 3 6 3 8
E nures i s no c turna 1 55
E pi le p s y 1 8 0
E s d ai le D r 2
E ulenber g 1 8 9
E x p er im ents i n different i ati on o f

1 88

E
,

s a,

1 54

Sid i s c on di t i ons 7 40
treatm ent b y 1 1 9 1 8 3
Hyp not isat i on o f grou p s 44
Hyp not is m c ase a ga in st 1 8 4 1 9 1
pi oneers o f 1 2
thera p eut ic forc e o f 1 1 9 1 8 3
Hy steri a 1 5 5 1 5 9
Hy steric al subj e c ts 6 7
,

1 26

1 68

Elli o t s o n

nos i s as a state 6 1 1
e nit io n o f 3 4
m etho d s o f i nd u c ti on 3 2 6 1
p heno m ena o f 62 1 1 8
q uest i on o f p rolon g e d slee p

By

oe

D iar h a 1 2 1 1 7 8 1 7 9
D ips o m an i a 3 9 5 8 1 55
r

Hyp eraesthes ia 9 2

116

Hallu ci nat i ons

9 9 9 -1 0 4
0
2
1 04
, 1
9 9 -1 0 0
.

M enstruat i on

'

1 11

68 ,

20

ne g at i v e
vi sual
H e id enha i n P ro fessor
,

1 54 , 1 6 6

M es m er 1 45
M ethod s o f i n d u c ti on o f h yp nos i s
,

92,

3 2 -59

13

I NT RODUC TIO N T O H YP NO T ISM

AN

1 94

Mi ghods o f i n d u c ti on o f

Dr

T a pl i n

h yp nos i s

s 56
Nan cy Sc hool 47 4 9
other p s yc hothera p eutic (D r
B ra m w ell s 5 8 6 0 D r D ubo i s
5 7 5 8 P ro fessor F reu d s 1 2 2
.

1 2 5)

p ersonal 49 55
p h y s ic al 42 4 7
Mic tur i t i on 6 8 1 54
Mi ller D r Cre ig hton 1 61
Mimic ry 59 9 1 9 2
M oll D r 1 52 1 53 1 8 6 -1 8 7
,

P re c ons ci ous 1 2 5
P re gnan cy 1 7 5
P r imar y c ons ci ousness relati on
o f wi th se c on d ary 2 6 3 1
v a gi n i sm us 1 7 3
P ro c esses o f i n du c ti on 42 6 0
P s yc ho analy s is m etho d o f 1 2 5
,

1 89

M onoton y i n m etho d 40 41
M otor auto m at i s m s 1 8 2 3
M ultip le p ersonal i ty 2 5
M unsterber g P ro fessor 1 3
My ers F W H 3 1 3 2 2
-

52

126

1 00 -1 02

P h y s i olo gy o f h yp nos is 1 2
P lan c hette 1 8 2 2
P ost h yp notic su ggesti on 1 4 1 6
,

4 2 -4 7

other ex p er im en t s 9 8 1 1 8
P h y s ic al m etho d s o f i n du c t i on
,

6 4-9 7

ex

P heno m ena o f hyp nos i s pe i

m ents i n d etermin i n g sta g es

P sycholo gy o f su gg est i on Sidis

'

Nan cy Sc hool 2 1 0 4 7 49 1 1 9
Ne gat i v e hallu ci nat i ons 1 0 2 1 0 4
Ner v ousness 1 7 4
Neural gi a 1 6 6
Neurasthen i a 3 9 1 54 1 59 1 61
No c turnal enures i s 1 6 3
Nolan D r 1 8 6
-

P s yc hothera py ,M unsterber g on
13

Re ex a c t i on 6 8 -7 5
Re p et i t i on as a fa c tor
,

Obs ess i ons

s ugge s

1 61 -1 62

118

S
S ava g e Si r Geor g e 1 62
S eas ick ness 1 55 1 7 5
S e c on d ary or subl imi nal sel f

P aral y s i s fun c ti onal

m us c ular 9 5
,

1 54

P ara s t h esias ,

in

t i on 3 6 3 8
R e p ress i ons o f m e m or y 1 2 2 1 5 6
Ric het P ro fessor 6 9
Rigidi t y m us c ular as a h yp not ic
p heno m enon 6 5 7 0 7 5 1 1 4
,

1 22

P asses as a m etho d o f i n d u c ti on

4 2 43

1 3 , 2 0 , 59

S el f su gg est i on 58 1 0 9 1 1 1
S ens or y auto m at i s m s 2 3 2 4
e ffe c ts o f l ight stim ul i
-

c erta i n e ffe c ts o f 1 0 6 1 08
r igidi t y i n d u c e d b y 7 9
P ass i v e attent i on 2 4 2 5
P a v or no c t urnus 1 55
P ersonal i ty in h yp not i sm 1 1
m ultip le 2 5
o f o p erator 3 8 3 9
subl imi nal 1 3
P ersonal m etho d o f i n d u c ti on

S exual di sor d ers 1 54

Sidi s P ro fessor 3 6
,

1 69 -1 73
7, 40 , 4 2 ,

c on di ti ons o f su ggest ib i li t y

S la ck en i n g m us cular d ur in g
i n d u c t i on 41
S lee p nature o f h yp notic 6 4
S lee plessness See I nso m n i a
,

112

5 4, 5 9

6 2 -9 7

1 74

118

P eti t m al 1 8 0
P heno m ena o f h yp nos i s

4 9 -5 5

I NDE X
S o m na mbul i s m h yp notic

5, 9 ,
1 4 1 9 2 6 , 2 8 6 4, 92 9 6 , 9 8
1 54
,

s p ontaneous
Sp ec tru m analo gy o f ran g e o f
c onsci ousness wi th solar 2 7 2 8
Spir i tual i s m 2 3
S tag es o f h yp nos i s as d ete rmi ne d
b y ex p er im ent 64 9 7
S ta g es o f h yp nos i s c o mp ari son
w i th zo f Libeault an d B ern
he im 9 4 9 7
su mm ary o f 9 3
S tamm er i n g 1 55 1 7 4
S timuli e ff e c ts o f ligh t sensory
,

1 95

S u gg est i on test 3 3 3 5 5 5 56
treatm ent b y 1 1 9 1 8 3
S u gg est i ons o f i n d u c t i on d uring
ex p er im ents 6 5
S us c e p ti b il i ty o f neur a the ni c s

1 1 2 -1 1 8

S ub c ons ci ous m e m ory 1 3 1 4 2 0

S ub c ons ci ousness the bearing
on h yp nos i s 2 7 3 1
e v id en c e for ex i sten c e o f 1 3
-

25

relati on o f to pr im ary c on
'

s c io us ne ss ,

2 6, 2 7
, 3 , 1 3 , 2 0, 5 9

S ubl imi nal sel f

S u gg estib i l i ty Sidi s c on di ti ons
o f 40 42
S u ggesti on e ffe c t o f p re vi ous on
subse q uent h yp nos i s 3 3 3 4

1 5 9 -1 6 1

o f subj e c ts i n g eneral

T
Ta p li n , D r B etts
T e mp erature d elus i ons
.

of

T est su gg esti ons 3 3 - 3 5 , 55-56

T ootha c he , c ure o f 1 8 1
T ou c h d elus i ons o f 8 5-8 6 , 1 1 1
,

1 12

T reat m ent
1 83

T uc k e y ,

b y su gg est i on

D r L loyd
.

m aladi es for su gg esti v e

treatm ent 1 2 2 1 8 2

Typic al

Un c ons ci ous , t h e 1 2 4 1 2 5
,

imp erat i v e 65 8 2 8 5
m anner o f c on v eyi n g 3 5 40
nature o f 2 3
p ost h yp notic 1 00 1 0 2
rea di l y i n d u c e d p heno m ena o f
,

6 7 , 1 0 8 -1 0 9

Va gi n is m us p r im ary
Vi sual hallu ci nati on s
,

1 73

9, 9 9

4 -6, 3 4

W ak en i n g

o f p ati ents
\Ve t t s t r nd D r 4 5
\Vo o ds D r 1 7 6
ei

relat i on o f wi th state o f
h yp nos i s 8
sensory st im ul i an d 1 1 2 1 1 8
Sidi s c on di ti ons o f su cc ess ful
,

4 0 -42

119

1 20, 1 21

85

8 6 , 1 1 1 -1 1 2

3 9 -4 0

126

Yearsle y , Mr , 1 5 6
Yoh im be , 1 7 3
.

B I LL I NG A N D SONS, LTD . , P R INTE R S, GUI L D F OR D E NGLA ND

,

6 0 -6 1
1 54