Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-12-31

nOtism is. The induction OF psvehi
cal condition in which the subjects
susceptibility to suggestion and ability
TO act upon it are enormously in. /
creased I" Sometimes the subject is in |
\ sound sleep, sometimes in half.
waking state. and often in full posses.
sion of the senses and the intelli.
gence Sometimes this state is SELF.
induced, but more often it is produced
by some mysterious influence of anotb.
err on the nervous system of the sub.
iect. Suggestion is a familiar enonob
phenomenon. The contagion of laugh.
ter or tears is a common example and
the acts of every body in their normal
condition are guided by it to an extent
not usually realized. From this con.
troll of suggestion over the acts of the
most self-possessed of individuals 10
the domination of the idea impaired
to the subject deep in hypnotic sleep
the progress is regular. for the differ
ence is of degree and not Of kind
Some writers go SO far as to class all
impulse to action which comes from
without to sugge stion, and assert that
all that portion of mankind who lack
that self-reliance and self-sufficienev
which is the possession of only the few.
are all their lives led by suggestions
Men who yield easily to the tempta.
ton to drink are especially victims
of suggestion, and as a rule hypnotic
subjects, and their cure consists in fix.
ing in their minds the suggestion to alb.
stain in the place of the suggestion to
indulge.
In practice the process of cure is to
hypnotic the patient and tell him as
firmly as possible that he has lost his
desire for stimulant, and that he must
not and cannot longer indulge in it
Dr. Bjornstrom. Swedish authority
on hypnotism. cites a mum Der Of cases
from hospitals in several European
cities and from the private practice of
where cases of dipsomania
of long standing have been cured.
Some cases were received in delirium
tremens, others In bad stages of alco-
holism, and others who had been vic.
Tins of the habit for years, but so far
as known the cure in all cases was per-
manent Dr. Charles l.. Tuckey has
given in the Contemporary Review
another list of cases, some of them
very striking, which have all re-
suited in permanent cures of the drink
habit IL is curious to note that in
some cases a single reduction of the
patient TO the hypnotic state was sufh-
,ient TO enforce the suggestion of absti-
hence permanently. while in Others
The permanency of this impression has
only been secured after some weeks Of
such treatment. In all these cases
.ited by DIR. Tuckey the suggestion
was made that alcohol was poison and
hat the subject loathed it, and that
oathing has continued.
Interesting differences may be drawn
rom these experiments, notably that
iipsomania is a disease subject to cure
BY the win of the patient. Persuaded
hat they must not drink, these drunk
lrds cease to drink and cease to want
% drink If the will could be aroused
n any other way it is probable that
he cure would be as complete unless
I be that in some mysterious way the
will of the subject is REINFORCED by
he will of the hypnotizer Another
'eference is that the permanenee Of
hese suggestions is the principal guar
Inty of the permanence of the cure,
md that if the hypnotizer will it, or a
tronger influence be brought TO bear
N the patient he may relapse. But ii
S to be said that relapses are possible
lnder any circumstances, and that solar
hese reported hypnotic cures have been
Springfield Republican.