The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1901-01-15
SCIENCE OF HYPNOTISM
SOME OF ITS ACHIEVEMENTS AND
USEFUL POSSIBILITIES.

The popular notion of hypnotism is
derived mainly from the stage exhibit
/ lions of professional hypnotists and
from certain grade of fiction I'm
which n favorite feature of the plot
is the involving of an innocent per-
son in crime under the hypnotic con.
troll of villain. with only these
sources of information it is little Won
der that hypnotism is regarded by the
masses as something like n demonia-
cal influence.
Among intelligent people 1t is well
known that serious study has been
given to this subject for years by en-
inent physicians and surgeons in
France, Germany, England and
America. and that hypnotism is now
being successfully used i'm the treat.
ment of various functional and nerv-
Gus diseases. Comparatively few.
however. are aware of the great inter
est with which leading psychologists
are studying the power of suggestion
upon the mind. DR.. Sidis in his valua4
bic work on THE Psychology of Sug-
gestion,' speaks of having performed
1000 experiments in this line i'm the
psychological laboratory at Harvard.
One of the results of the painstaking
Investigations into the power of sug-
gestion upon the mind both in the nor
nal and in the hypnotic ttate has been
TO show the great use which can be
made of this influence for moral and
educational purposes.
Three years ago in one of our large
cities there was high school boy who
had ability but disliked study and was
Mt the foot Of his class The boy was
pursuing an English course of study
on account of his aversion to Ian
guages. He was In lis junior year
and his parents were anxious to have
him remain in school until graduation,
but the boy wished to give up study
and go to work. The director of a
gymnasium who knew the young man
put him into the hypnotic state and
told him that he was fond of study,
that he was ambitious to stand well
in his class, and TO have an education.
He also assured him that he was par
ticularly fond of languages and mathe-
matics-two branches for which the
boy had shown marked dislike. 1t
was expected that the treatment
would need to he repeated several
times to produce lasting results, but to
the surprise OF all acquainted with the
case. not excepting the operator, this
did not prove to be necessary. The
youth began to work and i'm a short
time stood among the best in his
class. At the end of the year lie told
his parents that he wanted TO study
Latin and Greek. and during the long
vacation he made such progress in
those subjects that he was graduated
the next year from the classical
course of the high school In his
senior year he took tigonomctIy as
an extra study for the love of it. From
the high school he went to Yale. where
he is distinguishing himself as a
student
PesOns have been treated 10y suggcs-
ton with evident good results to i'm.
prove the memory and to acquire the
habit of mental concentration Some
of the applications of this influence
have been very ingenious was re-.
Gently told OF the device of two col.
lege students who had overworked and
We're in danger of breaking down be.
fore the end of the year In this en-.
Urgency they resortcd to a mental sci
ence healer who put them into hyp-
motto sleep every day for week. In
that state all of their lessons were
read to them with the injunction to
remember what they heard on awak.
ing they found themselves prepared
for the next days recitations without
any of the usual labor. Having oh.
tanned weeks rest i'm this way they
were able to begin work again.
With the exception of the last. the
instances that have been mentioned
are examples of n purely philanthropic
use of the power Of suggestion for
moral and educational purposes. Tn.
doubleday there are professional byp.
notsts who are conscientious. but the
opportunity for imposture I'm the mat.
ter Is so great that people are justified
I'm being shy OF n man who makes
hypnotism his business. At least one
would wish TO be sure that the opera.
tor Is an intelligent, educated person.
OF well-bnlanced mind and of good
moral character before trusting ones
self TO hls treatment
The power TO hypnotic is not as is
commonly supposed q gift belonging
to few people. but st exists I'm all I'm
different degrees. Like all other On.
pacities, it needs training and practice
to develop &C. Composed. self-rcllant
natures are more successful than tim.
Id. hesltating ones. Physicians pos
cess the great advantage that patients
have faith I'm them and are I'm the
habit OF Obcying their directions This
natural attitude OF the mind zoe. far
in itself toward enabling thc phvsi
clans TO hypnotic a patient
The susceptibility to suggestion
varies greatly I'm different persons. and
radical results are not to- bc looked For
iu all cases from q single treatment.
But a sufficient degree of susccptibili.
" exists in everyone TO make this i'm.
huencc valuable assistant I'm over.
coming undo roble mental ana moral
habits and i'm acquiring new ones The
latest theories claim that to- make
suggestion effective 30 is not necessary
that the subject should Doe put into
"a hypnotic sleep. An that is reonfrod