The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-07-18

Havlng oOhalned these very satisfactory
results, | next endeavOred to explain as
fully as possible the real nature of the
whole performance. The mechanical
feats Were repeated and explained. Con
corning the hypnotic phenomena, the
theory was presented that they had not
been due to the real possession of any
power on my part, but had been produced
solely by the belief that such power had
been at my command.
With the foregoing illustration of how
such belief may arise and with these
statements of the results obtained when
this belief was the only agent relied upon,
| shall now. with much difiidence. at
tempt n formal statement of the real ma
ture of hypnotiSm and of the law for its
production.
These phenomena of mind and body
classified under the term hypnosis origi-
nate in ones belief that he is under the alb.
solute control of an irresistible agent; such
belief compelling him TO obey the one sup
posed to direct this agent; and in many
cases by the reflex action of mind on body,
producing physiological disturbances that
correspond to mental images.
A hypnotist is one who. by some form
of manipulation alculated 10 excite the
imagination, produces an unexpected re-
suit on sensation, for which the subject
can find no explanation save the presence
of a suspected, mysterious agent, and by
which he is convinced that already he
has fallen under it's dominion.
If the above statement be substantially
correct, it furnishes at least a partial an
Swer to the questions which Quincy has
raised.
But the question that most would raise
is, can mere belief accomplish
so much? From the time of Franklin
many investigators of hypnotism have
pointed out the necessity for recognizing
the subjects imaginatiOns or beliefs as
being its most Important factor. The
same is apparent in the kindred arts of
faith cures" magnetic healing" and
"spiritualism." No view of these is COM
plete that does not recognize their eX-
stence in all ages and among all people;
According to Taylor, the "highly developed
trance medium is found among the
Figians, the hill tribes of Burmah, in
New Zealand, China and Siberia. Mr..
Lang declares, ''the power which pro-
duces hypnotism mas always been known,
even among people i'm low state of civili-
zation." Let us see TO what agent we must
ascribe these closely allied phenomena in
that period when they were most extern
sive, varied and intense. This period was
the Middle Ages. AN historians declare
lects were dominated by imagination, and
every department of life subject to the
widest fancies. The philosopher whose
experiment failed at the critical moment
when HE expected the base metal to
change to gold, was as prone to ascribe
his i'll luck to the presence of an evil spirit
as was the "breathess housewife" when
her churn was "bOotless" and 1.-The drink
bore no barn. At TINS period an all.
powerful church, under the reaction of
older beliefs, had filled the earth with con
tending spirits, and had constructed for
mulae for their eXorcism. Under this
powerful stimulus there were nightly en-
counters with ficnds and monsters, witches
and spirits. COmpacts were made with
the devil in human form. Accusations
and confessions of witchcraft were COM
mon. For adj these encounters, appari-
tons, visions and epidemics of imaginary
diseases, we can assign no reason, save
that they were shadows cast by human
hopes and fears" which ecstMcy and de-
spair made subjective realities. The
same continues to be done in our own
day. If encounters with devils and
witches have ceased, it has only been to
give place to visitations in bodily form of
dead relatives and friends. Why the
mind shoIld thus make real its beliefs will
doubtless ever remain in the "substratum
of unexplained facts" upon which al!
knowledge rests.
This creative dynamic power of belief
is seen in other phenomena not usually
classified with those of hypnOtiSm. AS
Mr.. Balm has STATED it. "an idea always
tends to act out itself" Though usually
finding it's highest manifestation in hyp-
notism and spiritualism, it is by no means
limited to these A lady we'll known to
me was treated for rheumatism with Il
patented apparatus supposed ITO be cleo
trical. Its application resulted in
Shocks of such intensity that she was
soon Frustrated. Its use was discon-
tinued because it was apparent that tire
treatment was too severe. To one at adj
familiar with the conditions necessary for
the production of appreciahle amounts
of electricity, it was quite apparent that
these shocks had been caused by mo agent
save THE belief that they would ensue
when the apparatus was applied. lie who
can thus obtain powerful physiological
effects by the application of an appliance
utterly devoid of energy lis "a hypnotist who
masquerades as great discOverer. Char
cot, doubtless very innocently, did the
same when by the use of magnets, he
transferred paralysis from one part to
another of certain hysterical patients.
Such therapeutics is by no means equal
to THAT of the ''illustrious Boerhave"
who once stayed an epidemic of spasms
in boarding school by THE threat that
he would apply a red hot iron to the next
one seized. 1T is not even equal to the
practice of Calabar of divining Diseases
into wooden puppets, nor ito that of the
Indians of the Antilles, who in the days
of Columbus drew Diseases from the body
and blew them away. Such jugglery now
adays is given the more dignified TITLES,
"faith cure" magnetic healing" and
"Christian Science" .
Fully recognizing the power OF belief
to produce such phenomena as found in
hypnotism and these kindred arts, there
are those who still declare that the funda-
mental problem is to show how the opera
tor produces, or gains control over his
subjects beliefs.
The case of the boy upon whom opera
ted as described cam NOT be explained
by any purely physiological Theory such
as that of Braid or Heidenhain. There
was no contact to produce a stimulus.
The brief moment during which i de-
manded his attention could scarcely have
been sufficient to prove 'weariness in a
sensory organ" NERVE strain" nor what
Stanley Hall calls "chrOnic cramp of the
attention" Still less would this have
been possible in the case of the gentleman
sitting in the audience, of whom nothing
was demanded save that he should go
behind the boy and attempt to lift him.
1t is hoped that the account dlready
given of my own experience is sufficient
to illustrate how under ne(1I1iaf circum-